just helen

Have A Heart

Out with the old, in with the new!  I must admit it...I'm ready to leave the tinsel and pine behind and to move on to hearts and roses!  Do I sound a bit  fickle?  Not at all - I am simply anxious to get ready for Valentine's Day, and if you have a lot of people that you love, there's no time like the present to get started.  I am on the move to making things cute, sweet, red and pink...all things "lover-ly"!

I remember seeing, some time ago, a cute little circle garland that had been crocheted out of baker's twine; I tucked the idea away, somewhere in the recesses of my mind...it randomly popped up again last week.  I made my way to the hooks and knitting needles aisle of Joann's and picked up a small 2.75mm hook that I thought would work with the thin twine.  Mind you, I haven't crocheted anything for about 30 years; but, ah...the wonderful Internet!  It took me less than a minute to find a YouTube video of how to crochet a heart...thank you, Teresa, for the super easy instructions.  (Since I am a total novice, I suggest you go check out Teresa's video!)

My first hearts were made with the Blossom and Pink Sorbet colored twine from The Twinery, along with some thinner twine I got from Crate and Barrel last Christmas.  It only requires 2 or so yards of baker's twine.  There are different ply sizes, but both twines works fine with the 2.75 hook.

Can you tell the difference?  The Twinery on the left; Crate and Barrel on the right.  My little pile of hearts is beginning to grow!

The paper is from Crate Paper, the alphabet letters from Jillibean Soup.

After I made a few hearts, I got out some DMC Perle Coton.  It was a little slippery to work with, so it was a little harder to keep the shape of the heart, but I really like the finished look. 

The paper is from the My Mind's Eye "Love Me" 6" X 6" mini pad...I know!  I haven't done a mini Monday for ages, but I still love them, especially for my cards and tags.  The kraft-colored paper is EcoCraft deli paper...a box of 500 was $4.61 at Costco Business - I'm sure that I'll find something to do with the rest of the box, maybe even food related.

Patterned papers are from October Afternoon; button and Memo Notebook Paper by Jenni Bowlin.

It takes a few minutes to make one of these hearts.  It takes a little practice to keep the stitches even, which balances the sides.  I like to practice a few times and toss my early attempts on something like this, but I only had to toss a couple; now that I've got the pattern down, I'll be able to do these while watching TV.  I need to be careful or I'll have a big old jar full of them before I stop...actually, I think that might be a good thing!

Warmest Regards

 
It has been an unusual month, one where I find myself needing to write a lot of "Thank you" notes.  I went through dozens of store-bought note cards that I had accumulated or purchased over the years.  If it had been any other time, I would have stressed about the fact that I hadn't personally designed and made each and every card.  But considering the circumstances, I will cut myself a little slack...this time.  But obviously I wasn't following the Scout motto...be prepared! 

I'm good on the "Happy Birthday" cards; "Congratulations on the New Baby" I loaded up on not long ago; I won't be needing any "graduation" cards for a while...school is just starting up again.  I have Valentine, Easter, Halloween and Christmas cards galore!  Running out of "thank you" notes made me I realize two things:  I have had a lot of things (and people) to be thankful for and that I needed to be better prepared in my "thank you" note card stash. 

When you need to send a note isn't necessarily a good time to sit down and try to get creative.  So I revert to the idea that assembly-line-multiples are the best way to make a bunch of similar (if not exact) cards quickly and without needing to think about a different design each time.  Using 12" X 12" patterned paper makes it easy to cut strips that will make 2 of each design at the same time.

 
Keeping the formula simple - two strips 12" long and combined width equaling a little less than 3", both pieces cut in half to 6" - can be added to the printed card with ease. 

 
Next, you will need to adhere it to the card.  Start with the piece you want to use on the top part of the card.  Don't worry about whether the narrower strip of paper goes on the top or bottom.  I mixed it up and I like it both ways.

 
Next, add the second strip.  If you keep it right up against the bottom edge of the first strip, you should be able to keep it straight.

 
Place the card upside down and trim off the excess.

 
 
Add a little baker's twine and you are done.  If you like the font and text, I have created pdf files for you to download and print out.  I have it in three colors: Download Black, Download Grey and Download Gold and I printed the base card on 8.5" X 11" cream cardstock; once printed, I cut them in half.  I matched the colors to go with the new "Blissful" collection by Authentique.  Making two of the same card doesn't take much longer, and then you will have eight for yourself and an extra set for a gift! 

Here are a few of the cards:

 
 
 
 
I only used three sheets of patterned paper and I still have enough pieces to make a few more cards.  This didn't take very long and the process was so quick and easy that I plan on repeating it, either with the other sheets of the collection I bought or maybe even different papers all together.

 
Regardless, this formula will help me be prepared for the next batch of thankfulness that comes my way.