Zim and Zou

A Twitter link led me to the eye-catching work of Zim and Zou, a freelance graphic design duo located in Nancy, France.

Lobster for Dinner - autumn menu

I'm marvelling at the paper lobster's graceful, flowing scrolls and the elegant on-edge lettering of the restaurant name.

Dark Diamond - mmmm, truffles - January menu enticement

Thibault Zimmermann (Zim) is a digital artist, working in interactive media, illustration, photography, and web design. Lucie Thomas (Zou) is into handmade crafts, paper and other materials.

Christmas Star - menu

The pair met in art school and wisely decided to team up - the work of one compliments the other perfectly.

Coffee Dream

Quick, someone please make me a dinner reservation at Au Bon Gite!

Nifty Paper Flowers

Courtesy of a link I saw on Twitter recently, here's a beautiful batch of thirty five paper flower tutorials as compiled by TipNut... Are you looking forward to warmer weather like I am? We could be forcing (paper) buds while we wait!
And while we're thinking spring and talking paper flower ideas, perhaps you remember a previous post about Benagami. Ben Coleman has been creating incredible origami bonsai sculptures from recycled paper for the past several years. The newest item in his collection, just released this month, is a packet of Instant Origami Flowers.These are pre-folded origami shapes that reveal a colorful flower with two simple movements. Instructions are on the package and also on YouTube. By making additional folds, it's possible to create more intricate flowers like zinnias and lady slippers. Truth be told, origami diagrams have been known to make my head swim, but with the video as a guide, I was able to master the "long bud" model that Ben classifies as a difficult fold... so don't be scared off!

Use Instant Flowers as party favors, place card holders, to create arrangements, embellish springtime wreaths, adorn gifts, slip into get well cards, or add a few to an Easter basket. As a former math teacher, Ben offers lesson plans using the flowers for grades 3-8 and high school trig students. What a great way to get kids interested in math and origami! He will also imprint the flowers with corporate logos and campaign slogans as eco-friendly, growth-oriented promotions.

Reach Ben via his website, Benagami.com or visit his Etsy shop.

Cuttlebug Quilling Dies

Buzz about the new Cuttlebug quilling dies from Provo Craft has been making the rounds on paper crafting and quilling blogs recently.
daisy

A video, filmed by Mark Giles of scraptime.ca at the recent CHA convention (Craft and Hobby Association), shows Maggie Lamarre demonstrating how to die-cut and roll a strip of paper.

Scrap Time - CHA Winter 10 - New for Cuttlebug from Mark Giles on Vimeo.

fast forward to 2:15 to see the quilling demo

To my eyes, the result looks more like a balloon punch flower than a quilled daisy, but perhaps that's splitting hairs. It's all good... the popular Cuttlebug name will bring new attention to quilling and the dies will appeal to those who want a relatively quick and satisfying way of adding dimension to their projects. Satisfying, because one feels more a part of the process when actually creating an embellishment, instead of just pasting something on that's been produced by the millions in an impersonal factory. chrysanthemum

The slotted tool ("quilling pen") handle looks ideal. I've been after manufacturers to design a more ergonomically correct quilling tool for ages and hope it will be sold separately. Those of us who do true quilling would like access to it too. And fingers crossed the slot is ultra-fine, because why not make the less than pleasing crimp that a standard slotted tool produces as small as possible? Yes, it's fine to dream!rose/carnation

In addition to the demonstrated daisy, Provo Craft offers dies for a chrysanthemum that resembles a quilled fringed flower, and a rose or carnation.

The Handwork Chronicles

Melissa Bilyeu is a freelance medical/technical editor who enjoys writing about life in Colorado via her blog, The Handwork Chronicles. Home decor and renovating projects, cooking, knitting, dogs, gardening... all are fair game.Something else Melissa is interested in is beautiful letterpress printing. She became enamored with it while choosing her own wedding invitations and was able to focus on learning all she could about the letterpress process once she had more time after the wedding. Her first press was a small Chandler and Price table-top model that had been restored by its previous owner, but soon Melissa was ready to take on a big 1917 C & P press. Completely self-taught via books, videos, and discussions with other letterpress printers and enthusiasts at Briar Press, Melissa spent five months refurbishing the press. She now sells her own line of high quality stationery via an Etsy shop, PaperInkPress... elegant and whimsical tags and cards such as these beauties.Earlier this week, Melissa's post about starting pepper seedlings caught my eye... Not only because I'm so looking forward to something besides fallen icicles sprouting from the earth around my house, but because she made clever, little pots from newspaper, craft paper, and even toilet paper tubes! Melissa shared a handy tutorial to make the pots that can be found here. Happy planting!

Paper Delights at Anthropologie

Andrew Ritchie, the voice behind Martha Moments, a beautiful blog about all things Martha Stewart, was a featured guest on her television show in January... appropriately, the topic was blogging.

While in New York City for the filming, Andrew, a department manager of Toronto's Anthropologie, visited the company's largest store at Rockefeller Plaza, and also the downtown SoHo store. He wrote about his day here... so very interesting if you're a fan of the creativity that runs rampant in each Anthro store. Andrew has kindly shared display pictures with us that he took that day...

How about a fabulous paper mache peacock with its tail composed of bright orange chopstick wrappers and plastic spoons?! A meandering, scrolled wall design and nifty bird... A fab elephant and fish with layers of paper scales.And lastly, here's a very cool ostrich from Andrew's own Toronto store. Such clever people, those Anthro stylists!

Charmaine Gerada - Silver Filigree

One reason I enjoy blogging so much is because of the people I meet around the world. Today's featured artist is no exception... introducing Charmaine Gerada, a silver filigree artist from the Mediterranean island of Malta.I'm positive quillers will recognize the similarity between the coiled shapes of silver filigree and paper filigree. Quilling has been around for hundreds of years, but silver filigree definitely wins the longevity award... examples have been found in Egyptian pyramids that date as far back as 5000 years BC. I suspect silver filigree work played a large part in inspiring those who first gave paper rolling a try.The art of silver filigree has been an important part of Maltese heritage. Families pass the knowledge down through generations. Charmaine's father, for example, has been working with thin strands of precious metals for fifty years and taught her the trade more than twenty years ago. Charmaine also completed a two year course in gold and silversmithing at the School of Art in Valletta. She uses two types of silver wire, silver solder, and an open flame burner to create her exquisite designs. Charmaine prefers the traditional stylistic character of filigree and admits it takes a great deal of practice to be so precise. "The more you work, the more you practice and learn different methods and techniques. After fifty years my father still likes to experiment!""We melt the silver and do our own wire and solder too." "Some of the tools we use are similar to quilling, such as a flat tweezer and a pointed one."

First, silver or gold granules are melted at a high temperature. The metal is poured into molds which produce ingots, or bars. When cool, the ingots are pressed and stretched until wires of different thicknesses have formed. Thicker wires shape the outer frame of the design and then to complete the inner portion, two very fine threads are wound together in the shape of a rope. Next the threads are flattened, heated, and cut into small pieces which are wound and shaped by hand, positioned within the outline, and soldered into place. The object is dipped in chemicals to eliminate black oxidation, and lastly it is polished in a rumbling machine.Charmaine's work has been exhibited in a number of settings organized by the Malta Crafts Council and has attracted the attention of locals and foreigners interested in typical filigree work. Here are some pictures she shared with me of pieces that were recently on display...

Charmaine can be reached at chgerada at gmail.com
Edited to add: She now has an Etsy shop, Truly Filigree.

Origami Hearts

Alrighty then.... Valentine's Day is just about here. A couple of last minute ideas that start with a simple rectangle of paper caught my eye. Each is relatively quick to do, so maybe you can find a moment to try them out this weekend.

A tutorial for this beauty can be found on Eat Drink Chic. Amy Moss, the creator of the lovely site, is using it as her engagement party invitation and also treated readers to the suggestion of adding a quote to make an elegant valentine.
And this idea has been making the rounds lately, but if you haven't seen it yet, it's pretty neat... especially if you're familiar with the tear-off flap from a Netflix envelope. You know, the one that has to be thrown away or put on the recycling pile whenever a new dvd arrives in the mail. Have a little fun with it first, by making this heart...More rectangle designs (usually origami folds start with a square) are available at NetflixOrigami... a swan, crab, box, and more.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Edited to add another fab folded heart design that starts with a rectangle:I just received the nicest email from Sonja in Ireland who shared the link to a video tutorial on her blog, Craft-Werk, to make this three dimensional heart. She's so right that it helps immensely to see origami 'in action'. Thanks Sonja!

Quilled Valentine Card

Here's another idea for a valentine with just a touch of quilling. A friend in Dubai sent me a sheet of embossed metal butterfly stickers and I just had to incorporate one on a card right away. Even though it's not a typical valentine motif, it reminds me that warmer, less snowy days are coming! A heart sticker, or a quilled heart, would look pretty in the center instead.

click photo to enlarge

The quilling in each corner is made up of an oval tight coil, a V scroll, and an asl (alternate side loop) petal.

Directions to make each shape:
Oval tight coil - Roll a 2 inch tight coil and glue torn end before slipping coil off tool. Use tweezers to pinch it into an oval shape.

V scroll - Fold a 2 1/2 inch strip in half. Roll each cut end outward to make a V.

Petal - Begin by making a 3/8 inch fold at one end of a strip (or however tall you'd like your petal to be).Continue using the same strip without cutting it and make a second fold, this loop will go to the left of the first one, but won't be as tall.Make another loop, this one to the right of the first fold, and the same height as the opposite loop.Make a second pair of loops, one on each side of the first pair, but shorter. Here's the first loop of the second pair... you'll need to make just one more loop on the right.Encircle all of the loops with the continuous strip, creating a collar. Trim excess strip at the bottom and glue end.Pinch top of collar to make a point/petal.Tip: So that each petal is the same size, make the first fold on four separate strips. Hold them next to one another to check the heights.

Use tweezers to dip a shape in a shallow glue puddle that's been spread on a plastic lid or piece of waxed paper, then place it directly on the card.