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Keeping you in Stitches: Templates

 

 

Jennifer Larson, back again, this time to share an easy and gorgeous solution for hand stitching on layouts: templates.

 

 

Templates make backstitching easy. You can add various shapes to your pages with a template. In particular, I love the Bazzill Stitching templates, though Stampin' Up! has come up with some nice templates too. Kinsey Wilson sells some that are made to order; I've never bought them, but they are very pretty. You could email her and ask about their availability.

Here's what I've done with templates that you could do too:

1. Use the templates as is

My favorite stitching template is the Bazzill Flourishes template. I love clustering elements, then using the template to punch holes and stitch around the clusters. On this page, my clusters went from the lower left to the upper right of the page. NOTE: you don't have to use the whole template.  I only used half flourishes on most of my stitches.

 

2. Use paper as a template

You can use patterned paper as a stitching guide: just stitch around the patterns that exist on the page, or cut them out and use them as guides on another page. Here I used a Jenni Bowlin piece of patterned paper that contained stenciled lettering; I outlined the letters and then paper pierced them and stitched for the title.

 

3. Use chipboard or wood veneer as a template

If you're like me, you have a lot of chipboard shapes left over that maybe you haven't used in a while. Those serve nicely as stitching templates. I also use wood veneer for a similar purpose. I had a wood veneer starburst from My Mind's Eye and used it to cut out patterned paper in that shape, then stitched around it for the sun. I also used a Bazzill flourish border template for the bottom border. Just for fun.

 

4. Use punches as a template

I have a lot of punches in various shapes, mostly circles. Since I'm having a love affair with circles right now, I'm using them a lot to stitch circles around number or just add them to various parts of the page. Case in point: this page. I punched patterned paper circles in various sizes, then put a slightly larger punched circle over as a template. That didn't work so well--my circle was never perfectly matched to the one underneath--but when I used the negative space as a template:

 

Perfection! I traced the circle perfectly around the punched paper on the page, punched holes, then stitched. Exactly.

These were just a few ideas for using templates to stitch beautiful designs easily and quickly. Tomorrow I'll share ideas on how to find the perfect place to add stitched details!

Keeping you in Stitches: Basic Stitches

It's Jennifer Larson again, sharing some basic stitches I tend to use.

First: you can find basic stitch guides online if you google "embroidery stitches" or "needlework stitches." I find this one helpful (Sharon B's guide) and this one (Johanna's embroidery stitch diagrams). I won't draw stitch diagrams for you on this post, but I will describe the stitches I used on my pages; if you want to look up how to do it more precisely, click on one of these two links and search by the stitch name.

Generally, when stitching on paper, you do not want to holes to be too close together. I use 1/4 inch as a rule, though 1/8 inch can work (sorry for internationals about the measurements--I think this would be about a centimeter for you?). Any closer will probably shred the paper. I use my ruler or straight line hole templates (mosty from Stampin' Up!) to map out my straight line stitching.

 

1. Cross Stitch

I used cross stitches in two ways here: as a line under the title and in between scallops on the bottom border. If you happen to have border punches (of course you do!), adding cross stitches in them makes it super easy. I use the Stampin' Up! stitch template to measure the cross stitches, but a ruler will do as well.

2. Back Stitch

A back stitch is an outline. You can poke holes evenly apart and then stitch until the entire line is filled in. I use this stitch and the cross stitch the most because it is the most practical (and easiest!).

 

3. Running Stitch

This is similar to a back stitch, just with empty space. I use this to outline photo blocks a lot, or to make butterfly or bird trails.

 

4. Blanket Stitch

Blanket stitches are sort of half cross stitches, and they look cozy yet masculine. I like them on borders. I also backstitched a photo corner, one of my favorite things to do.

 

5. Algerian Eye

In my mind, Algerian Eyes are like glorified cross stitches:  to make one, you make a cross stitch and a plus sign. I like them because they are sort of sparkly looking shape-wise, which fit this winter page well.

 

6. Lazy Daisy Stitch

(Please ignore my hair and the fact that I'm massively pregnant in this photo!)

Lasy Daisy stitches are basically a loop you pin down on the page: Put the needle through the hole, then go down the same hole, leaving a loop the size you want. Supposedly, you then just have to stitch down the tip of the loop to form a lovely leaf shape; in all honesty, for me this forms leaves that look like they belong on a pine tree instead of an elm, so I also pin down the sides to make it more of a traditional leaf shape.

 

7. French Knot

French Knots are made by stitcking the needle through the paper and looping the floss around the needle, then poking the needle through the loop, which will form a knot. For some reason, I found that French Knots take more looping for paper than for fabric. When I stitch on cloth, I loop twice; on paper, I do it at least 5 times. On this page, I dotted the "i" with a French Knot; the rest of the word I backstitched after handwriting the word "attitude."

These were some basic stitches; tomorrow I'll share how I use templates to add designs that are amazing looking!

Keeping you in Stitches

Hello! It's Jennifer Larson sharing my first craft love: Embroidery.

I started cross-stitching when I was in third grade; I started scrapbooking when I was 30. I'm not sure when I meshed the two hobbies, but  stitching on layouts is now common for me. Why do I love it? Stitching is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to add detail to a page, and not just any detail, but the kind of detail that makes people stare slack jawed at the page. Seriously.

Here's what I'm planning on sharing for this week:

Day 1:( today) Basic Tools

Day 2: Basic Stitches

Day 3: Templates

Day 4: Adding Details

Day 5: Free Hand Stitching

 

It's day 1, so here are the basic tools I use:

1. foam mat. I bought mine at Michaels for cheap--two dollars?--in the kids craft section. *cheap alternative: back of a mouse pad, if you still have one.
2. paper piercer. I've gone through a few of these. Wine cork for safety. *cheap alternative to paper piercer: Push pin.
3. ruler. I like the Tim Holtz one because it has holes in it. Any ruler will do, though.
4. needles. I choose stainless steel ones so they don't rust, plus one that are not too thick but have a big eye. I'm getting older...
5. a sharp scissors. Just for ribbon and thread, not paper.
6. embroidery floss. I'm a snob and use DMC, which you can get at most craft stores (Joann's, Michaels, specialty embroidery shops). There are 6 threads in DMC; I use three when stitching on paper.

A note about DMC: There are a TON of colors. I own all of them due to cross-stitching, but I find it burdensome to search through them for my pages. I keep certain colors in my scrap supplies:

neutrals. I use white, ecru, black (210),light brown (3863), dark brown (3031), and orange brown (301). The numbers correspond with the DMC number codes, if you are interested in seeking these colors in particular.

rainbow colors. I bought a muted version ( top row: 304, 721, 743, 701, 825, 340) and a bright version (bottom row: 321, 971, 444, 910, 824, 858).

As I scrapped and stitched, I went out and got colors that seemed to fit the color trends  for scrapbooking papers: natural greens (more muted), teals, muted orange, and variegated threads.

These were my basic tools; tomorrow I will share with you the basic stitches I use and some layouts I used them on!

Sunday photo+words

                                                               

scrapbook!

Welcome to scrapbook Saturday! It's Marnie and I am so excited to be with you today. I love scrapbooking with a purpose, and always feel so motivated by our Saturday challenges. Lately I have had found myself pushing photos around and around and around the page. Unless I have a purpose. And then the pages seem to come right together. Do you ever have that? It seems when I have a long todo list and little rest that my creativity seems to hide away. But I have always loved good grades, and so scrapbooking with an assignment forces my juices to flow, if just a tiny bit, and somehow pages get made. I know my motivation should be intrinsic, but, well, it isn't always. Please tell me you have this, too, sometimes. 

 

Today we have three new challenges to inspire you. I hope that you will find a reason to create a page or three from what you see, be it the sketch, the color palette, or our trend alert.

 

SKETCH

This month's sketch comes from Christa's layout in our Pinterest Made Me gallery. Diane is our new sketch director and she did a great job picking this layout and turning it into a sketch for us. Thank you, Diane!!

 

Here it is transformed into a sketch.

With its chevron stripes and roomy journaling box, this layout is perfect for Thanksgiving, fall, or anything you need.

 

And to help you see how versatile it is, we have four layouts for you which all began with the sketch.

O' Christmas Tree | Diane Payne

While Diane followed the sketch closely, her signature style can be seen in her tilted photos, and layered, colorful, embellishments. I like that she put her journaling in a flourish'y not-box. And the star at the top of the round embellishment above tree is very reminiscent of the star on the tree. So pretty.

Next up we have a layout from Jennie. She forwent cutting chevrons from patterned paper, opting instead to have paper with chevrons!

Fall Party | Jennie McGarvey

As you use a sketch, don't worry about incorporating all the details. Use what you like and leave the rest behind. Just don't post it online or the scrapbook police will come find you! heehee! Just teasing. That's just it. You can do what makes you happy. Maybe you use it exactly. Maybe you let it start you and then leave it all behind.

 

Amy kept the basic design, combined the two photos into one larger one, and opted for a chevron-less layout, like Jennie's. Amy, our local wordsmith, even found a little extra room for details on the subtitle circle! Good job, Amy!

Nathan Right Now | Amy Sorenson

 

I thought for certain that I would stay true to the sketch. Usually I do, and I love chevron. But... I didn't. I picked the photos and then couldn't find a trio of patterned papers that I liked alongside them. So I switched out the matte for a pattern and left off the chevrons. And love it so much more. (Though I am certain that I will indeed create another layout with this sketch that incorporates my beloved chevrons.)

If you would like a layered template, all ready for a quick layout, just click here. We would love to see your layouts if you make one!

 

ROGYBIV

This month for our color palette, there was only one choice. Celeste's lovely oranges from our gallery were too much to resist.

 

Here are the colors put into a paint sample.

And here is a layout using them. Oh, how I love orange. Mmmm.

 

TRENDING

This month our gallery has 7 layouts with misting/spritzing. A trend we adore as it adds just a little teensy bit of color, texture, and graphic element.

Even in greys, the spritzing adds just a bit of decoration. I like using drippy drops as a means of creating or emphasizing visual triangles. How do you love using them?

Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you can put the sketch, the color palette, and the drippydrop trend to use on a layout or three! 

Thanksgiving Week

Today we conclude our Thanksgiving day preparations and celebrations week. We hope you have enjoyed your week and have found inspiration for all aspects of the day. Today we have all the extras that will make your holiday special.

 

Invitations

There is little as lovely as a formal invitation. Here is an example of one that you can use. The fonts are free: Parma Petit, and Quickier Demo.  With joined parentheses, seasonal colors, and a heart banner, this one conveys a sweet message as well as the important parts of time and invite.

We love how this one is a bit of a love letter, too. Even if they couldn't come, your invited guests would feel your love for them.

If you don't want to put one together on your own, please stop by wcs friends, Pearenthetical Press, and let them make one for you! Look how beautiful it is. They do such lovely work.

 

Table Decor

Megan Atwood, friend and artisan, put together a tablescape for us today. We love the pumpkins and the simple beauty.

As you put your placesetting together, remember to keep an eye on textures. Look how she combined a more dense weave, with a looser one on the layered placemat. And then how the napkin is smooth.

For a napkin, you don't need to spend a lot. Rather stop by your fabric store and find a print that appeals to you and fits your color scheme and style. If the fabric is all cotton, tear it into squares by hand and then just run a quick straight machine stitch along the edges. A quick run through the wash will give it a nice homespun look.

Adding the name tag to the napkin will save you a step and a purchase. No need for a napkin ring and a placecard, when you can do a two-in-one! Get out that twisted twine, too. With a terrific texture and pop of color, you will love what it does.

Megan found the tumbler at her dollar store. 

Using her Cricut, she cut out vinyl letters to represent the occasion. For this price, you could store them away each year, and keeping them unique to the holiday. 

 

Placecards

Nothing says fancy like china and a place card! We will have to rely on you for the china, but put together two placecards for you to choose between.

You may download the polka dots here and the acorns here.

 

Shopping List

After the turkey has cleared, many of us will turn our attentions to the ads and inserts for Black Friday ads. Fighting the tryptophan sleepies, we chart our course for the early morning making lists of what we want and from where. Then we map out the stores according to need and deals. We thought maybe you might like some help. We put together a page of cards hoping to have all you need in one place.

You may download a copy here.

So that's it! You are officially ready for Turkey day! Thank you for spending your time with us this week. We hope you feel more prepared. Now a stop by Pioneer Woman for recipes and you will be good to go! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Week

We hope that you are enjoying Thanksgiving prep week! With only a week to go, we hope you are finding inspiration and looking forward to your own festivities.

 

On Tuesday, one of finest readers, Sue, left us a comment telling us about an album she made last year from her family's gratitude lists. We loved the idea and wanted to help all of you to make something so wonderful. So Marnie put together a printable for you. It is a 4x6 card with room for a photo and journaling.

First, download the printable. (You may download it here.) We put three on a page to make it easy for you!

Next, print as many as you will need for all your guests. Trim them apart and have them ready for everyone. The grey rectangle is 2x3 and is waiting for a photo, so be sure to ask everyone to smile!

Once you have collected your cards, you can spiffy them up or leave them plain. Once you add a cover, you will have a wonderful memory album!

And, if your family happens to be apart, no worries! Each household could download a page, fill it out, and then send to the designated assembler!

 

Next up, we have an album that will be a Gratitude-In-Pictures album. We put together a set of photo overlays for you that will fit on 4x6 photos. SImply gather photos that fit the themes and then cut and paste the overlays on top. It's a quick and easy way to put together a gratitude mini of another kind.

You may download the overlays here. This is how they will look. (Your photo will take the place of the brown background.) 

 

Marnie put together a few pages for her album to give you an idea of how it will look on your photos.

 

We hope you enjoy these ideas for putting together a shared album and a picture album! We would love to hear if you enjoy them! Thank you! See you for our final day tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving is filled with tradition. The foods we eat, the prayers we say, the time we take to express our gratitude. Add in lush autumnal colors, and the love of family and friends, and our layouts will nearly make themselves.

But in case you need a little push in the right direction, we have a few layouts to help you get started.

Let's begin with a gorgeous layout from Christa.

How many of you were relegated to the kiddie table as wee ones? Do you remember the transition to the big table? Christa's layout captures the moment for her daughter helping her to remember how it felt. What a truly great idea.

 

Diane put together a wonderful layout itemizing the toasts of the season. The number paper adds a feeling of counting to help support the title, Count Your Blessings.

To recreate a picture like this for your own book, pull out your tripod or set your camera on a counter and set the timer. Chances are you will get some great grins as people start to laugh as you hold your glasses still and raised and your arms begin to shake waiting for the timer to go!!

 

Next we have two layouts from Diane, both capturing her gratitudes for the season.

From these layouts we see how fall photos are fantastic for thankful layouts, too. There is no rule that you need to use pictures from the meal! And using envelopes with hidden journaling means you can be honest and heartfelt without worrying that others might read it.

 

Now, let's talk turkey!! Knowing all the hours that you spend on your turkey, and your decorating, don't forget to take some photos and create some ambiance layouts, too!

Snapping photos of the table, the place settings, and the centerpieces, Marnie used a two page layout to fit them all on one layout.

 

 

If you can refrain from diving in immediately, it can be fun to have some photos of the food. Not only did Marnie snap photos of the food spread, but also her plate filled (and her festive drink in a red can!!). (This doesn't always happen--sometimes hungry tummies forget to take a picture first!) Again using a two page design, Marnie kept all the photos trimmed to the same size for ease of use, and ease of viewing.

Mmm. Are you getting hungry? We are! Bring on the tryptophan stupor! We are ready!!

 

And if you want to start putting layouts together, it's never too early! Remember a few months ago, when Marnie got her seasonal layouts together? Here is a reminder of her Thanksgiving layout ready and waiting for photos.

 

If you would like to use this as a basis for a layout of your own, here is a basic sketch.

And you may download a layered template here.

 

We hope that you are looking forward to your holiday! Only nine more days 'til turkey!! Thank you for stopping by--we look forward to seeing tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Week

Welcome to Day 2 of Thanksgiving Week. Today we are going to look at two mini-albums from our maxi mini-queen, Monika. Both our albums today are ones you can assemble this week and have at your fingertips when Turkey day arrives.

Our first album is one Monika put together using My Mind's Eye products. 

You can see all the details here. (Be sure to click to the MME blog as Monika also prepared a pdf with minialbum tips.) This album is generic enough for more than just Thanksgiving, if you would like it to be. Or make it your perfect album for recording your gratitudes. If you follow Monika's lead to put together a similar album, photos from your Instax would be great to add in right away!

 

Monika put together another album that you can also see at The Crafting Chicks.

Another blank album ready for journaling and photos. This is certainly an album you could pass around the table and ask everyone to sign. And with pages held in with washi tape, you could have a few extras on hand in case your long lost brother showed up and rang the bell just as you sat to dinner!

 

Once your album is done, remember you are not!! Don't forget to get it out and add in the journaling! And while it might violate the spirit of the holiday, you may want to consider filling it out the night before. With all the cooking and hosting and eating and post-turkey haze, Thanksgiving day has a way of slipping away. And Friday begins the countdown to the holidays thereby turning the focus quickly away from Thanksgiving.

So maybe you work on it Wednesday night. Or maybe you make it happen in a quiet moment. Or do it little by little as you have a few stolen moments during T-day. Gratitude journals provide such personal inspiration for later times. You will be so glad that you took the time to fill it out! Journals are just pretty paper collections until they have your words and photos! 

 

Lastly, if you pass an album round the table for all to sign, you have a lovely reason to ask for an accompanying photo... who could possibly resist such a request? Especially from you!

Thank you for stopping!!

Thanksgiving Week

Hello and happy Monday! This week we are coming together to provide you with inspiration for celebrating and preserving your Thanksgiving festivities. We are looking forward to a fun week filled with home decor, layouts, and more!

Today, let's bring a little holiday magic to your home.

 

Thanksgiving Banners

Have you considered a banner? They are still very much the rage, from flags, to scallops, to anything strung beautifully together.

Monika created a classy banner that would be quick to recreate in a pinch.

Monika has kindly provided a free download for the letters available here. Print them out, trim the tags (as rectangles, or cut out a "v" from the bottom, if you would prefer), then fold the top over some twine, and add a bit of patterned paper. Or washi tape? Either would work great. Monika has some additional hints on her blog.

 

Or, if you have a bit more time, you could try this one that Marnie made.

A selection of patterned papers, color matched to the season, some ribbon, and chipboard letters is all that you need to put this banner together. The holiday colors add so much to fall decor. 

 

Wall Art

Put together a bit of patterned paper and a few letter stickers, or a handful of digital elements at a few mintues at the computer, and you can create some fun artwork for your Thanksgiving celebrations.

Marnie used this kit from Crystal Wilkerson to put together a bit of love for her wall. One paper, one journaling frame, and a couple of free fonts was all that she needed to make this.

Monika put together a subway art that you can see in the banner picture above. Here it is zoomed in a bit.

Putting the subway art in a frame with a wide matte makes it clean and classy. (And saves on ink!!)

 

Extra

We found this Thankful Tree as we were browsing online. It couldn't be sweeter.

::source::

We love how it doubles not just as decor, but also as a way of preserving some thoughts about our lives at this time.

 

Similarly, we love this next one as it preserves the finger size of our littles. Who knew wedding decor could be so helpful for Thanksgiving?

::source::

 

Lastly, if you are looking for a fun autumnal craft to do with your little, try this one.

Marnie's kindergartner made this one at her fall class party. Two cupcake liners, a leftover toilet paper roll, and a bit of cardstock is all you will need to make this delightful little owl.

 

That's all for today! Thank you for dropping by and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow!