Bon Vivant Cork Stamps

This week I was focused on learning how to carve my own stamps. I’ve been very excited about this idea, perhaps because now I am old enough to play with knives, yay! I started with the wine corks. They have so much character and, of course, an irresistible bon vivant concept to them. Unfortunately, my favorite wine is not sealed with a cork, so I didn’t have any lying around at the house. Not to worry - I stopped by the BYOB place in my neighborhood to ask for some corks and left with a handful. I had two kinds of corks: natural cork and some kind of spongy fake cork. Both worked great for the stamps, though they cut differently. The natural cork will make a more “rustic” stamp, which I love.

Fabric Origami Wallet

I was so pleased with the result from my Fabric Origami Card Holder that I decided to try something a little bolder today. Most paper wallets you see cannot be considered origami, because they use scissors. The true origami art does not use scissors or glue, just creases. So, I found this really nice design online of a true origami wallet and I decided to try it with fabric! 

Fabric Origami Card Holder

I’ve always been fascinated by origami; this timeless technique of folding paper into something admirable, elegant and unique. So much so, that my wedding invitations and decorations were made of origami (more about that in a later post). And had I known then, that I could do the same on fabric, maybe my wedding dress would have been origami-styled as well. ; )

So, this week’s project was the suggestion of a dear friend who got me very excited to try origami on fabric! The project is a little, versatile card holder. You can use it to store your business cards, or as a wallet that will fit anywhere from coat and pant pockets to that tiny party purse you love.

Needle Felted Gnome

This week’s project was so much fun! How come I've never come across needle felting before? Sculpting wool into form is quite challenging, but oddly relaxing. You get to prick your stress away…! I started by trying to sculpt a strawberry, but quickly decided to switch over to a gnome instead. Gnomes are fascinating characters that have often been reinterpreted to suit the needs of different story-tellers, even as creatures fond of crafts! So, whether you want to decorate your plant pot, carry it around the world when you travel (“roaming gnome”), mischievously hide it around the house, or protect yourself from evil sorcery, this felted gnome will do it all! But be aware - gnome kidnappers may be around. ; )

Thank You Card - Dinner Stamp

This card was sent to Florida to thank my husband's aunt and uncle for their lovely Christmas gift: dinner in NYC! It would also be a nice design for a personal thank you note to hosts of a dinner party. As always, I advise to do the writing first. On this card, the lettering was done by ink pen. I love the results of ink pens, but it can be challenging to make it look nice on a first try. I have to wonder how hard it must have been in the past to write with feathers! The fork and spoon stamp I purchased at Michael's and I use it also for recipe cards, especially when I am giving it to someone. Everything else is just card stock paper and you can use the colors you think the recipient may like the most. It is worth noting though that the stamping does show better on light colored paper.

Este cartão foi enviado para a Flórida para agradecer aos tios do meu marido pelo carinhoso presente de Natal: um jantar em Nova York! Também acho um design leagal para uma nota de agradecimento aos anfitriões de um jantar, por exemplo. Como sempre, eu aconselho começar com as letras. Neste design, as letras foram desenhadas com caneta tinteira. Eu adoro o efeito da caneta tinteira, mas aviso que pode levar um tempo para dominar o processo. Nem imagino como deve ter sido difícil no passado escrever com canetas de pena! O carimbo "garfo e colher" foi comprado na Michael's e eu utilizo-o também para cartões de receita, especialmente para presentear a alguém. O resto é apenas papel cartão e você pode escolher as cores que o destinatário mais gostar. 

Thank You Card - Christmas Lights

I made this card for my very sweet parents-in-law, to thank them for a wonderful Christmas Holiday. They always put so much care into organizing a great time for all of us! My husband and I made this together and it was fun and easy. The light bulbs were cut-out of card stock and the thick black lines were drawn with water-pencil. By the way, the later is so impressive! I've had this set of water-pencils for at least 15 years (seriously!) and I never knew how amazing they were. There's no way they are lasting another 15 years - I'll be using them like there is no tomorrow!

Personalize Your Mat Strap!

For my first project of the year, the Yoga/Pilates Mat Shoulder Strap, the first thing I wanted to do was try some embroidery work. As a kid I learned some cross-stitching with my Grandma, and I remember thinking how wonderful it was that I could "draw" with yarn! For this project, I chose to embroider the word "breathe" because, being a longstanding Yoga and Pilates enthusiast, I know what difference this little reminder makes in our everyday life as well as while crafting! Breathe... and every challenge will be easier. Truly though, I also chose this word because it carried enough meaning by itself, making my embroidery work short! ; ) If you go to one of those studios that allows you to store your mat, it might be nice to embroider your own name or initials.

Yoga/Pilates Mat Shoulder Strap

I have decided, 2013 will be my year to pursue new craft skills! I am creative and crafty enough, but it's time to finally build some skills. That being said, I am committing myself to completing a craft-related project every week. It can be anything, really, as long as it requires me to explore and learn something new. This will be an adventure and I'll try to keep it as varied and fun as possible! If you find yourself inspired to try some of these projects with me, please do and let me know how it goes!

So, my craft adventure is beginning with something practical that I have been in need of for a long time: a strap for my yoga/pilates mat. After going through several rubber bands (I know, I'm frugal) that snapped on my fingers every time, it is time for a more permanent and pretty solution. Here we go!