Quilled Cross Ornaments

Quilling is a great craft. It's inexpensive and easy to learn. The projects you make can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. This simple quilled cross ornament is a great project for people who are totally new to quilling. Affiliate links below. 

 

Quilled Cross Ornament

Materials:

• white cardstock
• Taylored Expressions Big Cross die
• white quilling strips (5 mm)
• quilling tool
• craft glue
• paperclip

Steps: 

Cut four crosses from white cardstock. You will be using one whole cross plus three extra borders for each ornament. 

Glue the borders, one at a time, on top of the base cross. You’re forming a barrier that will hold the quilled shapes in place. 

If you are not able to find a die with a border like this (I wasn’t able to find this particular die for sale online to link to it), you can glue a quilling strip on its edge to form the border. This is the more traditional method for quilling. You can use that technique for any shape, which makes it a lot more versatile. 

Now start quilling rolls. You can make loose or tight curls, teardrops, marquise shapes, or a combination of them. As you complete each roll, glue it in the cross. Continue until the entire area is filled. 

You can get completely different looks depending on what rolls you use to fill the cross. The cross on the left has a variety of shapes arranged symmetrically, while the cross on the right has a single shape in different sizes. 

Open a paperclip to make a hanger. Attach it to the back with hot glue or a piece of tape. Your ornament is ready to hang on the tree or to display anywhere in your home. 

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Ohuhu's New Pupe

I was trying to decide what art material to use for my next batch of 50 State Quarter coloring pages when I got an email from the folks at Ohuhu asking if I'd like to review their latest markers. Would I?! Yes! I absolutely love everything that Ohuhu makes. Just read my reviews of the Ohuhu Honolulu and Ohuhu Kaala alcohol markers and you'll see! Affiliate links below.  

Ohuhu's latest set, called Pupe, includes 60 water-based markers. But these are not ordinary water-based markers. They are specifically designed to be paper-friendly, meaning they won't scratch or peel the surface of your paper, even if you color over the same spot repeatedly. This is a total game-changer!

The Pupe markers are double-sided, with a brush tip and a 0.4 mm fineliner tip. They're non-toxic, acid-free, and fade-resistant. They come in a handy carrying case. And best of all, they are extremely inexpensive. But how is the quality? Fantastic! The ink goes down beautifully and my paper held up to 3-4 layers with no issues. Both tips are comfortable and easy to use. The colors are vibrant. If I have any complaint at all, it's that I wanted a paler grey for shading. I'd happily trade one of the oranges or reds for another grey or a light tan. But other than that, I absolutely love the Pupes. Here are the pages I colored: 

 

I know I said I wasn't going to announce my favorite art materials until after I've done all 50 State Quarters, but I will say that the Ohuhu's Pupe set is near the top. Here are all of the materials I've used previously:

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
• Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
• Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)

A big thanks to Ohuhu for letting me test out the Pupe set. I'll be back to them soon, but for now I need to set them aside, find a different art material, and start on my next batch of State Quarter coloring pages.

Wisconsin 2022

It's hard going through all the photos from a trip to pick just a few to put on a scrapbook layout. I want pictures of us on the page, of course, but I also want images that will help us remember what was unique about that particular place. For this page about Wisconsin, I chose 12 pictures that give a decent overview of all the fun that we had and the only-in-Wisconsin things we saw. (Badgers. Lots of badgers.)

Wisconsin 2022 (affiliate link)

I often use state colors (or colors from the state flag) when scrapping, but this time I took my inspiration from one of the most memorable places we visited in Wisconsin: the National Mustard Museum. I like the mustard-yellow background paper paired with the grey and cream. I added the pops of blue to draw the eye to the title and journaling. I've never used that color combination, so it was fun to step out of my comfort zone and try something different. 

Quirky Museums That Are Totally Worth a Visit

When you think of a museum, what comes to mind? Are you imagining dinosaur fossils and gemstones? Works of art painted or sculpted by the masters? Displays of historic weaponry and armor? Exhibits about cultures of the past, with examples of baskets, pottery, and tools? Maybe you're thinking of a museum dedicated to space travel or earlier forms of transportation. 

Or maybe you're thinking about potatoes. 

A museum does not have to address a big, important topic to be entertaining and educational. I have a special place in my heart for quirky museums and today I'll be sharing some of my favorites. 

Quirky Museums That You Should Definitely Visit

Idaho Potato Museum

A museum dedicated entirely to potatoes? Yep! And it's fabulous. Plan to eat in their cafe and don't skip the potato ice cream. 

National Mustard Museum

I don't particularly like mustard, but that didn't stop me from loving every minute at a museum focused entirely on this yellow condiment. The Mustard Museum was one of the highlights of that entire trip for me!

American Pigeon Museum

I knew very little about pigeons before visiting this museum. I left absolutely amazed by these fascinating birds! Pigeons are so cool. 

Red Wing Shoe Company Museum

When you get the chance to visit a museum boasting the world's largest boot, you go. It's the highlight of the Red Wing Shoe Company Museum, but there are plenty of other really interesting exhibits. 

Jelly Belly Museum

The Jelly Belly Museum is distinct from the Jelly Belly Factory Tour. Definitely do both. The museum goes into depth about the history and culture of Jelly Belly and has a lot of really interesting artifacts. 

National Museum of Roller Skating

This museum is jam-packed with artifacts and exhibits about roller skating. I learned so much! Roller skating is a fascinating mix of sport and cultural phenomenon. 

National Bobblehead Museum

This museum has over 10,000 bobbleheads covering all sorts of topics and genres. It is definitely something to experience! 

American Banjo Museum

I debated including this in a list of quirky museums because it's more specific than quirky. Ultimately, I decided to include it because it's such a great museum that the more I mention it, the better! No matter who you are, you'll learn a lot at the American Banjo Museum. 

---------

I'm always on the lookout for interesting museums to visit. I have a few on my to-do list, but if there's a place you know of that I definitely need to check out, let me know in the comments!

Quilting for Lutheran World Relief

In September, my church started making Mission Quilts for Lutheran World Relief. This is a new ministry for us at St. Mark's, but Lutheran World Relief has been sending quilts to people in need since it was founded in 1945. LWR provides an average of 300,000 quilts a year to be used as warm bedding, floor coverings, or simple tents following natural disaster or war.   

On Sunday, we dedicated 12 quilts lovingly made by our group. 

Church members and friends donated their extra fabric, which we cut and pieced together into quilt tops. Members of our group sewed the quilt tops together. (Not me - I'm terrible at machine sewing.) Then we layered the top over batting and the back and hand-tied the quilts together. (I'm good at hand sewing.)

Making these quilts has been very satisfying. Quilting is something I always wanted to try but figured I would probably never do. By working with a group, I can do the things I'm good at while others do the parts that aren't my strength. It's a lot of fun working and chatting with my fellow quilters, and it's wonderful seeing the random bits of castoff material come together to make a beautiful, functional quilt. We have decided to continue our ministry in 2025, so if you're local and have fabric or batting to donate, I'll gladly take it off your hands. 

Our quilts are boxed up and on their way to the LWR warehouse, to then be shipped to the area of greatest need. We hope they bring not only warmth, but comfort.