Prayer flags - fabric rectangles embellished with wax crayons

I have been wanting to make prayer flags for the yard since last year and have over the winter been doing research on line to find a way ahead.  There are all kinds out there from the Tibetan ones which hang on mountain tops to the quilted ones made by those who are looking for something special for their backyards or gardens.  I have decided to follow my instincts and use fabric rectangles embellished with wax crayons.  The fabric pieces were ones that my Mom passed on to my sister and I absconded with.  I would guess that Mom received them already cut into rectangles in a a box of fabric that was donated to her and were probably a set of curtains that had been upcycled for quilting.  They would be perfect for my project.  I decided to use them as they were and therefore did not hem them.  I will fold them over and stitch them to paracord once I have enough made for the length I have available to me.  I measured my cord today and I have enough for several different locations in the yard.  That will come later.  Prayer flags are generally put up and left until they started to disintegrate.  Once taken down, the remains should be burned as they are vessels that have held good wishes and blessings and need to be treated with respect.

I put foil on my griddle and set it to 200F.  I found it difficult to paint the fabric as it was quite soft.  I therefore used two bull clips to attach the top of the rectangle to the edge of my griddle which was much better for keeping the fabric in place and provided some stability for the addition of the wax.  I used wax crayons that have been stripped of their paper.  I did pick some up this past week in our Trash to Treasure program here in town.  Someone online was suggesting that soaking them in water helped release the paper from the crayons.  It worked for about half of them.  It was a bit messier to remove the paper once it was wet but the others simply slipped off which was great.  It did shortened the time required to remove the paper.  Not sure why it worked for some and not others as they were mostly all Crayola crayons.   I started by outlining the hearts and then filling them in using several crayons in the same colour family.  Then I worked on the outside edges and added colour all the way to the cut edges.  I tried to remember to leave a bit more space at the top to allow for the folding over and stitching to the paracord.  Once they were finished I carefully lifted them off the foil and placed them on brown paper to cool.  I managed to get ten of them made today.  They were well saturated with wax and therefore quite stiff  so I decided to iron them between layers of brown paper to remove some of the wax in hopes they would be a little more supple.  They are somewhat better so it may take a little while outside before they are flapping in the breeze the way they should to send the blessings infused in them out into the world on the wind.  I have stored them away for today and will revisit them when I have time to make a few more to see if anything further can be done for more suppleness.  I will be using the brown paper for making a few more fire starters for my 365 Project as they are already on their way to being properly waxed for them.  I love that the hearts show on them as well.   

I am very happy with how the flags turned out and how vivid the colours are.  It was a complete bonus that the fabric with its colour variations and printing provided some resistance to the wax and created wonderful texture in both the hearts and the backgrounds!!!!!!!  Better than I could have hoped for!!  

For now I will keep creating until I have enough to fill the length of my cord.               Therese

 

Fabric collage with diluted white glue

I have been playing with fabric.  I have read somewhere on line that diluted white glue can be used to prevent fabric from fraying when you are creating.  I should have taken better note when I read it because now I can no longer locate the location of the information I read.  I cannot remember if it was in relation to sewing/quilting or in the making of an art piece.  Anyway, without a way ahead except that it was diluted white glue I decided to go ahead and try to create a piece of fabric collage that will not fray when I used it as a background for cards or quilting.  I covered my work surface with plastic and spread out a long piece of polyester fabric I had on hand.  I diluted some white glue to about 50-50 and applied some of it at one end of my fabric.  I then laid small pieces of white fabric over it and covered them with my glue solution and then overlapped more over them and covered them with my solution.  I continued this process for about a couple of feet ensuring that everything was well saturated with my glue solution.  It was very wet so I knew it would take quite a while to dry so I put it outside in the sun to hasten the process.  After it was dry, I checked it out and found that some of the edges were not secure so I decided to add some machine stitching to ensure that my piece would remain intact when I used it.  I used a shimmery thread on the top and regular white thread in my bobbin.  I worked very well and I am very happy with the result.  I have been brainstorming some ways to use it.  I expect it will be perfect as a background for some cards and I will certainly try at least one piece as a background for a quilt square and do some applique and then wash it to see if it holds up to washing.  I am not sure if white glue will wash out after it has been dried into a surface.  We shall see!!                Therese

Birthday card featuring a cute cat walking in the rain, some embossed velllum and a beautiful background with a rainbow

I found this fun image of a little kitten with a beautiful umbrella on Pixabay and thought it would make a great birthday card for my niece.  I laser printed it, trimmed it with scallop decorative scissors and then used a push pin to pierce each scallop.  I embossed a strip of vellum using a Sizzix embossing folder and mounted it to a beautiful background with a rainbow!!!  Worked so well.  After adhering the vellum to the background I mounted my image with four silver brads.  To finish my card I mounted this large element to my large card.  I created the card to fit in a large envelope from my stash.  

Therese

 

Birthday card with a handmade paper background, a little stitched sail boat on a wavy sea

I committed to getting this card out a while back and it did not make it to my daytimer and I just remembered today for a tomorrow birthday!!  Hence, the belated that I added by hand!!  I was on a roll with stitching fabric to handmade paper and thought I would try a different subject matter.  I did a bit of research for sail boat quilts which led me to this pattern which was easy enough to trim the pieces by hand.  I found blue tulle and rick rack which simulated water quite nicely.  I cut the boat from brown and the sails from blue and red fabrics.  I stitched the tulle first, then my boat and then I added the rick rack.  I like that you can see the boat below the rick rack - like it is just behind a wave.  I used blue thread to stitch the sails in place and then dark brown to stitch the mast in between.  I used the end of a pencil to add the dark brown ball on the end because with just the stitching it looked a little lost.  I ran my pattern tracing wheel on top and bottom of my greeting and then stitched both sides in brown over my boat.  The tulle worked out really well and it was fun to try something new with this technique.  It will be off in tomorrow's mail and hopefully won't be more than a few days late.  Therese
 

A little card of encouragement

One of my grandson did a good job of his online learning last week I thought I would make him a little panel card to let him know that he did good and with a continued effort will get to where he sets his sights.  

The little bear is from Pixabay.  I laser printed it, trimmed to size, ran my pattern tracing wheel on all four edges and mounted it to a brown panel which I embossed with my Subtle Texture embossing folder.  What a wonderful tool!!  Textured cardstock in any colour of cardstock you have on hand!!!  Perfect!!  I stamped and embellished the tag with a star and a brad and a gave it a go with the pattern tracing wheel as well.  

Therese

 

Birthday card with a handmade paper background and a bevy of gifts in red and blue

 I wanted to make my exchange cards using fabric scraps and handmade paper.  It is so easy to stitch the scraps to the paper and I love all the texture that is created in the process of combining the two.  After stitching all the way around the gifts in blue I added two lines of red to simulate ribbon.  I added the bows after I had stitched on all the gifts but on hind sight I could have added them when I did the vertical center red stitching as I simply laid the center of the ribbon/tie over the gift and stitched in place then tied a bow.  I had not figured out how to add the bows when I was stitching the gifts.  I limited myself to red and blue but next time I will be more vibrant with my colours and mix up the ribbons as well.  This one is a little too predictable in its colour scheme which I not how birthday gifts happen in real life.  They are usually very different and more colourful.  It is a celebration after all!!  After all the stitching was done I glued this large layer to the front of a navy card which fit in a large envelope.  I will be mailing it off to my partner this week!!

Therese

Birthday card with a handmade paper background, a stitched fabric cake and some silk flower embellishments

Having really enjoyed making this card for my daughter I thought I would try combining handmade paper and fabric for my exchange cards for this month.  

I started with a large pink card which fit in a large envelope from my stash.  I tore a piece of coordinating handmade paper (which I made myself quite a while back) to fit nicely on the front.  I found some pink and green fabric and trimmed out three pieces in three different sizes to create my cake and then a little one for the candle.  I dug through my little stash of small yellow fabric scraps and trimmed out two candle flames - one large and one small.  I used light green thread in my sewing machine to stitch them in place on my handmade paper starting with my candle and then the small layer it and so on until I had created my cake.  I put yellow thread in my sewing machine and stitched my flames which I overlaid over one another.  I used brown thread to stitch the wick.  Love it!!!!!  Pink and green is my favorite colour combination.  Wanting to add yet a bit more texture I decided to add some little silk flowers which coordinated very nicely.  I added white iridescent sequins to their centers and adhered them to my cake using tiny white brads.  I adhered this large element to my card front and pressed it under weight to ensure that all handmade paper was well attached to my card.  I really like the combination of the handmade paper and the fabric.  Stitching them together went very well and everything has so much texture.  It is off to my partner this week!!            Therese
 

Anniversary card featuring "Love is..." from TLC, some heart punchies and an embossed vellum greeting

My parents are celebrating their 67 years of marriage and I made this this card.  The Love is... image is from TLC.  I colour printed it and used it as my focal image.  I choose a large envelope from my stash and created a coordinating purple card to fit inside.  I went looking for paper that coordinated with my image and found this one.  I did not have too many to choose from and this one worked the best though I might have preferred one with a bit of a softer look.  I dug through my little heart collection and found these three that worked with my other elements.  I embossed the two pink hearts with my Scripty - 3D embossing folder (SU).  Love it!!!!!!!  I trimmed a strip of the same purple cardstock, added the embossed hearts and then my silver embossed vellum greeting (SU) with two silver brads.  I mounted my image to my card then mounted the strip below it.  Worked really well.  We continue to pray for good health for our parents during this challenging time.  

Therese
 

Cards for Seniors - small photo cards

 I made up a few photo cards for the Cards for Seniors campaign that Scrap and Bean is running.  The photos are all trimmed off the calendars that my sister makes.  She is a photographer and has her camera handy most of the time.  She has been making these beautiful photo calendars for years and I usually get one for Christmas.  I just cannot throw them out!!!  So I have been collecting them and using them in my cardmaking but I have not been able to use them all so I decided I would take a few and make some small square cards for the Cards for Seniors that Scrap and Bean is sponsoring.  I trimmed the photos to 4" x 4" and then created 4.25" x 4.25" cards that coordinated with the images and simply adhered the photos to the front.  They make the best notecards and I am so happy to give them another chance to bless someone.  I will put them in with the other stash I made up a while back.  

Therese

Mother's Day card featuring a silhouette image with a sponged background, decorative paper and ribbon

I made this card for my youngest daughter for Mother's Day.  I started with the silhouette image of wild flowers laser printed on white cardstock. I masked off an area and sponged on several colour of blue ink.  I have been wanting to try this technique for so long and have yet to master it.  After removing the masks I found that it was a bit askew so I moved my masks and kept sponging on colour in lighter and lighter tones until I had reached the edges.  This was much better!!  I stamped the greeting (SU) near the top with black Versafine, ran my pattern tracing wheel around the edges and then added three little red rhinestones.  I created a black card that fit in a large envelope from my stash and  added my background (Melstampz).  I punched two slots on either side of my image and inserted a black cardstock strip to which I had adhered bright green ribbon that coordinated with my background paper.  I inserted it into the slots and then mounted this large element to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I used double sided taper to secure the ends of my strip.  

Therese
 

Mother's Day card featuring a wax crayon background, a watercoloured silhouette image and a paper doily

Blue is my Mom's favorite colour so I usually make her cards with some blue on them.  For this card I created a large black card that fit inside a large envelope from my stash.  I added this beautiful background paper which I created using white cardstock and wax crayons.  I laser printed the silhouette wildflower image (Dover)  onto white cardstock, trimmed it out and then added blue watercolour.  Once dry, I stamped the greeting (SU) in black Versafine near the top.  I punched a hole above and below the greeting and then inserted a black ribbon which I tied on the front with two knots and then trimmed the tails.  I trimmed a little white doily in half and added them to the top and bottom of my image before mounting this large focal element to my card front with 3D foam tape.  I did run my pattern tracing wheel on all four edges of my flower image to add some paper pierced texture but it does not show up very well in this photo.  

Therese
 

Mother's Day card featuring stitched fabric paper background, watercoloured silhouette image and some little ribbon flags

A card for my oldest daughter for Mother's Day.  I appreciate how both of my daughters mother their children though they each do it with their own slant and style. 

I started with a dark brown card that fit in a large envelope from my stash.  I added this fun background of fabric paper which I had stitched in an all over pattern a while back.  I printed this silhouette of wildflowers (Dover) onto white cardstock.  I trimmed it to size and added coordinating watercolour to make an interesting background for the flowers.  I stamped the little greeting (SU) in black (Versafine) near the top, punched top and bottom with the eyelet border punch (SU) and then embossed a line using my score tool.  I added three little red rhinestones on the bottom left and five little ribbon flags to the top right before mounting this large element to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Mother's Day card featuring wildflower silhouette with a purple background, ribbon and script background

This card is one for my daughter in law.  Her daughter is about four months old and cutie!!

I started with a pink card to fit in a large envelope and added dark purple rectangles embossed the the Scripty (SU) background.  I watercoloured the silhouette of wild flowers (Dover) with purples and pink to coordinate.  I punched a couple of slots (SU) and added two little pieces of ribbon and folded them to the back of my image.  I had already stamped the Mother's Day greeting (SU) in black Versafine when I printed the image.  I added the little heart which I watercoloured to coordianate as well just below the greeting.  I mounted this large element to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Anniversary card featuring a cute little envelope filled with an embossed felt heart and an embossed greeting

Our oldest daughter and her DH are celebrating an anniversary this weekend.  This is the card I made for them.  

I started with a dark brown card that fit inside a large envelope from my stash.  I added some all over stamping to the outside edges of my card because I was leaving such a large border around my decorative paper.  I die cut  a little envelope out of light yellow cardstock, folded it leaving one flap up and then tied it with a red ribbon to keep it folded.  I inserted a red embossed felt heart into my envelope.  Worked very well!  I mounted my envelope and the embossed a greeting below with gold embossing powder.  I added a little red heart punchie between the two words.  This large element was mounted to my brown card and my card was finished.  Really like how it turned out!!

Therese

Birthday cards featuring a cute little owl, lace and fun decorative paper

A birthday card for my second oldest grand daughter.  They are all growing so fast.  We have not seen them in quite a while because of restrictions.  I started with a large envelope from my stash and created a light pink card to fit inside.  I added the fun decorative paper and added the strip I cut off to the bottom edge.  I trimmed a strip of white cardstock and added the coordinating lace then mounted that piece over the gap.  I did run my tracign wheel on top and bottom edges before gluing it down.  I also ran it along the edges of my owl image (Cre8tive hands) and on both edges of the font greeting.  I added coordinating ribbon to the image and then watercoloured it to coordinate.  I love this cute little owl.  I trimmed the bottom edge with my eyelet border punch (SU).  It is headed her way this week along with an envelope of fun.  

Therese

 

Birthday card featuring a fabric paper background with fabric candles stitched over it

 My daughter loves to sew and has her own business where she encourages people to be conscious consumers when it comes to clothes.  I decided to incorporate fabric into her birthday card to reflect part of who she is!!  I started with a large envelope from my stash and created a kraft card to fit inside.  I cut my background for a sheet of fabric paper I made a while back.  I dug out a few fabric scraps that coordinated and cut seven little strips for my candles.  A small scrap of light yellow and a darker yellow and I was able to hand cut 7 little flames.  I used light coloured thread to stitch on my candles going around the perimeter a couple of times and pulling the threads to the back.  I layered the darker flames over the light and stitched them with a rust coloured thread.  I used a dark brown thread for the wicks.  I colour washed a stamped greeting, tore the top and bottom edges and then stitched in place using rust thread.  I found inspiration for this card on line at Thirty Hand Made Days.  I really love how it worked out and can certainly see making a few more of these in the future.  

Therese

Scrap and Bean - cards for seniors - reused elements and an Asian tag

Here are my last two cards for the Cards for Seniors program by Scrap and Bean.  

1.  I reused a background from a dismantled card and mounted it to a blue card.  I used this ATC background and added the square with metal flower embellishment, a ribbon and the greeting (SU).  I mounted it to a dark pink rectangle then to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

2.  This Asian tag was in my stash.  I added the black ribbon then created a background for it on a peach coloured card.  I added watercolour, stamped it with WORN (SU) in a couple different colours then added more watercolour.  Worked out well.  I added my tag and then a layered font greeting. 

In all I have over 80 cards to donate to their cause for seniors!  I am sure that the seniors will be appreciative of receiving handmade cards with greetings knowing that there are people thinking of them.  Cards are always a blessing!!

Therese

 

Scrap and Bean - cards for seniors - fun flowers

 Another couple cards for the Scrap and Bean - Cards for seniors program.  

1.  I started with a light yellow card and added the fun background (colour printed digital - Melstampz) in reds to yellows.  The focal element uses a spare ATC background to which I added watercoloured flowers which I made a while back.  I added a stamped greeting embellished with my pattern tracing wheel in between then mounted the whole thing to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

2.  The background is a reused layer from a notecard which I adhered to a light green card front.  The little flowers (SU) were stamped a while back so I trimmed them out, punched the bottom edge with the eyelet punch (SU), watercoloured it to coordinate, stamped the greeting (SU) then added a little bit of pink ribbon.  It still needed something to I added paper piercing using my pattern tracing wheel.  That was better!!         Therese

Scrap and Bean - cards for seniors - butterflies and a collage

 Another set of cards for the seniors which Scrap and Bean are collecting!!  

1.  A tan card with a leafy background which was watercoloured, stamped and embossed.  For my focal element I started with a brown cardstock rectangle embossed with the Scripty 3D embossing folder (SU) which is new to me!!  I added a gold ribbon with fiber tied to it then mounted a little collage which I had trimmed with postage stamp decorative scissors.  I watercoloured a little greeting and mounted it with 3D foam tape.  

2.  A gold card front with a butterfly background (colour printed digital - Just something I made ) which I colourwashed with a bit of yellow to help it coordinate a bit better with my focal element.  The focal element was created using an ATC background to which I added some colour washed tissue paper with some glittery glue.  Worked so well with the two little butterflies from my stash.  I stamped the greeting (SU), added three little brown rhinestones and then added it to my butterfly collage trimming the ends to the edge.  I  mounted this element to my card front using 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Scrap and Bean - cards for seniors - textured foil and stamped flowers

 Another two cards to be donated to Scrap and Bean for their cards for seniors event in June.  

1.  A green card with a coordinating quilted background (colour printed digital).  The center panel was stamped a while back with the flowers (SU).  I added the little greeting SU), blue ribbon and the silk flowers and then coloured the flowers to coordinate.  It was a bit tricky getting around the silk flowers but that is the way it goes when you create backwards.  I mounted this piece to a pink layer before mounting it to my card front. 

2.  This is one of my ATCs which I undid and then added the butterfly (Appalachian Arts) on vellum which I had in my stash.  I added the little greeting and then replaced the silver brads to hold the vellum in place.  The blue is embossed metal foil tape embellished with transparent acrylic paint.  I found a striped background that coordinated and mounted to a coordinating card and mounted my focal element with 3D foam tape.  

Therese

Bright rainbow birthday card

This card is for my oldest grand daughter who is turning 14.  She is growing up and becoming a young woman.  I found this image of a girl with an umbrella (Judy Clement Wall) and thought it suited her well.  Before printing, I added a birthday greeting from Desert Diva leaving enough space in between to add ribbon or some other embellishment.  After trimming it out from the sheet I decided on the rainbow paper (Melstampz) so I coloured the image to coordinate.  I used gel pens and watercolour in combination to get all those little spaces coloured.  I added clear glitter to the raindrops, the puddles and the street light.  I added the blue ribbon, ran my pattern tracing wheel on the edges above the ribbon and then 3 little blue rhinestones below the ribbon.  There was enough room on the bottom to use a border punch to add some texture ( Martha Stewart).  I created a large black card, added the colour printed rainbow paper and then the large focal element using 3D foam tape.  Really happy with how it turned out.  Therese
 

Scrap and Bean - cards for seniors - with fun backgrounds and layered focal elements of hearts and flowers

 Two more cards I made for Scrap and Bean to be donated to seniors.  

1.  A small stamped flower which I lightly watercoloured to coordinate with my frame which I found in my stash.  I adhered the frame to the flower and then adhered to my card front which features some coordinating paste paper on a blue card front.  I punched the stamped greeting (from my stash) with a tap punch (SU), sponged its edges with green ink and then added a folded ribbon using a tiny white brad.  

2.  This card features a background I found in my stash that features a paper pieced/serendipity background to which I machine stitched a length of light green lace.  I have several of them which were all created at one time and then abandoned for a better option.  This one worked really well with an ATC background which I embellished with some decorative paper and then added a little heart (Melonheadz) which I watercoloured and fussy cut before mounting with 3D foam tape.  Pink and green is my favorite colour combination so I really like how this one turned out.  

Therese

Scrap & Bean - cards for seniors - with ATCs from my stash

 I heard from my sister, Sylvia, that Scrap and Bean (scrapbooking store) is looking for hand made cards for seniors which they will be distributing in June.  So I decided to see what I could get made before I see her next. 

I made these up with ATCs which I made/traded years ago now.  These little creations are too good to toss so I decided to see how many I could make cards with.  

1.  This ATC is a swapped one and features a rose.  I simply added a silver vellum overlay on a green card and added the ATC over than.  A little "Thinking of you" (font and laser printed) greeting pinched out with the Window punch (SU) and layered onto a Modern Label (SU) punchie in red and mounted with 3D foam tape.

2.  This is one of my ATC which features embossed metal with a bit of marker on the flowers.  I simply added a black thread tie.  I mounted it on a rescued background which I stamped with a little script greeting (SeeD).  I mounted this large piece onto a coordinating purple card front.

3.  This ATC is a traded one which features an alcohol ink background and stamped quote from Shakespeare about music being the food of love.  I used a light green card to coordinate with the colours in the background and embellished a piece of sheet music with watercolour and some heart stamping (SU).  I adhered the back to my card, added the ATC and then mounted two hearts with 3D foam tape.  The top heart has been embellished with glitter pen and three little pink rhinestones and the little bottom heart has been left plain.  

4.  This is one of my ATCs which again features embossed foil with a bit of a twist.  This one was created by creating a textured piece and then adding foil tape over it and really burnishing it to reveal the texture.  I added "riend" to the right of the large F using a wooden skewer before mounting it to my card front which featured a yellow and purple background (colour printed digital - Morgue File) adhered to a yellow card front.  I added a stamped greeting (SU) which I colour washed to coordinate and then mounted with 3D foam tape.  

5.  A traded ATC which features a cute little fish in a gold foil frame.  I added a greeting "there's only one you" which I colour washed to coordinate.  I mounted it onto my card with 3D foam tape.  The background on my card is a one created with plastic wrap and watercolour a while back.  It is mounted on a blue card.  

6.  This is one of my ATCs which features a framed gentleman on a piece of embossed metal foil tape which was embellished with pink transparent acrylic paint.  The quote was added around the edge using a glitter gel pen and talks about people being primary numbers and therefore quite unique.  I mounted my coordinating pink paste paper background to a black card and mounted my ATC with 3D foam tape.  To finish it off I stamped the greeting (SU) with black ink.  

I have quite a few cards ready to go which have been refurbished from ones sent to me in swaps, exchanges and donations given to me to reuse.  

Therese

Art for an installation about women from our family

My aunt, Maria, is an artist and has come up with a plan for a piece of art that will highlight the women of our family.  Being as many of us are involved with textiles in one way or the other she has started circulating a letter to the women of our family requesting textile pieces we have made that will be included in her piece of art.  Her siblings got the first letters and she is working her way down through the layers of each generation to be in touch with as many as she has contact information for.  One of my aunts has already sent along her piece and it was shared with those of us she has email addresses for.  We have four generations in some of the legs in the family.  I am sharing here the piece I made to send to her.

After some brainstorming and a bit of a sketch here are the supplies I assembled.  

 * 6" square (4" to 6" was the guideline she provided) of white polka dots on navy fabric.  This layer represents space with its vast amount of stars. 

* 4" circle of pieced fabrics.  This layer represents the Earth.  It is made up of four scraps of fabric which represent each season by their colour.  I machine stitched the pieces together and then cut out my circle.  

*  white tulle which I overlaid over the seams in the Earth to have the seasons blend into each other visually.  

*  1.25" circle of yellow fleece which will be my Sun.

*  24  3/4" pink fabric circle die cuts  - all different - which represent all the women in our family.

*  stitched hearts represents the love they give - to themselves, each other and their families and community. 

*  red thread which represents our connection through our shared history.

*  silver thread which represents our connection to the Divine which is evident through out the Universe.

I started by layering my Earth onto my starry sky and placing the sun in the middle of it so it would overlap all the seasons.  I used variegated yellow embroidery thread to stitch my sun into place starting in the center and using running stitches in a spiral pattern until I got to the edges.  

Next, I laid several layers of tulle over the seams between my seasons and used the same variegated yellow floss to stitch rays going from the sun to the outside edge of the Earth which anchored all my layers.

Next, I used various colours  of pink floss to stitch hearts onto all of my little pink circle die cuts.  I started with a pattern I got from online that combined two scroll stitches to form a heart but I found they did not hold their shape very well.  It is possible that I did not properly execute the stitches but in the end I decided to just create two opposing curves and added a stab stitch to each one to hold it in place.  I did go back and add stab stitches to the ones with scroll stitches which worked well to keep them integral as well.  

Next I stitched all the little pink circles to the perimeter of the Earth with two rounds of running stitch which fills in a full line of stitching in pink floss.  They are all overlapped just a wee bit to indicate connection and our family ties.  They are all a bit different which reflects the reality of the women in our family.  

Next, I added the red thread intertwined through the hearts on the pink circles.  A red thread is often used as a symbol that indicates connection and a shared history which works well for this piece.  I hid the ends so that the thread appears to be integral.  The legend is that a red thread connects those who are bound to meet in life  - it twists and turns and tangles but never breaks.  The silver thread represents our connection with the Divine.  The Universe is completely imbued with the Divine and therefore the silver thread run through out my creation to reflect that connection.  I pinned the thread down in a spiral starting at the sun and spiraling outwards until it reaches space.  I then used coordinating floss to couch it in several places along its path which very nicely secures it to my creation.  

Here is a close up of the different sections that represent the seasons along with details of the circles and the red and silver threads. 

Next, I laid my creation upside down on a gray backer and added a layer of flannel as batting.  I stitched it all the way around leaving a gap so I could turn it inside out.  I poked out the corners and pressed it well then added a line of machine stitching about 1/8" from the edge.  Lastly, I added a row of seed beads all the way around using navy floss and blanket stitching.  It has been wonderful to be back to hand stitching and creating a fun project with so much meaning.  I am really looking forward to the completed art piece.  My aunt is a talented artist and will no doubt be able to realize the vision she has for this piece which will be a tribute to all of us!!

Therese

 

Birthday card featuring yellow daisies

Working on cards for the special occasions for my family.  I created a large beige card to fit into an envelope from my stash.  I added a layer of decorative paper with pink and yellow stripes.  I punched the right hand edge using an eyelet punch (StampinUP) and then embossed two lines using my score tool right next to the design.  I found a scrap of pink cardstock that coordinated, trimmed it to .75" x 4" and embossed it with a large polka dot embossing folder (StampinUP).  I tied on a small piece of kraft cording and then adhered to my card front.  The daisies image is from Clipartimage.com.  I laser printed it, trimmed it to size and then watercoloured it to coordinate with my background.  I ran my pattern tracing wheel around all the edges to add some paper piercing texture.  I added the image to my card using 3D foam tape.    Therese

Birthday card featuring a paper pieced book case background and a stack of books with a cup of coffee

 Still working on family cards for April.  I am sure I have seen this "book on a shelf" technique on line somewhere but could find no instructions on how to put it together so I had to just do it.  I created a large brown card to fit in an envelope from my stash.  I added the strip of orange/floral decorative paper on the left hand side of my card to simulate wall paper.  I added a layer of brown paper bag on the right hand side leaving a small border all the way around which would become the inside of my book shelf.  I trimmed a piece of brown cardstock into 1/4" strips and watercoloured them.  Once they were dry I added them as a frame on the right hand side of my card and then added two pieces in between to simulate shelves.  I trimmed heavy weight paper scraps into "books" varying the height and width until I had what I needed for my three shelves.  After arranging them, I took them one at a time and watercoloured their two front edges and all the sides with black watercolour to give them a bit of age and dimension.  Once dry, I adhered them all in place on the shelves.  I took a photo of my book shelf before I added my focal image.  My focal element features a stack of books with a cup of tea from BBJ (Black Berry Jelly).  It should have been coffee but I only realized that it was tea when I was colouring the tag!!  I watercoloured the image, scored the pages with a bone folder to give them some texture and added a line of paper piercing on all the sides using my pattern tracing wheel.  I stamped the little greeting (StampinUP) in brown and mounted it to my card front using 3D foam tape.  I am very happy with how it turned out!!  Therese

Card Exchange cards - All occasion cards featuring butterflies that flit from inside to outside!

I have taken time this week to make my exchange cards for the CCE (Canadian Card Exchange).  I wanted to challenge myself to something different and found a card in my inspiration file that fit the bill perfectly!  

I found it on Splitcoast Stampers and it features a butterfly that is mounted on the inside of the card that also appears on the outside of the card.  The magic is in the slot on the front of the card that allows the butterfly with its wings folded to pass through from the inside to the outside.   FUN!!!!!!!

I started with a large yellow card which fit in a large envelope from my stash.  I adhered the hexagon paper (SU - digital - colour printed) background which I trimmed from a letter sized sheet to my card front.  I created my butterfly by die cutting a blue butterfly using the medium one on the Beautiful Butterfly die (SU/Sizzix).  I stamped a butterfly in the middle (Applalachian Arts) in blue and then highlighted the body and antennae with a black fine tip marker.  I colourwashed the edges and the inside of the stamped butterfly with blue green watercolour.  I embossed it with a script embossing folder (CB). I situated my butterfly on my card front with it wings folded and drew a line where I wanted it to come through the front of my card.  I cut a slot with my exacto knife as tall as my butterfly and then enlarged the opening with another cut. I used my Japanese Screw punch to round the ends nicely.  I adhered a piece of the same paper on the inside of my card so it coordinated with the one on the front.    I added a slim piece of 3D foam tape to the middle of my butterfly, closed my card and positioned it in the slot so the foam tape would adhere to the paper on the inside of my card.   

When its wings are spread it keeps the card closed.  As you fold the wings to each other the butterfly flattens sufficiently to slide through the slot as the card is opened.  It spreads its wings again on the inside of the card. I added a yellow ribbon to my card - across the inside with each end dipping around this piece from the front and back to the front to be tied with a double knot.  I flagged the ends.  I embellished my card front with 8 little yellow flower sequins inside the bottom hexagons. I adhered them with double sided tape.  I added a small piece of white paper on the inside where a message can be written.  The butterfly can be situated  perpendicularly or at a bit of a slant.  It worked out really well and it was fun to make this card!!  

I needed two cards because I have two exchange partners so I made another card using the same technique. For the card below I created the butterfly in the same way as my previous one  - just used a different colour to coordinate with my polka dot background (SU - digital - colour printed).  I chose to make my card in the landscape orientation.  I cut the slot as tall my my butterfly but as I opened it I realized that I could have cut it a bit shorter due to the arc of travel of the front which is shorter near the spine.   It is all good!!  I adhered a piece of the same paper on the inside and added a piece of white bond paper for the greeting.  I tied on a gray ribbon from the slot to the edge and tied a double knot.  I added three turquoise sequins and added yellow rhinestones inside them using tiny drops of white glue.  The 3D foam tape seems to be holding up quite well to the butterfly being folded and passed through the slot several times now.  

I have not been able to located the card which was my inspiration on Splitcoast.  Thanks to the person who posted this technique there a while back.  I realize now that it should have been a bee on the hexagon paper - that would have been more perfect!!  I expect the focal element could be a flower, a book, a doily, a wreath, etc.  Anything symmetrical would work well.  

Challenge yourself you make a card with a technique you have never done before!!  It works your creativity and your brain all at the same time.  Therese

Art case transformed into a sewing box

 

 I acquired two of these wood art cases this weekend and am converting one of them into a sewing kit.  I removed the inserts and the hardware so the trays are simply stacking inside.  I painted the inside edges of the trays and then added cardstock on the bottom of the two trays and the bottom and lid of the case.  It will now open like a suitcase instead of like a book.

I used black foam core to create dividers and the support for the trays in the bottom of the case.

I added some Altoid tins with labels on them for storing needles, measuring tape, etc.  I added a magnet to the bottom of the silver tin (Making Memories embellishments) and added straight pins.  There is little chance of having pins all over even if you accidentally knock it over.  There is room for scissors, marking pencils, thread, etc.  

I have added a few supplies from my stash - thread, pins, measuring tape, etc.  

The trays simply stack over the supports in the bottom and the lid keeps everything in place once it is closed.  I will be adding a cool little fabric name tag as well.  

Therese