The Teacher Gifts Continue!

I am so thrilled and excited to be taking my first online card class!  Especially this one ... Pattern Play!  I have so much patterned paper that I've collected from my scrapbook days, and then even more during my card-making days ... it's crazy!  I am so excited to be taking a class that can help me use up some of that pretty paper.

I originally bought this patterned paper to make some notecards for my DD's teacher who is Italian, into cooking, and has a cooking-themed classroom.  I am so thankful for the Pattern Play class because I was able to make 5 cards to gift to our wonderful teacher with this paper, when otherwise it probably would have continued to sit until the year was over and time ran out!  My 10-yr old DD even insisted on making a card using the Class 5 paper-weaving lesson.

The first class lesson I was trying to apply was to utilize a few different patterns of paper together using the "Bold, Basic, Blah" tip from Amber.  Here is the first card made (and my least favorite as well - haha!):

I used the edge inking technique on some of the layers, and popped up the sentiment with dimensionals.

The first card took me three days to finally complete.  Yikes!  I found my biggest roadblock was coming up with sketches that would play well with multiple paper patterns.  I did some online searches and looked through the inspiration folder on my computer.  I picked out a few designs I liked and then tried to apply them with my supplies.  It worked!  I had a creative spurt and made the bulk of the next 3 cards in one day, finishing with sewing and button details the following day.

My card above was inspired by the design of this card by Ashley Cannon Newell. 

My card above was inspired by the design of this card by Debbie Olson.

The next card uses a bit of vellum over my pattern paper to help make the sentiment stand out, rather than get lost in the pattern - a technique taught in Class 3.

My card above was inspired by the design of this card by Leigh Penner.

This next card is the one that DD insisted on making.  She really wanted to try out the paper weaving technique shown in the Class 5 video, so I guided her through the process, although, I'd say she made about 80% of the card, including some of the sewing!
She stamped the tone-on-tone background pattern, made the paper-woven block, sewed on the two long sides of the block, and picked out the button colors.  I just guided her along, sewed the two short sides (so that I could turn the corners for her), and stamped the sentiment.  I love how it turned out!  Hopefully her teacher will too.  :)

The card above was also inspired by Leigh Penner's card here.  I love Leigh's cards.  She has a real gift for incorporating patterned papers onto her cards!

I'll be posting more class projects soon.  Thanks ever so much for stopping by!