Owls everywhere... quilled

The owl is one of the most amazing birds in my opinion. I like owls as a subject of my crafts: I made an owl cake, a salted dough owl, owl salt and pepper shakers, and this time also a paper quilling owl.

Quilled seahorse pendant

Some time ago I made many sketches of paper quilled pendants and earrings I'd like to create. I don't have much time to materialize all of those ideas, that's why they show up so slowly. The Hamsa pendant was the first one, and here comes a seahorse. I used hand-cut beige strips for it, gilded the edges using a metallic gold marker. The eye is a red rhinestone. The finished pendant was coated with matte varnish spray. Its length is about 1 3/4'' (4.5cm). I enjoy experimenting with quilled jewelry very much, so more to follow :)

You must also see Ann Martin's exquisite gilded paper pendants! Ann, I know you're reading this, I really love what you do with paper strips.

Book: Quilling: Techniques and Inspiration

Today I'd like to share my opinion on Quilling: Techniques and Inspiration by Jane Jenkins. Especially because I've been often asked to recommend a good book on paper quilling for beginners.

How to make paper ball ornaments

I promised to show in detail how to make paper ball ornaments for a garland, mobile or any other decoration. So, here we go.

Floral arrangement: a basket of quilled flowers

I was requested by a friend to create a paper quilling project in the classical style, and came up with this basket of flowers. Frankly, I'm not satisfied with it, maybe because it's not exactly my style of quilling.

Dandelion, parchment craft

After having tried parchment craft for the first time and enjoying it very much, I've been making my tiny steps in this art. This small project was inspired by Helen M Stevens' embroidery patterns from Embroiderer's Countryside, the book I own.

The parchment has a light pink tint, I mounted it on the purple base using a small amount of glue at the corners. Size: 4 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches (12 x 21.6cm).

By the way, a link to Helen M Stevens' Web site has been added to the side bar, and I encourage you to visit it to see Helen's beautiful work.

Birthday card with a quilled fairy and pergamano

Today is my elder daughter's birthday :) She's the best fan of my quilling, and naturally wanted to have a quilling card for her special day. As for the design, a fairy seemed a good choice for a girl's card to me.

How to make a simple paper frame

This time I'd like to share with you a simple and easy way to make a paper picture frame, like the one shown in the photo above. Personally, I like using such paper frames for my quilling.

Floral clay hamsa with ladybugs

Here's a new addition to my pearl clay Hamsas that I like very much (the Hamsa with a butterfly and Hamsa with a flower). This Hamsa is decorated with beads, flowers, leaves and ladybugs, too, although the design is little different. The hanger is made of macramé. It's quite easy to make a Hamsa like this, I've already written a short tutorial.

Fun decorating ideas for summer

Summer is already here, and I thought it would be nice to share some ideas that may help to keep your little ones busy. These are probably my favorites. Moreover, I used them to decorate my children's bedrooms. And believe me, there's nothing for kids like decorating their living space with their own hands.

Dandelions, framed paper quilling

Here's another quilled creation of mine. A new addition to the "Bugs and flowers" series — dandelions. The design is completely original, without the use of a book or something :)

House birthday cake

We are celebrating my daughter's birthday at the beginning of June in about a week from now. This year she has chosen a house cake. Since in the day care there are too many kids who have their birthdays in June, she had to bring the cake before the actual date. And here it is, our birthday cake!