It's good to be back!

Hello readers, I am back after a long break. Apologies to those who faithfully check on my blog. Due to work and family commitments, I just didn't have time for blogging. I've been feeling terribly guilty for forsaking my blog :( I started out with such good intentions, then life got in the way. My online shop was also causing more work than I anticipated so I have closed it whilst I sort myself out. In any case, blogging is more fun and interactive although I still have to discipline myself and make the time. Today, I've made myself sit down in front of my pc and write so here I am. I promise I will make it a point to visit all my fave blogs which I have been neglecting.

During my break, I 'met' a lovely young lady who just happened to chance upon my blog and commissioned a couple of cards. Here is one of them, which was for her mum's birthday. She wanted some quilling and pastel colours. Bearing in mind that my quilling is a bit rusty, I decided to stick to some simple quilling. Me and quilling have a strange relationship - when I do quill, I enjoy it very much and wonder why I don't do more. When I don't quill for awhile, I think I won't go back to it. I think part of the problem is that I enjoy stamping more and have yet to use many of the stamps in my stash.

I decided on an easel card so it can be displayed and luckily I had some pastel quilling strips in my stash. It turned out really pretty and I had a happy customer. I also made a little box to fit and decorated it with printed paper and ribbon. Hope you enjoy this card. Please leave a comment so I know you've stopped by! Thanks.

Little Cards

I have been trying out different designs for my Xmas orders. Here are a few that I enjoyed making. Someone out there in the blogging world once showcased a little card made with a die cut shape and that was my inspiration. The finished card is only about 10cm by 9.5cm and very cute! As I made about 6 in a row, it was quite easy working out an assembly line and was so much quicker than completing one at a time. My inspiration for the red quilled card came from As at Simplerhyme and Miyyah.
They are two fab quillers who have shared some wonderful quilling.

Thanks for visiting!xx

Quilled Christmas cards

I've started the season by making some quilled cards. I've picked some simple designs that are quick to make. I also need the practice! Love making Christmas cards, I can use as much glitter and bling as I like or have in my stash. I am going to try using most if not all of my rubber stamps this year, some of them are still 'virgin' stamps! Anyways, that is the aim, whether it will happen or not remains to be seen.The card directly below was inspired by a design by Sharon Harnist of Paperfections. Sorry I can't provide a direct link as I can't find it on her blog, I think it might have been a card she did last year during the holiday season.

Thanks for popping by!

Burgundy quilled flower card AC019

I made a simple quilled design today. I enjoyed making it but I still find putting the design together a bit fiddly, mostly with applying the glue. I'm always worried I've not applied enough glue. Once its done, it does give me a sense of achievement as always. The petals are actually burgundy but the colour doesn't show up very well in the photo as it was late in the evening when I took the photo. Card size: 10.5 x 21cm

Quilled flower

I just had a break from blogging to catch up with other work. I also managed to practice my quilling. I love rolling the paper strips but to actually form a design was another matter. I found the gluing quite fiddly, made a few boo boos but luckily it didn't leave any marks on the background. I also managed to pour glue all over my work space! Anyways here is the finished card, hope you like it. My inspiration came from Daydeams.
Suganthi is an amazing quiller and so very creative. She had a great tutorial for the quilled flower. I enjoy her blog very much.

SOLD

My first quilled card!

I had a fun time trying paper quilling these last few days. At times it was frustrating as I just couldn't coil the paper strips. Trouble is I was so impatient to make a card with it and we all know rushing doesn't work. After I had settled down I really enjoyed it and found it strangely calming. The one thing that helped me alot was a quilling board that I had bought  a few years ago but never got round to using. Making similar sized coils became so much easier.

When it came to forming the flowers, I found it very tricky and fiddly. Just couldn't keep it from moving so I knew where to place the glue. After much frustration, I used a cork mat with a piece of silicon paper so glue won't stick, to place the design and pin it down. I could have used the back of the quilling board but by then I had so many coils and bits of paper on it that it was simpler to rummage in my kitchen drawer for the mat. I used pins to hold down the silicon paper as it kept curling up.

Once I had the flowers done (the purple flower on the mat was for practice) came the exciting part - making the card. I wanted a background that looked soft and delicate to show off the flowers. So here it is.

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What do you think? Would love to hear some tips from experienced quillers. To everyone who hasn't tried quilling, I would say go for it. Its fun and the results are stunning.