Tutorial: A Stenciled & Stitched Special Occasion Greeting Card

SO EXCITED, as tomorrow is May 1st!  My Art Spark Friends and I are kicking off a week long May Day Celebration with a Tutorial Blog Hop.  I am the first of seven participating in this event.

Today, I am sharing how to create a unique "Stenciled & Stitched Special Occasion Greeting Card"... PERFECT for friends or family!

 1. Start by purchasing a package of Blank Die-Cut Greeting Cards.  These can be found at a Hobby Craft Store in various Die-Cut Shapes.  I am using a Tri-Fold, Square Die-Cut card in this example.

2. Cut a piece of bleached muslin fabric 1/2" larger on all sides than the smallest card window.  Using a pencil, trace the size of the window onto the fabric.

 3. Position a chosen stencil design inside the traced box on fabric.  Apply acrylic paint with a stencil brush to the open areas of the design.  In order to achieve a crisp image remember to remove excess paint from the stencil brush before each application.

In this example, I am using one of My NEW! Bird Stencils by StencilGirlProducts.

 4. Once the stenciled design is dry, paint the background.

In this example, I am using a wash of Tsukineko Walnut Crystals.

 5. Once the background is dry, add handstitched details with bright colored thread to the stenciled painting. Before stitching, use a pencil to draw out your desired shapes or message.

 6. When finished with the handstitching, sew the right, left, and bottom sides of  the artwork to the tri-fold card.  Be sure that the art can be seen through the die-cut shape of the card.

 7. Insert a little batting or a piece of felt between the artwork and the card to make the piece dimensional.

 8. Finally, sew around all sides of the artwork and card.

COMING UP!....


On Tuesday, May 1st - Traci Bunkers - Gelatin Plate Printing On Fabric

On Wednesday, May 2nd - Lisa Engelbrecht - Script Lettering, Tattoo Style

On Thursday, May 3rd -  Judy Coates Perez - How Can You Resist Such A Simple Technique

On Friday, May 4th - Melanie Testa - Thimble Cinch Add On Pattern

On Saturday, May 5th - Lyric Kinard - How To Edit Photos for ThermoFax Screens

On Sunday, May 6th - Jill Berry - Layers Of My Heart

Stop by each site for more May Day inspired projects and tutorial joy!

The Wonder Of It All... A Robin's Tale

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey.  
It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived."

-Jean Luc Picard

This is my favorite photo...weary little robin, sleep, may your dreams be sweet.

Sadly... this story comes to a cruel end, hardly before it has even began.  I woke on Thursday morning to find mama Robin gone and beneath the tree were remnants of her eggs.

I was completely crushed by the discovery and seriously debated whether to even share these images, as my tender heart melts into a puddle of tears each time I see these pictures. This year has definitely been a lesson in the harsh realities of nature.  However, I continue to hold hope for the future and all its possibilities.

* And a question for you, dear reader... would it be better to remove the nest or leave it hoping for a new beginning?  Many Thanks for any information you can share.

*Update 12:00 noon on 4/27/12, I wanted to share this small ray of sunshine.  I felt really down after publishing the post above, so I decided to treat myself to lunch out, and I was very glad I did.  I encountered a sweet family of ducks and their newly hatched ducklings that had taken up residence in an large empty planter outside Wendy's.  They were kind enough to visit with me for a few moments, making me smile and helping to mend a broken heart. 

Journaling The Garden Week 17

This Spring has been abundant with Butterflies and Moths decorating the landscape.  True beauties floating along, that are quickly carried away by the sudden Kansas wind.

The city's Botanical Garden was crowded with winged visitors all vying for the blooms available.  I encountered one lone Monarch during my visit. Unfortunately, he was much to impatient to wait, as I fiddled with my camera to take his picture. Yet he remains vividly etching in my memory as one of the glorious moments from the day and will soon be a permanent part of my Journal.

I thought I would share my favorite Butterfly and Moth Reference books. They are the Kansas Butterflies & Moths Pocket Naturalist Guide and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies.

I also like to purchase other Pocket Guides for Butterflies and Moths in areas where I travel, as a helpful reference and inspiration.

Stash Happy Applique

Today, I am so excited to share one of my new favorite books, Stash Happy Applique. I was so honored when author, Cynthia Shaffer, contacted me last year, wanting to use fabrics for her endeavor from my Premier Collection, Nature Inspired.

So not only do I have the pleasure of being a contributor, but charmed by page after page of super cute projects highlighting unique ideas, tips, techniques, and motifs.

My Branches and Berries Fabric is part of Flower Power Pendants starting on page 37.  Cynthia was so kind to gift her creation to me as a thank you.

I hope you will check out this wonderful book! And as a bonus, Cynthia and Lark Books are offering readers a handful of bonus projects on-line.

Journaling The Garden Week 16

This week I am definitely "Gettin My Ink On!"  Inspired by the recent
trip to the city's Botanical Garden on my birthday.  I used every color
of ink to decorate new journal pages and discovered a rainbow.

These are some experiments I did before applying the ink in my journal.

I am so please with the end results, such a bright, happy background...
coming-up, butterflies!

The Wonder Of It All...Endings & Beginnings

So after several weeks of carefully watching,
patiently waiting, consulting with birding
friends, and desperately hoping the little
House Finch would return, I made the difficult
decision to remove the nest from the front
door wreath.

Such a gut-wrenching experience, I shed
so many tears during the ordeal that my
heart felt as if it would break into a
thousand pieces.

The eggs are breathtaking, honestly more
beautiful than any gemstone. However,
I would much rather have had these miracles
as part of the world, instead of in a state
of eternal repose.


A few days after, my husband spotted a
gift.... a mama Robin busy, busy building
a cozy abode in perfect view from our
dining room windows. The nest is woven
with more colorful yarn bits and even a
ribbon I had tied around a garden statue.

So with one ending comes another beginning!

With Wild Abandon...The Joyful Day

As a birthday gift to myself, I decided to
abandon my normal routine yesterday,
and go on an adventure.

With no set plans, I meandered through
the moments filled with joy, soaking in
LOTS inspiration from flowers, a few
butterflies and a surprise waiting for me
at home!















Many Thanks to all for the lovely birthday messages!

With Wild Abandon

Since today is my birthday, I decided to abandon
my normal routine and go on an adventure. With
no set plans, I will see where the day takes me...

See Ya Later!

Journaling The Garden Week 15

This new journal entry was more of a challenge
than I have experienced with earlier pages. Not
unusual, as all artists have ups and downs during
the creative process.

When wrestling with a work, I have found that it
is best if I let it rest, not try and force a solution.

SO," let it rest" is exactly what I did for almost the
entire week... slowly, very slowly the work began
to come to fruition.


I started by using some favorite colors to paint
a background using a dry brush technique.


My painted background went through many
iterations. This was a picture of only my first
attempt.


Ultimately, I felt the pages were to dark, so I
lightened them with coat of heavy white acrylic
paint and added texture with a piece of stenciled
tissue paper.


I love creating custom shipping tags from
vintage papers. I decided to make several
and used almost everyone of them in the
finished design.





I added small stitched details to the cut paper leaves
to draw the viewer into the artwork for a closer look.




Finding the right balance between all the elements on
the page was probably what took me the most time.
I especially like the burst of art that seems to radiate
from the center and the absence of visuals on the
edges.

I am very pleased with the finished pages!!!