Slow Stitching - some little stitched elements for adding to handmade cards

 I have been working on these small stitched elements which I will be adding to handmade cards.  The butterfly, leaves and bird are images which I traced out with a light gray pigment pen onto the off white cotton scraps and then embroidered with stem stitch in the appropriate colours.  I embellished these with Serwent Inktense watercolours.  I was very careful this time to not use too much water and to start all my applications to the interior of the designs and managed to get very little bleeding of colour outside the designs.  The watercolour becomes permanent once it dries.  After they were dry I also used the iron to flatten them out and they look great.  Really, loving the process!!

The other two are fabric elements which have been cut out of fabric and stitched to the cotton pieces.  The heart has purple stem stitch all the way around and stab stitches in three different colours on the inside.  The other flowers were little half circles trimmed from fun fabrica and stitched down using stem stitch in black floss and then added french knots and then some stems with leaves.  

I stitched all of these to the horsehair interface which very nicely simulates linen fabric.  I will add these to coordinating card front to finish them up. Will post them here once they are done.  You can check out a few more here and here and here.    Therese

Shirt savers - special request

 I have been working on a special request - six adult shirt savers!!  A friend and I committed to making a dozen of these before the fabric sale and decided with that commitment over we would get started.  I had made one of these for Dad when he went into care and had a pattern already worked up after some internet research to establish a size - approximately 36" x 18".  

I had to modify my pattern a little bit because the request specified a soft closure rather than a mechanical one (velcro, snaps, etc).  After a bit of research and some inquiries to some who work in the industry we were able to get a visual of the sort of closure that they had requested.  It entails pulling one of the ends through a hole in the other piece and folding it over to keep the shirt saver on.  It gives a very quick release as well when removing and nothing to worry about when they are sent off to the laundry.  I made up a couple patterns and my partner and I got started.  I passed on the cotton and flannel we had set aside as there was only enough to make six of them.  I dug through my stash of fabric and came up with several different pieces of cotton and a large piece of flannel.  Fortunately, there was a smaller scrap of flannel in what we had picked out and I was able to get another piece from the end of the large one we had set aside.  The piece I had made four so I was good to go!!!  I had cut all six out last week and was able to get all the sewing done today!!  We decided to sew the cotton and flannel with good sides together and leave an opening so we could turn the whole thing inside out.  I added two rows of stitching all the way around and then cut a slot (1.25") in one of the sides to which I added a length of seam binding.  I then stitched the two sides to each other before finishing off the edge with another length of seam binding.  It makes a neat finish and easily identifies where the slot is.  I had cut a 1.5" slot in my prototype but it was made out of different fabric and three layers.  I decided to start with 1.25" because these were lighter and I am glad I did.  I put the cotton on the front and flannel on the back but really these are reversible and can be used with either side to the front and with the colours I chose should be gender neutral on at least one side.  I hope the person we made them for will be happy with our efforts and I am sure they will be put to good use!!!  Therese

Birthday card featuring an origami dress, fun ribbon and background and an embellished greeting

I am really having fun with folding origami dresses!!!  I folded another one for this birthday card for one o of my grand daughters.   Check out Tuscon Happenings for instructions in PDF format.  I added battenburg lace at the waist and embellished it with a silver flower sequin which I adhered with a tiny silver brad.  I tore my fun background paper and backed the opening with ivory paper than added a bright pink ribbon which I secured inside the card with double sided tape.  I added the dress with 3D foam tape and then worked on my colour printed font greeting.  I trimmed and paper pierced the edges, added an embossed line which I created using my score tool.  I added two pink eyelets and then tied yellow cording to it.  I mounted it to my card using double sided tape.  I made the back of the dress neat so that she could remove it and use it as a book mark!!   Therese

 

Large anniversary card featuring a split double sided background and a heart border with a greeting layered over red cardstock

 This anniversary card features a double sided background which I sliced and repositioned so you could see some of each side.  I added a ribbon to where they joined before mounting it to a large red card!!  The heart border (CLKER) is laser printed and watercoloured.  I added the greeting before printing and then mounted this element to a red cardstock layer which was border punched and embossed with a line using my score tool.  Twenty years for them!  Where does the time go!!  Therese

Slow Stitching - Fancy hand stitched floral elements

 Over the course of our sorting of fabric for the GrammaLink  Africa Fabric Sale I came across a scrap of shimmery fabric that had been discarded because of it was in pieces and not appropriate for the sale that contained these wonderful flowers along with a few more designs.  I thought they would do well as focal elements for cards so I saved off a few of the scraps and have cut out the flowers with some borders so I could layer them with the horsehair interfacing which I will lay over some embossed brown cardstock backgrounds which will be added to card fronts.  Not sure what colour of cards yet.  I used coordinating embroidery floss to stitch the flowers to the horsehair and will then just use double sided tape to secure them to the embossed backgrounds.  Will post the cards when they are finally finished.  Therese

Birthday card featuring an origami dress and some sewing die cuts

 

My youngest daughter is having a birthday!!  She runs a business in called Winnipeg Sews and so I made her a card with that theme.  I folded the origami dress from a pattern I found on line.  I used a 6.5" square and it worked well on a large card.  The die cut arrived in an exchange card this week!!!  They were lavender so I just used a black permanent marker and changed them to black which worked really good with my dress and the background.  I think pattern tissue would have been better for the background but I did not know exactly where to find it so went with a quicker option.  I adhered the dress and then added the die cuts - scissors (I added a tiny gold brad), the measuring tape, the sewing machine and the spool of thread.  I trimmed a little banner greeting and added it last using 3D foam tape!!!  Really happy with how it worked out!!  Therese

Large cards featuring origami dresses embellished with flower sequins, ribbon on coordinating backgrounds

Our Card Exchange is back on and I made these cards for my Exchange partners.  I found the origami instructions on line after finding a card that featured one while I was searching for inspiration on line.  There are a few different instructions for a few different designs.  I chose the one published at Tuscon Happenings.  It has a downloadable PDF pattern for this design.  

I cut two 6.5" squares and followed the instructions and ended up with dresses that are 5.5" tall and 5" wide which worked really well for my large cards.  For the first one,  I added green lace at the waist and then added a pink flower sequin with a tiny silver brad.  I used a blue card base and cut a piece of herringbone paper to fit.  I stamped some dots and added some faux stitching in blue before adding the green satin ribbon.  I tied a short piece to the top portion with a single knot to simulate a bow.  I mounted the dresses to the front of my cards using 3D foam tape.  

For my second card, I folded the dress from a soft blue patterned paper.  I added white lace with a little fabric  snowflake/flower which I watercoloured to coordinate with my dress which I attached with a tiny white brad.  I added coordinating blue ribbon to my feathery neutral background paper and then mounted it to my blue card.  I tied on a short piece to simulate a bow then added the dress.  A fun way to embellish a card!!

Therese
 

Birthday card featuring watercoloured candles, lots of texture and a really fun decorative paper

A special card for my oldest grandchild!!!!  Where does the time go!!    I watercoloured the candles onto a special paper and it took the colour very well.  Not sure where it came from but it may have been packaging of some kind.  I had saved it because it seem very similar to watercolour paper and it is "lost" in my craft room somewhere.  I used a round brush and started with the candles.  I went over them several times to get the depth of colour I wanted and then used a fine brush to sharpen the edges on the tops.  I added yellow flames and then added clear glitter to them when they were dry!!  A row of paper piercing on each side with my pattern tracing wheel.  I chose the background paper and then the card colour.  This is a large card.  I trimmed a strip from this double sided paper and flipped it to the other side which was orange.  I used tape to tape the ends back in place.  I trimmed the stamped greeting, added paper piercing and then adhered it to the strip.  I added two pewter eyelings and then tied some colourful fiber around the edge and to the front and a double knot.  I slipped the candles under the strip and secured everything to each other.  I added this large element to my card front.  I really like the watercoloured candles and will make a better effort to find my watercolour paper for next time.  Therese
 

All occasion cards featuring photos, some embossed strips and ribbon

 These cards were also made up from kits leftover from my March class.  They feature the wonderful photos from the calendars I have received from my sister over the years.  I love making these wonderful all occasion cards with her photos.  Quick and easy.  The 4" x 4" photos were trimmed from the calendar pages and adhered to coordinating card fronts.  I embossed little strips of cardstock and then tied a ribbon around the card to finish them off!!  Love these!!  Therese

Gramma Link Africa fabric sale

 

The Gramma Link Africa fabric sale last Saturday!!!!!!  The tables were loaded with fabrics of every kind from quilting cottons ($4 a meter) to jersey knits and everything in between.  We had a $1 table with pieces that were less than a meter.  We were handing out bags for anyone who wanted to fill one for $5!!!  A real deal!!!  There was a full room of notions and yarns as well.  It was a great day with lots of shoppers in the morning.  Therese

All occasion cards that feature layered tulips over embossed backgrounds

These cards were made up from kits leftover from my March class.  They have been sitting in my craft space while all sorts of other creative projects got done.  I decided they finally needed to be put together!!!  They feature tulips created using the bird wing from a SU bird punch.  Love the look!!!  I had created all of them red because I got a little carried away and when I was putting them together I made up some yellow ones to add to the mix and create a little variety.  I also made one of the cards with only one tulip which also works quite well.  I will likely be donating some of these to a fund raiser we are having in June.  Flowers are always in season!!!  Therese

 

All occasion cards with assymetrical colour blocked backgrounds and layered images and die cuts

I created these card kits as I was preparing for the class that did not run but in the end decided to set them aside because it created two backgrounds using the same colours and it might be confusing as to how to put them together on the card front.  I like the look of these as the contrast between the papers is really good.  The two on the left feature a seashell (CLKER) and a duck (CLKER) with the different backgrounds and I used leaf die cuts (TH) on the other two cards with the opposite backgrounds.  These were layered and cut and then paired with the opposite papers to make up the backgrounds.    I really like the contrast on these cards!!  Therese
 

All occasion cards with colour blocked backgrounds and coordinating colour printed images

 I continue to put together card kits I prepared a while back for a class that did not run.  They all have colour blocked backgrounds which are cut and arranged differently.  The one was a double sided paper so it was easy to create more contrast and interest by simply turning over two of the pieces.  Little puppies with the kites (Kisspng - Cleanpng), a cute bee with glittered wings (Clipartix), a little cupcake (Clker) with a wonderfully contrasting background, a little gift (CLKER) which was fussy cut then mounted to two layers of cardstock and the final one is a light house photo from PEI which I took, layered and with ribbons on the side for more texture.  Lots of fun backgrounds and many different focal elements makes these very much all occasion cards!!

Birthday card featuring a lot of stars, fun background papers and some tied paper cording

This card is for DH birthday!  I was inspired by a card on line that was full of stars and so I dug into my little stash of stars (punchies and die cuts) and found the large green ones.  I embossed them with a star embossing folder (SU) and then added smaller colourful stars I found in the bin as well.  I had discarded the strip in the middle as it had been part of the packaging on a paper bundle but when the stars matched it so well I dug it out and trimmed it out.  I tore both sides, cut it in half and added a blue strip which I stamped with little circles in blue ink.  I added the greeting and then the star with the yellow center which coordinates very nicely with my decorative background.  I added three pewter eyelets on each end and tied int blue and green paper cording tying with a double knot.   I adhered the embellished strip to my background and then added it to my large card front.  I added all the other large stars and it still needed something so back to the bin for a few more stars!!  That was much better!!!  Therese

Cards with embossed elements and greetings with colour blocked backgrounds

 I have slowly been working up the kits I created last month for a class that did not run.  I had prepared generously in case it was going to be popular but in the end no one signed up.  I have been working on getting these kits finished since then.  

These three feature inches from a Stampin UP set.  I embossed them in gold and then cut them out using a 1" Nestibilities Square.   I mounted the images to a square and then to another layer.  These were mounted over colour block backgrounds created by cutting up a rectangle of decorative paper and gluing them to a coordinating card front.  I added ribbon to two of them because I wanted a bit more texture.  Therese

Quilting - navy blue denim casserole carrier with yellow handles

I have had this casserole carrier cut out for a while now and when I thought of making up a gift for my friend who has just moved to a new house I thought this would fit the bill perfectly!!  I made up the yellow handles and then stitched them to the square casserole carrier - 22" top and 24" back which was folded over and stitched to the top.  Love the fun embroidered denim!!!!  I added a little apple crisp before hanging it on her front door today!!!  Everyone likes surprises and food is always appreciated especially on move in day!!!  Therese

 

Card for a friend who has just moved into her new home!!

A friend of ours has just bought a house and is moving in this weekend!!  It looks great!!  I took a tour on Thursday!!  Almost all redone and new.  Her son will be doing the kitchen and the two bathroom vanities to bring everything up to the same level.  The basement is mostly unfinished but has lots of room for storage and any further development if and when she decides.  We are so happy to have her close and that she has a good home for her and her pets!!  

I decided to draw an image of a bird with flowers - similar to something I saw online.  After drawing it in pencil, I traced it with a black permanent marker and scanned it.  I needed a bit of touching up to removed pencil lines that showed up.  I saved it and then printed it.  After printing and trimming it out of the large sheet I watercoloured it.  I added some paper piercing with the pattern tracing wheel and also some embossing around the edges.  I used a large light green card, added a hand decorated background and a blue strip of cardstock.  I added my coloured image and then the little green ribbon at the top.   I colourwashed a little birdie greeting, added some clear glitter and mounted it with 3D foam tape.  Love it!!!

Therese

 

Birthday candles card kits - fun cards featuring large candles

 I made these card kits for my sister's daycare!! They are always looking for meaningful activities for the kids and I decided that maybe birthday cards kits would be good for when the kids have family members having birthdays and they want to bring them a bit of a surprise!!!  I used scraps from the bin of items she brought me along with some cardstock to make up the two tone cards.  I cut an 8.5" x 11" to 6.25" and then in two with decorative scissors which made one side of the card with a flap.  The other side was just the right size to fit under the flap and create the other side of the card.  So they can use the full colour side or the duplex side like I have done!!  I used scraps of paper (3/4" x 3") in a wide variety of colours to create the "candles" and included 6 in each kit.  I punched six "flames"  - folk heart punchies turned upside down - from scraps of yellow cardstock for each kit.  Once they were glued down I drew a wick in between with a pencil.  Too easy!!!! I made 23 kits and provided this sample.  I also included a few extra "candles and flames" and some instructions .   Hopefully the staff and kids will find these kits useful!!  Remembering special occasions knits families together!!!  Therese

Father's Day Card kits featuring a shirt and funky tie

I made up another set of card kits for my sister to use at her day care!!!  These are for Father's Day and feature a fun tie on a shirt.  I found all sorts of examples done in a variety of ways on line and so came up with my own pieces.  I created a tie in Corel Draw and printed them the right size for use with these envelopes.  I trimmed a lot of cards in fun colours to fit in the larger envelopes and then found some coordinating papers to make it interesting.  I cut the decorative papers just a smidge smaller than the card fronts so they kids can easily glue them in place without anything sticking out.  I marked the back with a triangle cut out which the adult caregivers will have to cut out for the kids.  Once the decorative paper in glued in place they will have to score the two sides of the V so the shirt collar will fold nicely to the front.  The tie then can be decorated and dried in any way they wish and then glued in place just under the collar!!!  I used blue watercolour for the background colour and  then stamped large circles with a hard sponge shape in yellow.  Once they were dry I added blue Stickles glitter glue!!  Once that was dry I added it to my card.  I made 23 card kits and this is my sample and included instructions for the caregivers!!    I have made St. Patrick ones and Easter ones too!!  Will see my sister this weekend and will find out how those went with the kids and caregivers!!  Therese
 

Art Party kits - denim bookmarks ready for embellishing

 I have made Art Party kits with the book marks which I made with denim scraps a while back.  They are ready for embellishing with any permanent media - acrylic paint, Inktense watercolour, ball point or gel pens, fabric scraps, machine or hand stitching!!  Your imagination is the limit!!  I tied 6 together with a tag with the above suggestions.  Parents will be looking for ideas to keep their kids busy over the summer and this would fit the bill.  I am donating them to the Gramma Link Africa Group for their merchandise table at the Rhubarb Extravaganza on Saturday, June 24, 2023 - 1:30pm to 3pm.  

Therese