Color Paper Art

Paper art encompasses such a broad spectrum of creativity. In one of my previous posts I had mentioned how I was working on Toilet Paper Roll art and the many beautiful designs I am able to create with this simple product. As I keep browsing the internet I see so many different kinds of paper art. I see art created with old magazine pages, paper towel, coffee filters, tissue paper etc. One’s imagination seems to be the limit and thanks to the virtual artistic community, inspiration is boundless.

I hope you enjoy my digressions into color paper art and thanks to all these wonderful ideas, I see every paper and paper product as a potential candidate to be transformed to something different and beautiful than its original form.

Spreading the joy of Quilling to kids

Its summer and that means kids are home and looking for that well deserved break from the school year.It is a great time to learn new skills in a very fun and relaxed way. My daughter’s friend approached me to teach her children and a few others the art of quilling and I was very happy to oblige.

I conducted a one week camp and started from the basics and had them quill a little box and a card as a finished project. The kids enjoyed the time to tap into their creative side. I also gently directed them to the various resources on the Internet, and they took it and ran with it and created so many things on their own.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says “Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.”, I hope this treasure of quilling is with them throughout their life and they enjoy it and continue to create and pass this joy on to others.

Here are some pictures from the camp and their finished projects.

 

Trash to Treasure

I have not blogged in two months and there is a good reason for that. I have stopped quilling while I explore other beautiful creations that people around the world are doing. As I surf the web or look through the very addictive Pinterest I found so much inspiration but the one that fascinated me the most was Toilet Paper Roll Art.

I am sure you are thinking ‘this can’t be true’ but the amazing things that one can create from this mostly useless and almost always recycled material is mind blowing.

I spent a good amount of time looking at many videos and came up with some of my own pieces of art. I have even combined quilling and TPR Art to make a canvass. I hope you are inspired by this to diversify and look at new things to add to your crafting repertoire.

Mixed Media Quilling

mixedmediacard
Mixed Media Card

My niece recently presented me with a mixed media canvas and I had not heard about this till then. She explained to me how mixing different media like paint, paper and other things can create beautiful art. Once I researched this concept I found so many people working on so many wonderful mixed media projects. I also worked on a mixed media art piece on a canvas with my daughter and it was a wonderful experience.

I decided to incorporate mixed media and quilling and create a few cards. It was a great experience and just when I feel that I have seen it all, I am introduced to a new concept. Art is so inclusive that I am able to include these new art forms with my quilling to expand my repertoire.

Valentine’s Again

I cannot believe that I have been blogging for two years now, and I am so thankful for all that quilling has provided me. I have kept myself busy with creating quilling pieces and done two quilling exhibitions and my first quilling sale. I have met many artists some of whom are half my age or less, and it has been wonderful to learn from them and teach them skills I have acquired.

Learning other skills like navigating the internet has been the best part of learning quilling. It is definitely beneficial to learn something new and the eagerness to perfect it is a wonderful way to see time fly by.

Simple Inspirations

Being a part of the Holiday Fair in December was a very fulfilling experience and I had a few custom orders that I received after that. Working on ideas that were conceived by the customer was a different experience as one has to remember that the vision is dictated by the client versus the self.

I have always stressed the importance of getting inspired by simple things in my previous posts and I am continuing with that theme. It is the translation of that image into the medium that one works with, be it quilling, mixed media, painting or even sewing that reflects the creativity of the artist. I have purposely included the things that inspired me to emphasize really how ordinary they can be.

Sometimes of course I look at certain things and just want to replicate it because it is just so beautiful and one of the cards in the collection is like that and I would like to acknowledge Pritesh who blogs at Quilling Me Softly.

Here are some ways to get inspired:

  1. Browse through Pinterest, it is a great resource to get ideas.
  2. Take a walk in your neighborhood and observe the plants, trees and it is amazing the things you will find.
  3. Magazines and newspaper advertisements are another very good source.
  4. Birthday, wedding and other cards you might receive in the mail have lovely designs that you can re purpose.

Hope this inspires you to look at the mundane everyday things with more attention.

Quilling Creations at the Holiday Faire

When I took up Quilling as a hobby I was not sure what to expect but on the day of the exhibition and sale I was so happy that other folks loved my work enough to buy them to be a part of their holiday gifts. When I saw the display of all my creations it was quite overwhelming and I did not realize how just making two or three things daily for a few months resulted in all those things. I was humbled to see how everyone embraced my creations and wanted to know more and even learn this art. The ultimate joy of learning a new hobby is being able to pass it on to others.

Some tips if you would like to have a sale of your creations:

  1. Visit a few exhibitions before hand to see how the items are displayed and priced
  2. Understand the community in which you are having your exhibition, it especially helps with pricing things.
  3. Take the time to have an inventory of all the things you create so you do not miss anything on the day of the show.
  4. A couple of days before the exhibition recreate your display at home and that gives an idea of how it will look and also make it easier on the day of the event.
  5. Make sure you take care of the little details like cash register, bags and packing material for the items you sell etc.
  6. Standing at exhibitions can be very tiring so make sure you have plenty of water and nuts and food to snack on. Take help from friends and family to help you at the booth.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hope this inspires you to take your creations on the road for the world to enjoy.

Quilling Exhibition & Sale

November and December are the most busy shopping months and during this time there are also lots of Holiday Craft Fairs. I enjoyed visiting many such fairs around the neighborhood I live in, but I could not find even one person who displayed paper quilling products. I decided to be a vendor at one such holiday craft fair and I am both excited and skeptical at the same time. I have been working hard at making cards, book marks, earrings, fridge magnets and other things.

When I decided to be a part of the craft fair I realized there are so many small things to take care of like business cards, pricing, display etc. Fortunately I have some help and guidance in these areas, and I am looking forward to this new endeavor. It will be an interesting learning experience and I am hoping my products will be well received. Below are some photographs taken during preparation time.

I will write all about it in my next post and as the saying goes “the reward is in the risk.”

 

Earrings & More

I have dabbled with quilling jewellery but this month I decided to make a few more complicated danglers. The simple shapes and patterns around us provides so much inspiration for creating these pieces. Also having just gone through the Diwali season I decided to beautify the simple clay lamp with quilled creations to suit this most colorful and joyous occasion. Some refrigerator magnets also got thrown into the mix.

I periodically browse my favorite blogs and websites and I came across quilled bracelets and tried my hand at these. I have just created one and looking forward to quilling more of them. I have suddenly realized I am able to finish projects in a smaller time frame than before and I think constant practice just lends itself to this.

Continue practicing and perfecting your skills and the experience just keeps getting more and more rewarding.

 

Fall and Rains

Fall is here and we have had first rains so time for some Halloween quilling and more flowers. My grand daughter encouraged me to make the witch with a broom stick and I really enjoyed quilling that card. To add authenticity I have added a real twig from our garden.

I recently was shopping for quilling supplies here and came across these beautiful doilies made from paper and I really wanted to use it as a background for the quilling creation. I also wanted to work on creating a quilled piece with a piano as the highlight and I came across this wonderful blog(http://dreame-quillingwithlove.blogspot.com/) from where I got my inspiration

The best part about this creative process is there is no right and wrong but how much fun you have in the process. As Albert Einstein rightly put it “Creativity is Intelligence having fun”.