Guest...at Crafting by Designs!

Hey there, crafty friends!

Today I have the pleasure of being a Guest Designer over at Crafting by Designs.

 The challenge this week is to USE A RIBBON on a project. 

There is a sponsor and prizes for this challenge plus you might be recognized in the Saturday Spotlight. Hope you'll play along!

I don't know about you, but I am SOOOO tired of winter. We are apparently getting 5-10 more cm of that white stuff tomorrow. It's half-past March, for Pete's sake!

One of the first signs of spring around here is bulbs starting to poke through the soil. That was the inspiration for my card: tulips made with ribbon.

To create this bunch of flowers, I first sketched the design in pencil onto  cardstock. Then I poked holes for the ribbon stitches using a paper-piercer. One at each end of the leaves and stems, and four each for the flowers, as shown below.

To make the flower buds or tulips, thread a wide-eyed needle with your ribbon. Using the needle, bring the ribbon up at the lower hole, then in at the top centre hole. Repeat this for the other two petals, as shown. 

 By using wide, light-weight ribbon for the petals and stems, you can create a nice leafy shape. I used thinner ribbon for the flower stems and also twisted it a bit, to make the stems appear thinner. I used tape to hold the raw ends of ribbon to the back of the work, instead of trying to tie knots. The stitched panel was mounted to the card base with foam tape, to give some room for the extra bulk.

 Further supplies for this card are listed at the bottom of the post.

So, off you go to Crafting by Designs to see some more original ways to use ribbon. I'll be checking the site this week--can't wait to see what YOU create!

Happy crafting, 

Caroline

Supplies:

Cardstock: Kraft, Saddle, Colonial White (Close to My Heart)

Embossing folder: Close to My Heart lattice

Ink: Saddle (CTMH)

Ribbon: seam binding ribbon, Verve Stamps; green chevron ribbon, CTMH.

Large-eye embroidery needle: American Crafts

"Thanks" word die: Paper Smooches

More birthday fun

Hope YOU'RE having a super day...

Just popping by with a couple more cards made for the Create & Share Card-making class, over at Big Picture Classes. There's still time to join! Registration closes at 10:00 pm tonight.

First a masculine card:

 

This could celebrate a "milestone" birthday (get it?) as it features some journey-themed embellishments from a retired CTMH pack called Cruisin'. I cut up the Scrabble letter paper to get the alphas I wanted for the greeting, adding a Sizzix die-cut #2. Putting the "2" on top of the red sentiment zip-strip covered some of the writing, so I just cut the strip and inserted the "2" into the gap.  I haven't finished the inside yet, but it could reiterate the "Happy Birthday" or maybe say "over the hill..."

I'm entering this one in the current "Seize the Birthday" challenge, featuring numbers.

This beauty is intended for my nephew Sam, who has his own blog where he reviews comic books, manga  and cartoons.

I used some Paper Smooches products, the fabulous stamp set Super along with the Bam Bubble die. I cut the Bam, and the superhero's costume out of pearlescent cardstock from Wausau papers. I left the rest of him grey, to maintain the cartoon theme. The strip of washi tape at the bottom hides some stamping mess, as well as providing a "road" for the hero.

Had to add a little bit of fun with Enamel accents (eyes and teeth) and Liquid Pearls.

This one's being entered in the Crafting by Designs Birthday challenge.

Happy crafting,

Caroline