Quilted Triangles Thank You Card Set

Whew!  I survived the crazy week leading up to Thanksgiving, then managed to throw (if I do say so myself) a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with my closest friends, followed by another - although slightly less crazy - work week.  So, I think that calls for a much-needed blog update.

So with my guild's 10-year anniversary exhibition now over and done with, my friend Ingrid and I decided that the amazing ladies who organised the exhibition should receive some sort of recognition and thank you, if only just from us.  We decided to get them some miniature orchids and that I would make some thank you cards, so that's what we did.

As you can see, I decided to have some fun making little patchwork-like backgrounds from my scrap papers.  I used my still-new Fiskars hexagon punch to create many (many, many) hexagons, which I then cut down into triangles.  They were a lot smaller triangles than I had originally intended but by this point I was committed and honestly, there was something strangely therapeutic about sticking down tiny triangles onto cardstock.  Must just be me.  Yup.

Once glued, I then machine stitched the triangles down.  Then I layered up a small doily and die-cut circle onto each background and used either red/orange or green Thickers to spell out 'tack' (Swedish for 'thank you') as my sentiment.  Finally, a small sprinkling of gold sequins in a visual triangle to finish off the toppers.

Each card in the set is a little different, as I changed up the background base paper and card base colours and all of the die-cut circles were different.  And on the inside of each card I stamped 'thank you, thank you, thank you' in a vertical column.  Needless to say, they went over very well with the recipients.

I've been wanting to do this sort of 'Paige Evans'-style punched shape backgrounds for ages but I don't have a very large selection of punches to use so this was the perfect opportunity.  And while it was a bit fiddly cutting down all of the hexagons into triangles, it didn't actually take very long in the grand scheme of things and wasn't very onerous at all.  I think it all comes down to your own personal level of acceptance on fiddly tasks.

The triangle shapes could also work well for birthday-themed cards, as they give a bunting banner sort of effect.  You could also try this technique with a monochrome colour palette or an ombre effect would also be cool.  You could even add more stitching for a different effect and more texture, too.

Last one!  Cheers, everyone.

Hexie Birthday Wishes

I am sooo behind in card making it's honestly embarrassing.  However, I did whip up a quick little birthday card for a friend last month and just haven't gotten around to posting it.

Hexie Birthday Wishes

Since I've been in a bit of a crafty funk lately, I pulled out a free kit from Papercraft Inspirations.  I really like the look of hexagons but don't have a punch so I fussy cut them from some hexagonal paper.  Then I layered up some chipboard flowers, bird and sentiment and added a few sequins for some sparkle.  Finally, a little black pen outline around the edges to keep everything grounded.

Nice and easy...  Just like getting back into blogging.  ;)  FYI, I spent today working on a little surprise that I'll be able to share next week so stay tuned!

Pinspiration Sunday

Good evening!  I suddenly realised that if I didn't post my Pinspiration picks soon, it wouldn't be Sunday for much longer.  Don't you just love lazy days that get away from you like that?  So, go grab your hot beverage of choice and cosy up with me.

Currently:

* watching - Winter Olympics
* reading - The Persian Pickle Club (half way through - really enjoying it)
* making - embroidery quilt & scrapbooking
* eating - baked potato & asparagus
* drinking - water
* wearing - PJ trousers and jumper
* weather - partly cloudy, 5C
* feeling - relaxed
* wanting - more arms/hands
* needing - a hair appointment
* planning - a special Valentine's LO
* thinking - very little and it's all good
* loving - spending the day in bed
* enjoying - having a long catch-up with my Mum

And now on to the pins...

Cirque d'Elephant

Perhaps it's just me but I quite fancy the cute little elephant baby trend the last few years.  This would make a cute wallhanging or play mat for baby.

 

Garden Lattice Mini

I really love the garden lattice design and I totally fell in love with Cindy's yellow and grey full-sized garden lattice quilt so a mini is just as awesome.

Owl Tooth Fairy Pillow

This is just some photo inspiration - there is no pattern - but it wouldn't be difficult to design and put together.  Tooth pillows are just so popular right now and 'who' could resist these adorable owls?  (Not me, clearly.)

Nappy Wrap & Pad

I've made similar idea nappy wraps and changing pads for friends in the past.  This is like the deluxe model with the terry towel lining and the nappy pocket.  Again, just photo inspiration, no pattern but not difficult to design.

 

Silly @ 11 by Amy Heller

How great is this non-traditional winter LO in pinks and oranges?  The warmth is just glorious and the layering and embellishing are lovely, too.  Good stuff.

Happy New Year by Rambolina

There is so much to love about this 2-pager: the little tracks of shaped paper clips, the Chinese characters, the little typed journaling boxes with doodled edges, the mist spatters and so on and so on.

Watercolour Basics Tutorial

Okay, I haven't actually read through this entire article (yet) but the parts I have read have been good so far so I'm recommending it.

Watercoloured Book Pages

And once you've learnt the basics, why not play a little with some old book pages for some unique art for your creations?

Sketch 33 (Shimelle)

It's been a while since I shared a sketch and this one caught my eye for a LO I'm starting to plan out in my head.  Perhaps it will also spark your creative flow, too.

Sketch #256 (Creative Scrappers)

I also really like the striking hexie pie chart on this sketch.  A square photo or portrait 4x6 look the nicest with this sketch, just FYI.

Potted Hues

This photo and colour palette is just so pretty.  I could see some real show-stopper quilts or LOs made with these colours - that bold turquoise with the softer periwinkle hues and warm neutrals.  Swoon.

My Mantra This Week...

And finally, with the exception that I would swap coffee for tea, this is totally my mantra this week.  :)

Pinspiration Sunday

Hey there and welcome back to a new year of Pinspiration!  To be completely honest, I had planned to post a new set of pins last weekend and then decided I would be lazy.  Bad me, but to be fair, I hadn't been online for some time and hadn't really been in touch with what was new out there.  That's not been a problem this week so go grab your hot beverage of choice and here we go!

Currently:

* listening - to upstairs neighbours making strange noises above my head...
* reading - catching up on magazine subscriptions
* making - UFO class photo LO
* eating - roast chicken sandwich *Homer drool*
* drinking - water
* wearing - jeans, knit shirt, hoddie
* weather - snowy, -4C
* feeling - warm & cosy
* wanting - 7-day weekends
* needing - to co-ordinate key drop-off with chimney sweeps this week
* planning - next few scrapping & sewing projects
* thinking - as little as possible
* loving - having a 2-day weekend to myself, tucked up in bed
* enjoying - Oskar snuggled next to me

And now on to the pins...

Family Tree Quilt

How awesome is this family tree quilt?  Of course, it doesn't hurt that it uses both orange and turquoise colour palettes or that it incorporates an owl in the design.

Simplify by Camille Roskelley

Okay, technically not a pin but I recent discovered Camille's sewing blog and have really been enjoying her work so I'm passing along her link.

Cupcake Runner

OMG, a real reason to use hexies!  Okay, forgive me if you're a hexie lover - I am not but I can totally get behind pretty much anything that's made into a cupcake (real or otherwise).

New Years Resolutions by Celine Nevaro

It's that time of year again when folks are making their New Years resolutions so why not document them?  I quite liked Celine's take on the concept.

Monthly Review

Or perhaps you're more of a summariser and if so, then perhaps this monthly review approach is more your style.  I really liked the circular design and the mix of stamps and bits and bobs.

New Years Card

Does anyone actually send out New Years cards?  I can't for the life of me remember getting any growing up (but then my memory isn't great at the best of times) so perhaps this is a newer trend I'm not familiar with but either way, I like the split diagonal design of this cad and the layered tag and mini bunting.

Crocheted Edging

Okay, you need to understand that I am utterly rubbish at knitting.  Utterly.  However, I have this wild hope to learn to crochet this year and I really love the look of crocheted edges on the right quilts.

Tiny Amigurumi Owls

See now, if I ever do learn to crochet, I can make a whole *stare* of these adorable owls.  (Yes, that's right, I worked in the collective noun for a group of owls - I am just that much of a geek.)

Black Eyed Susan Brights

And here's a cheery colour palette to share with you today - just love that combination of yellow/orange and turquoise!