I vaguely remember paper quilling as a one-time project in my 7th grade art class, but I never thought I would have picked it up 20 years later and opened an etsy shop. As a little girl, my sister and I would spend hours doing different type of crafts and projects. We went through crafting phases: stamps, stickers, sand art, beaded jewelry, string/friendship bracelets, gel pens, paint, scrapbooking and our forever-favorite: polymer clay. During college I even had a failed attempt at learning knitting, so you can say that I’ve always had an interest in crafts and creating things. It was only when I turned 30, that I realized I don’t have a “hobby” anymore. I didn’t have something that could be my creative release, my de-stressing activity after a long day. So I started exploring some hobby ideas and was drawn to paper quilling. The name of the shop came out of the feeling of stress relief that I get when I’m quilling the paper strips into shapes. It is relaxing to me and I find myself slowing down and taking deeper breaths as I quill paper strips. Pair that with the actual art craft itself, quilling, and it’s a fun combination of the type of art and the stress relief it provides me. I don’t always sit down to work on a particular project. Many times I just take a group of quilling paper strips and quill shapes, not knowing their final purpose. When inspiration strikes for a finished design or project, I have many of the “parts” already in place so I can get to work quickly. All items are handmade in Upstate New York (technically, the dining room of my home) and can be shipped anywhere in the United States. https://www.etsy.com/shop/TranquillityDesigns
