November Card Making Session

Sue brought this lovely hanging ornament card,

We embossed each ornament with different colors.

The photo doesn't show it well, but

the embossing powder had sparkles!

We made a version of my strips card.

They turned out nicely --and used scraps from

previous years!

Spending A Blustery November Day in the Craft Room

It was sunny, but windy and cold. The trees are almost bare. What better time to think of holiday cards and tags.

I tried some simple tags with just stamping and antiquing on the edges.

Adding some ribbon and a single, frosty snowflake gave it some holiday shimmer.

 I made up a shoebox of supplies for everyone to make their own Monday.

Now for the holiday card design.  I used nothing new, just scraps, Washi tape and ribbon strips

to make a colorful background. The sentiment Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas is dry embossed

and split diagonally.  A few rhinestone stars  red, green or silver and a ribbon add some sparkle.

An easy and fun to assemble kit for our card-making session on Monday afternoon.

And one more card for a friend who just had surgery.

Some color popping bursts, a scripty Hello, a few pearls

and coordinating organza ribbon make it energetic.

Just what she needs!

I now need to start production on my Christmas card.

The supplies I ordered are in.

The design is set and a prototype card made up.

Now, cut, cut, dry emboss, dry brush,

assemble and accentuate--80 times!

October Cards from the Group

Another great session of card-making, learning new techniques and making new designs.  Also complaining about bows and coloring!  A never-ending discussion of our most challenging parts of making a card from another's kit.  Still, we are always successful in making the kit our own.

Here are some of the designs:

Dianne brought a fun design for Halloween.

No coloring or bows!

Just some stamping (jack o'lantern faces)

and adhering!

Dianne brought another design 

with wood-like embossing stamped lightly,

The rest was assembling and

playing with placement.

Dianne did make the "fussy bows"

for some "fussy" people!

Sue brought a great design that used

embossing and cutting parts from a second embossed stamp.

Great fall colors and sentiments!

Carol brought coloring!

We used markers to enhance an embossed scene

and cloud die-cuts to create a fall tree.

After much complaining, we were all happy with

our results (all different, of course).

Next meeting is Monday, November 14th

from 1-4 p.m. in the lower level of the clubhouse.

We will bring holiday designs.

We need some more cards to send to 

neighbors to cheer them up during the season.

A Cuddle Quilt for Hunter

He ordered primary colors and trucks!

Wood Grain and Leaves for Fall Cards

Wooden frame with autumn embellishments

Variations on the theme

September Card-Making Group

A few of our crafters were missing this month, 

but we met and were able to finish

three designs with a fall flavor.

Sue brought this lovely kit with leaves to

stamp and emboss with copper powder.

The leaves were scattered across the front

with a center focal point of old-style print.

Dianne made these kits with pots of flowers

and a pull out card. Dry embossing on the pot

added texture. The ribbon keeps the folded pot closed.

The blooms and leaves were pre-cut and the fun was in 

assembling them in various colors and shapes.

And Dianne brought these kitsnleftover from last year.

She decided to have each crafter emboss the kraft paper layer.

Then stamp the dark focal point, medium-hued blooms

and some very soft background blooms to fill the space. 

A ribbon and rhinestone give some texture and shine.

Even though it was hot and humid and rainy that day,

these cards are great for fall notes.

Available for sale at the clubhouse $3 each or 2 for $5.

New Fall Cards from Old Kits

This kit was just the brown frames and some off-white card stock.

I added the leaf stamps and embossed gold leafs on the layers.

Then I tied three cut out leaves I also embossed in gold

and popped up in the focal point.

The leaf stamps were mostly from Tim Holtz.

This second partially-made kit

included the tree die cut and the small leaves.

I sponged the hillside and the sky.

A banner with "Fall Colors" sentiment

and some sparkle finish the card.

Just cleaning up scraps in the craft room on a rainy day!

August Card Making Group

Bonnie brought a kit with hibiscus blooms

and glitter and rhinestones, of course.

Sue brought kits to make this great golf card

inspired by the Tournament Players event in Cromwell, perhaps!

I brought my starburst technique in masculine colors 

and textures.  Everyone made different versions.

We're so creative!

Carol brought kits with lots of balloons--

and ties on some!

At least it wasn't bows, Carol!

Some great birthday cards for late summer.

Hot Days Inside Mean Time in the Craft Room

Some masculine cards for September birthdays made with kraft card stock and 

paper scraps cut on the diagonal.

Love how this sunburst design goes together.

Just cut from the back all the parts that hang over.

I added a folder embossed wood grain kraft cardstock strip to cover the focus point.

Better seen in the first photo.

That is twine twisted around and glued behind the sentiment.

I made some more colorful ones for August birthdays

using the same technique.

And these were fun!

Flamingos!

I used them for thank you cards for members of my yoga class.

Just a few supplies and a little bit of time 

makes a long, hot afternoon go more quickly.

Then, the evening cools down for being in the garden!

More Play Value with the Fairy Tent

Today, the fairy tent became the Fairy Queen's house and throne.

Next, it became a stage by lifting the front tension rod higher to allow

the Queen to enter the stage and dance!

So much fun!

Grandgirls Love the Fairy House

Three and a half and almost one.

Perfect play place for both little ones.

Lily pretends to be a baby fairy wrapped in her cloud quilt.

The tension rods, front and center, show placement for tent effect.

Mom took it down later and rolled it all into the bag and hung it on a hook.

The three tension rods were under $12 at Home Depot.

Idea from Pinterest for a Girls' Playhouse

I saw a tent/teepee (two boys camping) idea on Pinterest and turned it into a fairy house/circus tent/princess castle for my two grandgirls.  It only took some scraps I happened to have in my stash: an old Amy Butler sheet (not even the whole thing!), some satin blanket binding, some ribbons and ric rac trim.  I will need to purchase at a discount store 3 36-inch tension rods!  The whole tent will span a hallway.

Here's the ribbon opening (front).

Ribbons are from my daughter's wedding and baby shower.

And the ric rac trim that covered some spaghetti messes!

Above the ribbons and trim edge (front panel) I added a long pocket on each side

for storing fairy wands and ribbon wands or decorating with pinwheels and flags or signs.

The whole panel is divided into thirds with a center pocket 

(yellow satin blanket binding in rear of photos) for the highest placed tension rod.

The front panel has a rod pocket (lavender) about 12 inches from the edge and the ribbons.

The back panel has a rod pocket (lavender) about 18 inches from the edge and no ribbons.

These two rods closer to the edges can be extended lower on the wall to form a tent effect.

I didn't think the girls would like to be contained inside, but would like a front and back opening.

If folded over the right way, the rods could form a puppet theater across the hallway

with a swag for storing the puppets.

The best part is that the whole affair rolls up on the tension rods

and stores away in a bag I was able to make from scraps from the sheet.

Pictures tomorrow of the girls playing in it!

A lot of potential for good imaginative play after spending an afternoon of sewing scraps together.

Nautical Designs for a Nantucket Hostess Gift

Anchors Away!

Who's Driving this Ship?

Which Way Are We Going?

What's the Weather?

A variety of designs using a Lawn Fawn paper pack "Beachside"

and die cut, emboss and stamp set by Art-c "Nautical"

make a nice set of note cards for a hostess gift.

July Card-Making Session

Dianne's bright and cheery Hello card

with gingham (not denim!) and lace and ribbon

and a little bee!

Bonnie's floral design with lace border

and enameled butterfly sticker.

Carol's dancing owl with a bloom,

colored with markers

and complemented with gingham and 

dotted Swiss rose pattern.

Sue's beautiful heat emboss resist butterfly.

A great variety of designs, a lot of learning about markers, heat embossing

sewing on paper and distress stamp pads.

Always a good time together!

Seed Collages to Attract Butterflies and Caterpillars at Natureworks

Lily wore her Monarch wings and her bright pink Wellington boots

to Natureworks garden center last week.

We were looking for Milkweed plants for their new flower garden for butterflies.

It turned out that a workshop for kids was just starting--and it was about butterflies!

Lily and Mommy made a seed collage on cardstock.

They glued seeds of plants that Monarch caterpillars love to eat.

They will put the seed collage in the ground 

and hope for some good results.

You can't tell that it was over 90 degrees and 90% humidity.

It didn't help the heat, but making giant bubbles

made us forget the heat.

We can get a 5 gallon bucket, two pieces of PVC pipe

and a washer on a cord between them.

Now, we just need her bubble recipe!

Lily knows how to do it!

Seed Collages to Attract Butterflies and Caterpillars at Natureworks

Lily wore her Monarch wings and her bright pink Wellington boots

to Natureworks garden center last week.

We were looking for Milkweed plants for their new flower garden for butterflies.

It turned out that a workshop for kids was just starting--and it was about butterflies!

Lily and Mommy made a seed collage on cardstock.

They glued seeds of plants that Monarch caterpillars love to eat.

They will put the seed collage in the ground 

and hope for some good results.

You can't tell that it was over 90 degrees and 90% humidity.

It didn't help the heat, but making giant bubbles

made us forget the heat.

We can get a 5 gallon bucket, two pieces of PVC pipe

and a washer on a cord between them.

Now, we just need her bubble recipe!

Lily knows how to do it!

June Card Crafting Session

We missed Sue who was on vacation with her husband, both of whom card craft!  We can't wait to see her photos from the seminar she took while away.

Meanwhile her fellow crafters met and made some new card designs.

Pet cards were requested by our community for a variety of reasons:  sympathy, illness or surgery, new pet. This card covered all those occasions with one simple design:  multi-colored leopard spots, a bright yellow doily to highlight the cat heart die cut.  I think the sentiment was witty and versatile for many note by pet-lovers to pet-lovers.  This was Carol's kit.

Dianne brought a thank you card, perhaps for a teacher or a hostess after a weekend visit. Of course, the watermelons were a summer theme. Three different sizes and colors of circle die cuts, the smallest, red one embossed with a polka dot pattern definitely suggest watermelon, cool and delicious.

I made another variation on the theme for a birthday card.  

The fringed patterned paper on the background could be a napkin or tablecloth.

A third variation on the same theme.

Bonnie brought kits to make another summer theme:  the lake retreat 

with Adirondack chairs and a row boat and swimming dock.

I used it for a retirement card but it could also be a get well card

or just a summer note to a friend. 

Bonnie has the patience to do most of the fussy cutting for us.

We settle into using her Copic markers to add color.

Next meeting is 

Monday, July 11th from 1-4 p.m.

at the clubhouse.