Mother's Day Card, 2013

One of the Mother's Day cards I made for this year:

The inside:

The back:

This card was made with a mish-mash of stamps from Stampin' Up! and Hobby Lobby.

Unfortunately, this post has been held for a couple months now because I forgot to take a picture of the other one until JUST after sealing it. Grrr. =( We were hoping to get a picture later that week, but it never happened. We'll see if we can snap a picture another time because I liked how it turned out! ;-)

New Mama Card

Ever since I bought this stamp set, I've been so excited to use it!

...and then it sat...

...and sat...

...and waited...

...and now (years later), I've finally put the stamps together and made a card. It would have been a shame to waste that money on unused stamps, right?

Hmmm. Picture issues. Well, the back has a tiny pair of feet punched out of silver paper, and the words "Happy Waiting!" underneath.

I'm not always a big fan of puns, but I'm a big fan of saying "You go, girl!" The play on words worked for me. ;-)

Mother's Day Cards

Interesting time of year in the U.S. for this post. That's what happens when you look through last year's photos! You suddenly find a project you forgot to post.

Nothing special, just some stamped cards. But since I'm never very creative about making original cards, I was pleased with the final product. One for my mom and one for my mother-in-law.

This was done with a Stampin' Up! set. I stamped the letters, trimmed them close, stuck them to the turquoise paper, trimmed that close, and stuck them to the card which I had already stamped to create a colorful background. Fun geometric look!

This one was also done with Stampin' Up! stamps. It is just a stamped image and ribbon with layers of purple, red, and silver paper. It's hard to see in the photo, but the silver has a nice matte shine to it.

Do you ever hand-make cards? Do you have an intense amount of guilt buying any when you know you could just make them if you'd planned ahead or had enough time? Some people are so talented at it that I'm often afraid mine won't measure up, but that's what keeps us trying, right?

Personalized Map Gift

Finally something new!!! I'm so excited to be able to show some of the gifts I've made that have now been given.

First off: a little sentimental framing.

I saw the idea on another blog, so I don't know to whom credit belongs for the original idea. The three hearts are labeled 'we met', 'we married', and 'we live' with maps showing those places in the couple's history. If I was fancy, I would have printed it in a fancy font or something, but I wanted to keep it simple. Leftover coordinating paper and silver Sharpie worked very well.

We were even able to find some free maps to use. Score! ...and less guilt for me when having to cut it up.

Hmmm...dear friend, those hearts look a little familiar, don't they? In September, a friend of mine (who shall remain unnamed to protect the innocent... until she speaks up... ;-) ) saved me HOURS of time by using her Cricut to make matted cut-outs for an Iris Folding Tutorial I was doing for close to 20 people. There were a few leftover that fit perfectly into this frame we found at Michaels. (Hey, speaking of which... when did they take the apostrophe out of their store name? I just realized the change today. Get with the program, Mindy!)

Other than the initial confusion that they thought the 'point' of the heart actually pointed to the location rather than just being centered in the heart (which is what we chose to do), I think the gift was well received. Tiny oops. Oh well.

Last straggler

Going through old pictures, I realized I hadn't posted the last Iris Folding samples I had made.

Simple oval shape:

Christmas Bell:

Despite my Christmas sample made, it looks like summer might arrive in Wisconsin after all. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather change--whichever direction it is going in your corner of the world!

Iris Folding - Teapot Card

Apparently scanning it in is the way to go...

Now you can see the texture a little better! (Click it to get an even better view.)

This is Mother's Day card #2, the one for my mom.

These can be used for framed art, scrapbook pages, or cards. Give it a try!

Iris Folding - Square

Once you get out all your paper, scissors, X-acto knife, and everything, you want to make more than one project. So while I made Mother's Day cards (second picture coming...), I made some samples for a friend.

Here's the square.

I really liked how the bright colors turned out for this with the silver-Sharpied border.

It would make so much more sense if you could feel the texture of these and see the 3-D look of it. If you want to give it a try, check out my tutorial.

Iris Folding - Mother's Day card

One of my catch-up projects is a card I made for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.

This is a pretty simple Iris Folding pattern, so it was a fun and quick project to finish up one evening of a very busy week.

If you're looking for how to make something like this (they look much more intricate in person...pictures don't do them any justice), I have a tutorial here. I'll be sharing a few more later this week.

(Yes, I know that's not what tulip leaves look like...oh well!) =)

Secret projects...for now

After all the crazy April posting, I've had a wonderful time catching up on other projects!

I have several items to show you and some that need to stay hidden for a bit longer. Mixed in will be some crochet, some paper crafts, some bead jewelry, and maybe a few more if I'm feeling brave.

It's a crazy week ahead for us! Today begins a flurry of activities that will die down sometime on Sunday afternoon.

Tutorials

Tutorials are one of the best things about sharing craft ideas and recipes in the blogosphere, right? T is for Tutorials.

There aren't many here at In the Loop, but here's a compilation of what I have:

Chain Link Scarf

Curly-Q or Curlicue Scarf

Iris Folding - Paper Craft

Bead Crochet Rope Step-By-Step Tutorial

Refried Beans

Chicago Style Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza

Oreo Truffles, known around here as Bloodshot Eyeballs (2nd attempt was much prettier)

I think that's all I have. Did I miss any?

Let me know if you've tried any of these things! I'd love to see pictures.

Iris Folding - Paper Craft Tutorial for Fall Leaf

Have you ever heard of Iris Folding? I hadn't until just this summer. The first time I saw it, I was sure there was NO way I would ever try it because it looked so tedious and detailed. When I've asked people about it, they usually think it is a type of origami.

My most recent Iris Folding project was a card for my aunt using a Maple Leaf Pattern.

Here's what you'll need:

One card (or display paper if you'll use it for a scrapbook or for framed art)
3-4 decorative papers, depending on your design
1 pattern/template to follow (or make your own--not as difficult as it first seems)
straight edge paper cutting implement, preferably NOT scissors
Swivel or Exact-o knife, scissors can work here
tape (I would LOVE to have a tape dispenser here, but since I don't have one, it definitely works without it), acid-free is best, especially if it is going in a scrapbook
Sharpie marker-not necessary, but I liked the embellishment

How to make it:

Cut the pattern guide out of your template.

Place it on the BACK side of your card or display paper in the spot you will want the pattern to show through. Trace it with a pencil (that's why you're on the back side).

Use your knife or scissors to cut the shape out of your display paper.

Place your pattern so it shows through the window. Some recommend using removable tape to secure your pattern to the front side of your display paper (or card). I have found that once I start placing my folded paper over it, the pattern stays in place pretty well, but secure it if it makes you feel better.

Take your decorative paper and cut it into strips about 1" to 1.5" wide, length does not matter. This is a perfect way to use up some of your leftover scraps from other cards or scrapbook projects. Once you have several strips cut, fold them in half (if using 1.5" strips) lengthwise or about 1/3 of the way (if using 1" strips).

At this point, I also took my Sharpie marker and outlined the shape on the front of my card (display paper). On my darker cards, I used a silver Sharpie marker, and I thought it brought out the finished product beautifully.

Now, just follow the numbers on your pattern. You'll trim down your strips to the length you'll need, lay them down with the fold toward the middle and white/back side of the decoration facing you; tape it down. You'll see why it's nice to have a tape-dispenser! Someday I'll break down and go find one, but I just don't feel like shopping for office supplies today when there is so much crafting to be done!

Now for the Iris. Traditionally, this is filled with a piece of holographic paper. I really don't often see holographic paper that I like, so I've never used it. Sometimes I'll fill the iris with a contrasting color, but most often I just use part of the shape I've cut out of my display paper so the Iris matches the card.

After you have finished, cover the back side (it's SO UGLY!!!) with a piece of solid cardstock. That will hide the ugliness as well as disguise the bulk of all the overlapping paper.

Here is your finished product:

Pop it in the mail/frame/scrapbook. Slightly tedious, but so gorgeous and classy!

If my instructions aren't detailed enough, you can find a very detailed How-To with a video here. I'd love to see some links if you give it a try!