Glow-in-the-Dark Wall Art

I came across a blog project that made me think Holy Cow, WOW...  Lisa Fulmer is a marketing strategy and communications specialist, a mixed media artist, a crafter, a consultant for small businesses and a creative project designer. I personally know her talent as a professional demonstrator, a fantastic singer and actor (as Marilyn). She is one of the friendliest people I know that I haven't met in person. You may also know Lisa from the recent TLC show Craft Wars. She assisted her crafting friend Andrea Currie and they WON their episode - and a $10,000.00 prize!

Lisa used puffy paint™ from iLoveToCreate on a .... well, I will let you read and see for yourself, below.

Glow in the Dark Fabric Panels

click the link above 

and be sure to check out the other puffy paint projects at the end of Lisa's post

Of course my mind starting racing trying to think of how I could use the puffy paint™ (perhaps in a quilling glue bottle with a smaller tip) on pretty paper with a similar effect. After sleeping on it, I have decided to make a smaller paper, framed wall hanging for the kitchen. A coffee motif, with a touch of quilled-looking something, that I will see when the lights are out every night while skipping off to bed.

I will post it here soon.

Thank you, Lisa Fulmer, for letting me share your unique project.

Everyone have a great week!
-Molly

Easy Quilled Hat

One day while experimenting, I realized that I could make large quilled shapes if I used wider paper and crimping it before rolling. It was easier to work with and control the tension.

This is a photo of the first crimped quilling project I submitted that was published in a book (2003). They wanted an easy, framed quilled project that would take less than one hour to make.

You only need two loose coils. One shaped-half circle and a shaped-marquise. The instructions say I used a 1/4" wide by 68 inch  (.635 cm x 160 cm) crimped strip to make each shape. I made two circle templates with the same paper that I dropped the coils in to release. One 1.75" (4.45 cm) diameter for the top and 2.5" (6.35 cm) diameter for the brim.

I have also used this design to make red and purple hat motifs for cards, tags, scrapbooking (The Red Hat Society) and a wedding hat. The possibilities to embellish the hat (the fun part) are endless!

Thanks for looking.

Have a great day!

-Molly

Stepping Back in Time

Happy September!

A long time ago when I started quilling, I could only find kits by Quill It, Inc. (1974) owned by Barbara B. Maddox. They were sold at a Fort Worth, Ben Franklin Craft Store. From the information included in the kits, I could soon order via mail by catalog. Later in the 80s, the kits were sold at MJDesigns in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (the M stood for Michael, as in the Michaels Stores, Inc. started in Texas.)*

Most of the kits included printed card stock to cut out and use for leaves and other motifs. They also included a printed saying to use as the background. I bought as many kits as I could find and still have several unopened. I continue to collect and buy the original Quill It kits on eBay when I can find them.

As you can see, my mat cutting skills were horrendous! LOL I collected strawberries in my kitchen for about a year, but didn't like how the reds never matched and seemed to clash. The fact that I had bright yellow and brown (70s) wallpaper in the kitchen didn't help with the decor.

I cannot remember the reason for doing this, but I always covered the backs with coordinating paper, probably gift wrapping paper.

Bright colors have always been my favorite. I collected parrots in the 80s so this is one of my favorites. (I am a huge Jimmy Buffet fan, an original parakeet.) In today's quilling standards, I believe these cut-out leaves would be quilled, along with the beak. The same with the sun below.

You guessed it! I also collected rainbows. Back when these kits were sold you couldn't purchase individual packages of quilling paper. So I saved every piece quilling strip leftovers. I did break into other kits to use the paper when I started quilling my own little pieces. I regret that now.

These three projects are in poor shape from not being stored properly and kept in a hot Texas garage for all these years. I clean my old, dusty quilling pieces with a can of air and an old, soft shaving brush. I'd like to think some of the age spots show character :)

Thanks for going down memory lane with me.
Have fun quilling!

-Molly

*Michael's dad, James Dupey, bought the Ben Franklin craft stores. I taught quilling at MJDesigns in 2002. They filed for bankruptcy 10 days before Christmas and I never got paid for teaching the classes. I was devastated, but looking back I am glad for the experience (it gave me much needed confidence) and the teacher discount was nice.

Torn Bear Technique

Happy August!

I am so happy to be back blogging again. Where did June and July go? I was going stir-crazy while trying to get over pneumonia. My mind had a ton of ideas but my body said it wanted to sleep all day.  I started some torn bear appliques but never finished. This is still on my to do list!

If you have never tried the tear bear technique, all you need is:

Mulberry paper (its comes in all sizes and thicknesses)

shapes (I use wood shapes but you can use anything to draw around or freehand)

paint brush

water

Draw the desired shape around the template (or freehand) with a wet paint brush.

Carefully tear all around the wet area pulling inward.

The wet area will quickly dry.

Here are a few pieces I did about six years ago. Embellishing the pieces is the fun part. Sorry that the photos are so small, but you will get the idea :)

For twins!

I sprayed this tree with gold glitter. So pretty in person :)

I sold this holiday group on eBay.

Thanks for looking!

~Molly

Wedding Bliss

I will be away for our daughter's wedding and enjoying the grand-kids. Here are a few pages from my book.

Everyone have a extra special week!
-Molly

Happy Mother's Day Weekend

I only had one grandmother growing up and she was amazing. She was a story-teller and wrote a book for her grandchildren when she was 74 years old-- because she knew how much we loved to hear her stories. I read it every year at this time. During one visit with her, she told me that "every day should be Mother's Day" and I never forgot it. We sat for hours that day and she told me the most awesome stories about my Mother growing up. From that day forward, I always quoted my grandmother in cards that I gave to my Mother.

Two years ago on Mother's Day, I knew it would be my Mother's last. We sat and read my grandmother's book together. We laughed as my Mother, in turn, told me her version of the many stories that are told in the book :)

I made this card to put on my Mother's table this year.

I used paper from the new DCWV Spring Fling/Summer Combo Stack and Old Paper Distressed Ink. The cherry is quilled and adds a bit of dimension to the card.

Thanks for looking.
Have a great Mother's Day weekend!
-Molly

Quilled Mother's Day Card (repeat)

I wanted to make some small flowers for a card, so I took the floral pattern from the print on this paper and attempted to kind of, sort of, duplicate it :o)

I used very narrow paper strips (English papers 3/32" wide). I also used three different quilling tools to minimize the center holes. A quilting needle for the tiny tight rolled flowers, corsage pin and a commercial quilling tool.

I made paper knots for the center of the flowers (and a few accents) by cutting a 3/4" (1.9 cm) strip lengthwise from corner to corner making triangle shapes. I start rolling this teeny piece at the wide end to the point. I punched out a 3.5" (8.9 cm) scalloped circle, attached a 3" (7.62 cm) piece of cardboard to the back for support and added pop dots. I used -faded jeans- Distress Ink on the edges.

Have a fun, crafty week!
~Molly

Earth Day Recycling

Earth Day is almost here ~ Sunday, April 22

I used the insides of security envelopes to make these Earth Day starter pots.  I cut a portion of the envelope into a 3.5" x 10" strip and used a potmaker. It is so easy to do and takes only a few minutes to wrap the paper and tuck in the bottom edges. 

Before I bought my PotMaker online, I used a small glass to make the same wrapped container. I glue a 1" circle to the bottom and inside to cover the gathered edges. 

These make great gifts or as favors. Fill with mixed potting soil and attach a package of flower seeds. The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few other ways I've recycled the envelopes:

For a snack container on game night. Easily personalized with a Sharpie :)

A 3" mini journal with Wells Fargo envelope. I gave this to a favorite bank cashier.

I covered a small spiral note pad for my husband.

Thanks for dropping by!

-Molly

Miniature Quilling

These are a garden dish and pot of gerbera daisies I made for fun. I used 3/8" denim paper for the pots and added a strip of printed paper around the rim. I cut a small foam ball in half and placed in each pot. After adding the flowers and punched leaves, I filled the pots with brown and green loose rolls using 1/8" strips. The loose curls are approximately 1/4" to 1/2" in length and not glued at the ends- a big time saver. I used chalk on some of the leaves in the garden dish. When finished, I added more glue to the insides to secure it all together.

I hope this inspires you to make something fun!

Have a great week!

-Molly

Quilled St. Patrick's Day elements

I found this in a box and laughed at the order of the rainbow colors. What was I thinking? This was in one of the NAQG newsletters back when I was doing theme elements, so I looked up the measurements to share here.

 Shamrock - Four Leaf Clover: 4" teardrops made into hearts

Pot of Gold: 36" loose circle shaped, 3" handles (wrapped around a dowel and shaped), 3" tight rolls for feet

Gold: 1.5" loose circles

Rainbow: 5" spirals

Clouds: various lengths from 3" (3), 6", 8" (3), 10" and 12"

Have a great week!

-Molly

Chalkboard Grocery List Center

I have been wanting to add a grocery list center to the inside of my cabinet forever! I finally got it done this week. It was much easier than I envisioned.

It went from THIS to THAT!

You will need a thick acrylic paint (any color) and 1 tbsp. of white non-sanded grout for every 4 oz. of paint.  Mix together and stir for about a minute. You will have bumps of grout but these will blend in when painting.

Seal your paint between coats. I covered with foil and set a heavy book on top. Discard remaining paint in the trash, not down the sink.

Take your time to mask the area with painter's tape. Cover all edges.

Paint the area with two coats, letting the first coat dry for about two hours.

Remove painter's tape, clean up any oops areas and allow to dry at least two days. "They" say three days but I was running my ceiling fan.

I forgot to take a photo of curing the surface. Rub the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface and erase before using.

I covered a small paper mache box for paper lists, pencil and chalk.

I covered a 3" x 6" piece of cork with coordinating paper.

I finally get to use the kitchen theme tacks I've had forever!

This is the final result!

If you don't want to mix your own chalkboard paint, there are brands of chalk paint ready to use. I couldn't find a red shade I liked and already had all the supplies. This cost me $3 in paint. You can also buy a quart size of black for large wall projects. And it does come in a spray can to quickly cover objects that may be difficult to hand paint.

Have a great weekend :)

-Molly

Miniature Quilled Flowers on Card

The background paper is my inspiration for this group of miniature flowers. I used a thin quilt needle tool and narrow English paper strips. These strips are more narrow than the American 1/16" wide paper.

This is similar to the Mother's Day card I made last year, using a different background. More how-to details are here. 

Thanks for looking!
Have a great week :)
~Molly

Wall Art ~ Altered LP Album

My friend Lori, who owns the Etsy store ItsLorraine, gave me an altered record years ago as a gift. It is beautiful, with a dragonfly theme and embellishments galore! She continues to alter and sell her work in a smaller fashion- using CDs to alter. Can you imagine shipping a record album? 

This is one that I altered for a hostess gift at NAQGCON about five years ago.

A 12"x12" sheet of scrapbook paper fits perfectly over the vinyl LP. I used a spray adhesive. I printed the text on vellum pieces and embellished with a few quilled pieces and the large dragonfly. The round cork acts as a message board and I gave her a purple polymer clay hand quilling tool like I was selling at the conference. The crop-a-dile had just come out so it was easy to punch the holes and add large eyelets. You cannot see, but there is a pen hanging at the bottom from a ball chain.

Thanks for looking! And thanks to Lori for introducing this project to me. The hostess was very pleased as it is one of a kind. I'm thinking about making another one, more updated.

Have a great weekend!
~Molly

Simple Valentine's Day Cards

Happy Valentine's Day

The heart is two eccentric teardrops using a 1/8 x 24" strip for each shape.
The balloon heart is curved at the tip and a 3" triangle added to the bottom.
The font is Courier New 60 pt.

Have a great week!
-Molly

Quilled Heart Valentine's Day Card

Whatever your heart wishes, my heart wishes for you!

The inside says "Happy Valentine's Day, Friend"!

When I finished filling in the heart, it was lopsided. I didn't want to toss it, so I added a few curved strips at the top to even it out.

Remember .. Imperfection adds character!

Happy day,
-Molly

Valentine's Day Sayings

When I need a Valentine's saying for a card or project I usually draw a complete blank. I found this blog post that has many cute Valentine's Day sayings and links to some projects. You may already follow Skip to my Lou; she is a top-shelf blogger and has a mega Facebook page.

Cute Valentine's Day Sayings

Have a great day!

-Molly

The above graphic is Shelly Comiskey's Born to be Wild 

Mini Paper Gerbera Daisies

I made these paper daisies for rings. They would be perfect for cards, tags, etc. The gerbera daisy is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum and tulip).

I fringed a 12" strip of 3/8" wide quilling paper (you can trim a piece yourself using copy paper weight colored paper). If you fringe by hand, try to get the cuts about 1/32" apart. I hand-fringed strips for at least fifteen years before purchasing a fringer - so it can be done!

I added a 1/8" wide strip at the end for the flower center. I didn't measure, they are approximately 2-3" long. Using a slotted tool (Google how to make one with a needle if you don't have one), start rolling at the end with the 1/8" strip.  I added glue to the bottom and let dry before spreading the fringes.

I use metal ring blanks and put a thin glue dot on the disk before using a glue gun to adhere the base of the flower to the ring. Otherwise, I would worry about the glue gun adhesive popping right off the metal base.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!
-Molly