EASTER "ENVELOPE" - WOOL (FELT & FLANNEL) APPLIQUE

I know you normally come here to see cards and other paper craft projects but, every once in a while, I like to share another hobby of mine . . . wool applique.  Thank you for indulging my love for this craft!

Recently, I found a really cute envelope project and pattern that Rebekah L. Smith designed and shared.  I loved the idea of creating an Easter envelope/pocket to eventually adorn a Spring project, so I started gathering some felt, flannel, etc. for the task.  I honestly had every intention of creating an open envelope but, somewhere along the way, that intention fell by the wayside.  

Trying to get my Easter design worked out (as I was stitching) caused a shift in my original plan but, after all was said and done, I was quite pleased!  Did you notice that the (cheap) felt, which I've been hoarding for years, that I used for the bunny has an embossed design?  It is so darn cute in real life, and I was glad for all the times that I've handled that felt, wondering what I would ever do with it!  What really gave the bunny extra adorbsness (that's not a real word) was the hotfix Swarovski crystal for an eye.  [Ahhhhh]  

The pastel patterned flannels (try saying that fast--I dare you) are another product that I've been holding onto for at least two or three years.  I purchased them from Dragonfly Quilt Shop at a quilt/vendor fair, and I don't know if I didn't want to cut into them or if I just liked looking at them.  The flower and leaves embellishment at the top right is hiding an imperfection, and those elements individually have been in my craft room for a long time!  The stitched felt leaves and orange flower are from Stampin' Up!, the text printed flowers are actually paper, and the pretty flower center is a brad that worked nicely to hold the ensemble together.  I felt like I was truly "shopping" in my own craft room while gathering components for this project, and I loved that!  Shopping online is such an easy fix when preparing to start a project, but I proved to myself that I don't have to do that every single time.  So do tell . . . what do you think of this little Spring project?  Would you like to make one for yourself?  You can find and download the envelope pattern on Rebekah L. Smith's web site HERE, and then decorate it for a holiday/occasion of your choice.

"WONDERFUL ROMANCE" THANK YOU

I know you can't be tired of seeing projects created with Stampin' Up!'s Wonderful Romance product bundle, so feast your eyes on this one:

Wouldn't this make a nice anniversary or wedding card?  It definitely has a feminine flair and a touch of elegance.  My colors are Very Vanilla, Powder Pink, Pear Pizzazz, and Vellum.  If I remember correctly, I used Mossy Meadow (or was it Shaded Spruce) ink to stamp the die-cut leafy stems and then brushed over them with an Aqua Painter.  The beautiful texture was accomplished with the Layered Leaves embossing folder, and my finishing touches were Petal Pink & Silver Baker's Twine and those lovely little Rhinestone Jewels.  

Have you purchased the Wonderful Romance bundle yet?  If not, I can't imagine what you're waiting for.  It is a gorgeous bundle and sooooooo easy to use!  Check it out HERE.  When you purchase this bundle now or until the end of March, you can also choose a FREE Sale-a-Bration product!

MY VALENTINES

I didn't make too many cards for this holiday . . . maybe 6 or 7 like this one:

While thinning out my over-abundant collection of paper recently, I came across the designer paper and the vellum with silver foil hearts and set them aside for my cards.  And then I dug even deeper to find the perfect ribbon.  I have no idea how old that pink organdy ribbon is, but I used to really enjoy working with it because it is so easy and not bulky.  I used Stampin' Up!'s retired heart-shaped dies to cut the hearts, which were embossed with the Lovely Floral embossing folder.  The word "love" was cut from one of the retired Expressions Thinlits dies.  As a Demonstrator (next month will be my 15th anniversary), I have grown accustomed to constantly using new products.  I actually feel proud of myself when I reach for retired products now and then because they need to be used.

When it came time to make cards for my husband and son, I opted to design shaped cards using Cricut Design Space.  My husband's card is a tall coffee cup:

It turned out cute, huh?  I love that the Cricut Explore has a pen port and will write (draw) shapes and text, such as the sentiment.  I thought it would be a good idea to fill in the word "you" with some lines, but that turned out to not be such a good idea.  I was pleased with the rest of the card, though.

Lastly, my son's camera card.  Chad is quite a skilled photographer, and he seems to enjoy "collecting" cameras and lenses.  He recently invested in a used Nikon film camera and all the required items for film developing but, shortly before the warranty was to expire, the internal battery died.  He was able to return the camera for a refund (whew!); otherwise, he'd have a rather expensive door stop.  I was surprised at how much he enjoyed everything about film, and he is missing all of that for the time being.  Deciding what kind of shaped card to make for him was easy, but I think it needed just a little more pizzazz--I just couldn't decide what to add at the time.  

Just like with my husband's card, I let the Cricut Explore write the sentiment on the inside:

And there you have it . . . my 2019 Valentine cards!  

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

"ACCENTED BLOOMS" SYMPATHY

Looking for a stamp set that can be colored to fit the season?  Accented Blooms is the one for you!  I recently reached for this set when I needed to make a sympathy card, and it was so relaxing to color!  I don't know if this card had too much color for its purpose, but I liked how well (and easily) it worked with multiple colors.

Except for the sentiment, all products used to create this card are from Stampin' Up!.  An Aqua Painter and ink pads were used to color the flowers, a sponge was used to add color to the punched sentiment, and doesn't the embossing on the right look pretty?  I used the Lovely Floral embossing folder for that.  Check out the photo below to get a clearer view of this card's fold:

If I can assist you with any Stampin' Up! products, contact me at randari at Hotmail dot com.

TYPEWRITER-SHAPED BIRTHDAY CARD

Anyone who really knows me will already know that I 💖shaped cards!  If memory serves me correctly, that is the main reason that I purchased my first Cricut machine quite some time ago.  That was way back in "the day" when I had to use the little Gypsy gadget, which was prone to major upsets (aka loss of cut files), to design shaped cards.  And, man, did I go to town designing cards.  I don't even know how many cut files were on my Gypsy in that moment just before they were all lost. I was quite literally crushed (maybe a little angry, too) at the realization that my Gypsy was dead and that it had taken to the grave all of my saved projects.  I came across that gadget a while back (no, I don't know why I didn't stomp it years ago) and found it hard to believe that I ever enjoyed using it as a design tool, but I did!  I had several stylus tools for it and a pretty little case/cover.  It's been a while since I've had space on my countertop for the Cricut Explore used my machine, so today I designed a typewriter-shaped card that I love!  It wouldn't make sense to make a card that I didn't love, now would it?

Fortunately, the nice people at Cricut have made it much easier to use their machines, and the machines have really come a long way!  Not only do they cut beautifully, they're just easier and more foolproof to use!  I would love to have a Maker, but it's just not in my budget.  Of course, if I could find a buyer for my three Cricut machines + one dead Gypsy, I could probably afford the new Maker.  But didn't this card end up really cute?  I actually made two of them because if you're going to cut one, you might as well cut two, right? The stamped images are from Stampin' Up!'s Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set.  And now I'm prepared for the next two birthday people!  How about you?  Did you drag out something to dust off and use this weekend?