Inspirational Crafts

mandysea

I've got a couple of little projects to show you in this post, and there's a bit of a story behind it......

You know when you might be working with a range, or colours or bits and pieces and they get lost under things, drop on the floor or completely go missing altogether because the project isnt done in one sitting.... (weeeeeeell maybe you dont....BUT I DO!) I'm hopeless for losing things on and under my desk! (even in one sitting!) So I usually grab one sheet of paper, fold it in thirds and tie a ribbon around it. It doesnt have a bottom in it to stop things falling out though you 'could' do that... but for me it has to be something simple and quick - to be practical just as a storage holder to keep things together...

Sooooooo what I originally started to do was show you how to make my little 'Fish' embellie... but I lost 'stuff'!!! :roll:

And thought.... 'GOOD GRIEF'... make a folder, gather the stuff, and then show the fish LOL!!

Here's the folder!!! (thought I'd pretty this one up for you)

This is using one piece of Stella &Rose 'Memories' Woven paper Diecut

Using some trims and buttons
Hazel 'Memories' Trim
Gertie 'Delightful Trim
Hattie 'Remember' Buttons

Once you open the folder to see the inside... this is where I store my 'bits' (its tidy right now...but wasnt!) I glued some very thin strips down the creases of the 12x12 diecut.

And as you can see - this doesnt have to be a folder... you could use it as an enclosed LO! Place pics and embellies too! There's no end to what you could use one sheet of 12x12 diecut paper for!

The little hearts.... I usually try to punch scraps into shapes and pop away for when the need arises...so my MME scraps - had the heart punch nearby so had a bit of a go with that!

And to be nice and tidy (and keep pretty for you) made up a little packet for them

AND now for the FISH!
As you can see this is bits and piece-y too!

I did have these bundled into the folder...

Anyway, lets put it together to make the end result...

Make a circle with paper...
Just punch out those strips with a waters edge punch or anything scallopy like that.... lay them out on top of your circle just to measure how many you need (as above) and ink the edges.... place the scallop side towards the fish tail and the straight side towards the fish's eye.... start at the tail and work towards the fish's eye sticking them down...only put the glue along the straight edge and very slightly turn up the scallops to give a 3d-ish effect.
Turn the circle over and trim off the excess strips along the circle shape.
Then ink two big hearts and stick one as the tail and the other one as a fin... and the tiny heart as some lips! I've used a couple of little paper circles and a brad for an eye, but you can use what you like. Dont forget to ink right around the fish to finish...
I've used a little tag to dress up the fin Stella & Rose Mabel 'Joy'Layered Stickers

Here are the Stella & Rose papers in the hearts and fish...
Hattie 'Remember' Roses
Mabel 'Joy' Crocheted
Mabel 'Little Lady' Fine Flowers
Mabel 'So Sweet' Herringbone
Gertie 'Friends Forever' Tapestry
Hattie 'Boy' Tapestry

Here's a link to a LO I made back in March with this little fish embellie in a few sizes

Artastic

Have you seen those little MME 6x4" transparencies that can be placed over photos and give a little 'frame' and fancy pattern to it??
They can be found in the My Mind's Eye section under
Abbey Rd
Breaking Free
Just Dreamy 2
Penny Lane
So Sophie
Lime Twist
Stella Rose
You may even have some amongst your stash (like I have!)

The ones I've used on my project here are no longer available.. but it doesnt matter which ones you use... its the idea of how to use them!!

With the transparencies, I've used Meadow's Lark Dawn Card Paper which I cut into little cards

You can use anything like this... or even just small photos!

Here's what I've managed to create - and it was total fun!

And before there is any throwing of hands in the air about sewing :lol:

- the only sewing is the bold red back stitch to hold it together! The rest is glue! :wink:

Here's how its done:

The ingredients:

Some fabric,
However many transparencies you might like (I used five)
Your set of cards or pics
Glue
Needle and embroidery thread
Any alpha or emellies for dressing your cover

STEP ONE

Cut a strip to fit the length of the transparency to 6cms wide
Using an iron, press over the the side edges 6mms,
then press the strip in half as in the photo

STEP TWO

Glue down the underneath of those 6mm edges, and glue the side of the transparency to the fabric.

STEP THREE

Glue the top edge of the fabric strip down on the facing side of the transparency, and stick your cover card or pic in the centre as well.

STEP FOUR

Now stick the next card or pic to the other side of the transparency so they two cards are centred and matched

STEP FIVE

Repeat this for all the transparencies you are using for pages. Keep using your first transparency page as a template to keep lining up those centred cards.

STEP SIX

Place all the fabric sides together ready for stitching. Make sure your transparency edges all line up too as well as the centred pics!

STEP EIGHT

Using back-stitch... sew down the centre of the fabric. I used a peg to hold the transparencies still and together in place.

DECORATE

It should look somewhat like this...

Also used is
Stella Rose Trinkets and Brads

I'd love to see some interpretations of this project!!!

There are some adorable transparencies in the shop just use the links in the opening paragraph of this post!