Mariposa Magic!

I was asked by many readers of my blog to publish a tutorial for the Fireworks card. So, here it is, with slight modifications, a step-by-step guide for this rich pop-up technique.

1. The first thing I did was to stamp LOTS of these pretty butterflies from a Stampendous! stamp set. The ink pads are by Colorbox, and I think it’s a lovely collection. The color range goes from soft pink to coral and bordeaux, it’s not too sweet and matches lots of my favorite paper packs. A little beginner’s stamping tip: if you’re using the same stamp with several different ink shades, and – like me 😉 – you are too lazy to clean it after each stamping, I suggest following these rules: never use a light shade after a dark shade (but the other way around) so the ink pad won’t get dirty. Second rule- never mix colors (red after blue, yellow after green, etc.). I followed these rules and used each stamp starting with the lightest shade, then stamped with a little darker shade and so on. Once dried, I cut the butterflies with an x-acto knife. Some will be used on this card, some on a future project.

2. Now, choose your exterior and interior papers for the card.

3. Measure and score the exterior paper. I made the card 12X17 cm (to fit a 13X18 cm envelope). Important! Measure your card with an extra 1/2 cm, and score the center fold as shown to create a double fold (like the cover of a thin book). The reason for doing this is that the card is very thick, with lots of layers of paper.

4. Take the interior paper and turn it on it’s back. Now, I measured the paper on each side 11.5X16 cm, to eventually receive a 1/2 cm border between the interior and exterior papers. I added to that calculation 6 extra cm, to create 3 dividers in the middle of the card. If you’re confused at this point, continue reading- I think the next steps and pictures will clear it out for you.

5. Fold the scored paper so you’ll receive an “accordion” as shown in the picture (notice that the paper is facing UP here).

6. Turn the interior paper on it’s back again and glue the folded “valleys”. I held the glued dividers with clips, to make sure they’ll stick firmly.

7. Glue the interior paper to the exterior one. You will obtain the complete base of the card, with three small dividers in the middle.

8. I wanted to create a paper meadow, so I cut different green card stocks and some patterned paper, in the shape of grass stems. When I made the Fireworks card, I used several patterned papers which made a colorful and busy background. Here, because the butterflies are colorful and detailed, I preferred to keep a solid background.

9. Start assembling the grass stems onto the card, gradually. Pay attention to depth and composition, using the different dividers on their back and front.

10. Decision time! If you’re going to use punched (rather than stamped) decorative elements, you can have the card open 180 degrees, with the central elements standing perpendicular to the card (as shown below). In that case- make sure you use only double-sided patterned papers (and that whatever is on the other side works for your color combo). If you’re stamping the images, read the next steps.

11. Glue both far ends of the dividers to each other and to the side of the card. Hold it tight until the glue dries. Use a strong glue and make sure it doesn’t detach when opening the card.

12. The card is now ready for placing the butterflies in the grass. Use the layers and height of the card well, glue the stamped images below, in front and between the grass stems, to enhance the richness and depth.

13. Done!!!

Have fun with it and be creative!
ShirA

Our DIY wedding

We did it! Friday noon’s ceremony was beautiful, the weather was sweet and the food was amazing. I worked quite hard on this one, and was very thrilled about how nice everything came out. I’m happy to share all the little details with you.
I’m warning you! This is a LONG post with lots of photos…

I found several fabrics in my chosen purple and green color scheme. From these fabrics I sewed about 30 pillows, to mix and match on the white sofas I rented for the wedding. When it comes to mixing colors and patterns, I believe there are two ground rules to make it work: 1. The colors need to be harmonious and “work” well with each other. To make sure I’m on the right track, I kept a tiny box with samples of the fabrics I found in my handbag, so whenever I saw an additional fabric or item (or even the flowers) it would be right on the spot. 2. REPETITION! if you have only one pillow of a certain fabric, only one pot of flowers with a certain glaze, it will create no impact. Repetition gives every designed decision weight and value. As much as I love eclectic style for homes, I think event design should have lots of repetitions to make it coherent.

To guide our guests all the way to the back yard, I hung a string all along the path and decorated it with black and white photos. The photos were sorted by date (with 5 years gaps- 1975, 1980, 1985…), showing my husband and I from our childhood and up to that (special :)) day. Some of the photos were originally in color, so I transformed them to B/W using Photoshop. Then, after printing them at a local shop, I glued all the pictures to a white heavy-weight card-stock to prevent them from curving and twisting while hung.

At the Entrance and at few other spots there were signs welcoming the guests. I made “Shira & Ari’s Wedding” and placed it at the front of the house, this “Welcome” sign, “Thanks for coming” and more. To cut the letters I printed the desired font in mirror writing and glued it to the back of patterned paper. Then, with a sharp craft knife I cut each and every letter out… It’s a shame that there is no selection of cutting dies with Hebrew fonts.

The Morning of the wedding I had my good friends Yael and Noam (for the muscle) hanging things up, decorating and doing all the last touch-ups in the garden, while I was very busy with hair and make-up. I must say, I would have never been able to pull it off without them!
The whole garden was decorated with paper lanterns of various sizes, hung from the trees with green satin ribbon.

I offered our guests to cool themselves with bamboo and white paper fans. I painted the basket white to match the rest of the decor, and made a little “take me” sign from chipboard covered with patterned paper, spelled out in Thickers by American Crafts.

I sewed these runners to give a better contrast to the decorative white frames. In display, I placed black and white photos from the weddings of our parents, grandparents and even some great-grandparents. It was so touching to go through all these photos and discover some that I haven’t seen before.

Instead of having only flower arrangements, I added some turquoise and deep-purple glazed pots, and bought plants that served the overall scheme. The pots added to the homey feeling of the event, the plants are cheaper than flowers and will last to bring joy for a long time. It was also a nice souvenir for my parents, who hosted the wedding at their garden.

I made all the flower arrangements, a few large bouquets and a few smaller ones, in bell shaped glass vases, for the dining tables. The wooden tables were covered only by striped runners, which I sewed from a lovely white and green fabric.
I also made my own bride’s bouquet, which I loved! I covered the gripping part with wide grey-ish purple satin ribbon.

This was my favorite part! I’ve made the purple screen both to give a decent contrast to the comic-book style text balloons, but also to create a specified area for this fun activity. The background screen is decorated with whimsical paper garlands (sewing paper in the machine is fun!). So, instead of having a regular guest book, we had our guest leaving us some funny messages! I’ve cut the balloons in two different sizes from plywood using a jigsaw, then painted them with special classroom blackboards paint. I placed the balloons in a basket, along with white, green and purple chalks, and purple wiping cloth (made out of cushions fabric leftovers). The small table was also covered with the same white and sage-green striped fabric.

We had the best time ever, it was so relaxed, beautiful and exciting, that it’s hard to describe. We were so thankful to have such an amazing day, so thankful for our family, friends, love and good luck.

I wish you all a wonderful week!
ShirA

Fireworks!

Let me start by saying I’ve just won my first blog-candy! Yeah! The lovely Tamar from the Tamari*s Place blog gave away some goodies to celebrate her blog’s (and HER) birthday. She is a creative young woman and her blog is full of great crafty ideas!

I KNOW I promised a what-I-made-for-my-wedding post. But while I wait for the photographer’s shots, let me share this next card with you. I made it for my sister Mika, for her birthday. It’s a flat sort of pop-up, but it’s very full and rich. Most of the papers I used are by Basic Grey.

Have a nice day,

ShirA