Make a Quilled Best Wishes Card

It's been a while since I last shared a quilled design, so I plan to remedy that by posting a new one more often, drawing from my handmade collection. Yes, I have two boxfuls of cards awaiting occasions to send them on their way... crazy, I know. I'll call the series... hmmm... pondering... #snailmailstash. In each post will be construction details in case you would like to make something similar.

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a retirement/birthday party for a gentleman who turned 75. It can't be easy to step away from a career that has defined one's life for decades, but if anyone will do it admirably, he will.

It's tricky to find the right balance in a card for a male, but lots of straight lines and a strong color palette are good starting places.

The highlights:

Quilled medallion - I made a square frame with 1/8" (standard width) silver-edge quilling paper by rolling a ring coil on a dowel and pinching the corners, then filling it in with quilled single and double scrolls. [quilling basics]

Layering - this took time, but very little paper. I've had a sheet of patterned vellum for ages and oh boy, it felt good to finally find the perfect use for it. I like the way the design jives with quilled scrolls. The Best Wishes stamp is an old favorite of mine that has been retired by the Stampin' Up company... speaking of retirement, it happens to more than just people!

Put a bow on it - okay, not really... the guys I know aren't fans of frou-frou. I glued together two strands of metallic ornament cord - one silver, one gold - then tied it around the card front and knotted it twice.

Enjoy the upcoming weekend and look for for another quilled card soon.