Nov 27 2011
Packaging Quilling Ornaments for Sale or Gifts
I have participated in many craft shows over the years and have found one that I really like sponsored by the South Cobb Arts Alliance. Unlike traditional 1-2 day shows where you set up your booth and then personally sell your merchandise each day, this 11-day show is set up like a Christmas house. You bring your items for the initial set up, work two 3-hour shifts, pick up your unsold items, and they mail you a check for the items that you did sell. It is wonderful!
The only down side is that you are not there to watch over your items. That is where creative packaging can be a big help. Along with my “captured ornament” series, this year I am offering three different quilled ornaments for sale. And while I know that paper ornaments are quite sturdy, I really didn’t want to put them out without some type of protection. I would hope that adults would treat them with proper care, but the tables are low enough that little ones might be tempted to reach for them.
To solve this problem, I created a simple gift box for each ornament and then placed it inside a plastic sleeve (like those used for cards). Packaged with the box open, potential buyers can see exactly what the ornament looks like.
I make the gift boxes from heavy scrapbook paper or card stock. I like using a nice printed paper for the top and a solid color for the bottom. I purchase the paper during the year when I find it on sale, that way the boxes cost next to nothing. My boxes are roughly 3-in x 3-in square, but you will want to make yours sized to fit your ornaments. Just be sure to make the lid a little bit larger so it will fit over the bottom (trust me — I speak from frustrated experience). I also make the lid height a little bit shorter than the bottom height so that the box is easier for the recipient to open. There are several good scoring tools on the market (I use the Martha Stewart one, but Score-Pal is very popular, too) that make creating these boxes a snap.
For an added touch, I cut a piece of white quilt batting to fit inside the box. I purchased an inexpensive roll of batting at my local JoAnn store (using a coupon, of course!). I’ve probably made five dozen boxes and still have plenty of batting left for next year. This gives the gift box the feel of an expensive jewelry gift box. I did find, however, that my white snowflake did not show up well on the white batting, so I cut a piece of pale silver tissue to sit on top of the batting underneath the snowflake.
Since my ornaments are for sale, I include my custom hang tag which contains basic quilling information. This tucks away neatly underneath the batting.
Even if you don’t participate in craft shows, you might want to give this idea a try. Think of how delighted your friends and family will be to receive your quilled ornaments inside their own little gift box.
Even though it is scorching outside, I’m busy working on inventory for a big Christmas show I participate in each year. With this in mind, I decided to quill some metallic cross ornaments to add to my offerings. I remembered some metallic papers I purchased from Quilled Creations and thought they would be perfect (Metallics Sparkling Quilling Paper, Silver & Antique Gold).
The biggest thing I learned is that while the papers themselves are metallic and look great from the side, the edges are quite dull. As you can see, this cross quilled from Antique Gold look like is it made from a plain brown paper (Figure 1), but the sides of the cross are nice and glitzy (Figure 2).
To solve this problem, I used a gold metallic pen (I used one made by Krylon) and colored the edges (Figure 3). What an amazing difference! Now I have a stunning gold quilled cross ornament to sell at the show.
A wonderful reader of mine, Lisa Malachinski, wrote me about a project she has done where she embellishes spoons with quilling. Yes, you read that correctly, spoons! You know how much I love it when someone thinks “outside the box” with their quilling, and I just had to share her story and photos with you.
Lisa’s Aunt Marion was a wonderful lady who was full of life and loved the outdoors. She would sit and watch the hummingbirds outside her front window and show the little birds to her children and nieces. When her aunt passed away, Lisa asked her cousins for one of her spoons to embellish with quilling. As a loving tribute to her, Lisa quilled flowers and a hummingbird for the spoon. It is not surprising that she has been asked to make six more for her family and siblings.
In my last post (
There is still time to embellish your Christmas crafts with quilling. This sweet little angle works up quickly and would add a heavenly touch to your Christmas projects.
To make the halo, fold the 2″ strip of metallic gold paper in half and glue the two sides together. You now have a 1″ strip with gold on both sides. Overlap the two ends and glue together to form an oval loop. Glue the halo flat (with the glued ends down) onto the background, slightly at an angle above the angel’s head.
Last year, I used this little angel on Christmas cards. I used the same blue scrapbook paper that reminds me of a winter’s night that I used on the snowflake cards in the previous post and added a homespun feel with the golden gingham held in place with mini brads.
Try a Google search for images or you can visit 
I want to thank all of the ladies who attended the Christmas quilling class at the Marietta Community School. I hope you had a great time because I know I sure did!
When creating the card, I punched a 1/16″ hole in the card at the top of the circle background. This allowed me to thread the snowflake’s hanging loop through to the inside where I secured it with a piece of tape.
Many of us are on a tight budget, but you don’t have to trim your gift giving list this year. These cards are perfect when you need a little something this holiday season for co-workers, as a hostess gift, or for members of your book club. You can whip up a batch quite inexpensively, but I guarantee they’ll be appreciated and make a lasting impression. 
I limit myself to two tote bags — if I can’t carry it, I can’t have it. Others, however, show up with rolling carts and suitcases! I have purchased some really nice old Christmas craft books along with some new ones on rubber stamping which provide wonderful inspiration for card layouts I can use with my quilling. For those into altered art, the possibilities are endless. I was raised in a household where books were revered and you didn’t mark in them, let alone cut them up, so I have a harder time thinking about books as potential art material, however I did pick up a pocket-sized 1978 World Atlas full of maps. I think that pieces of it would make a wonderful addition to a bon voyage card or scrapbook page of that special trip.
