Gretchen Barron

It's Back to Spool Time at Stampin' Up!

Back to 'Spool' Promotion   Promotion Details: While the kids are heading back to school, Stampin' Up! is going back to 'spool'! For the month of September, get a FREE package of 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon-an $8.95 value-for every $40 you spend!   Click on the Shopping Mouse Icon in the right-hand sidebar of this post to order from my online store or e-mail me at gbarron56@comcast.net for assistance in placing your order! Don't miss out on this FABULOUS offer!   Choose from the Following:   126848 Gumball Green 126847 Midnight Muse 236944 Primrose Petals 126845 Raspberry Ripple 126846 Summer Starfruit

What to do with Ribbon Scraps?

Hello everyone! Please tell me I'm not the only one that has a container like this!

 

Ribbon scraps ... thousands of them! Little pieces left over from hundreds of projects completed in the past 5 years.

 

Whenever I have scraps of ribbon left, I just put them in this jar. Problem is ... the jar is full and running over!

 

And so I decided to create some cards that would help me use up some of these scraps.

 

Now, with this many scraps, I could create a hundred of these cards and probably still not make much of a dent in my Ribbon Scrap Jar. But it does give me a certain feeling of satisfaction knowing that I'm trying to reduce, reuse and recycle!

 

My inspiration for all three cards today came from cards that I saw posted on Pinterest. I've done my best to track down the creator of each original card. Some of the ribbon used is non SU and much of it is retired from years past (do you see some old favorites?).

 

My inspiration for this card was created by Amy Wanford. The cardstock colors are Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White. The ribbon scraps are all various shades of yellow and orange. The stamp set is Pursuit of Happiness. I used the 2.5" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch and 1/2" Circle Punch along with the Big Shot and the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder. I also used a few Basic Rhinestones for a little bling!

 

I laid strips of ribbon onto the embossed mat, and just kept sub-dividing until the entire circle was filled in. The large circle is punched with the 2.5" Circle punch and is attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Card Base is 5.25" square. I think this is a fun, sunny card!

 

This inspiration for this second card was created by Kristina Werner.

 

I used Night of Navy and Crumb Cake cardstocks. I cut out the heart with the Big Shot and the Heart Collection Framelets. After cutting, I traced the heart shape onto the Night of Navy layer so I had an outline of exactly where I needed to place the ribbon. Ribbon was applied using SNAIL adhesive.

 

I laid the ribbon in strips diagonally until my heart was filled in. I added stitches with a White Gel Pen and attached a few little buttons with  Crystal Effects. The sentiment is from the retiring stamp set Heard from the Heart. The Card Base is 5.25" square. This card has a cute, homespun look. It was quick and simple to pull together and definitely a fun technique to keep in your toolbox!

 

And finally, one more Ribbon Scrap Card to share with you today! This one was inspired by a card created by Michelle Andrews on Stampin' Connection. The original actually used strips of DSP rather than ribbon.

 

I wanted something bright and bold for a birthday and tried to select ribbon scraps that fit the bill.

 

The Card Base is 4.25 x 5.5" and cardstock colors are Real Red, Crumb Cake and Whisper White. The stamp set is the retiring Hostess set called Happiest Birthday Wishes. I colored directly on the rubber with Stampin' Write Markers. I tied off the ribbon with a red Glimmer Brad. I think the finished card is happy and fun!

 

Well, I hope I've challenged you to pull out some of your ribbon scraps and put them to good use! This was a fun project and it's always so gratifying to use up scraps for cards!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you'll come back soon for more ideas and inspiration!

 

 

 

 

 

Faux Embossed Silk Meets Frayed Ribbon!

I must say, when I go down to my stamping room, especially in the wee hours of the morning, what happens in the creative process is truly an amazing thing. This is MY time -- to play, to try new things, to work through my frustrations and grief and pain, even to pray. For me, when I really give myself over to the creative process, it becomes a truly spiritual moment. This is exactly what happened this morning as I sat down, really with no idea of what I wanted to create. I had an idea to try the Faux Silk Technique of a few weeks ago, using the new Sweet Stem Embosslet from Stampin' Up! (available when the new catalog is released on January 19th). I thought the embossing might add a nice touch and give dimension to the Faux Silk Technique. This is the card I came up with! As you can see, the creative process also took me to revisit the Frayed Ribbon technique that I've shared on previous posts. I had no idea where I was going with this when I sat down this morning but I really like what came out. Stamping is such great therapy for me and when it produces something that I can share with others, it becomes even more rewarding!

You can see here how I applied the Embosslet shapes to the Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper, using an Anywhere Glue Stick. I crumpled up a bit of tissue paper (a great way to recycle what would normally be thrown in the trash) and then smoothed it out over the glued-up DSP (click on photos for larger images). After smoothing carefully, especially around the embossed pieces, I trimmed the edges and adhered them to the back side of the DSP with SNAIL adhesive.

 

I created the tassle using the Frayed Ribbon Technique and wrapped the top with Silver Metallic Cord (still available in the Holiday Mini Catalog until January 18th) and embellished with a clear bead from the Pretties Kit. I attached this to the heart image, from Love You Much, with a silver eyelet. The heart was stamped onto DSP with Chocolate Chip Craft Ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I attached 1" Double-Stitched Chocolate Chip Ribbon and 1/4" Rose Red Grosgrain Ribbon and then attached the embellished heart using Stampin' Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Warm Words (I'm so glad this set is NOT retiring), stamped with Chocolate chip Craft ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.

The entire Faux Silk piece was then mounted on a layer of Chocolate chip cardstock and then mounted on the larger layer of DSP using Stampin' Dimensionals. The edges of the DSP were inked with Chocolate Chip Classic ink.

This final picture shows some of the dimension of the card.

Well, I need to go for now. Stop by again soon to see where my next creative time will take me. I hope I was able to offer some inspiration for you today as you give yourself to your own creative process!

Blessings, Gretchen

Frayed Ribbon Techniques -- continued from Previous Post

Warning - read through Frayed Ribbon Technique One before you work with Technique Two! Now I'm going to show you another way to fray the ribbon that is possibly a bit easier and doesn't involve tying your knot first. Here is a project using that technique. This was made using the new Sizzix Stampin' Up! Exclusive Die called Baskets and Blooms (available September 2nd). For this I used the Bella Rose Double Sided Designer Paper and Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon. Isn't this little basket adorable? And it's so simple and quick to make using the new Sizzix Big Shot available from Stampin' Up! beginning September 2nd (did I already mention that - LOL).

Frayed Ribbon Technique Two

Step 1 -- Assemble your supplies. Step 2 -- again, find the end of the ribbon that frays easily and begin pulling slowly and steady until Step 3-- you have completely separated all the ribbon fibers. Step 4 -- there you see that fuzzy hunk of ribbon fiber that your cats and kids will love (throw it away, quick). Step 5 -- Using a narrow ribbon or thread (I used a piece of our Linen Thread),

tie a very tight knot in the center of your frayed fibers. Cinch it down really tightly as this will be the only things that will keep those tiny fibers together. If you lose some fibers in the process, don't try to put them back in, just throw them away. Step 6 -- reinforce your knot a couple of times. Step 7 -- attach to your project, tying the ends of the thread around the Basket Handle to attach. Step 8 -- add embellishments as desired!

Here's a photo of another project where I frayed the ribbon this way. This mini pizza box (another project for another day) was made with Bordering Blue and So Saffron Cardstock and stamped with the swirl from Baroque Motifs. I frayed the So Saffron ribbon and laid it across the top of the box, adhering it with scotch tape. I adhered the large flower from the Pretties Kit (dyed with Bordering Blue re-inkers) with dimensionals and then embellished with the stamped flower, a Build a Brad and a large half-back pearl from the Pretties kit. Who wouldn't love to get a little present or gift card inside this darling box?

Here's another little technique that you can do with ribbon. For this card, I dyed both the ribbon and the Pretties Kit flowers using re-inkers and an Aqua Pen. You can dye it so that you get even color, or, if you use multiple colors and apply the ink randomly, you can get this lovely variegated effect. I think this is so pretty. Make sure the ribbon and flowers dry thoroughly before you use them. This card was created with Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Lovely Lilac and Whisper White Cardstock. I wheeled on the background image using the It's Beautiful Jumbo Wheel and making three passes, one with each ink color. The sentiment is from Absolutely Fabulous (one of my favorites) and the silk flowers are attached with dimensionals and embellished with Rhinestone Circle Brads.

I have one last ribbon project to share with you today. This cute little box was one of our Make and Take projects at Convention in July. The brown polka dot paper is from the Bella Rose Double Sided Designer Paper set. The vine image on the background is from the Eastern Blooms stamp set. It was stamped using Pink Pirouette ink and cardstock. This ribbon is the brand new 1 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon available only in Pirouette Pink. To make the rosette, baste a long running stitch along one long edge of your ribbon using a needle and Linen Thread. Pull the thread tightly to gather the ribbon and tie securely. Run a thin line of Tombo Multi-Adhesive all around the edge of your ribbon rosette and then dip in Chunky Silver Glitter for a little "bling". The center medallion is from the Hidden Garden Rub-ons and it is finished off with a circle Rhinestone Brad. This was a new technique for me but definitely one that I will use again and again!

OK, before I forget -- there is another contest today - YEAH -- more prizes! To enter this contest, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me which of Stampin' Up! great ribbons (new or old) you like best and feel free to share ribbon techniques that you love to use. Deadline for submission is noon on Friday, August 15th, when my daughter will randomly draw a number that corresponds to one of the posts. I will send the winner a sampler which includes 1 yard of each of the 8 colors in the 5/8" ribbon collection -- Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Bravo Burgundy, Real Red, Regal Rose, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery and Old Olive. That will give you some ribbon to start practicing your fraying techniques! But you can't win, if you don't enter. So leave a comment on this post and, if you haven't yet done so, leave comments on the contest posts from the previous days. One more day of contests -- humm ... I wonder what tomorrow will hold. Check back to see! Blessings, Gretchen

It's All About The Ribbon!

Hello everyone! As I promised yesterday, today's theme will focus on ribbon techniques. A few months ago, I started playing around with a fraying ribbon technique that was shown (but not really described) last spring on the ' Up! cruise to Bermuda (I wasn't there -- I just saw pictures). Well, everyone went crazy and people have been asking me since, "how do you do that?". And so, here today I have finally created some photo tutorials to answer all your questions. Here's the first project we're going to work on today. Isn't this a darling card? It was designed by my upline, Judi Carpenter, as one of the SWAP cards that she took to convention. Thank you, Judi, for coming up with such a darling card and perfect way to showcase this frayed ribbon technique. The card is stamped using the new Party Hearty set; Basic Black, Regal Rose and Whisper White Cardstock; 1/4" Black Grosgrain ribbon and 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon; Tombo Multi-Adhesive and Chunky White Glitter; and dimensionals.

Ok, here we go ...

Frayed Ribbon Technique One

(click for larger image) Step 1 -- Assemble your supplies. Step 2 -- tie a simple overhand knot and cinch it down as tight as you can get it. Step 3 -- Make sure the ends of your ribbon are cut square (not diagonal, like we usually do) and find the end of the ribbon which will fray easily. Because of the weave of the ribbon, one end will fray fairly easily and the other won't at all (it will pucker and knot up). Experiment with both ends by gently pulling the threads straight out. Once you've found the end that frays easily, then go for it. Keep pulling, steady and slow, until you've frayed it all the way up to the knot that you tied in Step 2. You will end up with a big, fluffy clump of ribbon fiber that you want to make sure and dispose of before it is found by your child or your cat (I speak from experience here). Simply clip that tiny fiber to separate it from your half-completed frayed ribbon! Step 4 -- now we begin working on the other side of your frayed ribbon, the side that wouldn't pull so easily (or not at all). Using your sharp Paper Snips, trim off one of the selvage edges of the ribbon, all the way to the knot. When you have trimmed it as far as you can, snip the selvage off and throw it away. Step 5 -- Slowly and gently, begin pulling the long threads (or fibers) away from the ribbon. They should pull away and slip out of the cross threads fairly easily but work slowly so you don't get tangles.

 

Step 6 -- keep pulling slowly until you have pulled as much from the remaining selvage edge as possible. Step 7 -- Pull the remaining selvage edge tightly away from the knot and clip it with your Paper Snips. Step 8-- you will be left with this "eyelash" looking piece which I'm sure I can figure out something to do with on a future post - LOL. Step 9-- attach your frayed ribbon to your project using Mini Glue Dots. An alternative method (which is what we did with this card) is to tie your ribbon around another piece of ribbon that is adhered to your card BEFORE you go through the fraying process. This is a little more tricky so I recommend practicing at least once the way I showed you in the tutorial before you branch off using it other ways. Once you get the hang of pulling the threads, you will love this technique and it really does go quickly.