Challenge 61: Ruffles !!!!

Jen here, posting with today's challenge!...

I don't consider myself much of a girly-girl, especially when it comes to clothing. However, I just knitted a scarf that has a ruffle down the length and I LOVE it! It got me thinking how great a little ruffle can be to spiff up a layout, as well as a piece of clothing.

So here is your challenge.... add a RUFFLE TO YOUR LAYOUT. Use paper, use fabric. Whatever you want.

As always, you have 2 weeks to link us up for a chance to be considered for a RAK from me.

Here is what the team has for you:

Paloma: Ruffles! How do you put ruffles on a « manly » layout? Because DH had picked this one and he even wrote the journaling... What’s a girl to do?! I had no choice but to play the game and look for a way to include ruffles in the layout! And here it is : the « I » in the title is a ruffled piece of fabric. And what do we learn from all this? You can include ruffles everywhere… and anywhere!

Helga

I used paper and lace to create my Ruffles!!!

Amanda - I created flowers from paper ruffles. Instead of layering each paper fold over the previous paper fold, I simply offset them a bit to create a flower shape. For the paper, I used a black-white-gray paper collage.

Miwako- my choice is crape paper and the end of paper (Sassafrass Lass).



Michelle--

I created a fabric ruffle to *skirt* my layout, and a ruffle fabric flower accent. Both of these came together in a cinch. The how-to is on my blog.


Kimmy-
I got out my sewing needle for this one (and I loathe sewing!!). I used the striped fabric to create ruffled flowers. I had some striped paper that was similar to my fabric and created a ruffle with that too which I layered my title on. I drew my color inspiration from the "By the Sea" scene in "Sweeney Todd".

Deborah -
I used some ruffled ribbon underneath my photo block, then I made a psuedo-ruffle using a piece of ribbon and staples.

Challenge#60: Warm Wool

I live in Japan, now is winter season, today is cold day too.


My challenge is…… wool !!! playing with felt, woolen yarn, raw wool ( I love needle felting! ). Using 12 inch size felt instead of pp, making felt embellishment, knitting….please enjoy to give something warm on your project.

MIKAWO-

PALOMA-
For this challenge I chose to work with felt. I just love felt! Felt is warm, it has a smooth texture and it gives a very interesting “depth” to layouts. I used it on the green leaf on the left of mine, for an elegant finishing touch and… for the frame around the main subject of my layout! I took a piece of felt and cut a frame in it, to give the picture a sort of Polaroid feel to it. All this must have taken me just a couple of minutes! To fix it, I didn’t hesitate to use my sewing machine on the layout. It only takes a couple of stitches but of course, you can sew it by hand for a more personal touch.

KIMMY-
I dug up all the felty bits I could find in my stash. I used felt flowers , felt to mat the photos and some felt trims. Great way to use up those bits and pieces! Since I hate sewing I attached everything with ZipDry Glue and Glue Dots.
MICHELLE-

I used a bit of felt to piece a cute little owl for this LO. The pattern for this little cutie can be found here. The felt added a homespun touch which I echoed in the stitched borders and crocheted trim.

DEBORAH-
I ended up going a bit simple on this one, using a piece of orange felt to mat my photo, as well as felt stick-on alphas for my title I found at Michaels. I really like the texture of the felt.

Helga
I used felt on my title and my embellishment. Felt can be a great embellishment for boy layouts.


Amanda -

I die cut star borders out of red, glittery, adhesive felt. I then back the self-adhesive stars with different patterened papers.

Ribbon Titles

Challenge 55 - Writing with ribons!

Finding a title can be the best part of scrapbooking... as it can be the worst nightmare. After all, it IS the final touch in a layout, isn't it? What a pleasure to go through our stash looking for letters in the right size, the right colour, the right design ... Well, this time we are going to write our title not with those beautiful alphabet letters but with... ribbon(s) or anything similar! I hear you sigh: it's so difficult to glue, it's not easy... I know, I know but... it's also so beautiful too!! Why don't you have a go and show us what you can do? You have until December 6th to show us your full creativity! Have fun!
Here you are what we've done!

Jennifer- I made my title out of small pieces of ribbon, which I adhered with a Scotch photo-splits runner. (Sorry about the wonky background color - white/off-white confuses my scanner!)

Amanda- I created a portion of my title by adhering strips of ribbon to a chipboard letter. I went through several design iterations of this page, one of which includes the entire title with the ribbon treatment. You can see these other iterations on my blog after this post goes live.

Michelle- There are so many great ways to interpret this challenge! I ran a wide red ribbon through a die cut machine to create the heart. The letters are hand cut from twill tape and machine-stitched to my page. I was planning to use Fray-Stop to prevent stray threads around the cut ribbon, but decided I liked the home-spun look it created.

Kimmy- I drew my large letters on a piece of cardboard backing then covered them with strips of ribbon. Inspired by a sketch from Scrapbook Get-Away.

Miwako - I use a wire mesh ribbon which is narrow tube, material is very soft and easy to fix a variouse shape. I play to mix a lots material (poststamp, metal, race, pearl, line stone, vintage, romantic and fantastic). I think that this ribbon is useful for making balance of the different feel materials.

#48 - Guest Designer Staci Taylor

Hey ladies - We want to welcome the fabulously talented Staci Taylor to Method Playground for this challenge. She is so creative and i'm so glad she agreed to join us. Here is more about Staci:

I live in Maryland with my hubby of 7 years and my two little ones (ages 4 and 2) who keep me hopping all day long! I work part-time as a School Psychologist, and full-time as a mama ;-) I started scrapping 5 years ago when I was pregnant with my son, and it didn't take long for me to become addicted! Thankfully, my wonderful artistic husband supports my habit (I mean hobby!). I feel very blessed to be on the design teams for the manufacturers Fancy Pants and Luxe, as well as the online store/kit club, Create My Keepsake. My work has been published in Memory Makers and Scrapbook Trends magazines, and you are always welcome to visit me on my blog: http://www.creatingmyeveryday.blogspot.com/

Here is her challenge and example:

My challenge is to use chipboard as a guide to do hand stitching. For my layout, I poked holes with my stitching needle around each chipboard letter in my title, and then stitched through the holes. You could use this technique not only on letters, but on shapes as well. You could also use grungeboard, acetate, or anything else that has some thickness to it - the possibilities are endless!

Your deadline is July 11th. We hope you will join us! Make sure you link your projects to this thread. There is a fabulous prize pack from Lily Bee Designs for the winner. If you havn't seen thier product just click on the link to go check it out. My layout (brenda) was created using Lily Bee rub on's and paper!

Here are the layouts from the team!

Mine (Brenda):

I used these chipboard circles from Scenic RouteJen's Layout:Debs Layout:

Challenge 34 - Hand Stitch with Embroidery Floss

You guys are in for a treat this week.... our Guest Host is Scarlet Namvong - here is her challenge:

A little bit about me:

Hi! My name is Scarlet Namvong and I am one of the Creative Directors of Studio Calico, a monthly kit club and online community. I believe that scrapbooking is more than memory-keeping. For me, scrapbooking is a creative outlet, a vehicle for learning and experimentation, and a way to connect with like-minded people.

Through scrapbooking, my interest in other crafts has grown. I had never wanted a sewing machine until I “needed” one to stitch on my layouts, but now I crave designer fabrics as much as I covet pretty paper. I find myself wishing I could knit, crochet, embroider…

Since I work with paper more than I work with fabric, I have challenged myself to integrate sewing into my scrapbooks, most commonly through hand-stitching. What started with a basic back-stitch has expanded into an entire repertoire of stitches, including lazy daisy stitch, blanket stitch, threaded running stitch, cross-stitch, and the list goes on and on.

Who says that creative stitching should be limited to sewing projects and wall hangings?

My challenge to you:
Get out your needle and embroidery floss and stitch!

Here are few of my favorite things about hand-stitching on layouts…

First, it is cheap and the creative possibilities are almost endless. Embroidery floss typically costs less than 30 cents a skein, and there are so many colors available. Get into the habit of picking up a few colors each time you visit the craft store. Take along a scrap of patterned paper from a project that you are working on or choose a combo that coordinates with the other items in your cart.

Second, stitching on your layouts adds an element that is uniquely yours. You may be using the same papers and embellishments that hundreds of other scrapbookers are using, but your stitches are designed by you.

Third, stitching is a gift. Have you ever received a wall hanging or pillow that was stitched just for you? The person who made it for you poured hours of time and love into creating something for you to cherish. I feel the same way when I stitch on my layouts. To me, the homespun feel that stitching creates says, “I created this for you with my heart and my hand.” The layouts on which I take the time to stitch always seem more special to me somehow.

Here’s the layout I created for this challenge:

I used three different stitches here… a basic cross-stitch, a threaded running stitch, and a back-stitch (with a few cross-stitches mixed in just for fun).

What tools do you need to stitch on your layouts, you ask? What is a threaded running stitch and how did you learn how to do it? Can you show me some other examples of ways you have integrated stitching into your layouts?

So glad you asked… for the answers to these questions or for the chance to ask questions of your own, please visit my blog at http://mybestlife.typepad.com
I’ll post several more tips and layouts for you to enjoy this week!

PALOMA'S LAYOUT: Notice how Paloma did "traditional" cross-stitching to write the first word of the title and to add a little design element. She also added stitched right onto her patterned paper - adorable.

BRENDA'S LAYOUT: Brenda reminded us that stitching can be simple to be effective. Notice how she used hand-stitching around her patterned paper, as freehand element by the butterfly, and as a way to highlight the journaling strips. Lovely.

JEN'S LAYOUT: I love to cross-stitch (and hand-stitch in general, for that matter!) on my layouts, but sometimes I do not want to go through the hassle of lining all those little holes up. Here, I went the lazy way and let my background paper do the work for me. I chose a pattern with a small dot - made it very simple to stitch.

DEBORAH'S LAYOUT: Deborah decided to cross-stitch a tree on her layout. Like Jen, she chose a patterned paper with small dots to make it easier to line up her stitches.

Now give it a try. Take a break from wrapping presents, making cookies, and going to parties and get something crafty done! You have 2 weeks to complete the challenge - Midnight on the 28th is the cut-off.

And just in case you need some added incentive, check out this AMAZING rak, being provided by the ever-generous Studio Calico. This November kit, named Fountain Square, is full of goodies and is valued at $34.50!

Challenge 25 - BOWS! with Stephanie Howell

Joining us for this next challenge is the fabulous and talented Stephanie Howell. Here is her challenge for us...

Okay, I admit it. I’m a girly-girl. I add bows and ribbon to everything. My girls wear bows in their hair every day. I tie pretty bows on packages. I have multiple items of clothing that feature bows. I might be addicted!

I love to add bows to my layouts.I think it makes the entire page seem like a soft, delicate gift. I challenge you to tie a pretty bow onto your layout. You can tie a tiny bow, several bows, or an oversized bow (those are the type I favor!).

I can’t wait to see what you all create, I’m thrilled to be visiting Method Playground!

Stephanie's Layout:

Brenda's Layout:

Pam's Layout:

Paloma's Layout:

Paula's Layout:

Alicia's Layout:
Becky's Layout:
Deb's Layout:

Jen and Pamela are away on vacation. We hope to post our takes on this challenge soon, so check back.

You have 2 weeks to complete this challenge (Midnight on Sunday, August 24th) to be considered for a RAK from Stephanie. Now go rummage through your stash for some yummy ribbon and show us what you've got!