Cardmaking - watercoloured ornaments layered with metallic cardstock on coordinating cards

I made these Christmas cards to be included in a prize for a fundraising event in October.  I have been researching watercoloured Christmas cards and ornaments is a recurring theme.  There are a wide range of tutorials on how to make them and finish them off!!  Somewhere along the way I either read or deduced that I could use a glass to create a perfect circle for my ornament which would be easily be filled in with watercolour and a steady hand.  I cut my watercolour paper to 3.5" x 5" and then made all my ornaments.  I added some splatter to some of them in colour and also in gold and silver.  I need to practice because it is not really as good as my sister does on hers.  After they pressed for a day I trimmed the sheets to 3.5" x 4.75 inches so they would work centered on an A2 card.  I added a ribbon and an ornament cap at the top using a fine tip black Sharpie and then coloured the cap with silver or gold watercolour.  I added four lines of paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel and mounted them to metallic cardstock and then onto coordinating card fronts.  Really happy with these!!!!!  I have blogged the process I used to make these ornaments here.  Therese

 

Sewing - fabric basket to hold cards for a fundraising event

I committed to making a prize for our October fundraising event.  It is a fabric basket which you can see below holds a variety of handmade cards.  I made up 10 watercoloured ornament Christmas cards and added 14 all occasion cards.  I packaged them same as I did last time - folded cellophane pockets kept together with a strip of lettered tape which looks like a book.  Works really well!!  They stand on their own and can be laid flat which allows visual access to all the cards without actually touching them.  Great for storing them until you need them as well.  

I cut the outer fabric and then the lining (11" x 8") and then cut out the corners (2.5").  I stitched the fronts to the linings and then added some polyester batting to the outer.  To stitch the basket together you place the two pieces over each other and stitch the ends and the sides.  You need to leave an opening on the lining end to be able to turn it inside out  I forgot so unstitched a bit of my seam.  I had never made boxed corners like this before.  Works well!!  Once turned inside out I added four rows of top stitching to firm up the top portion of the basket.  The batting was a little fluffy but for my first try I think it worked out well enough.  I perfectly holds the three packages of cards I put together.   I see that I have made an error in the number of cards - it is a total of 24 cards  - not 30!!  I will have to print another one with the right numbers and my prize will be ready to go!!!   Therese

Grandma to Grandma Campaign quilt at the library in Red Deer

The Grandma to Grandma groups across Canada cooperated last year to create an art quilt to celebrate the transformative support provided to our partners - Grandmothers in Africa.  It is titled The Sheltering Tree and visually represents the support of the grandmothers and the initiative they have taken to create a protected place for themselves and their grand children to grow and become their best selves.  The supplies were gathered from the groups including fabric and embellishments.  Our Gramma Link Africa group provided leaves for the tree.  It is very beautiful!!!  It is touring the country and being hosted by Grandma groups across the country.   These ladies did a splendid job of organizing our turn of hosting the quilt.  There was a reception on October 5th and it will be at the library until the end of the month when it will be sent along to the Canmore group.  Therese