GUEST HOSTESS: FEBRUARY HAPPY HOMEMAKER TAG ALONG!

Greetings, dear readers!

I am writing a quick note to let you know that I will be the "guest hostess" for the February Happy Homemaker Tag Along...usually hosted over at E's Bluebird Papercrafts! How exciting!

Same rules apply...and I will show you my February tag, perhaps with a tutorial on Feb. 10! Meanwhile, be thinking and preparing to add a McLinky to my page to show off your tag! Also, I get to "tag" next month's hostess! How fun! I am so grateful E is giving me the opportunity!

I'll be back later to show off a fun Valentine gift from "E"...meanwhile, let's get crack-a-lackin!

Hugs,
Paula Clare

SURPRISE VALENTINES!

Greetings, dear readers!

I had the happiest surprise awaiting in my mailbox...surprise valentines! Behold the lovelies:

How sweet is this dear little image?! Such lovely details...AND it's made for display! WOOT!

And these two Valentine tags...just gorgeous. Photos truly do not capture the "wow" factor that theses tags possess...

Just the little "pick me up" I needed on an otherwise gloomy day! 

Thanks to Sharon of My Vintage Studio for the thoughtful and timely "lovelies! Go check out her etsy shoppe here...

Hooray for Valentines and sweet little snippets of paper that make your heart soar! 

More soon!

Paula Clare

VINTAGE VELVET ROSES TUTORIAL

Hello friends!

Well, I have been inundated with emails from gals wanting to know how I made these  vintage velvet roses...

The easy peasy method came from my dear friend Julie Campbell from "A Vintage Chic"...here are her roses:

I just LOVE her style and HAD to know how she made these shabby, wonderful embellishments! Here are the directions Julie sent to me...Julie's directions in red, mine in italics:

I've seen so many complicated tutorials on how to do rosettes--lots of steps...measuring, ironing, etc., and I've found this works just as well and takes about 2 minutes per rosette!  I just started playing with the fabric, and found that by just rolling and twisting it as I go, you get a beautiful, shabby flower...I don't even trim the strings too much...just a little, as I like them shabby.

Just take a strip--however long you like, and start rolling.  It helps if you at first almost make a little ball with the beginning of your strip--you want something to hold on to...then just start winding your fabric around it--not too tight--and twist it slightly as you go so that you are getting both the velvety side and the silky backing--makes it look much more interesting (to me, anyway!) 
 

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise...
 

 

Behold the folded fabric:

I've learned as I go to keep it easy--I used to use felt as a backing, which you can certainly do--but I also have found that just a piece of scrap cardstock works just as well. 

 I also used to do it with a glue gun--messy!  And you have to hurry to get it right on your rosette.  Now, I just use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue...sticks VERY quickly, and holds tight!  And you don't burn yourself or have glue strings to mess with!  I just squirt the glue in the approximate size I'm planning to make my rosette ( a little smaller actually--you don't want glue extending beyond your flower) on the cardstock before I roll my rosette, so it's ready for me--no trying to squirt the glue with one hand while I tightly hold onto the rosette!

I personally like Beacon's 3 in 1 glue...very quick dry, very easy to use! (For those of you who do not know why I choose Beacon's for this project, please check out my "Glue Essentials" video on the sidebar!)
 

Glue one end of the folded fabric to the center of the cardstock circle (this will be the center of your rose)

Now for the fun part! Just begin to roll fabric around the glued center...roll and twist, roll and twist (sounds like a 50's dance, doesn't it?)

Just keep going until you have the size, look & shape you want.  Easy to start over again if your not happy!  When you're finished, put a bit of the glue on the bottom of the rosette to hold the end of the strip tight, then just plunk your rosette on the  cardstock. 

TA DA! A gorgeous, soft and shabby vintage velvet rose! Just keep playing with it until you feel comfortable with it--easy peasy!

 That's it! Be sure to play "Show and Tell" if you make some roses of your own...I'd LOVE to see the "virtual bouquet" we all come up with!

Thanks again, Julie, for all your help!

More soon!

VELVET ROSES AND A SWEET LITTLE ART QUILT

Greetings, dear readers!

I have been trying my hand at creating vintage velvet roses...here are my first efforts.

I am thinking I'll make a little art quilt with the red/pink fabric. I'll incorporate stamping, embroidery, buttons, vintage and new trims, and of course, my roses!

 Isn't the fat, vintage fringe just wonderful? I love it!

 

If you recall, I created a little sampler from a vintage tea towel...I'm thinking of something along the same lines...Perhaps I'll use the colorful fabric for patches?

 

 

More soon! Hugs,

Paula Clare

COMING SOON, TO A WOODLAND NEAR YOU!

 

More soon!

Paula Clare

28 VALENTINES TO MAKE...10 DOWN, 18 TO GO!

Greetings, dear reader!

As I mentioned in my last post, my mojo has fallen and can't get up...or so it seems. However, in a last ditch effort to find SOMETHING creative in myself I attended a Crop For Missions last weekend and did (somehow) manage to eek out a few valentines.

(Displayed here on a vintage piece of velvet just purchased for...yes, you guessed it...tattered roses! I'll let you know how they turn out!)

I know, I know...it's COWBOYS. Yet AGAIN! I just can't get my fill of these sweet v-intage little boy and girl images!

I used three colors of glitter cardstock: Red, Aqua and Pink. I used stamps, rub-ons, fabric, paper embellies, glittery silver pipe cleaners, and lots of chocolate-colored chalk to ink the edges and "grunge" the little images. (And here's a tip for those of you who prefer your images look vintage instead of printed...print on ivory colored cardstock instead of white. It makes the colors appear richer and more vibrant. I also used textured cardstock which makes the images appear worn in places...not sure why?!?!)

I have two more; still incomplete...pics when they are finished. I borrowed a camera from a friend, so I thought I'd get these photographed while the ability to do so was afforded me. :-)

More soon...what are YOU working on?

Paula Clare

TATTERED ROSES AND A LOST MOJO

Greetings, dear reader!

I am currently in some kind of a creative "lull" (perhaps due to all the personal stress in my life recently) and find creating ANYTHING an arduous and difficult thing. However, I am continually inspired by these:

Gorgeous tattered velvet roses! Aren't they amazing? The above created by the incredibly talented Julie Campbell of A Vintage Chic! 

Gauzy cheesecloth roses...spritzed with rose colored glitter spray! (Image again from Julie!)

 

These beauties by OlivesandPearl's Etsy Shoppe.  The rattier the fabric, the more I seem to be drawn to them! 

And the melted-edge silk flowers make my heart swoon! These from Novadesigns

 

Could these be any sweeter?! From Anita Jamal. 

Having just signed up for the little 5x7 art quilt, I believe I shall have to try to incorporate some fabric roses SOMEWHERE on the quilt...

Now, to forage through my piles of fabric to make roses that are "just right!" My kingdom for red vintage velvets and silks!

More soon,
Paula Clare

SIMPLE AND SWEET WINTER SWAP

Greetings, dear readers!

Now that life has gone back to a semi-normal mode (although I am STILL technologically challenged) I have signed up for this sweet swap:

 

A Swap For All Seasons  is hosting this simple and sweet mini fabric collage swap. The collage is to be a mere 5x7, so even those of us with no sewing skills have opportunity to join! With 100 Swappers already signed up, Linda will have her hands full matching swap partners and keeping it all in order. She's undoubtedly an organized sort who can do so without much mental anguish. It is not so for me! 

As many of you who have followed me for awhile know, I am simultaneously fascinated and mortified of sewing and fabric. Here are a few of my past projects:

A Camera Art Quilt made from vintage linens, tablecloths, a vintage napkins, vintage fabric, ribbon and trims. This is my largest art quilt...it's about 18x18.

 

Here is a sweet little double sided quilt created for my friend Ngaire in Australia (she loves pink...thus the abundance of the color):

Again using stamping, sewing, gluing, and "creative quilting" I made this 12x18 quilt out of vintage and new fabrics, handkerchiefs, trims and miscellaneous whatever. 

This is the front cover (canvas) for an art journal. I painted the canvas, then appliqued the birds and flowers (cut from an old purse) and then sewed on hand dyed seam binding (I'd love to have a tattoo of this very image someday)

This is a miniscule 5x5 block created for a dear friend in a swap. We both love cowgirls, denim and red...I used my vintage stash of buttons, ribbon and fabric to create this  double sided block that represents my vintage camper. It's aqua and white on the outside and cowgirl denim and red on the inside! 

 

This little quilt was my very first attempt at art quilts...it's only 8 x 9 or so. (I tend to work smaller when I'm unsure of my medium and/or techniques!) I made it for Valentines Day. I just loved using old pieces of quilts, handkerchiefs, aprons, and old and new trims and fabrics. I printed the image on muslin with my inkjet...(I figured out a great technique to get the fabric through the printer: simply iron freezer paper to the back of an 8.5 x 11 piece of muslin. Print as many images on the page as you'd like, then when dry, peel off the freezer paper and sew or glue to fabric! Easy peasy! Now of course you can purchase fabric for your inkjet...but I didn't have any, so voila! Necessity becomes the mother of invention yet again...

And finally, my first attempt at a pincushion. (Note I drew stitches all around the areas that I wanted to APPEAR handstitched. So I cheated, so sue me!) I also made the little bird pins. I just love using a combination of adhesive backed fabric, (this particular pattern by Elsie (the little houses)), felt and buttons!

I'm looking forward to finding out what color combos my swap partner will want! I hope I can create something wonderful for her! More soon!

Paula Clare