Quilling

Quilling beads drying...

When I went to the Toowoomba Gem Festival last year, I was browsing and found a lady at a stall that was twirling paper, all sorts of paper around a quilling needle. I was rather interested and watched for quite some time. I also listened to her explaining how you could cut wrapping paper, office scrap paper, any paper, into these beautiful beads and then after twirling them you just put a bit of glue over the end. With a nail polish bottle of the glue you then cover the whole bead so that it protects against sweat.

Then you put them on toothpicks and let them dry. When dry you take them off the toothpick and you thread them onto string or whatever you wish to make them into a necklace, bracelet or you could even make them into earrings.

I was hooked and got the kit and couldn't get home to try it out. Could I maybe use this as a way of recycling paper and making lovely gifts for the ladies in my family come Christmas time.

Well it worked a treat. All that got them for Christmas presents loved them as they were handmade and they were thought of lovingly while I made them. It took time to make them and it was really appreciated.

The beads above are the ones that I make for my eldest, Timothy, and as he loves the colour gold I got some cheap nail polish and painted them after the glue had dried. I used three layers in total to cover the wrapping paper I used underneath. He loves it and still wears it proudly. Made one also for Joshua but his was pink as that is his favourite colour.

I love having found something that I really like to do and that I can do at the table with my family around me. The boys like to help pulling them off the sticks too and they like to show me different combinations as well. I am glad that I found that lady and that she was so patient in trying to show me what I had to do.

Cheers Damaris