Naomi Shiek - Colorful Paper Cuts

Naomi Shiek makes beautiful paper cut songbirds... I'm drawn to the bright layers of color with meticulous detail, and imagine that paper cutting must be somewhat akin to a meditative effort with its graceful and controlled movements of the knife.

Naomi graduated with a degree in graphic design from The Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel, where she studied illustration, textile design, and even ceramics along the way, but currently spends much of her free time as an avid paper cutter.She enjoys putting a great deal of thought into her designs... this goes hand in hand with the time-consuming nature of paper cutting.

Folk tales inspire Naomi, and she especially enjoys woodland themed projects. I love the elegant simplicity of her cut work.

She also creates very detailed, more traditional papercuts, and does fabulous embroidered designs, paintings, and etchings too.Visit Naomi's Etsy shop, The Time Is Now, and her blog, to see more of her work.

Origami Artist - Mike Van Horne

Okay, I'll admit it. I've been converted into an origami aficionado. Ben Coleman's intriguing Benagami started it, then Vania Passos's elegant floral arrangements, and for sure, the Klutz Fashion Origami book which proved that heck yes, I can follow little diagrams!

Lately I've been spending more time than I should clicking my way around Flickr. Literally not one minute after joining an origami group, I was stopped in my tracks by this funny character - who could resist him?!Artist Mike Van Horne of Colorado is the creator of Dollar Minotaur, a small creature who's rocking a cagey smile on his face and a glint in his eye. Harlequin - butcher wrap/ unryu/ foil/ lokta laminated on diagonals

Mike is quite a prolific folder. He began doing origami early in 2008, and by the end of that year was creating original, intricate designs with paper squares - no cutting, no gluing.
Mask 4 - lokta foil laminateCross Owl - chiri unryu, foil, mica paper, laminated

Mike also enjoys working on complex designs by other folders. The next three pictures are designs by origami master, Robert Lang, that Mike made with specialty papers, pearl momigami and lokta. moosetarantula

He enjoys the quick gratification of the art. "One aspect of origami that I love so much is the fact that the masters of the art are truly accessible, and that this is the 'Golden Age' of the art. I have gotten great advice and comments about my work from many of my origami heroes, and I have never seen that, without paying for it, in the fine arts world. "praying mantis

A stay-at-home dad, Mike finds himself facing the decision of whether to concentrate on folding or resume his initial focus of pastel work when his son begins school this fall. I'm sure no matter which medium Mike chooses, he'll continue to delight us with eye-catching art. Prophets of Peace - design by Giang Dinh, folded by Mike Van Horne
lokta, unryu, mica paper, banana paper, candy wrapper, foil

If you'd like even more inspiration, Mike has curated a gallery of eighteen great folds by masters of the art.

All photos are by Mike Van Horne of his own work.

Quilled Photo Jewelry

Via Twitter, I came across a family-owned and operated company in Michigan called Photo Jewelry Making. They sell a wide variety of bracelet, pendant, brooch, and ring blanks, as well as all of the necessary supplies to transform your photos into wearable art. I love to make quilled jewelry and realized many of the blanks could easily hold quilling instead of a picture.Placing a quilled monogram in a silver rectangle is sure to elicit the wow factor, plus the frame stabilizes the design. The textured background is a nice bonus too. This piece is a magnifying glass - ahem, something I'll probably need in the not too distant future with all the close work I love to do. Meanwhile though, I shortened the beautiful silver chain by doubling it, and added a Japanese quilled motif to the beveled surface. A graphic by Sharon Bennett inspired the design. You might remember the quilled bird pendant I made which was inspired by another of her illustrations.

This clear glass locket is double-sided - such a great feature, as you can print out two pics for double the viewing pleasure. Originally I planned to use it for the quilled E, but despite cutting 1/8 inch strips in half, the paper was a bit too wide for the clasp to shut.

Happily, Plan B worked out perfectly... despite the crazy, hot weather that has made our garden look quite sad, there was one bright stem of purple balloon flowers in bloom. I grabbed my camera and the EZ-Photo Resizer software, and in no time at all, printed out a picture just the right size to fit the frame. If anyone asks, I can proudly say, "Yes, from my garden!"

This one inch square, silver pendant frames a single quilled flower. I chose the iciest shades in my paper stash to make a summertime blossom, and cut a square of pale blue, pearlized paper as the background. The mini-ball sterling silver chain adds to the delicate look.I used standard 1/8 inch quilling strips to make the flower. If you're new to quilling, check out my tutorials here and here for all the scoop you'll need to make this project.

Make:
6 inch lavender marquise (make 10)
6 inch pale rose marquise (make 5)

Flower petals:
1. Glue a lavender marquise on each side of a pale rose marquise for each of the five petals.
2. Hold marquises in place while the glue dries, pinching the sides to form the petal shape.
3. Glue a strip of pale turquoise paper around each petal twice as an outline.
4. Glue petals together as pictured to make the flower.

Fringed flower center:
1. Finely fringe a 3 inch lavender strip and a 3 inch pale rose strip.
2. Stack one fringed strip on top of the other and glue them together at one end. Glue a 3 inch lavender strip to the glued end of the fringed strips.
3. Insert the free end of the lavender strip into the slot of a quilling tool and roll toward the fringed strips. Continue rolling to the end of strips. Apply a small amount of glue and slide flower off tool.
4. Glue the fringed flower in the center of the petals and fluff out fringe.

The company also sells a variety of more ornate frames... I think these silver-plated and brass pendants would lend a lovely, antique look to a filigree design. Thanks, Photo Jewelry Making, for offering lots of new and exciting possibilities for quilled jewelry!

Quilled Kolam

While perusing the blogosphere recently, I came across Suganthi Mohan's post about a kolam that she quilled. It seemed a perfect follow-up to Friday's snowflake post as the look is similar, but wait... just what is a kolam? Suganthi explains it's a time-honored tradition in southern India.Each morning, women draw beautiful kolams in front of their houses with ground, white stone powder or rice powder. The designs are considered to be a good omen, bringing prosperity to the home. During festivals, large, colorful kolams, called rangoli, add to the celebration.

Here's a mesmerizing, little video of a simple kolam in the making... this one is not a colorful design though, so I'm not sure why it's labeled rangoli, but you'll get to see the technique. No doubt it takes a great deal of practice to work this smoothly.

Suganthi says, "We have freehand kolams which have lots of swirls and curls, and then there is the dotted kolam where dots are placed on the ground according to a particular count and design, and kolams are drawn, joining those dots." (If you'd like to learn more, this is a good link about kolams.) Her quilled design was inspired by one found in a book of patterns, and she used heavy paper so it's quite sturdy. You might enjoy checking out Suganthi's blog to see more of her geometric, quilled designs, as well as a tutorial for a neat looping technique that uses different colors.By the way, Alena has added a tutorial for the paper lotus that was shown in a post last week about her blog, Bells In Spires. I can picture a set of these as beautiful place cards. Depending on the type of paper, a name could be lettered on a leaf or petal, or a little tag could be placed on a stick in the center of the flower.

Snowflakes in July

I bet you've heard of Christmas in July... well, why not snowflakes in July?! Maybe making a few quilled beauties will help you keep your cool if you happen to be roasting in your corner of the world the way we are in Delaware this week.

Stephanie Sanchez is a fab snowflake designer who blends a great variety of shapes and looping techniques.
Deb Mackes, another quiller of stunning snowflakes, treated us to pictures of her complex designs last December, as well as a simple pattern. I'm happy to say she's back today with a second little lovely.
But before you get started, you might want to print out this grid that Stephanie has kindly posted on her website. Trust me... as one who used to quill snowflakes without one, it will make lining up the shapes so much easier. Slide the grid under a sheet of clear plastic and get rolling!

Use 1/8 inch wide white quilling strips.

Make:
2 inch tight coil (make 1)
3 inch marquise (make 6)
2 inch V scroll (make 6)
4 inch marquise (make 6)
2 inch heart scroll, glued at top (make 6)
1 inch tight coil (make 6)

Working from the center outward:
1. Glue the 3 inch marquises evenly around the 2 inch tight coil.
2. Glue a V scroll in between each marquise.
3. Place the heart scrolls as pictured and glue to the tops of the V scrolls. (Note: You may need to move the tops of the V scrolls a little so that the tops of the hearts are even.)
4. Glue the 4 inch marquises to the tops of the V scrolls.
5. Glue a 1 inch tight coil to the base of each heart.

Paper Stars from Bells In Spires

A blog I read pretty regularly is Bells In Spires. Not only do I enjoy seeing Alena Chiang's crafty projects, but quite honestly I go for the laughs - the girl is witty!Her paper star tutorial was just the push I needed to feature Alena. I'd noticed these tantalizing stars before, but never knew how to make them. They're great conversation starters, as people can't resist coming close to watch the transformation of a simple paper strip into something so clever and chubby. A woman Alena met while traveling in Thailand taught her to make the stars. They're cute when attached to hair pins and earring findings.

By day, Alena is a business analyst in Minneapolis, but in her free time she enjoys origami, and says it never ceases to amaze her how many forms a flat, unassuming piece of paper can take with just a few folds. "I've been making paper cranes since I was a child. I enjoy attaching them to all sorts of things - headbands, rings, cards - and gifting them to others. Alena sells the cranes in her Etsy shop, Bells In Spires. (In case you're wondering about the name, it's a lyric from a Vienna Teng song.) Alena also makes paper lotuses and is interested in bookbinding. She's shared a pretty pinwheel tutorial on her blog.After seeing Alena's star tute, I couldn't wait to give them a try. I was sure my stash of pre-cut quilling strips would work well. (Look! - proof I made a few in different sizes.)I quickly discovered that origami paper is much better suited to the task as it's lighter weight than quilling strips, or even regular computer paper. Those do work, but making the indentations with a thumbnail isn't too easy.
You might want to press with the side of a paper piercing tool for better leverage.

And then I had some more fun... I made a dress for Anastasia's paper doll using supplies and patterns from the Klutz Fashion Origami book. Here's a sneak peek, but if you'd like to see the whole outfit, head on over to The Paper Doll Project.

Marriage Certificate - New Design

In May I had the pleasure of quilling this marriage certificate for an engaged couple in North Carolina. The bride and groom requested a pastel floral motif to compliment their beach wedding. We emailed back and forth about design elements so the final layout would be just what they envisioned - a part of the process I always enjoy.If you would like to see additional pictures and learn about the meaning of this type of wedding document, originally a Quaker tradition, the piece was featured recently at lovely Paper Crave.

New to my blog? Additional quilled marriage certificates can be found here and here.

calligraphy by Riva Brown of Living Letters Studio

Paper Jewelry from Cartessenza

Emanuela Mae Agrini left a comment here at all things paper recently. Ever the curious sort, I clicked on her name and was happy to be greeted with a variety of appealing, contemporary jewelry at her site, Cartessenza. Mae is a paper artist from the seaside city, Genova, in Italy. She works primarily with paper mache and recycled materials.

Her pieces are bold and strong with a rich color palette. Mae adds bits of string, metal, or buttons to create a relief, and coats the surface with acrylic paint and then resin, resulting in a shiny finish. Mae tells me she especially enjoys the medium of paper mache and thinks it's one of the most interesting techniques she's tried. Not only does it allow her to express her creativity, but by combining it with the reuse of objects, she's contributing to a cleaner world.These purposeful stick figures on a mission make me smile. Mae draws inspiration from primary and primitive art forms, having studied archeology and ancient history.

Lovely rustic broochesA brilliant ring Mae says the use of metallic colors brings an atmosphere of mystery to her paper jewelry. I have to agree!

Visit her Flickr stream and blog to see more examples of Mae's creative work.

Paper Doll Project

Any guesses as to who these well-dressed gals might be?I'm pretty sure only my sister will have the correct answer, as that's her on the left and me on the right, when we were about 12 and 9. I've always admired Laurie's artistic talent and saving the paper dolls and clothes she made for us to play with ages ago must be a symbol of my appreciation. ...Not to mention they bring back memories of summer days spent playing on the shady porch of the house where we grew up. A while ago I mentioned to her that I still have the dolls, so thought I'd surprise her by posting pictures here for her (and the world!) to see.Something else that prompted this post was a clever blog I came across called The Paper Doll Project. Launched a few months ago by Anastasia Shookaty in Ukraine, she asks that anyone who is interested to download a printable picture of a paper doll she created of herself, design a dress, email a picture of the doll wearing it to asia.shookaty at gmail dot com (replacing "at" and "dot" with the proper symbols), and she will post it.

Anastasia has received several creations so far, such as a beaded dress, one made of wallpaper, and another that's patterned after a glass painting. Here's a sample outfit by Alex Kokkota who painted on newsprint. Anastasia would love more participation, so become a kid again and let your imagination run wild. Use the medium of your choice to decorate a dress, and maybe get your daughters or granddaughters to join in too... the more the merrier!

And just to prove I didn't let my sister have all the fun, here are two questionably stylish outfits I made back in the day. Notice how form-fitting they are - apparently I took tracing very literally! I'm not sure why my left hand is held out flat... perhaps to catch myself when I fall over? I do know that I'm wearing pajamas and holding a flashlight (well almost, with my Bart Simpson fingers - ha) because I would read under the covers after lights out, you know. How times have changed - now we love it when kids read a lot, as opposed to any number of other vices! By the way, the big E stands for Euclid, the mathematician, and the name of our elementary school.

Happy 4th of July!

The holiday weekend just ahead is always one of my favorites - parades, fireworks, and concerts add up to a great time as we celebrate our country's birthday and freedom.

This festive banner made by Bekah Jennings just might be the perfect accompaniment at an Independence Day barbeque; well, not counting the watermelon and potato chips! Check out Bekah's Etsy shop for all sorts of chipboard banners - ready-made or she'll do custom orders for any season, holiday, or event. She says her creations celebrate the beauty and joy of everyday life. To my way of thinking, it doesn't get much better than that.

Except maybe it does! When I sent a message to Bekah to let her know I planned to feature her shop, she wrote back offering a 15% discount to anyone who mentions all things paper in the "message to seller" at purchase (custom items excluded). She'll refund your 15% via Paypal. Nice!
Since quite a few of you are new to this blog since last summer when I first posted this card, allow me to recycle the idea for a moment. Strips of quilling paper were used to make paper lanterns. Aside from the birthday example, it can do double duty as a summer party invitation... De"light"ed to invite you.And this lantern card from Martha Stewart's team that features grosgrain ribbon and stitching looks like a lot of fun to make too.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!