New Year Traditions - 2011

In our family, Eating Black Eyed Peas on New Year's Day is a definite tradition.

In the early 1980s, the original Black Eyed Pea Restaurant on Camp Bowie in Fort Worth, Texas, served a small sample portion in tiny bowls all day long on New Year's Day. This is when I discovered it only takes a few bites to fulfill the tradition, especially if black eyed peas is not a favorite dish. In that case you may like to try one of these lucky foods.

I made these 4-ounce sample jars to give the office staff where we live.

I made these are for my mother's lifelong hairdresser to give to customers today.

I'm going to make one more batch of a dozen for neighbors. I made the jar labels by printing on the winter theme scrapbook paper, using a corner punch and I ran them through a Xyron (or use double-stick tape). I printed the top text using an Avery circle label template and cut them out with a MS circle cutter (or use the lid, trace and cut with scissors). I already had the paper and ribbon. The beans and jars (bought jars at the grocery store too) for the two dozen samples cost me less than 75¢ each. A great gift and they take so little time to make.

Google will get you a ton of information, worldwide, but following are a few links related to New Year's Day.

New Year's ideas - Martha Stewart
New Year Quotes
the Rose Parade
Rose Bowl Game
Polar Bear Club annual swim - burrrrrrrr!
Old Lang Syne

Be safe and .....
Happy New Year, friend!
~Molly

Winner ! I {heart} Infarrantly Creative

Congratulations DebPaint16!
and thank you for your sweet comments, blog follow and FB invite!

And a HUGE thank you to Infarrantly Creative for three days of inspirational fun!

Infarrantly Creative is giving away one of my paper bead bracelets (or any choice from the shop) plus more! Go check it out, follow her instructions and her Blog. She and her blogger friends are the most AMAZING!

Thank you, Beckie!

Infarrantly Creative

Cheers!

Little Paper Toy Shop ~ Quilling

I made this little toy shop kit in 1980 and added some presents and a Santa sign. I used it every year for a Christmas decoration during the holidays. As stated on my web page, ..."if I had known I was going to show this to the world one day, I would have preserved it better".  I am repairing the ceiling and thought I'd take a few close-ups to show some details. It is entirely paper except for the buggy wire. I remember making the dolls and clowns were my favorite pieces.

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(c) Quill Art, Inc. quilling kit 1978

I tried to remove all the dust with a tiny brush, but of course, my old camera was able to pick it up perfectly. Someone suggested a can of air, so I will try that before packing it back up.

Every piece was included in the kit ... to make the table, stool, shelves, except the wallpaper. I had a bright yellow living room in the '70s, so this yellow polka dot made perfect sense to me at the time.

I think I will reduce the cover of my quilling book and replace The Three Bears with a tiny replica of my book!

I remember the Jack-in-the-Box was hard to make (folding the neck), lol!

Everything has held together pretty well. I did need to reglue the stool legs.

There are even paper nails on the table!

Thanks for looking :)
~Molly

Shameless Self-Promotion

I am so dang excited about my holiday listings for Cyber Monday in my Etsy Shop that I don't have enough time to talk about it. So here is a big shout-out: Please visit and look on Monday. Maybe this will answer that reoccurring question I get from family and friends .. "Now what exactly do you do?".

And I will be there until the last week for you last minute shoppers! :O)

My Etsy Store and My Other Store

Have a great week!

Paper Pumpkin Pie

I follow Ann Martin of All Things Paper on Twitter for her fabulous paper finds. Check out her latest post and be sure to follow her blog if you love quilling and all sorts of unique paper creations.

Slice of Pumpkin Pie

Oh, and if you saw an Ann Martin making a quilled holiday card on HGTV's That's Clever! episode this morning, yes, that was this Ann Martin!

Thanksgiving Preparations

I love Real Simple Magazine for happy everything resources! This year, I am adding a few extra favorite links for Thanksgiving 2010 :)

• Real Simple Thanksgiving
• Real Simple Foolproof Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Leftovers
• Thanksgiving Weather
• Thanksgiving History
• Thanksgiving on the Net
• Thanksgiving Crafts
• Black Friday

I'll be back after the holiday.

Happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Quilling Fill-in Technique

This is such a simple, quick technique that can be applied to any printed motif. On the left is my trio of dresses project from my book. I was commissioned by an international craft magazine to teach various quilling techniques and this is one of them. The issue was published in 2007 and the pictures I have left from the projects aren't the best, but they give you an idea of how to get started.

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All the printed motifs I used are free clip art that I altered slightly. I started with a simple handbag. I drew a diagonal line and filled in one side with black then printed on a white card. The blank area is filled in with 1/16" (0.158 cm) wide "S" scrolls and loose coils/tendrils. The lengths varied and ranged from 1/4" to 3/4" (0.635 to 1.9 cm).

 Using tweezers, I first tap the bottom edge of the shape on a thin layer of glue on wax paper and immediately apply to the card. The editor wanted quilling to be the main focus so I did very little embellishing. I inserted two eyelets and added a string of pearls for the handle. I let the handle dangle loose on one of the cards, but the purse was printed too low so they didn't use that one. 

I also filled in a dress and shoe. I added pink to the heel and removed the printed bow on the shoe. I added a black satin ribbon bow on the finished card for dimension.

If you try this technique or have used it before, please let me know and I'll post your project!  Enjoy!
~Molly

Halloween Favor Boxes

I changed the size of my tall treat boxes for Halloween. Three candies in mini wrappers will fit into this box size perfectly. I used satin and wire ribbons, embroidery thread, puffed inchies, a fabric pumpkin sticker and foam spider stickers to decorate. You can fill these with any candy treat, small toys ... even money!

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Here is the template I made showing the size and score measurements. The blue lines on the template are cut lines. The red dots indicate the pieces of the template that you will cut off and discard. I used a corner rounder punch for the top flap piece and I also cut the side flaps at the top of the box in half (as shown on the open orange box). 

This is what your box should look like before assembly.

First, the 3/4-inch flap on the side is adhered to the opposite side. I use a tape runner. I find it is easier to line up the flap to the side. Next, the bottom flaps are tucked in and the last one glued down. BAM! You have a box to embellish and fill with treats. Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy, and have a safe Halloween!

-Molly

BIG Quilled Flowers

I quilled these BIG flowers just as I would normal size pieces. Using the same shapes, same techniques- just a bit more glue than usual :o) I made them as table decorations for a quilling conference, many years ago. They are made using the traditional looping technique and are about one foot in diameter.

The tulip was an experiment and didn't work out very well.

 

I found a stack construction paper at Sam's Club for under $10.00, so these flowers are very inexpensive to make. I used one inch wide, 12-inch long strips and glued various colors end to end to make the individual petals.
 

I crimped ALL the strips before looping or rolling. The crimping technique (as explained in my book) seems to make the pieces easier to work with, plus a bit more sturdy.

Thanks for looking!

~Molly

Way too cute!

Becky Meverden is a Jill of all Trades but she is most talented with polymer clay, in my humble opinion. She was a regular on HGTV's Carol Duvall show for ten seasons and has written a ton of books showing step-by-step instructions on how to make her fabulous characters.

She lived in South Korea recently and has a book showing the elegant Korean knotting technique called Maedeup. See the technique and book link on her blog. It is an amazing craft and she has designed gorgeous jewelry using the technique.

I was lucky enough to have an exhibit booth next to her at a CHA show. When time permitted, we were able to visit during the day. So I know firsthand that she is a genius in her creative thoughts with everything she designs. Becky is also skilled in precious metal clay, glass beadmaking, quilting and other crafts.

I think she brings her polymer clay characters to life when she creates them. See all the other cute Halloween ideas on her blog HERE.

How cute are those?

-Molly

Quilled Fall Leaves

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.  ~ Stanley Horowitz

Here are various shapes and colors of quilled fall leaves, along with a list of project ideas. Making just one colorful quilled leaf, and placing it on a little note card or tag, will do the trick for an occasion.

And here are the basic instructions for the different shapes. And a few samples:

Bag or Bottle Label and Tag

Tote Bag Tag

Instructions for the tote bag can be found HERE.

~Molly

White on Black Quilled Bookmark

This is my bookmark for Challenge 1 at Take a Quill Pill. I used 1/4" (0.6 cm) wide strips and the tightrolls are 2" (5.1 cm). Using mainly tightrolls is the rule. This was fun; thanks Priyadarshini Deshpande for hosting the challenge.

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Cheers from Texas!

-Molly

Wordless Wednesday

Thank You Card Backwards

I used the front of a matching card to punch a retro flower for the back of the card that I made as the front. I used a 2" Whale of a Punch, burnished the backside to make a puffy flower and brushed on one coat of Beacon's Plastic Laminate. I added a tiny metal brad through the label before adhering it to the card. Don't like seeing those brad tails on the inside of a card.

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Making puffy paper flowers. (Go to the middle of the page.)

Thanks for looking!

-Molly

Easy Peasy Purse

These little girl purses were so easy to embellish. I ironed on heart appliques and sewed on bright buttons, using white seed beads. I bought the blank denim purse at Walmart for $2 something. It has a heavy zipper across the top with a nicely made white cotton pouch. Easiness!

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Thanks for looking!

-Molly

Wordless Wednesday

Getting your Crafty Projects Published

Oddly, I've had two inquiries recently about how I got my work published in magazines and books. With little time to respond, I forwarded this blog post from over a year ago. I am reposting for those who may also be interested.  Part two of my interview with Pat contains the basic information and my suggestions. There is also gobs of similar information online if you take a bit of time to research.

Quilling with Whimsiquills

Happy Weekend!

More denim paper bead jewelry ...

I know, I know ... if you have seen one, you have seen them all. BUT each set has differences and major improvements have been made in making the beads; stronger water-resistant finish, bead holes are hidden, better quality of charms- Jolee's, shiny finish, tarnish-free bead spacers, to name a few.

My niece rides Harley's and she wanted something strong and durable to wear with her biker wear. I made her this Gemini theme bracelet and matching long earrings. Check it out!

(click to enlarge)

Thanks for looking!
-Molly

Operation Write Home card project

I recently joined the group Operation Write Home on Facebook. It is so inspiring to see what amazing cards others make to send to our troops (to send back home to their loved ones).  Below are a few pictures of my very first All Occasion batch of cards. The paper on the front is folded over about an inch at the top, there is a matching message inside and I embellished with puffy paper flowers. I will send these to a volunteer shipper in Kansas where they get counted, inspected, sorted and then they are sent on to Afghanistan.  I hope to get started on a Christmas batch at the next Michael's crop night .. the shipping deadline is October 30.

Here are instructions for the puffy paper flowers (go down to the middle of the post).
Thanks for dropping by!

-Molly

Quilling in a Paperweight

This is a two-inch paperweight and I used 1/8" pearlized quilling paper. The glass certainly magnified it to show every single flaw, lol! The sculped paper letters are from one of the alphabets in my book :o) This is a gift for my cousin who is such an inspiration to me.

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Did you know Truman Capote collected paperweights?

Happy crafty Tuesday!
~Molly

Summer Paper Beads

Although my Etsy shops are temporary closed (cannot maintain at the time) I am making summer paper bead jewelry for a local home party given by a friend.

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These paper beads are made with paper resembling shimmering pool/clear ocean water. The details show up much better in person. Also, the focus bead is one of the largest I make for bracelets.

Thanks for stopping by to look!
~Molly

Quilled Flowers

I was inspired to use these colors from a silk arrangement shown in one of the photos. I love making the tight marquise with center hole shapes introduced to me by Claire Sun-ok Choi in her book. Easy, easy .. and I like how they look. I had no quilling strips where I was staying, so I bought the thick cardstock-like 1/8-inch strips that come in a tube-- from Michaels. UGH! All primary colors and absolutely a pain in the rear to work with.

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The petals are made from 6" strips. The centers are 4" x 1/16" loose coils.

This is a gift for my Aunt Maxine. She loves hummingbirds so I made the one from the background paper 3D. The shadow box frame is a Dollar Tree find :-)

Enjoy!
~Molly