October Afternoon

'On the Go' with Travel Girl ... Win the projects featured in this blog!!

Hi everyone - Lowri here and welcome to my last guest post for the month of May.

I was thrilled when a box full of goodies from the Travel Girl Collection arrived at my door. I had so many ideas but in the end I decided to create a couple of projects where I could showcase the most design elements from this fabulously-put-together set.

“On the Go” Album

This album was created as a “Smash” style project. It’s all ready to go – just slip it in your backpack when you set off on your travels and journal like crazy as you go along!

Before we take a look inside – I will show you quickly how I made this button on the front. It is simply threaded onto some elastic and tied at the back – but having a closure like this keeps everything together and makes it less likely your treasures inside will be lost.

I used this simply gorgeous stamp to create the button. Before starting – gather your supplies:

A stamp, Stayzon ink, a small piece of cotton fabric and a brayer/roller. You will also need a handmade button blank – available at any sewing store.

1.     Ink your stamp really well

2.     Gently lay your fabric on top

3.     Carefully and firmly pass the roller over the fabric – ONCE ONLY

4.     Remove fabric – and Voila!

All you need to do now is use that fabric to cover your button blank as per the manufacturer instructions. Let’s take a look inside the album:

I have used many elements to create and decorate the pages – see below for more details:

a)     The inside cover tells the start of the story – jetting off on an adventure. The airplane card is from the Miscellany Pieces.

b)    I have added some glassine envelopes throughout the album – which can be used to contain maybe a boarding pass or a memento from your flight.

c)     Small tags are great as you can use them to jot down a quick thought or memory you want to preserve.

d)    I have used elements from the Word Stickers and Banners to decorate these.

     

e)     You can use tags horizontally and vertically to create a layered effect.

f)     Plain cardstock folded in half makes a great showcase for larger stickers and can be left blank so you can add some favorite photos at a later time.

g)     Some of these elements are so playful! These cards from the Miscellany are so cute!

h)    I have also used blank postcards and pieces of patterned paper cut to size to create pages.

One of my favorite things to do in albums like this is to create little folders to tell a story within a story. They are “self contained” within the album as a whole – here is how you can easily do this:

1.     Using a larger element as the front and back “cover, thread only the back onto your binding.

2.     Thread on your other elements, largest first down to the smallest.

3.     Finally – thread the front cover page on and continue assembling the rest of the album.
(Note: the bottom three pictures depict the technique only and are not the exact same elements as in the main picture!)

“Journaling Folder”

I have also created this journaling card folder – packed with blank notes for you to tuck into your bag and fill in whenever you like! For those that do Project Life – these all measure 3” x 4” too!

This picture above shows the folder opened up. You can see there are two pockets stuffed with journaling tags

This cute dog and taxi are a great example of the fun imagery included in this collection!

I have used a few different elements here:

1.     I have simply cut out and corner rounded some cards from the Journaling Cards paper.

2.     These are mini envelopes cut from plain cardstock and decorated with cards from the Miscellany Pack – they will be great for storing all those ticket stubs and receipts!

3.     These folded cards are blank inside and will hold a lot of journaling text.

4.     The folder will easily fit inside your bag – however light you choose to pack.

I hope you have enjoyed my projects this month. I would like to say a huge THANK-YOU to October Afternoon for the opportunity to showcase my work. They have been wonderfully generous and a joy to work with.

Please post a comment with any questions AND be sure to follow my Website or Facebook Page as I have a few more giveaways coming up. I will also be asking October Afternoon to select a random winner from those who comment on this post – and the winner will receive the projects shown this week! Happy Travels!

Lowri

Thursday Sketch Challenge

Hey everyone!  Roree here with today's Thursday Sketch Challenge.

First off, the sketch:

I created this sketch in an 8 1/2 x 11" format. This size works well for 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" cards too.

Here is the card I created using the sketch.



I used the woodgrain patterned paper from the new Farm Girl collection along with paper, chipboard, and die cuts from Woodland Park, trim from Sasparilla, and buttons from Midway.

I created a little cluster of embellishments to take place of the photos and flowers in the sketch.



I just love how well the different collections can work so well together!

Lexi played along with the sketch this week and created this beautiful card:



For her card, she used patterned paper from the Witch Hazel collection. Even though this collection has a Halloween theme, she used it in a way the would work well for any season. Lexi omitted one of the photo blocks and created a border with lace trim from Sasprilla and some twine. She also used October Afternoon fabric to make one of the leaves.



This card definitley has a gorgeous autumn feel to it, don't you think?

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch.  If you get a chance to play along, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  We can't wait to see how you interpret it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday Tutorial: Fabric Roses

Hey everyone!  Roree here.  It's Tuesday, so that means tutorial time!

I felt like playing around with my sewing machine a bit, so I decided to get out some of my OA fabric and whip up so quick and easy flowers. 

To make these flowers, you will need a sewing machine and thread, fabric, and floral wire.

Cut a 2 1/2 x 18" strip from the panel of fabric.  Fold it in half and sew a seam along the open edge.  Sew another seam alongside of the first, using the left side of the foot as your guide.

Run a length of floral wire through the space between the two stitched seams.  Bunch the fabric, as much or as little as you like.  Trim the wire and fold the ends over to hold the fabric in place. 

Roll the fabric and shape until you get a beautiful fabric rose.  Quick and easy, right? 

Now all that's left to do is add them to your project.

I created a fun little gift bag using the 9 to 5 collection.

The orange flower fabric from the Fly a Kite collection paired so well with the oranges, greens, and blues in the 9 to 5 collection.

And I couldn't resist using the Little Fliers and Sticky Keys alphas for my sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial.  If you get a chance to make some flowers of your own, make sure to share them with us in the OA Flickr Gallery.   We would love to see your creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

FLY A KITE in the Spotlight . . . Now in FABRIC!

We are very happy to announce that October Afternoon's 'Fly a Kite' line has been released in fabric!  This line of fabric is manufactured and distributed by our wonderful partners at Riley Blake Designs.

If you liked the paper, you're going to love the fabric!  We are so excited to launch this collection.  We love seeing our designs made into quilts, clothing, bags and so many other creative sewing projects.

Here is a fun summer shirt that DT member Vivian made for her beautiful daughter.

You can purchase the "Fly a Kite" fabric patterns at Fat Quarter Shop, other online stores, or in a local quilting store near you. 

 

If you would like to be the WINNER of this 'Fly A Kite' October Afternoon fat quarter stack, please leave a comment telling us about the fun projects that you will make if you win the stack!

October Afternoon

 

Thursday is Sketch Day!

Happy Thursday to you! Stacey here, bringing you a fun, new card sketch. I drew this one on cardstock:

I sent it to Roree Rumph and she used it to make this adorable card: 

I love how she stitched the grid background! Here's a closer look:

I used the sketch to make Easter cards. On this one, I created the grid background with squares from two alternating Sasparilla papers.The grid was so easy to put together, and I made sure to keep it a bit on-purpose-imperfect - mostly because it would be hard to make all those squares line up perfectly!

Here is my card:

I would love to see what you do with this sketch! Please post your creations in the October Afternoon Flickr gallery...

Have a fantastic Thursday!

Thanksgiving bags...

Hello! Wilna here! Before I show you the project, let me show you the inspiration! I mean... seriously? How cute is this? And with Thanksgiving coming up... it's just the perfect little project.

 

 

 

 

First of all, these are the materials I used:

• Two 8x8 bags I bought at Walmart.
• Get some OA fabric. It's just too beautiful!
• Buttons
• Sewing machine
• Embroidery floss

This is how:

• I used my MM Slice to cut out the shapes of the owl and leaves. For the owl I used the Slice Fabrique Animal frenzy design card. The size of the owl was set at 5".
• The leaves was cut (different shapes and sizes) using the Applique Basic card.
• I added some OA Buttons and little pieces of jewelry
• Next, I sew the pieces together on a background of plain fabric and then cut each piece out (like the completed owl and leaves etc) and then simply adhered it to the bags with embroidery floss. 
• I am a terrible seamstress. I really am. Don't look on the insides of the bags. (!!)

Use it for:

• A hostess gift bag
• Adding candy inside for a kid (like me)
• Hang it up with your coats with some potpourri inside for a lovely fragrance.
• Use it for a mini recyclable bag
• Just to look at
• Put a candle in the middle and use it as a centerpiece on your thanksgiving table.
• Make a minibook and use this as the giftwrap.
• As your guests arrive, let them all write one or two things on a scrap of paper that they are thankful for and place it in the bag. After dinner, read them together. : )

And all that's left to say is happy thanksgiving! Read these tips for a stress free weekend.

love and a kiss,

Look what Lacey Goode Castor made!

Lacey found the Farm Fresh Fabric at her local quite store and made this super cute quilt. Believe it or not, it was her first quilt! Pleas help me is congratulating Lacey on a job well done!

And the Fabrics make it look even cuter.  Just look at those pinwheels.

Tuesday Tutorial on Wednesday: Layering With Fabric

Last week I blogged about making embellishments using fabric...this week, we are using fabric as patterned paper! Here's a little bit about my thought process when incorporating this bold fabric pattern:

1. Choose fabric.

2. Chose another fabric.

3. End up with a pile of fabric on the desk due to indecision. (Right here I should have stopped and realized that I needed to choose MY PHOTO first, like I usually do. It's a lot easier to choose colors when you have a photo to work with.)

4. Notice the red gingham fabric (from October Afternoon Farm Fresh fabric collection) overlapping a piece of pattern paper and decide it's a sign that those two patterns were meant to be together.

5. Rip the fabric into a rectangle and trim long strands.

6. Adhere fabric to paper and stitch around the edge several times. I used brown thread for two reasons: I like a dark contrasting thread on bold colors, AND brown was already in my sewing machine. (Another meant-to-be moment.)

7. I visited my scrap drawer to collect some strips for a frame around the fabric and stitched around those.

8. At this point, I wish I had taken a picture (hindsight is 20/20!) because I'd like to show how desperately the layout was begging for a neutral frame. I pulled my new absolute favorite Sidewalks pink grid (Ring Around the Rosie) and trimmed my page to fit on it with a nice, big frame border. MUCH better.

9. Here is when I realize that there are very few pictures in my extensive collection of digital photos that could possibly work on this crazy, colorful, in-progress layout. It was going to have to contain a LOT of white space! I was happy to find this photo from several years ago. Not only does it have lots of white space, but the colors are quite neutral. Happy me.

11. This is the place where I got excited and made the Chip 'n Stick banner with the twine from my Sidewalks Wrap Pack. (It's my favorite thing about the layout besides the photo.) I did remove the sticky back from the banner pieces so they would be easy to play with.

12. Originally I had thought I'd use the white space in the photo for the title, but it worked very well to put it on a Shape Sticker below the photo.

13. I spread the journaling out vertically to give the page a downward "flow" (and because that's how they fit!).

14. I forgot to add my own handwriting to this layout, so I will go back and write something (probably just the city and state) in the bottom left-hand corner.

I told my fellow design team member Jill Sprott what I was doing and she came up with this completely amazing layout:

Here's what Jill said about her layout:

"There is so much that can be done with the cute new October Afternoon fabric line, but even keeping it simple works, too! I sewed a square of the new October Afternoon fabric on a sheet of patterned paper from the new Farmhouse line, and used both as a backdrop for this photo of my great-grandmother. I've been wanting to tell this story about her for some time now. It's kind of a ghost story, but it's also a love story, I suppose."

More detail shots of this one (because I KNOW you want to get up close!):

Have you used fabric on a layout before? Try it. Or try it again! We want to see the results, so please post your creations in the October Afternoon Flickr Gallery!

 

Fat quarter fabric winner! Larissa Haskett

We have a winner!!!

Thanks for all the kind words about our new fabric.

Larissa Heskett said: OMG!! I WOULD LOVE to win this!! THANKS SO MUCH for the chance!! I LOVE all of the projects!! The owl by Roree and the Mini Album by Danni are my FAVORITES!! THANKS for sharing and have a FABULOUS WEEK!! =)

Larissa email me your address and I will get your fat quarters out! Designteam@octoberafternoon.com

Tuesday Tutorial: Fabric Embellishments

Happy Tuesday again! It's Stacey here, getting crafty with the new October Afternoon fabric, making machine-stitched, layered shapes for cards (or layouts!). I'll share the steps of this simple process here with some tips on how to make these slightly shabby, just-about-foolproof embellishments.

You'll need your printed fabric (I used the October Afternoon Farm Fresh fabric), plain unbleached muslin (I just used scraps), your sewing machine, thread in a few colors, and an iron (the following is a large, close-up photo of my iron...not sure why it's so big!).

First, just smooth out your fabrics with the hot iron. Layer the printed fabric under two layers of muslin. You can cut rectangles or use scraps, depending on the sizes of your shapes. Since I knew I'd be making smaller embellishments, I just used scraps of muslin.

After ironing, cut a piece a little larger than the shape you plan to make - this is an "eyeballing" situation. Just look at it. If your card is 4"X6", then the shape needs to be smaller than that! It's not a precise science. :)

Now for the stitching. Notice that I do not have a design drawn on my fabric. You could lightly pencil some lines on there to follow if you really want to, but "freehand" stitching the design is easy and makes the process that much more creative! And, besides, you are going for a shabby, intentionally imperfect look, right?

Here's my heart after the first time around.

I ended up going around three times on this one.

Leaving some space between the cut and the stitches, cut out the shape and run your finger around the edges.

I layered the heart onto a kraft card with a journaling card, die cuts, stickers, buttons, twine, and lace from the Sidewalks collection. I love the texture and dimension that the fabric embellishment adds!

 

Another way to make interesting fabric embellishments is to layer the fabric with two layers of muslin again, but this time machine stitch all over the piece, curving randomly, crossing over, almost "scribbling" on the fabric with the thread. It should end up up similar to this:

Then cut out (again, no pattern, just eyeball it) a couple of leaves and a stem. Do the same with some other fabrics to make flower petals (I did a messy swirl stitching pattern on the flower pieces), and cut those out as well. Adhere to the card, add a button, you have a lovely, layered, stringy, stitchy, one-of-a-kind design!

Here's the card again:

I used the October Afternoon Farm Fresh fabric on this card, too, with paper from Boarding Pass and Thrift Shop. The Sprinkler I used is the new Hopscotch from the Sidewalks collection.

I hope you'll try making some layered fabric embellishments - it's a great way to make a handmade project even more special!