Cottage Card Kit Creations...

This post is very photo heavy so I'll try to keep the chit chat short.  I recently had these Cottage Card Kits in my shop.  I promised to show you lots of tips and tricks so here we go.  Here's what the kit looks like. If you missed ordering a kit but want to play along, just grab some items from your stash.  Items like the mini floral Instagrams, tags, clothespins, doilies and sacks are available as individual items in my shop.  

Envelope Liners...

It's very easy to create an envelope line for any size envelope. Simply trace the envelope flap onto the liner material using a pencil. Here I used the vintage book page from the kit.  

 Trim with scissors and insert the liner piece into the envelope.  Scoot the liner down enough to have the lickable adhesive still showing.  Use a few strips of adhesive under the top portion.  Pretty.

Embellished paper clips...

Here I used the strip of eyelet lace and a torn strip of the vintage fabric to fancy up the clips from the kit.  I used about 3" piece and looped it through the paper clips.  I secured the little flags with my Tiny Tim stapler.  

Very cute to slip onto cards, tags, sacks and more.  

Creating your own spray mists...

It's very simple to create your own spray mists.  Instead of using ink refill droppers, did you know you can use acrylic paints too for a more opaque look?  Simply fill a small spray bottle with water and drop in acrylic paints.  I used a pink and a yellow to get just the pink tone I was after.  Shake the bottle and spray onto scrap paper until the mist appears. 

 You can use your new mist with stencils like I did on the sack with a Pink Paislee stencil.  Or you can unscrew the lid and flick paint splatters like I did on the tag, coin envelope and grid paper.  Customized colors using supplies you might already having sitting around...awesome.

Painting with Gesso...

Gesso, one of my new favorite things. Here I put a small dab of Gesso in a dish.  I added a few drops of water to make the Gesso a bit watery so I could paint with it.  

 You'll see these used on my finished projects but here are some samples of the Gesso painting.  On the yellow card I smudged on the Gesso with my finger to get a white washed look.  I painted o the polka dots with a small pointy brush.  I even sprinkled in some glitter before the circles dried to create a shimmery look.  On the small Instagram from the kit, I painted around the edges.  For the dimensional paper flower, I painted the petal tips for a shabby look.  On the book paper, I flicked some Gesso paint to create splatters.  

 Finally on the square of corrugated cardboard I cut from a box, I swiped some of the Gesso over the ridges.  Then I loaded my brush again and ran the tip of the brush over the top of the square.  I tilted the cardboard so that the paint would run down and dry in long drips.  I'll use this under a mini Instagram later.

Creating layers on your projects...

This is a hard one for some folks so I'll share what I do.  I picked a card base that I wanted to use and then I set it aside.  From the kit I picked a few more elements to layer.  I cut a piece of fabric from the larger piece.  

Then what I do is layer the pieces in my hands, not on the card base.  I start picking up the largest items then finish with the smallest items.  It's very natural to work with the layers and shift them around while in your hands instead of laying them on the base of the project (the yellow card).  

 Let's see another example.  Here I'm doing another card but I set the card base to the side.

 I gathered up the layering elements starting with the biggest item, the paper doily.  Next came the book paper, then the coin envelope then the mini Instagram.

 Here's yet another example for a gift sack I want to create.  You can see the layering elements I want to use in the little pile below.

 Gather up the largest item first which is the piece of vintage book print.  I like to use book print when layering because you can tear it easily to whatever size you want and it's thinner then cardstock or patterned paper.  You can find a batch of vintage book paper in my shop here.  I continue to pick up the next bigger item until I have all the pieces layered in my hand.

 Once I have all the layers the way I want them to look I lay them down on a flat surface.  Then I use tiny dabs of adhesive to attach each layer to the next.  You don't need a lot of adhesive, just enough to join the layers together without sliding around.

Then I find that stitching the layers together is a great way to keep all the pieces securely in place.  I like to leave the thread ends hanging also instead of trimming them short. 

 Now it's time to attach the layered piece onto your project whether it's a card, a notebook, a sack, a tag, etc.  The last finishing touch is to add a little dimensional piece.  From the kit I used the yellow flower and a small tag that I typed on.  The flat layers create interest on your project then the finishing touches add the wow factor.  This style of layering lends itself very nicely with found vintage items, tags, photos, fabric.....a great way to use up those little tidbits and scraps of patterned paper in your stash.

 Okay, wanna see the finished projects?  Here we go...

Here's a sweet notecard with a misted gift sack.

 I love the cottage, vintage feel of the Cottage Card Kit.  The floral elements combined with the office supply items like the shipping tag and index card are just my style.

 Here's another card with lots of layers, including the vintage fabric and typed vellum sentiments.  I love how the envelope coordinates now that it has the book pager liner.

Don't think you can mix and match florals?  I love how it looks, especially when the prints are vintage looking.  

 Another card which has the splattered coin envelope and fabric paper clip.  

 The quirky little patterns work well together because they are the same color value and are repeated in the mini Instagram photo.

 Here's the card that I painted with Gesso paint.  The dimensional flower makes it hard to fit into an envelope so I'm using a Kraft sack for packaging.

 You can see the glittery Gesso circles here.  I love that the Gesso paint just adds one more subtle layer to my card.  See how the layers are kind of ruffled and held in place by stitching?  I love this whimsical and light look by leaving the layers rather loose. Just lay off the adhesive a little.

One last project, a pretty gift sack with soft, vintage layers.  

I used my homemade spray mist on the sack, using the nozzle to flick on splatters of paint.  The neutral colors of the book paper, tags, doily and cardboard create a nice background for the colorful photo.  The yellow paper flower helps the yellow in the photo pop out.  

There ya have it.  Lots and lots of tips and tricks that you can try out with your Cottage Card Kit....or your own supplies if you didn't grab a kit.  I hope you enjoyed today's post.  I'd love to hear about what you might try out on your projects.  :)

Coming soon to the shop...
I have a special delivery coming later this week to create a new kit for the shop. If you like the mixed media look, this one might be for you.  If you've been wanting to add a more artistic flair to your creations, this kit might be for you.  If you've always wanted to try out some art journaling, this kit might be for you.  I can't wait to share it with you!!

Birthday Tag Card

Hey friends. I had a few scraps leftover from my Butter and Brown kits so I thought I'd whip up another little goody for you today. There are still kits left in the shop that you can check out here. Company is here so I'm posting this for you early tonight.....it's your late Friday and into Saturday card fix. ;)

Am I totally self centered if I say that I love to use my own little kits? It's true. Sometimes I get so caught up in creating kits and projects for design teams or the shop that I just love it when I steal away a little time to create some goodies just for me. And when I see bits and pieces of a kit leftover I love to use them because I know it all coordinates and is ready to be assembled on a project.

Take this adorable birthday card, for example. I used the last snippets of the butter and brown floral fabric (wish I had more!) to create a fun background on a medium parcel tag that comes with the kit. These tags make it so easy to create a focal point for cards, I just love them.

Layered on top of my fabric covered tag is one of Pine's Fillable Frames. Fillable Frames #5 to be exact. Along with it's coordinating die. They're my favorite of the Fillable Frames, I think. Love. Double Love. The sentiment and the big word YOU are from Melissa's All About You stamp set. It's another favorite set of me. Gotta love the graphic words in this set. On the background of the card, I stamped an image from Background Basics: Tin Types with the tea duo inks.
Here's something else I love that you'll be seeing more of. It's the torn strips of fabric that I turn into ribbon. I love the torn look and the homespun feel. By using the fabric flat on the tag it looks like patterned paper.....but then to see it all loopy like a ribbon....wowzers! I used a little snippet of the vintage buttery lace on the tag too and kept the pieces all gathered up by using my Tiny Tim stapler. Love that little gadget. Cindy, my friend from Star Lit Studio can hook you up with one along with my fave-O -rite October Afternoon papers. I finished off my card with tied buttons, both the buttons and twine are included in the kit.
Love this shot.....see all the dimension and layers. Pop dots are amazing little doodads. Love them.
Hope you enjoy! I might just have to break open another Butter and Brown kit for myself, I really really love this butter and brown color. Better get one before I sneak all the fabric out of the kits. For once I was being frugal in the quilt shop.....and now I need more of that sweet little fabric! Figures.

Oh and more goodies came in today. I'm gathering up all my new items for a grand shop update coming soon. I can't wait for you to see.

Introducing Pretty Place Settings

Hi again friends. I have lots of vintage goodies that I've been collecting. Too many for me to keep for myself. So I'm putting some of my Interior Design degree to work for me and am starting a new line of goodies that I will be selling in my shop. The section will be called Pretty Place Settings.

Let me set the stage for you. From the time when I was younger and first living on my own, I always was purchasing linens and napkins and place mats. I had dreams of pretty parties and lots dinner guests. Those parties usually ended up with pyramids of beer cans, smelly pizza boxes and soggy paper plates. But I still collected my wonderful goodies, even though I never put them to very much use.

Fast forward and I found places like Nell Hill's. Mary Carol, the shop's owner, has a wonderful eye for creating the most beautiful tablescapes.

Like this one with pretty domes, plates and tea towels.

This garden themed place setting with a cute snail garden statue.
Pretty trays with pitchers and napkins.

Fun storage ideas for utensils.

At Nell Hill's, you always walk away with ideas on how to put together those fantastic tablescapes and place settings. The visuals are just so inspiring. That brings me to my Pretty Place Settings. As I've been collecting my vintage linens and goodies, I kept thinking, "Hey, this would look good with that". As my collection grows and the piles are forming, it's time to share a little of the love. I will be creating pretty little place settings and tablescape ideas and then will be selling a few of the wares in my shop. With each little collection, you'll be able to envision some ideas of how to pull together a pretty little place setting or centerpiece of your own.

That brings me to my first Pretty Place Setting. A neutral palette of farm house country style goodies.

Add a little candlelight and a few fresh picked flowers to set an inviting mood.
An ecru doily acts as an accent or could be used under a vase of flowers or tucked into an old Mason jar.
Extra napkins can be tucked inside a Mason jar with a few country flowers for a simple centerpiece or floral arrangement.
Pretty, vintage yellowy-tan napkins rest under old silver pieces.
A small candle or votive looks pretty cute and simple, nestled in a zinc jar lid turned upside down.
White on white with plates is so striking. Here I've paired one of my wedding plates with an old ironstone plate. Mixing the old with the new is totally hip.
Included in this Pretty Place Setting is the off white linen piece that acts as a placemat, four yellowy tan vintage napkins, and one ecru vintage doily.
All tied up with Chocolate Wrinkle Ribbon, a hand dyed tag with vintage button, stapled to a snippet of burlap. There's just enough space to customize the tag with a name if you'd like to use as a gift.
My first Pretty Place Setting will be available in my Etsy shop in just a bit. Better hurry before I change my mind and keep these goodies for myself. ;) These are one of a kind place settings......yes I'll have more but they'll all be different and quirky. I hope you enjoy! I've wanted to do something like this forever so I decided to just dive into it.

Shabby Blue Fabric Tags

Good evening everyone. I'm hoping to plant my peppers and tomatoes tonight if the garden dried out enough today. But first I have a few things to show you. I dug into some of my thrifty finds and had a little fun today. Here's Stanly the Stapler. I found him at an antique store. He works better than any stapler I've ever had. I love him. He was one of my helpers today.This is my new thing of string that called my name at the thrift store. Love this green color!
And these are my new creations today, using fabric from the thrift store. Jordan was my other little helper. I'm paying the girls $5 an hour this summer to help with my crafty creations. She was a seamstress today and loved every minute of her work. Together we made these adorable Shabby Blue Fabric Tags. I cut, she sewed. And she is good. I show her one time and then she takes over. Very good workmanship. Believe me, I inspect for quality. Josey slept til 11:00 so I guess she had the day off. :) Good grief, sleepy red head girl.
Anyway, we cut and sewed and assembled all morning. Such a lovely little pile of Thrift Store Decor, don't you think?
You can use these tags for almost anything. They have little safety pins at the top for easy attachability. I saved two to fancy up my blue jars that I got at an auction.
Or you could attach a tag to a little pile of crafty goodness. See how I used a Tiny Tag wrapped around the doodad? Instant personalization for gift giving. Who wouldn't love to re-use this tag for a special project? Or how about stringing together a whole set of these for an instant summer banner. Ohhh, that would be cute! Wait til I tell Jordy that idea.
They're so cute though, they might be hard to part with. That's why I included two to a package in my Etsy shop. All packaged up in a glassine envelope and Japanese masking tape. Have fun!! We've got more fabric picked out and Jordan's a sewing goddess so stay tuned for more tags. She likes this job because Josey can't sew....more work for Jordan. Which =more $ for Jordan. Hee.