Thank You Cards

Last year I bought one of those little books that consists of a bunch of postcards to colour. One of them featured snowflakes and although I think snowflakes are pretty, I do not like to colour them. So instead I thought I would see how my homemade alcohol inks perform on the paper. It worked really well, but now what do I do with the postcard?

Move it from here to there.
And then from there to here.
Am I the only one who does that?

Eventually I decided to use it for making some Thank You cards for beautiful Christmas gifts received. Very appropriate, I thought, to our White Christmas.

I die-cut snowflakes from the postcard as well as white cardstock to create the inlaid look

The snowflakes cut from the postcard worked well as accent pieces on their own card front.

The background paper is a piece of gift wrap I had from a previous Christmas. I really like the foiled details on it!
A few clear gems in the centers of the snowflakes finished off the cards.

The 'Thank You' stamp is from BoBunny 'Sentiments Stamps'

Snowy Christmas

Quite appropriately, it is white with snow outside my window as I type this...now if only we could have a little over Christmas to keep things really cozy! Family, a cozy fire in the wood stove and a winter wonderland outside. That's the stuff memories are made of.

But now - on to my snowy Christmas cards.

Lili of The Valley carries some truly beautiful stamps, honestly it is so hard to narrow my wishlist down. I opted for digital stamps but they also carry clear and rubber stamps and cross stitch patterns.

Since I like my cards to be displayed and they were going to travel internationally (actually 'back' to the UK!) I decided to once again make easel cards.

I started by sizing the images and sentiments in Photoshop, preparing a document for printing.  Still undecided about whether I wanted to use the car or the church scene I included both.

Once that was set-up I could print multiple copies as needed. 

The church scene was quick to colour, using coloured pencils, after which I trimmed the image out and attached it to card front which was prepared with patterned paper.

The inside of the card is also lined with a snowy paper, while the sentiment strip is edged with a holly punch (Fiskars) I added a couple die cut and one punched snowflake. Some puffy fabric paint (Tulip) gives the snowflakes on the panel dimension and while the paint was wet I sprinkled on a small amount of super fine light blue glitter.

It was a quick make and I'm very pleased with the result!

Next up was the mailbox - very appropriate for an 'across the miles' greeting.

I used coloured pencils for the colouring as well as a silver Sharpie pen for the metal details on the postbox. Another print of the same picture provided me with a mailbox to trim out and pop up on foam for dimension. I also popped the birds and some of the holly leaves up to add a bit of depth.

Once again I used the puffy fabric paint for my snow and added glitter for that frosty sparkle. I also added glitter to the berries and some of the leaves. This card did take more time and more 'fussing' with all the trimming and layering, but I enjoyed every minute of making it.

I thought the envelope shape on the patterned paper made a very fitting place for the stamped sentiment. Some punched holly leaves and glittery berries was all I needed to add.

Some understated green patterned paper and a couple die cut snowflakes provided the final touches.

Both cards are on their way right now and will hopefully remind dear people how much they are loved...

3 D Snowflake - Totally Regal

I started crocheting a collection of 12 3D snowflakes back in January of 2015. My plan was to make one snowflake a month finishing up the collection in December. All went well with the plan, till the end of May. At that point there was just too much else happening in my life and I was not able to keep it up. Family concerns were more important and I took time to adjust priorities.

It's with pleasure that I returned to my 3D snowflakes this week! I'm using patterns from this book - Dimensional Snowflakes - that I bought from Annie's Craft Store

So here is the 6th snowflake in the collection : "Totally Regal"

The dimension is more visible here -

I perch the flake onto wooden blocks when gluing the 3 pieces together. I find it much more convenient than trying to hold it in my hand. Here is the first snowflake's post, showing how I starch and shape these beauties.

It's good to get back on track with these and I hope I can wrap this collection up this season. I was thinking how pretty the parts of these flakes will be for making 'flat' flakes too. hmmm...

Now I need to find more or larger storage for my collection, as the current holder is full. What a delightful 'problem' to have!

Happy autumn to all of you!

3 D Snowflake - Love Knots

Continuing along with my 3D Snowflake Collection : 

Love Knots - this flake worked up quite quickly and it is really pretty. It is a little hard to show all the details in a picture, but I think you get the idea. 

The resource I use for my flakes can be found HERE

I really need to find a branch or 'mini tree' to hang these on as I build my collection!

Year of Projects - Week 13

I'm a little late updating this. It has been crazy here at my place since Thursday, and not in a good way. Except for the 'Pride and Prejudice Tea Party' celebration for a friend's 50th on Sunday. THAT was good fun!

So let me see if I can remember what I did last week?

I finished Test Mittens #4 - You can find details and the pattern HERE on Ravelry

Used more of that Herrschner's yarn, but this one, like the pink is nice and soft and will be plenty warm enough for spring and fall. And for warm winters like the one we just had!
I took a picture specifically to show the inside of the mitt, which is textured all the way through. The mitts are lovely and snug and I'm very pleased with them. The pattern is easy and well written.

Next I did manage to add the buttons to the shawl, so that is now all done and I like the result! For details and the pattern link go HERE

I also finished off the crocheted 3D snowflake early in the week :

Love Knots from this pattern book. I headed outside to find a branch that I can 'plant' in a pot so I have somewhere to keep these safe as I continue my collection. BUT it is spring and between the birds and the wild flowers I got 'lost' and didn't remember why I headed out, until much later/too late. It was one of those weeks.

I was having a hard time showing the details on this as it is so thick and so intricate (but easy to crochet)

I'm enjoying making this collection!

I did not yet get round to updating my project list, but I have been looking for sock patterns and since all the other projects are done, I'm ready for something new. I did have to start the 'smile' project over again, and just this morning found a pattern that will hopefully work for me.


So let me recap my list :

My Year Of Projects  To Do list
My list is very flexible I’m ‘afraid’ I’m forever changing my mind mid-stride ;)

• I hope to make at least 6 Feel Better Friend Dolls ( the yarn arrived late January) Changed my mind, won't be doing these after all. 

• I would like to finish the afghan started early in December (that's the one featured above) Coming along with 12 blocks done. 12-15 for the final count with some borders also to be added. This will take  while yet, as I need more yarn to make more blocks.

• I want to knit 2 pairs of socks -yarn bought for first pair, just need to decide on pattern

• I need to knit a blue/aqua scarf for myself Finished this January 31st.

• At least 3 pairs of flip-top mittens (2 will be gifts) I changed this to 2 pairs of mittens and one scarf (which is crocheted and I have finished it - needs to be blocked), Yarn bought for the first pair of flip tops (yay)
• Completed 4 pairs of fingerless mittens (all test knits)
• Set of 12 3D snowflakes, from the book 'Dimensional Snowflakes' Making them 1 per month at least. (3 done)
• Smile project (mystery ;-) ) hoping the new pattern will work!

Crochet - Snowflakes

Yes! I'm still at it : crocheting snowflakes! You might recall that I started making 3D flakes last year. You can see that blogpost here.
Since I gave the first 3 flakes away as a gift...I needed to start all over again for my own collection. I figured if I made at least one every month, I will have made the entire collection from this book, and have a nice set.  And if I get more done..well that would be nice, right? The flakes in the book are not numbered, but have names and I shall use those to name them here too.

So here it is again : Crown Jewels (for January 2015)

Guess Id better think of a way to store these too eh?

Dimensional Snowflakes - Crochet

Yup, I'm still at it and will be for a while yet : crocheting snowflakes. Especially since I found this book : "Dimensional Snowflakes" by Jo Ann Maxwell at Annie's Craft Store. 12 beautiful looking crocheting goodness snowflakes!

Naturally I had to try it straight away - I even started with Number 1 - I think it turned out really pretty!

I did my usual pinning it out and 'starching' it. This is the center piece.

And the slightly smaller pieces I pinned and shaped at a 90 degree angle (as per the instructions in the book btw) I made a little fold able board covered in wax paper. 

When dry you stick the 2 folded pieces onto the center flat flake. Add a hanger, and glitter/beads/bling if you like and you're all done!

Until the tree is up, I think I'll just store my dimensional flake in this fella's hat!

Whooot!

Snowflake Box Cards

It must be winter, considering all the snowflakes around here...

I made these last week - where did the time go that I only get to post this now?!?

I used another cut files from the SVG Cuts ' Christmas Box Cards Set. Scroll down on the Cards Page to see a couple of the other cards included in this set.

Seen front and back. The 'Merry Christmas' stamp is from the Bo Bunny 'Sentiments Stamps' Set. The longer sentiment stamp is no longer available.

I covered some flakes with sparkly embossing powders and to some I added some glitter glue.

The snowflake patterned vellum is from an old book of printed vellum by Paper Pizzaz. I thought it would would add another dimension to the multi layer card.

I really like how the light shines through the vellum, showing off the snowflake.

A variety of sequins in different shades of blue added the final touch.

Sadly I feel like I'm fast running out of time... to do all the things I would like to do. I'm SURE there must be less hours in a day during November and December...

Snowflake Re-Run

Yes, much better. Now I like the snowflake!

Here they are side by side. The difference is quite big I think. Event the colour, which doesn't show up that much on the pictures. But the one on the right is a brighter white than the other.
The difference? The fuzzy flake on the left is a 100% polyester thread and the cleaner on on the right is 100% cotton. It's that simple...

Remember you can find the free pattern here at Petals to Picots

Snowflakes ~ Ones That Last!

Every year I make snowflakes....several of them. Some times even lots of them. Yet my collection hardly grows. They make such great gifts you see. So easy to slip into a Christmas card, just as a little something extra.

Besides, that way I get to make some every year, without getting snowballed by a pile of snowflakes.

Win-win.

Yesterday I made this one that I found on Petals To Picots

It is such a pretty design...but ugh! Look at that yarn! All fluffy and yucky! It was the first ball my hand fell on, and while it is fine to work with I do NOT like the snowflake result!

I did what I usually do with the snowflakes :

Pin them out on cardboard (covered with wax paper) or some packing foam. Or as in this case a used foam plate. I then paint it with a mix of PVA glue and water. Almost half half, with the bigger half  (LOL) being glue. ~ That brush looks icky, but it is just a clean -retired- oil painting brush.

The yarn looked just fine then...but below you can see more of the fuzzies when I pulled it off. What I do like about the water & glue mixture is that although it stiffens the item so that it holds the shaped you pinned it into, it remains flexible and fairly soft to the touch.

Here is a comparison to one (of only two) of the flakes that remained from last year. See what I mean about the difference in yarn?

I do not like it. Not even a little bit. I shall have to remake this one. I LIKE the pattern! -and you can find it here-

 Hopefully tonight!