Made by Eva

Hello sunshine!

2012-01-23T10:00:00.003+01:00

After months and months of steel grey skies and seemingly unending downpour, this warm yellow alpaca yarn kept begging me to be wrapped around some knitting needles and made into something that could brighten up any rainy day! How could I resist? When looking through my Ravelry project page, it is immediately clear that this is most definitely not my usual colour scheme. I think I should be more bold in the future, because I absolutely love this shawl. :) The lovely yellow works well with both my dark grey winter coat, and my cool lilac autumn coat. A wonderful splash of colour!
-This shawl measures 62 cm from the neck down, 125 cm across. So, not a big shawl for me, closer to a shoulderette. I’m using this more as a scarf than a proper shawl, but it also works well if I'd like to cover up a V-neck top on cold days (as demonstrated in the first picture). The pattern is easily adjusted for size, because you can end on whatever number of repeats of the main flower chart you'd like.
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The excellent pattern is called the Echo Flower Shawl. The only tricky part is the nupps, those big blobs you see lining the cathedral window pattern. The secret is to knit loose, loose, loose!! Purling those 9 loops together into one was a challenge at first, but as it is with everything in life, practice makes perfect. More details on my Ravelry page.

I have a little bit of yarn left, and will try to make some matching accessories... More sunshine to the rainy days!

Undercover baby blanket

2012-01-18T10:00:00.002+01:00

The idea of knitting a square blanket in the round seemed like an interesting concept, and I couldn't resist trying it. I've got a kind of ombre effect going on here, it starts light in the centre and darkens towards the edges. In a perfect world the transitions wouldn't be as distinct as they are - but that is determined by the yarn. Had I found yarns in more similar colour tones it would look smoother, but this isn't too bad. The centre is knit using two strands of the light pink, then one strand light and one strand dark pink is held together, then two strands of the dark pink, and finally the edge is done with one dark pink and one brown strand.

-The pattern looks soo much more complicated than it is! There's a system for adding stitches in the corners, but everything inbetween is identical for every pattern row. And you still get this cool, graphic pattern. Go figure. I think it would work for boys as well as girls, and have some plans for a green version some time in the future.

-I blocked the blanket to exactly 1m by 1m, because that't the size of my excercise mat. It shrunk down a bit afterwards, and the finished size is 90cm by 90cm. Details are, as usual, on my Ravelry page.

Soap on a rope

2012-01-06T10:00:00.001+01:00

Soap on a rope - soap and bath sponge all in one! It's really a kid's craft... Isn't it? Well, that's never scared me off before. :P And to complete my childlike crafting experience, I gave them to my dad. Congrats dad, I bet you're proud of your little girl now. ;) They were just a little joke really, a gag gift that went with the bath robe he wanted for christmas.
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These are really old-fashioned, stone hard bars of soap. I tied some string around each to make a handle of sorts. Then the whole thing was covered in three thin layers of wool roving in alternating directions, and then wet-felted in my sink. It was a bit harder than anticipated to attatch the yellow wool to the green, but it stuck pretty well in the end. I'm sure there are plenty of tips from people who have done this a few times - a Google search for "soap on a rope tutorial" should probably give you loads of good links. I just winged it, as I ~~sometimes~~ usually do...

Beaded Candle Flame Cowl

2012-01-04T10:00:00.003+01:00

In search of a christmas gift that needed to be done in less than a week, I came across this one. The cute pattern is slightly familiar, and I had some suitable yarn leftover from previous projects.

I actually gave this a very careful steam blocking before wrapping it up in pretty christmas paper, and have no photos of it after blocking. The difference is minimal, but just enough to feel a tiny bit looser around the neck.

The pattern is elastic and has a natural flare at the top and bottom, which is perfect! On a whim, I decided to add golden 6/0 beads to the top two candleflame tips. The yarn is dark, and I’m not sure it’s really her favourite colour exactly, so I figured the sparkle could lighten things up. :) Details on my Ravelry page.

Kimono dress for Kristine

2012-01-02T10:00:00.001+01:00

This dress got started before its recipient, my first niece, was even born... :P And then it spent several months in pieces in my yarn drawer, until I finally realised I had to start the dreaded sewing if it was ever going to make it into a christmas present. Isn't it pretty though? The instant I found the recipe I knew it had to be at the top of my Ravelry queue.

-The kimono closure at the front is so cute. I did a few extra rows with some holes for the addition of a ribbon, but made a twisted yarn ribbon instead of the suggested silk ribbon.

-This is the first time I've knitted cotton yarn and it was really really difficult at first! My fingers are used to wool and wool blends which flow so much more freely. The result is that the first two centimeters of the dress are loose and sloppy. I had knitted a long way when I realised the tension had changed that much, and after some deliberation I decided not to frog the whole thing. I still regret it a bit, but have tried to make it look as if it is an intentional widening at the bottom of the skirt.

Just a detail shot of the sleeve. Amazing how much impression that simple pattern makes! Just a single decrease and a yarn over... For more details, have a look at my Ravelry page.

Grandma's mittens

2011-12-30T10:00:00.001+01:00

Grandma got a pair of mittens for christmas, too. She wanted useful things, and this should work, I hope. The pattern is, again, the same as the photographer's mittens, this time without any finger holes or flaps or anything. I couldn't resist doing a tiny little snowflake pattern in duplicate stitch, even though I really didn't have time. It could have been nicer, time permitting, but they'll have to do.

-Clean and simple! My grandma is a teeny tiny woman, so they are too small for me to model. You'll have to settle for these boring pictures, but you get the point. ;) The details are, as usual, on my Ravelry page.

Kleks shawlette

2011-12-28T10:00:00.001+01:00

Some time before christmas I was fishing for hints on what I might knit for my mother for christmas. The information I gathered was: a shawl in a neutral colour, not too big, and it should be able to double as a scarf. So I went hunting on Ravelry and came up with one shawl after another, each recipe more detailed than the next. And then along came Kleks. :) I knew instantly that this clean and simple design would be perfect.

-The shawl isn't very big, but then neither is the recipient... It measures ca 55 cm from the neck down including the point), but a full 140 cm from end to end - the original recipe yields a semi-circle, but I've adjusted it to make a more stretched-out shape. This shape makes it suitable for both a displayed shawl and a rolled-up scarf version. (Also, please excuse these blurry photos. Daylight is sparse, even during the day. Oh where is the sun hiding?)

-Now, this design is simple, but curious. The lace sections are actually inside out - what you're seeing is the reverse side of a stitch pattern I've seen referred to as the raspberry stitch. I really like how this creates a striking contrast between the smooth stockinette sections and the rough, knobbly lace sections. The image above is the best I can do in trying to show you the effect. It's one of those details that provides that little extra kick to a simple design, elevating it over the rest.

On the other hand, the pattern has major flaws. There are mistakes that clearly came during its translation from Polish to English, as well as other inaccuracies, especially concerning increasing the stitch count. Even with the helpful tips from other Ravelry users, I haven't been able to achieve a clean line with the perfect amount of increases. I'd think twice about doing this shawl again, even though I like the general design.

-The edge has several points, each center point has a bead. Wow, what a relief to block an entire shawl using only 40 or so pins, instead of the 250-300 I've used on the last few projects! :)

-The technique I used to elongate the shawl gives some dramatic effects at the corners. When the shawl is worn, this part hangs in pretty folds.

Details are on my Ravelry page as usual.

Mommy's mittens

2011-12-26T10:00:00.001+01:00

Time to start revealing some christmas gifts, now that the recipients have torn away the paper and hopefully enjoyed what they found. :) First out is this pair of mittens I made for my cousin. She's a mommy to two little ones and I hope this will be a practical thing to have around this winter. Now, she can fold the flaps back and to fiddly little things like retying shoelaces and so on, and then just pop the fingers back in to keep them warm.

-They started out being based on my photographer's mittens, but instead of a hole for the index fingers I made a flap that covers the four finger group. It might not look like it, but the flap was knitted first and the "inner tube" picked up from live stitches (palm side) and knitted into purl bumps (back of the hand) afterwards. The result isn't too bad! There are probably some great recipes for this flap thing out there, but I was in the swing of things and just winged it. Details on my Ravelry page as usual.

Merry christmas to all and to all a good night

2011-12-24T17:00:00.002+01:00

Just stopping by to wish you all a joyful christmas celebration!

May your days be merry and bright. :)

In the following days, I'll post my handmade gifts here on this little blog. Today I'm just showing you how I've wrapped most of the gifts this year. The old-fashioned, rustic way! Well, my version of it anyway. ;) I have to admit I like giving the wrapping some attention. Somehow, it makes me feel that every gift is special - that the giving itself matters, not just the contents of the gift.

I've used ordinary kraft wrapping paper, kraft and red stripe paper, christmas themed washi tape, and kraft tags with inked edges and a piece of washi tape, all tied together with black and white baker's twine made from paper. It may look much, but it's actually mostly really cheap materials so I have no guilty feelings about it.

My mom is probably going to ask where's the gold, because that's her quintessential ingredient of christmas decoration... So for one of her gifts, I've stamped the kraft wrapping paper with two snowflake designs in white ink, sprayed gold Glimmermist on top, and used white and gold paper raffia ribbon to tie it. You can see the ingredients of her wrapping in the picture. ;)

Breezy baby blanket

2011-12-20T12:04:00.004+01:00

If you're looking for a quick knit baby blanket, I highly recommend this one. It knits up really fast - although you'll have a fair amount of ends to weave in after all those colour changes. Choose a yarn that looks good on its own and doesn't split, or all those dropped yarnovers will look cheap and weak. I went for the always wonderful DROPS Merino Extra Fine, while the original recipe uses a brilliant one that's spun from one thick and one thin strand. This isn't your thick and super warm winter blanket. As the name suggests, it's not only a quick knit, but also a light and airy blanket more suited for slightly warmer days, or for inside use.

It's been ages since I finished this blanket and it's still lying in my closet waiting for a recipient... So I decided it was high time to blog it anyway. I've been wanting to take better photos of it, but I've had seven months to do it and it seems clear that's not going to happen, so here it is! It's not really blocked, but I did soak it and let it dry flat and it did even out the shape a bit. I started and ended with a white section, and did a row (or two?) of single crochets around the edge for better definintion and finished look. More details on my Ravelry page.

The world of imagination is boundless

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

For the longest time, I was adamant on sticking to Norwegian sentiment stamps... But lately, I've given in to temptation and bought a whole heap of English ones. I just couldn't resist! They are sooo wonderful. There's so much more to choose from too, especially in the cool/grungy/quirky genres. On my last shopping spree at Scrapmagasinet and Bikuben along with my partner in crime Kristin, I came home with way too many of them. The only problem is, I have trouble selling them, so I'll have to keep them for my own friends, I guess.

That pattern paper, can you see it's supposed to be books in a bookshelf? It comes from Basic Grey's Oxford pad and goes perfectly with that sentiment stamp. As a dedicated bookworm, I can certainly appreciate that. :)

-I usually keep the insides of my cards fairly simple, but I just wanted you to see this. One of the stamps in this set is this really really long one, much too long to fit on a 15 cm long card. I inked the first part of it and stamped it in one of the inside corners, and the rest on the back (photo below). Some Oxford paper scraps decorate the opposite side.

-"Our heart captures photos of your life, notes that create a timeless story of everyday, a journal of memories we cherish, hopes and dreams, the thoughts or secret wishes we treasure, the moments you live to embrace love. XOXO" It just so happened that there was a natural place to divide this stamp, and the longest part fits perfectly inside the 15x15 cm cards. Brilliant. :)

(That distressed typewriter font is just gorgeous, by the way.)

Live the life you've imagined

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000+01:00

This wonderful Stempelglede stamp reads something like this: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." The Alla-Prima papers are in action again, this with less emphasis on teal, more on mossy green. I love it when the same paper pad offers many possibilities. The card is for a colleague who is (reluctantly) retiring soon, and I think the quote suits such a busy and energetic woman.

New supplies

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000+01:00

New supplies always does wonders for the creativity, don't you think? These papers are wonderfully bright and interesting. The yellow/teal combo is new to me, but deserves repeating. The papers, in case you wondered, are Alla-Prima.

100% boy

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000+01:00

The request for this card was a baby card that wasn't too cute, maybe something water related, and sort of cool. Well, I think this qualifies. I had at least a month to make it, but don't you think I started it near midnight before the last day?? Ah, so typical. For that reason, I was very sceptical about the possible result, but even the day after, I still like it. The paper is, as you might see, very shiny and with some sort of holographic effect - do you see the colourful shine near the charms? Let's just say that finding matching cardstock was tricky. ;)

When stamping on such glossy paper, there are few types of ink pads that do the job properly. I could have used my StazOns, but I really wanted to use white ink to keep the card on the light side. Now, white ink pads are tricky little things... Most of them are just rubbish. My good friend Kristin suggested I tried the ElzyBells ink pads and I'm so pleased to say they are excellent! I have a pigment ink pad called Sugar Candy and it has superb coverage, even on dark cardstock. I love it. In this case, however, it would have smudged badly because of the glossy paper, so the hybrid ink pad called Whipped Cream stepped in. The hybrid ink pad has ever so slightly poorer opacity and coverage, but can be used on nearly all surfaces, and as you can see from my card, does the job pretty well. Just give it a little time to dry.

Photographer's mittens

2011-12-05T14:27:00.002+01:00

The temperatures are falling and we've just had a few nights with real frost. Last year we had already been buried in snow for weeks by the time December came around... That's what it felt like anyway. ;) It's undoubtedly more practical this year, but I'm still hoping for some snow for christmas. And on that note, I'm now well prepared for my wintertime photo safaries! I've knitted these mittens, specially designed for photographers, you'll soon see why. This flash photo shows the dramatic effect of the reflective thread I used on the back of the mittens. It's a good thing to be visible - the cold weather is, after all, usually accompanied by terribly dark afternoons...

-On the other hand, this photo shows how subtle the reflective yarn is in full sunlight. I made a little grid in Excel and just improvised the snowflake design there. Actually, I first tried holding the reflective thread along with the merino yarn when knitting the body of the mitten, but as the thread has absolutely no stretch, the tension got all wrong and the thread was hardly visible most of the time. In the end I frogged it and reproduced my design using duplicate stitches. It was easier to control the tension, but still a bit tricky. I like the results very much though!

-And here's the photographer's secret for comfortable shooting in freezing winter weather! Each mitten has holes for the thumb and index fingers so the focus ring and all the buttons can be easily worked and most of the hand still remains protected from the elements. When the camera rests for a while, just pop the fingers back in with the rest and warm them up again. I was afraid the holes would let in a lot of cold air, but with a row of single crochet stitches around the opening, they actually close up fairly well.

-Photographer's mittens in use! They are a snug fit so I have a fairly good grip despite the smooth wool. As usual, you can find the details on my Ravelry page.

Thanks for reading - and finally, a tip for anyone who intends to go photographing in cold weather: Remember to bring a plasic bag and seal your camera in it before going inside, and leave it inside the sealed bag until it has reached room temperature, to avvoid damaging condensation inside your precious camera. You might want to upload your pictures right away, but be patient! Your camera will thank you. :)

Surf's up!

2011-11-20T10:00:00.001+01:00

Now this is something I've never done before: A surfing themed wedding card! Hmm. How to approach this challenge... I must admit I spent quite a while thinking about this one. In the end, I went with graphic papers representing waves and sand rather than photographic ones in order to make the card slightly more stylish. The two surfing boards are there on the suggestion by the person who has ordered the card. Well, the surfing thing can definitely be checked off the list, but what about the wedding thing? I'v included a few hearts here and there, but is it enough? I don't know... I don't quite know what to make of this card. Am I pleased or not? That depends on when you ask me - it changes all the time.

The little details here were essential in making these appear as surf boards and not tomb stones. Some tweaking was required... Several times. Another thing that helped in that regard was using my Prisma pencils to give the surf boards a sort of shaded midline, an illusion suggesting a 3D shape.

Trude 30 years

2011-11-16T10:00:00.003+01:00

It can be great to recieve requests for cards, but they always come with a certain amount of apprehension. What if they don't like it? It's one thing to give away a card for a birthday or something, but to sell it? Well. I've decided to just go with it and try to fulfil their requests as best as I can! This card draws inspiration from several cards she liked and I hope she's pleased with the result.

A few flowers and leaves are complimented by scattered flat-backed pearls in two tones. There's also some embossed and sanded Core'dinations cardstock, cheese cloth and green Glimmermist.

Simple and shiny

2011-11-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Told you there would be a glittered card next. ;) Nothing spectacular about the layout, so this is a card all about texture and shine. I've worked in some sharp contrasts, between the rough fibre paper and the shiny Bazzill Bling cardstock, the soft cheese cloth and the sparkling letter. These cards rarely do well when photographed, but make such strong statements in real life. Must be seen to be properly appreciated.

See? Shiny! I must have been a magpie in another life. :P The chipboard letter is painted with lilac Shimmer Paint and coated generously with lilac PearlEx. The whole card has been Glimmermisted as well, for good measure. Yummy.

Christening card for Kristine

2011-11-08T18:33:00.004+01:00

Oh look at that DP... It's from Pion Design and I had dreamed about it for a while when the nicest, sweetest person just gave it to me, for no reason whatsoever, other than just being nice. She probably noticed me drooling over her folder full of paper and took action to prevent me from going berserk. Thank you, thank you. I would have made something with it immediately if only I had brought some purple cardstock. At least I had a wonderful occation where this cuteness would be perfect! My little niece was christned a couple of weeks ago and she has a LOT of purple stuff. To display as much as possible of that lovely design I kept the text frame and embellishments to the opposite corner. No name on the front, I put it on the inside instead.
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The greeting is stamped on a die-cut and sanded piece of Core'dinations Whitewash, and framed by a simple arrangment of my trusted Prima flowers. I was tempted to glitter them up, but as I was making two cards for this occation I decided to have one with glitter, one without. You'll soon see the other (heavily glittered) one that I made... ;) Remember to bring your sunglasses.

A prettier whiteboard

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000+02:00

Did you know that any glass frame can be made into a whiteboard? As soon as I realised that I knew I needed one for my hallway. I usually keep a quote or word of wisdom on it, as well as jotting down things I need to remember before walking out the door in the morning. Remember to bring that card you made last night, for example. The post-it note reminder I've stuck to the door handle wasn't quite as elegant as this - and this thing isn't likely to fall off and hide under the shoe rack and cause me to forget that card anyway.

I suppose it would look even nicer if this was a lovely frame, but I wanted to make it using only materials I had on hand, so the clip frame will have to do for now. It has two layers of scrapbooking paper inside. The larger one is fairly light in colour, so my writing will show up easily. The brown and pink colours match well to other stuff in my hallway, but it's very easy to change them if I want to. Just take the frame apart and add other papers!

Made a mistake? Wipe it out! A paper towel works well if you don't want black finger tips. I've got a make-up sponge near this frame and that's also practical.

(By the way, I found the quote on Pinterest. Of course.)

Invaders! From space!

2011-10-21T10:00:00.001+02:00

Ah, the memories... Little green spaceships in vaguely bug-like shapes on a black screen. No? Just me then? Yes, I really am that old. I remember playing Space Invaders. With a joystick, even! Feel free to LOL now, I'm wearing a silly little grin myself. I'm a bit of a nerd and not afraid to admit it - although I prefer the term "intellectual badass". ;)

The idea for this card was found on Pinterest, to which I am now thoroughly addicted. I might, in fact, be in need of a "Pintervention"... It started out as an excellent tool for keeping track of tutorials, recipes and such - but has ballooned into a massive time-waster. I can go surfing other people's pins for hours if I'm not careful... It's even worse than blog surfing! :P But, as this card demonstrates, sometimes I stumble upon a great idea that actually makes it into reality. Thanks to Pinterest for the card idea!

Know this

2011-10-12T10:00:00.000+02:00

Oops, I used the same stamp again. I can't help it, it's just so lovely! And since this card was made spesifically for a certain person, I went with the one that spoke to me the most, and this was it. Oh how I love the Penny Black sentiment stamps... *swoon*

That vertical strip of blue paper was something neat I got as a gift from this person - it's a thin blue crumpled paper with a really shiny gold coating. I ran it through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder and sanded it. The brown papers was a nice contrast to that strong blue colour, and to lighten the card I tried to work in something white here and there.

And again, there's that gorgeous brown baker's twine! The tag was originally a dark steel/pewter colour, so I covered it with a thin layer of Gesso before distressing it with some ink, just to keep the card looking a little brighter. The cheese cloth also sneaks in again. Love that stuff!

Simple baby card

2011-10-08T10:00:00.000+02:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I've hardly invented the wheel with this one. But you know how it is, sometimes you just go with a well-tested design and try to make the materials do the work for you! This green fiber paper was a spur of the moment purchase and now I wish I had more... It's such a lovely, bright colour and the white fibres are shiny and add so much texture.

Jute twine and the cute bear charm are the only embellishments. Keeping it simple!

Vintage-y card

2011-10-04T19:38:00.002+02:00

I almost messed this one up completely by stamping way too much, but I think I managed to save it by covering some of the stamping... It's still a bit messy, but not too bad. The lovely text stamp is by Penny Black of course. This is the first of some cards I made on a paper crafting day with a few other ladies - we had a whole day and I still only managed three (and a half) cards! Somebody obviously spent too much time talking instead of crafting. :P

Several layers of torn and inked pattern paper, some cheese cloth, and Sticky-Back Canvas are the main ingredients here. The only accents are the two metal flowers with a half-bead each, and some brown baker's twine. I love this stuff so much that if I ever come across other colours of baker's twine I'll buy them all!

For Eva and Olav

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000+02:00

While this isn't technically a repeat of my previous card, I certainly drew inspiration from it. Quite necessary too, as this was a card I had... sort of forgotten. *ahem* And I had to whip this one in a hurry, late at night. Similar materials, slight variations in layout. The metal heart is a paperclip I painted with Gesso, wiped carefully to reveal its silver core, and sealed with a layer of Glossy Accents.

Wedding card

2011-09-13T12:44:00.000+02:00

By some miracle, my desk is now starting to appear beneath the half-meter layer of paper and stuff it's been buried under for the last months. I've still got some tidying to do, but I'm already finding a new drive to make cards. It could have something to do with the rain outside as well of course, but I'm betting the ~~clean~~ cleaner desk is the deciding factor here. ;) This wedding card came toghether from the odds and ends I found near the topmost layer of remaining debris (although some digging was required to find that particular Stempelglede stamp), and still works fairly well. The mat is lightly sanded yellow Core'dinations Whitewash. I went over the text in the stamp with Glossy Accents, which looks really cheezy in yhis photo, but was in fact a nice touch in reality.

Wish

2011-09-10T12:26:00.002+02:00

Another simple 10x10 cm card. They come together quickly and make nice little cards to add to a small gift, or to send "just because". Anyway, I love making them during card making evenings with friends. ;)

Baby in a bag!

2011-09-05T19:56:00.009+02:00

So, fall is coming fast around here, and little babies need something to keep them warm. This "baby bag" (does anyone have a better name for this??) is just the thing when you need to go somewhere in a hurry - just put the baby in and put her right into her car seat wearing this. I made this for my little niece and is a bit big right now, but will hopefully fit well when winter strikes for real in the new year.

I've used a recipe called "Nataschas kjørepose" from the Norwegian book "Myk Start" ("Soft Start") by May B. Langhelle. Since the "soft start" refers not only to the recipient of the knitting projects, but also the the skill level required of the knitter, the recipe is made up of many pieces knitted flat and sewn together. Now, I really don't like sewing in my knitting projects. It doesn't look good, it's usually a weak point in the construction, and it's fairly unelastic. Plus it's incredibly boring and I'm a skilled knitter by now anyway. So as you might expect, I made sure to complicate the recipe as best as I could, removing all but two seams in the process! ;) I won't bore you with the details, but the only places I couldn't avvoid sewing is where the arms meet the body. The shoulders and hood were grafted instead of sewn.

There's a neat little trick in the recipe giving you these lovely columns of stitches running along the edges. I love the look - such a great way to finish a piece of knitting! Must remember this in the future.

In order for the safety harness of the car seat to be properly fastened without removing the baby bag, there is a small hole in the back of the bag that the center strap of the harness can pass through. It's difficult to see in the picture, but it's there, just to the left of the topmost button. The strap then goes between the baby's legs and out between the buttons in the front, to meet the two shoulder straps that goes on the outside of the baby bag.

The top button is just a little bit larger than the rest. This is actually a result of having just six of the smaller buttons. This flower button just happened to be a good colour match, as well as being a perfect fit in the topmost - slightly loose - buttonhole. Talk about luck! :)

Dream

2011-09-03T15:23:00.000+02:00

Just a small card today, it measures 10 x 10 cm. It's a lovely format to work with! Perfect for card making evenings at a friend's house. I'm slowly trying to get into the card making groove again, after a long hiatus over the summer. Summer is, after all, the time for bringing knitting projects out into the sunshine, while the impending fall invites to long evenings by the desk. More to come, hopefully!

Changing mat to diaper bag!

2011-08-18T10:00:00.012+02:00

Here's the main reason why my blog has been a little quiet this spring and summer. Talk about a project that ballooned into something much, much bigger than first expected! And after all that work, I didn't even get any decent shots of the crisply ironed thing before giving it away. When I managed to get a hold of it again, it had already been put to good use for a couple of weeks... So here it is, in all its wrinkly goodness, a changing mat that folds in on itself to become a diaper bag!
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My SIL asked me very nicely if I would like to make one of these for her daughter, my first niece. How could I refuse? The only problem was, I couldn't find any recipes or detailed photos anywhere, even the great internet came up empty-handed. Say what now?? Oh well, I can't resist a good puzzle anyway. So I started designing one myself, and this is what I ended up with.
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The side panels with the pockets fold in from each side - note the pockets stuffed full of tiny diapers and wet wipes...
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Completely folded up, it looks like this. A little ironing accident left me with just small pieces of fabric for the closing flap, so it looks tiny on this large bag... Oops. In fact, the bag is full of these little mishaps, and my relatively poor sewing skills are evident lots of places. But it's made with love! And considering my minimal sewing experience, I'm more than happy with the result.

A little D-ring holds a couple of clasps that can hold for example a keyring and a strap with velcro attatchment for an extra pacifier, like here, or anything really. Just a little detail I thought might be nice. The middle section covered in this medium brown fabric, where the baby is actually lying, has an extra layer of batting as well as a water-proof sheet - just in case of little accidents. ;)

The two bottom pockets on either side has zippers, the other two are open. The construction of this part of the bag was truly a labour of love. I had pages and pages and pages of notes and hand drawn cross section schematics of all the layers that had to be combined at this point. The fabric and batting layers of the main section had to connect to the pocket lining and side panels, as well as the zippers and bias tape - an preferably look okay as well. Quite a tall order. Imagine my satisfaction when I found a solution to do all that in three seams! Not such an achievement for an experienced seamstress, but I took it as a great victory. :)

Before sewing in the zippers I gave them a little end piece made from the flowery fabric. A little detail, originally intended to simply prevent the zipper pull from coming off, that turned out to have the added benefit of creating a convenient, elegant and sturdy finish between the zippered pockets and the open ones. That cute lining fabric reminds me of soap bubbles - but as it had a slightly yellow tinge that crashed with the other fabrics, it had to be slightly hidden, as pocket lining.

To prevent the side panels from sagging out to the sides when the bag is closed, I attatched large snaps in the corners. They do the trick quite nicely. Due to all the layers and the frequent transitions from few layers to many, I couldn't machine sew the bias tape on from both sides as I wanted to, it looked just awful. The only solution was to rip out everything, machine sew the outside, and hand sew the bias tape on the inside. Not as sturdy, but looking much better than the first attempt.

The handles are simply sewn on to the outside of the bag. I had originally intended to make one adjustable strap, but I think deciding on two straps was the better choice. Also, you can see that I added a large ric rac ribbon under the bias tape on the outside of the bag. Unfortunately, most of it is hidden when the bag is folded, but this detail made a great difference! The flap holds the bag closed with two large snaps. And that's it really! Thanks for the order, dear SIL, I loved the challenge! But nobody can get me to make another one, haha. ;)

3/52: Forever changed

2011-08-01T10:00:00.004+02:00

Our little nation is slowly winding down,

returning to everyday life.

Forever changed.
-

I have just made a new blog specifically for my photography projects! Hop on over to madebyeva.wordpress.com and have a look! This project 52 will continue over there, and some other themed photo projects that won't be featured on this blog. I'll keep my paper, yarn and fabric related stuff right here, at least for now.

The Wordpress templates are much more suitable for this, as the photos are larger and clearer over there - without that pesky middle step of uploading through Flickr! Also, Blogger has a few stability problems I'm getting somewhat tired of dealing with...

I'd be thrilled if you'd follow my new blog or add it to your blog roll. See you there!

Welcome baby Kristine!

2011-07-29T10:00:00.000+02:00

You'd think I would have had this card made and ready ages ago. I mean, I've known about this baby for a while now! But don't you think I threw it together right before leaving for my first visit? Go figure. Clearly, I could use some practice in planning ahead. Anyway, I grabbed my BG Wisteria paper pad and went to work. The lilacs in this set are just wonderful and I knew the recipients would like them. Misc flowers and bling, QK dragonfly and QK Frankie letters.

The dragonfly on the front was inspired by this dragonfly pattern paper I used on the inside. Simple Spellbinder shapes frame the lovely "Welcome to the world" stamp from Stempelglede.

2/52: What a wonderful world

2011-07-25T10:00:00.004+02:00

In the midst of all the madness and sorrow,

there happened the amazing miracle of life.

From deep grief to innocent bliss:

this has truly been a week of extremes.

OSLO

2011-07-23T11:35:00.002+02:00

I have no words, no words to convey the shock and sorrow of yesterday's events.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the terror.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may decieve you.

Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others may destroy overnight.

Create anyway.

What good you do today, may often be forgotten.

DO GOOD ANYWAY."

-Mother Theresa/Kent M. Keith-

1/52: Ignorance is bliss

2011-07-18T10:00:00.001+02:00

The bubbles tickle, the steam rises and the rain falls gently,

and this is quite possibly the very best place in the world

to forget that summer vacation is almost over.
-

Hey there, I'm back at it. Yep, here I go with another Project 52! The first one is completed and I like the idea of this thing continuing. I'll try to be a little more dilligent this year - it still takes some effort to keep shooting regularly and a Project 52 is a great help to do just that. Still working on the details, so for now, it's just going to be one shot from the previous week, no particular subject so far. We'll see what the year brings.

Oh, and for those of you wondering where all the cards went, they will hopefully make a grand comeback this fall when time and weather permits... :)

Beaded Vernal Equinox shawl

2011-07-14T10:00:00.004+02:00

Some knitting projects are addictive. Really, really addictive! This is the Vernal Equinox shawl, knit in light blue DROPS Lace and beaded with silver-lined 6/0 clear seed beads. It was supposed to be a just-in-case knitting project, that I could bring when I couldn't work on other things. Haha... Famous last words. Once I started it was difficult to put it down, and when I started beading it was simply impossible! "Just one more row before bed" is a common statement, but when the rows are close to 500 stitches the hours are quickly lost. ;)
-

I've done a few triangular and rectangular shawls, but this is the first time doing a semi-circle. Not sure if this qualifies as a half-pi? It was a strain to block, believe me! Getting all the distances and angles right took a lot more work than simply stretching out straight edges. Lacking blocking wires, I strung a strong cotton crochet thread through the stitches along the diameter line and pulled it tight to make a straight line, and it worked really well! It took 280 pins to block out the scalloped edge - every last pin I had and I still had to resort to safety pins and sewing needles for the last points. Post-blocking radius is ca 92 cm.

After a bit of internal debate, I decided to bead the shawl although it wasn't designed for beading. I was afraid the beads would weigh the delicate shawl down too much, but even though there are 320 beads I estimate their weight to be no more than 5 grams. In comparison, the total yarn weight is pretty exactly 100 grams. I wanted a subtle effect, and subtle is what I got! Almost too subtle maybe? I don't think it would have hurt to add even more. A girl loves her glitter, right?

When looked at from the front, you can hardly see the beads. They are strategically placed along the two dominant vertical lines in the pattern in the three last clues.

But when the light hits the beads just right, the whole thing sparkles! It's very tricky to capture on camera. I've yet to try out the effect in a party setting, so I don't know exactly how strong the effect will be in real life. We'll see!

Details are also on my Ravelry page.

52/52: Fifty-two at thirty

2011-07-11T10:00:00.003+02:00

Celebrations all around!

So, my project comes to an end. 52 weeks, a year in pictures. Are they representative of my life? Well, yes and no. So much takes place that never makes it onto film (or rather, pixels). Quite a few weeks I was lazy and rarely picked up my camera. Sometimes I had so many pictures it was a pain to only choose one. I have found myself just sitting and looking at the set of pictures, at least the parts of the project where I was dilligent in my photography and had lots of good ones. Although I've spent a couple of Sunday evenings scrambling to get a shot off in time, I'm really glad I did this! It's been a kick in the behind to get the camera out more often. ;)

And I guess the big question now is: do I do this for another year? Perhaps I should change the project parameters? Not blog them all, put them on a separate blog, choose a new topic, post several pictures if I have them and none when there are no good ones? I have many thoughts and few conclusions yet. We'll see. I think it's highly likely that I'll continue with another Project 52, but I'll probably mix up the details a bit from this year's project.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Long long time ago...

2011-07-07T10:00:00.001+02:00

A long long time ago, I used to make cards. Like this one, a wedding card that's been waiting patiently to be posted. And then some other projects engulfed me and the card making desk was loaded with more ane more stuff, and never tidied. Like Sleeping Beauty's castle, it's covered in an impenetrable wall of entangled stuff. I'm still waiting for the inspiration to tear down that wall and reveal a shiny, tidy desk that invites me to sit down and create something out of paper. Right now, in the middle of summer vacation and on the home stretch of a big big sewing project, I doubt it will happen any time soon. But some day, some day, I'll get around to it. Because I can feel the itch in my fingers now and then. As tactile as yarn and fabrics are, there's something uniqely wonderful about the smell of new paper...

51/52: Strawberry Fields Forever

2011-07-04T10:00:00.004+02:00

Summer joy in a bowl: wild strawberries and forest blueberries.

My hands, stained a dark purple, bring back memories of summers long ago.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

50/52: AFK

2011-06-27T10:00:00.003+02:00

Away From Keyboard.

And away from home. And work, and stress.

And camera.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

49/52: Mathilde

2011-06-20T10:00:00.001+02:00

Only eleven hours old.

My job has its perks sometimes.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

48/52: Gizmo

2011-06-13T10:00:00.001+02:00

A different everyday life - so rewarding!

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

To your future

2011-06-08T10:00:00.002+02:00

I don't have (m)any stamps saying anything about new jobs, sorry you're leaving, good luck in the future and such, so this cool Tim Holtz stamp has to do the job this time. And in some way, it does relate to the questions and doubts most of us can feel when facing the unknown future. No point in spending time feeding our fears, when so much more can be achieved by encouraging our hopes and wishes!

The papers are BG and the sentiment is stamped on StickyBack Canvas. Embellishments are kept to a minimum due to the busy DP - just strips of Tim Holtz negative film and script tape.

47/52: Boo! BZZZ!

2011-06-06T10:00:00.005+02:00

An unwelcome delay brought an unexpected surprise!

I walked around looking at all the umbrella animals

(loving this moquito caught in a spider's web)

with a smile on my face

wishing my camera was the good one

and my delay a little longer.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

New on my needles - Undercover baby blanket

2011-06-03T10:00:00.002+02:00

Another knitting WIP, this time in sock yarn actually. That means you get a warm, sturdy and superwash blanket for a pretty good price too. One of the cool things about this blanket is that is's knitted from the center! That's a first for me, and I couldn't resist giving it a try. In this picture it looks mostly like a gellyfish... :) I plan to do something neat with the colours as well, a little trick that's described in the pattern. It will be finished quite soon I think - I'm suffering the "one more row" syndrome quite badly with this one. Details on Ravelry.

New on my needles - something secret

2011-06-01T10:00:00.002+02:00

Now this delicate little thing is a secret project. As secret as it can be when I plaster a big picture of it on my very public blog! Oh well. I'll let you wonder for yourself what it could be. It's going to take me a long time to finish, I fear, partly because the yarn is 100% cotton and that was a BIG transition for me. Wool and wool blends flow so much better through my hands. But don't you just love that colour? Check back in a year or so to see the result. ;) Ok, feel free to stop by sooner than that too, there will be other things popping up now and then. :)

46/52: A change of heart

2011-05-30T10:00:00.004+02:00

I never thought it could be anything other than a chore,

but sometimes lately, I've found myself actually wanting this.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Sonja 30 years

2011-05-27T10:00:00.000+02:00

The yellow cards continue... But I like them, and so do the recipients! :) Pretty soon I'll have to get my hands on some more design papers in these colours, they are going so fast. This one is very light and airy. The DP is almost completely covered with a layer of cheesecloth (I've been wanting to use this stuff for ages now), and then a layer of corrugated cardstock with a small square of Stickyback Canvas in top. I sprayed the canvas with a little bit of Glimmermist Sunflower, but ideally I would have liked to have a lighter shade of yellow. To make the Prima chipboard digits yellow I ripped off the top layer and doused them generously with the same Glimmermist.

45/52: Celebration!

2011-05-23T10:00:00.004+02:00

The bad experience on the way home

melts away in the bright memory of this moment.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Babies are such a nice way to start people

2011-05-21T10:00:00.000+02:00

Lilac makes for a nice change from all the pink baby cards. It was made for a friend who loves these colours, so I know it will be well recieved. Sentiment stamp by Penny Black as usual, what else?? ;) Flowers from stash, Martha Stewart border punches, a few dots of Liquid Pearls and some giant ric rac from Stoff&Stil.

Happy National Day!

2011-05-17T11:52:00.003+02:00

Happy (Norwegian) National Day!

I'm off to watch the parades, proudly wearing my tsumami kanzashi brooch.

For all my fellow weegies it's probably a little late to start to make one for today,

but I'm sure some of my other readers have enough time to make one

for their own National Days? :)

44/52: Parking spot with a view

2011-05-16T10:00:00.003+02:00

Sunday was a lovely conclusion to a week well spent.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Welcome baby Ella

2011-05-13T10:00:00.001+02:00

The couple recieving this card requested their baby blanket (not knitted by me) to be a warm sunny yellow, and I figured I would echo that choice in their card. Also, I find it incredibly invigorating to work with in this part of the yellow spectrum! Something about spring and summer stirring I guess. The picture was a rushed, blurry snapshot before running off to work... Again?! (I seem to remember something about saying I would learn to not do that anymore?)

I've used a couple of Tim Holtz stamps and a script stamp, along with the Stempelglede sentiment stamp. You can't really see it, but I've added Glossy Accents and Stickles to the sentiment to help it stand out among the rest.

Merete 30 years

2011-05-11T10:00:00.001+02:00

Wow, the colours washed out in this picture. The pattern paper is lightly coloured, sure, but it looks way to white in this picture. My fault - I made the card late at night and snapped a quick photo before leaving for work the next morning. Didn't check it well enough apparently. Something tells me I've done this before...?? :P Clearly, I never learn. Maybe next time. ;)

43/52: In bloom

2011-05-09T10:00:00.002+02:00

I pretend they are cherry trees.

But whatever they are,

they are truly

beautiful.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Custom fit wrist warmers

2011-05-04T10:00:00.000+02:00

Hello, blog. It's been a while. I made these wrist warmers for you! Well, for me. They are based on the same improvised recipe I made up for my SIL's christmas present, but the stitch count has been adjusted to fit my own wrists. They look a bit weird when I'm not wearing them, but they feel so lovely and form very nicely around the strange curves of the wrist. I debated whether or not to knit separate fingers, but ended up with this simpler shape. They are longer than the first pair, I like that. More details on my Ravelry page as usual.

42/52: A jewel in the rough

2011-05-02T10:00:00.006+02:00

After ten minutes of scorching asphalt,

choking dust and loud traffic,

I find this place.

Green, quiet, sunny.

A hidden emerald jewel!

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

41/52: Wildlife

2011-04-25T14:30:00.000+02:00

I watched Jurassic Park the night before

and had the soundtrack running in my mind the whole time.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

The verdict is in

2011-04-22T10:43:00.003+02:00

Remember, a few posts ago, I made a card and wondered if too much of a good thing really was wonderful? Well, it seems I got a thundering "yes" in reply! The recipient of that particular card was so thrilled that she promptly ordered six of the same kind to give to her own friends. To be done before easter, if at all possible, and unless the postal service took an early easter holiday they should have arrived just in time.

-Now, I guess I could have split these into six separate posts and really milked them for every bit of posting value since this little blog has been a bit quiet lately, but I feel like I'd be showing you the same card over and over, and that didn't seem fair. So here they are, all six, at once. Enjoy! The colours match the present holiday well, don't they?

-My last lovely orange Gardenia flower went with this order, so it's high time to order some more. I go through these in a flash these days and the abstinence symptoms are already kicking in! As my stash of orange and yellow flowers wasn't too big to begin with, and I've used a lot of them lately, I found that it was a challenge to find enough flowers for all these cards. Some white flowers and Glimmermist came to my rescue and filled the gaps.

40/52: Up, up and away

2011-04-18T10:00:00.003+02:00

Fly me to the moon...

Or maybe somewhere I can learn how to

avoid getting in over my head?

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

For Kari

2011-04-17T10:00:00.000+02:00

Trying something new... This was a fun technique - but it's not making much of a dent in my huge stash! ;) I've used Post-It notes to mask off a rectangle and wiped ink in from the edges. Next time I'll make the rectangle bigger and colour it slightly softer, but for a first attempt it's not too bad. Before removing the Post-It notes I stamped a script stamp and a Tim Holtz swirl stamp a couple of times in the corners. The Tim Holtz wings are, naturally, stamped after that. Since I had my sewing machine out for a big (big big!!) project anyway, I did two rounds with green thread before adding three flat-backed pearls and that gorgeous Panduro metal disc. And a little touch of glitter never hurt anybody. :P

-The inside got some lightly coloured spaces much larger than the front. I'll probably go somewhere inbetween for my next card in this style, so I can show off the stamps better. Forgot to snap a picture before writing the greeting, whoops! Now I'm going to make some cards that will make a more significant (and much needed) impact on my flower stash... See you soon, I hope!

39/52: Drought

2011-04-11T10:00:00.003+02:00

All work and no play

makes for a quiet blog

and a boring week of pictures.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Roses are... orange?

2011-04-06T10:00:00.002+02:00

More orangey goodness, as promised! I split the large flower in two and added a few more flowers. Because the stamp is so busy I wanted to keep the rest simple - but I can see I didn't quite follow up on that intent... Oops. :P I just can't help myself these days, when I start piling on the flowers it's impossible to stop. Desperate for spring anyone??

38/52: Crossroads

2011-04-04T10:00:00.002+02:00

What a difference that new path made!

Saturday was covered, head to toe,

with thick, white, smothering fog.

Sunday was crisp and fresh

and full of promises of good things to come.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Too much of a good thing...

2011-04-01T10:00:00.002+02:00

...is wonderful? Or just messy? The technique of making a flowing line of flowers is something you often see in scrapbooking, but I've always wanted to see if I could make it work on a card. The space is small and it feels a little cramped, but I'm pleased enough to show it to you. Take it as a sign of my trust in you, my fellow bloggers!

-The flowers are mostly from Prima, Bazzill and Papirloftet. The background and some of the flowers got a little spray from one or more Glimmermist bottles, so there's quite a lot of sparkle going on here. Two out of three orange cards done - now I just need to think of something brilliant for the last one! Check back for more splashes of orange. :)

Approaching easter...

2011-03-30T10:00:00.000+02:00

When the request for "three cards in the warmest, brightest, happiest shades of orange you can possibly find" came in, I didn't even bat an eyelid. I just sat down at my desk and vacuumed my drawers for any and all things orange and got to work. It's been a while since I worked in these colours and it was such an energy kick! Most of the matierials here are scraps and leftovers, but the tag is K&Co and the biggest flower is from Papirloftet. The little gems provide some sparkle!

37/52: Simple pleasures

2011-03-28T10:00:00.002+02:00

The greyest day all week was,

in fact, the brightest one.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Celina 31 years

2011-03-26T10:00:00.000+01:00

Finally, some green! I nearly had some serious abstinence symptoms after all the brown, pink and white cards lately. No wonder this card fell together in a rush, when I finally made myself sit down at my desk! The papers are BG kraft basics coupled with Bazzill cardstock and a scrap of green woodgrain print from the DCVW Latte Stack.
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Some decoration on the inside as well. Not exactly fantastically embellished or revolutionary creative, but it has to go in the mail after all, so keeping the total weight of the card under a kilogram or so is definitely an advantage. The white paper was too bright against the rest, so I toned it down with some Distress Ink Vintage Photo. The Stempelglede stamp reads "Good friends are life's true treasures".
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I really need to get myself a stamp with my blog adress. Or develop a nicer hand writing style. I think I know which is easier...

When all else fails

2011-03-24T10:00:00.005+01:00

This is my fallback position whenever I don't quite find my card making mojo... One Prisma-coloured stamp, one sentiment stamp, and that's it. Maybe on a single layer mat, but other times just like this, stamped straight onto the kraft card. This time I gave the edge some ink, just to define it a little bit. Thanks to Krissie for the loan of stamps, as I had forgotten all of mine at home. ;)

Big flowers, big statement

2011-03-22T10:00:00.004+01:00

Pink and brown make such a lovely pair. Aren't they pretty? This is a fairly high-contrast card in relation to my latest cards in the same colourway. I struggled to find something that worked and just had to glue something down to get on to the next card... And if you think you've seen many cards in similar colours lately, well then, you're right. Nearly all my cards lately have been made on card making days at HobbyHimmelen, my local paper crafting shop - and I didn't bother unpacking my stuffed suitcase between visits, so I've been restricted to brown, pink, white and silver every time. I promise to expand my horizon soon - I just have to unpack first!

The huge flowers are from a discontinued Bazzill line, and the paper is from Jillibean Soup.

36/52: The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand

2011-03-21T10:00:00.005+01:00

It was a bizarre set of night shifts, but in a good way.

Maybe the moon's close pass affected us all?

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

CAS flowers - yellow edition

2011-03-20T10:00:00.003+01:00

Second attempt at colouring this particular stamp with my Prismas. Still a bit tricky, but getting better. I long to colour a long, flowing dress instead... Like this one for example!

CAS flowers - pink edition

2011-03-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

This card could hardly be any simpler! One Stempelglede stamp, coloured with Prisma pencils, matted on kraft. I have to admit, though, that this stamp is a challenge to colour. I've tried it before with watercolour pencils, and it's definitely easier with the Prismas, but still... I can't seem to get it completely right. Ok, enough complaining already! The stamp is lovely and makes a big statement. I'm tempted to add something more to the card, but I think I'll wait and see if it sells like this first. You never know, someone might be looking for a clean and simple card.

Bloggers Day of Silence, March 18th

2011-03-18T11:06:00.004+01:00

Donate - Texture credit 1 - Texture credit 2 - Inspiration credit

Taking flight

2011-03-17T10:00:00.003+01:00

I made the lovely Tim Holtz stamp the focal point of this simple card by stamping it on some Stickyback Canvas and matting it with torn, corrugated cardboard. The DP is one of those dark ones that I find tricky to use, but it seemed to work well here. There's no sentiment, so this card can work for any occation!

Carte postale

2011-03-15T10:00:00.004+01:00

This card is made from the same sketch as my previous card. Can you see the similarity? I have a tendency to interpret a sketch quite literal the first time, and then making a simpler, much more abstract version... Usually in a completely different style, well demonstrated by these two - one bright and girly, the other rough and raw. The lovely bird is a stamp from Tim Holtz. I've heat embossed it using Distress embossing powder in Walnut Stain, so it has a really rough appearance, almost like sand paper. Very cool. ;)

35/52: All you need is love

2011-03-14T10:00:00.002+01:00

"Kind words are short and easy to speak,

but their echoes are truly endless."

-Mother Theresa-

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Winter mitts

2011-03-12T10:00:00.001+01:00

It's nearly too late to post these kind of things now... The sun is finally managing to make an impact on the huge mounds of snow around here, and I have to drive in carefully placed zig-zags to avoid the huge water-filled gouges appearing in the 10 cm layer of ice on the road from my house. But it's still fairly cold at night and a good pair of winter mitts can still find their use, I hope.
-

A little heart suddenly appeared when I shot these cuties... :) I've tweaked my recipe slightly from the first, improvised pair, but that's only in the little details. They're pretty much the same. This pair is comissioned for the girlfriend of the recipient of the first pair (the one with the lover's mitt) - the two colours work together nicely I think! Details on my Ravelry page as usual.
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The knitter's gift tag has to be included of course. :) I love making these and they lend a professional touch to gifted and sold items.

Gorgeous & sweet!

2011-03-10T10:00:00.003+01:00

Gorgeous and sweet - great words to describe these wonderful papers from Maja Design! I've tried to make more cards that works with several occations lately. This one could be a card (birthday or other occation) for a young girl or a woman who's not afraid of girly pink - or it could be given for a newborn baby girl, or even as a christening card. Take your pick!
-

White and silver

2011-03-08T10:00:00.002+01:00

There's so much shine going on in this card... White and silver is such a luxurious combination! And I've used some really gorgeous papers - the left base is striped and the right has debossed butterflies and they are both fantastically shiny. Add to that some more shiny silvery paper, embossed silver cardstock from Panduro, Bazzill Bling, and top it all with an extravagant Prima bling swirl. Instant bliss! This card is actually made from the same sketch as my previous card, but that's about all they have in common... ;)
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The little stamp is heat embossed in silver and the feathery flower is from Prima.

34/52: Still going strong

2011-03-07T10:00:00.005+01:00

There are the occational slip-ups.

I try not to panic and just get back on track.

Who knew this system would work so well.

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Friendship

2011-03-05T10:00:00.002+01:00

This card was made after a sketch at a card making/scrapping day at my local paper crafting shop, HobbyHimmelen. The sketch was made for a 12x12 layout and had too many elements to fit onto a small card, but this is pretty close. I used Maja Design papers, Tim Holtz tickets, Stempelglede sentiment stamp on Stickyback Canvas and some random stuff from my stash.

Helge 60 years

2011-03-03T10:00:00.003+01:00

So you've seen this layout before, you say? I know... Forgive the recycling, but it works and I needed something quick. Those dreaded man's cards, I'm sure you've all wrestled with them! This one doesn't have any particular theme either, so I just found some BG papers that worked together, added a few embellishments and rub-ons and called it a day!

Angelo 30 years

2011-03-01T10:00:00.002+01:00

This card just kept on becoming too dark and dreary, despite my best efforts to keep it a little bright and cheerful. In the end it's not too bad, as I managed to squeeze in some brighter greens in the mix. Angelo has some musical talents, so I made that the theme. It's quite fun to look at my stuff with one particular thing in mind, because so many music related things, that I hadn't thought of at first, suddenly turn up...
Materials used include: BG papers, Tim Holtz tickets, QK Studio letters, 7 Gypsies overlay, numbers cut from Tim Holtz embossed grungeboard and coloured with Glimmermist and StazOn, some Prima packaging and other random stuff.

33/52: Ready, steady, snow

2011-02-28T10:00:00.006+01:00

Everyday life indeed.

Absolutely every single picture I've taken this week

has snow in it!

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Baby toadstool rattle and hat

2011-02-26T10:00:00.005+01:00

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

2011-02-24T10:00:00.000+01:00

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

2011-02-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

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

2011-02-21T10:00:00.007+01:00

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.)

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Testing, testing... One! Two!

2011-02-20T10:00:00.002+01:00

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!

2011-02-19T10:00:00.001+01:00

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

2011-02-18T10:00:00.002+01:00

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

2011-02-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

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

2011-02-15T10:00:00.006+01:00

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.

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

31/52: Go slow!

2011-02-14T10:00:00.004+01:00

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...

;)

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

Happy birthday dad!

2011-02-12T10:00:00.001+01:00

"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

2011-02-10T10:00:00.001+01:00

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!

2011-02-08T10:00:00.001+01:00

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

2011-02-07T10:00:00.004+01:00

The street outside my local yarn shop

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

But they sure know how to compensate!

Click here for more info on my Project 52.

You are unique!

2011-02-02T10:00:00.002+01:00

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!