Simply Fabulous

Hello, dear friends!

Just a bit to share with you today…a fun girlfriend card–any reason will do–simply to let her know you think she’s just “FABULOUS“!

Almost everything used for the card was taken from the FABULOUS “Dimestore Vogue” Paper Sheets & Tags Kit…

…from Vintage Street Market…one of my favorite things!

“Pattern” pieces cut out from one of the paper sheets, machine-stitched onto some vintage check print paper…

One of the lovely retro girls and the button card punched from the tag sheet…

A fat, simple homemade rosette made with the luscious brown crepe paper sheet included in the kit, edged with my favorite “Platinum” Stickles.  Inside the rosette, “stamens” made with short pieces of “Maraschino” Bakers’ Twine…

An edging of lace, pretty Kraft-colored seam binding…topped with a strip and simple bow of “Maraschino” Bakers’ Twine…

Finishing off the card, the vintage ruler from one of the paper sheets, topped with “buttons” from the tag sheet…and that’s about it!

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Now, since we’re feeling the Fabulous Forties a bit here, how about a couple of family photos?

Here’s my sweet mother-in-law, Shirley, as a teenager in the ‘40’s…

…and here again…in her self-titled “one and only glamour shot”--I think it’s absolutely beautiful!

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My daughter Sarah and I have really been getting interested in vintage patterns from this period lately…think I’m going to make myself some ‘40’s-inspired dresses…

…just bought this one on eBay last night—supposed to be fairly easy…we’ll see!  Isn’t it adorable?!

Here’s a few more I was looking at…LOVE the style of those days…

Well, that’s all for me today…hope your day is lovely…that this crazy spring weather is being kind to you, and that you’re feeling FABULOUS!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Vintage Street Market,1940's fashion,Shirley Gorrell Campbell,vintage patterns

Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge: Paper Piecing

Hello, my friends!

Well, here we are…another month…another fun Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge!  This time, we were to focus on one of my favorite paper-crafting techniques: paper piecing.

Not being the most accomplished “colorer”…(is that a word?!), I quickly found, early in my paper crafting days, that I could achieve the look, texture & layering I wanted by doing paper piecing with my stamped images…like this one:

 

Isn’t she fabulous?!  This beautiful vintage girl comes from Crafty Secrets’ brand spankin’-new “Love & Support” stamp set:

{Proceeds from the profit of this set goes to the Young Survival Coalition, a wonderful organization dedicated to helping young women affected with breast cancer—isn’t that wonderful?!}

Having had breast cancer touch my family—as I know it has with so many of our families—I find this a wonderful stamp set to send messages with beauty and just a bit of humor in times of need to those we love…or just for a friendly reminder that it’s time to get “the girls” checked!

Here’s a close-up of the paper piecing…

I just love cutting detailed pieces…call me crazy, but I do!  I find it really relaxing, and most of all, I love the end result! 

One of the small stamps in the set was perfect to use as a background on the pale pink cardstock behind the image…

I kept the embellishments to a minimum on this card—it felt like there was plenty going on—so just a layering of black lace, a bit of pretty gingham ribbon, and some framing with Platinum Stickles, and that’s about it!

Next—one of my very favorite Crafty Secrets stamp sets of all:

I mean, just look at that house—isn’t it dreamy???  I’ve been in love with Craftsman & Storybook style houses for as long as I can remember, and the “Home Sweet Home” set captures them perfectly…

So much vintage goodness in this set!

Here’s some more detail…lots of popping-up on this card!

I don’t always love shadows on my projects, but I DO love them on this one!

I used another set from “Frame It” for the scrolled pieces at the top and bottom of my house image…here’s the set:

Lots of beautiful elements to play with in this one!

 

I decided to keep the flowers more monotone (there’s a LITTLE variation in color!) because of a beautiful image I love from the ‘30’s…a very common way to portray flowers in that period…

A bit of the side view where you can see the layering a bit more…love that yummy crinkled seam binding! (tinted with “Crushed Shells” Glimmer Mist).

And the finished product:

Again…not a lot of embellishing done on this card.  I wanted the paper-pieced image to be the focal point—not buttons, etc.

Thanks so much for your visit today!  I hope you’ll also stop by and visit the other girls on the Design Team—I know they’ll have lots of beautiful things to share with you!

Crafty Secrets Design Team:

Vicki Chrisman--Team Leader

Pam Hooten

Linda Duke

Michele Kovack

Melissa Phillips

Flo Teixeira from France

Julie Campbell—me!

Mary Hamer

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Design Team Challenge,Paper Piecing