Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Paper Quilled Easter Egg



With Easter around the corner I was all charged up to try a new way of decorating eggs. This is how you can use the paper quilling technique for decorating egg.
Supplies needed:
Egg (contents emptied)
Paper quilling strips yellow, orange, green, blue
White A4 Sheet
Glitter- Silver
Glue
Brush
To prepare egg refer to the tutorial How to prepare Easter eggs for decoration. If you have read some of our previous articles on paper quilling you can create this egg really easily and it is great fun for kids too. This egg is made with some shapes we have taught in detail earlier like simple curl, teardrops, rose and daisy. I have used colored ready made quilling strips and for white I have used A4 sheet printing paper.
Simply use craft glue to stick the shapes as seen in the below pictures.

A little goes a long way. I have used glitter to enhance the white quilled teardrop shapes at the border. Use brush to apply glue and glitter to these paper quilled teardrop shape. Follow the pictures to create the design I have made or you can create your own. Make sure you close the hole using the paper quilling shapes. For this project you can easily use any gift wrapping paper or magazine paper too.


Tips:
-You can also use wooden eggs for this craft if you want to avoid hassle of preparing real egg.
-Real eggs in various sizes are also avialable for purchase online.
-You can make Paper quilling egg ornament by inserting ribbon through the hole using a large needle before closing the holes.
-Beautiful Easter eggs can be used to decorate your home in baskets as well as stands.
-They make great gifts too. Eggs represent fertility and are a favorite gifts for baby shower or as a favor.

Preparing Egg for Easter Decoration

For the Easter projects like Washi eggs and Paper quilling eggs it is better to use empty egg shells.This makes the beautiful Easter Eggs last long once they are decorated. Some traditional easter decorations are done with hard boiled eggs esp in egg food colour dyeing projects. Since they are perishable and heavier. Using a raw egg also is not recommended,they rot too soon.

Supplies needed:
Egg
Large needle
Bowl
Bamboo Skewer
Egg blow out tool or Ear/Nose syringe
Water
Detergent
Vinegar

There is a wide range of size of eggs that are used for Easter egg decoration. Ranging from quail eggs (being the smallest), chicken eggs, goose eggs and so on to Ostrich egg (Biggest).
For this project I have used Chicken eggs Jumbo size. By preparing the eggs I mean, make them ready for decoration. Remove the egg white and yolk and sanitize it to make it ready for decoration. You can achieve this in different ways. This is how I did it.

Take the egg (room temperature) and gently pierce with a large needle at the end (top) and bottom. Make more piercings next to each other in a circle at bottom (bigger end) to make roughly 1/4 inch circle. Gently by tapping with needle break the shell to make 1/4 inch circle. Similarly make a smaller hole at the top just enough that you can insert a rubber ear syringe or a nose syringe (used for babies). I had an extra nose syringe so I used that. Once the shell is broken next step is break the yolk. Without breaking the yolk nothing will come out. I used a bamboo skewer to do that. Use a clean skewer and syringe. Keep the egg above a bowl and gently break yolk and stir. Once the yolk is broken, blow air from the top hole. The content will come out. I read somewhere on internet that use the contents preferably same day but you can keep them in an airtight container in refrigerator for upto 3 days. I have not tried that but that's what is recommended by experts.

Once the contents are out wash the egg shells in warm water and blow again to remove any trapped water. Wash the egg with water and mild dish washing detergent.Rinse them well. Finally sanitize it using Vinegar wash (1 tbs Vinegar in about 1 cup water). Leave them to dry completely preferably in egg carton as they are so fragile. It is a good idea to prepare eggs a day before you start decorating. If in a hurry 3-4 hrs is also enough.

Now when the eggs are ready you can decorate them anyway you like.

Tips:
-You can choose to pierce holes only on one end. The biggger end of the egg. It will just take a little longer to remove the contents. You might like to try shaking the egg before piercing.

-Paper clip when straighten can also be used instead of skewer to pierce and stir yolk.
-Craft stores sell egg piercer and egg blow out tool. You can use them too.
-Real eggs in various sizes are also avialable for purchase online.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Washi Eggs for Easter




Decorate the Easter Eggs yourself this Easter. This is a craft I have been planning to do from quite long. Seems they are turning out well.

Washi eggs as the name suggests are very beautiful eggs decorated with Washi paper. Washi paper is a very thin brightly colored Japanese Paper.It is a thin paper with the strength similar to cloth. This is used for various crafts including origami.

Supplies needed:
Egg Shell
Washi Paper
Paper cutter
Self healing mat
Glue
Painting brush
Water based varnish


These are best made on prepared eggs with contents emptied. For tutorial on how to prepare eggs go to How to prepare eggs for decoration.

Using a paper cutter cut the outlines of the cart and the flowers from the washi paper. I have used the one bought in Japan. You can buy them online from various resources like amazon.

Carefully paste the cut-outs using craft glue preferably using a painting brush. Make sure you neatly close the holes you have made by pasting a appropriate cut-out there. Smooth them using back of the spoon. Let it dry. Once done you can spray water based varnish for some shine and to last longer. Washi papers come in Amazing colors and you can decorate a lot of eggs using this technique and gift it to family and friends this Easter.

Tips-

- Instead of Craft glue you can use glue like Clag Paste which come with a brush and are transparent for easy application and better finish.

-You can buy the prepared eggs online too.

-This project can be done on wooden eggs too.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Clay Cherry Blossom in a Vase


Bring spring in your home with this beautiful cherry blossom in a vase. This flower arrangement can be put as a centerpiece on a dining table or can beautify your corner lamp stand or may be an end table. Wherever you keep this handmade cherry blossom it is definitely going to make the space the center of attraction. This classy arrangement is something you can make yourself with a little effort.
Refer picture below for a closer look.


Supplies you need:
- Air dry clay- white and red
- Pollens
- Bamboo skewer
- Floral wire
- Brown floral tape
- Vase
- Dry stems from your backyard


Follow the above picture for the step wise instructions to create this beautiful cherry blossom in clay. To begin with you need to mix the white air dry clay with a pinch of red. Mix well. Try to reach the desired shade of pink. Once you get the desired shade keep the clay covered as it dries really quickly.
-Take a small tear drop of clay as in the picture above.
-Holding the tear drop in your hand, put the bamboo skewer at the center and start rotating both the clay and the skewer. Keep rotating till you get the thickness like of petals as shown.
-Flatten it and cut petals as shown using pointed scissors.
-Using your fingers fold the edges of the petals downward as shown.
-Use skewers to highlight the center of the cherry blossom.
-Insert pollens at the center
-Insert wire and let the flower dry for few hours or may be overnight.
-To make buds you can use the tear drop shape.
-Complete by covering the floral wire using brown tape.
-Arrange the flowers the way you like.
This is how I arranged it. For making the below arrangement you will need about 40 flowers. Have fun creating this handmade clay cherry blossom flower arrangement this spring.


Tips: Air dry clay is available in craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
You can also order them online from Amazon or similar websites.
We recommend using Delight or Deco clay for this project.
Instead of red clay you can also use acrylic paint.
It is a good idea to prepare the clay all at once to make sure you get the same shade in all flowers.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock and Clover Greeting Card



Wishing all our readers a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. We wish you all (Irish)good luck this St Patrick's day.
Just thought of creating something green this day. I looked into my craft supplies and created this greeting card keeping in mind to keep it simple and easy for kids to make. In the process also learned somethng about St. Patrick's Day. For those who are new to St. Patrick's Day a little bit of history.
According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people. The four-leaf clover is often confused with the shamrock. While the four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three-leafed shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a different significance.
Whether it is 3 leaf Shamrock or 4 leaf clover they indeed are integral part of St. Patrick's Day and are truly represent the day. Green is the color of St. Patrick's Day. May this Day bring lots of luck and happiness to you. It is also a day to count your blessings. Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness.

This is very simple craft. I have used card stock and some foam stickers with and without glitter and basic quilling shapes in different shades of green. Give it a try and give it to someone special.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Coin Purse with Foam Stickers


This cute little coin purse was decorated by my 2 year old daughter on her birthday. I was not too sure whether this project was ideal for her age or not. Still I gave it a try. To my pleasant surprise it was a great hit. The moment I showed her this coin foam purse and the glitter stickers, she got so excited. This purse is still the favorite handmade possesion she has. Decorating the foam coin purse with attractive foam stickers is a very good activity for little kids esp girls.
You as a parent just need to give them the supplies and let their creativity juices flow. Help only when they ask for it. Once it is done, they feel so happy about creating something on their own. It boosts their confidence.What follows is hours of playing and admiration of their own little creation. This is a good idea for birthday favors as well as play dates.
This is how we did it.
Supplies needed-
Ready to decorate Foamies Coin purse 3 1/2" tall & 4" wide .
Foam stickers with glitter flowers and leaves

Follow the pictures for the steps of creating this cute craft.



Tip
The purse and stickers are easily available in craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. It is cheaper to get them online if you need them for lot of kids. Click the links above for some of the resources I found online.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Paper Quilled Rose and Daisy Wall Art Tutorial



As promised earlier, here is the detailed tutorial of my Valentine’s Day creation- The Quilled Rose and Daisy Wall Art.
This simple yet delicately beautiful wall art is easy to make if you have worked on paper quilling basic shapes earlier. Check out our previous posts for detailed instructions on basic shapes.

You will need
- White and Red Duplex Paper ½” strips
- Yellow and Green quilling paper ¼” strips
- Pollens and Beads decoration accents
- Paper quilling tool
- Glue
- Scissors
- Marthastewart Simple Paper Trimmer- optional
- Card stock : 51/2” x 51/2”
- Shadow box : Ikea 51/2” x 51/2”

The variety of colors that are available in duplex paper and its texture inspired me to attempt paper quilling using this paper. I am sure you will agree the results are good too.
This paper is particularly good for creating flowers as it retains the shape you create and it comes in double shades too. This adds depth and definition to your creation.
Follow the step- by-step snap shots in the illustration below to understand how to create the duplex paper quilled rose. You will have to cut the strips using scissors or paper trimmer.


For this piece of art you will need 10 red roses, 4 white roses and 4 daisies.


Use basic shapes to create quilled paper leaves and tendrils. I made couple of leaves using duplex paper too.

Arrange the flowers and leaves as per the photos below. Since, this was a Valentine’s day creation I have arranged the flowers in heart shape. The heart shape is evident in the top view.

Refer to the close up pictures for details of how to arrange. You can decorate it with pollens,beads and other decoration accents to add more delicate details. You need a very little glue to stick the flowers etc on the card stock.




Frame your art.


Tips
:
Double crepe paper or duplex paper is easily available from multiple sources online.

If the notch in your quilling tool is unable to hold the thickness of duplex paper you can use bamboo skewer too for this.

If this is your first attempt at paper quilling then I would suggest practice some basic shapes using paper quilling strips before attempting this with duplex paper.

P.S. Click on the picture for larger image.