The Long Slow Learning Curve

Yes, I swear sometimes I have the worlds largest learning curve. I decided that it would just be fantastic if I created this spectacular Quilling gift for my mother on her birthday. It was going to be a giant J with a flower off to the side and fill with wonderful quilled paper.

First issue I ran into, base paper. Having the proper base paper will make or break your project. Mine warped, bubbled and I swear disappeared in places. I was using a thick paper, but not card stock.

Next, paper stretches when wet. Allow your paper to dry before applying that last coat to the piece. It was fun having to cut and reset the outline (yes it took me forever to just get the outline done, that darn base paper can kill you).

Get a small ruler. I learned the hard way that trying to make do with something that is almost straight isn't as great as if it was straight. It'll also help you with length measurements.

Realise what type of mog pog your using will effect the base paper. I used dark gray paper and a gloss like mog pog. It was shinny and you could totally see where I used the brush.

Watch that frustration level. If you find your project isn't work because its too wet, the paper's sliding or not sticking, the papers kinking (I had this problem a lot), please and I mean please, take a break. Let what you've done dry and come back. It helps immensely and you're more likely to finish the project.

Currently I have the J completed and part of the flower.

Because it was taking so long, I decided that she needed some Calvin and Hobbes ornaments. I found clear plain glass balls and proceeded to cut out small pictures of Calvin and Hobbes. Number one fact you should know about ornaments. They're curved.

Who knew! This causes pinching, buckling and overall frustration with the pieces you where imagining would look spectacular. But I continued on and in the end they weren't too bad.

I used the mog pog again, coating the back of the paper or the ball and pressing and holding the paper down until is stuck to the glass, smoothing any wrinkles by lightly creasing areas. Let dry and apply one more coat of mog pog to the outside of the paper. The mog pog dries clear. Next time I'm going to try a colored ornament.