Mini-Card Two Ways - Tutorial

As much as I enjoy complex quilled designs, I really love quick projects. In this case I took a ton of inspiration from a printed flower design on a Gartner Studios note card that arrived in the mail. A handwritten note - nice!

The cardstock was bright, summery, and offered the best of both worlds - a great graphic on one side and solid lime green color on the other.


I liked the design too much to toss the card in the recycling bin, so started thinking of ways the paper could be used to make something else... first, out came my trimmer. While cutting around the handwritten part, I came up with two ideas for the remaining pieces of cardstock.


Voilà... a little tent card that can be a table place card or gift card. Luckily there was just enough extra paper to make a fold-over card that measures 3.5 inches x 2.75 inches, and also a small square and rectangle on which to glue a quilled flower and printed name.


If you're new to quilling, you'll find my previous tutorials that contain all of the basics and tips you'll need here, here, or here.

Use 1/8 inch wide (standard width) quilling paper to make the flower, leaves, and stem.

Step 1. Roll a 24 inch loose coil as the flower center. Rather than allowing the entire strip to relax, stop it when only the center has expanded and glue the end in place. This creates the solid outer ring. Glue the coil to the square which is turned on point.

Step 2. Next, make eight 4 inch loose coils, pinch them into half circles, and glue them around the flower center. (To make a quilled half circle shape, roll a loose coil, slip it off the tool, and pinch at the coil end and the place that is nearly opposite, resulting in a coil with a flat base and curved top. Glue the end in place.)

Step 3. The two leaves are 6 inch marquises. (To make a marquise, roll a loose coil and pinch at the coil end and opposite point. Glue the end in place.)

Step 4. The stem is a double thickness 1 1/2 inch strip - one strip glued on top of another. This makes the paper surprisingly sturdy - strong enough to stand on edge when glued.

Step 5. Glue the leaves and stem below the flower as pictured.

I don't often mail quilling that contains strips on edge unless it's well-protected in a box, but a design like this one will be fine on a place card or atop a hand-delivered gift.

A table with place cards made from a variety of patterned papers would be eye-catching. Take advantage of the trend that things don't necessarily have to match, plus it's a great excuse to use those small bits of pretty paper you've been saving!

Recommended quilling and paper craft supplies can be found in my Amazon shop.