More Fun with Fabric!

So I guess I'm on a roll with the Holiday Mini stuff.  I just can't stop playing with it!  Everything is just so beautiful!  I have stamps and paper from the new main catalogue that I haven't even touched yet and I can't put the Christmas stuff down!  Maybe once it goes live in 5 1/2 hours I'll be able to go back to some of my lonely stamps.  But for now, here is another project that uses the new Designer Fabric. 

I took the scraps left from yesterday's post and die cut several 3/4" squares.  I also die cut a Top Note in Whisper White.  I then used a great new product called Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets and coated my top note die cut in adhesive.  Then I laid out a pattern of the little fabric squares on the adhesive-covered top note.  I then trimmed around the reverse side of my die cut so that I had a clean, fabric-covered shape.  I then zig zag stitched over the "seams" with my sewing machine.  I added a little Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon and one of the Big Designer buttons.  Something was still missing, so I punched out three ornaments in three different papers and folded and glued them together for a 3-D effect.  I added a little tag from the Tiny Tags set and viola...a home-spun Christmas card!

Designer Fabric...yes...from Stampin' Up!

Yes...Stampin' Up! is now offering gorgeous fabric!  The new Holiday Mini, which goes live in just 36 short hours, features two different lines of beautiful fabric.  The wreath below was made using 3/4 of a pack of the Deck The Halls fabric.  It cost less than $12.50 for the supplies!  A bargain for such a beautiful piece of holiday decor! 

So here's what I did:

1) Cut two 6" x 28" lengths of one pattern of fabric.
2)  Stitch one short end of each  piece together, forming one long piece of fabric.
3)  Sew a 1/4" hem on both short ends.
4)  Fold in half lengthwise with right sides together.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the full length.
5) Turn right-side out.  Sew one end shut.  Stitch a straight seam 3" in from closed end.
6)  Stuff tube with batting, making sure tube is full but still flexible enough to bend.  Leave 3" unfilled at the top.
7)  Sew the open end closed.  Stitch a straight seam in 3" from end, making sure batting is away from seam.
8)  Repeat steps 1-7 for other two patterns of fabric.
9)  Layer 3 tubes, on top of eachother, making sure to match the flat 3" ends as best as possible.  Stitch together.
10)  Braid the tubes, pinning flat ends together at the end.  Bend into a wreath shape and pin ends together.
11)  Cut a 4" x 6" piece of fabric.  Hem 2 long sides.  Wrap around pinned ends and hand stitch in place.
12)  Make fabric flowers/embellishments as desired.  The ones I made followed the instructions included with the fabric.  I used the Big Designer Buttons in Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla.  I sewed them onto the wreath to strategically cover the part where the  wreath joins. 

This is a great project, even for a so-so seamstress like me!  If you can sew a straight line and sew on a button you can do this!  I have lots more ideas for ways to use this great fabric.  Stay tuned...

Guardian Angel

Last post I wished for a Fairy Godmother...now a guardian angel!  This gorgeous stamp set is from the new Holiday mini and is called "Angelic Joy".  The first time I saw this, I actually thought..."great stamp for a sympathy card"  rather than for Christmas.  I still plan to use it for that purpose, but today's card is most definitely on a Christmas theme.  In fact, I am using this in a swap with my upline and fellow team members.  I hope they like it!

Front of Angelic Joy card

Inside of Angelic Joy Card

So here is what I did to make this card:
I stamped the angel on Crumb Cake cardstock in Soft Suede ink.  I then distressed the edges using the tool in my cutting kit.  I then sponged Soft Suede around the edges and lightly over the image.  I layered the image on a piece of Deck the Halls DSP and then on a slightly larger layer of Always Artichoke (I distressed the edges of the Always Artichoke before adhering the other layers.)  I then took a 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and layered it behind a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Deck the Halls DSP.  I tied a piece of Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon around these pieces and adhered it slightly off-centre.  I then adhered my angel image using dimensionals.  I stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede ink on Crumb Cake cardstock and punched it out using the modern label punch.  I then distressed the edges and sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I adhered the sentiment in the lower left corner using dimensionals.  I added one of the Antique brads and two metallic brads below the angel image.  I then adhered the whole thing to an Always Artichoke card base.  For the inside, I stamped the poinsettia image from the Bells and Boughs stamp set in Soft Suede at the top of a 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment (from the Angelic Joy set) in Always Artichoke in the bottom right corner.  I then distress the edges and sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I adhered this piece inside the Always Artichoke card.

Not exactly a quick an easy card to make, but pretty and festive.  Now I have to make a bunch more for my mom...she ordered 25 for herself for Christmas!  At least she did it early enough that I might have a chance of getting them done in time!

Busy, busy, busy!

Ah...help!  The summer is disappearing faster than I can keep up!  I have SO MUCH work to do before I go back to work and there just isn't enough time to get it all done!  I need my Fairy Godmother to stop time for a while so I can catch up! 
Ok...enough whining...I know the non-teachers out there are thinking "What's she complaining about...she just had 2 months off...?"  and they're right.  I shouldn't complain.  So here I am not complaining.

Now to today's post.  This is another Christmas card I did.  I call this "Over-the-top" Christmas because it took me nearly two hours to make.  I don't think I'll be doing many more of these and it likely won't find it's way into my class line-up, but it is pretty and was fun to make.

I started by stamping the Christmas Collage background stamp from the new Holiday Mini in Early Espresso.  I didn't worry too much about getting really even ink coverage because I wanted it to look somewhat faded.  I coloured the image using Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler markers.  I painted the bells using Platinum shimmer paint.  The centres of the flowers were dabbed with Gold Lamme Smooch accent ink.  I then punched out the "25" with the 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch.  I wove the Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon and adhered it behind the punched opening.  The whole thing is layered on Cherry Cobbler and then mounted on an Always Artichoke card base.  Not exactly easy or simple, but the end result was worth the effort.

Don't forget, the new mini goes live on September 1st, so request your copy today!

Nothing better on a chilly autumn night than...

...sitting by a cozy fire with a glass of wine.  Today's post is a wine bottle tag designed with autumn leaves in mind. 

This tag was really quite easy to make and is part of my September card class line-up.  It uses two different resist techniques.  The colour in the photo is a bit off...all of the oranges look like different shades...but they are all Cajun Craze...a beautiful, rich burnt orange.  I again used the French Foliage stamp set from the Holiday Mini as well as Tiny Tags from the catalogue for the sentiment.  If you like this and yesterday's post you NEED to be at my September class!  You also need to make sure you have a copy of the Holiday Mini in time for it to begin on September 1st...call or email to request your free copy today!

Fall is in the air...

The grim reality is that summer is almost over.  Those of us in the teaching profession are acutely aware that our freedom is about to come to an end with that first bell on September 7th.  While I mourn the end of my holidays and unlimited time to create, I do look forward to the crisp air and glorious colours of autumn.  I have always loved the fall (so much so that I got married in October!) and the chance to break out the cozy sweaters and jackets and head out for a walk in the changing leaves.   Today's post captures the beauty of autumn perfectly!

 The stamp set I used is from the new Holiday Mini and is called "French Foliage".  It is perfectly suited to collage-style stamping, which is what I did in this card.  I am featuring this set in my September card class.  We will make 3 projects that all use this beautiful set.  I will post the other items later this week.  Stay tuned...and if you like what you see call or email to register for the class. 

I'm Baaaaack...

Well, I'm home from my adventures in northern Ontario.  Actually it wasn't much of an adventure...my parents have a lovely place right on a lake just outside of Parry Sound.  It was a great little getaway for me and lots of fun for my son...he always gets spoiled rotten by his grandparents!

 While I was away I did some stamping, but not as much as I had hoped.  I will share what I did at a later date, but for now here is yet another Christmas card using items from the new Holiday Mini.   

 

This card is super simple but elegant.  It uses the new Northern Flurries embossing folder.  I have been waiting for Stampin' Up! to come out with their own snowflake embossing folder and this one is beautiful!  To make this card I embossed a piece of Marina Mist cardstock and then sponged Whisper White craft ink all over.  I then spritzed it with Vanilla Shimmer smooch spray to give it some sparkle.  For additional bling, I added some rhinestones in the centre of a few flakes.  I then heat embossed the greeting (which is from the Snow Swirled set in the catalogue) in silver.  I mounted the whole thing on brushed silver cardstock and then adhered that to a Night of Navy card base.  Voila...a quick, easy and pretty Christmas card!

If you like this card, consider signing up for my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack on November 18th.  We will be making 4 of each of three different card designs for a total of 12 cards!  This is a great way to get started on your holiday preparations.  Call or email today to reserve your spot!

Continuing in a Christmas theme...

I've sort of been on a roll with the Christmas cards of late.  I don't know whether it is the new Holiday Mini coming out or just realizing that time passes much more quickly for me than it used to and I had better get my Christmas cards made sooner than later!  Regardless, I have certainly been in a December state-of-mind and today's post reflects that.  I was playing with the pretty new Christmas set from the Idea Book & Catalogue called Contempo Christmas.  Here is what I came up with:

All three cards use the Contempo set as well as the Jolly Holliday DSP.  Here are some close-ups of each one:

Simple and traditional

The inside sentiment is from one of the Level 3 Hostess sets in the catalogue called Occasional Quotes.

For this one I coloured the stamp using my Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers.  I added a small square fire rhinestone brad in place of the star for a little bling.  The ribbon is the new Cherry Cobbler seam binding from the Holiday Mini.

This is the inside view.  The sentiment is also from the Contempo Christmas set.

This card is really clean and simple.  The only embellishment is the rhinestone brad.  I like this because it is very contemporary looking...a real contrast to some of the vintage stuff I've been doing lately.  This goes to show you can do some really great things with just ink, stamps and paper!

This is the inside view.  The sentiment is from Occasional Quotes, a level 3 hostess set in the catalogue.

This card is pretty much the opposite of the previous one!  This was anything BUT simple!  I started out with the Jolly Holiday DSP layered on a Cherry Cobbler card base.  The funky looking strip in the middle uses a the Bargello technique.  It basically involves cutting striped paper into little tiny strips and then adhering them to a cardstock base while offsetting the stripes.  It isn't hard to do but IS time consuming.  Cutting up all those 1/8" strips took a while, as did gluing them all down.  However the effort was, in my opinion, worth it!  I love the effect created with this technique.  I embellished it with more of the Cherry Cobbler seam binding as well as a couple of ornament punches.  The patterned one is from the Contempo Christmas set.  The sentiment is also from that set and it was punched out using the decorative label punch which is also in the new Holiday Mini.  A couple of little rhinestones for some bling and viola...a funkadelic Christmas card!

I hope you've enjoyed this little taste of Christmas!  I know today's post was long!  I did that on purpose because I won't be posting again until next weekend.  I am taking my son up to visit my parents at their place in Magnetawan.  I won't have internet access there, so won't be able to post anything while I'm gone.  The good news is that I am bringing some projects with me so I'll have LOTS to show you when I get back!

Have a great week!

Another Holiday Mini Sneak Peek!

Don't you just love the rich colours in this card?  Would you believe it took me less than 10 minutes to make?  The main image is from the Deck the Halls DSP which will be available September 1st.  I just cut a 4x4 square which I then matted on Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  The base of the card, which is 5 1/4 x 5 1/4, is Always Artichoke.  I layered Very Vanilla which I embossed using one of our texture plates over the card base and then attached my focal image.  The beautiful Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon is just the right touch to finish this card off.  Simple and elegant..what more could one want?!?

Are you getting excited about the new Holiday Mini yet?  If you are a current customer you should be receiving yours in your mailbox soon.  If you are not a current customer and would like a copy of this great catalogue, send me an email with your address and I will send one out to you FREE!

Holiday Mini Sneak Peek!

I have had such fun playing with my new stuff from the upcoming Holiday Mini catalogue!  Christmas is my very favourite time of year and making beautiful Christmas cards is something I look forward to every year!  This new mini is FULL of amazing products to help you make your holiday cards true works of art.  Check this out:

This card uses several items from the new mini:  seam binding ribbon, Deck the Halls DSP and the Bells and Boughs stamp set. All of them are just beautiful! I also used one of the gorgeous new antique brads from the big catty.  All of these items will be available starting September 1st.

Call me to book a workshop and you could earn your Holiday Mini items for FREE!

Welcome to A La Cards!

Well, I finally did it!  I created my own stamping blog!  I have long been a follower of so many wonderful blogs and have often thought it would be fun to have one of my own.  It wasn't until recently that I actually came to believe I might have something worthwhile to share with the other stampers of the world, so here is my very first post!  Keep in mind that I am brand new to this whole blogging thing, so bear with me as I fumble my way through cyberspace!

My first project is a baby card I made for a friend who had a baby boy in July.  It uses a cute little punch art bear which is from Andrea Walford's website.  I made some changes to his head, ears and face to make him a little more cuddly-looking.

The background was created using Stampin' Up's Top Note die which I cut out of cardstock I had layered with patterned paper in a quilt-block style.  I then ran the die cut through my Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder to give it that cozy baby-blanket look.  The tab stamp is from a set in the new catalogue called "Perfect Punches" and the sentiment on the tab is from a retired set called "Little Angel".
I hope my friend likes this card as much as I do!