Keep Calm & Ask Mom

This week at Pile It On we're challenging you to use Fabric and/or Felt on your creations. I decided to use the opportunity to incorporate a cross stitch project into my cardmaking, with this pocket card and interactive bookmark:

I designed the cross stitch pattern using a background grid in InDesign. It's stitched with 2 strands in bright red DMC embroidery floss onto Oatmeal 14-count Aida cloth. It's pretty easy to stitch, as I mostly did the stitches over 2 rows (it didn't look so great in single stitches).

The Jean-patterned paper is from my stash; gee, I've had that for years and years! I made my own template for the pocket, and sanded both pieces with my Prima distressing tool. I added machine stitching to both pieces, but the pocket is adhered with double-sided tape.

It's difficult to see, but there's a white border on the front of the tag, cross stitched directly onto the red backing. Kinda tricky! but worth it.

When I showed my husband the bookmark/tag, he wondering if we could Velcro something to it, as he's using Velcro at work and once you use it you want to use it everywhere! This was a perfect suggestion, as I have some patches with Velcro on them in my stash. I put some adhesive Velcro on to the pocket, so you can switch around the pieces. 

Here's the back of the tag, with two Velcro-backed patches stuck on it.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Charisma Cardz #19: No Digis Allowed
The Crafter's Cafe Challenge: Mother's or for a female
Inspire Me Fridays #103: Anything Goes
Mema's Crafts Monday Challenge: Anything Goes and/or Mother's Day and/or May Flowers
Paper Shelter Challenge #112: Anything Goes
Squigglefly: Use a Pocket
Stamp n Doodle: Anything Goes
Stampotique Designers' Challenge #100: Anything Goes
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything goes + encouraging uplifting sentiment

Update: This was featured at Inspire Me Fridays. Thank you! I'm so honored to be in amongst the fabulous projects.

Thank you for visiting,

Wonderella Cross Stitch

My husband introduced me to the web comic The Non-Adventures of Wonderella, so I just had to make this cross stitch character created by Robert Bolyard (scroll down to "Double-cross / May 20" for links to the pattern):

I framed it with a plastic hoop set Mom sent me, and it had a little hook on the back so it was easy to add the baker's twine. I colored the visible edge of the hoop with a gold Sharpie, and used an adhesive ribbon for the outer border.

Thank you for visiting,

Anything Goes at One Stitch at a Time

It's time for another fun "Anything Goes" challenge at One Stitch at a Time!

My teamie Vicky chose for her & myself this time around, and totally challenged me with Mermaid's Revenge by Delicious Doodles. Since this is an "Anything Goes" challenge, our wonderful coordinator Choccy asked that some of us make something other than a card, so I made a very funky Post-It Note holder:

I just love the digis from Delicious Doodles; they are so fun & interesting, and I had a blast coloring this with my Copics and Glaze pens.

I used Cuttlebug's 3x3 Bubble Frame Die/Emboss Combo for the frame, but since the image was larger I cut down two to make the frame (I used some of the scrap for the inside).
Actually, all of the paper used for this project is from my scrap box. Even the blue cross stitch fabric is a scrap!

The blue flourishes are a Sizzix die cut that I actually found in my scraps... can't remember now what I originally cut it! I've had the little plastic bone buttons (with shanks removed) for the longest time, and was excited to have a funky way to use them.

I generated the sentiment myself using the font Bleeding Freaks, making the outline (or "stroke") red for the first letters and blue for the rest. Thought it worked nicely for the undersea vampire theme. I printed it onto shiny gold paper (Recollections), cut it by hand, and drew the border with a white Glaze pen.

I'm really into cross stitching right now (see my other projects here), so I whipped up a little skull pattern, complete with gold tooth. Too fun! It's glued into an ornamental bottlecap.

Here it is opened up:

I started with a 4.5 x 12 inch strip and scored it at 4.75, 5.25, 10, and 10.5. I used some scrap magnet to make a closure. I ran the seashell-patterned ribbon through a small piece of paper (the same glittered black Core'dinations cardstock I used for the base) to make a loop for the small pen. This holds a regular 3x3 "sticky note" pad.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Allsorts Challenge Week 189: Dies and Punches
2. Crafty Cardmakers: Create a Fairytale Scene (Okay, it's a pretty dark fairytale, but hope it counts!)
3. Digi Haven: Sparkles & Bling
4. Divas by Design #67: Anything goes 
5. Eureka Stamps: Make it Sparkle
6. Haunted Design House Macabre Mondays: Anything dark/Gothic
7. Penny's Paper-Crafty #109: Anything goes
8. Songbird Challenges: Paint It Black (LOVE this song!)

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us this week at One Stitch at a Time,

Old-fashioned Pixels

So for the first time in this century (actually since 1996) I rang in the New Year without a cigarette. I would have crafted straight through midnight if not for the fireworks (we're only about 3 miles north of Baltimore's Inner Harbor) that woke up my dog Allen, who then needed immediate love and attention. I wouldn't have it any other way!

I quit smoking 7 weeks ago, and I did it with the help of cross stitching. I found myself a few projects and found it really helpful in keeping me busy.

So...I've been cross stitching all weekend. I made this simple pattern based on a rubber stamp design. I stamped the stamp itself in SU! Whisper White on black paper.

rotated 90° counter-clockwise

The "stitching" on the border of the card is actually a SP & Co. stamp; I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink.


Inspiration/Challenges:
CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge #4: Sketch
Allsorts: Black and White
Hotshot Crafts: Clean and Simple




Here are some other designs I made this weekend:

I couldn't find a free pattern for these Space Invaders characters, so I made them (thanks to the document grid in InDesign). I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this piece yet...

I designed these myself too, so that they would fit in these 1x1-inch bottle caps. I cut circles from magnet sheets using a Sizzix die and glued them onto the bottle caps to make magnets.

These patterns are available as PDFs; just shoot me an email if you want one or both. (CGsaysSomethingLoudly [at] gmail [dot] com)


And here are a couple of projects I made for Christmas Gifts:

My Mother-in-law's favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz, so I made this for her for Christmas. I got the pattern for this at Sewing Seed, and I plan on making the whole set this year. I found the frame for like a $1 at my mom's church's Thrift Store.

This was a gift for my mom; she mentioned how lovely white-on-red fabric would be, so I found a free pattern for a Coeur Fleuri. I colored the wooden frame with red Tattered Angels glimmer mist, and added liquid pearls on the front & sides. I covered the hoop closure with white Silk Crush ribbon from May Arts, and a plastic red bird charm from Popalicious Too (I received it in a blog candy).

Not bad for 7 weeks, huh?! So far, 2013 is looking good!

Thank you for visiting & Happy New Year,