Easy Pop Up Card Tutorial

This is one of the easiest ways I've seen to make a really quick but cute homemade pop-up card.

Cut out your images or photos. I used one of my own dinosaur digi-stamps. I printed him out on my home printer onto some sturdy paper.

Next colour him in. For the cute handmade touch I painted him in watercolours.

Then I added some glitter glue to give him a bit of sparkle.

Get some pretty card, fold it in half and mark out in pencil the boxes where you want your characters to go. They can be any width you like, but make sure the length is equal distance from the centre fold or your card won't close flat.  Cut (with a scalpel or craft knife) the lines perpendicular to the centre fold.

Then ease the flaps out. *Gasps!* It's 3D! Exciting huh? Keep those folds nice and crisp!

When your paint dries, stick your little dude on to the 3D tabs you've made.

It's tempting to open and close your card over and over again at this point because it looks darn fab!

Those ugly gaps need covering, so glue another piece of patterned paper that is the same size as your card over the back.

Alright! Now you can decorate the front if you want, and write your message on the inside. ROAR!  

crochet baby blanket

This is a blanket I have made for my sister who is due to have her baby in May 2012. I chose neutral colours as she doesn't want to know the sex of her baby until the little thing comes out. It's a really snuggly blanket and it was perfect to make in December. As it got bigger and bigger it was covering more of my lap so it was keeping me very warm as I was crocheting it. I hope she likes her Christmas present.

Scatter

Illustration Friday for this week is scatter. This weekend I was walking a lot in the Gloustershire countryside. It was beautiful and here in the UK the Autumn has hit us hard and it's been very windy and very cold. The leaves are scattered everywhere.

I'm enjoying working with thread, but scanning in the finished pieces is not doing the work justice, and my camera isn't doing the job properly either. If anyone happens to be reading this with some good ideas on how I can get the stitched image represented well as a digital image for the web, that will be appreciated.

I've also posted the original sketch and a close up of the character in the stitched illustration.

crochet scarf

Here is a picture of my new homemade scarf. It's nice and long (just over 7 ft) and it's made from 11 crocheted squares. I went to a crochet class in Bedford last year and I love sitting in front of the telly crocheting away. My sister is expecting a baby so a blanket will be made for her at some point. I've also been crocheting circles for Christmas decorations, but I need to experiment with ways to stiffen them effectively.

Parrot Stuffie

Tomorrow I'm going to a pirate fancy dress party and I've made myself a parrot to safety-pin on to my shoulder. I'm so pleased with him and I've called him Cocopetal after the Tao's parrot (a character from the epic 1980's cartoon series, "The Mysterious Cities of Gold"). He took ages to make, about 7 or 8 hours, but you can see every handmade stitch and I love his little wings! I've kept the templates, so I might make some more and sell them on Etsy, but this little guy ain't for sale!

Baby Blue Lion Cub

I made some more lions recently. One got sold at a recent show, but this little chap has just been listed on Etsy. He's only 3.5 inches tall, but I got a new camera last week and it's been taking some great close ups of my various crafty critters, even the small ones.

Conceited Little Critters

I think these two have a haughty look to their hand-embroidered faces. Jack thinks they're nonchalant but I don't think they're apathetic little things... I think they're looking down their noses.

Handmade Dinosaurs

Oh no! The weather forecast for Saturday is thunder storms! Not very good for my craft stall at the summer fayre. I hope they've got their predictions all wrong.
I've photographed some of my newest critters, so I'll have lots of pictures to post over the next few weeks. I've decided to slow down with the sewing now, it's wearing me out and I think I have plenty of things for the weekend. It was a big worry for me... Not having enough items to sell. Now the problem is if people decide not to turn up because of rain! Grrr. At least if nobody shows or buys anything then I can list them on-line at my Etsy shop. I've been neglecting that for a bit, but normal service will resume by August.

Pink Rabbit Plushie

Yes I know I was going to make a ferret next! The pattern is all sketched out and I want to start on him soon, but I wanted to make another rabbit to try and sort out the nose problem that I had with the first one, and to try using a different material. Again, she's all hand-sewn and she's about 5 inches tall. My neighbour gave me some old buttons and ribbon that she no longer wants, so I've tied a bit around her neck too.

Hare Plushie

Using the same material from the jumper that I made my newest dragon with I decided to have a go at making a rabbit. I used the same pattern as the fox but change it slightly. I really should have sketched more profiles of rabbits to use in the pattern before I rushed into making the toy though. His head turned out to be very fawn-like. His nose is too long, but the triangular felt shape I've sewn on the tip hopefully makes it recognisable enough for this critter to be the bunny I intended.

Handmade Hearts

With so much scrappy bits and pieces of yarn and fabric, lonely buttons, lace and broken necklace beads cluttering up the crafty corner of our miniscule flat, I thought I'd try putting these things to good use. A heart shaped decoration seemed appropriate as Valentine's Day is on the horizon. I suppose these little stuffed hearts would make pretty nifty things to put on a wrapped gift.

Felt Fox Toy

Christmas has been really busy, but I found some time to experiment with a new pattern. The fox is based on the squirrel pattern, but his nose is much longer and the dragon toy pattern. He is about 5.5 inches tall and I ended up stitching him together really quickly. You can tell I rushed the sewing a bit, but I was impatient and wanted to see if the idea would work. I think his head is a bit flat at the back., with the next one I'll try and make it rounder.

More Squirrels

Another batch of squirrels have been made. The grey one is slightly lighter in colour and the red one is now standing upright like the grey one as I originally intended. Not sure what to make next... I'm so tempted to make a badger. Badgers are the best. Brock and roll.

Experimental Owl Toys

Owls are everywhere in the new DIY arts and craft scene, try looking up "owls" on Etsy! Probably because the individual parts of a pattern are so easy to figure-out and they're quick to sew. Once constructed though, they look pretty kooky. That's their charm. I found it fun to try different colour cominations and patterns. These owls are of my own pattern and are hand-sewn. They took about 4 or 5 hours to make each. I want to try making different birds wearing different styles of hats in the future.

Black Dragon Toy

I think this is the last dragon I'll make for a while. Time to try some new things out now. I like the way there are sparkly glitter bits on the surface of the felt though.