Ruched Rosette Tutorial

  Take a look at this precious rosette!

 

Well, I have a tutorial for you today sharing how ridiculously easy it is to make!  Can you tell I'm excited lol?  You can make a rosette using a variety of ribbons, but I found that organza was the easiest to manipulate and made the prettiest bloom.  For this rosette, I used Plum Organza from the Really Reasonable Ribbon Shop in the 7/8 in. width.

First, fold the corners of your ribbon inward to make an arrow shape.  Make sure this is neat and hides any stray fibers as it will be the top of your flower and visible.  Then fold this portion over so that the raw edges are completely hidden as shown below.

At the point of your folded ribbon, stitch through all layers with a matching thread.  I used a contrasting color just to illustrate clearly.  Then do a running stitch down the length of your ribbon at intervals that approximately match the width of your ribbon.

For this 7/8 in. width, I did a running stitch about 11 in. long, and then pulled the thread to gather as you see below.

...Please excuse my gross finger!  Ewww!  I had been doing a lot of mixed media and the ink just wouldn't come out...  Apologies lol!

Back to my tutorial - after you gather tightly, twist your bloom so the folds aren't directly on top of each other, and backstitch to secure on the underside.  One simple knot might come loose, so a backstitch is advised, both at the origin and here at the end.  This is how the bloom looks at this stage.

I've been heating my organza a ton lately and ending up with really pretty, natural looking curves in my floral creations.  At this stage, I carefully set my heat tool on the bloom - one must be careful not to burn the fiber.  And voilà, you have some natural looking curves on a pom pom rosette which shimmers spectacularly in the sun.

Here it is on a simple card project.

 Easy as pie!

Thanks so much for visiting here with me today for this super easy tutorial.  If you are interested in more of my work and tutorials galore, please visit me on my blog! 

-Vivian

Supplies:

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Olive Seam Binding, Plum Organza

Hampton Art/ Authentique - Sentiment Stamp

Bo Bunny - Bling

Papertrey Ink - Olive Cardstock

Core'dinations - Purple Color Core Cardstock

Echo Park - Patterned Paper

Playing with Textures

  Hi everyone!  Vivian here to share with you a recent card project that's all golden. In my mixed media work and various papercrafting projects, I've been playing around with shapes that are somewhat abstract and have really gotten excited about the multitude of ways in which we can incorporate texture into our projects.  

 

The great variety of textures in the fibers available at the Really Reasonable Ribbon shop makes me really happy!  So while some folks crave the mall and fashions, I am perfectly content to stay home in my pajamas and load my online RRR cart!  Check out how this stuff glistens in the morning light!

 

Time for me to order more organza!

In this card project, I liberally wrapped a square of richly decorative foiled patterned paper with Metallic String Gold.  Then I randomly wove a few lengths of Sheer Iridescent Copper Organza through the strands of gold string.

 

My focal image is an abstract cluster of textures created with the aforementioned fibers, pearls, and a matte translucent button.

And one of my favorite Hampton Art sentiments, a reminder to take life one day at a time.  We all need that, don't we?  Especially on humpdays.  Hope y'all cruise on into the weekend and see you back here next month. -Vivian SUPPLIES:
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Metallic String Gold, Sheer Iridescent Copper Organza Hampton Art - Blooming Memories Clear Stamp Set SEI - "Arboretum" Field Notes Patterned Paper DCWV - The Gilded Orchard Stack Clearsnap - Top Boss Watermark Ink
Tim Holtz - Vintage Photo Distress Ink Tsukineko - Gold embossing powder Spellbinders - Frame die for sentiment La Mode - Button

Getting Started with Ribbonwork

  Hello friends!  Vivian here today with a short video tutorial which will show you how to make the traditionally ribbonworked daisy in my card project below!  For my daisy, I used Mimosa Yellow Seam Binding from the Really Reasonable Ribbon Shop!

 

 Can you tell I'm itching for spring?  If y'all visited with me here for my last post, you know I've been playing with my more colorful distress inks quite a bit - well the fun continues with the vibrant background for this card.

In the video, you will also see how ridiculously easy it is to create this "watercolored" effect without having to pull out your paints.

And if you're curious what supplies were used, they are all listed in the description box under the video.  Hope you'll take a break from your day to check it out!

-Vivian 

Ready for a New Year!

  Hello friends!  Vivian here today to share with you a card I recently crafted that explodes with color. Quite a change from my last share here on the RRR blog!  

   I had a variety of media on my craft table and just allowed myself to play around with it.  What resulted feels very Asian to me.  This often happens in my projects when I don't think too much, which I find so interesting given the fact that I am so darn Americanized.  Guess it's in the blood!  

   This colorful, aged effect was created by blending distress inks, stamping with Stamper's Big Brush Pens from Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft, misting with plain water, and heat embossing.

 

As a simple, yet elegant finish to my card project, I wrapped some beautiful and incredibly affordable Black Organza from the Really Reasonable Ribbon shop around my card front three times.  Then I took smaller lengths and tied knots down my stream of wrapped organza.  I especially love this fiber because it allows your work to peek through while adding a nice dose of texture and sheen to your projects.  Hope you have a great New Year celebration!  I will be looking forward to an end to 2012, and a fresh beginning in 2013.  Cheers to the realization of our dreams and intentions for the New Year! -Vivian FIBERS:
Really Reasonable Ribbon - 1/4 in. Black Organza MEDIA: Tim Holtz - Distress Ink in Salty Ocean and Mustard Seed Tsukineko - Jet Black Stazon Ink
Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft - Stamper's Big Brush Pens in Cadmium Yellow 107, Dark Chrome Yellow 109, Orange Glaze 113   STAMPS: Hampton Art/7Gypsies - PS0673 "Distressed Background" Woodblock Stamp Hampton Art/Art Warehouse SC0274 Holiday Dreams & Wishes Clear Stamp Set
Kaisercraft - CS849 "Just Believe" Clear Stamp Set Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft - Bloom stamp included in Mixed Media Acquarelles & Ink Set in Yellow CARDSTOCK: Papertrey Ink - White and Black