A few years ago I met Allison Patrick via the message board of a New York musician whose songs we both like. We began emailing and soon were talking about our other interests. Allie had tried just about every craft imaginable while growing up... ah, except for quilling. I must have talked it up pretty well because in a matter of days she was experimenting with rolling paper around the tip of needle nose pliers and an open paper clip - that's determination! When she mentioned she was moving to a new apartment and needed wall art, I remember jokingly telling her she would have to quill something... before I knew it, she was immersed in making this: What a great concept! By simply rolling a variety of shapes and gluing them into position on matboard, there's no denying that even as a beginner, she'd done an admirable job of quilling the New York City skyline. Allie explained that she created a line drawing in AutoCAD, printed it out, and attached it to foam core ...

Anastassia Elias is a French painter and illustrator who does some pretty fascinating cut paper collages using... of all things... empty toilet paper rolls. This one is titled Grandmother .   Just tiny bits of mundane cardboard, but I love the way her fine cuts bring scenes to life. And here is School . Enjoy more of Anastassia Elias's art work , including lovely torn paper and newsprint collages like Square . and Passants   Now then, ahem, since toilet paper is already out of the closet for today... I must admit I wasn't aware of toilet paper origami. It even has a name... toilegami. Perhaps we're all familiar with the triangle fold, but I bet the more intricate designs would go a long way in wowing house guests. Learn how via DIYMaven's tolegami . And who knew? There's even an entire stylish book on the subject - Toilet Paper Origami ! (Thanks to fellow Twitterers margaretroach and howaboutorange for these finds.)  

Sarah Louise Kelly is the brainchild behind Saloukee, a relatively new company [closed as of 2021] that features intricate paper jewelry designs. In less than two year's time, Sarah's eye-catching necklaces, bracelets, pins, and earrings have been exhibited in shows across Europe, won awards, and generated a great deal of buzz. Sarah studied silversmithing and three dimensional jewelry design at Loughborough University in England where she created jewelry models in paper as preparation for larger works. Soon Sarah realized she preferred paper as a medium instead of traditional metals; thus her line of jewelry was born. With patience and precision - pressing hundreds of rivets by hand, for example - she creates not just jewelry, but striking works of art from sustainable Japanese textile papers. The laser cut folds are designed to expand and contract. Sarah's highest profile commission to date has been a range of jewelry for Angelina Jolie to wear in the film, A ...

Before summer slips away, I'd like to show you this framed paper filigree piece that was included in my quilling exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum of Art . I made it as a gift for someone who enjoys growing peas each spring, thus the choice of subject material. To be honest, I never cared too much for peas as a child, but I've certainly mended my ways. Now not only do I like to eat them, but I also admire the growing habit of the plant itself... such delicate tendrils with a surprisingly firm grasp - really quite miraculous! I enjoyed recreating that aspect in paper. Strips of hand cut vellum were used for the pea pods, and Speck-tacular quilling paper (edit: sadly now discontinued) from Lake City Craft Company made up the majority of the plant and flowers. I find that the muted, speckled shades are a natural for plant construction and the paper is just the right weight for looping and sculpting.

I love when someone grabs onto a design concept and runs with it. Tina of Etsy shop KittyKatKards , is one of those people... she makes multitudes of the cutest origami dress cards. Crisp, clean lines, paper 'fabrics', as well as quirky little sayings.... it all adds up to eye-catching fun. Tina was a child when her mother started her on the path to origami folding. She was shown how to do a few models and searched out more.   The folded dress that's been such a fantastic seller is a design Tina discovered at OrigamiClub . She liked its girliness and thought it could be used for many different types of cards, and also as a scrapbook embellishment. Tina says she's always liked the idea of card making, but only seriously got into it the past couple of years. She also enjoys photography and has offered a few photo cards in her shop, but mainly focuses on paper folding. Not all of her origami cards feature dresses however; look for stylish seasonal designs, ...

I was introduced to paper cutter, Rachel Weber [edit: Etsy shop has closed] when she was a guest on Martha Stewart's show this past winter. Rachel demonstrated how to make one of her sweet and clever nightlights. Is that one monkey... ...or two?! The design is magically transformed when the light is flicked on in the evening. Free templates and instructions to make a little bird or koala paper cut night light are posted on Martha's site - lovely! [edit: no longer available] Rachel began to experiment with paper cutting as a way to make adorable wall decor for her children's rooms. Soon she set up her Fog and Thistle website and Etsy shop [edit: both are no longer available] to sell shadowboxes and framed prints of playful designs... ...and then added the nightlight line. She also offers complete make-your-own nightlight kits in a variety of designs. Rachel says she's well-suited to paper cutting because of its finality. I like how she expresses it... ...

It's time for some container gardening.... quilling style, that is. My pals are always coming up with good ideas, so I asked if I could share these pictures with you. Tracy Belair Gaito in Vermont (you may remember her orbit necklace and tiny mice ) made this graceful spiral basket. It reminds me of the kind Martha Stewart carries as she sashays through her gorgeous cutting gardens for the tv cameras. (yep, just jealous :-) Tracy has filled her baskets with irises and glads... I love the fresh, bright colors she's so good at using. Washington's Heidi Bishop (remember her cool quilled zebra's eye ?) made this beautifully ornate treasure box. The highly detailed, encrusted filigree style harkens back to Jane Austen's time. Stephanie Lucy Djunaedi from Indonesia creates clever paper weaving projects. Here she's decorated the top of a little paper covered box with a pretty floral arrangement. And this little woven basket Steph made makes me smile - it's ...

Video fun today... a very clever advertisement for Scribe notebooks. Conceived by Cru de Ladies, a studio in Mexico City, it was made in less than two weeks time - pretty incredible! [edit: no longer available] On another note, perhaps you'll have a bit of time this Labor Day weekend to make a paper butterfly or two. The Holocaust Museum of Houston, Texas is collecting handmade butterflies for an exhibition that will serve as a memorial to the 1.5 million innocent children who perished in the Holocaust. And there's still time to enter in my Blogiversary Giveaway ... just leave a comment before the end of today. On Monday I'll announce the winner!

Hila Rawet Karni makes significant use of her education in industrial design to create stunning jewelry.   The Kipul collection is composed of simple folded paper sheets. Hila skillfully transforms the origamic construction into something unique, surprising, and incredibly elegant.   The shading that results from the angular folding technique adds depth and interest. She describes her work as an encounter between industrial design and jewelry design and considers it "...gutsy with a feminine edge." You can see more of Hila's neckpieces and bracelets on her website . [edit: Hila is now working mostly with metals.] In addition to the Kipul collection, she has created a Kishut line, composed of flexible plastic and metal buttons or grommets, and the Kfitz collection that combines springs with textiles and leather.   Hila's paper jewelry commands a high price, and why not? It's exceptional!

Just a quick update to say that my newest tutorial has been posted at Craftzine [now Makezine ], where yarn projects are being featured all month long. The place card design is an example of easy-to-make flowers composed of crewel yarn and quilling paper. The leaves are made with the paper folding technique called alternate side looping and the flower centers are quilled tight coils. You might also enjoy stopping by Patricia Zapata's A Little Hut blog to print out these stylish (and free!) thank you notes that she designed. Patricia, as you may recall from an earlier post, is the author of the brand new paper crafting title, home, paper, scissors . She has such a knack for doing things simply, but beautifully... this classy little bow, for example. And don't forget to leave a comment on my Blogiversary post by Sunday night if you'd like to be entered in the giveaway!

I can hardly believe it... six months have flown by. For someone who wasn't quite sure that blogging would be her cup of tea, I have to say I'm having a blast! Getting to know so many of you lovely readers, not to mention being in touch with the fabulous artists and crafters who have been featured here since March... well, I'm very glad I took the plunge. So then, to celebrate... how about a giveaway ?!   The prize is pristine, brand new copies of the September/October 2008 issue of Bead Trends and the January 2009 issue of CardMaker Magazine , and since it's all about making, I'll send along some nifty card making supplies too. The Bead Trends idea book features instructions for one of my gold-gilded filigree pendants, as well as many more handmade jewelry designs. CardMaker includes patterns for a quilled calla lily card and a quilled Valentine, plus a zillion other greeting card ideas.   All you have to do to be entered in the drawing is leave a comme...