My first attempt at quilling!

I've been threatening to try quilling ever since I started following Helen's fab blog, Let's Create, over a year ago, and after a few false starts I've finally made a project featuring the technique.

Mom gave me the quilling paper & tool, which she got free with an issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine, but even with the "right" tools I found that it was trickier than I had hoped... but Helen has offered many good tips, and I'm really quite thrilled my my first attempt!

I wanted to keep this card very clean and simple, so there's no edging or nuttin'. For the banner, I cut the shape out of white cardstock, ran it through my sticker machine, and smoothed on the natural cotton material. I folded the edges in, adhering them with double-sided tape. I stamped the Stampin' Up! sentiment with brown Memento ink, added some rafia, and glued the butterfly on with Glossy Accents. Easy-peasy!

Inspiration/Challenges:

Amusing Challenge: Sketch (right)

Color Throwdown #194: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Soft Sky (left)

Tutorials: The Quilling Patch, My Creative Scrapbook, Origami Resource Center

Update: This was one of only 2 entries, but I still won Amusing Sketch Challenge #3! Was in great company with E.T., my Feline Playful teamie.

Thank you for visiting!

Dude Time Doodles May New Release Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Dude Time Doodles New Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Charlene's fabulous blog. Your next stop is all things Anne-made.

The Design Team is featuring three fantastic new DTD images, and one of the Dudettes - or Dude - will be named our MYSTERY HOST at the end of the hop and one lucky person who comments on that blog will win a free Dude Time Doodles image of their choice; So be sure to comment on each blog. You have a whole week to hop (through next Tuesday).

I used Sagremor the Foolhardy by Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs, along with a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, to make this royally nerdy card:

I have a very special place in my heart for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as it's one of the movies my husband introduced me to when he was "courting" me way back when. This is the kind of class-specific joke that I love, and after conferring with the Dude Time Hollow brain trust we decided that it's not really cursing, it's just an archaic use of a word!

I used several techniques for this card, so here's a little tutorial-ish list:

1. Crenelated Castle Wall Top: Cut the dotted strip from the Sizzix Sizzlits Dots & Scallops Decorative Strip Die with your die cut machine. Using your paper trimmer (or scissors, depending how straight you can cut!), cut the strip in half horizontally. Ta-da, easy crenellation!





Castle Wall embossing plate

2. Castle Wall embossing plate: I followed the tutorial by Carolina Girl. (I totally get a kick out of the fact that I made this with cardboard from a Tsingtao beer six-pack box!)


3. Small banners: Fold a strip in half, keeping it in place with a binder clip (don't crease the fold!), and cut a triangular notch in the bottom. Glue it together, leaving about a quarter of an inch at the top unglued. Cut small notches on the top to make hanging strips. Outline the banner with a gold pen (I used a Sakura gel pen for the main part and a thin Elmer's pen for the tops). String the banners; here I used a gold thread-covered elastic ribbon that came with a box of chocolates my husband bought me for Mother's Day ... he's a pretty awesome guy, isn't he?!) 
• I adhered the ribbon to the card with a thin line of ZipDry silicon glue, plus a gold brad on each end for extra support.


4. Message banner with faux gold stitching: Gold-embossed using the Cross Stitch stamp from SP Stamps Stitchery Doo set. See my tips for making such a banner in my tutorial.  


5. Paper choices:
• 12x6 blue cardstock, folded twice at 4 inches. I used my papercutter to cut the slight incline before folding.
• Textured gray cardstock for wall top
• Flat gray cardstock for walls: After embossing the pieces, I sprayed it with a matte coating to bring out the dimension. Then, I gently ran a silver ink pad over it, and then used a damp wet-wipe to blend it. Easy, and the result looks like I knew what I was doing, ha!
• 100lb Bright White cardstock (Hammermill): This prints beautifully in my little HP inkjet, but I know that a lot of people get it stuck in their printers. I like it best for Copic coloring, and it prints & stamps so well that it's my all-around favorite white too. Be sure to dry it with your heat tool after printing though; it definitely needs extra setting before coloring.


6. Lacey "grass": Wrights seam binding, adhered with a strip of double-sided tape and a touch of ZipDry on each end.

Hope this inspires you in some small way! Your next stop on the Dude Time Doodles New Release Blog Hop is Anne. Have fun with the rest of the hop, and be sure to check out this week's "Heroes" challenge at Stampin with the Dragon, sponsored by Dude Time Doodles.

Thank you for visiting!

Part of Your World...

I met some local crafting friends thanks to Stampin' Dymonz's Scrap Shack, some of whom are so local they are literally in my neighborhood! We get together when our schedules allow, and last Monday we spent a good 6 hours crafting! Most of the ladies in the group are working on Disney-themed scrapbooks, so we had our Cricuts running all day! I couldn't resist joining in, as I haven't done this kind of paper piecing in quite some time. I used the Disney© Dreams Come True Cricut® Cartridge, along with Cuttlebug's Disney Bubble Frame Die/Emboss Combo and Tiny Bubbles Embossing Folder, to make this Little Mermaid-inspired Wedding card:

Many thanks to my buddies for helping me with this! Since they were already working with the Disney Princesses, I was able to use some of the paper they hand on hand ... check out the great hair & skin paper colors they chose. I had the glittered blue cardstock with me, so when I got home it was easy to match. I wanted to make it 3 inches tall at first, but the hostess wisely advised me to go with 5 inches. Geez, I forgot how small those pieces can be! I ended up coloring in the eyes with a white Sharpie and black pen. I used a gold Sakura pen, and added some Liquid Pearls to her dress. Everyone just loved how it came out; I only did the cutting & piecing with the group, so someone asked me to send a photo of my final project ... and then someone else said, "You know she'll be making something and putting it up on her blog!" Oh, they know me so well!

My sister-in-law is marrying a lovely man at the end of June, and since they both have daughters who are huge Disney fans, I know that this will give them all a big smile!

 

This card was inspired by the following Challenges:

Dynamic Duos #4: Monochromatic / same colours in different hues (light/dark) / Bashful Blue & Marina Mist

Fabulous Friday Challenge: Weddings

Getting Cricky Simply Sunday Challenge: All about Disney

The Sweet Stop #160: Sketch

Color Challenge at OSAAT: Red, White & Blue

With this weekend being Memorial Day in the U.S., the Queen's Diamond Jubilee coming up in Britain, and probably several other holidays in countries with Red, White & Blue flags, we're having a color challenge at One Stitch at Time! Wait until you see teh beatufiul DT projects...many of them aren't flag-inspired, and really showcase the color palette.

I was really inspired by this Peace Word Art by Floppy Latte Designs; as soon as I saw it, this card idea popped into my head.

Hope you'll join us at One Stitch at a Time for our "Red, White & Blue" challenge. We have two prizes up for grabs this week! For entries using a StitchyBear Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), the prize is a £10 UK gift coupon to Joanna Sheen's shop. You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but will instead be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear. Can't wait to see your projects!

Inspiration/Challenges:

Craft Your Days Away Challenge #46: Red, White & Blue

C.Y.D.I? Challenge #10: Love of Country

One Stitch at Time Challenge #115: Red, White & Blue

Our Craft Lounge Challenge #119: You're a Grand Old Flag!

Papertake Weekly Challenge: True Colours (use your national colours)

Party Time Tuesday #69: Shabby Chic

Willow Sketchie Challenge: Theme - Red, White & Blue

Guest Designer at SP Stamps

Today I have the pleasure of presenting a project & tutorial for the SP Stamps Blog. I've been following the Scrapmaster's blogs for a couple of years now, and I've learned so much from her and her team. I've also acquired a nice little collection of SP & Company Stamps, although I don't have half of what I want, ha ha!

SP Stamps are some of my favorites to use for technique-specific projects, like this simple, embossed banner using the Christmas Emma and Stitchery Doo stamp sets. You can see the my tutorial and lots of photos on the SP Stamps Blog, but here's a taste:

As you can tell, this project was a bit hit; my husband helped me take these photos, and he gave me lots of ideas for more banners. Guess we'll be decorating this year! Plus, with all these cute photos, I'll also be scrapbooking this experience!

I'm entering this project into the following challenges:

LEJ Designs Challenge #4: Anything But A Card

Secret Crafter Challenge #197: Anything but a Card

Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge #109: Heat emboss your main image

Thank you for visiting, and be sure to check out the great products & tutorials at SP Stamps!