A Paper Vase

Hi everyone! It's so nice to see you today!

On a trip to the Museum of Modern Art gift shop, I spotted these vases. They are made of paper! Well, not really. There's an actual vase inside and the outer covering is like a jacket which is made of paper.

I think it's a smart inspiration for crafting. The actual vase can be a bottle or jar, and the "jacket" can be made of paper scraps like printed scrapbook paper or gift wrapper. Or stick with plain paper with cut-outs made using a hole punch, craft punches or an X-acto knife.

I think it would be a nice accent for a desk or line them up on the table for your next dinner party. TADA!

Paper Quilling

Hey, hey! Have you heard of the craft "paper quilling?" I first encountered it in the pages of Oprah Magazine. 

via Yulia Brodskaya

Instead of the usual photo, the article had these letters/words rendered in paper quill resulting in a colorful and 3-dimesional effect. I was blown away!  I was even more impressed with the artist behind it, Yulia Brodskaya.

Of late, I've seen a lot of paper quilling by different artists, I just had to try it out.

I sketched my initial -- a simple letter C. I drew some squiggles as a guide for the quills that I'd be adding.  

I bought this kit that included a slotted quilling tool and colorful paper strips from the craft store. All purpose glue, a toothpick, and a pair of scissors were the other tools I used.

The strips measured 5 cm (width) by 38 cm (length) and came in these attractive colors.

You can make your own strips using colorful paper cut with a pair of scissors or an X-acto knife and a self-healing mat. Extra points if you're using paper scraps!

After deciding which colors to use, I started with the outline of the letter C. I put a dab of glue on a smooth and stable surface (bottle cap), dipped my toothpick here, and using the toothpick, applied glue on the edge of the paper strip. I then used some pressure so that the paper strip attached to the sketch.

I continued using other colors.

I just followed the same process, being tidy as I went along.

The slotted tool is useful to make the quills. It has a plastic handle and a needle-like tip that has a slotted opening in the middle.

This catches one edge of the paper strip in place as you twirl the rest of the stip to make circles and other flowy shapes. A pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers might work as an alternative.

I just pried the quills with my fingers to make them bigger and used the slotted tool to coax the paper strip to follow my design.

With an eraser, I removed any visible pencil lines.

Here is my very first paper quill project...TADA!

Hopefully next time, my circles will have less edges, I'll try out more elaborate designs, and work faster.

Have you tried paper quilling? Any tips I should know of? Thanks!

Tips for Letter Writing

Hello everyone! Did you know that April is "National Card and Letter Writing Month"? I understand why it should be celebrated, for a whole month, no less! Letter writing is a dying art.

While rifling through my ever-growing paper stash, I found a leaflet with the heading, "Tips for Letter Writing", which I got from Paper Source. It has some good advice, I have to share them with you:

Express Yourself 

Hand write your letters, your penmanship, no matter how eccentric, is a piece of you. By hand writing your letters and notes, it gives the recipient something special.

Mementos

Enclose a photo your recipient might have forgotten about or has never seen, or perhaps a ticket stub from the play you saw together (special materials can be photocopied, rather than sending the original) or a leaf you picked up while walking with that person. Lining your envelope with gift-wrap from the present you are thanking them for is another favorite.

From the Heart

Write from the heart, tell a story, remind them of your history together, a favorite time. Share one thing about that person that you admire -- everyone loves and needs a compliment.

Coordinate with Style

Choose beautiful paper to write on and a pen you enjoy writing with. Embellish with ribbons, snaps, brads, glitter or hole punches -- the possibilities are endless. Coordinate your postage stamp with your envelope color or the theme of your letter. If you can draw, sketch or doodle, add something from yourself.

Write, Rewrite, Right!

Email has made it easy to jot down a few words, spell check and hit send. But when handwriting a special note, use a scratch pad and draft your letter first. Check spelling and grammar. Know what you are going to say and how you'd like to write it. Save your good stationery or handmade card until you have a clean draft to copy.

Don't let any of the above frighten you. The most inportant thing of all is to just do it.

I hope you found these tips useful. There are a few more here. Happy writing!

Handmade Greeting Cards

One of my greatest pleasures is snail mail! Whether I am at the receiving end or the one sending it, all the steps involved make it worth it. And that includes making the card itself. Here are a few of the cards that I made:

I call this the "Hi" card. The "Hi" is made with wood burning tools and a beechwood tag. The card is an assemblage of scrapbook paper, stickers, and punched-out paper.

This I call the "Shabby Chic" card. It's made of scrapbook paper, glitter, and lace.

This card is personalized and is made of chipboard and stickers.

These are postcards. They come in a little book that contain coloring book pages for adults. I filled in the blanks with watercolor.

This was created with a bunch of stamps and black ink.

These are handmade and heartfelt. TADA!

Watercolor Easter Eggs

Easter Sunday is this Sunday! To get ready, here's an easy idea to turn plain eggs from blah to TADA! using watercolor paint:

It's a fun activity for any age. TADA!

Have a Happy Easter!

Crafty Ideas from the book "Hello Tokyo"

I love books and I love craft books even more! Here is one that I found while browsing the shelves at my library:

It's called "Hello Tokyo" and is written by Ebony Bizys, the talented artist, designer, and photographer behind the blog Hello Sandwich. She's an Australian/Lithuanian who calls Tokyo home.

The book is packed to the brim with tidbits about Tokyo, insights on the Japanese way of life, and projects that are both thoughtful and kawaii (Japanese for "cute").

Inspired by the book, here are some crafts that I made:

A flowery gift bag. This bag and tag are made from origami and scrapbook paper held together by glue. The handles are made from bent pipe cleaners...TADA!

Handmade gift tags. I found the blank tags and stickers in my craft stash. 

By putting them together, I instantly have tags for all the birthday presents I'll be wrapping this year...TADA!

A handmade notebook. I'm going to use this as a journal/portable scrapbook. "Oui" is French for "yes" and I say "Oui" to more adventures!

Putting together a collection. I have a bunch of little collections, among them are these tea bag rests. I use them individually or when company comes over. What a neat idea to just group them together for a themed display...TADA!

Learning Japanese words. One of the words I learned in the book is "osusowake" (sharing) and Ebony defines it this way:

"It's a Japanese word that describes one of the most charming Japanese customs: the giving of something inexpensive, but important between friends. For example, when you buy a roll of stickers or box of candies and you find yourself with more than you need, you might share a small section of them with a friend. The history of the word osusowake is really lovely. It has its origins back when handmaking kimonos was very popular. The leftover fabric from making the kimono was shared with other friends. From what I can gather, suso is "hem" and wakare is "to share", so it's like the division and sharing or excess fabric. To me, this is so beautiful and poetic."

The book has definitely encouraged making, giving, and dreaming of a trip to Tokyo!

The Birthday Plate

I hope you like birthdays. I like birthdays a lot and everything associated with it like greetings, gifts, and gratitude. 

Maybe you have some traditions to mark birthdays? A family I know will stay up until midnight so they are the first to greet the birthday celebrator with hugs and a cake. A friend I know will always celebrate with children at an orphanage to share her blessings. And still another friend I know always travels on her birthday, usually by herself so she can reflect on her past year and her plans for her new year.  

When I saw this plate at Anthropologie a few seasons back, I thought, "This is perfect for a birthday tradition." It can be the special plate of the family.

This plate takes the place of a regular dining plate during a family member's birthday, from breakfast, lunch, snacktime, and dinner. It will make him or her feel extra special. And, it will remind the whole family that it's someone's special day when they sit at the table. 

It's also the best way to serve the birthday cake. TADA!

What traditions do you like to do on your birthday?