Friday Thoughts - Treasure Bag Card

A special, little friend of mine has just turned two. I thought that I would make her a unique and glittery card to go with her present. You can make one as well, and don't just limit yourself to the number two. You could have any number that you like on the front or use a simple shape outline (eg. heart or star).

What you need: card, pencil, tracing paper (or baking paper), scissors/cutter, paper for insert, small snaplock bag, various 'treasures' (sequins, paper punchies, glitter), sticky tape, eraser.

Measure out, cut and fold the card to the desired size.

Find a desired image. I used a computer to generate my number. Just ensure that the image will fit on the front of the card. Also ensure that the snaplock bag is bigger than the image.

Using the tracing paper and pencil, trace the image. I simply use baking paper - it is handy (I usually have a stash in the pantry) and it is just as effective.

To transfer the traced image onto the card, flip it over (right side facing down) and scribble over the lines with the pencil. Flip over again (right way facing up), place onto the front of the card and trace over the lines of the image.

This is what my image looked like.

Using scissors or cutting tool, carefully cut along the lines of the image. With an eraser, rub out any remaining pencil marks.

Fill the snaplock bag with a variety of 'treasures', making sure that the bag is not too full. Seal the bag.

Tape the bag to the inside of the card - over the hole left by the cut out image. Tape along all the edges.

Make an insert with the paper to be placed in the card. Choose a colour that is evident in your 'treasures' (I chose purple). Not only will it cover the bag on the inside of the card, but I personally think that an insert finishes off a card. Simply fold the paper and trim it a few millimetres smaller than the card. I also use scissors that have a fancy edge/style to cut the side of the insert (see photo for reference). The trick with inserts is to adhere one side only, not both, to the card, otherwise the insert bulges when closed. Hence, place adhesive only on the side that will cover the taped bag (using the photo as a reference, I placed adhesive on the side that can be seen in the above photo). Place the fold of the insert into the fold of the inside of the card (as per the photo) and carefully close the card to adhere the insert to the inside of the card.

The finished card...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wonderful Wednesday - True Colours

It is a big night here... it is 'State of Origin' night! This concept is a little foreign to most people in Southern Australia (where we live), however, Mr T grew up in Queensland and spent some time in New South Wales, therefore Rugby... and 'State of Origin' is a passion. For those who do not know of the concept, two states (Queensland vs New South Wales) vie for supremacy in Rugby. It has taken me a little while, but I am slowly beginning to understand the game, hence my inspiration for the week ... all things 'Maroon' (Go Queensland!)...

Glass tile pendant by 'Crafty Expression'

I love the variety of hues of maroon in this pendant and the contrast with the black leather cord. A perfect gift for someone special or simply keep it yourself to match a special outfit.

Grey felt koala brooch by 'Smashing Smile Designs'

How could I go past this little guy? A cute, felt koala sporting a maroon shirt. He would add interest to any shirt, scarf or hat. It would make a great gift for a 'maroons' fan!

Maroon bow-tie neck scarf by 'The Smile Emporium'

I love the style of this little scarf - it looks like it has been tied together. Just big enough to keep a neck warm on chilly nights. A great idea for winter!

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Monday in the making

It has been another hair accessory week for me. I have been playing around with a different flower design and have come up with this...

A rosy pink one and a sea green one...

 

These clips are made from up-cycled t-shirts using different shades of the same colour. Stitched together on a felt backing. View these items in my madeit.com.au store here.

On the list:

• card and pressie
• bibs
• a new toy design
• crochet projects

Thanks for viewing!

Friday Thoughts - Flower Gift Tag

Receiving a present is a lovely surprise. The way a gift is wrapped can enhance the gift that is given. Paper and ribbon can assist in this and so can gift tags. Here is a design for a floral tag with a touch of bling...

What is needed:

 card for the base, a matching floral paper for the top of the tag, flower hole punch, ruler, pencil, adhesive, scissors/paper trimmer, circular hole punch, ribbon and diamonte embellishments.

Cut two identical rectangles, one out of the base card and the other out of the floral paper. I made my rectangles 8cm x 6cm.

Using the floral punch, punch out three flower shapes - top and bottom on one side and from the middle on the other side.

 Keep the floral shapes that are produced.

 Using the adhesive, glue the top floral rectangle onto the base rectangle.

 Turn the tag over so that the base is facing up. Cut one of the corners and flip it over onto the other side and trace with the pencil (see above). Cut along pencil line. This will ensure that the tag looks balanced.

Turn the tag over so that the floral side is facing up. Punch a hole at the top of the tag with the circular punch (see above photo for reference). Add diamonte embellishments in the middle of punched flowers. Tie a length of ribbon through the circular hole.

Turn the tag over and adhere the three punched flower shapes to the bottom left tag.

Write a message on the back of the tag and your tag is ready to attach to your gift.

Wonderful Wednesday - Chickens

We got a few new additions to our farm family today... three chickens. We have kept chickens for at least three years and have enjoyed the free range goodies that they give to us. We have two 'older girls' whose egg laying production is slowing down. So today, Mr T picked up three chickens when the poultry truck came into town. Now comes the challenge of naming them...

Hence the inspiration of the week is...chickens!

Chicken Toy by 'Wendy's Woollys'

I love this egg laying lady! I love the black and grey colour on the edge of her wings and on her front to show a lacy pattern. I love her cute little beak and red comb. Ready for some cuddles!

Chicken Tote by 'Red Brick House'

What a cute little bag? I love the fun, chicken fabric design. They look like they are running along the bag. Perfect for holding little goodies!

Chicken Pendant by 'Studio KVB'

This is something different, but wonderful! An image of a chicken 'burnt' into a wooden pendant. This item could be warn as a necklace pendant or it could be used as a key ring. A gorgeous image and would make a unique gift.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Friday Thoughts - A Hanging Heart

A lovely little heart that could be used to decorate a small, plain place or strung through a parcel ribbon to decorate a gift. A large amount of duplicates could be tied to a ribbon to make a simple bunting or they could be used to decorate a tree. So many ideas...

Materials:

• A cardboard tube
• Paint and painting tools
• Hole punch
• Jute twine
• Ribbon

Steps:

Cut the cardboard tube into 'slices'. I divided my cardboard tube into thirds, however, you may wish to make the 'slices' thinner. Mine ended up being approximately 2cm in width.

Gently press one edge of each cardboard tube between your thumb and forefinger to make the tube into a teardrop shape.

 On the opposite side of the point of the teardrop, gently press the tube into the centre to make the top part of the heart.

 Repeat for the other cardboard tube 'slices'.

 Paint the hearts. I place the wet hearts on baking paper so they don't stick. Allow to dry.

 My hole punch could slide on to the 'valley' of the top of the heart. I punched a hole in the centre. Punch a hole at the base of the heart. Measure around 30cms of twine and thread through the holes so that there is approximately 6cms out the bottom of the heart. Tie a knot in the twine above the heart. Gently pull the twine at the base of the heart to increase the heart shape at the top. Tie a knot in the twine at the base of the heart.

 Loop the twine at the top of the heart and knot. Measure a length of ribbon and tie a bow around the twine at the top of the heart. Other decorations could be added - beads, punched shapes, glitter ... or just keep it like this.

Ready to share some love...

Wonderful Wednesday - Blue

We have been studying 'water' at work with the little ones, in particular, we have been looking at how water is such a precious resource. We have been researching how water enters our taps - where it comes from and where does it go...

 Today, I took my littlies on a little excursion to our town's water source for a tour and to find out some of this information. Even though it was a wet and dreary day, the children enjoyed the chance to hop on a bus and get out and about. Hence the inspiration for the week is ... blue!

Felt dog brooch by 'Inspired by Charlotte'

This felt pooch is absolutely adorable! I love the blanket stitch around the outside, his cute beady eye and red ribbon. A perfect little something for a dog lover...

Blue necklace by 'Bababeads'

Blue is a great colour for accessories and jewellery, particularly teamed with a white shirt. I love this necklace! I love the variety of beads and their shapes and textures. I love the different shades of blue. Lovely!

Tea Cosy by 'Knitter's Knot'

I find it hard to go past blue yarn! I love this cute tea cosy. I love the shades of blue and I love the stripey look that it has. If you brew tea in a pot, this little item could be for you.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Monday in the making

It has been a long weekend here in my little space of the world. This weekend has meant a chance to go for a bike ride, in the fresh air and glimpses of sunshine. It has also given us a spontaneous chance to catch up with family and experience a country festival. Finally, it has also given me the opportunity to sink my teeth into some craft. Here are a few photos of the results...

I finally finished off this bag that I started making last weekend. It is made out of a t-shirt that had a groovy domino pattern. I had just the right coloured buttons to decorate the top with. It has an insert that has been made out of a red t-shirt, the inner part has a pocket and the bag is closed with a zip. This bag was lots of fun to make and I have other groovy t-shirts that are just waiting to be made into bags...

I have had this idea for a while and I managed to find some time to create this 'flower' clip, made out of up-cycled denim that has been frayed and distressed. It is embellished with a yo yo made out of an up-cycled scarf, a blue button and a diamonte. This flower has been stitched onto a clip.

These two pendants have been experiments of mine. I want to also experiment with cork and the antique pendant plates. I also want to make up some more cork necklaces, similar to the design that I have previously shown. These two pendants have been made up-cycled book pages.

On the list:

• Continue my gifts that I have been creating.
• Hair ties
• Cork necklaces
• Start another bag?

 Thanks for viewing!

Wonderful Wednesday - The Very Busy Spider

Earlier I shared that I particularly dislike caterpillars...well, Mr T doesn't particularly like spiders - especially big, hairy ones! (Just quietly, I am not too fond of them myself...)

Recently, I have read 'The Very Busy Spider' by Eric Carle at work. This book has a lot of literary pattern that little ones can pick up on. We looked at why spiders make webs and made our own webs by using paper plates (with slits cut into them) and wrapping wool around the paper plates -  catching the wool in the slits to create a web pattern. We added our own little spider to our webs. Hence, my inspiration for the week are...spiders!

Spider web card by 'Harry Brown Designs'

I love the simple pattern of this card - lots of cute, little spiders hanging from dotty threads of web.

Metal magnetic spider by 'Overwrought'

This metal spider is so life like it is scary! This spider is designed to age in the weather if displayed outside. It would make a great garden ornament.

Spiderman Button Necklace by 'Addicted to Buttons'

When you think of spiders, Spiderman has to pop into mind! Love the black, red and white combination of these buttons. The best part is that these buttons make a unique piece of jewellery.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration!

Monday in the Making

I have had a bit more of a stationery focus this week in the studio. I have made sets of tags that have up-cycled atlas pages as the decorative feature and I have also used book pages as decorative features. This time I used motifs from children's books...

I also made up a card for a special family member. I love the pop-up idea and I love the lavender colour...

I also started another project using a t-shirt that had a domino design...

 

...I can't wait to finish it!

On this list:

• Finish the 'domino' project.
• Continue my crochet project.
• A few gifts and cards.
• A new hair accessory or two.

 Thanks for viewing!