Classic repost, originally posted Jan. 3, 2008
It was my turn to lead our Keepers At Home group this week and we had so much fun learning the handicraft of paper quilling!
Paper quilling is the art of creating designs from strips of coiled paper. There are quilling tools and quilling papers available, but we simply used materials I had around the house.
How To:
Using my paper cutter, I pre-cut strips of cardstock into 1/4″ wide strips.
I set out the following supplies:
- Strips of paper
- Quilling tools: pencils, screwdrivers, toothpicks, chopsticks (any skinny, round objects I could find) Try to offer varied widths for different coiling effects.
- Glue (with toothpicks for “painting the glue” on the paper to seal the coils)
- Sheets of cardstock to display the finished designs
The girls coiled the strips into various shapes depending on the designs they were creating. Some coils were tight, some were loose, some were shaped by pinching the coil, and some were only coiled on one end of the strip. Our techniques may not have been “proper”, but we had fun and created very pretty designs.
Aren’t they cute?
Feel free to link your own paper quilling projects in the comments. I can’t wait to see them!
As a fitting end to our Keepers At Home year, we had a little scrapbooking party. What great memories come from this group!
(And, yes, even our boys have fun. But, ahem, shooting a foam deer with a bow and arrow in his Contenders of the Faith class at co-op was MUCH more manly! Thank you , Debbie, for all his manly experiences this year!!)
Even Eli had fun with Mrs. Jody!
Next year, we’re asking the girls to take over some of the planning and teaching for the group. (The moms are weary! 
They already have some good ideas like teaching one another the waltz and how to safely ride horses. I love the idea of the girls taking a bit of control over their group!
Oh, I so want to be able to do wonderful handicrafts! Crafts so beautiful they are worthy to be placed in a cozy little shop on Main Street and sell out the day they hit the shelves. I would love to quilt, sew clothes for my children, knit colorful sweaters, make bars and bars of homemade soap and lotions, concoct all my own cleaning potions, and decorate a wreath Martha Stewart would want to hang on her door.
Even more so, I would love to pass down all those wonderful handicraft abilities to my children. But, alas, no cozy little shop has approached me. They probably have little need for the straight-stiched curtains that hang a little crooked in my bedroom. They probably have no need for a pile of scrap fabrics that I’ve never had time to turn into a pillow for my couch. They probably don’t need my wreaths whose decorations may or may not stay on long enough for the season to pass.
But, I try. I pass on to my children what I know and hope the Lord will bless them enough to be able to take those skills farther than me, if He so desires. I think this plan is working pretty well. My oldest (10)can sew a button, use a sewing machine, knit, crochet, follow a pattern, cook, bake, clean, do laundry, create small floral arrangement, and decorate her room nicely, among other things.
I’ve taught her some of these things, but the Lord has also sent some very lovely people into her life to teach her the things I don’t know. For instance, she really wanted to learn to knit. I haven’t a clue! But, our 91 year old neighbor loves to knit and has been working with my daughter occasionally! I also pick up how-to books at yard sales – how to sew, how to plant a flower garden, how to do small woodworking projects. Both my older children devour the how-to books. They’ve learned a lot (through trial and error sometimes) on their own.
Finally, my daughter is part of a Keepers At Home group and my son is taking a Contenders of the Faith class this year at co-op. I can’t speak highly enough of these programs to teach both boys and girls handicraft and life skills! The Contenders teacher is doing a wonderful job teaching “boy skills” like outdoor survival, fire safety and using tools correctly. Our Keepers group uses the various talents of each of the moms involved to teach the girls homekeeping and handicraft skills. We even schedule outside speakers and field trips sometimes.
Take it from me, your children can learn all the handicrafts they like and need even if you are “craftless”. It just takes a little bit of effort to find others who love sharing their gifts and talents with your children. And, never count yourself out as being “craftless”. When you really think about it, there are all sorts of wonderful skills, habits and crafts you are passing on to your children – even if they aren’t worthy of sitting on the shelf at the cozy little shop on Main Street.
Here are some other posts about our Keepers At Home group.
The Beginning of Our Group
Scrapbooking Day
Paper Quilling
A Christmas Party
A Service Project
Potholders
Fire Safety
Cake Decorating
Florist
Our Keepers group has started up again. At the first meeting, the girls made potholders that turned out SO cute! Thanks, Edith, for such a fun, easy and cute sewing project.
Our second meeting was a tour of a 1700′s house that’s in the process of renovation. The owner of the house gave us a complete history of the house, as well as a history of the little town that used to be. I was amazed to find out that the little town consisted of four mills of various types, a doctor’s office and a general store in the late 1700′s! Because this one was made of stone, it was considered a fancy house. The wooden addition on the right most likely came from a “houseboat” that was recycled once it reached its destination. History is very cool!
Our field trip today was a weather class with the local tv weather man. What a great class it was!! He used the children to demonstrate the water cycle, hail, lightning, thunder, tornadoes and hurricanes. I think I learned more than the kids! Our group made it on the news this evening, too. 
(Sorry for the blurry picture. We really need a new camera.)
Now, this has nothing at all to do with Keepers or field trips, but I had to share this for my own memory’s sake! Caleb was doing his own experiment with various spices and water. Every time he added pepper to his concoction, he would sneeze. The next thing I know, he’s standing at the table with this snow mask on. I ask what in the world he’s doing and he answers very matter-of-factly, “I’m keeping the pepper out of my nose!” Ah, if only I were that smart!
Our Keepers At Home group is just turning out to be so wonderful! This afternoon’s class was at the fire house. One of the firemen taught the girls (and their brothers) about how and when to use fire extinguishers. I believe the moms learned just as much as the kiddos!
Thanks for organizing this, Lisa!
Next class – sewing……
