Week Sixteen: Autumn!

It's officially Autumn, yay!

I love this time of year. In fact I love the whole time of year that isn't summer. I wish my birthday was some time in autumn, I think it's the perfect party weather in this part of the world.

So to celebrate saying goodbye to the hell that is Australian summer, I have made this week's project a lovely autumny tree. This is not new to my reportoire, but I've done it differently to previous trees and you can tell me what you think either way.

The leaves are different to my usual style, I really like this look for leaves at the moment.

We actually don't get a lot of deciduous trees around here, but it is a classic symbol of autumn and reminds me of some of my favourite towns in Australia that are populated with many deciduous trees.

Looking at it before I added the leaves, it was like the pins were drops of snow, and it was really sweet to me.

I'm thinking of doing more of this by making a four seasons art piece version. My main concern is where to get a big enough deep set frame to fit what I'm thinking...

I hope you enjoy this time of year as much as I do!


xnata

Week Fifteen: Goddess

Years ago, when I had only been quilling for a few months I made a card with a girls face in profile. I did it on a black card, and she just had simple curly hair that was rainbow coloured using two tone quilling paper (side note, two tone quilling paper is hard to find these days!). I thought I'd reprise this sort of design but update it with my new skills and add in a bit of a theme.

For some reason, we'll call it inspiration, I decided she should be entirely made of shades of purple and teal, and the whole 'Goddess' idea just came to me as I went. I put all sorts of fun shapes through her hair; my favourite is the feather.

I love her little grin and her cute nose - it reminds me of Samantha from Bewitched. I imagine this goddess could twitch her nose and make a cool breeze blow or the moon shine brighter.

..maybe she's my muse...

As we're headed for Autumn, next week's project is going to celebrate that!

xnata

Week Fourteen: Blog Header

I was looking over my blog last week, and it occured to me that my blog header is a drawing. And I mainly quill on here. Something doesn't make sense there...

So I quilled it!

Well...I quilled what it is in my head, which is apparently slightly wrong, but it's close enough that I'm sure as heck not going to start over. We'll call it artistic expression and move on.

I haven't put it up as the header yet (the thought of trying to fiddle with it to make it fit the space is not one that takes me to a happy place), but here are several photos of it for you to enjoy.

The finished product!

 



 

I might tweak  the colouring before I put it up also, to work with the background (I didn't have just the right shades at my disposal - though I will add that the turquoise edge is a shade of scrapbooking paper called 'rain', which amused me and I had to find some way to include it).

Now, one last thing. It's about to get pretty quiet around here. I start back at uni next week, and due to some confusion between me, the program coordinator and a lecturer, I'm doing 3 courses instead of only two, so I'm going to be crazy busy. I'll still be posting weekly, but don't be surprised if there are very few words to some posts.

xnata

Week Thirteen: Love is in The Air - Part II

I got a package in the mail at the start of the week, with some new quilling tools, and I was so excited I had to use them right away. Can you guess what one of them is from this happy little sun?

 

Top left: needle nosed glue bottle (with a flower pin stuck in the top because I'm silly)

Top Right: a basic flower punch (to make flower quilling nice and fast for me, I have no time for cutting petals by hand right now!)

Bottom: A crimper!

 

Yes, the crimper was what I used when making the sun. I love the needle nosed glue bottle, it cuts out the need for puddles of glue everywhere and almost completely negates the use of toothpicks, so it is excellent. I'm finally doing it the modern way!

 

 

 

Do you get this one? The cards this week have all been silly/cute puns or riddles, I did the super romantic one last week, these are supposed to make you smile. Maybe something you'd give to a friend or loved one, or to someone with a love of puns or general silliness.

 

The last one isn't for love, though there's some of that in it I'm sure, I had an idea for a get well soon card and it involved the use of my new flower punch so I thought I'd throw it in to this one.

 

 



 I just thought it was sweet, and if someone gave it to me when I was sick it would make me smile and feel a little better.

I hope your week has been lovely and full of love in all its forms.

xnata

Week Thirteen: Love is in The Air: Part I

I have so much to say this week that I've split it into two posts, I don't want to overwhelm anyone!

I changed my mind on this week's project. The whole 3D bunch of flowers thing just didn't grab me, I wasn't inspired, and it's probably been done by every quiller there is, so I'll hold off on that one until I have a real vision for the piece.

Instead, inspiration came from two places: My 11 year dateiversary/Valentines Day, and my son's obsession with the alphabet.

The first part explains itself, right? He asked me out ll years ago on the 13th of Feb (and this is our thirteenth week of quilling! Didn't do it on purpose, just a cool coincidence).

The second part is an inspiration because my son found my calligraphy/lettering book in the bookshelf and now insists on having me read the alphabet to him in various designs (not complaining, I love reading to him), and so staring at all this lettering inspired me to include some on the designs this week.

I hope that is an obvious message. Please tell me if you don't get it.

Again, if you don't get it let me know, I can always pen in the missing word!

I also received an order of quilling tools this week, so the second post will show you those and the things I've made with them so far!

I'll leave you with a look at what my lovely husband bought me for our dateiversary...

There are 11 of them :)

 

On to part II!

 

 

xnata

Week Twelve: Love Birds

While everyone else celebrates Valentines Day, my husband and I are celebrating having been together for 11 years! I know, I'm ever so young for that to be true *flutters eyelashes*

So with all this love in the air I have made a sweet little love bird card!

I like the all white quilling thing that I see some people doing, and one day I will successfully do it, but I couldn't resist throwing in a little red love heart for the romance factor.

It was also my first attempt at 'reverse quilling' if that's what you call it, where the subject is not quilled but its surroundings are.

 So Happy Valentines Day for next week everyone! We'll continue the romantic theme for next week's project with a little 3D project.

xnata

 

Peter Pan's Hat

I forgot to post this last week! Oops.


Just wanted to show you the hat I made for my son as his costume for my sister in law's 21st party, he went as Peter Pan and he was very adorable as usual.

I just sowed to bits of felt together and then made a red feather out of paper (so I guess that's kind of quilling-esque, right?), and voila!

I realise that this isn't actually what Disney's Peter Pan wore, but it's the style of hat people most often associate with Peter Pan.

Anyway, I best go write this week's quilling project post!

xnata