It’s that time of year to start crafting gifts for the holidays! To kick off the holiday sale season I am having a BOGO sale on all of my paper quilling tutorials! Hour chase any paper quilling tutorial in my etsy shop or at honeysquilling.com and get one of equal or lesser for FREE! No coupon code needed, just make your purchase and let me know which tutorial you’d like for your free one 
Category Archives: quilling
BOGO sale!
Filed under Etsy, quilling, Sale!, Tutorials, Uncategorized
Fall Fashion Line – Part I
Summer is coming to an end, and it’s time to start embracing autumn! This year I thought it’d be fun to make some jewelry in the colors that pantone has declared to be popular for this fall season.
Here is the color palette from Pantone for fall 2012:
And here is the first part of my fall 2012 collection based on these colors:
Crescent earrings in olympian blue
Circle earrings in rose smoke, titanium, and rhapsody:
Circle earrings in french roast and pink flambe: click HERE for FREE tutorial!
Circle earrings in french roast and honey gold: (I love these colors together!)
Single large lattice earrings in titanium grey:
Heart pendant with pink flambe and rose smoke:
I have other pieces in my shop that fit these colors and are great for this fall’s fashion line, but these are the new ones that are these specific colors. Click HERE to see all fall fashion designs in my etsy shop.
Looking to make your own? Click HERE for FREE tutorials and HERE for more tutorials in my etsy shop!
This post is called Part I because I have more pieces that I have yet to photograph that are made of these colors. I can’t wait to show them to you!
Paper Quilled Lotus Flower Tutorial
I have finished a new tutorial! I hope to do many more, but here’s another one to add to my little stock This time it’s not only jewelry, it’s a frame design.
One of my favorite gifts to give to friends for their wedding is to decorate a frame to go around a momento from their wedding. Perhaps a photo, perhaps part of their wedding invitation, etc.
I designed this frame design to go with a friend’s purple and gold wedding theme. I realized that the lotus and the leaf from the frame design would be great as jewelry.
This tutorial gives detailed directions for all of the components of the frame, and also teaches how to turn the lotus flowers and leaves into beautiful and unique jewelry!
Tiny Rose Post Earrings
I’d like to share one of the newer designs I have available in my etsy shop, the tiny rose post earrings. I love making tiny roses and I know that some people like very small earrings. When I make the dangle ones I need to use two tiny roses back to back to make a little bead to dangle from the earring. But with the post earrings I only need to use one which gives another very affordable option.
Here are the colors that I have made so far, click on the photo to see the ones still available in my etsy shop:
Don’t see the color you want? I can make these earrings in just about any color! All you have to do is send me a convo on etsy for a custom request. Or simply purchase one of the pairs that is instock and leave me a note with your order saying what color you would like.
Don’t forget, the Christmas in July sale is on through the rest of the month. Use code CIJ30 during checkout to receive 30% off your whole order!
How to Use Sealant With Your Paper Quilling
The most frequently asked question I get is how I make my paper quilled jewelry water resistant. What sealant do I use? Which is best? How do I apply it? Well, it’s about time I show how and what I use so that it’ll be easy for me to direct anyone toward this post instead of typing out an answer each time. Plus this includes pictures, which are always helpful!
The most basic answer I can give is that you can most likely use any sealant that you can get at your local craft store. But do be sure to read the directions, as some are made specifically for paper and some are not. Also some are water resistant, some are water proof (rare!), and some just give some sturdiness but are not really water resistant. Think about what type of coverage you want, read the bottle carefully, and go from there.
Having said that, I also want to share which products I use, how I use them, and why.
First up, PPA – which stands for Perfect Paper Adhesive. PPA is a glue, a sealant, and a topcoat. It provides a very water resistant layer to your paper quilling. PPA is my absolute favorite glue for paper quilling, click HERE to read my blogpost about quilling glues to see why! But it is also great as a sealant.
To use as a sealant, either dip your brush into some PPA or squeeze some PPA onto your brush from your glue bottle. Paint the PPA onto your quilling piece on one side. You will notice that it is white looking. But don’t worry, it dries perfectly clear and also soaks into the paper! When one side has dried, you can flip it over and do the same to the other side. When the second side has dried, put another layer on, this time dabbing your brush into all the crooks and crannies to cover all surfaces. The better you cover your surfaces, the more sturdy and water resistant your piece will be. In these photos I used PPA to seal this butterfly earring:
Another nice feature of PPA is that it comes in matte or gloss. The matte has a very matte finish, nice for when you don’t want your paper quilling to look shiny at all, but still want that sturdy and water resistant finish. When you use PPA as a sealant, the color of your paper will stay exactly the same, nice when you don’t want to risk a sealer that may change the shade of your paper.
Next up, liquid matte sealer – this is the sealant that I most commonly use for my paper quilled jewelry because it works very well and is also one of the first ones I ever tried.
It comes in this little jar with a plug so that it won’t spill if you order it through the mail, so take out the plug before using. I often find it helpful to use a tweezers to get the plug off. It is called matte sealer, but if you use several layers your finished piece will have a bit of a shine (but not as shiny as a gloss finish sealant). If you just use one layer it will be matte. This sealant is very useful for many crafts! I’ve often painted it over paper mache that has been painted with poster paints which helps seal the paint so it doesn’t chip and also makes it water resistant. But of course I mostly use it for paper quilling!
To use all you do is dip your brush into it (I like this brush!) and paint it onto your piece. For most quilling you’ll want to paint one side, let it dry, paint the other side and let it dry, and lastly paint all the crevices and let it dry. The reason you want to do one side at a time and then the crevices is that if you put too much sealant on all at once your piece can get soggy and out of shape. By using several layers it prevents this from happening. This sealant is white, but it quickly soaks in and dries to a clear matte finish. Because this sealant is liquid you could also pour it into a small spray bottle and spray it onto your pieces. I did this for a long time, but now I prefer the painting method because it doesn’t waste some of the sealant. But if you are doing a large surface area, then the spraying method works great! For solid pieces of quilling you can also just dip the piece into the sealant, dab off the excess with a tissue, and lay to dry on a plastic surface.
When you use this liquid matte sealer on your paper quilling you will notice that it makes the shade of your paper just a TINY bit darker. I have not found this to be a problem at all, but just wanted to point it out. When the sealer soaks into the paper you can see the color difference. Also, if you want to make sure your piece is water resistant you definitely want to do at least two complete coats of this sealant. Because it soaks into the paper so much, sometimes one layer is just not enough. Your piece will still be sturdy and mostly water resistant, but there is definitely a better result with at least two complete layers. You will notice as you put on the second layer that it does not soak in as quickly as the first layer.
The third type of sealant I use is Crystal Coat Glaze. It gives a clear glossy finish! This is my favorite sealant to use when I make pieces that are inset such as this one below. Just glue your pieces into the inset pendant base (use the crystal coat glaze as your glue as well) and then squeeze a layer of crystal coat glaze over the whole thing. It will appear to look 3D and a cloudy color, but will flatten out as it dries to fill in all the crevices and be clear, shiny, and hard! Allow to dry for at least a couple days for a hard finish, at least in a tropical climate like it is here! If you use the crystal coat glaze for this purpose, one bottle will usually last between 2-4 pendants (each pack comes with three bottles).
Here I am using crystal coat glaze as a topcoat for these quilled pieces. They have already been dipped into the liquid matte sealer and left to dry. But I wanted to give a final coat that was glossy. I just squeeze a bit of the glaze onto my paintbrush and paint it onto one side of the piece. After it dries I’ll do the other side and then the sides. I also often put my earrings onto their earring hooks, then add the crystal coat glaze to all sides at once and hang to dry on my earring rack.
Instead of painting the glaze on you can also just squeeze it on. This has a nice effect because it gives a bit of a thicker coat. You can hold it in your hand to do this, or lay it on a plastic surface. Make sure one side is completely dry before doing the second side! You can use crystal coat glaze as your only sealant, but I usually use it on top of the liquid matte sealer or PPA so that I don’t have to use as much crystal coat glaze, unless I am using it for an inset pendant as seen above. The reason I do this is that it is a bit more expensive than the other options and works just as well if just used as a topcoat over another sealant.
So there are the three types of sealant that I currently use. With any of them, please make sure you rinse your paintbrush completely immediately after using the sealants so they don’t dry onto your brush. If they do dry onto your brush, just soak in soapy hot water to try and get off as much as the sealant as you can, but you may have to replace your brush anyway.
I get a lot of questions about water resistant vs waterproof. I don’t know any product that claims to be 100% waterproof unless you want to dip your final pieces into resin or something like that (which I have done and is another option if you like to play around with resin, but that’s for another post). But all of these sealants will give a great, very water resistant seal. This means that you don’t have to worry about being caught in the rain. You don’t even have to worry if your piece gets spilled on or accidentally drops into a liquid. However, prolonged exposure to water is still not a good idea. For example, you will not want to leave a piece in your pants pocket and let it go through the washing machine! You will also want to remove it before bathing or swimming. Though if you realize halfway through your shower that you are still wearing your paper quilled earrings you can still remove them and lay them out to dry and they will most likely be perfectly fine!
Whew, that was a lot to read I’m sure! If you have any other questions about using sealant for your paper quilling, let me know in the comments below and I’ll add the answers to this post or make a follow up post.
Filed under DIY, Paper Quilling Tips and Info, quilling, Tutorials
How to Add a Metallic Edge to Your Paper Quilling
One of my favorite paper quilling embellishments that I’ve started using in the past year or so is a metallic edge. I love the shiny metallic look added to my paper quilling, especially with jewelry! It is also great for adding special effects to quilling in frames, and for cardmaking and other paper crafts! I put together a tutorial to show how I use mica watercolor pigments to achieve this awesome metallic look.
Looking for more quilling tutorials, tips, and tricks?
Filed under DIY, Paper Quilling Tips and Info, quilling, Tutorials
Paisley Inspiration
Although I haven’t been posting much lately, I’ve been doing a lot of creating over the past few weeks! I have finally started listing some of my new pieces in my etsy shop. One of my favorite styles to make now is paisley designs. I’ve been making some pendants, some earrings, and some sets. There is SO much you can do with the paisley design, I just can’t stop thinking of ideas! Of course it’s impossible to find the time to create all of my ideas, but I have made a few!
Here is my most recent pair of paisley earrings:
These were inspired by an Indian sari I saw on TV when I was at my mother-in-law’s house. Paisley inside of paisley facing the other direction. It is simple, but stunning!
Here is one of my recent paisley pendants:
I love how the aqua and the black go together. Designs like this are a lot more time consuming because of all the little pieces, but the end result is beautiful and quite sturdy!
I have some more paisley designs in the works, and many other pieces that are in the process of being listed as well. A lot of work goes into my jewelry before I list it on my etsy shop! First I have to make it and let it dry. Then it goes through several layers of sealant/top coat which is a process that can take days as it needs to dry between each coat. Next it’s time to put on the findings and take photos. I usually do at least a few pairs/pieces at a time to make it more efficient. Then comes the photo editing which can take quite a while and finally listing in the shop. When I make a new piece I am often so excited to see the end product in my shop, but it can sometimes be up to a month before it gets there! Right now I have about 20-30 different pairs/pieces that are in different stages of getting ready for my shop. Can’t wait to get them all posted, and to start on some new designs as well!
New Paper Quilling Tutorial for Earrings!
I’m happy to have another paper quilling tutorial available! This one is for five earring designs. Of course, these designs can also be used as pendants or as designs on gift cards or anything else if you wish. Here are the designs included in this new tutorial:
I have many more plans for tutorials coming up. It takes a lot of time to develop them, but it is fun as well! Next up I’ll have another free tutorial, hopefully available in the next couple of weeks!
This tutorial, like my others so far, is available in my etsy shop. It is a .pdf file with LOTS of pictures and very detailed instructions! Even if you’ve never done paper quilling before you’ll be able to follow the directions to make these. Click here for more details about the tutorial.
The Lovely Lotus
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted! Sorry about that to anyone who regularly checks in. I WILL be posting more often now. Sometimes life gets in the way and I had to minimize my workload for a few months. But I should be back on track for awhile now
I have still been doing some creating, though!
One project I was working on was a frame for a friend’s wedding. I did a lotus themed frame. I loved the lotus design a lot and thought it would look great as a pair of earrings, so I made some extra for earrings. Here is my first pair:
I want to make more of these in some other color schemes as well. You’ll notice in my shop that most of my new earrings are photographed and listed with niobium findings. I am really loving niobium! I’ve made a few pairs of earrings for myself as well, and I always use niobium now. My earrings are pretty sensitive I’ve found. I used to be able to wear any of my earrings with no problems, but over the past few years they’ve gotten more sensitive. If I wear regular plated earring hooks my ears start getting itchy pretty quickly. Even with some sterling silver and gold jewelry they are a little itchy, though it’s a lot better. But niobium seems to be the best of all! I can wear them all day and my ears won’t be irritated. I also love that they are non tarnish. I find it annoying to pick up some earrings from my jewelry box that I haven’t worn in a long time and see that they need cleaning or even changing because they are tarnished. No worries with niobium!
But if you like a pair of my earrings and prefer gold plated, silver plated, or the antique bronze or copper hooks, that’s no problem! Just let me know before you purchase and I’ll adjust the listing for you. The price will be about $5 less, or even more if the design uses many jump rings. And if there is a pair of earrings in my shop that you’d like with niobium hooks that currently have regular hooks, just let me know and again I’ll adjust the listing for you!
A Look Back at 2011
Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful year ahead! Before forging on ahead to the new year for my blog I wanted to take a look back for a moment.
2011 was the first FULL year for this blog. When I started in January I was averaging only 50 views a day on the blog. Now there are almost 250 a day, wow! I can’t wait to see what next year brings!
Here are the top five most viewed posts from this year:
1. Make Your Own Paper Quilling Hairclips
2. Handmade Paper Quilled Aqua Bubbles Jumbo Crescent Earrings
3. DIY Cute Paper Quilled Gift Cards/Tags
5. Lattice Earrings – Handmade Paper Quilled
So what’s in the works for the new year? New designs of course, and new tutorials as well! Can’t wait to share more!
Thank you to all who have read my blog and I hope I have been an inspiration to many.
