Take Five Friday

Good Morning.  Today is Take Five Friday where we showcase how to use Five different products on our creations.  I  am showcasing two cards today, but I also want to share a fun way to use your Artisan’s Tapes.

Here are my cards.  I have used more than 5 products, but for me, using lots of products is always easy. :)

I have used:

Artisan Tape- Orange, Black Dot and Lime

Pattern Paper-  365 Degrees Daydream and Bayberry Cottage Front Porch

Cardstock

Twine

Button/Brads

Chipboard- letters ( Expressions Glitter Licorice), labels and shapes

thread- sewing machine and floss

Let me tell you how I made my woven tape items.

First I used a piece of white cardstock,  because the tape is sticky and I wanted something I could cut when I was finished.  For one I left no space between the strips, and for the other I left a small 1/8 inch gap, allowing some of the white cardstock to show through my finished design.

Working directly on my worktable, I tore off strips of tape slightly bigger then my cardstock piece, then starting at the top left corner, I added my strips vertically. As I was adding the vertical strips, I looped the tape back and stuck it out of the way, one of the nice things about using a tape.  Then I started adding my horizontal strips, using the over-under weave,  going over the first vertical strip, then going under the second vertical strip.

I continued this until all my strips were woven. Then I cut off the excess paper and had my finished piece ready to continue.

For this I {heart} u card, I simply folded my paper in half and cut out a heart shape.  I added white cardstock to the back, and cut around the heart again with my deco scallop scissors.  Then I punched holes and sewed a line with thick orange floss. I added my heart piece to a card I had added patterned papers and kraft cardstock for a background. To finish my card, I added a twine bow, tied with a button. I also added a small white painted label, some brads, a small handcut heart and glitter letter stickers too.  I finished the card with tiny clear gems at many of the meeting points on the tape weaving.

For this Hi Card, I left my woven piece in a rectangle shape, then matted it on some white cardstock and stitched around the outside with a zigzag stitch. I added foam tape to the back, then added it to my card which I had added a simple background of kraft cardstock and patterned paper sewn onto a card blank.  On top of my woven piece, I added two chipboard stars, and a label piece with brads and chipboard glitter letters. I finished the card with a looped twine bow.

I hope you have enjoyed my Five for Friday cards,  and try this fun weaving technique with Pink Paislee’s Artisan Tape.

Monday Muse – Fresh Holiday Colors!

Good morning, everyone! :)

There’s no doubt, being 31 sleeps away from Christmas, that you’ve been seeing Christmas decor, commercials, coffee choices, and even Christmas tunes popping up everywhere already! I love the holidays, and apart from all the lovely traditional winter goodies, something I love so much about them is finding really cool, fresh, and unexpected color combinations for my holiday cards and scrapbook pages – who wants the same old rich red and evergreen green in their scrapbooks year after year? Time to mix it up!

As I went to gather supplies for this Christmas card, I was super-inspired flipping through the two newest Pink Paislee collections, “Tinsel Town” and “Sweet Cakes”. I love the flourished trees and snowflakes of the more traditional Christmas collection (whose colors still break out of the typical Christmas box on their own..), but the bright pinks, yellows, lime greens, and oranges in “Sweet Cakes” really inspired me to break out of the traditional box and combine the two lines for a unique, new color twist on the typical Christmas card. Here’s what I came up with:

I love how the playful, warm yellows and oranges bounce off of the cooler pinks and greens – it feels really fresh and fun! A very happy feeling holiday card, I think! So this year, when you’re making your cards or packaging up gifts, instead of reaching for the tried and true reds and greens, take a chance and throw a little pinch of lime green or bright pink in and mix it up a little! :) Dabble in a color combination that’s unexpected and totally new to you – before jumping in, if you’re a little wary, compare swatches of colors, look for color combinations online using google, or line up the patterned papers you want to use, making sure they compliment one another before devoting yourself to them and cutting anything out. And most of all, have fun! Its unavoidable if you’re using such fun patterned paper and making heartfelt gifts for the ones you love. Happy day!

-Michelle Clement