2011 Year End Wrapup
Topic: Multi-Technique

I noticed on lots of the blogs I follow that people are offering a year-in-review highlighting their favorite projects of the year. Thought I'd do the same and, WOW, is it hard! First I came up with a list of favorites that was way too long and then started paring it down. I even solicited help from family but finally ended up doing the last cuts by myself. It's like saying one of your kids are not among your favorites!

So I finally ended up with the top ten, plus a bonus! I couldn't cut one more! LOL!

In no particular order:

PROJECT 1: I like this one for the combination of techniques used to construct it. I used alcohol inks to color transparency, layered it over stamping on pink paper with multiple images of cherries, placed under a jar-shaped aperture, added a scored gold jar lid and a blue ribbon of fabric, and stamped a text label.

PROJECT 2: This card features atechnique using a scoring mat to create 'tiles'. I scored white cardstock, stamped with flowers and butterfies in blue, colored with more blue, and used blue distress ink on the background. I embellished with an embossed and diecut butterfly and a stamped diecut.

PROJECT 3: I  created these sheep from embossed diecut scallops after sketching a slide illustration at church (yes, I sketch all over my church bulletin). They were one of those things that came out exactly as I envisioned (love it when that happens). Used diecut letters for the text.

PROJECT 4: I have admired watercolor quilts for many years and even made a faux one with 1-inch squares of wallpaper from a sample book (many years ago). However, this project was when I was very new to quilting and used a grid-marked press on interfacing. One cuts the fabrics to 2-inch squares and lay them out on the grid and press. Then the whole thing is folded on the grids and stitched with 1/4-inch seams. Voila! I also learned to do stippling for the quilting on this one which won a red second-place ribbon later in the year.

PROJECT 5: I love this technique that creates a shaft of sunlight effect. Stamp the image, mask the light shaft, apply blue ink to the corners, color the image in the light area. The black borders and bright colors in the framing really enhance the effect.

PROJECT 6: This effect is created by stamping on the inside of an embossing folded before impressing the image. I used distress ink to showcase the embossing. The rest is just layering and stamping a greeting.

PROJECT 7: A test of my drawing skills. This started with a plain piece of paper with a denim print on it. I used markers to draw all the jeans details and cut a slit for the pocket opening. The rivets are brads and the belt label is a sticker. Printed paper mounted behind gives a nice lining to the pocket which was used to hold a gift card.

PROJECT 8: Ooooh, how I love this one! A stamp with dogwood blossoms was stamped repeatedly around the edge and colored with markers. I used multiple sizes of a Nestabilities die to cut and emboss the aperture and stamped inset. All layers/pieces were distressed with 'old paper' ink.

PROJECT 9: This necklace is made up of 1/4-inch squares of actual fabric adhered to a backing fabric with Steam-a-Seam2 and enhanced with threads in the 'ditch'. It is sandwiched between 2 pieces of microscope glass and bound with foil tape.

PROJECT 10: This project shows my best work on Copic coloring. I used an image from a swap and colored her to match the stitched background.

BONUS PROJECT: And here is the bonus project. I reprised my paper teapot making with 'one more for a friend' (the original won a blue ribbon at the County fair in the fall). I designed a cup to go along with the teapot. The color is off, but this is purple (her favorite color) and includes a rose (her favorite flower). The teapot (she collects them) features a rose-shaped button on the top for a knob on the lid.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Happy New Year!

Ddd

 

Smooshy Flowers
Topic: Techniques

Hard pressed (lol) to come up with an appropriate 'topic' for this entry. Many years ago I saw fabrics that were decorated with what was called 'flower pounding'. They laid the flowers on canvas, covered with absorbent papers and pounded them with a hammer to transfer the flower colors to the fabric. I never tried it.

Then as I was walking along and noticed some attractive wildflowers (weeds) beside the road I decided to try a different version of this technique by laying the blooms and stems between two pieces of watercolor paper and running it through the Cuttlebug..... squish.

The result was very juicy and nothing was clearly defined. So I scraped off all the flower remains, dried the piece with a heat gun and then set to work trying to recover something from the experiment. I first used a fine-line pen to draw alont the stems, define flowers in the yellow places and draw in pods where other blobs occured. I added some grassy lines to the background and then used watercolor markers to redefine the colors as they were very washed out.

I used a dotted cardstock to frame it (along with a thin black drawn line) and a cream cardstock base.

It turned out OK in the end but the process was WAY more than squashing flowers to imprint them as I had originally intended.

Ddd

 

Double Display Card
Topic: Fantastic Folds

Challenge: Make a Double Display Card. We were given a link to these instructions http://paolaspaperhaven.blogspot.com/2011/08/dbl-display-card.html as a starting point. Since the plan starts with a 12 x 6 cardstock I cut a 12 x 12 in half and made two cards with the materials.

I used three coordinating papers on each card and a lot of the Tim Holtz stamps from Stampers Anonymous. This one has a front with sprayed ColorMe papers and is decorated with punched paper flowers which are burnished to cup the petals and layered with brads.

Here you can see how it looks when it is pulled fron the sides to fold open.

This view from the top shows how all the folds are created.

The other card uses a spotted paper on the front, stamped and havingtissue tape applied. I also attached a punched butterfly on one side only so it would bridge the front gap.

Here is the full open view.

 

 

When open there are medium panels on either side for stamping.

It really only looks complicated but is deceptively easy to construct.

Ddd

 

 

 

 

 

Forever Beautiful
Topic: Stamping

Ummm, yeah - this is a project from several months ago.

Assignment: Make stamped cards celebrating Autumn

The thing I most like about fall is the awesome color of the leaves. So I pulled out a scenery stamp with trees, several sizes and styles of maple leaves and a mix-and-match word stamp set. I stamped the scenery on white glossy cardstock and masked it, stamped small leaves and masked them, stamped medium leaves and masked them and then the large leaves. The images were all colored with watercolor markers.

The resulting large image was trimmed out with a craft knife, sprayed with gold Glimmer Mist, and layered onto a golden panel cut with a large nestability die. This was popped up on foam tape over a lighter golden folded card base. From the same color as the card base I cut a strip and made sections of short flag-end blocks and long blocks. These were stamped with the sentiment and layered to make little 'banners'. I added some randomly punched fall leaves gleaned from swaps.

Here's one in close-up so you can see the details better:

Ddd

 

OWH Sketch Challenge 85
Topic: Sketch Challenge

Another sketch for Operation Write Home that I really liked.

I started by pulling out table scraps and coordinating the colors of the large block, the banner block, and the oval. Then I selected a folded base and, finally, some small brads. I used a square punch, turned on a 45 degree angle, to cut the banner notches. The ovals were cut with a scalloped oval nestabilities set in one of two sizes, depending on the size of the scrap I had pulled out to work with. I stamped greetings on either the oval or the banner, added doodles or faux stitching with pens around various parts, and assembled them with glue and/or foam tape.

I ended up with eight of these cards.

Ddd

 

 

Mundane to Marvelous
Topic: Beads

Mundane: A medic alert bracelet with a plain, industrial chain

Marveous: Beads on stretchy string with clasps on each end to clip onto the medic alert bracelet

Project: Make a 'wardrobe' of these from donated beads and beads from my stash

Oooo, aaaaah! The lady who requested these was very pleased with the result. She had purchased one and wanted more to go with her wardrobe. Yes, one is still chain but it has a twist in it and is much nicer quality than the one that comes standard on the bracelet.

Ddd

 

Christmas Creations
Topic: Other Hobbies

Just ONE (OK, technically 4) more Christmas project to share.

First up is the set of ornaments I made. I got the idea for these from one of the blogs I follow and actually bought the balls to make them with. I started with 6 red satin-glass balls, used glue dots to adhere a grosgrain ribbon around and attached a square of gold metallic cardstock to cover the seam. The center of the buckle is colored in with Sharpie marker. I did not have any black ribbon so I colored some cream ribbon with black alcohol ink.

The rest of the projects involve food - for the Christmas brunch we went to. I got the idea to make cucumber cups from a magazine but changed it up by peeling mine and making a filling of spicy crab salad for the filling. The centers are scooped out to make the cups.

Then from Google Images I got the idea to arrange the veggie tray as a Christmas tree. I used cauliflower for the snow, snap peas for the trunk, broccoli for the tree and decorated with yellow bell pepper strips, radishes and black olives. I shaved carrot over the top for color and served two kinds of dip in hollowed out bell peppers.

I made a wreath for the fruit tray using cantaloupe, honeydew, and pineapple rings (cut in half). The pineapple centers each got a grape and the spaces between these got half of a strawberry. I cut slices of the cantapoupe and carved them to make a bow for the center.

Still eating leftovers...

Ddd

 

Alpha-broidery
Topic: Paper Embroidery

Winding down on the embroidered alphabet!

First up today we've got W is for Wreath. I grabbed a piece of striped glossy cardstock gleaned from the back of an old thank you card I had received. I changed up the stitching for this the way I always do as the original design is very pedestrian. I stitched using a variety of colors to make a very spring look. I added it to a lavender card base and used lavender Liquid Pearls to the center of each flower. It is finished off with a silver peel-off greeting.

Then I went on to X is for X-stitch (X is a hard letter to illustrate!). I chose a printed paper that looks like aida cloth and selected green and red threads to stitch with. The Tilda image was received in a stamped image swap and I colored her with Copic markers to match the stitching. I trimmed her out with a craft knife and colored a little shadow for her stool. I created a text block with a stamp.

Finally, we have Z is for Zig-zag. I chose this pattern of zig-zag trees and a background of burlap printed paper. I would choose a darker color for the stars next time but I am basically satisfied with this. I used a frame of green like the trees and a yellow card base to bring out the stars. This is a very easy pattern to stitch up and I taught my grand-daughters (12 and 10) to do paper embroidery with this as the beginning design.

What's left? Just the letter Y and this series will be finished.

Ddd

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Angels We Have Heard
Topic: Scrap Recovery

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am finishing the display of all my handmade Christmas cards right on time. Something new tomorrow...

For both of these cards I started with a combination of papers that looked good on a pink folded card base. These were the leftovers from all the other paper cutting I had done for this project and I was fortunate that they combined so well. 

For the one on the left I cut an image from an old card, rounded the corners and mounted it on a shimmery blue paper to pick up the blue in the papers. This got its corners rounded as well. The greeting is a combination of two clear stickers. Card two is also embellished with an image from an old card but this time I trimmed right around the angel with a craft knife. I gave her wings a dusting of Stickles and then applied a thick acrylic greeting sticker. I sprinkled the solid color blocks with silver snowflake stickers.

I hope you have been blessed by the collection of cards I have shown.

Ddd

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Floral and Text
Topic: Stickers

So much the same - so much different!

These have a soft green print imprinted with text that creates an area for decoration. The decor chosen, though, totally changes the feel of these cards.

The one on the left was decorated with gold peel-off stickers of candles and holly. I colored in all the open parts with different colors of Stickles glitter glue using red, yellow, green, gold, and copper. For the card on the right I used thick acrylic stickers and a clear sticker.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Ddd

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Sporting Stripes
Topic: Stickers

Cutting up all the color blocks for these cards left me with a lot of little strips left over. I combined these in various configurations to create new layouts for some cards.

These started with the same layout but I rotated one when I set to embellish it. First, though is a simple striped version decorated with a couple of puffy acrylic stickers. I made faux stitching around the edge of the card for more interest. Then, on the rotated version I added a large cardstock tag and a thick acrylic sticker greeting.

For the left card I used skinny strips and added a big blue circle to match the blue in the ornament print. I added a green punched circle popped up on foam tape and then placed a thick acrylic sticker with a similar printed background. The card on the right goes back to the thicker strips and I rotated it. I added a striped paper along the top to cut out some of the blank pink and used another of the big blue circles as a background for the penguin sticker. I added the text with a clear sticker.

These chunky stripes were offset to break the formality and I added a clear text sticker that is an appropriately sized stripe extending all the way across. Two holly sprig stickers from the same sheet decorate the top and bottom.

This one uses quite a mix of paper scraps arranged in stripes. To keep from conpeting with the pattern too much I used a clear wreath sticker and decorated it with a bow, some gold peel-off stickers and some 3D holly stickers.

Ddd

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Bringing Home the Tree
Topic: Multi-Technique

Two layouts with the same papers - one plain and one with an over-all jingle bell pattern. I decided to treat them all the same and combined a rub-on greeting, a stamped image and a clear sticker.

The stamp is from a Tim Holtz set, stamped on a cream cardstock and rounded on two corners. This was one of those 'middle of the night visions'.

Ddd

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Really Flakey
Topic: Stickers

WAY overpoweringly busy background! So what could I do but go very simple on the embellishments? All I added was a greeting and two holly sprigs in clear stickers.

Ddd

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Carousel Bear
Topic: Stickers

This very busy print looked a little less so when turned on its side. It also made the perfect line to set the post for this Christmas carousel animal sticker. I gave him a strip of musical tissue tape to stand upon and added ribbon, star and jingle bell stickers from the same sheet as the bear.

Too little contrast between the sticker and background so I used a Sharpie marker to draw around it, and then to enhance the sticker details.

Ddd

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Street Scene
Topic: Scrap Recovery

Little bits of the printed cardstock are glittered making a perfect setting for the street scene cut from the front of an old card. I mounted the scene on a shimmer golden paper and popped it up on foam tape.

The yellow-gold folded card base makes the windows seem to glow.

Ddd

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Pinecones and Gold
Topic: Stickers

The print used today is actually a scrapbook paper rather than a cardstock. It started out as a 12 x 12 also, where most of them have been from 6 x 6 pads.

These card bases are forest green! I have no idea how the camera can change the color of those and leave the matching images in the paper alone.... In any case, For these two I used some of the clear stickers. On the left one I used the greeting sticker and three trees. To the center tree I added tiny self-adhesive rhinestones as lights. The card on the left got a layered wreath with pinecones added.

These both got cardstock sticker tags and I added snippets of ribbon. On the left I used a rub-on greeting and on the right I added a thick acrylic sticker.

Ddd

 

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Simply Snowflakes
Topic: Scrap Recovery

Oh so simple. I had this stamped snowflake panel left over from last year. It has been mounted to a teal folded card base. The bottom panel is from an old card. I rounded the top corners, popped up the upper edge on foam and stuck the lower edge with glue dots.

You can't see it in the photo but the blue stars are covered in Stickles, creating sparkle and shine.

Ddd

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Cover Story
Topic: Scrap Recovery

The covers of scrapbook paper pads can provide useable card elements. That is the case with these blocks of print I cut from one such cover. I added some of the gold tone-on-tone metallic to break it up a little. The angel scene is cut from the scrapbook paper that yielded the stockings. I popped it up on foam and I got the star from an old card.

Ddd

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Stocking on the Wall
Topic: Scrap Recovery

A printed paper provided the brick wall and made me think of the fireplace mantle. So I cut a stocking from another scrapbook paper and attached it to the wall. I used fine black marker to add faux stitching creating another level of detail.

The text is a puffy acrylic sticker.

Ddd

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS - Pines
Topic: Scrap Recovery

Odd colors on this printed cardstock made it hard to find elements to use. I went with a black folded card base and then chose to use a bit of contrast with the fine green and brown stripe.

The text is provided with a clear acrylic sticker.

Ddd