Butterfly Embroidery

Hello everyone!

Every January, I make a butterfly-themed craft. In the past, I made a butterfly wall hanging, a butterfly scent sachet, and even a butterfly watercolor painting.

It's my way to remember and honor my Mom who passed away in January 31, 2017.

This year, I made this butterfly embroidery:

I found the butterfly pattern from an embroidery book and I transferred it on fabric using carbon/graphite paper.

I mounted the fabric on an embroidery hoop.

With a needle and black embroidery thread, I used the back stitch and followed the outline.

For every stitch, I said a prayer for my Mom and told her I missed her. And on some stitches, I recalled my fondest memories with her.

Sewing was meditative with a mix of happy and sad feelings.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. For now, I'm satisfied with just an outline but I can fill in the spaces with colored embroidery thread later on. It can be a work in progress, just like grief and healing.

I've hung it on my wall. It will always remind me of my Mom and that her life is "just changed, not ended" because she will always be in my heart and my memories.

If you need some healing, why not take up an art or a craft? It may just turn your current state from blah to TADA!

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Learning Lettering: Illuminated Letters

How's it going lovely people?

One of the crafts I am thoroughly into is lettering. I still love writing notes, lists and greeting cards. But over time, I find that my penmanship is lacking legibility, even I can't read my own handwriting!

Lettering allows me to pay attention to each letter, the spacing, the sizing and the flourishes. That's why I try to learn new techniques that range from calligraphy, hand lettering, brush lettering, using stencils and more calligraphy.

I found this book, "Calligraphy and Lettering: A Maker's Guide," at the library. It gives an insight to the various forms of calligraphy, a short history of each and how they were used at that time. For example, Gothic Script, which was popular in Western Europe during the 12th to 16th centuries, was used mainly for prayer books. 

A particular kind of lettering that I've been curious about are the capitals and initials. You've seen these before in children's books or fancy novels where the first letter of the first word is a sophisticated capital letter, sometimes with elaborate designs surrounding it. I feel it turns a simple page from blah to TADA! 

And as if that wasn't enough, how about illuminated letters -- the practice of decorating text or images with gold or silver. I guess that was their version of "bring on the bling."

What I like about the book is that it has easy projects where one can apply these lettering techniques. I'm trying out the illuminated bookmark. 

Good thing the book provided a template. So here's what I did:

(1) Trace the template using tracing paper and a pencil.

(2) Transfer the image onto cardstock. I sandwiched a sheet of carbon paper/graphite paper in between the image sheet and a piece of cardstock. I used a paperclip at the top to hold everything in place, then I traced the image with a pencil. I checked if all the details transferred clearly on the cardstock before dismantling the layers of paper.

If you don't have carbon paper/graphite paper, here's another technique: turn over the tracing paper and, with a pencil, go over the lines using dark, heavy strokes. Flip the tracing paper and lay it on card stock or watercolor paper and tape it in place. Trace the design with a pencil (the pencil marks at the back should transfer onto the cardstock). Remove the tape and the template and go over the lines that you might have missed. 

In case there are unwanted pencil marks, remove them with an eraser. Then trim the cardstock into a bookmark shape with a pair of scissors.

I used watercolor to fill in the spaces, referring frequently to the book for the correct shades.

The corners of the letter S are gilded in gold. Traditionally, gold leaf or silver leaf is used. But since I didn't have that on hand, I'm using gold foil from a chocolate wrapper (I cleaned it with a damp towel to remove any chocolate stains and let it dry before using).

I cut the gold foil into small triangles and attached these to the cardstock with glue. I even made small circles (with a hole punch) to add more faux gold leaf around the vines.

Define the edges with a fine point marker. Let this dry for a few minutes.

Here is my first attempt at illuminated letters. It's also how I turned plain cardstock and gold-foil chocolate wrapper from blah to TADA!

I'll leave you with this quote from the book. As they say, "Start where you are, use what you have and do what you can." 

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Make Your Own Envelopes

How very nice to see you today! I've been rummaging through my paper stash and I found this:

It's an old grocery flyer. I particularly like the design of this one: old school clip art and very witty product descriptions. Give it new life as scrapbook paper or make your own stationery! Here, let me show you...

First, I'm making envelopes using a template (you can find the tutorial to make your own envelope template here). 

Trace the envelope template on the paper.

Then cut around the lines you made to make the envelope.

Fold the three sides (bottom end) and glue them together.

Our envelope is taking shape...TADA!

Make as many envelopes as you need (I used all the pages of the flyer).

The notecard is made of card stock and some brush lettering. You may likewise embellish with rubber stamps, wax seals, stickers and craft punch cutouts. The possibilities are endless!

After you've written the note, seal the envelope with glue and decorate the flap with washi tape.

Use sticker labels for the sender's and recipient's information and add the proper postage. 

And this is how I turned an old flyer from blah to TADA! Don't you think it's creative way to recycle paper and to cheer up a friend?

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A New Use for Old Calendars

Do you still use paper calendars? 

I keep one in my office to track deadlines and reminders. I like that I can immediately see the whole month in a glance. Apart from its utilitarian purpose, I'm partial to calendars with dreamy photos (like a faraway beach or a majestic mountain range) and whimsical illustrations. 

This is an old calendar by Rifle Paper Co. (they produce a new version every year). On each month, there's a playful map of a city. Some, I've been lucky enough to have visited:

And others that I still dream of crossing off my travel list:

I chose one city that holds a special place in my heart:

What's not to love about Rome? The hearty food, the decadent gelato, the historic sites, breathtaking churches, and the stunning landscapes...okay, you caught me drooling there. But I do love Rome!

So I chose this print and cut out the calendar part. 

I got this picture frame at the dollar store. I like it for the price and it's made of two pieces of glass, not the typical glass and wood combination.

I removed the label and prepped the picture frame by spraying it with glass cleaner to remove fingerprints and dust. Allow the glass to dry.

To center the print on the frame, here's a little trick: I use a ruler to find the midpoint of the glass and mark it with a piece of washi tape. I do the same with the print and mark the back side with a pencil. Line up the washi tape and the pencil mark to make sure the print is centered on the frame. 

This tip is important if you plan to have bare borders around your print once it's in the picture frame. You can add some tape to keep the print in place. Sandwich the print in between the two pieces of glass and remove the washi tape markers.

Mount the glass on the frame and display it where you'll see it everyday. Put it up solo or assemble a gallery wall like these:

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via The Creativity Exchange

That is just one way we can turn old calendars from blah to TADA!

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The Joy of Journaling

Happy New Year and happy new journals!

I know that I'm not the only one with a deep obsession with notebooks and journals. Many of you are, too. I welcome all kinds but these have been my favorite for the past few years: Moleskine, Shinola, and Leuchtturm (pronounced this way). They're a little pricier but it's a tiny luxury that I use daily and helps with my productivity as a Bullet Journal.

As you can see, I've amassed quite a number over the years:

Maybe you have notebooks, too, but are intimidated by the blank page.

Not too long ago, I joined the wise writer and artist Morgan Harper Nichols on Instagram Live where she talked about this very subject.

Morgan Haper Nichols says journals symbolize that we are present in the moment. She recommends that we set an intention when starting one (ex. fill the pages). She also says, "Remember that this is not a place for perfection but a place where I can be for the moment."

Here are her suggestions on how to fill the page:

Write down your observations (ex. I am wearing a sweater, I can hear the cars outside, I can smell my coffee).

Start a gratitude list.

Make a dream list. These are not goals (goals are for grown-ups). This list is for the 6 year old you (ex. build a lego castle, make up your own board game, try out 40 different kinds of chocolate) to keep childhood wonder alive.

Fill the page with doodles (ex. flowers, hearts, write in cursive or bubble letters). Break the rules and have fun in small ways. You don't always have to have the right words.

Here's another version of "doodling" this time using a bunch of rubber stamps and ink pads. My most cherished rubber stamps when I was a kid were these Little Twin Star stamps that I would decorate notebooks and stationery with:

via e-bay

Sigh. I wish I took better care of this. But my love for rubber stamps has not diminished. I still love collecting them for various craft projects like Bible journaling, block printing, and gift wrapping...TADA!  

I guarantee that filling a whole page is not only fun but also meditative.

Morgan Harper Nichols encourages us to journal to "Keep that sense of hope alive."

May you fill your notebooks with things that bring you joy -- today and when you look back years from now.

Thank you for stopping by and see you again next week!