Paper Quilling is Easy, We Make it Difficult.

Hi there, 👋

I hope you find this video inspiring. Daisy starts at 2:20 mark and is a little more than 4min long.

Miriam's Challenge for Beginners

I love the daisy. She uses regular 1/8" (3mm) wide strips and the coils are loose. I like shaping loose circles. You don't need any of the tools she uses. Put your circles on a flat slick surface to release as you roll them. When you glue them, try to make them the same size. The circles > flower petals do not need to be exact. If you ever do a commission like Miriam is doing, YES make them exact. 😉 Always use odd number of petals 7,9,11... even numbers look unbalanced (unless you are doing a 6-point snowflake).

The center yellow doesn't need to be as big as hers to be awesome. In fact, you can do a tight roll > dome center if you don't want to do the fringing. I noticed she fringes 2 strips at a time.

It looks like she uses a peg to lift the daisy when gluing to the surface. A peg can be 1-3 tight rolls glued on top of each other and then to the back of the flower to prop it up.

To make the tight circle berries, use a round tool to shape them into a dome... be sure to coat inside with glue after shaping and let dry. I use round jewelry and wooden beads, with a toothpick glued in the hole. They work perfectly. Lots of pens and markers have a rounded end. Look around and you'll be surprised what you have.

The green wheatears are quick and easy looping of the paper. Make the number and length you want. It looks like she folded and glued two green strips together and glued on the edge to start. The same with the brown berry stems. 

Happy October!

xo 🌻

Molly

P.S. I think this design would look good using 1/4" wide strips. I may try it. You DO NOT need a slotted tool to quill. I used a slim toothpick and then a hat/corsage needle-- to begin, for 20 years. 😁 If you do try these two tools, lick the end of the paper like you would a thread, and this will make it easier to start rolling. 

TODAY IS, Look at Extraordinary Paper Quilling, MONDAY

I decided to look at Yulia Brodskaya videos for a bit of inspiration... and this one caught my eye, WOW. 😮 A paper quilling portrait of Joanna Gaines of Waco Texas, the Fixer Upper show lady. The Magnolia Empire woman.

Yulia does more folding paper art now, along with a gazillion multicolor tight rolls, and oh my gosh, she is increasingly AMAZING at what she does. 

In the beginning, I noticed it wasn't Yulia's hands, and I saw a different way of rolling 1mm strips, with the same tool I use, for the magnolia flowers. So excited, no more slicing my thumb. 👍

As it turns out, Yulia asked Manuela Koosch to do the gorgeous paper magnolias added to the Joanna portrait.

I went to Manuela's channel and discovered she is ManuK who is a subscriber and was active here years ago. Very HAPPY to find her again. Manuela's quilling is so impressive and inspiring. 

I hope you will enjoy Yulia's short video and visit Manuela's channel Paper to Petal . Tell her I sent you. 😊

Have a fabulous week!

xo 🌻
Molly

P.S.  Yulia's Portfolio 💖

This low-quality screenshot is dated 2011. Yulia had her own MS Browser theme. 

I'm Puzzled About This Craft Trend, UGH.

 A.I. Digital Crafting.

I tried to learn the specifics and benefit of AI, but it's not for me. I grew up in the greatest generation of crafting and did just fine. Only thing I would do different is learned to sew. 👗

The above is listed as No.10 of the top ten craft trends for 2023. Yes, I know, I am a bit behind with this info. 

Number 1 is, are you ready? 🥁

1. Slow Crafting: The Art of Mindful Meditative Crafting

"It is not a craft itself, but slow crafting is set to be the most influential trend in crafting for 2023. If you haven’t heard of slow crafting before, you’re not alone. Think about why you took up your craft or are seeking to take up crafting. If you said to relax, you would not be alone." 

Four others that made the list: Repurposing, Recycling, Upcycling, using Natural materials. IKR? 😉 

Enjoyed doing this recycling in 2010. Using the inside of envelopes with the security print to make things.

I couldn't get into Christmas in July... first time in ages. I started searching for project ideas in June, never found one to post and share. I could've posted 80 in one video, but nah. 

With July gone, hey, Happy August to you! 

Stay safe and take care of yourself. 

xo 🌻
Molly

Changed my mind. 😂 I watched eight. If you have the supplies, these look easy, or maybe give you ideas for craft fairs year-round. 

P.S. 80 AMAZING CHRISTMAS DIY Crafts You Will Want To MAKE NOW - YouTube

March Quickie

Hello, all! 

Happy Spring. 🌷

I mentioned last month, a few details about the NAQG annual conference, May 12-13, 2023.

Registration deadline is Friday, March 31, 2023.

The venue hotel has a new name: Clarion Hotel Airport & Conference Center New Orleans. For reservations, phone (504) 463-7002, before April 11, for the special rate. Every bit of information about the conference is available at the link below.

NAQGCON May 2023

Quilling Announcement

Hello, there! 🌼

The North American Quilling Guild conference will be held May 12 and 13, 2023, at the New Orleans Airport Hotel, 2829 Williams Blvd., Kenner, Louisiana 70062. Kenner is a suburb of New Orleans and is about 20 minutes from downtown.

You do not need to be a NAQG member to attend. 

Deadline to book hotel is April 11, and it's secured at an amazing price. The best of the best conference is when it is held near the airport you fly into. 

The hostess of this year's conference is Marion Bertaut 💖, an absolute treasure to know and be around.  

Check out all the information and see the fabulous events on the schedule.   

2023 NAQGCON

Stay safe and enjoy this time of year!

Molly xo 🌷

This blog post, that took me 26 days to get around to writing, is sponsored by my Zazzle Store.  😊  Thanks for looking.

Happy 2023!

Hello there! 🌼 

I have a few links that may be of interest to you. This first one is not paper related. It's more "new year, new you" (good articles on Dry January). I recently began looking at Real Simple online and have found some amazing tips and ideas. I also think it is a good way to keep up with trends (was a pop culture nerd when I was younger). The recipes alone, food and beverages, is worth a look. 

Even though I retired from quilling last May, I continue to look at what Miriam's Quilling is sharing. She gives so many ideas in her videos. What I like is she quills most of the pieces offline, so her videos are brief, and you see her finishing the project. If you notice her using the 1mm wide paper, go ahead and use 1/8" (or even 1/4") to save some frustration. I mentioned a while back where to purchase these papers from Romania. Phew, I plan to try again at some point, but the paper strips kept cutting my fingers while twirling. 

You just need to look at this article-- there's no way to describe it, other than miniature paper cutting to make people and much more. I love miniatures and this is about as tiny as you can get with paper figures. While there, take a look around Ann Martin's awesome, unique paper blog.  

Happy New Year to everyone! Wishing good health, happiness in the year ahead, and all the best to you and yours.

xo🌺

Molly

P.S. Pantone's Color for 2023 is "Viva Magenta". Hex Code #BB2649.

Happy October!

itsMolly Store - Zazzle

Holy Cow this has been a lot of work since March. I want to announce the opening of my Zazzle Store today. I'm finally making my new Collections public. The original 3 quilling themes, 2 new quilling related and 13 new Collections. More on the way. 

Please keep my store in mind for future online browsing and gift needs. My website always lists daily discounts and has a link to the store. Never buy at Zazzle without using a discount coupon.  

Thank you all❣️

~Molly xo