October Afternoon

Tuesday Tutorial: Mosaic Flowers

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I (Vivian) thought I'd show you a quick and easy technique today that you can use on your Mother's Day cards. This technique was inspired by a quilt I saw in the Pottery Barn Teen catalog:

I love the black borders around each flower petal; the black makes the colors and patterns pop against the colorful background. The chevron rug next to the bed is a nice touch as well.

I decided to create a project inspired by this look by using elements from the Farmhouse Flower Sack:

In addition to the Flower Sack, I grabbed some black cardstock and patterned paper from both Farmhouse (the B side of Guest Room) and 9 to 5 (the B side of Coffee Break) and created this card, loosely inspired by the quilt:

As you can see, I decided to turn my flowers into trees against a polka dot patterned paper that looks like the night sky lit up with stars. I added a strip of herringbone patterned paper (this element mimics the chevron rug next to the bed in the image above) and a heart from the Flower Sack, which I also bordered with black. A phrase banner from the Flower Sack completes the card.

To re-create this look with Flower Sack elements:

1. Cut a Flower Sack element into "petals," using either scissors or a paper trimmer.
2. Adhere each piece of the cut Flower Sack element onto a scrap of black cardstock, leaving space between the petals.
3. Cut around each flower, leaving a bit of a black border around the outside edge.
4. Adhere black-bordered flowers to a patterned paper background and embellish as desired.

We'd love to see anything you create based on this idea! Please post projects to our October Afternoon Flickr Gallery so that we can take a look!

Monday Challenge - Design Team Scraplift

Hey everyone!  Roree here.  It's Monday, so it's challenge time again.  The girls on this team are so talented, and I admire their work so much.  They are always coming up with inspiring projects and fun techniques that I want to try.  So, I thought it would be fun to have a Design Team Scraplift Challenge. 

This is an oldie but a goodie from Marcy: 

Harvest Festival by Marcy Penner

(You can see it originally posted here.)

I just loved the chevron pattern that she created, and I have been wanting to try it for such a long time.  I decided to create a card using the chevron pattern for my background. 

Here it is:

Happy Times by Roree Rumph

I used the blue patterned papers from the Farmhouse collection to create this fun background. 

I added some machine stitching along the edges, because I just love stitching on my cards.

I also used some of die-cuts from the Farmhouse Flower Sack along with Label Stickers, a Button, and some Sidewalks Ribbon to create some soft and pretty flowers, because who doesn't love flowers?!

Marcy played along with my challenge this week, and she chose this layout by Becky to work from:

Add Such Joy by Becky Novacek

(You can see it originally posted here.)

Here is what Marcy came up with:

All Too Often by Marcy Penner

She played off of the argyle pattern in Becky's layout using triangles to create the fun background on her layout.  

Such a fun mix of patterns from the 9 to 5 collection, don't you agree?  I just love it!

Is there any of the OA designers' work that you just love and have been dying to try for yourself?  Well if there is, now's the time to try.  You have been challenged!  ;)

If you get a chance to play along with today's challenge, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  We love to see what you are working on! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

~Roree

Tutorial: gift envelope ideas

Good Morning! Becky here today with a simple envelope tutorial. I have gifts on my mind right now, with both Mother's Day and graduation celebrations coming soon. I like to give gift cards and money, but I don't like to give them without some flourish. Creating custom envelopes is SO quick and easy! 

For your template, the easiest idea is to use an envelope you have as a template. Carefully, take it apart.

Forgive the first two not so great images.

After you cut out your envelope, use a bone folder or ruler to crease the folds.

Then put a little adhesive on one flap that overlaps the other two. So easy!

After you have your envelope put together, it's fun to customize it with simple premaid embellishments.

It's not just a girly project. I made a more masculine version for a graduation gift.

I used a larger envelope as a template, so that a little wad of cash would fit.

A simple pattern paper strip made a perfect band to hold the cash together. Office supply tags provided a place to write a few sentiments and sign our names.

I tucked one tag behind the cash and one in front. 

The Mother's Day envies are little more feminine with a few more embellishments.

One of my very favorite October Afternoon papers is this floral. 

The sticker embellishments are perfect for this. As well as a simple little vintage flower bunch with OA ribbon...these little flowers are getting harder to find, so I hope Mom feels special.

You can't go wrong with adding a few buttons, right? 

I hope this simple gift idea tutorial inspires you. I'd love to see what you make, so please share your take on the OA Flickr group! 

Thursday Sketch Challenge

Hey everyone!  Roree here, and I have this week's Sketch Challenge for you.

While trying to come up with a sketch idea, I thought it would be fun to use up those scraps and embellishments that we all have laying around our craft rooms.  Here is what I came up with:

Perfect for those little odds and ends pieces, right?

I created two cards using the sketch as a jumping off point.  Because they are on a smaller scale than the layout, I adjusted accordingly.

For my first card, I used the Sasparilla collection. 

I used bits and pieces from the Flower Sack and Miscellany packs, plus some stickers from the Word Sticker sheet.  They are perfect for this type of sketch.

And I just love the wood grain and colors in this collection!

For my second card, I used the Sidewalks collection along with the new Washi Tape from the 9 to 5 collection and a few leaf stickers from the Fly a Kite collection.

I used the Flower Sack flowers and banner, leaf stickers, and sun in place of the squares in the sketch. 

Two totally different cards inspired by one sketch.

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch.  There are definitely lots of different directions you could go with it.  If you get a chance to play along, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  I can't wait to see how you interpret it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

~Roree

 

sketchy thursday-- argyle love

good morning everyone.  danni here today with your thursday sketch! i wanted to create a sketch that would emphasize a background element and be versatile for layouts and cards alike.  i really love sketches that allow for the creative side to take over and i don't like to tell you where to place every last element, although i have :)

 

 
 joining me today is becky with her amazing layout inspiration for all of you. i absolutely LOVE this page (and her cuuuuute puppy)

 

 you add such joy layout by becky

(click pics to enlarge) 

 

  and this is what becky had to say:

This sketch brought an idea to my mind immediately and even though I interpreted it pretty literally, I enjoyed pulling it together and adding my own touches. That to me is the sign of a great sketch!

 

 for this sketch, the focal is the argyle background element, so i decided to make that the focal of all my cards and play with the various layering interpretations of it.

 hello card

(click pics to enlarge)

 

 

i rotated my argyle element on this card and layered the elements in the center instead of above the argyle.  i stitched through the centers of the argyle elements as you generally find with argyle patterns.

 

on my second card, i decided to rotate the argyle elements vertically so as to create a taller card

best friends card

 

 

 i layered the argyle pattern once again instead of above it to scale for the card size

 

(see the chipboard corners?  do you ever have some of those leftover or don't like to use them on lo?  these are really fun on the argyle pattern)

 

 

 i stitched through the centers once again

 

 

and to show you how easily you could use circle elements, like the ones that come in the 9 to 5 line, i created another secretary appreciation card for hubby to give to another of his secretaries.

 

what would i do without you? 

 

 

exchanging the argyle for circles, i stitched through the centers and then layered the elements in the corner

 

if you are inspired to give the sketch, argyle element or circle element backgrounds a go, please link us up in the OA FLICKR gallery, we'd love to be inspired.

thanks for joining us today

happy creating♥

danni & becky

Spring Cards for a Friday!

Happy first Friday of April, OA friends! It's Amy here today with a couple ideas for some Spring-themed cards in celebration of Spring's official arrival and the upcoming holiday weekend. 

I used the darling Sidewalks collection to create two cards in celebration of flowers blooming, birds chirping, grass growing and perhaps a vistit from Peter Cottontail this upcoming Sunday. :)For this first card, I really wanted to create a fun embellishment with the adorable game spinner found in the Sidewalks Miscellany package. The great thing about some of the pieces in the Miscellany packs, such as this game spinner, is that they are printed on both sides, so when I went to use my punches on this piece I was able to use the side without the numbers on it to create this fun, and super whimsical flower full of Spring festiveness.This next card is a bit of a teaser, because along with Sidewalks, I've added just a couple pieces from the up and coming NEW collection, Cakewalk to the mix. I simply couldn't resist using the adorable little bunny from the "Party Hat" paper for the centerpiece of my little Easter card. Isn't he just darling? And I don't mind at all that he's holding balloons instead of a basket. It just adds to the festive feel! Plus, it shows how beautifully these two collections will collaborate together, don't you think?Well, friends, that's going to do it for me today! I hope these cards have put you in the Spring spirit! Thank you so much for stopping by today! And if you are celebrating over the weekend, I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! :)

Thursday Sketch: Collaged Elements

Looking for a fun way to use lots of embellishments? If so, today's sketch is for you! Brought to you by Vivian, with added genius from Danni, today's sketch features collaged clustered elements topping a photo and journaling/title block:

I used this sketch to create a layout with the Boarding Pass line, collaging pieces from the Miscellany pack with chipboard embellishments, a sticker from the 12 X 12 sticker sheet, and a bit of patterned paper:

Danni used today's sketch to create this fun card featuring the Sasparilla line:

I love how she scaled the collage to work on a card by using label stickers and word stickers along with three-dimensional embellishments. Here's a close-up of that portion of the card:

Adding a rub-on in place of the title in the sketch is also a fun way to interpret the sketch for a card:

So...get out all of those embellishments you've been hoarding and create a collage! We'd love to see your interpretations of this sketch, so please post your work to our October Afternoon Flickr gallery if you create something!

Tuesday Tutorial: Flowers

Hey everyone!  Roree here, and I have a Tuesday tutorial for you.

If you know me or my work, you know that I LOVE to make flowers.  All kinds, really.  Kim, the owner of October Afternoon, told me that she got some comments at CHA about the flowers I made on this layout, featuring Cakewalk...

Happy Days by Roree Rumph (using October Afternoon's Cakewalk collection)

so I thought I would share with you how I made them.

To make one complete flower, I cut out four individual flowers (cut at 0.25" increments, for example one each at 1.5", 1.75", 2", and 2.25" ) with my Cricut Expression 2 and Sweet Treats cartridge.  (Any kind of die-cut machine or punch will do, as long as you can cut the same flower in multiple sizes.)

I then sanded the edges of my flowers (totally optional), and curled the ends of each petal.

I added foam adhesive to the center of each flower except the top one.  I then layered and adhered the flowers together from smallest to largest. 

I pierced holes at the center of the flower, using the button that I wanted for the center as a guide.

I hand stitched the button onto the flower, and I finished by fluffing the petals back up.  And voila!  My finished flower!  Pretty easy, right?!

I made a couple more, along with some mini ones, cut out a few leaves, and created this card full of flowers.   

My Forever Friend by Roree Rumph (using October Afternoon's Farmhouse, Sidewalks, Campfire collections)

I added cross stitches to the center of the mini flowers instead of trying to find a bunch of tiny buttons. 

If you love flowers, texture, and dimension on your projects, you might need to give this a try.  ;) 

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!

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!

Theme/Un-theme Challenge

Hi everyone! Vivian here, along with Danni, bringing you this week's challenge. Today we are going to explore possibilities and ask you to think outside of the box.

Every October Afternoon product line has a theme. For example, Boarding Pass is a travel-themed line, Holiday Style is a Christmas-themed line, etc. Regardless of the line's theme, one of the fantastic things about every October Afternoon product line is that many basic and beautiful patterns are included that make each line incredibly versatile. With that in mind, today we are challenging you to choose one product line and use it to make two projects - one focused on the line's main theme and the other focused on thinking outside of the line's main theme.

Danni decided to take on this challenge with the new Woodland Park line, which has a spring-y, outdoors-y theme. This is what Danni had to say, "I absolutely love the Woodland Park line. I can see creating lots of spring cards, birthday cards, mother’s day cards and beautiful friendship cards." Danni did just that, creating this gorgeous spring card:

Danni went on to say, "But when I saw the cuuuute bunnies on this journal card, I just had to create a baby card. There are so many uses and possibilities and 'thinking outside the box' will be so much fun with this new, fabulous line."

Don't you just love those cute cottontails Danni added to the journaling card? Here's a closer look at those:

For this week's challenge, I chose to work with the new Cakewalk line. Cakewalk is a birthday-themed line so I started by making a birthday card showcasing the main theme of this line:

Next, I put on my "non-birthday lens" and looked for the possibilities with this line. The fun pink patterns and cute animals jumped out at me so I grabbed my heart punch and a couple of stick pins and this love-themed card was born (I think this would be fun to sneak into my daughter's lunchbox sometime this week!):

We'd love to see your "theme/un-theme" projects! If you take on this challenge, please post your work to our October Afternoon Flickr Gallery for all to see!