3x3 Mini Card 6 Pack

Hey friends and happy Monday! Linsey here today sharing a great little tutorial for all occasion 3x3 mini cards! I love making and keeping a stack of these available in my craft room. They make for a perfect note card to a loved one, neighbor or friend and they're super perfect for adding to a gift without a needing a full sized card to go with it! Here I've made a sassy 6 pack of mini's sure to start your week off right!

Who doesn't love emoji's, right?! These are so much fun and beyond easy to put together! Choose your solid cardstock for the base. Cut each card base 3x6", then score at 3" and fold in half. Base is ready to go! Add pattern paper and 2 scallop squares layering one another, then add fun emoji stickers and sentiments! Each card has a strip of either Checkerboard Satin Coral Rose or Crosshatch on Tropic Satin Ribbon layered over the pattern paper. The ribbon adds the perfect finishing touch to these cute mini's and I'm done! 😊 Make lots or just a few! Whatever your needs, 3x3 mini cards are sure to please! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a fantastic week and until next time, happy crafting!

Aqua and Coral Bicycle Card

Hello Ribbon Lovers!  Remember being a kid and getting to take your bike out of the garage after the long, cold winter?  What a glorious feeling of freedom!  Today's card reminds me of how fun it was to be a kid and just play all day!

The Aqua and Coral Ribbon Club Assortment is the perfect playmate for this fun card.  I used Coral Rosel Bold Diamond Print Satin to create a header, then topped it with a bit of white crochet ribbon.

I love to use ribbon to pull out secondary colors in a card design.  See how this Aqua Plaid Ribbon brings out the aqua tints in the bike wheels, button and stripes?  I tell you, ribbon is magical! Pop a pretty magnolia blossom on top and you're ready to roll! 

Here's a fun way to use up those small scraps on your work table.  I've layered several together to create a fun design inside the card.  I also added a small teabag holder on the left. 

Have you played with this month's ribbon club yet?  Boy, are you ever in for a treat!  Wishing you lots of time to get creative!

Cheerio,
kathy

Burning Your Fibers

  Hi friends! Over the last few months, I've shared with you a couple of projects in which I scorched my fibers.  Today I thought I'd share a video tutorial which illustrates the types of fibers from Really Reasonable Ribbon that I've been altering and the interesting results. Here's the video: In the video, I share a few project samples in which the fibers have been burned.  Interestingly, rather than imparting a harsh feeling, this action often softens the look of be-ribboned projects. After the samples, I share a grungy card project from start to finish that gets a nice punch of extra texture and freshness with an assortment of burned fibers.  

  Here's a detail of the funky burned fibers.  

  And a detail of the die-cuts that I grunged up.

Hope you'll take a break from your day to watch!  If you are interested, a detailed supply list is available in the description box under the video.  As for my fibers, I used White Seam Binding, Metallic String Gold, and Metallic String Iridescent White, all available from the RRR shop! -Vivian

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

Inspired by Nature

  Hello, friends!  Vivian here today to share with you a card I recently made that's all about spring.  I love birds' nests.  On the few occasions I've been able to observe them up close, I've been amazed by their shapes, how skillfully they've been woven.  Those brief encounters have made me want a human sized nest of my very own!  Seriously!  

  I was messing around with my Really Reasonable Ribbon's Leaves, White Trim, and discovered that I liked it best when coiled into an abstract nest like the one I have in my card. Keeping my focal image white helped it stand out against the background I had crafted.

Now that I've found how beautifully it coils, I'm going to order myself a whole lot more of this beautiful fiber!  I hope I've inspired you to try it out, too!  It's available at the shop in a great variety of spring colors!   Fibers:
Reasonable Ribbon - Leaves, White Trim Scraps of Darkness - Angelina Fibers

Tools:
Provocraft - Embossing Folder

Media:
Tim Holtz - Black Soot Distress Ink
Tattered Angels - Sea Glass Glimmer Mist

Embellishments:
Jenni Bowlin - Stick Pins
Recollections - Resin Flower

Papertrey Ink - White Cardstock
 

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 

A Wish for Peace

  Hello, friends.  I hope your preparations for the holidays are going smoothly.  It's going to be a quiet Christmas for hubbie and me, which, it turns out, will be OK for us. As I'm sure it is for you, my thoughts and feelings often influence my art and craft.     

  This holiday, I'm wishing and praying for peace in the world and healing for all those that suffer.  Using 1/2 in. Natural Crochet Lace from the Really Reasonable Ribbon shop helped me create this quiet, comforting card project.

I'll be seeing you back here on the RRR blog in the new year.  Until then, I wish you all the best this holiday season.

-Vivian

SUPPLIES: Natural Crochet Lace - Really Reasonable Ribbon
Self-adhesive Pearls in "Snow" from Kaisercraft - Really Reasonable Ribbon "Flowers and Butterflies" Stamp and Framelit Set - Sizzix "Indigo Bleu" Patterned Papers - Pink Paislee
Snowflake Stamp - Kaisercraft Sentiment Stamp - Fiskars
Decorative Brad - Teresa Collins
 

Transformation

 

So I have a confession.  Since joining the wonderful design team at Really Reasonable Ribbon, I've become a bit of a ribbon hoarder :-/  I will pull out my RRR stash, admire the beauty, handle some of my favorites, and then carry on a a bit of an inner debate about whether or not to cut into them.   One of these favorites is the Silky Crush Wrinkled Ribbon in Champagne.  The beautiful sheen, ethereal texture, and romantic, old world hue make me swoon, and despite my temptation to keep it all to myself, I've decided to start sharing the beauty and use it not only on cards, but also on handmade keepsake boxes that I plan to give away during the holidays.

For today, I'd like to share with you a card I just made for a loved one going through a difficult challenge, one that will test her in many ways. But despite how difficult this will be for her, I truly believe that these types of experiences are put into our lives for a reason, that they possess the potential to transform us within and help deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.

  

For my focal image, I chose a butterfly - the perfect embodiment of transformation, in my opinion.  Hoping this card and some well chosen words written inside will lift her up and empower her.

As for my supplies, I used DCWV "Be Mine" papers, a Sizzix "Frame, Fancy" die by Karen Burniston, a Martha Stewart Edger punch and Butterfly punch.  All the paper pieces were aged with Tea Dye Distress ink from Tim Holtz.

 

For embellishment, I used my precious Silky Crush Wrinkled Ribbon in Champagne and stick pins from Jenny Bowlin.  I won't tell you how long I tilted and turned this card in the sun, completely smitten with how this fiber catches the light.

Thanks so much for visiting with me here today!  Come back tomorrow to join in on our next challenge! I love seeing what y'all are creating.  - Vivian 

The Most Beautiful Time of Year

  Hi folks!  Vivian here today to share with you a card I just finished that was very much inspired by this beautiful time of year.  Right now in Vegas, temps are fluctuating.  Some days, there's a bit of a bite in the air that requires some bundling.   And others, you could get away with shorts and a T-shirt!  It's a welcome change from our stifling summers, and now the pooches and I look forward to brisk and lengthy walks together every day.  While the change of colors here is not nearly as spectacular as the autumns I grew up with, I fondly remember that incredible East Coast display and a feeling when I was young that my world had turned golden.  

For this project, I used Shimmer Gold Satin from Really Reasonable Ribbon to make my focal image.  I love how this stuff glistens in the light.  And it was substantial enough to maintain its shape when cut and sewn as shown in detail below.

  In addition, I used "Autumn Melody" papers that I won from DCWV for my video making skillzzzzz woo hoo!  To bump up the textures, I upcycled some corrugate with a new acquisition, a Sizzix "Frame, Fancy" die designed my Karen Burniston to frame a sentiment from TPC Studios.  The maroon border was punched with a folksy Martha Stewart edger punch, and I handmade the stick pins using paper scraps!  For the center of the bloom, I used the same DCWV papers with an Epiphany Crafts tool for a perfectly coordinated accent.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today!  Hope you'll stop by  for regular inspirations!!!  Oh and FYI, a request came in on my blog to show how I made the flower on my altered chipboard box that showcased here earlier this month for our Challenge #60, "Anything But a Card + Ribbon." So there will be a video tutorial link on my blog this Friday illustrating how to make it.  Our RRR challenge is still going on, btw!  Are you gonna play along?   Looking forward to seeing all your creations!

Happy Thanksgiving, folks!