There are few things in life more perfect than the quilling of the often imitated, but never duplicated Yulia Brodskaya . Today I share her colorful scrolls, lovely letters, and one of my most favorite words as a way of wishing each and every one of you much joy throughout the new year. Here's to all things wonderful in 2012! Facebook Finds this past week included: Amazing quilled snowflake cake I printed out a flock of these winter birds to make gift tags and they were beautiful! They'd be gorgeous as a garland too. See you next year!

Recently I heard from Motoko Nakatani , who you might remember is a Japanese member of the North American Quilling Guild and supplier of my favorite quilling tool. She asked if I would like to see pictures of the work of her friend, Hitomi Shouko, who often quills supernatural creatures called yokai . People believe yokai generally exist as monsters... clearly not your typical quilling subject matter, but intriguing nonetheless. You can see images of Hitomi's yokai at her website [edit: no longer available]. But Hiomi's project that Maggie especially wanted to introduce me to is the one you see pictured here... it's an impressive quilled tribute to the Shiwafuruinari Temple tree. Located in Iwate, Japan, the temple's sacred tree, called a goshinboku , was destroyed by a typhoon a very long time ago. Later, the mummified remains of a white fox were found inside the broken tree. A legend evolved that those who desire a long life should look for the hair of the w

A follow-up on the beautiful paper decorations that are in abundance at Sephora stores this festive season... Sue Custer was out shopping again, (just teasing you, Sue :)) this time at JCPenney where she came across a Sephora shop within the store. Lo and behold, a big, round poster with a quilled design of lovely lettering and greenery was on display. We're wondering if the quilling was first done by hand or is it completely digital? Sue also snapped a photo of some dramatic paper sculptures high on a shelf. I was curious if Hannah Sitzer created these decorations, so emailed her to ask. She replied that she and her team made all of the handmade paper flowers inside Sephora stores this season, but no, not these. Now.... not for a moment do I think this will compete with Sephora's amazing display, but while watching Love Actually a few nights ago (an annual tradition at my house) I had the idea to show you our crab ornament. What's a Christmas crab you ask?

December is flying! It's hard to believe it's already time to wish those of you who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas. I hope all of your last minute preparations will fall magically into place. This beauty was created by Beth Reece of Virginia who has only been quilling since last spring. Proof that as long as one has an eye for design and the desire to work small and with care, it's possible to do great things with strips of paper. See more of her amazing Christmas quilling and a free quilled snowflake pattern . Facebook Finds this past week included: A kraft paper wall tree Stunning origami crane tree Smitten by this crumpled paper flower card I'll be back next week with new things to share, but for now I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very special weekend ahead!

Recently via Twitter I was introduced to Vivid Wrap Ltd. , located in Bath, England. The company's decorative papers are gorgeous, and yes, printed in such bright and beautiful colors, the name is an apt description. Created by Professor Marjorie Lee Woo While checking out the Vivid Wrap Facebook page , I was delighted to come across photos of paper fashions created by professors and students from the LIM College of Fashion and Visual Merchandising in New York. Created by Alexis & Lisa Michaelides They used Vivid Wrap to create couture apparel for the first Paper Runway competition sponsored by Kate's Paperie at the National Stationery Show this past May. Vivid's papers are handmade in India from recycled cotton that is screen printed, also by hand, with water-based inks. Created by Edin Guiron After many years of working for Hallmark, Steve Williams launched Vivid Wrap in 2007. Gift wrap, bags, and boxes are stocked in fine British

Way back in my very first month of blogging, I featured Maine resident, Lauren Fensterstock, whose intricate and dark quilling installation, Parterre , composed of black paper, charcoal dust, and Plexiglas, was on display at Bowdoin College in Maine. Recently Lauren's Black Mirrors , which also features black paper and charcoal, was part of a dual artist exhibit titled A Third Nature, this time at Aucocisco Galleries in Portland, Maine. Black Mirrors was inspired by Lauren's fascination with the framing tool called Claude Glass, a black convex mirror used by sketching artists in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to reflect picturesque landscapes. The mirror was popular because it reduced and defined an image of nature in such a way that it would appear perfect. Lauren explains her materials... "Charcoal is known for its ability to absorb and purify the air around it. In 'A Third Nature' the charcoal appears to obscure and destroy an

I realize this photo has been circulating the internet for ages, but even if it's new to just a few of you, it's worth it because... ...what paper crafter among us doesn't have a ton-o-stuff piled on shelves?! I'm thinking it would be a hoot to take a few minutes this weekend to arrange my overloaded bookcase to look like a Christmas tree... someone hold me to that, please! Photo credit: Apparently the tree was first featured on hoi pippo with credit given to ijm.nl for the concept, but a search proved fruitless... whoever came up with the idea gets my vote for tongue-in-cheek holiday decor. Facebook Finds from this past week: Colorful Christmas cracker gift boxes Pretty origami star Little folded tree earrings Hang onto those cardboard tubes - snowflake ornaments I hope you'll have a great weekend and thanks so very much for taking the time to visit here, especially at such a hectic time of year.

If you like to make cards that tend toward minimalism, and/or need a design that goes together pretty quickly, this one's for you... Pardon the grainy photos - my camera rebels like crazy against metallics. A rubber stamp inspired the stylized silver tree to which loose coil ornaments, and punched snowflakes and stars were added randomly. A paper cutter made short work of slicing metallic strips to form the tree. Because the large S scroll needs to stand firmly on edge, two strips were glued together for extra strength. A gratuitous shot of my dining room table... am quite pleased with myself for decorating way earlier than usual as I'm typically the last minute kid - even if the holly leaves are already starting to curl and our tree (the trimmed tree, I mean, not this glass one) has fallen over twic e - ack! And more about Sephora holiday windows... In the Sunday New York Times, Bill Cunningham's On the Street weekly photo essay offers a particular clo

I love it when readers let me know me about paper delights they've come across in their travels, whether online or in real life. Sue Custer of the Custom Quilling design team recently sent photos she phone-snapped at the Sephora store in Missouri's Chesterfield Mall. The flowers are gorgeous and look, there's even quilled lettering! Curious about who created the display, I put Google to the test... up popped a link to a fabulously detailed article written by the flower designer herself, Hannah Sitzer. She's the owner of Antlre Creative , a concept, design, development, and manufacturing agency that produces retail environments. I know you'll enjoy reading it, but first I can't resist sharing a few of her pictures, taken while team members were installing about a million flowers - well, actually 5000 - in Manhattan Sephora stores late at night. I'm sure it was a ton of work along with fun... as long as you're okay with heights and

If pressed, I'd have to say I love necklaces most of all in the great lineup of jewelry possibilities. Rings and bracelets can sometimes get in the wearer's way, but a necklace... well, it can be put on and forgotten until a compliment is received. I feel sure this lovely one would draw intrigued looks and questions. Perhaps it's a map or a bit of starched lace? No, actually it's a gossamer dragonfly wing created by Amelia Cunard of VectorCloud . Usually she works with birch wood, but instead used a special water and tear resistant paper to create this intricate pendant. Curious about laser cutting, I asked Amelia how she happened to learn the art. I started my Etsy endeavor almost two years ago when I was pregnant with my son Noah. I had been working with a non-profit organization in the south Bronx, training teenagers to design projects using CAD programs. There I was exposed to a variety of machines, including a laser cutter. The experience opened up

Karren Doll Tolliver , who previously shared photos of Munich store windows that had been decorated with huge quilled trees , sent along another nifty find. This time it's large and lovely quilled snowflakes she spotted at a Christmas market in Bamberg, outside a little shop called Mohren Haus. Karren tells me they were made in two sizes - seven and ten inches in diameter - and appeared to be rolled and glittered poster board. Here's a pretty folded star tutorial from the Norwegian blog, Home by Linn. The step-by-step pictures are excellent, plus there's a translate button at the top of the page. I want to make some! So far this holiday season I've tried these ball ornaments using origami paper I had on hand... they are quite easy to make, light as a feather, and definitely livened up our gray skies while I snapped the picture. A tutorial for the top and bottom baubles can be found here and the middle one, here . Both are from the site, Homemade G

Goodness, the months certainly fly by. Here it is already time to introduce the new shops whose ads will be displayed throughout December on the site's sidebar Melissa Bilyeu might be a familiar name to you, as last month her letterpress shop, Paper Ink Press, was featured here. Because she didn't already have enough to keep her busy with that shop and a baby - hah! - Melissa opened Paper and Present [edit: now Wrap and Revel ]. She's rounded up a lovely collection of supplies that will bring a stylish, rustic look to your gift wrapping... kraft paper, baker's twine, tiny wooden clothespins, and letterpress tags, just to name a few... all those little pretties we see on popular design sites are conveniently gathered in one place. Melissa is offering a 25% discount with code Paper 25 all month long. If you aren't familiar with the tinyprints company, they have a wide selection of personalized greeting and photo cards, and offer very speedy shipping...

***The giveaway has ended. Scroll down to see who won! *** Some time ago I was contacted by Creative Publishing International about their desire to produce an Origami 101 book. I immediately knew who to recommend for the task, as I've admired Ben Coleman's work ever since featuring his incredible origami bonsai . Lo and behold, later on I learned that Ben had indeed been asked to author the book. Thanks to having been sent a review copy that I've had the chance to examine, I must say he doesn't disappoint! Any origami anxiety you might be harboring will disappear as you fold your way through all forty seven figures, including a roosting robin, tyrannosaurus rex, flying dragon, swans, star, and tree ornament. Come to think of it, there's time to make an entire Christmas tree full of colorful figures. It would be a great family project, as origami is suitable for school age children as well as adults. Ben developed a unique "glow-fold" feature for the boo

For those of you who love books just as much as paper jewelry, here's a winning combination... a dear set of antique book necklaces. Margaux Kent of Philadelphia and Etsy shop, The Black Spot Books , sources the leather covers from vintage wallets, doctor's bags, sofas, and chair covers. She uses Strathmore acid-free drawing paper for the pages and sews them by hand with linen binder's thread. Margaux's tiny journals are also stocked at an impressive list of places...The Library of Congress, Anthropologie, and the ever so quirky Mütter Museum in Philly, to name just a few. In addition to book necklaces, she enjoys creating all sorts of unusual things from "olde things, treasures found and recovered from misfortune and neglect, relics of the unusual, the confused and the macabre..." I marvel at people who write and reimagine the old into new the way Margaux does. All Things Paper Facebook Finds from the past week... and oh, there are some good ones