slider card

Easy Slider Card

The finished card was shown to me by Trish at Hastings Rubber Stamps, Hastings, NZ. January 2014

Decide how big you want your card to be.  I made it to be the same size as a C6 when it was folded and assembled.

Outer Tube: Cut your card double the size you want to end up with, plus a bit to overlap.  Score & make into a tube, ensuring the overlap flap is hidden inside the tube.

Pull insert: this needs to be slightly smaller all round than the outer so that it fits inside and pulls easily.  Cut a sturdy layer of card, decorate if wanted.

 

Assembly:  put the insert into the tube and punch a hole through all layers at one end, in the centre of the end.  Take insert out and reverse it into the tube, lining up the holes.  Put a long piece of ribbon (about 3 x length of tube) through both tube and insert. Pulling  the ends up to the other end of the insert.

 

  

At this stage decide if you want to punch another hole or just tie the ribbon around the end of the insert.  (I glued it at the end so it stayed tied).  Then push the insert into the tube, in, out, in, out....

  Decorate however you want.  Decorate front of insert with sentiment or whatever you want, remembering it needs to be quite flat to slide properly. Leave a space on the back of insert for writing a greeting or message.

 

The insert is pulled in and out using the bow.

Have fun.

soft canvases

Most people would think of quilts as being cuddly bedcovers to snuggle up with.  Not so.  They come in all forms now from soft furnishings and clothes to art pieces.   Our local museum has commissioned and hung a large artwork made by one of our local guild members in their entry foyer .


I have dabbled  and tried out various things in different styles.  Here is a wee selection of my wallhangings.





This is my current favourite.  It uses raw edge applique, chenille, and beading.  The message says "She heard the whisper over and over again - breath in, breath out".  It won 2nd place at the Craft & Quilt Fair in Hamilton 2014 - "My Favourite..........place to relax".

What you can't see is the birds,  yachts and woodgrain quilted into the background ... and the glass of white wine in my hand!  The sea is made with shantung, feet with fossil fern and batik fabric.  The white surf is beading.
 
 

This is a wall hanging made in only two fabrics: a purple marbled batik and a peacock print.  Clusters of beading embellishment wander across the panels.
It hangs in three separate panels which are joined at the top.

I really like the asymmetric shape and the curves.



























This is an abstract design quilt attached to a canvas frame, with piecing, chiffon inserts, yarn, ribbon and beading.  It was lots of fun to make.

The Angel of Virtue is a stitchery quilt done in blue floss thread - a

modern design in a traditional style. 



Stitchery is quite relaxing technique and is easily carried around.



















This is another raw edge applique piece mounted on a canvas frame. For this one I tried out a printing technique using tissue paper on the computer to do the lining of the shoe (with words relating to shoes) and the message: "every time she put on her red high heels she felt like dancing".  It was also for the challenge "My favourite....ever shoes " at the Craft & Quilt Fair held in Hamilton 2015.  It is interesting that I had these shoes in the early '90's and my kids still remember them too!









I hope you look out for other ways quilting can be used, such as clothing, bags, home furnishings, and ornamental items such as bowls, vases and constructions, and probably many more I haven't discovered yet!

 

Kids cards

Because I have eight grandchildren, it seems there is a constant need for kids cards.  Some of these kids don't really care about cards, but some are very discerning and have high expectations of my creativity.
Eva is now 12 and has kept every card I have made for her and treasures them, but is not really crafty.  Grace is seven, and likes paper crafting and art activities.   Rhiannon is five and loves getting her hands on glue and glitter.  All my grandchildren (and children too) like getting interactive cards.




This is a shaker card, the stars and punched out monster shake around inside the window.

A double fold cascade is easy and gives lots of scope for decorating.  Grace's name is inside one of the folds for her to discover.  She is a butterfly addict.

I found kids love to have their name on their card.
















This one is a pull-fold with a pop-up ball.  We gave Eva a basketball for her last birthday which had been on her wish list for a while, so what better inspiration?  The sentiment says "It's your special day ... have a ball!"







 For Finn, I did one with pockets, hiding tags and pull-outs with messages.  He hung the front tag onto his door handle after his birthday.  The insert inside I used a punch to 'eat' some of the page - like teethmarks of the monster.













This one was a put-it-together-yourself aquarium shaped as a pyramid card for Jackson, except he didn't want to put it together and wanted it flat!  He says that way he can see all of it at once (no accounting for taste).  You can see the joining  tab at the side.  Well, I guess his card, his choice.  This can also have a string at the top to hang from and then it spins around.  The sentiment and messages are inside.  The stickers are like jelly.






These ones are called bendi-cards, and they are quite tricky.  This is the only one I have made (and quite probably the only one I will ever make), but the kids played with it for ages, telling stories around the theme.  The children inside the fence are making a garden, and down by the tree are other animals.








A handbag card with a gift card/voucher inside.  Very girly and what girl wouldn't want one?













This was one for Lauren, our 32 year old daughter.  I took a photo and photoshopped the same photo in different ways with special effects. The I made labels on the computer with her special qualities and sprinkled them throughout the card.  Both sides have photos and qualities.  It also had a pull out tag in a front pocket.  She loved it.









A double diamond fold card for August, who is blind, so lots of folds, textured stickers, scratch n sniff etc.








It sure is a challenge to think about something new for each person and it is so great to have YouTube and Pintrest and all those tutorials available for our inspiration and education.  What did we do before all this technology?
Anyway, the important thing is - it's fun to make them and gives a lot of pleasure to the recipient.  Give it a go, why don't you?

Move over cards, come in quilts

Hi there.
Quilting is more than you might think it is.  It ranges from bed quilts, to art quilts, and accessories, and also from traditional to modern-contemporary.  Have a look and decide for yourself.

Over the past few months I have been concentrating on my quilting.  I have a lot of completed quilt tops known as UFO's in the quilting world - UnFinishedObjects.  Our local guild has a Biennial Exhibition in May so I decided to get some finished for that.
 I don't think I have a particular style, but it certainly is not hard-core traditional, and leans toward more contemporary style.  I love triangles in all their forms and am also learning more about stitching quilting designs.

I made this quilt top while we lived in the UK (2007-2009) and this influenced my choice of fabrics.  I used muted colours because the light is different there, and it seemed right.  They are certainly not New Zealand colours.  However I really enjoyed working with these colours at the time.










For this one, I tried quilting designs  I had never used before like ruler-work and feathers.  I did a lot of un-sewing along the way, but am very pleased with the result.

Leaking Cauldron pattern.













This is called an art quilt.  It still has the basic structure of a quilt (3 layers of top, batting, backing) but is constructed with freedom from a pattern and uses various other techniques and materials as the supporting act.
This is called "A Walk in the Bush", and is inspired by NZ bush.  The underlying geology, water, flora etc is combined to create a whole feeling of NZ bush.

Entirely my own design.







I made the top of this quilt and started quilting it a long time ago (maybe 2003 or 4) but only just finished it for the exhibition.
Originally I didn't even like it and put it away, I think mainly because they are not colours I personally like.  However I am glad I resurrected it.  The 3D image is really effective and I reckon it would look great in a building foyer where there is some space to see it properly.


Mary Jones pattern.

Sometimes we just like to do teensy projects after completing a big one, so I did some oven mitts for my daughter.

Martha Stewart design.

 

This is the second bed-quilt I ever completed.  I made it for my little granddaughter Rhiannon.  I like the off-centredness of this design which isn't too babyish and will still be ok when she is a teenager.
I guess the key thing for children's quilts is to make sure the backing is suitable for later in life, so it is able to be reversed when they grow up.

The techniques are piecing and applique.

I like this quilted handbag for dragging around my crochet projects, it sits upright and accommodates whatever shape is inside it. The wee triangles of colour are just there for "zing".  I love the bright lining too, it has inspiring messages on it and always makes me feel happy to look inside.

This is a pattern by a NZ company: Patches and Cream.

Another art quilt using batik fabric - Positively Purple.  This is kind of a free-cutting slice-and-dice technique it has patches of beading along some of the strips, which doesn't show well in the photo.












I hope this shows a little of the scope of quilting in the present.  Quilting is certainly not like it was even twenty years ago.
I like it when you leave me a comment, even if you don't like it.  Cheers, Carol.

 

NOT cards - January 2014

Anything but cards ...  albums, boxes and other stuff ...

Once in a while the other stuff shouts to be heard and even though it often uses the same materials as cards do, the result and the process may be quite different.

An album comes in many forms, from large to small, complex to simple. 

I have done a wedding album and didn't enjoy it very much, however I love the little accordion albums - they are my favourites!

 

This simple one was so I could focus on some positive things for the year, lots of goals, inspirational thoughts and reminders of the good life, after a stressful time...

... and this one, which is similar, has pockets along the bottom, to put samples in.  This is from a techniques class and each technique has been done on an ATC sized card for easy reference.  Each card has a description on the back describing the process.

Tags are another way of storing information and techniques or just for encouraging messages.  This is one I did for my daughter when she was struggling with the direction of her life.  Each side has an inspiring saying and are very tactile. I used lots of interesting textures such as handmade paper, vellum and tissue.

Jewellery box for men:

This is a balsa-wood box (very cheap at a discount store) which I covered with tissue (so it wrinkled) then painted with acrylic paint.  It looks like leather.  I added old poster clip art, diecut cogs, stamped slogans, gold leaf paper, and stick on brads.  Very manly I think, and my husband loves it.  Great for cuff links etc.  It is only 4" x 3", and came with that gorgeous clasp.

Boxes, both hard and soft always generate interest when containing gifts. I made a bunch of these at Christmas for giving cookies away.  Everyone loves a box with something in it. I could've just put the cookies in cellophane bags .. but hey, half the fun is not knowing what is inside!  I colour-coded the boxes so I knew what kind of cookies each box contained- everyone has their favourite cookie.

I used the Gift Box Punch Board to make the boxes.  The belly-band is Martha Stewart punch.

Another thing for a cute teeny gift are these TicTac wraps.  Sometimes I use the white mints and give them (especially to men) away at Christmas with the snowman poop poem on the inside. 

This one has Elfin poop with the fruity TicTacs.  I write the persons name on the front.

 

Rosette is Tim Holst diecut.

Pattern for wrap and poem from the internet.

Making things that aren't cards is a lot of fun and certainly extends that creative mind.  Have a go if you haven't already, I guarantee you won't stop at one!  Happy creating.

Wandering in ATC-land - December 2013

One of the great things about being a crafter is that you don't EVER just do one thing and stay there.  I started off when I was young with knitting and sewing, then progressed through pottery, batik, spinning, screen printing, cross stitch, drawing & painting, quilting, (and probably a few more I have forgotten about), then discovered cardmaking, which I thought was just like quilting except with paper ... and quicker.  However, once you get started on the crafting journey they all intertwine and some of the techniques are transferable across crafts.

 

For those who have never heard of them before, an ATC (Artist Trading Card) is a tiny work of art measuring 2 1/2"x 3 1/2", they are  always swapped (never sold) and come with details of the art and artist on the back.

 

One of the nice things about ATCs is that they are supposed to be works of art and as such are perfect for trying out some of the weirdest ideas you may have from time to time.  The great thing is ... they nearly always work.  Here are some I have done over a period of time and for all kinds of reasons (smile).

This is the first one I ever did (2010).  In a cardmaking group I am part of, we decided to have a go and started with the alphabet to make it easy on ourselves ...  so this is 'A' for angel.  ATCs are great for using up all those tiny scraps of precious papers like the heavy gold handmade paper I have never seen again since the day I bought it.

We continued on through the alphabet with some wild and wonderful creations, but this still remains one of my favourites.

I also had a swap going with Jackie from UK where we would take turns at deciding on a subject and make two every two months.  This one was to be inspired by a children's book or nursery rhyme or song.  I'm sure you can guess what mine were?

 

 Half the fun is thinking about what to do, and then knowing that you could keep going forever without running out of ideas ...

  

The thing is ... they can be 3 dimensional, have pull out bits, lift up bits, yarn, or openings:

 

It's also a great way to find other ways of using what you already have, especially stamps.

 

 

This was part of the alphabet series "D" for doors.

 

 






This one was a challenge, the topic was  "framed" , and while I did do some with the conventional frames,  I thought this was a fun take on the subject.

Talking about ATCs that are more than a pretty picture: this one is Open for Owls, another little bit of fun. 
The hard part was getting the hole punched in just the right place for the owls eyes to look through!

Newsprint or pages from books, painted, inked, stamped etc - a great way to get messy in a small way!   Sometimes I make ATCs to use as toppers on cards, and often they will need to be made slightly differently for that purpose.  These would be fine to use for toppers.

Textures was the theme of another swap with Jackie.  For the one on the left, I typed out fragments from papers and put them together randomly, using the red print to make another play on texture.text you're.  

It was really nice to play with the wire too and I just love that darn yarn!

Zentangles are great for ATCs, but need to be kept fairly simple.  Lovely to do in front of tv on a cold night.

And then lastly these are ones I have just made for our New Zealand swap group, on the theme of the Twelve days of Christmas. 

 

Have a go if you haven't already.  They are lots of fun, and can be as simple or complex as you want.  And really, use up all those precious wee bits that are hard to throw away.  Find someone or a group to swap with - a great way to get to know people too.

 

Thanks for having a look at my work through the year, hope you pop in again in 2014.

 

Have a cheery and safe Christmas,

Carol