Kathy Peterson, crafter, author, and co-host of the Lifetime television show, The Balancing Act, and Barb Dehn, a nurse practitioner and TV health consultant, have teamed up to create a website called Craft for Health. Kathy and Barb feature inspiring stories from those who have discovered that crafting can be a secret weapon in helping to improve one's health.

Kathy emailed me to ask if I would write an entry for the site. My first thought was 'Knock on wood, my health is quite good... what information can I possibly offer?' The more I considered it though, I realized that the art of making has always been a central part of my life and with good reason. I hope you'll click to read my post. [edit: not longer available]

A friend was surprised to come across this exquisite paper filigree piece in a craft supply shop in Jakarta, Indonesia. She didn't have a camera with her at the time, but luckily her cell phone pictures do a more than adequate job of conveying the beauty of the work.



She asked about the artist, but all that was known was that the husband of a friend of the store's owner had purchased the framed piece while traveling in Vietnam.


Perhaps via the wonder of the internet, the artist, or someone with knowledge of the work, will come across these photos. If I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know.



I especially admire the way the quilling captures a sense of motion via the fine shaping of the coils that make up the loose, fluttering clothing. By the way, the paper width is only 1.5 mm!

My sister recently received a beautiful pair of earrings as a gift. When I learned they were made of paper and had been purchased online from Artful Home, you know me, off to investigate...
Their maker is Carol Windsor, a jewelry artist from California. Crafting since childhood in her father's garage studio, Carol began creating jewelry while in high school and went on to study design and art history in college.


Originally metal, wood, and enamel were her chosen materials. The transition to paper evolved from her enjoyment of creating large tissue paper flowers for parties, as well as the change in life circumstances that occurred when her children grew and left home. Consequently Carol says she felt light, free, and more aware of the fleeting nature of life, and wanted to express those feelings through her art.


She developed a process of laminating sterling silver between layers of very thin paper. Carol forms a petal shape with sterling silver wire and makes thin interior wires…

I had the pleasure of being featured on GotCraft.com's blog recently. If you'd like to know a little more about what makes me tick when it comes to creating with paper, the interview is here.


Andrea and Rob of GotCraft are strong supporters of the handmade revolution in Vancouver, Canada. They work hard with the local community, and also with craft fair organizers in Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles, to run a large, annual indie craft fair that offers a modern twist on the conventional vendor show.


They are also co-owners of lotus events, an event management and wedding coordination company in Vancouver. You know the saying... if you want a job done well, ask a busy person; in this case, two busy people!

Sara McKenzie of CraftCritique.com has written a helpful review of three commonly used gold pens.

As a fan of adding a touch of metallic shine to many of my projects, I read this post eagerly and wasn't disappointed. There's lots of good information in the comments section too.

If you're too short on time to read the whole review, the Krylon 18 KT Gold pen came out on top.

Although Clare Wong Oi-Lan and I have never met in person, I feel like I know her through her warm and friendly posts at online quilling groups, and also via her clever paper filigree designs.

Care for sushi?!


Clare is a true testament to the fact that once one learns quilling basics, if she/he has artistic talent and dedication, it's possible to soon be producing creative designs. Typically seen quilled flowers and butterflies are pretty, but I'm especially attracted to the imagination, and often humor, in her rolled paper work.


She's become an avid promoter of paper filigree in Hong Kong. In addition to roles as wife, mother of teens, and office manager, Clare has made it her mission to teach frequently. She offers one or two evenings classes per week to groups at handcraft centers, clubs, senior centers, and her church. She also has a website [no longer available], has exhibited her work, and demonstrated quilling on a local television program.

Rice and Tea
[Edited to a…

Daryl J. Ashton works primarily in realistic paper sculpture. Trained in Philadelphia art schools, she's attracted to paper sculpting because of the manner in which the play of shadows and light bring depth to her compositions.


Her fastidious attention to detail stems from the illustrative pen and ink drawings she does for scientific journals and medical texts.


There's no doubt the New Jersey coastal island location of her residence influences her fascinating work.

Sea Creatures is the title of this complex piece.


Daryl begins by doing sketches and often develops a prototype before the final construction.



She enjoys bringing attention to the unique qualities of paper that allow it to be formed in unnatural ways to denote realism, such as the structure of the robin's nest.


To ensure long term integrity of her work, she uses acid free paper, archival quality adhesive, and frames each piece under conservation glass.

3D Geometric is a free standing design made of sixteen 20-sid…

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of Craftsanity podcasts and blog fame modeled this newspaper dress recently at the Recycled Runway event hosted by the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Her fashion statement is literally 'made of stories' as she created it from old issues of The Grand Rapids Press newspaper.


Jennifer cut a muslin circle skirt and sewed it to the lower half of a recycled T-shirt. Next she tackled the time-consuming task of sewing multitudes of newsprint strips to the muslin and added a stiff petticoat from a thrift store bridesmaid dress for fullness.


Perhaps the bodice and waistline flower trim looks familiar?! Diane Gilleland's new book, Kanzashi in Bloom, provided Jennifer with inspiration to adorn her dress with flowers made of paper rather than typical fabric. I'd been thinking of trying my hand at paper kanzashi, but Jennifer beat me to it - well done!

If you'd like to see more runway designs, as well as behind the scenes…

Susan is a talented writer and artisan I met several years ago via a Yahoo paper filigree group, and later in person at the annual convention of the North American Quilling Guild. I was enamoured of the three dimensional quilled figures she displayed because they were so full of life, unusually detailed, and larger than typical 3D paper miniatures.


I asked Susan to tell us how she came to design these paper ladies and also how creativity has helped her to regain health after a very serious illness. These are her words...
I focused on 3D quilling because I always tended to express my artistic side by modeling or sculpting. Even while learning about quilling, I was spending a significant amount of time creating pieces with polymer clay and paper mache.


Most of the quilled dimensional pieces I saw were very simple, almost cartoonish. I wanted to create something elegant, and also wanted to convey movement. I don't put faces on the dolls, because it's nearly impossible to sculpt …

Today I'm answering a few questions from my very nice commenters, as well as sharing a response to a question that I had asked.

First up... people want to know:

Don't your hands cramp when you quill?!

Happily the answer is no. It can happen I suppose, if one holds the quilling tool too tightly and/or works for a very long period of time without pause. Let's face it, any type of repetitive motion can lead to injury. Remember to keep a relaxed hold on the tool and stretch your hands and fingers occasionally. You might want to tape padding around the tool handle for added comfort. It's a puzzle to me why all companies that produce tools don't routinely make them with ergonomically correct handles.

I can't buy gilded-edge papers in my country... where can I get them?

Those of us in the U.S. are lucky because most of our online suppliers carry gold and silver-gilded papers. There are two types: Touch of Gold and Touch of Silver have a subtle, metallic sheen along one …

of paper and things is a lovely blog that, as you can imagine by its title, features paper-themed ideas that are right up my alley. Friday's paper fix caught my eye... a 3D cardboard astro rocket made by Chris Jessee's and Luis Rodrigalvarez's little company in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cardboard Safari sells laser cut figures for you to assemble via Etsy and a long list of shops around the world.

Wall art and free standing animal or holiday designs (Halloween skulls, anyone?) are composed of recycled, non-toxic Georgia-Pacific cardboard that's cut by American-made lasers.

Deer, bison, moose, and rhinos ride the trophy head design wave with tongues-in-cheek...


Shipped flat, the slot-construction creations will keep the family occupied for a bit on Christmas morning.

Once assembled, get your crafty on by adding camo paint, flocking, or glitter... just. go. wild.

I've just started another quilled marriage certificate and have been thinking a lot about the design the past few days. The couple requested the quilling be done in black as the text is hand calligraphed in black ink on white paper. I suggested adding a few silver gilded filigree elements to compliment the dramatic look of all black and they liked the idea, especially after I emailed pictures of previous work I'd done in black and silver. I think it helps to have a reference point, especially where color is concerned.



This was one of the pieces I made for my quilling exhibit at Brandywine River Museum of Art, inspired by Indian fabric. The quilling is mounted on paper that has tiny bits of mica incorporated in it, which makes for a really pretty background.



I also sent along this picture of a black script letter, embellished with silver leaves. I'd made it to dress up a special gift box after seeing an entire alphabet of leafy letters.


I really like how something simple li…

I'm not too much of a shopper, but a born browser... oh yes.

An Anthropologie store is one of those places where it's possible to lose all sense of time and still not see everything that's been artfully arranged by an ingenious visual design team. Known for fantastical window and interior displays, I bet you won't be surprised to learn paper is often the medium of choice.

Beverly Hills, CaliforniaSummer 09
Reclaimed materials are frequently incorporated and work of local artists is sometimes featured.


The theme for this autumn is the beauty of movement; cardboard, lumber, and fallen branches are utilized en masse to contrast with a store’s architecture.

Marlton, New JerseyFall 2009
If you aren't familiar with Anthropologie, they sell an enticing mix of women's fashion, home decor, decorative antiques, and found objects within a setting that feels like a collection of independent boutiques.

I'm lucky because there are several locations within easy driving dist…