New Fun Christmas Card

I've been stamping for years, but wanted a couple really special cards this year. Quite a while ago I bought an old lace table cloth.  It had a few holes in it, but I could see so much potential in it.  I wanted to try embroidering on it, but wasn't sure it would work because of the density (or lack thereof) of the fabric.  I didn't have any cut away stabilizer, but did have a pretty good medium weight tear away, so used it.  I just hooped the lace on the stabilizer, and when done (an hour later) U just cut the stabilizer to fit cardstock and mounted them all on a card.  The design said it was less than 5x7, but actually didn't fit on a 5x7 card, so I had to make one slightly larger.  If I do this again, I will decrease the size before embroidering.  Though I have many, I still need more shades of green and red for shading, but I guess it turned out okay.  I did have some problems with threads breaking, but I'm sure this was unrelated to the fabric and more that I needed to change the needle. 

 

Chokers

I thought that this little stand would be a good way to photograph my chokers, but it didn't work so well.  These are all chokers and go directly around the neck, not as they are represented by the stand.  Guess I have to break down and buy the bigger one :).

The Raven

 

I have made this one before, but didn't add the beads before.

 

 

Cobwebs

What do cobwebs and crosses have in common?  I have no idea, but it makes a pretty choker, and just in time for Halloween!

 

The Corset

 

Named for the front closure which is hard to see here.  It is joined with woven ribbon in the front.

 

 

Battenburg Lace

 

I saved the best for last.  I really like this one.  This will be a one of a kind.  I can do the base necklace again, but the attached chain is repurposed so cannot be duplicated exactly. I love the metal charm with the butterfly and flowers.

 

 

 

Getting close to opening the Etsy store.  Working out the details and building stock, and maybe even a surprise development. Stay tuned......

 

 

 

Beaded Embroidered Lace and More

 

 

Embroidered lace with hand beading, attached to a metal ribbon covered headband. This is a teen/adult size and I think it would be perfect as a bridesmaid headpiece or even for the bride with a veil attached.

 

 

 

I

 Each one of these little 6 month to 1 year size elastic banded headbands is a little different.  The pink one has a little pop of feathers.  The yellow is just the lovely little beaded organza flowers, and the peach colored one has a little lace droplet on each side. I am so in love with organza.  In a larger size these would be very nice for a flower girl.

Monday's Creations

I worked on these over the weekend and finalized them this morning.  I am happy with the way they turned out.

These are all adult sizes.  They are all machine embroidered and mounted on covered headbands. The flourish has some beads hand sewn on the flower section. They can be ordered in any color.

 

The bottom ones are all newborn to 3 month sizes. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the fabric ones are not flat, but three layers of fabic as shown here.

 I have sewn and glued the pieces together for stability. I can make these to accommodate any size, newborn, tween, teen and adult sizes.

 

 

The embroidered headbands will sell for $9.00 and the fabric and embroidered flower on elastic for $7.00.

 

New Ventures

I've really neglected this blog, but thought I would start posting again as I venture further in to creating again.  I will still be doing some card making, but I have to say that it has taken a back seat to other things lately.

I've been enjoying my embroidery machine but have been somewhat limited with what I could create with the 4" x 4" hoop.  So, now after two years of playing with this one, we made a investment in a larger more flexible machine, with a 5"x7" and 7"x12" hoop, and many other sewing/quilting features.  It has opened up a whole new world of creating. All of my collection of embroidery patterns are for the smaller hoop, so it will take a while to be able to utilize the larger hoop patterns.  Here are a couple newer patterns that I just got for the 5"x7" hoop.

This is a steampunk choker that I made for one of my granddaughters. There will be a key hanging in the middle.

 This is a headband on a thin fabric covered band.

 

I made a baby headband as a gift a couple weeks ago, and showed it to some friends, and they asked me to make a few more for them.  This got me to thinking about resurrecting my old "Bow Dazzled" business,  Here are a couple more that I have put together over the last couple days.

I haven't worked out all the details of my new business yet, but it will include more than just hair accessories as I incorporate more embroidered items. I don't know yet what my outlet will be for them, whether ebay, etsy, or some other internet source. I will periodically post pictures here and if anyone is interested you can contact me. I will be doing a lot of the embroidered snowflakes and ornament covers that everybody loved last year.  I will be selling the headbands for between $7 and $15.  I will post pictures and prices for the Christmas ornaments as I completed them.

This is something that I really love doing, and hoping that it is something that can take us in to retirement in a few years.

 



More Great Grandbaby Fun

 

Now that the goodies have been delivered I can post pictures of them.  These are for Baby V that is due next month to my beautiful Granddaughter Elizabeth and her hubby David.  They are doing the super hero theme for his room so I thought that she would like these.  Of course, being who I am I had to add a couple teddy bears!

 

 

 

After doing many really neat things with my new sewing machine I was really disappointed when I couldn't get it to work right, and it kept tangling the threads in embroidery mode and couldn't do a straight stitch in sewing mode.  So I took it to the dealer today and come to find out, it was only dust particles in the tension discs!  I was so gloriously happy and ready to get back to it now. 

Shifting Gears

I am not giving up card making, but something else has entered my life.  My husband gave me a new embroidery machine for Christmas (well, actually before Christmas, he's not very good at keeping secrets).  I did some sewing for my expected first great grand baby but was scared to try the embroidery for three whole months!  I am signed up for a usage class that is next week, but I got tired of waiting, so I jumped in!

 I made these towels from some muslin that was given to me by a friend.  They are 30" x 30".  This is actually one towel with a design on either end.

 One big problem is that if you have an error, like thread breaking, or bobbin matting up it ruins the whole design and you have to start over again.  Maybe in my class I will learn a way to fix that problem.  I've wasted a couple towels and a few hours work already.

These are "flour sack" towels from Target.

 I love the snowflakes.  Each one takes about an hour to make and they are finished of with Swarovsky crystals which you cannot see on the scan.  I plan on using these on my cards at Christmas.  I think I will attach them with ribbon so that they can be easily removed and used on the tree.

Wedding Card Re-Do

I did this card about a week early, but then kept looking at it and thinking it was missing something (posted previously). The brown roses are some that I bought at the Scrapbook Expo in Puyallup.  They were so cute, but really too big and bulky to use on a mailed card, or for that matter, most any card. So I cut the bottom off to make it flatter, removed a few pedals to make it a little smaller, and squished it down which I think made it more vintage looking.

The red and white flowers were some paper pointsettia's I bought for Christmas cards.  But on looking them over I wasn't real happy with them, and I think I might have used them once.  I cut the red one in half and buried the cut side under the lace flowers.  I really like the white petals though.  I cut single petals off and put them under the edge also.  You can't see real well here but they ave a snowy-like clear glitter on the ends that really helped add a little bling.  I was happy with the results.

Simple Elegant Leaf

I am real happy the way this turned out.  I almost didn't do it because my leave die is so delicate.  The purple leave is actually the negative of the die.

White base is then embossed. Leaf die is mounted with dimensional dots that have been cut very small.  The entire base is mounted three times with two purple and one lavender.  The background of the negative die is actually a modeled pattern paper, bu tit is hard to see in a scan.

This will be a birthday card for CWRES but I want to keep the simplicity of it by not mounting a greeting on the front.

Happy Monday!  I did this card this weekend for my brother in law who is getting married next month.  Their colors are red and tan-ish, in my neices words.  Hopefully that tannish is close enough. 

The flowers are from a roll of lace flowers that I cut out.  Flourish die is Memory Box Valentia Border.  Background paper is Prima Almanac Collection 6x6 pack.  Stamps are Close to My Heart.  This is the first 6x6 card that I'v made.  I bought 50 6x6 envelopes for the birthday cards and then found out that the post office charges a  surcharge for square cards :(. 

I haven't posted for so long that I thought I would add something so that those that do follow my blog don't get entirely bored with coming here and having nothing to look at. I have been busy however.  I completed 25 Birthday cards for my company, and have started the next batch. The first one I used some handmade washi tape.  I've been wanting to try this for a long time, and finally got around to it.  Iused regular white tissue paper, and colored it with Distress Stains, then stamped it.  Then I turned it over and put score tape on it, then trim.  I really like the look and there are so many possibilities.

 Another technique I've been wanting to do, but I have done it before.  Stamping and then cutting apart and mounting like a mosaic.  The stamp and paper are a free gift from the British Paper Crafts magazine that I subscribe to.  The articles are "so-so", but I love their gifts that you get every month.

 The second time I have done this style with the frame cut with two dies.

 I have struggled and really had to stretch myself to get ideas for mens cards, and I have to have half of my order for the company for men.  I like this one though with the gears, the pocket watch and the Tim Holtz stamp behind.

 Also wanted to try this masking technique to get the trees behind the car.  I think it turned out pretty good.

On the other end of the spectrum of my life, I continue to manage the property here at Auburn Hills.  While winter is a little slower for me as I don't have gardening issues, it does always bring challenges with concerns of snow storms and freezing pipes and such in the community, but so far so good this year. 

I started a really great weight loss program last fall.  It is a Christ centered life style program called "Losing to Live" and I am really excited about it.  I did it for 3 months and then started a class at my church.  I am very anxious to see the changes it, and Christ can make in the lives of my friends as well as with myself.

Christmas Trees

No stamping in these as yet.  Will be on the inside later.  The tree is a sizzix die and the background paper and tags are from a colorbok 12x12 stack that I bought last year at a garage sale. I wanted a gold to match the start on the trees, though there are only two.  This one matched perfectly.

Green

I didn't even know what to call this one, since I have not made it a birthday, thank you etc.  I want to have some cards in case anybody  needs one so will add the label when it is needed.

I got the idea from a card I found somewhere, I'm sorry I can't give credit to the original artist.  Of course, mine has many variations from the original.  I cut the oval with two dies and used embroidery floss.   Have been working on Christmas and just needed a little diversion.

Pink Ornament

Had to do just one more today.  I've really been wanting to do a pink ornament though I have a limited amount of pink pattern paper.  

Again both the mat, background and the flourish of the top of the ornament are glitter paper.

Christmas Ornament

I love love love this die by Memory Box.  It is actually two dies, the top and the bottom.  The top was really hard to cut until I got a tip to use bubble wrap between the paper and the die, and now it works perfect.  The background on both dies are actually glitter paper, and the flourish front is a shiny cardstock.

 I finally figured out how to make tiny bows too, by using a fork (the tines) to wrap the ribbon around, and then sewing the center together.  It makes the perfect little size and they are always uniform in size.  I just have to make sure that I sew it exactly in the center or it will be lopsided.

I didn't know how well I would like the white background on a white card, so I mounted it on red glitter paper.  This cardstock is pretty expensive comparatively so didn't want to waste it, so I cut the center out and I can use it to cut more ornaments or something else.

Not a Creature was stirring

The only kid of mouse that will be allowed in my house!

I did three of these cute little stamps today and put one together.  Various papers from previous years, Spellbinders octogon label and Memory Box wreath.

Drummer Boy Mishap

I colored four of these little drummer boys for cards today and I almost thew this one away.  I dropped a pen on it and got a green blotch on it.  I have never had much luck with using the colorless blender to remove colors but I thought I would give it a try.  I just hate wasting all the work that goes in to coloring a stamp.

But I worked with it a little bit and set it aside and worked on the others.  Then I came back to it a few times.  I knew that I was going to be doing the blue  shading on it, so thought it might work.  Sure enough, it did.  If you look really close you can see just a hint of green, but the blue pretty well disguises it.  I'm pretty happy with the results.  And of course, I love this stamp.

More Christmas

I did the coloring for these a while back and just put them together.  I just love this stamp.

Chrstmas Horses

I thought I had to settle down to something serious here.  I've had so many ideas in my head, that I've been flipping from one project to another.  My craft room is a disaster.  So thought I get serious about Christmas cards.  These are some of what was ordered by a friend.  She hasn't seen them yet, sure hope she likes them.  They were a lot of fun to make.

 The wreath die cut is from Memory Box.  It is not a Christmas stamp but thught it would go well with some Christmas paper and a little bling.  This is three layers, two shade of green and the red striped.

Joy is a Sizzix die, the flourish and the greenery are a Tim Holtz die.

I haven't posted for over a month, but this is some tuff that I've been working on.  The first one I did tonight.  I've been wanting to try this technique and it was the tutorial from Split Coast Stampers this month.  It was fun to do with my Spellbinders die cuts.

 I left the tag empty so that when the need comes up I can just fill it in.  The flowers I got at the show I went to last month.

 The flowers are cut with Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die using burlap and paper.

 Window card for Christmas

 These little journals are gifts for a project I have coming up soon.