Large all occasion card featuring a silhouette of flowers with a watercoloured background over a paper pieced background

Another image from my stash - Dover silhouette of wild flowers.  I watercoloured the background and the laser printing acts as a resist - works so well.  I added a strip of yellow with pewter eyelet and cut a slot on the edge of the Queen Anne's Lace so I could get the strip to the other side.  I punched a slot (SU) to get the strip back to the front.  Still thinking it needed a bit of something I added a faux stitching border and that was better!!  I paper pieced a background using scraps of paper in blues and then embossed it.  I adhered by background to my green card and then added my wildflowers using 3D foam tape to give it a bit of dimension.  

Therese
 

Large birthday cards featuring a lamb with a heart on its rump and bird on its head

I had several of these lamb images (Beyond the Fringe Crafts) in my stash and decided to make up all three of them into cards.  For the top one I used a dark gray card, added a pieced background and then a scalloped strip with a black ribbon.  I tied on a short piece to simulate a bow.  I coloured the lamb image to coordinate, mounted it to green cardstock and added over the strip using 3D foam tape.  

For my second card I used a blue card, a bright polka dot background paper which I embellished with large stamped circles, 1" circles for the "strip" which I added faux stitching to, mounted my lamb to blue layer after watercolouring to coordinate.

For my third card I used a dark plum card, coordinating diamond background paper to which I added a yellow ribbon (tie a short piece for a bow), watercoloured the image and layered it onto dark plum cardstock before adhering to my card.  

Will be using two of these for my exchange cards this month.  

Therese

New fire starters

I made up some fire starters a while back and I have had an inquiry about how they are made so I thought I would add a blog post about how I made them. I acquired two used candles that the wicks had been burnt out leaving a hole in the middle and lots of wax all the way around from when my son moved to his new house.   I started by melting the wax in a double boiler until it could be poured from their containers.  I mixed the two colours - red and purple - and put them in a large stainless pot so I could keep the wax molten while I was creating the fire starters.  I started with little cardboard rings. Toilet paper rolls cut into three or four works really well but I also made up rings when I ran out using cereal cardboard strips stapled into the size I needed.  This method would if you are using larger pine cones so you can make them the size you need.  I tore newspaper into about 4" square and stuff one into each ring.  I then crumpled a square and put in the little depression in the ring.  Next, I dunked the pine cones into the wax several times to build up the wax on them and then tucked them inside the ring over the crumpled newspaper.  I had heated the pine cones in the low temperature oven on a cookie sheet to make sure they were bug free and very dry.  

From my previous experience with making fire starters they function better if they have a bit of air space in them.  I laid out the rings on a plastic tray so that any dripped wax would congeal on the bottom of the starter and be easily removed from the tray.  These worked out really well and I realize on hind sight that different materials would have made them "prettier".  I packaged my fire starters in boxes - candy boxes work really well as they are the perfect depth.  This way the package can be burned once it is empty.  No garbage!!

You will need pinecones, paper and wax. 

Pinecones:

The pinecones need to be dry.  If you have time simply collect them and let them dry naturally in a mesh or brown paper bag.  If not, lay them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200F which will dry them out and kill any bugs that may have taken up residence. There are all sorts of shapes and sizes so use what you have available to you. 

To begin with pine cones don't really need any help as they are natural fire starters but if you want them prettier you could simply dunk them several times in the wax and just let them solidify.  They look pretty cool that way too.  

Paper:

I could have used different paper to get a prettier final product.  You could use old book pages, used gift wrap or tissue paper, bond paper from old manuals or misprints from your computer, old notes from previous courses,  junk mail or last year's school notes on loose leaf or pages from scribblers.  Just check your recycle bin!!  You get the idea - pretty much any paper you have a supply of would do.  Choose what you have on hand and gives you the look you are looking for.  If you want a quick and easy solution you could use cupcake liners which are available in several different sizes and therefore  accommodate your pine cones. 

Wax:

Again use what  you have on hand.  Candles that are no longer useable are the best but consider old wax crayons as well.  These can often be acquire by just asking your friends and family to pass them on.  You can purchase canning paraffin wax which would work well is generally available.  Beeswax would also work though may be a little harder to find.  

These are perfect hostess gifts for anyone who goes camping or has a backyard fire pit.  Keep an eye out for small cardboard trays - take out containers, candy boxes, shoe box lids, board games, puzzles, pizza,  etc.  You could also easily fashion what you need from cereal cardboard, poster board, cardstock or any light weight corrugated cardboard.  Here is a tutorial for making a shallow box from cardboard which would allow you to make a box to custom fit the fire starters you have made.  Here is a template to give you an idea how you would go about it.  Therese 

Large all occasion card featuring a beautiful poppy, some sheet music and red organza ribbon

It is time to make some more cards for family occasions!!  I always like to try to make a few extras to get the creative juices flowing so I started with some images I had in my stash.  The poppy is from Calico Collage.  Have colour printed and used this image quite a few times.  Always makes great cards.  I made a red card, added the red organza ribbon to the sheet music background before adhering it to my card.  I trimmed the image with a white border, adhered it to a green layer leaving a large border on the bottom.  I scored three lines, punched the bottom with scallop border punch (SU) and them punched tiny holes in each scallop.  I mounted this large focal element to my card using 3D foam tape.  I tied a short piece of the same ribbon above the image using a single knot to simulate a bow!!  Love it!!

Therese
 

QAYG - new quilt with Mom's scraps

I am working on a new QAYG quilt.  I am using scraps from my Mom's stash and some from my poly cotton pile to make up my squares.  I have started with the pink squares.  I have made 10 that are going to finish at 8 inches.  I have modified the technique from the last time I made one to allow the seams to be stronger.  I will sew them together on the edges and then apply a strip of coordinating fabric to cover the seam and seam allowance.  There will be two seams on the other side like there was last time but this side will look a little different.  I am hoping to be able add strips that will keep the patchwork look of the quilt.  It is a work in progress.  I am using white cotton batting squares that I found in my Mom's stash that were generally 8" square.  I created strips with scraps and sewed them to the batting starting on one edge - laying one face up and one on top face down and sewing down the side.  Fold the top one over to the block and repeat until I get to the other side.  Trim to 8".  I turn it over and do the same on the other side except for this side I am working to get a 9" square so I extend my strips a half inch on each side but otherwise it is the same technique.  The seams will show on the other side but that is the way it goes for this time around.  I will judge if it is worth the cost in esthetics for the security of the quilt as a whole.  Once I have all my strips sewn down I then trimmed to a 9" square.  I will make some yellow, green and blue ones and then assemble them.  I will have to add a binding as well so I will figure that out when I get there.    Therese

 

Baby cards featuring a buggy and a little blue zebra on creative backgrouds

These are the last of the baby cards I made in this session!!  

The pink card has a background created by layering torn strips over the pink and green ones glued to a green cardstock rectangle.  I punched the right hand side with a scallop punch (SU) and added clear rhinestones.  I mounted this background onto a dark pink card.  I watercoloured the little buggy (Cre8tive Hands), added some paper piercing for texture and layered it onto a green rectangle.  I added ribbon flags to it using double sided tape before mounting it to my card with 3D foam tape.  

The blue card started with a yellow green card to which I added some striped paper before placing the blue circle paper which I had cut diagonally.  I watercoloured the zebra (Cre8tive Hands) to coordinate.  I trimmed a green rectangle, punched the left hand side (MS), embossed the remainder (CB) and then added some paper piercing on three edges.  I mounted the little zebra and then tied on some coordinating fiber to his left.  Has been so much fun!!  Therese
 

Baby cards featuring a rattle and a cute little giraffe with some fun backgrounds

For my first card, I started with a yellow card base and found a coordinating decorative paper background.  I trimmed out a piece and turned it over to highlight the back of the paper which features script.  I layered this strip to piece of blue green cardstock which I trimmed with scallop scissors and then added paper piercing with a push pin.  I dug some coordinating fiber from my stash and tied it to the strip and then adhered all the pieces to the front of my card.  I watercoloured the rattle (Cre8tive Hands) and layered it with salmon cardstock before adding it to the front of my card using 3D foam tape.

For my next card I started with a brown card and added a pieced background to which I had added a length of yellow satin ribbon.  I tied on a short length on the right hand side to simulate a bow.  I watercoloured the little giraffe (Cre8tive Hands), added some paper piercing for texture and then layered it onto a rectangle of decorative paper before adding this focal element to my card using 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Baby cards featuring baby blocks and a baby hanging on the moon with fun backgrounds

 For the first card, I started with a blue card base and chose a very light coloured background paper which I embossed with Swiss Dots (CB).  I trimmed the blocks (Cre8tive Hands) giving them a tag shape, punched a slot at the top and then used a decorative border on the punch and then added an embossed line above it.  I watercoloured the block and then added clear glitter using a gel pen to the letters.  I strung the tag to a piece of blue seam binding and then mounted it to my background using 3D foam tape.  I used double sided tape to secure the ends to the back of my layer and then mounted this large element to my card front.  I tied on a short piece of the same seam binding to the one on the front with one knot to simulate a bow.  

For the second card, I paper pieced a background with decorative paper scraps and added a strip of yellow paper over where they join.  I added a piece of coordinating organza ribbon securing the ends to the back with double sided tape and then mounted it to my blue green card.  The cute image has a baby hanging out on the moon and a star (Cre8tive Hands)!!  I watercoloured it and added clear glitter to the moon. Passed my pattern tracing wheel on all four edges to add some texture.  I mounted it a rectangle of blue green cardstock, embossed a line and them punched out five little stars from the bottom edge.  I added a piece of yellow decorative paper in behind to really make the stars stand out.  I mounted this focal element to my card using 3d foam tape.  

Therese