By Diane Crane

     People have been quilling since ancient times, and in the past few years this wonderful old craft has enjoyed something of a revival. Relatively cheap to do, absorbing and suitable for most ages, here is a book showing how it can be used to decorate greetings cards.

I own quite a few books on quilling, and most of them fail to inspire me. Not this one though; real imagination is at work in here and ordinary subjects are somehow transformed. You don't need many tools or materials to do quilling, and the author has wisely shown this, and how to do a lot with a little. Flowers in pots, teddy bears and little dolls are normally not my favorite subjects, but here are some ideas for making them really come to life that had me-a dyed-in-the-wool teddy hater-reaching for my paper strips. There is a verve and joy to these designs and a clever use of color that makes them sing. (Have a look for yourself.) Large photographs make construction of some quite advanced ideas a breeze, and I love the floral arbors, unusual flower fairies and rabbit in a hat. I think you need to see this to appreciate it, but it is well worth buying.

If you cannot find quilling supplies locally, try Searchpress.com for a list of suppliers, and to buy books directly.