Hello, Ribbon Lovers! I have another sympathy card to share with you today. This one is for a family friend whose mother just passed away. No matter how old you are: you’re never ready to say goodbye to your mom! Wanting to do something really special for this lovely individual, I pulled out gorgeous seam binding from Really Reasonable Ribbon,mixed media papers from Canvas Corp Brands, elegant Petaloo flowers and my Distress Markers. The end result is this shabby chic sympathy card.
Canvas Corp Brands has a great Mixed Media Origins line of papers. After inking and distressing the background paper, this heart was fussy cut and watercolored with Distress Markers. Next, my sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with superfine black embossing powder. Finally, I punched holes up the center of the heart and threaded them with Gold Metallic Baker’s Twine.
Noble Peacock Seam Binding is the perfect ribbon to lend soft, shabby chic elegance to this card design.
Inside, a second sentiment was stamped on 7 Gypsies Ordre du Jour papers. Darling birds frame the journaling card where I’ll add my personal note.
This shabby chic sympathy card is very simple in design . The detail work went into the stitching, water color and inking. Soft ribbons and dreamy flowers give it the shabby chic vibe I was going for. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.
Orange Blossom Honey Gift Ensemble with RRR June Citrus Ribbon Club Assortment
Hello, Friends! It’s summer…maybe not on the calendar, but here in North Carolina, the grass is growing faster than we can cut it, flowers are blooming everywhere, afternoon heat is producing almost daily thunderstorms, and the bees are buzzing about like pollen covered dirigibles! All this summery goodness inspired me to create a little Orange Blossom Honey gift ensemble using the inspiring ribbons from the Really Reasonable Ribbon Citrus Ribbon Assortment.
Oh, how I love these glorious ribbons! They were the perfect playmate for this honey toned “It’s the Bee’s Knees” Creativity Kit from Polly’s Paper Studio Etsy. I began by creating a 7″ wide x 5″ tall top fold card base from kraft cardstock. After embossing it with a honeycomb folder, I sponged it lightly with Black Soot Distress Ink and spritzed it liberally with Tattered Angels Marigold Glimmer Mist. After this was heat dried, I splattered more mist all over the card base. Then i was ready to build my card layers.
I stitched paper from the collection to a scrap of burlap fabric that I had in my stash. This was topped with a piece of Honeycomb Maize Satin Ribbon tied in a simple square knot. The other layers were stitched onto kraft cardstock, and then I added them to the card with foam dots. I created a belly band by layering Tangerine Cross Hatch Ribbon over Maize Diamond Satin Ribbon. This was such a pretty combo, that I went to work tying a spectacular double loop/triple loop bow with the same ribbons. Then I topped them with a Burlap Wild Sunflower and a vintage button from my stash.
Here’s a close up of the details. Instead of tossing my little ribbon scraps, I trimmed the ends, stapled them together and glued them under the honeybee image. I will be sure to do this again, as it’s a great way to use those little pieces of ribbon, and it looks so cute!
The inside of the card contains two pockets. One holds a fun sentiment tag, while the other holds a tea bag (lemon yellow, of course!) and a Ghiradelli chocolate square.
Adding just a touch of honeycomb maize satin to this tag really made it cute! And I tied my honeybee charm onto the tag with just a scrap of natural burlap string.
With phase one of the Orange Blossom Honey gift ensemble completed, I could move on to phase II.
I was having so much fun, that I went on to create this pretty notepad holder to complete this Orange Blossom Honey gift ensemble. I’ve made hundreds and hundreds of these over the years, and they make such a nice gift!
After building the chipboard notebook base, I decorated it with paper from my stash, then layered on elements from the creativity kit, more Maize Diamond Satin Ribbon, some gears, and a lovely cabochon. Just a touch of black burlap string beneath the Petaloo Burlap Sunflower made it pop off the page.
The inside contains a slash pocket on the left hand side, stuffed with tags and a 4″ x 6″ post it pad on the right. Now you’ll be happy to write down your to-do list!
I need to make up a bunch of these to have on hand for last minute gifts. Summer is such a busy time, it’s always nice to have something on hand.
Petaloo and Canvas Corp Brands Blog Hop: Pretty in Pink Graduation Banner and Mini Album
Hello, Friends! This week we are celebrating Dads & Grads in our blog hop with Canvas Corp Brands. I love seeing all the happy graduation photos on Facebook, and they inspired me to create a pretty in pink graduation banner and matching mini album.
Just for fun, I decided to go all shabby chic and girly with a pink & black color scheme. This banner would be darling at any girl’s graduation party, whether she’s graduating from Kindergarten or College. I used Canvas Corp Brands Paper Banner Kit as my base, but cut the size down just a little so my banner would not be too big.
Ooh la la! Just look at this gorgeous posy made with DIY Burlap Canvas layers from Petaloo! . Isn’t it spectacular? I sprayed the individual layers with Tattered Angels Vintage Pink and Silver Sugar Mists, then gently heat dried them. I actually kind of scrunched the petals during this process to give them even more shape. Then I stitched my layers together, added a vintage velvet button to the center and voila! A perfect color match for this pink and black graduation banner!
Custom clothespins? Yes, please! Just spray the ones that come in the banner kit with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist! Easy peasy!
Here’s the graduation folioI made to match the banner. It measures 4″ x 5″ and has a waterfall folio, gift card pocket and tag pocket inside. I was inspired by a design from Ginger Ropp,and just changed the size and added my own touches. Thanks, Ginger!
For the cover of this mini album, I sprayed the butterfly with Vintage Pink Tattered Angels Glimmer mist. The flower petals were just lightly dipped into the mist that was left on the mat. Pink chevron ribbon was wrapped around the mini album and tied into a bow. DIY Queen Anne’s Picks were dipped into Vintage Pink mist and tucked behind the tinted flower. Metal corners were painted shabby white, and I added a little vintage clip to hold the waterfall pages inside the album closed.
There’s a waterfall feature inside the top half of the album. It’s a great place to add pics of the proud grad and her family and friends.
The bottom half of the mini album contains a pocket filled with tags that have been tied with cording from Canvas Corp. These would be a great spot to have guests write their words of congratulations or advice. And, there’s room to tuck in gift cards as well.
Be sure to stop by the Petaloo BLOGand leave a comment, as they are giving away some wonderful prizes!
Mixed Media Butterfly Card Tutorial for RRR and Canvas Corp Brands
Hello, Friends! I have such a fun mixed media butterfly card tutorial to share with you today! It’s made with the gorgeous new June Ribbon Club Assortmentfrom Really Reasonable Ribbon, fabby mixed media papers from Canvas Corp brands, and some bright and beautiful Petaloo Flowers, too. It’s like a summertime garden party on a card!
I am sooooo in love with these gorgeous ribbons! Here’s a little peek at the entire assortment:
I know….gorgeous, right? Anyway…back to the card! I have a SnapGuide below that will show you step by step how I built this Mixed Media Butterfly card, but first I thought you’d like to see some photos.
The ribbons really were the inspiration for this card. The Sheer Citrus Dots ribbon made me think of summer butterflies, which led to the paper selection. The inky goodness of the Citrus Paint Splatter Ribbon led to the decision to go in a Mixed Media Direction. Oh, what fun!
I added some fun techniques, loads of distressing, texture paint and lots of ink splatters/ The mixed media Wings paper from Canvas Corp Brands was able to hold up to all the many different treatments I added to it. I love this stuff! Adding Petaloo Gerber Daisies and Pistachio Burlap Blossoms really made this card come to life!
I wanted you to see how I was able to use my craft knife to lift those butterfly wings from the mixed media papers. This is one solid image. I did not add the butterfly. Instead, I placed the paper on a piece of glass (from an old picture frame) and traced around the wings with my craft knife, leaving the body connected to the paper. Then I just wet the wings, shaped them with my fingers and heat set them with my heat gun. They held their shape! How amazing is that? I backed the image with some tissue paper, and you can just see that peeking through here.
These papers are from the Ordre du Jour 8×8 pad. The little envelope contains a tag that I’ve topped with more of that sunshiney honeycomb ribbon.. The envelope is just big enough for a gift card or a small treat.
This is from the & Gypsies 8×8 Ordre du Jour papers. This collage is all done for you…which makes my life sooo easy! I just fussy cut a small butterfly from the Mixed Media paper and popped it into the mix.
I prepared a little SnapGuide Tutorial for your viewing pleasure, so you can see how I built up the mixed media papers. Honestly, this stuff is so much fun to work with! I just ordered more so I can spend another happy afternoon in inky bliss! Check out How to Create a Butterfly Garden Mixed Media Card by Kathy Clement on Snapguide.
If you love mixed media, I highly recommend you invite these Mixed Media Origins paper over for a play date. I just ordered a few more to play with myself! hehehehe And, if you still haven’t signed up for the Ribbon Club at RRR, this is a great time to jump in, cuz these ribbons are scrumptious! Just wait til you see what else I have in store for you with these bright citrusy ribbons! Fun times ahead!
If you have any questions about the techniques or processes used in this Mixed Media Butterfly Card tutorial, please don’t be afraid to ask! I’d love to help in any way I can.
New Life for a Precious Old Book: Restoring Mom’s Bible with Ribbon
Hello, Ribbon Lovers!
In the wake of our recent move, I was working on getting a closet tidied up today. In the course of arranging the books all nice and neat, I ran across a family heirloom: my mother’s Bible. (Well, one of my mother’s Bibles, that is. She had several and used them all. ) This one was given to her by my dad in 1969; the last Christmas gift he ever gave her. A few short months later, he died suddenly of a heart attack. It remained her favorite Bible for many, many years and was nearly falling apart. Filled with her personal notes, Bible journaling (before it was a trendy topic) and her own handwriting, it is something I have treasured. It made my heart sad to see how very dilapidated it had become, and I worried that it might not be around to pass on to our children and grandchildren. I mean, peeps…it was really, really sad!
You can see that she tried to hold it together with tape, bumper stickers, anything she could find.
The inside had actually separated from the spine. What to do?
Then, an idea struck my brain! Dropping everything, I carried the Bible into my studio with me and went to work. A few hours later, this is what my mom’s Bible looked like.
Ta-da! Ribbon to the rescue! I pulled out a piece of sturdy canvas, some shabby chic ribbon, crocheted lace, flowers in my mom’s favorite colors and gave this precious book a face lift!
The first thing I did was to line the book signatures and the interior of the spine with 1/2″ Scor-Tape. Using the tape on both surfaces worked well, and the pages are now nicely secured back within the covers.
I’m not much of a seamstress, but I managed to stitch 2.5″ Cotton Blend Vintage Pink Floral Ribbon to the top, bottom, sides and spine of the canvas to make a sturdy cover that should last for some time. I also stitched Debra Natural Crochet Lace along the edge where the canvas and ribbon meet to add a nice finishing touch…and to cover up my not so perfect stitching! Sorry, Mom!.
I used tea to stain a doily I found in my stash, and glued it in place with Studio Matte Multi-Medium. Then I used Scor-tape again to adhere my 1.5″ Antique Gold Plaid Ribbon to be used as a ribbon closure. I wanted to do this, not just because it is pretty, but because it helps hold the Bible together.
Then I had lots of fun! I painted a wooden key/door plate and flourish to add to the mix. Next, I die cut lots of foliage from old book pages and sprayed them with TA Olive Mist. I pulled loads of fuschia Petaloo flowers from my stash, and was amazed to find these that matched the ribbon perfectly. The elements were artfully arranged onto the cover of Mom’s Bible. The finishing touch was the addition of a shabby chic bow tied with Fuchsia Seam Binding.
Now this precious family heirloom is restored and Mom’s Bible is more beautiful than ever. She would have loved this shabby chic cover, the beautiful vintage roses and crocheted lace. I have displayed it in my Grandmother’s bookcase, and it makes my heart happy every time I see it. Once again, Ribbon came to my rescue!
Canvas Corp Brands has a great Mixed Media Origins line of papers. After inking and distressing the background paper, this heart was fussy cut and watercolored with Distress Markers. Next, my sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with superfine black embossing powder. Finally, I punched holes up the center of the heart and threaded them with Gold Metallic Baker’s Twine.
Noble Peacock Seam Binding is the perfect ribbon to lend soft, shabby chic elegance to this card design.
Inside, a second sentiment was stamped on 7 Gypsies Ordre du Jour papers. Darling birds frame the journaling card where I’ll add my personal note.
