Friday Focus - Laces and Ribbons

It is Cec here and today I am presenting the Friday Focus and this time it is about lace and ribbon.

This is our opportunity to share with you ideas, tips and techniques for using a specific product or range currently available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Those products will have an extra 15% discount added through June 8th!

This time I am going to show you a few projects I have made that may not have lots of techniques but should provide you with some inspiration.

First up I have made a simple card with a wedding gown.

I found this freebie template online at Gem's Cottage Blog, brought it into Word, printed it on some card stock and cut it out.  Tip:  To make it easier to cut out, decide which side you want your gown to be on the card and then flip it horizontally in Word before you print it so you have a clear line for cutting that won't show when you flip it back over on your card.

The next step was to cover the gown cutout with a wet adhesive using your fingers or a credit card to get right to the edges and then cover it with some fabric.  I used a scrap of old drapery sheers that has a bit of a slub in it.  This fabric is never going to run out there is so much of it.

I turned the edges of the fabric and adhered it to the back of the card stock, making sure to clip every 1/4" on the curves.  I made a skirt overlay from some tulle and added that onto some double-sided tape at the waist, gathering as I went.  Then I set about to decorate my dress with bits of lace and sparkly gems.  Tip:  Don't throw out even the smallest pieces of lace because they can be so useful.

I printed a piece of blue card stock with a sentiment and then decided the plain blue card didn't have enough life for my lovely dress.  I found the printed vellum in my stash and thought it would make a nice wrap for the card but I wasn't sure it would go through my printer so I just added it to the outside before I added the gown.  I wish I had a second piece because now the sentiment is rather lost but you get the idea.  I only glued it along the spine of the card so it can be moved to view the sentiment.

Next I made a shabby card.  There are no process photos here but I will describe how I made it.

I started with some shimmery white card stock as the blank and then added a panel of silver glitter paper that was in my stash.  I added a panel of paper from the Maja Designs pad called Coffee in the Arbor that was distressed and then inked on the edges with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.  I curled one side over to reveal that pattern on the back.  Tip:  To ensure that this stays put use a Heavy Gel Medium to adhere it - double sided tape is not strong enough.

A strip of lace topped with some silver crochet ribbon was added next.  I fussy cut some roses that I printed and added them with some dimensional foam tape.  I cut a wooden flourish in half, painted it silver and added that next.

I made a bow from some sheer white ribbon and topped it with a filigree metal piece.  A stamped sentiment edges with Worn Lipstick DI and a punched butterfly were added along with a few pearls.

Lace and ribbons make great additions to feminine cards, cards for Valentine's Day or even for a wedding.

Finally I made a little Christmas wall hanging chock full of lace with some added ribbon.

I started by cutting a piece of mat board 5" x 7" and drilling two holes in the top.  Tip:  If you make this a little smaller, it would make a great tree Ornament.

Since I had decided I was going with a very vintage look with a neutral palette I dyed a bunch of pieces of lace in some tea.  Tip:  Test a small piece of lace to determine how much colour you want to give it.  If you want it darker you can always reheat your tea in the microwave and start again. 

I used two tea bags in boiled water and left it to steep for about 5 minutes but it was too dark for my liking even after I ran it through some clear water so I added a small amount of bleach to water and left the lace in for a couple minutes.

Once I had a colour I liked, I painted the mat board with some Folk Art Country Twill acrylic paint, which was the closest in colour to my dyed lace.

The next step was to layer dyed lace, white lace and burlap ribbon that I cut in half to cover the mat board.  I also added a couple strips of some fuzzy fibers from my stash.  Tip:  Start at the bottom and work your way up, overlapping as you go much like the shingles on a roof.

I printed a freebie image from Linda, The Funkie Junkie, distressed the edges and inked them with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink before I adhered them with dimensional foam strips.  Next I made a big bow and added that followed by a hanger made of macrame cord (your eyes did not deceive you - I said macrame).  Sometimes it pays to be a craft hoarder - LOL.

I hope I have inspired you to add lace and ribbon to your projects.