Anything But a Card Challenge - RRR#88 - Second post

If you're here, chances are you've come from Really Reasonable Ribbon's 88th Challenge  - Anything But a Card. 

My contributions to the challenge are postcards, but they are made of fabric and other embellishments that are sewn on. I fused cotton fabrics, using 'Heat 'n Bond' onto a material called "Timtex", a VERY stiff Pellon like material, developed for use in the brim of hats. (My design was inspired by a tag in Basic Grey's beautiful 'Lily Kate' line from years ago.)

Using hand and machine sewing, the design was worked on top of the card. It was a blast figuring out how the different flowers could be formed. Below is a map of ribbons and trims used.

As you can see, there are quite a few heart shaped elements (one of my favorites), and I challenged myself to make the largest flower with heart-shaped petals. 

 Each open petal is a length of narrow ribbon with the ends brought together with the same side facing up, side by side. (The tip of the pedal will not lie flat at this stage.) Attach the two cut ends down next to one another where the center of the flower will be. Grab the tip of the petal and rotate the top side of ribbon to face the card's surface. Still holding the petal tip, move towards the flower center until you like the shape. and tack the tip down to the surface.

The ric-rac flower is formed by using a thread to draw the valley points together. Other embellishments include glass, brass, and shell beads, buttons, ladder yarn, and invisible thread.

Thanks so much for coming by to visit, and please leave me a comment. I would particularly like to know if my instructions for the large flower are clear, and if making one, is something you might try.

See you at your place soon!

Anything But a Card Challenge - RRR#88

Over at Really Reasonable Ribbon they are having a challenge to make 'anything but a card' using ribbons and trims. (Since my couch made from ribbons is out at the dry cleaners at the moment, I decided to share one of my smaller projects.) This heart seems timely with Valentine's Day close at hand.

 I fell in love with fabric postcards the first time I was given one by a friend. The postcard is basically a fabric sandwich with a stiff filling. This makes it very easy to embellish to the hilt, while having a 'canvas' that doesn't collapse under the weight.

A narrow red trim covers the boundary between the two background fabrics. (My trim wobbles a bit since I chose to sew it on, rather than use glue.)

 

The leaves and other bits of greenery are made from 7mm (about 1/4") silk ribbon. Any very soft narrow ribbon can be used for ribbon embroidery; it just needs to go on a needle and be able to be pulled through the fabric 'sandwich'. Sequins, beads of glass and brass, invisible thread, and embroidery floss, finish off the composition.

For more fun, visit Really Reasonable Ribbon's blog to see what their designers, and other folks, have made. If you enjoyed seeing a fabric postcard, please leave a comment. I'd love to share more, if there is an interest. (OK. More than just the ones I shared for this challenge.)

P.S. If you like fabric postcards with a holiday theme, you might enjoy my Easter egg cards here.

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #29 - Die Cuts

You're probably here from the CAS Challenge blog, and that means this is your first time visiting. Welcome!

 I just had to participate, because lately I've realized I'm a bit of a die nut. Sitting around playing with dies, using them to fashion something other than the original shape, really floats my boat. (Hints: the cup is three different sized oval dies; and the four leaf clover is a heart die.) It's a bit early for St. Patrick's Day, but that was my original thought. It also seems appropriate of other occasions as well.

My style is all over the board, so I'm not sure about my having gotten CAS just right. Would you be willing to tell me if my card is CAS, or not CAS? Oh, I would dearly love to know if there is a better spot for my sentiment?!

Thanks so much for visiting and I'll be seeing you on your blog.

Supplies

Papertrey - Fancy Flourishes stamp set, Heart Prints stamp set and coordinating die, Ripe Avocado cardstock and dye ink, Flower Fusion #9 stamp set, Stamper's select white cardstock. 
Sizzix - Big Shot, Oval Nestability dies.
Miscellaneous - Stripped white vellum, gold pearlescent with white dots paper.

Merry Monday #88 {Use an Animal on your Christmas card!}

When I found this challenge (by way of The Empty Nest Crafter), I just knew that the time had come to try combining two of my favorite card makers' techniques.

I love vintage images, and have always wanted to make a card using this image from a postcard. The little birds are so darling. (The image at the head of this post is a close-up.)

 

Gloria Stengel has the blog "Scraps of Life", and she is a blooming genius when it comes to making the most of vintage images. One of her favorite techniques to help bring vintage images and patterned papers together, is to add the same color border around all the elements. Deep Brown and black do a very good job at this.

The other artist who floats my boat, using vintage images, is Ginny at Polly's Paper Studio. Ginny (maybe she has a pet parrot named Polly?), makes the most FABULOUS embellishments for her creations. At Christmas and Halloween, you can go bonkers looking at all her amazing work.

Seam binding makes a nice soft bow (if you know how to make a pretty one - which I don't) on which to mount all manner of buttons, string, bells, rosettes, or any other item that won't fall off of it. Go back in Ginny's archives if you've never seen her work. You'll never look at bows the same way again!

Managed one last shot before we lost our sunlight, because the other shots didn't show the little bit of glitter to jazz up the bird image.

Supplies:
Papertrey Ink 'Fine Linen' cardstock, Recollections metallic brown cardstock, patterned paper from KaiserCraft's  'Just Believe' small pad and K&Co.'s 'EB Visions of Christmas small pad, Creatology's snowflake buttons, Hemptique's variegated green hemp cord,  Hug Snug's Ivory seam binding, jingle bells, miscellaneous ribbon and lace, and Martha Stewart's crystal tinsel glitter.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leaving a comment. See you hopping through the blogosphere, and have the happiest of holidays!

Papertrey's November Blog Hop - Paper House

After a long absence, I'm finally posting again. Who can resist making little paper houses, especially at holiday time when bling is a necessity? Papertrey's Blog Hop this November is one I just couldn't sit out. You can find the link for the house template and the blog hop here.

The house is small at only 2 1/2" a side. This was a good challenge, since most of my PTI stamps were just too big.

I finally settled on a fabric-based quilted cottage theme. (This house looks so much cozier in person. For some reason I took terrible pics of this, and had no time, or sun, left for a second shoot.) Eventually, an LED tea-light (that hasn't been purchased yet) will show off the pale pink vellum windows.

Down to the details.

I love how PTI colors work together, and I've always wanted to make a project using the lighter and bluer hues of Christmas - Scarlet Jewel, Autumn Rose, Pinefeather, and Ocean Tides. Kraft ink was used for the "stitched together" sides, using the a stamp from Sew Simple Borders. My double striped stamp made ticking walls. (Don't you just love the homey look of ticking?)

The windows are round so that the half button shutters will cover them neatly. (I stamped the die cut buttons with a small floral print, but I'm not so sure you can easily tell they are buttons now. Would some "Glossy Accents" help define them better, or should I just leave them alone?)

The back of the house shows off the 'gingerbread' lace that lines the roof on all four sides. (Used a bit of Glossy Accents on the cut ends of the trims to keep them from unraveling.) All the windows are topped the the leaves from Believe, with pink gems covering the berries.



Happy Hexagons stamps on die cut pieces from the Hexagon Cover Plate form a warm roof. I wanted some stitching lines to enhance it's 'quiltiness', but didn't have a good  idea how to do that. Do  you have a way that has worked for you? I'd love to know what works.

Now for a second question. I REALLY wanted to glitter my little house, but thought that the glitter would ruin the fabric ambiance. What do you think about a little along the eves and maybe the windows? Roll the whole house around in it?

Saved my favorite for last - the front door. Two sets helped me finish the trimmings. The wreath is from Believe, the banner and trees are from Door To Door. (Don't those trees look like they're made from thread?)  I like buttons in the the corners of the banner, but I've not conquered the technique of button coloring using alcohol markers.

If you have any thoughts concerning my questions, or are just a dear, please leave a comment. I love hearing what fellow crafters think. Thanks for taking the time for the house tour, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Brag Monday - A Halloween Cat In a Hat card

This is just a quickie post to share a Halloween card I made using one of the images from The Graphics Fairy.

Karen (the aforementioned fairy), has some of the most unusual, and beautifully 'restored' images anywhere on the internet. The moment I saw this cat from a children's drawing book, it just cried out to be turned into the sweetest Halloween kitten ever. (Don't you just love VERY simple images, that convey volumes of personality and style? Karen seems to have the knack for finding them.)

Here are my steps to make this very simple card:

• Saved the cat image and re-sized in Paint.net (my all time favorite graphics handling program - and it's FREE!) so that it would be the right size for my premade round card base.
• Printed it on 90 pound cardstock using black ink on draft.
• Layered a few papers in descending circles on the card base, with the center cicle being white. (Not sure how the whiskers would look on any other color, and this cat just wouldn't be him/herself without THOSE whiskers. )
• Fussy cut the cat graphic, then used my glue pen on the cat's face, and covered with black flocking. This took gluing a third of the image at a time, so the glue wasn't dry before the 'fur' when on.
• The eyes worked out perfectly, because my clear green "Dew Drops" were exactly the right size. Remember to glue anything translucent, with "dries clear" adhesive.
• A ribbon, gathered along one edge, and applied with score tape, makes a festive collar.
• The hat is just made of coordinating papers, ribbon and a sequin (from Cartwright's Sequins - the best selection of shiny goodness on this planet, or any other). 

Presto! You have a cat that's dressed for a big occasion.

Have fun visiting all the talented folks who make amazing things using Karen's images, and thanks for taking the time to stop and visit here.

Graphic 45 Easel Calendar Made with "Place in Time"

While visiting the fabulous Absolutely Everything, in Topsfield, Massachusetts, I saw one of the amazing projects that Marcia had made for a class she taught. (Marcia, plus all things Graphic 45, equal bliss.) She used the "Place In Time" 8"X8" paper pad and their 8"X8" easel album.
Marcia encouraged me to make one of my own (even though I had missed her class), and so I looked at hers very carefully, made a few notes, and decided to try it. I must give all the creative credit to her, but Marcia encouraged me to share my version, since it isn't an exact copy of hers, and because she is a generous soul.

 

 

The calendar I designed is not for a particular year, but rather a keepsake calendar for noting birthdays, anniversaries, and a few pertinent details.

 

I love Marcia's design of the centered month's page below the mid-line, with the monthly lined list to the left.

Just a note here. Marcia cut her 8X8 month pages in half and overlapped the bottom half upper edge over the bottom of the already fixed upper half. She did this, because the easel is 8X8, but the spiral binding occupies part of that measurement, so the usable space is about 7 3/4" from top to bottom.

I couldn't bear to part with any of the wonderful page, so I attached mine abutting the top binding, and hanging off the bottom. It just fits, without bending the paper.

I chose to apply my monthly calendar using score tape along three sides, making it a pocket into which the corresponding post card could be inserted. That post card will hold personal notes about my friend's gift preferences.

 The dates I stamped on the calendar are just for the purpose of marking them with a sticker to indicate that those dates are a birthday or anniversary.

I will place a small heart or candle, stamped on a clear label and punched out with a small circle punch, on the appropriate dates.

 

The date and person's name will be written on the list to the left.

My plan for the wonderful images accompanying each month, was to use as many as I could, without covering any of the drop dead gorgeous illustrations adoring each base pages art. (They still take my breath away with each look.)

One trick I used to help me placing the images, was to make sure that none of the tilted images were parallel to any of the others. (If two are at the same angle, they catch the eye, and keep it from roaming over the entire page effortlessly.) Just the smallest tilt in either direction will fix the problem.

My only real dilemma is how I'm going to get all the candle stickers on December 24 and 26. Seven of my friends have been born between Christmas Eve and New Year's! This is proof positive that children are indeed a gift.

My calendar pages are back to back, and this left two sides blank. To fill one of those, I used a calendar set by "Inkadinkadoo", one by "Papertrey Ink", and two border stamps from "The Stamps of Life" to make a background paper on kraft. I also waded up a small mitt full of plastic wrap, tapped it on my white stamp pad, and tamped it over the surface to mottle it a bit. (I should have used cream ink, but I had none.) Papertrey's "Tremendous Tags" dies were used to cut the tags.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look. I would love to hear any comments you may have. Happy crafting.