Featured on Make - Pretty Quilled Cards

I don't use Twitter, but if I did, I'm sure I'd be tweet-tweeting about this feature on MAKE. How cool is this? They are showcasing my Songbird Greeting card! There are so many occasions you can use this card.

For every project in the book, I supply an illustrated template at 100% so you can trace along with your quilling paper strips. Every element is labelled and matches a "Project Component" section. All you need to do is lay your quilling paper on top and score along the dotted lines, quill, then glue where the dots indicate.

Visit MAKE to download a PDF excerpt from my book, Pretty Quilled Cards. I really hope you're inspired to give quilling a try!

Lark Book: Quilled Name / Lettering "kate"

For those who have followed me from my previous blog, Crafting Creatures, you will have seen one of my most popular quilled items, a namesake piece for a special girl named "jade". I've made a similar project here for a "kate" to explain how I made it. Since I don't know a little kate, I will be selling this item in my Etsy shop.

I list the font and size used in my book, Pretty Quilled Cards, and of course include the patterns to make my open petal style flowers. The letters are raised from the teal-green background to give another plane of depth within the shadow box frame.

Sometimes when dealing with so many colors within a project, it helps to have another opinion. I felt like Goldilocks saying "this is too.. that is too...". The knowledgeable Tonya of Paper Poet helped me finally decide on the Stardream metallic background. If you ever need a selection of metallic papers or envelopes, her store has two walls full of color choices – bonus, she is also a letterpress print shop!

Lark Book: Quilled Wedding Cake Card

Wedding season is just around the corner, and this quilled wedding cake is the dreamy kind I imagined of having for my wedding day, when I was a girl. My real wedding cake was more grounded, but I have a soft spot for idyllic storybook versions.

Books simply don't have enough pages to show every angle of every card, so I'm going to show a couple close ups here. Throughout the 128 pages and 26 projects, I tried to incorporate as many new ways of using quilling strips as I could. See the ornate table surface? Can you believe that was a happy accident? I needed to ensure my table top and bottom strips were straight and even, so I made a spacer. I finally realized the spacer made a wonderful accent to the card and seemed deliberate.

My hubby helped me choose the wedding cake paper - it's textured and looks like frosting with a hint of metallic. Metallic ribbons encircle each tier and adds to the magical ambience.

When designing these patterns from scratch, I often made several versions because color combinations look different in my head than they do in real life. This green and teal version was one of the first. As you can see it's hard to keep a straight quilling strip when gluing such a long strip. I tried building the card from strips and using the teal to encircle the bottoms. Didn't make the cut for me.

Coral pinks/orange hues and chartreuse green have been popular wedding colors lately. I often challenge myself to use bolder color combos or ones that are not my personality. Cutting the cake shape seemed the best way to allow the quilling decor on top really come through unobstructed.

Sometimes I didn't have the right color ribbon to match my quilling strips (and didn't want to buy a whole spool), so I would use a felt marker to color a plain white ribbon.

So although the final pink and silver version is completely in my comfort zone palette, it's simply a classic to me. It also makes for a lovely congratulations card to the newlyweds because paper is traditionally given in the first year - how apt!

Pretty Quilled Cards is launching March 4, 2014 – less than 2 weeks away. Feels like I'm counting down to Christmas!

Lark Book: Quilled Snowman

When I'm asked which is my favorite project in my book, Pretty Quilled Cards, I'm hard pressed to choose – but the snowman is a card I'll never be able to give away. I'm glad Lark put it on the back cover.

With this card, I added different materials such skewer sticks and thread. The scarf actually curls around his neck, and these have got to be hands down the easiest quilled snowflakes ever made. I think I simply love all the dimensions, whether it's the hole punched blush or his fingers when you view the card on an angle. Even his nose is diagonal, tilted just above the quilling strip.

During the writing, designing, and quilling process, I sometimes made cards several times over - a frustrating yet inevitable déjà vu process. This one I happened to nail the first time. Don't you love it when that happens? It's like the planets lined up!

Lark Book: Quilled Valentine Card

Since the Valentine card is shown on the back cover of my book, Pretty Quilled Cards, I thought it would be timely to feature it in a post. This is a project I know all beginners will love because it's easy. In fact, I happen to know boys like making it for girls as much as vice versa.

I know when I started quilling cards as gifts, I got stuck figuring out where/how to glue it. So this flip design is included in the book (there are a few sprinkled throughout the book). Simply photocopy the design, score, cut where indicated, and voilà – the perfect background for a memorable Valentine's card.

Each week when I visit Amazon, I discover they unveiled something new in my book – is this a deliberate sneak peek, building up to the day? Since I never anticipated a book this way, I've never taken note. Now I've learned they are showing a few pages inside! You can finally see what I mean about how the lengths and fold marks are shown rather than stated. This means all you have to do is lay your strip on top and cut/fold where indicated.

Every strip is labelled so you can find it in the template easily. The quantity of each strip is also stated so you can cut as many as needed, efficiently. Each project includes an actual size template, which can be photocopied and placed under a sheet of plastic wrap to be pinned on. I remember reading once that Martha Stewart's recipes were always stated in the order they were needed/used. I kept that in mind as I listed the elements and tested each design.

When deciding card themes, my editor and I were conscious of celebrations throughout the year as well as cards for other occasions like "congratulations on a new house", a "get well soon", or a simple "thank you". Besides listing each project, the Table of Contents page also has an indication of skill level (1-5) so you choose based on your comfort zone.

Since showing my advanced copy to friends and family, I think the most flattering thing I've heard so far (from a non-quiller) is that my step-by-step diagrams and photos make it seem like they can do it too!

Lark Book: Quilled Cherry Blossom

Although one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, in this case I think it's quite indicative of what you'll find in the book, Pretty Quilled Cards. Some of my friends and family have told me this is their favorite card and since Lark chose it for the cover, I thought I'd showcase this card first.

As quillers, we are used to gluing our designs on the paper's edge. However, I wanted to share ideas of how we can also glue our versatile strips flat. I think having a coordinated border defines the inner space and even has an Asian feel to it.

Since quilling takes us a while to finish, it's nice to have a card like this ready to use for any occasion. Adding smaller buds next to the full blossoms gives these branches a more detailed look. Did you notice there are actually two sizes of buds?

I really enjoyed using metallic card stock as my surface because it contrasted so well against the matte quilling strips. Pale pink can seem almost white against pale colors yet also get overpowered by darker colors. When I am searching for the perfect card stock, my studio turns upside down - kind of like a teenage girl trying on outfits for her first date. I like how the branches and deep pink pops, giving the eyes so much to look at.

Please know that this process is all new to me as well, so I don't know how or when things will be revealed. I have just re-visited Amazon and noticed they have now shown the back cover, which shows my cards for Valentine's Day, a bird/treehouse, a snowman, and Father's Day ties. Can you see a pattern on the Valentine's Day card? That pattern is supplied to you in this book for photocopying. There are lines to indicate where to cut and score, because that heart ends up flipping over as you pull left and right, revealing your message. I hope you'll enjoy how this book gives you easy paper crafting ideas as well as quilling.

Thank you all for your wonderful responses so far! I've been overwhelmed by your kind words!

Cecelia