Anniversary card featuring Calico Collage images, an embossed scalloped circle and a stamped greeting

 My last July card for my youngest daughter on her anniversary!!!!!!!  I trimmed these previously colour printed images from Calico Collage, markered their edges with a black Sharpie and then adhered them to a large red card.  The heart is also a Calico Collage image which I cut with my circle cutter and also markered its edge with a brown marker.  I found a circle in my stash that was pretty close to the right colour so I die cut a scallop circle from it, chalked its edges and then embossed it with the "Subtle Texture" (SU) embossing folder.  Perfect!!  I mounted the image to the scalloped circle and adhered it to my card using 3D foam tape.  I found the stamped greeting in my stash.  Add two rows of paper piercing and then tucked it just under the edge of my scalloped circle.    Therese

Birthday card featuring a serendipity background and a large tag with a greeting and some watercoloured candles

Another July card for the special occasions in my family!!  I started with a large kraft card and then created a large serendipity background using scraps of paper in coordinating colours.  Once it was dry, I trimmed it to size and ran my pattern tracing wheel on all of its edges to create some texture then adhered it to my card. I die cut a brown tag and them embossed it with the "subtle texture" 3D embossing folder (SU).  Perfect!!  I trimmed yet another piece of the white cardstock I had stamped with the candles (SU) to the width for my tag and then tore the top and bottom.  I stamped the greeting, watercoloured the candles, added texture with my pattern tracing wheel and then a little tab with a tiny brad.  To finish it off I added a kraft hole reinforcement then tied on a length of gold/ivory fiber.  I mounted my tag to the card using 3D foam tape.  It is so nice to have time to be cardmaking!!          Therese

 

Birthday card featuring a striped collage background in blue and yellow scraps and little tag focal element with a bouquet of flowers and a layered greeting

 This card is for my Mom - her favorite colour is blue!!  I added a bit of yellow when I used all these strips of decorative scrapbook paper from my little stash of blue papers.  They coordinated so nicely and I simply taped them together on the back.  I layered the background onto a piece of yellow scrap book paper and then onto my large blue card.  This image is one of those I stampd a while back from one of my older SU sets - candles, flowers, leaves, a rabbit and this bouquet.  I thought it would be handy to have stamped images ready for creating cards.  Needless to say, I have a little stash of black and white images now!!  I might have gotten a little carried away - it was a bit of ink and scrap pieces of white cardstock!! I watercoloured my flowers to coordinate with my background, added a green ribbon and a layered oval greeting (font - laser printed) to the lower section then added a few lines of paper pierced texture with my pattern tracing wheel.  To finish it off I added some blue watercolour to the edges and mounted it to a rectangle of textured yellow cardstock.  I punched the bottom edge with  scalloped border punch (SU) and punched tiny holes in each scallop.  I mounted this focal element to my card front with 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Birthday card featuring a background made of scrappy strips, a little digital greeting and a layered length of watercoloured candles

 Still working on large cards for the special occasions in my extended family.  This one started with a deep rose card and I created a strippy background for it.  I tore my strips and adhered them to a 5.5" x 8.5" scrap piece of bond paper until it was completely covered.  After it was dry, I trimmed it to size and stitched the edges with rainbow thread which I used on my prayer flags which added more colour and texture to it before adhering it to my card front.  I die cut two scallop borders (SX) from pink cardstock and layered my focal element - a whole row of watercoloured candles (SU)  - with a rectangle of green cardstock.  I had already added two rows of paper piercing to it to add texture.  I layered the borders to the top and bottom of the green rectangle and added paper piercing to the scallops with a push pin.  I added a little laser printed digital greeting (Desert Diva- digital) which also was embellished with paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel to the upper edge and then mounted this large element to my card front with 3D foam tape. Pink and green - my favorite colour combination!!!!!  Love how this one turned out!!

Therese

Birthday card featuring a collaged background, fabric lace and ribbon and a long row of watercoloured candles

 Another card for July birthdays!!  I started with a large coral rose card and created a collaged strips background that coordinated.  The strips were gleaned from my little stash of decorative papers which were sitting on my desk from a previous cardmaking session.  I tore the paper into strips and adhered them side by side on a piece of 5.5" x 8.5" of scrap bond.  Once it was dry, I trimmed it to size.  To give some soft texture I handstitched two lengths of off white lace to each other on their straight edges and adhered them to my background securing the ends on the back using double sided tape then added a shimmery ribbon across the stitching also securing the ends to the back with double sided. tape.  I had chosen this length of stamped candles as my focal point so I watercoloured them to coordinate and finished off the flames with some clear glitter.  I added a row of paper piercing on the top and bottom of this layer and then adhered it to my card using double sided tape and glue.  I did tuck the little font greeting (laser printed) in before pressing the card.  It has a row of paper piercing too.    Therese

Thread holder using a pegboard

I have repurposed a pegboard that I used for my craft sale set up into a thread holder.  I ordered 6" peg board hooks from online - they are twice the price locally - and was able to put up all of my large spools.  There is evern room for more than one on a peg in some cases when the spools are different sizes and also room for bobbins on the end so they can live together.  I have not yet decided to add the regular and small spools as it would be more difficult to see the colours of them.  I have them in trays in drawers now and it is really easy to find the colour I am looking for when I have a project I am working on.  Brian was able to make the modifications required and attach it to the wall just above my sewing desk.  As you can see there are several other items that have found their way to the bottom hooks which were scavenged from my craft sale display box.   Therese 

My "tree" quilt is finally finished

I have finally finished the hand stitching of the leaves on this quilt top (51" x 39.5").  I like how it came out but stitching in the middle of the quilt was harder than I had expected due to the weight of the fbric and backing.  I pinned the leaves in place one at at time and used green embrodery thread and running stitch to secure them to the quilt next to the "trees".  I placed the next one over it once I had finished the first one and repeated 18 more times.  I really like how the quilt feels so now I have to find a backing to sandwich my polyester batting into the quilt. 

I found a dark green cotton polyester piece that was the right size for the back and there was enough from the other scraps to make a binding in the same colour.  Perfect!!  I added some vertical stitched lines using an off white thread on the front and dark green on the back once I got the backing pinned into place.  After that I stitched on some outline leaves with the same thread placing them next to the lines on the front to simulate a forest in the background.  I had one leftover leaf and so I traced it with a pencil where I thought leaves would look appropriate then roughly followed the line to create the outline leaves.  I really like how that looks.  I cut 3" strips for my binding and stitched them together.  I decided to use a wavy decorative stitch to stitch it into place because I usually miss the back portion when I use a straight line and have to go back and finish all those places by hand.  I had folded the edges of the 3" strip into the center and then in half so I would be assured that as long as I caught the back with stitching it would be secure.  I am pretty happy with how it worked out.  The wavy line does not distract from the quilt and it certainly ensured that I did not have to do any handwork once I was done.  I washed the quilt after I finished it to wash out the pencil lines and to see that it all held together.  The hand stitched leaves are now a little fuzzy but that is fine.  All good!!!!!  I have a special purpose for this quilt which I will share later.    I have several possibilities for the next quilt - will have to see which one calls to me.  I have also started on another hand stitching project which features stitching decorative fabric elements to solid coloured 6" squares.  I will blog those once I have started the first one.     Therese

 

Exchange cards featuring cool light bulbs and fabric paper backgrounds

These are my two cards for my exchange partner for this month.  I have seen quite a few cards online with light bulbs and when I found a great image on Beyond The Fringe Crafts I downloaded and used it for these cards.  I sized the images for large cards and printed them on white cardstock.  I fussy cut them, watercoloured them and the bulbs a coat of clear dimensional paint.  I used two larger kraft cards which have coordinating envelopes for my card bases.  I added some fabric paper which I had on my desk since creating cards for Father's Day.  I added embossed borders to each of them - one on the bottom and a rick rack border to the other one.  I added a row of machine stitching to the edges and then mounted them to my card fronts.  Once they were dry, I added the light bulbs with 3D foam tape.  I did add some words to the digital I downloaded. There are so many great saying out there so I just chose two that spoke to me.  They are on their way to my partners in this week's mail.  Therese

 

Birthday card with a scrappy background and a collaged tag with some fiber and a small digital greeting

I am working on my family cards for July and decided to make some large cards again.  I started with a large brown card and created a scrappy background for it.  I found most of these pieces in a box that I had not looked in for a while.  They are mostly 12" strips which were cut off of large 12"x 12" sheets for a different project.  I started in the corner with the stripy triangle and then added the brown strip trimming to the edge of my 5.5" x 8.5" bond substrate as I went.  I added the little turquoise triangle after I was finished. I pressed the background, trimmed it to size and then adhered it to my card front.  I die cut a large tag (Elison) using a scrap of cardstock.  In a previous crafting session I had stamped a whole bunch of images from this older SU set onto white cardstock strips and miscellaneous pieces of white cardstock from my bin using Black Versafine thinking at some point they would come in handy.  I decided to use some of the candles for this card.  I trimmed a piece which fit across my tag, watercoloured the candles to coordinate with my background,  added some paper piercing with my pattern tracing wheel and then embossed two lines using my score tool.  After embellishing the flames with clear glitter I adhered this to my tag and trimmed it to the edges.  I found some handpainted paper which coordinated nicely so I trimmed off a piece and then tore it in two.  I adhered one piece to the bottom of my tag and the other to the top of it.  I trimmed the decorative paper to the edge of my tag with scissors.  It coordinates very nicely with my background. I found this little laser printed greeting (Desert Diva - digital) in my stash.  I matted it with two little scraps of cardstock - brown and light teal - and added it to the lower edge of my tag using 3D foam tape.  I punched a hole in the top of my tag and added rust and teal fiber to finish it off. Thinking it still needed " a bit of something" I added a strip of double sided tape on the back of the right hand edge and added a few small lengths of coordinating ribbons - flagging all the ends.  That was better!  I adhered my tag to my card using 3D foam tape.   It feels good to have started these cards because July is going to be busy and it is always better if the cards are ready ahead of time.  Therese