Week Forty-Five: Lavender

After this week there are only seven projects until the end of my 52 weeks challenge! I can't believe I it, I hadn't noticed that until today. It's gone so quickly, and I certainly have more than seven projects left on my list of ideas, so don't worry, I'll still be quilling and posting after the challenge is complete, just maybe not as often.

This week we've got some lovely lavender cards.

On the bigger one they're growing wild...

...and on the smaller one we've got a bunch of them on a nice metallic purple background.

These are lovely and simple, yet all those little purple dots end up taking a lot of time! I didn't expect they'd be all that time consuming.

They're very softly feminine. I loved the different shades of purple I used in this card, the purple section of my paper supplier's range is one of my favourites (the blue range is the best though - and I seem to be constantly needing more green!)


Next week we've got another 3D quilling project inspired by a furry friend I made a few weeks ago...

Remember that even if I am nearly done with my year of quilling challenge I am happy to hear any suggestions you have of other quilling project ideas you'd like to see me tackle. I am also happy to do some more 'how to' posts with step by step photos by request, I might do a how to on another 3D project I have planned for around Christmas time.

xnata

Week Forty-Four: Dragon

I'm finally fitting in another request subject this week, and it's one that two people actually suggested. Let's see if I have met people's expectations shall we?

He's red and scary, at least for a dragon that hasn't got his fangs out. And he's got a bit of a belly on him. But you're intimidated, right? Even the cute dragons can breathe fire.

Here he is before he became all colourful. I went with red as it's the colour I immediately imagine when I think of dragons. I suppose he'd look equally lovely in green or blue.

I know he's not in line with my usual style, but I like to be diverse in my creativity and I'm quite pleased with the result. Especially his wings.

Next week we'll go back to my usual super-girliness with a type of flower I haven't quilled before (hard to believe there are many types of flower left, but there you have it! And I won't stop until I've done them all).


xnata.

Week Thirty-Nine: Dragonflies

So, I'm over a week late, but as no one asked I'm not explaining why, HA!

It seems that plenty of people have been visiting the blog anyway, so that's lovely, nice to know that my little place can hum along on its own without me. Let's get on with it then.


This (or last) week I've used my butterfly technique to make some pretty dragonfly cards.

 

 

 

Anyway, they're cute, I'm in a hurry, I'll be back soon-ish to put up this week's post, so see you then.

 

xnata

Winter Markets and an Upcoming Giveaway!

Hi People! Just popping in to let you know that next Saturday I'll be hauling my goodies to the Winter Markets at All Saints Anglican Church, Chermside QLD!

The Winter Market is on from 7am(!!) to 12pm on the 22nd of June. I'll be sharing a table with several special and talented ladies, so be sure to stop by and take a look.

I've upgraded my market system by protecting my cards in fancy plastic slips and with proper printed price stickers like I used to do. I think it makes for a more professional look and it keeps the goods protected and clean for the buyers. Pricing them with nice stickers is yet to come.

In the mean time I'll be quilling like crazy to make this stock pile bigger!


AND...


We are just two posts away from my 100TH Blog Post!! I'm so impressed with myself for getting here (and we definitely have my year of weekly quilling to thank for that), that I've decided to celebrate with another GIVEAWAY! I'll announce the details in that post along with some fun stats about the blog to mark the occasion and to give me something to look back at in the future.

The prize will be a choice between two things, one of which I am currently making, and it's another very different technique to things I've made before. I haven't decided on the other option yet, so let me know if there's anything I've made that you'd love to win!

Stay tuned for two weeks from now and make sure you enter to win.

See you next week!

xnata

Week Nine: Tulips

Yesterday I announced the winner of my facebook fan page giveaway on my facebook page, and I've already sent it off on its way to the winner. I'll be doing another giveaway later in the year when I do my 100th blog post, so if you missed out this time you might be the lucky one that time. It'll be a one click entry that time, two clicks seems to have been a bit too complicated for some people. I'm learning, I'm learning.

This week's project is focused on my favourite flower, the tulip.

*sigh*

I really enjoyed making this card, so I thought I'd make a few mini gift cards too, and I figured that seeing as this quilling challenge is supposed to be to build a stockpile of items for the next time I do a market stall, I should occasionally make more than one of something to make up for all the times I give one of the projects away to special people in my life...like one a couple of weeks from now...ahem.

If you ever see a quilled project that you would like to buy on here, please contact me, you absolutely can buy them from me, I'll just have to make another one to add to my market stock!

I don't have envelopes of the right size for the little ones, so I've punched a hole and added some string so that they can be added to a gift much like you would with a little gift tag. I liked these simple little cards, I might do this whole making mini versions of a card thing again in the future.

The main card has two layers of flowers, and thanks to my new expandable envelopes that won't cause any problems!

These cards are just like their subject; simple and elegant.

Next week we'll be celebrating Australia Day!

xnata

Week Seven: Husked Butterfly

I always fret about posting on a Saturday as it usually seems to be the day that no one goes on the internet, but unfortunately I didn't manage to finish this week's project in time for posting yesterday.

To those of you who've followed my quilling for a long while, you may have taken my hint last week to mean that I'd be making another one of these: https://www.facebook.com/PolkaDotParasolDesigns/posts/490773770965994?ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/photo.php?fbid=118570614852980&set=a.118569684853073.7599.118568908186484&type=3&theater but I'm wanting to try new things in this quilling year, so I've gone a different way, I hope you like it!

The reason it took longer than I expected was that I was learning an advanced quilling tehnique, and this was my first attempt! The technique is called 'Husking', and involves the use of a pattern and pins to construct the piece. I've included some 'during' shots to show you what I mean.

Here's the finished product!

 Love it.

So, this will give you an idea of what husking is. 

I drew a basic outline of the wings on a piece of card, and put a foam board underneath it and a piece of baking paper on top, then placed pins at extreme points on the design. Then you put the paper around and glue it in place, and so on and so forth. 

I only did it for the outline, then removed the wings from their little pin frame and filled them in by hand. The cool thing about this is that you can get the shape just right, and as it's independant of the card, potentially I could make freestanding butterflies, much like the snowflakes! I see the making of a butterfly mobile in my future...

I made the body with a normal quilling tool, making a series of cone shapes and then gluing them together. I then mounted the body to the card, and glued down the wings on a tilt so they don't sit flush on the card, to give it a bit of life. As you can see below I used a bunch of quilling strips to prop them up until the glue dried.

The wind knocked it over during my little photo shoot, but I noticed that would be a good way to show the angle that the wings sit at.

Oh so pretty.

Voila! I know I'll be making more of these.

Week eight will be here before you know it, and it brings another winged creature!

xnata.

A Quilling Reprise

I've been quilling again!

When my lovely mother in law suggested I crack out the old quilling stuff and join her in a table at a Christmas craft market, I happily accepted.

 

my top seller: snowflake ornaments

But, I am a slow quiller. I don't know how long it takes other quillers, but to make a really nice card it can take me about three hours in total, and I imagine that would be slow. Maybe I just need more practice.

Which brings me to the point of this post: after weeks of scrambling to make as much as I could for the market, I ended up with 23 cards, 24 snowflakes, and a bowl full of gift tags, and that's it. Some of the cards were lovely, but several were definitely not up to my standard as I had rushed through making them. While the amount was plenty to fill my little space, if I was ever to take part in one where I had more space, I would be horrified to have had that little stock of such varying degrees of quality. As I thought about this a marvellous idea came to me: what if I had made just one card a week for a whole year before I do a market again?

I'd end up with at least 52 cards to sell, of a good quality, and I wouldn't have to panic or rush myself. Snowflakes are easy, quick, and fun, so I could handle making lots of them in the weeks leading up to a market, and not needing to spend nearly as much of that time on card making would mean I would end up with more of the snowflakes made too!

So that's what I'm going to do, starting this week: one good quality card a week, and I'll share them here on my blog.

I'm compiling a list of themes/subjects for these cards as a sort of 'inspiration bank', so that during the semesters next year I don't end up in a busy school week with no idea of what to quill, I can just make a withdrawal from my inspiration bank and get going. Is there anything you'd like to see me create?

 

I've already decided that one week I'll do a framed piece instead of a card, as one of my ideas is just a bit too complicated for a card, but framed items can go up for sale in a market too.

I hope you're all looking forward to watching this challenge unfold!

One customer suggested that she'd like to see an orchid, so I've popped that at the top of my list. Need to do a bit of research on that one. Please let me know, either here in the comments or on my facebook page, what you'd like to see in quilled form. When I've got all 52 card ideas I'll share it.

Stay tuned also to my Facebook page for a Christmas give away!

xnata

Oh I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside

...Oh I do like to be beside the sea!

Tomorrow in our shop the theme table will be visiting the seaside!

Just imagine a table full of pretty seahorse cushions and bags and all sorts of other ocean themed items that would just love to go home with someone new!

These two cards of my creation will be there:

my whale is still with us, I don't know why, if I saw that for sale I'd snap it up - I'm going to get a memory box/photo box and make another whale to live inside it, maybe he's just too nice to be only a card, I'm not sure.

And my seahorse will be there keeping the whale company!

Lilly Cottage & Friends

in Coutts Cottage

at the Petrie Markets

Sundays from 8am to 2pm!

Look forward to seeing you!

xnata

So Much More

If Paris themed cards aren't what you are looking for, I have much more to offer.

Baby bootie cards

Wedding dress cards - great for giving with wedding or engagement gifts

Thank you cards

And even some Dad related cards for those buying last minute Father's Day gifts.

There is more, but I'll let you come and find them for yourselves :)

If we don't see you down at Coutt's Cottage this Sunday, I hope you have a nice day with the fathers in your family, and Happy Father's Day to all daddies from me.

I love my Daddy,

xnata.

Ooh La La!

At Lilly Cottage & Friends we've got a special theme table on which we display our precious items in a different theme every week.

This week our theme is French, so I've been working on some Ooh La La items!

The Eiffel Tower with a pinky paper to compliment

A French Poodle

A tribute to the romantic city

Cute, oui?



I've always loved French, I learned it a bit in primary school and learning to speak it fluently is on my life 'to-do' list. I'll take lessons one day (when I have time), but for now I practice by learning french songs, which is lots of fun. I know quite a few now, and I'm actually starting to be able to tell you what the words mean, so that's a step in the right direction I say.

So, if you love gay Paree, come and spend a spring day at the Petrie markets with us!

C'est si bon,

xnata

Moving In Day!

Today I joined my shop friends at Coutts Cottage to move our goodies in to one of the two rooms we will have! We'll be open this Sunday, the 29th, but we are saving our Grand Opening Day for when the place has had a coat of paint on the outside and hopefully we'll have our second room too.

Now I'm not going to go showing you the whole glorious thing at once, if you want to see it you'll have to come down this Sunday or wait for our Grand opening, but here's a sneak peek for my loyal blog followers:

Out the front there are pretty pink flowers...

So many treasures lie beyond that window...

Like these goodies, made by my two market buddies!

My cards are there of course, in a new display case that I decorated :D

But really there is just so much more to it than this, you really should come and see the rest for yourself.

Although shortly I'll be posting a few pictures of our stuff from someone else's point of view...

looking forward to Sunday the 29th!

We'll be open from 8am-2pm folks!

xnata

A Big Announcement

Hello my devoted blog followers, I am back from Cairns!

More on that in my next post though. I have something else to tell you about.

You know that poster I made and showed you in the last post? I kind of don't need it anymore.

You see, I won't be having a market stall anymore.


Rosey and Linda and I are making a move, into Couts Cottage at the Petrie Markets!

That's right, we're moving up in the world and our goods will be available for purchase every Sunday! My cards will be there every week! I'll be there some Sundays, we'll be working out the finer details soon.

I wish I had a picture of my own to mark this momentous post, but I don't, if you click on Linda's link above you'll see the beautifully magical place at which my cards will be from the 29th of August on. They'll be there every week people, every week. Very exciting, and I'll continue to detail this exciting new chapter of Renata Clarke Designs right here on this blog so stay tuned.

Happy dance time!

xnata

Seahorses and Hot Air Balloons

MARKETS THIS SUNDAY!!!

Petrie Markets Sunday 8th of August

8am-2pm

That's right, its the second Sunday of the month this Sunday, so my market buddy and I will be at the Petrie Markets from 8am-2pm. I'm very busy with uni and various other life stuff at the moment so I apologise for my slack posting both last week and I'm guessing in the week that is ahead of me.

I'll be heading off to Cairns for five days on Thursday of next week, a much needed break from everything, but I promise to take pictures and have a wonderful time. But before that I'll be doing a test for one of my uni courses, cleaning this house and packing everything we need, and of course, going to the markets.

I've made thirteen cards for this market, and I won't show you all of them but here are some of the treasures to be bought by willing customers:

A happy birthday cupcake, of which I have another in purple and green.

A seahorse to keep the whale card company because it is still with us at the moment.

Some green trees for a change, because Autumn isn't the only season.

and a hot air balloon to float away in.

I've also made some flowery cards, some dragonflies and some butterflies. All good fun and pretty.

So if you like what you see there's more where that came from, I'll see you this Sunday!

xnata