Gramichama berry harvest

My gramichama tree is bearing for the first time this year.  It was worth waiting for.

Making Christmas cards

After a period of inactivity, I've found some energy and have been making Christmas cards.  Loving my Cuttlebug and Pazzles Inspiration cutter. Here's some pics.

Thanks to the members of the Yahoo Pazzles Inspiration Group who shared their Christmas pudding and reindeer cutting files.  The gingerbread men came from the Pazzles image gallery.  I created the cutting files for the snowflakes, poinsettia and Christmas stocking myself with my Pazzles.    Gabby

More teabag folds

I've learnt some new (to me) teabag folds lately.  The second one is called heartwheel fold; the third is called petal ring fold (both from Australian Teabag Folding by Darren Scott).  The other two did not have names.

Elegant ladies cards

1920s ladies cards

Edwardian ladies cards



Butterfly cards

Butterfly cards I made, thanks to beautiful butterfly graphics provided by http://www.crafticious.blogspot.com/

IRIS FOLDING - champagne glasses

Here is my entry for the March 2012 challenge on the CONGRATULATIONS theme on http://cardadayblog.blogspot.com.au/p/challenges.html

Apertures and glass stems cut with Pazzles Inspiration Cutter.

Bubbles punched in two sizes from shiny, metallic wrapping paper.

Iris folding done with shiny, metallic wrapping paper.

TEABAG FOLDING - idea for using Arrow Fold

After I showed the ladies at craft how to do the arrow fold, one of them - Andrea - came up with this design for a lovely fan card.  It uses just 5 pieces of the arrow fold.  Add a piece of paper doiley, little bow, etc., and voila!

TEABAG FOLDING - Playing with the waterbomb base

Waterbomb base

The fold in this card was made with the basic origami waterbomb base (AKA squashed triangle fold).
Needs 8 small squares of paper. With wrong sides together, fold on the diagonal. Open up and fold on the other diagonal. Open up again. With right sides together, fold in half across the horizontal. Open up and fold in half on the other horizontal. Open up.
Pinch one corner together with the right hand; at the same time, pinch the opposite corner with the left hand.  Then squash it together into a triangle.

(Diagram from origami-resource-center.com)

From here, you can take it further and make a variety of different folds.

Below are some of them:

Start with the basic rosette, then fold each loose flap up to a right angle, put a toothpick inside right down to the centre, then neatly squash down.

This fold looks nice combined with a larger fold.  In this photo, I have combined it with a petal fold (from 'Australian Teabag Folding' by Darren Scott).









Basketweave fold

Start with the basic waterbomb base (squashed triangle).  Fold the two top flaps (right and left sides) in half and press to the back. Make 8 pieces in total and assemble them to make a rosette - separating and slotting the flaps. Visit http:/www.goldapete.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/basketweave-teabag-fold/  for visual instructions.

A nice Christmas tree can be made with 10 pieces of this fold, folding the top flaps either to the front or the back (see instructions at http://www.cardinspirations.co.uk/demo/teabag1.htm).

-o0o-

Notes: I like to glue the pieces together as I make them.  This way the glue is dry by the time the next piece is folded.

For an interesting effect, choose two pieces each of four different colours or four pieces each of two different colours. Suggestion: When using four colours, to prevent getting mixed up when gluing together, place the eight pieces on the table in colour order.

The following variations all start with the basic squashed triangle (waterbomb base), but they are assembled differently. When using 4 colours, colours 1 and 3 will be the colours showing on top; colours 2 and 4 will be at the back; when using 2 colours, colour 1 will show on top and colour 2 will be at the back. Here’s how:

Glue the first pieces 1 and 2 together, placing the back flap of no. 2 at the back of no. 1 and its front flap between the front and back flap of no. 1.




Glue first piece 3 to piece 2, placing its back flap between the flaps of no. 2; the front flap comes to the front. Then glue piece 4 to piece 3 in the same manner as piece 2.

Continue gluing all the pieces in order in this fashion.

In other words, alternate them, bringing one to the front; the next to the back, all the way around.



This is what it will look like using two colours.



NOW YOU CAN START PLAYING.

Variation 1

Fold the left and right sides of all four top pieces in half, pressing them behind. Press very well.

Variation 2

On all four top pieces, turn in the left and right sides to the centre line. They will look like little kites.

(Alternatively, just fold in one side of each top piece for a windmill effect.)

Variation 3

Complete variation 2. Then, stand one of the "kite" triangles at a right angle and place a toothpick inside,  right down to the bottom point, and squash down. (Squash it neatly so that each side is equal.)

Repeat for all the triangles.

(Pink flower added to centre.)

Variation 4

On the top four pieces only, turn in the left and right sides a little, from the bottom to the top, making a sharp point at the bottom.

Press the folds well to make them sit flatter. (For more flattening, place carefully under a heavy book for a few hours.)

(Flower added to centre.)






Here are some cards I made using these folds:

My Pazzles Inspiration Creative Cutter

Three years ago I bought a Pazzles Inspiration creative cutter. For three years it sat in its box. Undisturbed. Unused. Hidden from view.

Why? I was just plain scared I guess. I opened the instruction manual and read about blade depth and pressure ... and freaked out. I suspect there are lots of people like me out there. In fact, when I went back to the shop where I bought it, the assistant said she had had hers for two years and had not set it up yet. She didn't know how to use it!

About a month ago I bit the bullet and set it up and got it running. And am I pleased. I'm having lots of fun with it. The manual doesn't explain everything as well as it could, but there's lots of training videos on the internet. My favourites are in Klo's classroom at the Pazzles Craftroom site (http://www.pazzles.net/wordpress/ ). She has lessons on absolutely everything you need to know.

Anyhow, here's some pics of my beginner's projects.