Introducing those who enjoy creating with paper is something I love to do and when that paper artist happens to make quilled jewelry, well, my attention is definitely attracted. Niharika of Bengaluru, India and I met via Instagram where I admired her designs. She has an Etsy shop, Filigratti , that is well-stocked with many pretty choices - 75 to be exact!          The Filigratti shop motto is Don't just wear earrings, wear a work of art. Very true... life is short. Why not wear something beautiful every day? As Niharika says, "Quilled jewelry has a unique charm. The concentric layers of the coils impart a look that no other jewelry can emulate."          All of her earrings are as light as a feather, yet durable. The fact that she often uses gilded edge paper means that many pairs have a realistic metallic shine. You'll find both dangle and post styles, and some are enhanced with small pearls. There is the choice of stainless steel or sterling silver findings. Nihar

Cecelia Louie, author of the brand new E-book, Quilling Phrases , and I go back a long way thanks to our common interests in paper art and paper crafting. We bonded over quilling and blogging, and later, writing how-to books. I admire her spare designs in which each scroll and coil is placed just so, her skill as a graphic designer, and the way her mind works in being able to create clever 3D die cut models. Today I'm happy to help Cecelia introduce her newest E-book, Quilling Phrases , via a generous worldwide giveaway - six winners total! Previous self-published titles are Uppercase Letters, Lowercase Letters, and Quilled Numbers. All four are available in the Paper Zen Etsy shop .     The Uppercase and Lowercase E-books are perfect for creating framed monograms, and Quilled Numbers is super for making birthday cards; more about them here .       The expressions and layouts Cecelia features in the Quilling Phrases book are frameable, gift-worthy delights... if you can bear to p

The holidays may have come and gone, but in my mind they aren't officially over until I show you paper-y finds that came to light during the season. It's become something of a tradition here on All Things Paper.     I've been enjoying getting to know quiller Laurie Bortolotto in Ohio who creates customized, framed wedding invitations such as this pretty, all-white example. She can be messaged via her new Facebook page, Quill Art Keepsakes .    Laurie is a member of a quilling club that creates items to sell with proceeds benefitting local charities. This cute 3D quilled Santa ornament is just one of many nice things she made for the Christmas sale. The group found that quilled crosses and framed floral wreaths sell well too.     Laurie recently posted a photo of a quilling kit that was new to me, Paper Swirls Unicorn Fantasy . One of her fellow quilling club members had found a batch of the kits made by Alex Toys at a discount store and bought one for each person as

Paper pals, before the sun sets on 2020 I'll state the obvious and say that this year has been like no other. Luckily, we can always count on artists to come up with new ideas that delight and inspire us. A gemstone snowman on a tropical beach? Looks good to me! Not paper, but no matter the medium, art brings us together.        I enjoyed these thoughts on making from Joone Creative 's Whitney Chiu in her recent newsletter:      Craft has been a respite for so many of us this year - when we have felt helpless in the face of illness and injustice and uncertainty, we have turned to the simple, yet profound, comforts of transforming thread into embroidery, cord into macrame, paper into collage. Soothing ourselves, reminding ourselves that we are agents of change.     About the photo: "During the 2017 Miami Art Week, Jade Signature and developer Fortune International Group celebrated the unveiling of Bonhomme Universe, the tower’s gemstone “snowman,” a whimsical piece

Do you spend your days dreaming of what you'll do in 2021 when the world's wheels finally begin to turn again? I sure do, but meanwhile I'm appreciating that artist, papermaker, teacher, and author Helen Hiebert recognized that many are at loose ends while staying close to home. So... new for 2021, she switched up her annual Paper Year calendar/planner to an online subscription paper crafting club called The Paper Year . It's a year-long online class that will kick off in January, featuring a new paper project each month. You'll be inspired by video and written project instructions designed to spark ideas that will keep you creating all month long. Consider The Paper Year a ticket to more fun and less loneliness while you craft twelve useful objects alongside a group of like-minded paper enthusiasts.   You'll explore creative paper techniques, including origami, pop-ups, paper weaving, book arts, paper cutting, and more. In addition to eight projects design