just helen

Howdy Doody, Miss Caroline!

I brought home some of My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline, the Howdy Doody collection, from CHA a couple of months ago.  I have been dying to  play with the line, but have been distracted by other projects that, once completed, served another purpose...like the Technicolor Deviled Eggs (for the boy's Risk party), Jello Cookies (for a fireside) and the Cake Batter Krispie Treats (for a school bake sale).  I can always use cards, but I've gotten quite a stash right now, so I was putting it off.  Cards are about the only thing that I have room to make right now.  But when I realized that I had found one of the fonts that My Mind's Eye used on the packaging and for the embellishments, I couldn't resist playing any longer!  Don't worry...I'll share!

Again, I am revisiting the 6" X 6" patterned paper pad...my favorite for making cards!  I really loved the Howdy Doody line, partly because of the warm color, but mostly because of this...

 

 I do believe that this was my favorite patterned paper at the whole show!  Please, don't anyone take offense - there were dozens of collections that I will be more than happy to play with.  But this one was especially appealing.  Who can explain what makes you love a design?  I don't know for sure.  Maybe it's the flowers, maybe it's the colors...whatever it is, this is so visually appealing to me!

 So...if you've noticed that some of sentiments look familiar, it's because they are like the "miss caroline" on the packaging.  So I decided to make my own little sentiments using that font.  Isn't this a cute font?

I was so happy to recognize the font!

 

You can go to Type Depot to download Matilde for free!  Inside the file (that you have to unzip), there are the little bubbles/borders (EPS files) that you can also use.  I have both Illustrator and Photoshop, and I'm not sure how to do it without them...anyway, I made up a Matilde Sentiments and Bubbles 2  for you to download...free, of course!  I printed up the file and used some of the sentiments on the cards.  Here is what one looks like cut out:

The colors feel warm and summery! 

Some of my favorite cards are very simple in design...

This is what the Matilde Sentiments and Bubbles look like -

Another card with the sentiments...

You will notice that I haven't used much of my favorite paper...don't worry - I will!  Tomorrow I will post the other half of the cards I made.  It was fun to play with - definitely worth the wait!

Love, Love Me Deux

That's right...part deux... or, er, two!  I'm back to my desktop to finish posting more of the cards from the My Mind's Eye "Love Me" 6"X6" paper pad.  There is still more than half the pad left, so there might be a part three on the horizon!

Pinks, reds and grey, with accents of turquoise compliment the touches of lace and traditional hearts.  The line is not overly feminine, but romantic all the same and I found it was very easy to work with.  I didn't need to do a lot of "mixing" with products from other companies, but when I did, the colors were easy to transition with other palates.

 I love twine.  I have a hard time restraining myself from using it.  Frequently it involves tying it around the card; other times, it's in a bow.  I even got ambitious and crocheted with it.  I think it has taken the place of ribbon on all my cards...next thing you know, I will chopping buttons from the supply list - wait...never!  Anyway, I try to interject different applications simply for the sake of making it different. 

Before you think I cut out all those little pieces, let me just say that I kind of took a shortcut...

I cut right along the top of one of the rows, and then let the cutting begin.  It took a few minutes, but wasn't too bad.  The twine across the top was easy and the message simple.  If you haven't noticed, I've been trying to use up some of my old Making Memories "Tiny Alphas", but alas - or good luck, depending on how you look at it - I still have a ton of letters!

"Love" is a simple saying, but can be directed either to a romantic theme or something more general.  Ranger's Glossy Accents were added to the letters and let dry ( on a sheet of plastic) prior to adhering them to the card.  The hearts were cut out and mounted with foam mounting tape.

The letters curled a little while drying, and when I went to straighten them, they cracked.  It's all good!  I like the distressed look!

I think that the last card today is my favorite, mostly because I added a strong accent color to the palate...and I got to use a "Stickies" from the K&Co. Smash Collection.

I do love the fabric tape - this one by Liantuo.  I keep thinking that  I need to make my own!

Love that Doodlebug Design red flower button and the Mollettine Creative Peg (clothes pin with a heart) from The Container Store.  Don't forget the inside!

I know, it's a corny message...but isn't that a good thing at Valentine's Day?  On to tomorrow's  project.  A little recycling of an old item will make it like new...and fun, too!

 

The Continued iPad Experiment - Valentine Style

So...I suppose any time you try to do something new, there is going to be a learning curve. I have had my iPad for a year now. This year, for Christmas, Tom and Mike gave me a keyboard. It makes composing sooooo much easier! But then I was trying to figure out an easier way to post. Going directly to Typepad would only let me do html...not rich text. Then I found a Typepad app in the Apple store. Let's see if I'm okay with how this works. Right now, all the pictures seem to end up at the bottom of the post, but for now...that will have to do. Maybe I can go to my desktop to re-arrange.

A couple of posts ago, when I was crocheting hearts, I used a piece from the My Mind's Eye "Love Me" 6"X6" pad. Well, one project was definitely not enough. I love the whole pad. Since I'm not sure that I can separate the pictures, I will just list them!

The first card was made with vertical strips of the patterned paper, and I pulled out one of my paper arts flowers out of my stash, added the K&Co. brad and a bit of ribbon and vintage lace. I left it blank so that I can choose the sentiment for the receiver.

The second card is pretty simple, but I like things simple. Don't forget...the inside can be pretty, too!

Well, that seems to be all the photos that this app will let me do. But don't worry...I'll post the other four tomorrow!

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!

An Abundance of Babies

It seems to go through cycles.  There are a bunch of babies that have recently arrived or that will soon be making their appearance on the scene - family, friends, soon-to-be-moms at church...just in time for Mother's Day.  But my stash of baby shower/congrats on the new baby/welcome little one cards is reaching a dangerous low.  How about some Alphabet Soup?

 
 
Sometimes you need a card for a gift, sometimes a card to go with a meal or a little card to tuck in with flowers. 

 

The inside rhymes...
 
With the Alphabet Soup papers out the other day, I decided it might be wise to make a few so that I am prepared.  You know how that goes...one day you don't need them, the next day you do...that's how it is with babies!

 
 
Inside it adds...

 
It is always easier to make a few at a time!  I know that these aren't traditional "baby" colors, but I like that!  These are fun papers, and where I decided that I needed some more solid touches, I reached into my extensive MME stash and was quickly satisfied with my findings!

 
 
Inside it reads...

 
Now I feel much better about that barrage of babies about to hit!