First Place Medal: Handmade Quilled Congratulations Greeting Card
"They didn't say they wanted to win. They just did."
Every coil placed by hand
Ships flat in a rigid box
Replaced if damaged
First Place Medal is a handmade quilled congratulations greeting card, showing a gold medal hanging on a multi-colored ribbon with "Congratulations" printed above in calligraphic script. The medal and ribbon are hand-quilled. The gold ring is built from several tightly rolled chained coils, the construction method that builds solid quilled shapes. The red "1" at the center is built in compressed shape, layered above the ribbon's three colored bands (red, cream, navy).
The Star Medal (QCOB-02) is the companion card, suited for broader achievement moments where ranking is not the point.
Timing note: congratulations cards sell year-round, with notable peaks during graduation season (May and June) and end-of-quarter promotion announcements.
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Ships from Sri Lanka in three options, available at checkout:
- Sri Lanka Post (standard): 3 to 4 weeks. Free Shipping.
- EMS Speed Post: 10 to 14 working days. Limited tracking.
- DHL Express: 5 to 7 working days. Fully tracked from dispatch to delivery.
Every card ships flat in a rigid-backed kraft gift box, fully protected for international transit. Every card is inspected before it leaves our studio. If yours arrives damaged, we replace it without question.
To keep: away from direct sunlight and moisture to preserve the paper art over time.
To display: fits standard 5x5 inch frames. This card is designed to live on a wall, not in a drawer.
To store: keep flat. Do not fold or roll.
First Place Medal: Handmade Quilled Congratulations Greeting Card
Specs
The card, in detail.
The design and the day
Built one way. Made for specific moments.
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Built like a first place.
A medal card is what you send when the moment deserves a tangible marker, something more substantial than a text and more occasion-specific than a generic congratulations note. The gold ring at the center of this card is built from several tightly rolled chained paper coils, packed edge to edge in a perfect circle: the same construction method used in traditional quilling to build solid disc shapes. The red "1" is deliberate, not "good job," not "well done," but first place: the card stakes a clear position on the achievement it celebrates. The three-color ribbon (red, cream, navy) is built as flat parallel bands behind the medal, in the proportions of a real championship ribbon.
The medal ring's multi coils are rolled to identical diameter so the ring sits true in the circle. A coil out of true throws off the geometry of the entire piece, which is why this element is given the most build time.
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For the one who won.
For the athlete who placed, the student who topped the class, the colleague who closed the deal, or the friend who finally got the role. A handmade congratulations card with a medal on it carries the recognition that something was actually won, more specific than a generic "congrats" card and more visually direct than a pure-text message. It fits graduation, promotion, sports victories, academic awards, championship wins, scholarship announcements, and any moment where someone came in first at something they were trying to win. Often given between teammates, coaches and players, parents and children, and managers to direct reports after a significant achievement.
Many recipients frame this card. It was designed for that, sized 5x5 inches to fit standard frames sold at most US home stores.
The studio, The hands
Inside the Jaffna studio.
Coil by coil
Paper strips · The hands · Finished card
Primary specialist on this card
Every Vonderly card is built by 2 to 3 specialists working in sequence. The artisan below led the work on this one.
I work on the figures and characters. My style is shape-based, so the posture has to carry the character. Getting a small figure to read correctly is harder than it looks, and I redo them often.
Priyanka K.
Figure and character specialist
Frequantly asked
Questions, answered.
Does the "1" on the medal limit this card to first-place wins only?
What is paper quilling?
Paper quilling, also called paper filigree, is the art of rolling, shaping, and placing thin paper strips into three-dimensional designs. It is one of the oldest paper art forms in the world, and requires precision and patience to build up layer by layer.
At Vonderly, each card is built entirely by hand using this technique by a team of specialized artisans in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. What you see on the card is paper, shaped by hand, one strip at a time.
Is the inside of the card blank?
Yes. Every Vonderly card has a blank interior. There is no pre-printed message. The card is made for your words, not ours. Write directly on the card or include a separate note inside the kraft envelope.
Can I frame this card after gifting?
Yes, and many recipients do. Every Vonderly card is 5x5 inches square, a size that fits standard frames available at most US home stores. The three-dimensional quilling gives the card real depth behind glass. To preserve it, keep it away from direct sunlight and moisture.
How long does shipping take to the United States?
Standard shipping via Sri Lanka Post takes 3 to 4 weeks. EMS Speed Post takes 10 to 14 working days. DHL expedited takes 5 to 7 working days and is fully tracked from dispatch to delivery. All three options are available at checkout.
What if my card arrives damaged?
Every card is inspected before it leaves our studio and ships flat in a rigid-backed kraft gift box to prevent damage in transit. If yours arrives damaged, send a photograph and we will replace it without question. No return required.
