Whipping out place cards

(click on pic for a larger version)

My SIL delegated to me the task of decorating tables for my nephew's wedding rehearsal dinner. Yesterday morning, I suddenly decided I didn't have nearly enough stress in my life and determined to create 32 placecards and 17 tablecards for dinner that night. (I still have the flower girl dresses to hem, but hey...that's what Friday is for!) I'm so thankful for Jacob (16) and Susannah (14) and their excellent attitudes and assistance! At 11:00 am we kicked it into gear and set up an assembly line, with less than 4 hours to get these whipped out. Though I had some folded roses pre-made, I was short over 70. Greens had to be punched, tendrils had to be formed and everything had to be glued together into a lovely whole. The place cards were vellum and were created with my printer...after a lot of trial and error to figure out the best way to feed them. The table cards were stamped with my new flourish stamps and the Fiskars stamp press...just set it up and Jacob whipped out 17 cards in short order, though the center didn't imprint as well as the edges on these paneled cards. It didn't matter as much, since the vellum insert covered the center anyway. Fed the white vellum into my printer in 12"x4" sheets - 4 to a page, which were then cut to size and mounted with glue dots at the top, and embellished with a similar rose motif used on the placecard, but with all large roses. (Man, but vellum smears at the slightest nudge when fresh from the printer!)

Turned out pretty swell for a slap-dash project and added a lovely touch of elegance to the tables. Many of the guests brought theirs home, which is always a nice compliment! I saved the cards left behind and will 'pirate' the rose motif off those for some other occasion. That is the other advantage to using vellum....the pieces actually can be peeled off without too much trouble.

Another paper artist

I have seen Peter Callesen's work in the past. He is an incredible paper artist who makes many of his pieces from a single piece of paper. You gotta go see it!

A netiquette question

When you watch a video posted on Youtube.com, is it okay to embed the clip in your blog, or is it best to just post a link to the video?

I've embedded a couple of movies here that I discovered on youtube (or were shared with me), and now I'm wondering if this violates their copyright?

I would really appreciate hearing from others on this question. And until I do, I plan to remove the embedded videos and simply post a link.

Thanks for your input!

EDIT: 1/22/08

I wanted to thank Shawna for letting me know that anything posted on YouTube is considered public domain and is okay to embed in posts. Thanks, Shawna!

Unmounted Stamp storage

I've been purchasing more and more unmounted acrylic stamps, and also got some cute sets for Christmas from my girls. I LOVE using them with the Fiskar's stamp press (or use a clear acrylic block). But storage is becoming an issue.




Then I discovered this great little clip from a link on someone's blog (I'm sorry - I can't remember who shared the link as I visited a number of new blogs this morning. The creator of the clip is listed at the end.) Empty CD cases added to my list of things to get. What a great idea!

Roses Roses Roses!

I will be sharing the technique of folded roses at the January Quilling Club meeting (Monday, Jan. 21st from 6:30-8:00 pm @ Paper Pals). Here are a few more photos of past orders/projects to inspire you!

A card featuring patterned vellum overlay with oval aperture.

Small 3.5" wooden trinket box, treated with sealant
so the folded paper roses look almost like porcelain.




Antiqued rose frame (some strips were hand-dipped in tea or wine for soft shading and aging before being formed into roses.)



Rose frame using some hand-cut vellum strips and shades of pink paper strips, lending a very soft, romantic look.



Removable swag created for a customer. I believe she intended to use it on a card.

A baby gift for Evelyn, the granddaughter of a friend, along with coordinating vellum gift bag.



A gift of 10 blank notecards, in the bride's wedding colors (perfect for the special 'thank you' notes she needed to write) .


Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Are you seeing the possibilities?! It may look complex, but many people have used my modified technique and report amazing success. Even my 9-year-old daughter was able to create respectable results...and she's a lefty to boot.

No previous quilling experience needed.

Call Karen at Paper Pals soon to sign up for class! (208-883-4287)

Filigree - but not paper

I love paper filigree, but I am really intrigued by this amazing clip of metal filigree artist, Victoria Lansford,at work.


What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?

Amazing Paper artist!

Jen Stark's work is a must see - the vibrant colors are sure to wow you.

Special thanks to Ann Martin for sharing this link with me.

Quilling Club - January 21, 2007

"Stuck on Roses" Altered Band Aid Tin
(call Karen at Paper Pals soon to hold your place - 208-883-4287)

The folded rose technique was moved to the January 21 meeting. I look forward to seeing everyone again and hearing about your holidays.

We will create this lovely altered Band Aid tin or other small box and coordinated tag just in time for a special valentine's gift.

What do you put into such a tiny box?
Well, how about:
1. fun brads and other embellishments for an avid card maker or scrapper.
2. yummy chocolates (like those flat square Ghiradelli ones...yum!)
3. assorted gift tags.
4. a gift card or gift certificate to a favorite store
5. a few ATC trading cards
6. tiny scrolls printed with encouraging verses or sayings, rolled and tied with a tiny ribbon.
7. jewelry of all sorts and sizes

See? Lots of uses for this tiny treasure. And the beautiful rose design will make it a 'keeper' for sure!

Purchase background paper, 3/8" quilling strips, box, mulberry paper and ribbon before class. Don't forget quilling tools, glue and tape runner (to stick background paper to box). Project pictured above used:
Holly Lane mistletoe background paper
red quilling paper
green and white mulberry pieces
thin gold ribbon
band aid tin
1/8" green quilling paper for the leaves and tendrils (I will provide this)

If we get things done quickly, I will also demonstrate how to create Froebel stars - a very lovely folded star that can be dipped in hot wax for a simple but elegant decoration or package trim.