Festive Fridays Faux Flannel

Its that special Friday again -- a FESTIVE FRIDAY!


Festive Friday is a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas projects.

If you're joining me directly, you will probably not want to miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine!
 
In attempting to get the count down on my Reader this week (hah - highly unlikely given my schedule these days), I happened across a neat technique called New Faux Flannel, (which you can read more about at Sharons blog where she kindly posts a tutorial) which seemed very soft and Christmas-y! I used the Letters to Santa designer paper again and tried out this technique:

Left is DSP - Right is DSP Faux Flannel

You are adding a layer of tissue paper to your base. Sharon used hers with stamped backgrounds, I thought it might be a nice way to mute a loud or strong paper. It has a very soft look in person, sorry I cant seem to capture that perfectly in the pics! I added an embossed snowflake pattern with my Northern Flurry folder. It seemed a bit too hidden, so I inked just the embossing with some blue to bring it out more.

Northern Flurry Embossing Folder



Inked with daubers onto embossing only



Added a little matting, a sentiment, and called it a day on this one.

I have to let the ideas percolate a bit on how I would use this technique, but its nice for winter cards as it can be either a snowy backdrop for your focal stamps or it can be a soft flannel blanket / pajama feel for a warm winter card. Perhaps the stripes, or maybe the square lattice embossing folders, even the polka dots, would add a beautiful fabric feel. I think its perfect for muting some of those patterns and colors that just scream across your page! :-)
It also seems to give a bit of a vintage or maybe a distressed look. I could see trying out some sanding - letting the vibrancy of the paper rub thru, or inking up the edges a bit. The tissue bleeds beautifully when you ink it, so you could also get a bit of a painted effect.
Lots of possibilities in this technique.

Thanks for visiting,
be sure to hop along to Becky's Blog for more Festive Friday Fun!

Happy Crafting!
~angie
P.S. Still waiting for you to contact me Alice, I've got your winnings packed up and ready to mail!

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Ready to make some cards?! (Lucky Winner)

Hello All, I hope you had a crafty weekend!
I did not - I had a Family weekend! (which I must confess is *almost* as good! :-)
Thank you to everyone who stopped by for the Festive Friday fun, I hope you got a chance to see all the blogs and inspiring cards! We return August 26th with another round, so please visit again!

From your lovely comments on the Festive Friday post, Random.org has generated the winning number:

Which happens to be a lovely lady named Alice:

Who said:

" I also loved the way you made such good use of that great paper! All the cards were delightful, again i have to say, I'm inspired :-D "
August 13, 2011 2:15 AM

Thank you Alice!! (obviously a Midnight Crafter also :-)
 
So if you will be so kind as to email me your info, Alice, (midnightcrafter at gmail dot com)

I will get THIS fun package off to you!


Again, thanks so much to everyone for visitng my blog and the Festive Friday Blog Hop - and for taking the time to leave your comments, they do brighten my day!
xoxo
~angie

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Festive Fridays Letters to Santa

Its that special Friday again -- a FESTIVE FRIDAY!
Festive Friday is a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas projects.
If you're joining me directly, you will probably not want to miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine! Be sure to visit all the blogs on the Festive Friday Hop, we have a great offering of blog candy sprinkled throughout so see what goodies you can qualify for! (and don't miss my Blog Candy offer at the end of this post!)

Playing around this week with a new Designer Series Paper called Letters to Santa. I created these four cards from one 12x12 sheet. I love this paper!

Thank you for taking the tour this week, I hope you find some inspiration to get your holiday cardmaking going - Santa will arrive before you know it!
Please continue on to BC Designs and see what Becky has created for us this time around!

BLOG CANDY:

I am offering a Christmas Card Kit to pad your holiday card stash - or to get your card stash started!
Includes all the supplies needed to assemble 12 cards and a festive card keeper box to hold them, color printed instructions and 12 envelopes.

All Followers of this blog are eligible to enter to win!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you have started making your holiday cards!

 ( If you have how that is going? or if you haven't - are you nervous, or do you triumph in the mad rush?)

One lucky winner will be picked at random from eligible entries

and announced here on Monday.

(then you can email me for where to send your prize,

US or International shipping proveded free)

Have a Festive Friday!!

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Q&A How To Tie Great Bows

	Q&A Q: How do you tie great bows? I look at the catalog and see perfect bows, but mine never turn out looking that nice. What’s the trick? A: There sure are some amazing bows out there! You are right - there are a couple of tricks. First of all, there are many ways to tie bows. I’ll share a quick tutorial below with one of my favorite bows! Second, knowing which types of ribbons work best with certain bows is a big help. And lastly, once you’ve learned about the first two tricks, the last trick is just good old fashioned practice! Ribbons Picking the right ribbon for your size and type of bow is important. Our lovely 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon is ideal for bows on 3-D items, décor, and gifts. It can be used to make bows on cards that you intend to hand deliver, but is too bulky for standard mailing. Ribbons that are narrower and have a thinner, softer texture work best on cards you intend to mail. Ribbons like 1/2" Seam Binding, 3/8" Taffeta, 3/8" In Colors Ruffled, 1/4" Grosgrain, and 1/8" Taffeta make smaller bows with less bulk and work well for mailing. Ribbons like the 5/8" Satin, Crochet Trim, and 5/8" Organza can also work for cards you are mailing depending on the type of bow you tie. Visit my store HERE to see these great ribbons. Bows There are many different ways to tie bows. Some are basic bows like what you tie in your shoelaces, while some fancy bows can have double or triple loops. Some bows use a brad to hold the ribbon in place instead of a knot and other bows are tied around something, like fork tines, as a template. One of my favorites is the “fork bow". It always gets “oh’s, ahh’s, and wows"! The Elegant Bow is also one of my favorites because it is easy, flat, and looks like you know a secret bow-tying trick, which you will! I’ve included a quick tutorial for you below that I hope you enjoy! Elegant Bow Tutorial To create an Elegant Bow, you will need a 5" and a 2" strip of ribbon. 1. Lay a 5" piece of ribbon out flat. Add a dab of SNAIL to the center. 2. Fold in the right end of the ribbon and adhere to SNAIL. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end. 3. Fold in the left end of the ribbon and adhere to SNAIL. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end. 4. Place one end of a 2" piece of ribbon over the center of the folded ribbon creating an upside down “T" shape. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end that is over the folded ribbon. 5. Wrap 2" piece of ribbon around the folded ribbon until it overlaps and adheres to itself. Pull ribbon snug so it is flat, but not so tight that it causes the ribbon to gather. 6. Trim off excess ribbon. 7. The Elegant Bow is complete. Press it flat or push the ends gently to puff it up a bit based on your preference. Adhere the elegant bow to your project alone or layered on a strip of ribbon. Summary I hope you enjoy creating the Elegant Bow. I’d love to teach you and your friends a whole variety of bows, tips, and tricks that will really add that extra-special touch to your cards, scrapbooks, décor, and other crafting projects. Contact me today to book your workshop and we can decide what types of bows will “wow" you and your friends with!
© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

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