We have this ultra long, skinny living room. To help me with my organization trials, my DH created a corner in it just for me and my crafts and my computer. It is complete with computer cabinet, table for crafting, shelves, baskets, and a love seat so I can have company while I work. All of this! and I still could not keep the quilling papers organized!

This years NAQG AGM offered even more choices in paper colors — and of course I had to buy some. I also found a solution to the paper storage problem there. One of the other attendees (I do not have her name - if you read this and know please comment me so I can give her credit) had all her papers in a binder. It seemed incredible to me and very fussy. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt I had to try.

So off to the store I went to purchase a binder and page protectors. Now the protectors themselves are great but a little too wide for my purpose. At first I took a protector and divided it into thirds. I found that this was a little narrow for the paper strips. Then I divided the protectors in half and they worked perfectly!

To permanently create ‘pouches’ in the protectors I used my food saver. It created the perfect seal in the center of the protectors. So, after a few trial and errors, I created the perfect binder. I have a binder pouch in front to carry my tools, a full size binder sheet for my quilling work board, split protector sheets for my quilling papers and full-size sheet protectors at the end for my patterns. I have been using this system all week and it has worked like a charm. I even packed up my binder one day and went to the park to quill.

Continue reading for complete how to instructions:

To create this system yourself you will need:

• 3″ (minimum) Binder
• Binder pouch (pencil bag)
• Sheet Protectors
• Food Saver system to seal the sheets
• Page Dividers (optional)

1. Count the number of paper strip colors you have to determine how many sheet protectors you will need. Each pouch holds two different strips.
2. Fold the sheet protectors in half to determine your seal line. Be sure not to include the portion of the protector with the holes.
3. Carefully line up a sheet protector in the food saver and then, following your machines instructions, create your seal.
4. Complete step 3 for each sheet protector.
5. Organize your paper strips in the sheet protectors. I personally organized mine by color - keeping the colors I used most often in front.
6. Fill your Binder pouch with your tools. I have my glue, pins, pens, quilling tools etc … in my pouch.
7. Now fill your binder. Don’t forget to place your patterns in the back!

Now you have a quilling system that can be easily accessed and carried wherever you go. Enjoy!

Don’t want the hassle of sealing all the sheet protectors? Go to my shopping cart and order some already created. Free shipping on these as with all my products ordered from my page.

This little yellow dress is the perfect finishing touch for any little girls room - or a big girl too.  It’s simple elegance shines.  Completed with one inch paper strips curled into scrollwork.

Thanks Molly!

First, all the artists are given the opportunity to learn. Twenty-five different classes were offered at this year’s AGM to help the quilling artist either learn new techniques or to further improve on their current skill set. Trust me – it was difficult to choose which five classes I wanted to participate in! But, there are time limits for everything and I could not imagine going through more than the five classes in one day. My mind was spinning with the amount of new techniques, tricks and tips that was given during these instruction periods.

Fellowship with other artists was plentiful during the mealtimes and evening quilling sessions. This was the time when all the artists shared personal tips and techniques, information about local groups and just got to spend time developing new friendships. I personally learned as much during these periods as I did in the classrooms. Plus, I had the opportunity to spark friendships with several other quilling artists.

The time to set personal goals and to truly admire the artistry involved in quilling started when the competition pieces were displayed. It is wonderful and inspiring to see the work performed by others. The competition pieces were as varied as the artists were, but each one showed a level of artistry that we should all strive to obtain.

Saturday afternoon many of the quilling artists set up displays of their work for public viewing. Again, just as with the competition pieces, the ingenuity and artistry of fellow quillers filled the room. Every table offered its own special inspiration for other artists and showed the public that quilling truly is a fine art – not a hand craft.

Sue Palmer, this years AGM hostess, and her group did a superb job of organizing the meet. Every aspect of the time seemed to flow without a hitch which just further increased the enjoyment of the AGM.

The first dominoes were tea stained. This process is very time consuming but gives the finished piece an aged look. After tea-staining, they were completed with either a vintage image or a rubber stamp.

These next dominoes were painted with inks and then completed with stamps or embellishments. These are among my favorites of the batch.

These magnets were first colored with chalk and then inks. I was not sure this technique would work - but it did and they are wonderful!

This last domino was created with colored pencils.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my newest creations. Please leave any comments or questions that you would like.

This beautiful card celebrates all those who love to garden. The beautiful vellum paper is embellished with glitter that makes the flowers glitter and shine.

Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, has been practiced for more than 600 years. It developed from the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead. By the middle of the fifteenth century, with the emergence of the first classical styles, Ikebana achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins, though it continued to retain strong symbolic and philosophical overtones.

It is said that if you use full bloom flowers in your arrangement, you are representing the past. If you use half-bloomed flowers, you are representing the present. And, guess what? If you use buds, you are representing the future.

This piece reminds me of the wonderful sounds and feelings that the barbershop quartet can bring to your soul.

Sold.

I quilled the wheat stalks and they seemed to go perfect with the blue textured paper.   The blue accentuates the tan quilling strips used in the wheat stalks.

This card is for sell in my etsy shop.  Pop over and take a look.