Quilled Valentine Card - Hearts and Flowers

Just a very quick post today to share another Valentine idea. If you've been thinking of giving quilling a try, the design would be a good way to test the waters, so to speak, because it features just three different coils - the shaped heart, teardrop, and marquise.

You'll find the step-by-step tutorial on Craftzine.

New Quilled Designs from Natasha Molotkova

You might recall that just last month we were introduced to the work of Natasha Molotkova. Recently she sent me images of her newest designs... each one is nothing short of fantastic.

This last design isn't brand new, but after Monday's post on cursive lettering, I can't help but feature the double-edged script Natasha used to create the word morning. Perfectly lovely!

I can picture a print of this piece as wall decor in coffee shops and kitchens, and I bet the inspirational gymnast would appeal to young athletes in the form of a bedroom or dorm room poster. By the way, all of Natasha's quilling is done by hand, not digitally.

See more of her designs at PaperGraphic.

Quilled Valentine - Cursive Lettering Tips

We've been seeing a good bit of on-edge paper lettering in recent months and it's refreshing to watch this new trend develop. Box-style printing is popular, but I began wondering if cursive script would be easier.

Because there are no sharply angled corners, the word can be divided into sections instead of shaping each letter individually. I made the loops of the l and o as one unit, and the v and e are another. Lastly I added a tail to the l and a flourish on the e. Whoops, the top of the e looks a little downcast... let me level it out:

Here are some thoughts I jotted down while in the lettering zone - hope you'll find them useful:

1. Lightweight cardstock is ideal for on-edge letters, but because I have more colors of quilling paper than card, I usually use that. Any brand will do provided two strips are glued together to double the strength. The extra thickness, plus glue, makes the paper strong enough to stand on edge. Another option is to use the strips of quilling paper sold in tubes at Michaels as they're a quite a bit heavier than true quilling paper.

2. To glue two strips together, spread glue down the length of one strip with your fingertips. When the strip is thoroughly coated, place the second strip on top. Gently wipe away any glue that seeps out along the edges by running a damp cloth down the strip a few times. Set the strip aside and don't even think about rolling it until the glue has dried completely. Trust me on that; the paper will just buckle if it's damp. Major frustration ensues!

3. If cutting your own strips from a sheet of paper or cardstock, it's important to slice with the grain so the coils roll smoothly. You may need to roll a strip cut from each direction of the sheet to determine which way the grain runs; usually it's the length. (hmm, that doesn't sound clear; try it and I think you'll see what I mean.)

4. Sketch the design of your letters, or find a font online and print out the word in whatever size you like. You can shape your letters right on top of the pattern.

5. To curve the letters, run the strip along the side of your needle tool (or round toothpick, paper piercing tool, stiff wire - whatever you have on hand) as if you were curling paper ribbon.

6. When the letters are ready to be placed on the background paper, spread a thin layer of glue on a non-stick surface. I use a Styrofoam tray or the lid of a plastic container. Holding the letter(s) with tweezers, touch the underside to the glue and place the letters directly on the paper. Try not to slide them into place, as this will leave a snail trail of glue. Even though glue dries clear, the shine will be obvious.

This last photo shows the corner strips shortened to perhaps give the design more of a Rennie Mackintosh squares effect... though after I did that, I liked the original way better, sigh. I'll have another quilled Rennie-inspired card coming up soon... am a bit obsessed with his work at the moment. There's another script idea coming up later in the week too, so stay tuned.

Paper Maché Wavy Bowl

Paper maché wears a variety of faces depending on whose hands have done the creating. Yamarilet Pacheco of etco shapes vessels that are obviously handmade, yet beautifully refined - not an easy look to achieve.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Yamarilet lives in New Orleans. She began working with paper maché a few years ago, and soon became passionate about the technique. Her process requires the layering of thin strips of recycled paper to give the bowls a lightly textured surface; each one takes many hours to complete.

Always the fan of a metallic glow, I like the way Yamarilet brings elegant sophistication to her designs by hand leafing the interiors with copper, silver, or gold. She's also a talented jewelry designer.

etco is on Facebook.


All Things Paper Facebook links:

Try your hand at book folding
The brand new Scissor Mouse sounds fantastic for cutting paper strips accurately
Cardboard fashions from Christian Tagliavini
Jeremy Kool's digital origami animals are pretty sensational
Framed word art you create yourself could be the perfect Valentine's Day gift
Beautiful origami architecture by Yee
MooDoo's laminated paper lamp features a folded heart. I can't imagine how the curved lines are created.

As always, thanks for all of the insightful comments this past week. Enjoy the weekend!