Vintage Puffy Heart

The cold temps here in Chicago-land are keeping me inside once again – not that I get out much anyway (my children will confirm this little tidbit of information), but now I don’t WANT to leave the warm refuge of my home and at least have an excuse that others understand. <grin> 

I’ve finally found a little shred of “quiet time” and am going to share details of one of my projects from last weeks blog tour.  As previously noted, my task was to play with showcase the Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric line available now in Stampin’ Up!’s new Occasions Mini Catalog.  I adore the bright cheerfulness of the colors, as well as the variation of fabric designs.  In each package you will receive these three beautifully coordinated 100% cotton fabrics, each piece measuring 28” x 18”.  That’s a whole lot of fun all wrapped up in one little package!

I know you’ve seen this photo before, but I like this card so much I just couldn’t resist posting it again. <hehehehe>  To make the two scallop circles I cut a square of each of the fabric designs I wanted to use and applied them to a sheet of Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive paper.  I took my trusty bone folder and applied pressure over the entire pieces to make sure the adhesive stuck well.  So I wouldn’t gunk up my paper snips or other good scissors, I used my craft/rubber scissors to cut those out and ran the pieces through the Big Shot using various scallop circle die cuts – resulting in perfectly cut fabric swatches!  

I decided on a 5” square card and stamped the base layer with a background stamp, then sponged the edges for more of a vintage feel.  I very lightly sponged the edges of my largest scalloped circle fabric piece, removed the backing paper and applied it directly to the card base, again using the bone folder to make sure it adhered well … layered a circle cut from cardstock … then another scallop circle cut from fabric using the same process as above.  A bit of unsolicited advice when doing this (sure wish I would have thought of this procedure first) – only remove a small corner of the backing paper and start positioning your die cut, remove more of the backing and smooth the fabric as you go.  This way you will get your piece affixed exactly where you want it with no creases, folds or bumps.

The dimension on this heart was hard to capture in a photo, it pops up about 1/4”.  To achieve this I started by finding a portion of the fabric piece I wanted for my focal point – I loved the two little flower blooms, cut a small square of that section of fabric.  I then cut a piece of card stock and punched a heart in the center, turned this piece over and applied snail adhesive around the edges.  I began sticking my fabric to the adhesive, pushing a bit of the fabric through the heart as I went.  When I was happy with the results, I ripped apart and stretched a cotton ball, smooshed those pieces into the fabric from the reverse side until the heart was puffed out – then attached it to another layer of coordinating card stock.  I had a few spots that weren’t sticking well, so I used a very tiny bit of Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue and applied pressure for a few moments.  The resulting piece was popped onto the center of the card using dimensionals which I double stacked for extra “lift”.

Lots and lots of Basic Pearls were used to finish this card off.  I deliberately chose not to use a sentiment, thought I’d just let the card speak for itself!

Project Recipe:

Stamps:  Bella Toile background, Wonderfully Worn background, Confetti background
Cardstock:  Not Quite Navy, Rose Red
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Rose Red
Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Clear Circle die, Full Heart punch, Corner Rounder punch, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Basic Pearls, cotton ball, adhesive, dimensionals

Stampin’ Addicts SU! Occasions Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop.  Once again we’re ringing in the New Year by showcasing many products found in the newly released Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini Catalog.  These items will be available for purchase beginning January 4, 2011.

If you started this hop from the beginning, you just came from InkPaperStamps where Holly previewed some beautiful projects using the Petal Cone Die.  If you’re starting the tour at my blog, you can continue on to visit all participants by using the link at the end of my post.  If you get lost anywhere along the way don’t worry, you can find links to all the participants on the Stampin’ Addicts website.  All links will remain live until Sunday evening, so take your time visiting, enjoy and come back often!

I chose the Springtime Vintage fabric as my item to showcase.  I love the colors and patterns in this fabric, so bright and cheerful and definitely scream springtime!  I haven’t used any fabric in my paper crafting endeavors, honestly never once thought about the possibilities.

I dug in deep for my first project – have to admit making that first cut into these gorgeous fabrics was darn right scary … but once I did it, I never looked back!

This 5” square card started with the puffy heart in the center and grew from there, layering scalloped circles of fabric with a circle of card stock.  For more of a vintage feel I sponged the blue cardstock, if you look closely you’ll see I even sponged the edges of the blue scalloped fabric circle.  Ink on fabric, wooohoooo!!! 

My next project is also a card.  In case you didn’t know, I LOVE cards! I also can’t get enough of butterflies so was super excited when this idea popped into my head.  It isn’t often when I am able to keep a project clean and simple, but this was one of those items that less was definitely more.

For the body and antennas I dyed white 1/8” ribbon to match the Not Quite Navy, then looped it around the back.  The butterfly is double stacked on dimensionals to give it extra lift.  I wish you could see this up close, it looks like it is really ready to take flight.

For my last creation I broke out of my comfort zone, dug out my sewing machine and dusted it off (it was REALLY dusty!).  Thank heavens it was still threaded (probably from the 1990’s) as I’m not sure I’d remember how to do it again. 

I used one of those cardboard coffee holders from a local coffee store as a template, layered felt and fabric, hand gathered a strip of complimentary fabric for the ruffle and sewed it all together.  I decided it still needed “something” for more interest so I cut some flowers using the Big Shot and layered them all together, then added one of the new big buttons.  What did I end up with?  My very own one-of-a-kind coffee cozy!  (the red at the bottom of the cup is part of the cup design, NOT a sample of the Springtime Vintage fabric line)

Thanks for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed the projects I’ve shared with you.  I’ll post more details and project recipes during the next month.  Please continue on the hop and visit Lisa, who will be sharing some fun ideas using the Easter Blossoms stamp set.

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