Book Review - Card. Paper. Ribbon.

I'm happy to have been given the opportunity to review Kristin Roach's brand new eBook, Card. Paper. Ribbon. Its concept is something quite special, in large part due to Kristin's personal philosophy... "I am driven to create, but not to create more waste." Kudos to Kristin, of Craft Leftovers, for practicing what she preaches. She's invented uses for items that the rest of the population wouldn't bat an eye at throwing away... old greeting cards, crinkled wrapping paper, and used curling ribbon.

I've never made paper, but the idea has always intrigued me... Kristin takes us step-by-step through the process. I was amazed to learn that just a couple of dozen shredded greeting cards and water are all it takes to produce a stack of rustic sheets.And once the paper is finished, Kristin demonstrates stab-stitch bookbinding to compile the sheets into a handsome journal. Now that I have a guide that begins at square one - how to build the essential screened frame, I'm much more inclined to give papermaking a try... next summer, outside... when I can splash and drip to my heart's content!

Same goes for fusing rumpled gift wrap to cloth with a glue/water mixture - it looks like good, messy fun and produces a surprisingly strong material, perfect for creating bohemian, appliqued wallets and purses. Another nifty idea is to use yards and yards of ubiquitous, ribbed curling ribbon to lend strength to yarn. Kristin crochets and knits with it to make a sturdy grocery sack and storage basket.
Since several of the projects feature crocheting, knitting, and use of a sewing machine, this book might best suit the general crafter. That said, there's plenty for the paper lover as well. If you're interested in tackling new subjects, Kristin has included an impressive list of online resources and personally recommended books, in addition to her own diagrams and step-by-step photographs. All in all, an immense amount of information at an affordable cost.

Kristin and Diane Gilleland, of Craftypod Publishing, teamed up to produce Card. Paper. Ribbon. I will say that learning new skills from a hefty PDF file requires a good bit of scrolling... it helps to read through all of the information first and then print out the handy, condensed version of each project to refer to as needed.

Folded Rose Tutorial

Polly Wiggins, a quilling friend in Kansas, encrusted this paper mache heart with beautiful folded roses and fringed flowers. I'm drawn to the subtle, old fashioned shades she chose, perhaps because they remind me of a silky-soft comforter my great grandmother made years and years ago.
If you've been steering clear of folded roses because they seem too complicated, fear not. Just a few supplies and repetitious steps, and you'll soon realize they're really quite simple.

Supplies:

Quilling paper - any width will work, but 3/8 inch or 1/4 inch are used most commonly. Both are available as standard sizes or cut your own strips. About a 7 inch length makes a nice, full rose.
Quilling tool - slotted tool or needle tool (I'll use a standard slotted tool for this tutorial.)
Scissors
Glue - suitable for paper
Plastic lid - use as glue palette
Paper piercing tool, T-pin, or round toothpick - to apply glue

Directions:

1. Cut a strip of paper 3/8 inch x 7 inches.
2. Slip one end of the strip into a slotted tool from the left. It doesn't matter whether you are right or left handed, as both will have tasks. (speaking of hands... please excuse my winter-ravaged ones!) 3. Hold the tool vertically in your right hand, the strip in your left, and begin to roll the tool toward the left. Make a few revolutions to secure the paper and form the center of the rose.4. Use your left hand to bend the strip straight up at a 90 degree angle. There's no need to crease the fold.5. Continue rolling the tool toward the left, rolling over the fold as you go. At the same time, use your left hand to gradually bring the strip back down to a horizontal position. I realize this sounds clumsy, but try it - you'll soon see it becomes a smooth folding and rolling action.

The next three pictures show the fold/roll motion in progress... the first picture is immediately after the first fold, while rolling. Farther along - left hand is lowering the strip; right hand is still rolling the tool. A little farther...Now it's time to fold and roll again.

Tip: Make a new fold just as soon as you've finished rolling the previous one.Second fold/roll has been completed. The pic below is just before the third fold.6. Repeat the rolling/folding as many times as it takes to use up the strip - that's all there is to it.

Look - a rose is taking shape! This is after six or seven folds... notice it's forming upside down and would make a nice little bud at this stage.7. When close to the end of the strip, tear off any excess, slip the rose off the tool, and allow the folds to relax. Shape the rose by gently rotating or untwisting the folds a bit. Hide the torn end of the strip by gluing it to the underside of the rose.Tip: A torn paper edge will be less noticeable because it blends better than a sharp cut.

Finished rose

Tip: Smooth out the center crimp caused by the slotted tool by inserting and rotating the tip of a paper piercing tool or round toothpick.

Stay tuned for an upcoming tutorial on fringed flowers with uneven petals.

Valentine... Be Mine

Here's a quilled card idea... the black and white flower is a domed tight coil with a gold center, surrounded by black semi-circle coils. Marquises are used as stylized leaves, and black and gold-gilded black papers make up the little bumble bee. The complete pattern can be found in last January's CardMaker Magazine. I curved the red punched flowers by rubbing each one with the ball of a glass head pin in my palm before gluing randomly on the card.

A friend pointed out I could have embraced the cute and gone with Bee Mine instead. How true!

And going back to my previous post for a moment... Rosie Graham, of quilled hearts fame, told me her Paper Treasure blog is still online even though she's shifted gears and is into needlework now. If you go to this page and scroll down, you'll find all sorts of beautiful quilling, including more hearts. Thanks Rosie!

Filigree Heart

England's Rosie Graham was one of my first online quilling pals and I give her credit for inspiring me in more ways than can be counted. This is just one example of the many incredibly detailed hearts she's designed. Rosie, always the modest one, says all she does is roll three inch strips. Right. There's lots more to it than that of course, as evidenced by the complex and beautifully spaced pattern. In fact, I'm thinking it would fit right in with the antique paper filigree at London's Victoria and Albert Museum!

Dawbis - Paper Collage

A friend sent me the link to Dawbis's engaging paper collages on Flickr and I was smitten.... then reading her blog, Lovely Paper, caused me to appreciate what she does even more. Dawbis is a self-taught hobby artist who recycles paper scraps to create tiny works of art. Sometimes she even incorporates a bit of quilling into the designs.From time to time, she arranges 'paper for art' trades with those who send her paper... especially things like old ticket stubs, library catalog cards, game pieces - it's all fair game once Dawbis finds time to sit down and create a collage. She says she enjoys not knowing ahead of time what direction a design will take. She doesn't even keep a sketchbook the way so many creative types suggest. All Dawbis does is lay out the paper and tools ahead of time, thinks of a central object to make, and the rest magically falls into place... well, something tells me a good bit of talent is involved as well! There's so much to see in each precisely cut, expressive scene. They make me feel as if I've stepped into a little fantasy world where something interesting and intense is happening at that very moment... and I want to be involved. But perhaps it's best to just stand quietly on the sidelines and observe, so as to not disturb the action.

Quilling Basics

I'm excited that quite a few readers have expressed interest in giving quilling a try! Be on the lookout for a Valentine Quilling 101 tutorial that will be available soon at Craftzine, but until then, here's an abridged version of the Quilling Basics article I wrote for CardMaker Magazine a couple of years ago, as shown this month in the publisher's online newsletter.One of the patterns, a whimsical little bird, can be found here. Also, you might want to check out the right sidebar on this page where you'll find quite a few tutorials for simpler projects, perfect for beginners. And as always, if you have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer.

ljlh*designs

Prepare to be awestruck... Libby Hampel of Ann Arbor, Michigan makes dramatic jewelry from glass beads and paper - quilling paper, that is. And equally impressive, each piece is one of a kind.A graduate of the Academy of Art University in California with B.F.A. in Textile Design, Libby left her day job last summer to work as a full-time artist... undoubtedly a bold step, but with her prolific, creative ideas, I tend to think she'll be fine. Libby's interest in paper grew while taking a bookmaking and boxmaking course in college. Already a jewelry designer, it was a natural progression to experiment with combining beads and paper.She studies the color and shape of each component before assembly, and most definitely considers the practicality of the design... will the piece be wearable? Tell me a bit about whether you've done any traditional filigree-style quilling or were you drawn to the paper bead aspect, so went straight to rolling it tightly?"
I've never done the traditional filigree-style quilling. I leave that to the individuals who have mastered it. :) I went right to tight coils. The strips have a flexibility that other papers just don't have. I discovered this after starting to use it, plus I really like that the colors of the quilling paper can be seen on the edges. With some other papers the front and/or back are colored, but the edges are white.Do you purchase pre-cut strips or cut your own?
I buy the strips. I'm a pretty good cutter, but not that precise all the time. lol This is the only paper I buy pre-cut. The other papers I use, I cut by hand. I like the precise cut of the quilling paper. No matter what brand I buy, I know the 1/8 inch strips will be just that.Are you a self-taught jewelry artist or have you taken courses?
I took a metalsmith class in college. Sawing metal, buffing metal, soldering, setting cabochons, etc. Everything else I have learned from reading and curiosity. The best way for me to learn is just to try new things with the materials. You never know until you try.Libby's unique jewelry collection can be purchased via her Etsy shop. She also designs eye-catching stationery, boxes, and textiles, as seen at ljlh*designs.

Origami Club

Here's a terrific origami site for fraidy-cats (like me) who procrastinate on trying all sorts of intriguing folds. We really can't go wrong as each step-by-step design is animated and there's even a cool option for choosing the speed at which to watch the folds take shape.
cherry blossoms

Origami Club is loaded with designs, many of which could come in handy for Valentine making. And don't let the 'club' word deter you... no joining is involved.winged heart

I'm already dreaming up a caption for a card that features this bear-pair. bear and polar bear (find them in the Unique section)

Something like...

Who me? Be your Valentine?
And inside... Sure! We'll be bear-y good together.

(via Design Sponge)

Mini-Bunting Card

As a little adjoiner to yesterday's post about garlands, I can't help but show you this uber-attractive birthday card from Jessica at How About Orange. Tutorial is here.

Cute, cute cute!

Garlands from Eurolush

One of my very favorite blogs is Eurolush - Adventures in Germany. I've been following the writings of its adorable self-titled owner and her equally adorable dog, Tex, for quite some time. Eurolush regales readers with humorous tales of everyday adventures in the small German village where she lives, as seen through her American eyes.

Often she and Tex explore the countryside... and the town...But perhaps best of all, Eurolush crafts and decorates with impeccable style, making pretty things from fabric and paper. Lately she's been a bit conflicted about this garland kick she's on, but I rather like it.

And certainly I don't begrudge her the use of tea-stained key tags and vintage paper from a Christkindlesmarkt instead of the usual suspects from the aisles of Michaels. (but a wee bit jealous? okay, yes) Eurolush readily admits to having too much time on her hands and frankly, we benefit... going along vicariously on her shopping outings is always entertaining. I also like that she shares my enthusiasm for wrought iron filigree.Here's a garland she made recently that combines stitching, fave pictures, paper from an old German ledger, and antique number stamps. (sigh, see what I mean? supply-perfection)If these folded paper wreaths caught your eye, make some just like Eurolush did, by following her link to Domesticali's very nice tutorial. I think they'd be fun to construct at any time of year, but especially on a cold and snowy January day. Sometimes the simplest ideas are pretty sweet.

Thanks Eurolush, I look forward to future adventures.