33/52: Ready, steady, snow

Everyday life indeed.

Absolutely every single picture I've taken this week

has snow in it!

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Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Baby toadstool rattle and hat

These two cute little things were a gift I made a long time ago, but I was recently made aware of the fact that they haven't made it into the blog! Well, we can't have any of that, can we? This baby rattle was one of those fun projects I do just to see if I can, and I had some yarn leftovers anyway. It's stuffed with flame retardant batting and a cat's toy for sound. Duplicate stitches create random spots on its cap. The recipe comes from the always excellent Purl Bee! Details on my Ravelry page.
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On the floor of my bedroom right now, is a stack of papers a mile high... Well, nearly a mile at least. And somewhere deep inside that stack is the recipe and source of this cute baby hat. I'll let you know when if I find it. The hat is knitted as a straight cylinder and then pulled together at the top. I kind of fell in love with the pattern at the top and felt really bad about hiding it. It's similar, but even cuter (at least to me), than the pattern on the brim. And just look at those ear flaps, how cute! Details on my Ravelry page.

Mini card for Bjørg

This is a small card, just 10cm x10cm. I've made a few of them before (these, these and these) and really enjoy the format! They're like tiny little pieces of art, that usually come together quickly and fit almost anyone. They're very handy to have lying around for times where a hand-made card is a nice touch, but you want to save the bigger projects for a more significant occation. I made this one to send along with two cards commissioned by a friend of mine.
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The K&Co tag on the front is folded back to the other side, and connected to another with some white Scrapper's Floss. I used this second tag for a brief greeting and wrote more on the opposite, undecorated side.

White wedding

Most of my wedding cards are white with one accent colour - but I've been wanting to do an all-white wedding card for a while. Now, that's a bit tricky, especially when there are supposed to be readable names on it, but I just couldn't resist. I was a bit apprehensive with my first result, added glitter and still didn't quite like it, so I added another layer - and more glitter... Too much of a good thing is wonderful - right?
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Since there's no colour variation here, I made the card all about texture, structure and glitter. I embossed some white cardstock and layered it with white Magic Mesh and two intertwined QK hearts and splurged on a huge Prima flower complete with pearl center and feathers. Matting the Bazzil Bling with another layer of white cardstock was a simple trick to create a frame without using colour. White on white on white! ...on white on white on white on - well you get the point. :P The letters and corner swirl got a liberal coating of Glossy Accents to give them more dimension and help them stand out from the background.
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When in doubt, add glitter. Does glitter count as a colour? Because in that case, this is no longer just a white card. There's enough glitter on this thing to warrant the use of strong sunglasses for sure. Not only does Stickles Star Dust cover the embossed cardstock, the flower, the corner swirl and the edges of the cardstock, but there's also the dominant use of Bazzil Bling, and if that's not enough, I doused the whole thing with heaps of Glimmermist Pearl!

32/52: Resistance is useless

I'll probably get a fist in my face if I say this out loud in public,

but I really think that all this snow is mostly just a lot of fun!

Go with what you've got, right?

(Completely unrelated: a fish eye lens is definitely on my wish list.)

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Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Testing, testing... One! Two!

I'm still at it with my new aquarel pencils! Another three mini cards, this time with stamps in three very different styles.
The easiest to colour by far is the first one. Just lay in two colours in each letter and blend with a moist brush. Easy, but I get the exact same appearence with my Prismas.
The middle stamp has large, open spaces and I really worked hard to get a soft, pale look while still having some depth in the shading. It looks better than my first attempt, but still leaves a lot to be desired. This is also the look that's most difficult to achieve when using Prismas and what I hoped I could use the aquarel pencils for.
The last one is a detailed stamp, but what still gives me headaches are those pesky flowers... Leaves are easy, petals tricky. Again, it's the shading and blending that gets to me.
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Ok, I see some improvement, and I've found that some techniques work better than others. I still prefer my Prismas, without question!

Testing, testing... One!

These three cards each measure 10cm x 10cm, and have been made mostly for training purposes. I was lucky enough to spot a set of aquarel pencils and paper at 50% off and just couldn't resist, even though I rarely use these kind of stamps. My hope is that they can be a suppliment to my much beloved Prismacolour pencils, and be used in those conditions where the Prismas are a little tricky.

I decided to colour the same stamp in a couple of varieties, testing techniques and hopefully gain some skills. I have to say, it's difficult! I miss the control I have with my Prismas, and the possibilities of layering and highlighting are very limited with the aquarels. Once a layer is down it's difficult to blend darker shades into it, and it's imperative to start with the lighest colours, as it is impossible to use those later on. Some of these limitations are probably a result of my lack of skills, so I'm determined to stay with them for a while longer before I give up. Ahem... I mean, until I have mastered the technique! Yup.

Felted slippers for Kristin

There's one thing I know Kristin needs, and that's felted slippers! So with all the slippers I've felted lately I figured it was only natural to continue the trend for her birthday. The colour choice was mostly decided by the fact that I need more leftovers to complete the wrist warmers currently occupying my dpns... (Here's to full disclosure!) But I had a feeling she'd like them, so that's a win win. :) Details on my Ravelry page as per usual.
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ETA: I forgot to show you the knitter's gift tag/washing label I made to go with the slippers! I've made some of these before too. Love them!

Kristin 31 years

This is the fantastic Prima 6x6" Fairy Flora paper stack in action! Absolutely all the papers used are from that stack. And wow, they are gorgeous. I've used no less than - wait for it - nine sheets! Oh my... Only the best for my friend Kristin. ;) But when all sides are decorated with several layers, that's what happens! Not a bad thing really - I've got more than enough design papers and there's no need to be cheap. :P
I've paper pieced the dress, added Glossy Accents to the flower and Stickles to her wings. Then I just piled on the flowers! It's a little tribute to Kristins favourite general layout, done in my own way...-
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The inside has the same basic design as the front, but simpler. The lovely "Happy birthday" stamp is from Stempelglede. The last side looks just like this, but with my personal stamp.

DIY knife display

My dad has a few nice knives, some of them inherited and really old, and he would like to put them on display somehow. The idea of using an old pair of denim trousers and a belt was something he had come across somewhere, so I have noone to credit, unfortunately. He trusted me to find a way to execute this idea and I must admit I struggled with it for a long time... But one day I remembered a deep-edged canvas I bought on sale a long time ago (with something completely different in mind) and in three days the whole thing came together in a flash. And it was a big hit!
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I ripped out the seams holding the belt straps and relocated them close to the back on each side and one in the center for added stability. I looks more like actual denim trousers with that one belt strap in the front too. The single knife doing the modeling here is actually one I've made myself. It's not the most amazing piece of craftmanship, but considering that I was only twelve when I made it, it's not bad at all! In fact, I really love it - and it's not a part of his gift, no way. :)
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The denim fabric is stretched over the canvas and nailed to the wood frame. The corners were tricky, as there is a little bit of stretch in these trousers and they stretch more one way than the other... As a result, they are slightly bulky, but because of the thick belt there was little point in getting them completely flat anyway. I settled for the best I could do.
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Here's a side view showing how the belt is buckled behind the frame. I stitched a piece of trouser leg fabric to the top of the trousers so I had something to cover the top edge of the canvas with - that allowed the waist line to line up with the top of the canvas front. As an unexpected bonus, it made finishing the top corners really neat and easy.
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This piece of jewlery wire passes through the belt buckle and is attatched to the inside of the wood frame at the top and bottom. This pulls the buckle forward, "into" the frame, thereby preventing it from pushing the canvas away from the wall.

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I'm linking up to the Strut Your Stuff link party over at Somewhat Simple! (Button in side bar.)

31/52: Go slow!

I pass this speed camera every day -

and as much as I detest reckless drivers,

I still can't help but smile at that sticker...

;)

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Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Happy birthday dad!

"Happy birthday and thanks for being who you are!" I made this card the same day as mom's card, so they match very well. That wasn't really intended, it just happened... BG papers again, I always bring a few of their 6x6" paper pads when crafting away from home. Those stylised trees are just awesome!
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Clean and simple inside too! The stamp is from Tim Holtz and is so perfect for the occation.

Autumnal biscornu pincushion

Having celebrated the birthdays of both my parents this weekend, I can finally show you some of the stuff I've been working on lately! This bicornu pincushion was a gift for my mother and should suit the colours of her new sewing room (which used to be my room actually - no going back now!).
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This is the smaller cousin of my first biscornu pincushion (follow link for fully illustrated tutorial!), made from two 3,5" squares of fabric. I just love how the simple squares come together to form this fascinating shape...
- Not sure which side I like best! Perhaps I should have made some custom-made pins to go with it...?

Happy birthday mom!

I've gone with a simpler style lately, and it feels fresh and light! The simple cards tend to follow the over-embellished ones, and vice versa - but lately my work has leaned in this direction for longer. The papers here are all Basic Grey again, because I made it at a friend's house and the BG 6x6 pads are compulsory elements in my bag on those occations. Some ribbon, ric rac and lace and one Papirloftet flower are clustered in the corner to complete the asymmetrical look.
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"Happy birthday" stamp by Stempelglede - these are so lovely!

30/52: Guerrilla yarn bombing

The street outside my local yarn shop

is a construction zone - and a complete mess - right now.

But they sure know how to compensate!

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Click here for more info on my Project 52.

You are unique!

My signature colours these days... Green and orange. Green is one of those colours that seem to sneak into nearly every card I make, and orange/yellow colours have been a bit of an obsession of mine these last months. The papers are Basic Grey (again!) and the leaves are Prima. Check out that large leaf with the veins, isn't it gorgeous? It's impossible to show the amazing texture in just a picture, but trust me, those leaves are wonderful. I had to buy another box just in case they would be hard to get a hold of later!