Mom, I'm Bored!
We know from experience that children need activities to engage their minds. I taught preschool for several years before I quit to homeschool my children for the next 11 years. My children now have children and they are also coming up with great ideas for helping their children to create and learn. So, check here for fun crafts and projects each month.
Here is a fun art project that is suitable for children around 10 and up. If you want to do this with younger children you will need to make the shapes and then allow them to glue them onto the card.
Supplies:
Begin by cutting paper into 1/8" strips using your papercutter. If you don't have a papercutter,
you can attempt to cut strips as straight as possible. You can also buy pre-cut quilling paper at
some craft stores.
I used red, pink, and black strips to make my card. To make a circle, cut one strip to 6" in length.
Then using a toothpick wrap the paper strip around it. Put the end of the paper on the toothpick and roll
it between your thumb and finger. With a little practice, you can do it. Put a dab of glue on the tail
as you wrap the end. Hold it for a few seconds to be sure the glue is holding.
This is what the circle will look like. If you use a pin instead of the toothpick, the circle will
have a smaller hole in the center. Using a pin takes more dexterity.
The next shape to make is a teardrop. Cut a strip to 4" in length. Again, use the toothpick to roll
it. This time, do not glue it. Set it down on the work surface and let it unroll just a little.
Then pick it up and glue the end. Holding it between your thumb and finger, pinch one side. Continue to make more of these teardrop shapes.
After you have made about 6 shapes, arrange them into the flower design you might like. Do not glue
them.
Cut your cardstock to the size that you want for your card and fold it in half. Poor a little white glue
on another piece of paper. Use a different toothpick to apply the glue to the bottom side of one of the
shapes.
Glue it to the front of your card.
Continue to glue each of the teardrop shapes around in a circle to make a flower shape. After you
have glued them, take the circle and glue it on top in the center of the flower.
The next shape to make looks like an eye. After you have made one teardrop, pinch the other side
making it look like an eye. This shape can be used to make leaves on your flower.
You can use strips of paper to make a stem or any other line on your card. Just run one side of
the strip through the glue and then carefully attach it to your card.
Tip: You can curl or bend the paper using your thumb nail, just like using scissors to curl ribbon. While holding one end, gently run your nail over the strip of paper. Now you have a curvy stem. Run the strip through the glue after you shape it. Also, two teardrop shapes placed adjacent to each other make a heart.
Continue making shapes and gluing them to your card. With experimentation you can create many
designs. Here is my finished card. Happy Quilling!
