Project: "Have a great vacation!" card with a quilled crab and sailboat

Another simple handmade card with elements of paper quilling (a step up from the summer card I showed). The quilled shapes require some experience in quilling (especially the crab, which is very tiny), so I can't say this is beginners level. I also tried to incorporate some embossing into this project.

Tools and materials

• Colored paper: bright yellow, orange, dark blue, light blue
• 1/8'' quilling paper strips: orange, yellow, blue, and white
• Small scissors
• Adhesive
• Craft knife
• Cutting mat
• Slotted quilling tool recommended, or a thin wooden stick (toothpick or similar)
• Embossing tool or a substitute
• Wave stencil for embossing (can be made by cutting waves in a piece of card stock)
• Pen, marker or paint for lettering
• Pattern-edged (waves) scissors

Base

1. Cut a dark blue rectangular base 4 1/8 x 6 1/4'' (10.5x16cm).

2. Cut out an orange rectangle 3 1/2 x 5 7/8'' (9x15cm) with rounded corners and glue it onto the base. This will be the background, with an appox. 1/4'' (7mm) wide dark blue border.

3. The sea is a blue rectangle of approx. 3 1/2 x 3 1/8'' (9x8cm). Make yourself or use a ready-made embossing stencil to create embossed wave pattern on this piece. Create a wavy upper edge using the pattern-edged scissors.

4. Cut out a yellow rectangle, 1 1/2 x 3 1/2'' (4x9cm), cut a large wave at its upper edge. Make rounded its bottom corners.

5. Do the lettering before you attach this piece to the card so that you can easily replace it if something goes wrong. No need to worry if you don't do the lettering by hand, though.

6. Mount these pieces onto the base, one on top of the other.

Cloud

1. Roll 7 or 8 short (3/8 to 3/4'' / 1-2cm) white strips to make open coils.

2. Arrange them into a cloud, and glue at the spots where they touch one another.

3. Glue the cloud to the card.

Sailboat

1. Make a loose coil from a blue strip about 6 inches (15cm) long.

2. Shape a triangle to form the flag.

3. Use two 24 inch long (60cm) yellow strips for the sails: roll up, let open, glue down the tip and create the shape.

4. The boat is made from a 12'' (30cm) white strip.

5. Arrange the parts of the boat and glue them down.

Crab

1. Use a 4 1/8'' (10cm) long orange strip for the body.

2. Roll two tight coils for the eyes. Use short 5/8'' (1.5cm) strips.

3. Make M-shaped claws from 3/4'' (2cm) strips, and legs from very short pieces.

4. Attach the eyes, claws and legs to the body.

5. Mount the crab onto the card.

Have a great vacation!