Big brown quilling teddy bears

These quilling teddy bears were created in October this year when I was high on making my quilling teddy bear tutorial. After making those small colourful quilling teddy bears, I just had to try to redo my old big brown quilling teddy bears that I created years ago. 

The old design was special in its own way and I only made minor changes to it to give it a new life. I must say I adore the new one more as it has some nice facial makeover haha! 

I pasted these big brown quilling teddy bears on a gold die-cut card stock as they are flying to USA to see my good friend there. I didn't want the quilling teddy bears to get spoiled in the flight so I thought this is a good way to get them there in good condition. Plus, my friend can easily use them as decorations on her handmade cards etc if she wishes. She has never done quilling before and I was afraid that she might not know how to handle these quilling pieces. So by gluing them for her on the die-cuts, it would be easy for her to handle them :).

She loves gold and brown colours a lot! Most of her cards are made in those colour combinations. I've received many of her cards made in those colours and I really adore them a lot. Whenever I make cards in those colours, I would always think of her :). I really hope they arrive there safely and make her happy! :)

Welcoming a new born baby boy

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I got a request to make a new baby card for a new born baby boy and I was excited to try using those 3D pop up stickers that I bought last year.  I remember using something similar on a new baby girl card I did before. You can view that card at the link HERE. When I did that new baby girl swing card last year, I wanted to do a baby boy version of it too but never got around to doing it till now.

The design for both cards are more or like the same except for the colours and some minor details. I wanted the baby boy card to have the same polka dot pattern paper but since I didn't have one on hand, I decided to create my own using some teeny tiny dots made from a craft punch. I just love doing that on my handmade cards. I've done it so many times before. It's a good way to fill up an empty space and make it look more exciting and interesting.

I actually like to sew on felt but as usual I'm just too busy with other projects to do so. But for this card I do get to sew a bit on felt, just the eyelids and it was challenging especially since I don't have enough practice to make it look perfect. I couldn't think of any other way to make the eyelids except for sewing it. Drawing it using a pen is messy and is not pretty at all. So sewing is the way to go! :)

Since I was really rushing when I made the card, I never even get the chance to take a video of it. My digital camera conveniently ran out of battery at the time I wanted to do the video too! Just my luck! But I'll make another one of this card just for the video one day. Because it's a swing card and I like to show how it looks when it swings! ;)

Quilling butterfly with a quilling comb

Back in 2011, when I first got my quilling comb I did made some quilling butterflies with it. Although it was nothing much, just some simple ones, I did remember how much fun I had making them.

When I looked back at the quilling butterflies I made with the quilling comb, I couldn't even remember at first how to make it again because it was so long ago since I last made one. I thought to myself here is something that I have to record so that I won't forget how it's done. So once I figured it out, I immediately made a video tutorial of it. I don't mind sharing it with everyone. I'm sure a lot of people would like to try to make one too.

In the video tutorial, I showed how to make a quilling butterfly using a standard quilling comb. But you can also use other types of combs as long as they come with long pins. I also mentioned about the measurements but you can always change the measurements and make the butterfly according to the size that you like. Like for instance what I've shown in the photo above. I used a stainless steel comb and marked the numbers beside the pins. And instead of doing 6 loops for the top wings, I made 5 loops instead. Just by doing so, it immediately changed the whole look of the wings. So, it's all up to you! :)

You can even make the butterflies very very small, just by cutting the paper strips yourself using a craft knife like I've done at the photo above. I used the other side of the stainless steel comb where the gap of the pins are narrower. As a result when you comb the paper, you will get the butterflies in smaller sizes. I just love them this way. So small and cute! :)

Here is the video tutorial for your view. I hope you will spend some time viewing it and learn something new.

Sending you a note of thanks

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Sometime ago this year I made some soft clay heart shapes so that I can use them as decorations for my handmade cards and hand-bound books. At one point I kept making lots of them but I never used them until I got this idea for this thank you card.

I've ran out of thank you cards and desperately need some in stock too. I need it to give to a good friend of mine and she loves shades of brown and gold. I'm convinced that she will appreciate this card very much just because of the colours. But of course I also hope she loves the design although simple it may be. However, although it looks simple, it's pretty much time consuming to make especially the pop up part inside the card.

The gold frames I used for the cards are not store bought ones. I made them myself. It was fun making them. Now I've got an idea of how to make my own cute little frames for decorations on cards and hand-bound books. That will save me a lot of money plus making my artwork quite different from the rest. I wrapped around the frames with a gold thread. It's not real gold of course! Haha! But it sure looks expensive though! :D

For the first time too I used this rubber stamp that I got as a gift last year. I never thought I would like it this much. I didn't think much of it when I got it, but now I'm seeing it in a different new light. I love how the soft yellow chalk colour the ink pad made on the dark brown paper. It really stands out. :)

I just realised how many heart shape craft punches I have! I'm such a sucker when it comes to heart shapes. I guess I can never resist buying craft punches with that pattern. Besides it's one of the most used craft punches I've bought thus far. It's the most productive ones in my craft room. Worth the buy!! :D

I'm so glad I finally made all the thank you cards. I might make them in different colours if I have some spare time. But for now I'm happy with what I have! :) Do check out the video of the card that I made. You'll be able to see how the hearts pop up inside it! :)

How to make a two tone quilling teddy bear

I've been thinking of making a video tutorial for a quilling teddy bear this year but I wanted the design to be different from the quilling teddy bear I've made years ago. So after taking such a long time to practice making and redesigning my quilling teddy bear for the past few weeks, I'm finally satisfied with the new design.

As you all know I have made quilling teddy bears before way back in 2010. Back then, the quilling teddy bears that I made were a bit bigger and mostly were brown in colour. Later after that I did make smaller ones but they were simpler, with loose coils and had faces that didn't even have any eyes or lips.

But for today's design, although they are small, but it's combination of the big and small quilling teddy bears.  Also, I've added something new to my quilling teddy bear design especially for the face and body. If you take the time to look at my older quilling teddy bear designs then you will be able to see the differences between the old and new. 

A lot of people have been asking me to make a video tutorial for my quilling teddy bears over the years but I never got around to doing it till now. So I hope that this video tutorial will make a lot of people happy :).

As promised, below are the measurements for the two tone quilling teddy bear:

I am using 80gsm quilling papers to make my two tone quilling teddy bear. The quilling papers were made by cutting up an A4 colour paper using a mini paper shredder. The size of each strip of paper is 3mm x 297mm.

1. For the face:
    - 5 quilling strips
    - Circle number 7

2. For the body:
    - 11 quilling strips (5 strips of soft cream colour + 6 strips of any colour).
    - Circle number 11

3. For the hands and legs:
   - 1/2 strip of any colour + 1/4 strip of soft cream colour.
   - Circle number 5

4. For the ears:
    - 1/4 strip of any colour + 1/4 strip of soft cream colour.
    - Circle number 3

5. For the cheeks and nose:
    - 1 strips of soft cream colour, cut in half and joined together + 1/2 of the 1/4 strip of black colour.
    - No need to use a circle template for this. Just roll the strips to make a tight coil.

6. For the eyes:
    - 1/2 of the 1/4 strip of black colour for each eye.
    - No need to use a circle template for this. Just roll the strips to make a tight coil.
    - Paste on top of each eye a tiny white paper dot.
    - Then finish it by pasting on top of the white paper dot with an even tinier black paper dot.
    - The tiny dots were made by using a Martha Stewart craft punch.

7. For the lips:
    - I hand cut the shape of the lips using a craft knife.
 
Do enjoy watching and learning how to make the two tone quilling teddy bear from my video tutorial below. Have fun quilling!! ;)

Little pink and green notebooks

The first time I made mini notebooks was sometime last year. I thought I would make more after that but never really got to making any because was too busy diving into other projects. These little notebooks I made here was kinda made in a hurry because it was not something I planned to do. It's one of those spontaneous things I do sometimes for those I love.

These were for my cute little nieces. They dropped by yesterday and I had to make something for them before they went back to their hometown. I just couldn't let them leave empty handed. I have always wanted to give them something that I made myself. It gives me a lot more satisfaction than buying something from the store.

I'm so glad that they loved their gifts. Although it's just a small little gift, it's the thought that counts, some would say. They were really careful with the notebooks. Opening them up slowly and gently. They appreciate art very much and hopefully someday I'll get to teach them a thing or two about quilling. Then they can make art for others too. :)

Rainbow coloured handmade slotted quilling tools

I made these rainbow coloured quilling tools about a week ago and I just love how they turned out! The tools were of course handmade by yours truly. I'm really happy with the latest look of my handmade slotted quilling tools. They are so cheerful and bright. I think I am now better at making them compared to the first try. There is always room for improvement. :)

I hand coloured all the rainbow coloured quilling tools instead of using pattern paper like I did for the black gold quilling tools. Although this rainbow quilling tool takes a little bit more time to make, I really enjoyed it. It was a good experiment. I'm glad it worked out.

After making these rainbow quilling tools I began to experiment more with other designs and it's just endless. There is just so many types of designs that I can insert in the quilling tool. But I guess for now I have to limit the designs to just making them for personal use because it's not as easy to mass produce them. I can only do a few of them a day. I'm not a machine. My hands do hurt in the process of making them.

For now, simple designs is all I'm concentrating on. Nothing overly fancy. Ever since I've been making these quilling tools, I hardly have the time to make handmade cards. It's so frustrating not being able to multitask as much as I want to. Hopefully I can make some cards soon. Or books! Gosh, I miss making the books the most!!

Do check out the video I made about the rainbow coloured quilling tools below and my new white glue bottle that I have added in my new quilling kit. Thank you!!

How to use my quilling starter kit

This is something that I should have done much much earlier for quilling beginners who have been getting my quilling starter kits over the years. Simply because not all quilling beginners have the idea of how to use the quilling supplies provided in my quilling starter kit.

I have gotten a lot of inquiries from them and most of the time I would just try to find suitable quilling tutorials on YouTube for them to see and the get the idea of how to start quilling with the supplies. Some would ask me to teach them instead and I would then do basic quilling classes for them. I haven't done so in quite a long time because I just never seem to have the time to spare these days for a quilling class. I have too many other things to get done everyday and to hold a quilling class would just take a lot of my time away.

I guess that's why I prefer to do video tutorials instead. This way, a lot more people would get the benefit from learning about quilling from me. No more do they need to see me in person and get lessons on quilling. They can just click the play button on the YouTube video and replay it as much as they like to. Free of charge! And I get to teach people through the videos anytime I like! So it's a win win situation. 

One most common issue that rises when it comes to using the quilling supplies is how to use the plastic circle template. Seriously I get that question A LOT! First of all, my circle template is not like the circle template quilling board most quillers would commonly use for sizing up their quilling paper. I use a plastic circle template that students use in schools to draw circles. It's not the same thing, but it helps quilling beginners to do quilling at a much reasonable price. The quilling board is quite expensive to buy. I myself still don't own one till now.

Another common question would be, how to glue the quilling shapes on the card. That's another common problem for quilling beginners. They cannot get a clear picture of how to apply the glue on the quilling shape correctly. They either apply too much glue or too little of them. So the quilling shapes don't look nice on the card.....sometimes very messy and that would spoil the look of the card.

Hopefully my not so short video would give them a clear idea of how to basically do simple quilling shapes and how to apply them on the card. I made the video quite late at night therefore my mind was not working as good as it should be if done during the day. Please excuse me for that! Haha! What's important is that quilling beginners can understand what was taught in the video and they can apply it fast. 

So do watch the video if you are a quilling beginner. Hope it helps a little!

My new handmade slotted quilling tool

I remembered what it felt like last year when I first got the idea of making my own handmade slotted quilling tools. I tried to DIY it all by myself. I felt like an inventor or something! haha! Although it was not the best invention ever as it had many flaws, I have to admit, I kept the dream alive and kept on experimenting on it. I didn't stop thinking of ways to make the invention better.

This year, after all the experiments I had done over the months, I finally created another handmade slotted quilling tool to replace the first invention. This one had a better grip, better handling and felt so comfortable when turning the tool over and over. Totally different feeling compared to the first invention.

The major difference in this one is that the plastic handle itself is not curved like the one before. It's almost as straight as any normal standard slotted quilling tool. So it makes it more comfortable when using it to quill. The handle is made of plastic but the filling inside the plastic has been replaced with a different material. The first invention had glitters and colourful beads in it. No more of those in this latest invention. One other good thing about it now is that I get to put my name inside the plastic tube too! Love that part! So those who buy the slotted quilling tool would know that it is handmade and who made it too :).

It was not easy for me to create something like this. I had wasted a lot of materials before I finally decided on the best method and design. Since the process of making the slotted quilling tool itself had to be done by hand, and not by any special machine, it takes time for me to get one done. It's a very interesting process and seeing the finished product gives me joy :). I don't think I will be able to mass produce the slotted quilling tools like other companies do as I am doing this alone and am not in the best of health. I'm just helping out those in need of affordable slotted quilling tools while I still can :). 

Actually the initial idea of creating my own slotted quilling tools came about when a lot of people contacted me to ask about where they can buy slotted quilling tools that is more affordable for them. Standard slotted quilling tools in the market can be quite expensive, especially if they are branded. But they are undeniably better in quality. Sometimes, it also depends on how good you take care of them too. If you abuse them, they will eventually lasts a short period of time even though they are good in quality. So be nice to your tools and they will last longer ok? hehe!

I have to admit that I was one of those people who couldn't afford those standard slotted quilling tools back then. So I know how it feels to want to buy a craft tool and yet have to reserve that feeling till I had enough money for it. I remembered how expensive my first slotted quilling tool was. I bought it at a fancy craft shop in Kuala Lumpur. Back then I didn't know much about quilling and only knew very little about it from my friends. I bought it anyways even though it was pricey because I knew I would never get the chance to buy it at my place. It is not easy finding craft tools here in Alor Setar.

I'm happy if my humble handmade slotted quilling tools can help people create beautiful quilling creations. That's all I ever wanted. To see people make pretty things without having to spend so much money. Quilling in my mind now is a craft that everyone can try to do. Everyone can afford to try it. There are numerous of ways you can find on the net to do it with or without a fancy quilling tool. You just have to keep the dream alive, believe in yourself and be creative in creating beautiful things. :)

Here's a video below to show you the slotted quilling tool in action and how well it works. Thank you for watching!! :)

Quiling fan flower tutorial

I was just playing around with my quilling papers the other day, thinking of a new quilling flower for me to make. I guess I was getting bored of doing the same kind of quilling flowers for my cards. So I just needed a new quilling flower to try out. Something simple to do, nothing complicated and yet interesting enough for me to get excited about. But I wanted to make something I can call my own instead of making something that is taught on YouTube.

When I was in the process of making this quilling fan flower, I was actually inspired by a certain type of quilling flower I saw on the net. It was so beautiful. When I made the video tutorial for it, I wanted to mention the name of the flower that inspired me but I forgot the name. Now I remember! It was the quilled poppy flower made by Manuela Koosch. The quilled poppy flower she made was stunning!! I can't imagine making a quilling flower like that just yet. It must have been really difficult to make and time consuming too!

My flower however is of course not a poppy flower at all. But the petals of my quilling fan flower have those straight lines that are similar to the lines made in the quilled poppy flower. My lines are the same length unlike the lines of the poppy flower. SO that's one of the major differences.

Anyways, I do hope you will check out my latest video tutorial below. Learn to make a new flower today! :)

Salam Aidilfitri pop up mosque card

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I had a request to make an eid card for a good friend of mine but I was contemplating if I had the time to do so since I have my hands tied already with all the other orders of eid cards that's waiting in line. She didn't want the ready stock pop up mosque card that I made using ribbons because the card she requested is to be given to her ex boss who happens to be a man. I guess it won't be suitable to give a man a card that has ribbons and bling bling on them right? Since I didn't have time to figure out a new design for an eid card, I suggested to her that it would be less girly to use all paper instead to make the weaves since the paper would look less shiny and less girly ....and so paper weaving it is!!

Again for my pop up eid card, I kept it simple and clean cut. Since it's for a guy, it has to be even simpler. No shiny or glittery embellishments. No flowers either. Gosh....I always have trouble deciding how to design a card for a guy. I always end up going for straight lines as the main design. I love LINES! It has been my favourite since God knows when. Just simple clean lines. And weaving makes it a little complicated. Makes it a little fancy than the usual simple lines.

I do find it a bit harder to weave paper compared to ribbons. Weaving the ribbons are a lot simpler and faster. But the paper looks a lot neater. Well I guess both materials have their own specialties in their own ways.

As for the pop up mosque....I promised her that I would make it a lot fancier than the one I made before. She wanted it to be different than the rest. And that was what I came up with, with the limited time I had. Instead of using just one colour paper for the mosque, I decided to add some gold colour paper to it to somehow beautify it as minimum as possible. More engraving though.....definitely more. I'm so happy that she loved it! That's all that matters :).

You can view the card in motion at the video below. Do check it out! Thank you!

Salam Aidilfitri pop up spiral card

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OK! So here's what happened. Some time ago, I had received some really pretty card stock that I got from a good friend of mine. I'm not really sure what they were for, they looked like wedding invitation card stock or something. I never asked her what it really was. It has this really pretty gold lining on all sides and twin gold heart shape on it.

You can see what it looks like in the photos below. Anyways, I have been wanting to use them for something but didn't have an idea back then of how to use them until recently I came up with the idea to recycle them as Raya cards. It doesn't necessarily need to be a Raya card. It can be used as any type of card for any occasion. But I decided to put a Raya sentiment inside so that I can use it myself to give to my loved ones this year. :D

On the inside of the card, once it is folded, you can see like an impressed image of the twin hearts....I really love it! So even though, I don't get to use the twin gold hearts on the outside as part of the decoration on the card, at least I get to see it on the inside.

Oh yeah, one more thing....I got this beautiful pattern papers from her as well. The papers are actually paper scraps that I received in different sizes. I couldn't use them for big projects, so I thought the idea of cutting them this way like small size washi tapes and pasting them on the card as a background design would be a great way to recycle them. I don't have a lot of washi tapes, so using scraps of pattern paper such as this in this technique would be great! And it's so simple too!

The Malaysian quilling flower! Gosh, I haven't been making these in ages! So it was a little awkward trying to make them again after a while, but I quickly got the hang of it after a few tries. They are so much fun to make and pretty too. Definitely not that difficult to make either. You can find a tutorial on how to make them on my YouTube channel and give a go if you are interested to make them yourself.

 

See all those teeny tiny paper dots?? Those are paper dots that I got whenever I use one of my craft punch. I was reluctant to throw them away and they make great background decorations if you know how to use them :).

These are some spiral pop ups I made for the pop up that I plan to paste inside the card. They are probably one of the easiest pop ups that I can make. Simple and fun to look at. :) Once I've cut them up, all that was needed to do was to just past the spiral pop ups with flowers and sentiment. I really enjoyed making this card as I can to recycle all the materials that I had in my craft room. I don't like keeping scraps of papers or card stocks in the room for too long. Need to make way for new materials and have fun experimenting with new ideas. Do check out the video of the card below. You can have an idea of how the spiral pops up inside card! :)