MM13: Sew Far, Sew Good

It's a quilt-inspired Mandala Monday, featuring a doodley, but somewhat symmetrical mandala watercolored with my Simon Hurley Dye Inks and then outlined with Ranger's Letter It Fineliners.

I started out with just cutting it into four squares, but... then I went a bit further by making triangular cuts...

Then I took the outer triangles and split them one more time!

And finally, I used a tape runner to tack the centers of each segment onto a backing panel, so I could machine-stitch around all of the main perimeters.

Of course I can never resist a photo with the resplendent 1970's avocado green Sears Kenmore sewing machine which formerly belonged to my Mom Mom; my mother loving lugged this baby all the way home from Florida for me 20+ years ago and I have loved using it ever since! ♥♥♥

JB2507: Flat Feliz Navidad

This fortnight at Jingle Belles we're embarking upon that most challenging of challenges (at least for ME, lol!) that is generally called the One Layer Card; though some folks refer to it as the No Layer Card. What does that mean? It means your entire design is flat... your elements get stamped, drawn, embossed, etc directly onto the cardbase; so basically you're not taping or gluing ANY additional papers/diecuts/layers to that base. This is NOT my natural metier, but I'm always up for a challenge so here's what I made this time:

I started with a white 5.5" square card, taped off all four edges with some low-tack washi, then broke out the awesome Wendy Vecchi Build-a-Plaid Layered Stencil Set from Spellbinders and my MAKE ART Stay-tion to create a diagonal Christmassy plaid in Archival Inks of the red, green and gold variety. Then I added some of Hero Arts' Winter Foliage Rub-On Transfers, which are as wonderfully glitch-free as they are beautiful to look at. (I mention this because I know that some folks are nervous about rub-ons.) The sentiment is from another set of HA Rubs called Holiday Messages. I like the way you can very very faintly see the plaid inking underneath the transfers AND the fact that this baby is even flatter than the average credit card bill, which will be a great advantage when I hit the post office in December!

Head over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's fabulous card and to link your own One/Zero Layer card. Flat Feliz Navidad runs until the evening of Wednesday, April 9th. 

Fluttering By to Say HI!

The new Eyelet Outlet Mini Butterfly Brads are beautiful on their own OR mix them with original Butterfly Brads and some gorgeous Butterfly Washi. Yellow Rose Brads and a framed oval panel of Wide Sky Tape complete the design of this "Just Because" card.

Shopping List:

Mini Butterfly Brads

Yellow Rose Brads

 Butterfly Brads

Butterfly Washi

Wide Sky Tape

All of the brads, tapes and embellies you need for Spring card-making... and beyond... are in the Eyelet Outlet Online Store!

SOS544: Fun Folds

This fortnight at Shopping Our Stash, we'd like to see cards that feature "Fun Folds" by which we mean something other than a regular hinge-on-one-side card. Gatefolds, Easels, Pop-Ups, Stair-Steps, Matchbooks... are all fair game. We found a FAB blog with lots of examples and tutorials, so if you need a little more inspiration or assistance, try the Fun Fold Archive at Simply Simple Stamping. Meanwhile, here's my card:

I am emphatically NOT an engineer, so this sort of challenge is... ummmm... challenging for me, lol. Before starting, I looked at A LOT of examples, read some tutorials, and then sorta/kinda went my own way afterall. This is on my own special variation of a Z-Fold Card that I'm calling a Stand-Up Diorama. It's more or less A2 sized; I cut my 8.5x11" sheet of plain white cardstock down to 4.25x11", then scored at the 5.5" mark, the 7" mark and the 7.75" mark. (In retrospect, I think I'd make that last fold a bit wider; aiming maybe for the 8" or 8.25" mark instead; but this layout definitely gives you plenty of depth!) I folded on all the creases and got on to The Fun Part of decorating all those little planes and surfaces. 

I used almost entirely 49 and Market papers and diecuts that are a couple of years old, from various collections, including Kaleidoscope, Vintage Artistry Sunburst, and Spectrum Gardenia and Spectrum Sherbet; there's a little bit of EVERYTHING here... and lots of it is PINK which is always a bonus, imo!

Visit Shopping Our Stash to see the fabulous and fancy fun folds the rest of the Crew have used, then start planning what you'll link up with us this time. SOS544: Fun Folds runs until the evening of Monday, April 7th.

MM12: Mondrian Mandala Monday

Inspired by my blogging and cardmaking friend Becca Sadler, who has just started a series of abstract journal pages she's calling Mondrian Monday (using the fun, linear, utopian style of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian) I decided to try my hand at a Mondrian Mandala Monday in which I doodled Mandala(ish) motifs inside the series of (admittedly wonky) squares I drew in my 6x6 Dina Wakley Kraft Journal. I did not go with Mondrian's palette of primary colors, but I tried to stay inside a limited range of shades: in my case, pink, green and white.

I drew my "squares" and details with Ranger's Letter It Fineliners; filled in with Tombow Dual Brush Pens and finally adding accents with a few coordinating Poscas.

Oh Say, Can You Sepia?

Would this be a good time for a random collage card that's mostly tan, brown ecru and ivory? (Be a sport and say, "YES!" otherwise this post falls a bit flat, doesn't it?) Hope your weekend is off to a good start. Do something creative today if you possibly can! ♥

 

 

JB2506: Going Green

It's the second week of "Get Your Grinch On" at Jingle Belles and thus we're still making holiday cards that are predominantly green! Here's mine:

This week I went a bit collagey, and if you say the words, "collage" and "green" to me in the same sentence, I immediately think about my stash of vintage S&H Greenstamps, obviously. (Thank you, Stephanie!) These have been layered over a 4x6" piece of 49 and Market's Spectrum Sherbet Lace Washi, to which I added a strip of drywall tape, some Eyelet Outlet Silver Pearl Swirl Bling and the diecut tree (Sizzix Christmas Tree #2) made of torn and layered scraps of green cardstock that I stumbled upon in the diecuts box last week. Some edge distressing, a sage green mat and a bit of machine stitching complete the design.

JB2506: Get Your Grinch On continues until next Wednesday evening (3/26/25) at Jingle Belles and you are invited to join the (mostly green) fun!