Come and Dine Banner

One of my projects that I have been working on lately is a quilted wallhanging banner for over the serving window in our church's kitchen.

It is going to be 12x72 inches.  The background is various yellows and light tan 1 inch square pieces.  So I constructed the background by piecing 6 blocks that were 12 inches squares.  So for each block there are 144 separate pieces.  The background will look like a very old mosaic with the many small pieces.

Then on the left end there will be a cluster of purple grapes hanging from the grapevine with a couple of grape leaves and tendrils curling around.  This is the mock-up drawing of the grape cluster.  This will be in the furthest left block.

In the middle four blocks will be the words "Come and Dine" centered.

Finally, in the last block, the one to the furthest right will be a loaf of bread and an earthen jug of olive oil.  This is the mock-up of the bread and oil.  I wanted the bread to look handmade and in a basic oval shape rather than the modern bread shape formed from using a loaf pan.

These are both Zig and Copic markers and and good ole Crayola colored pencil drawings.  Although I cut the background paper to the size that I wanted them to fit; so I could draw them the right size.

Here is the drawings shown in the positions that they will be.

Sorry if it is hard to see.

Next time I will show you how I use these drawings to mock-up and try fabrics.

Let me know what you think.

Another Card from my Bits & Pieces Drawer

In an effort to make something from all my saved bits and pieces I have been making cards.  Here is another card that I made the other night:

This card started with pale cardstock and a vellum quote tag that I colored from the reverse with copic markers; I used YR68 orange; and V09 violet; the violet I used on both sides to make it very bold and pop.  The background was a Zig Watercolor System ColorBrush Twin in pale blue.  Then I edged it from behind with Whispers Strokes marker in a dark blue.  After I glued the vellum down with Zig 2 way glue.  I doodled the decorative scalloped dotted border with a Pilot G2 pen.

Card Making Party

Spent a few hours last night making greeting cards.  These are ones that I make from my bits & pieces drawer. I do these cards in batches.  Yesterday morning I grabbed a small pile of light colored cardstock and turned it sideways and used the sliding trimmer to cut each sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock.  So each piece of cardstock yields two cards 8.5 x 5.5 inches.  I then use a bone folder to fold each card in half and make a sharp crease.

This card is made with an off-white beigish cardstock.  The quote is a leftover vellum sticker I found in the drawer as where the footprint stickers.  I edged bought the vellum quote sticker and the entire card with Zig Watercolor System Color Brush Twin.  It is the palest blue on the cap; but there is no color name on it.

This card is on light colored cardstock.  The corners and the main image of "Snow" were part of a card with images, but not stickers; that I got at a scrapbook yard sale at the scrapbook store back in Ohio.  Besides fussy cutting the shapes, I didn't do anything but glue the pieces down to this one.

This card is made on light colored cardstock.  The large sun is a Sizzix die cut (Large Sun 38-0184).  The edge of the die cut and the inner circle of perforations have been highlighted with markers and chalkwork.  There is a faint smiley face in the sun.  The word "sunshine" is a sticker.  The "you are my" is done with a copic marker as is the edging on the entire card; I used Copic Ciao YR68 Orange.

This card is from another card (not sticker) that I got from that scrapbook yard sale.  I fussy cut it, then glued it down.  Then I did some pen stitching with a Staedtler Mars graphic 3000 duo marker #71, a brown; but with no color name on it.

These are the first four cards; I made about 25-26 cards last night and will share more.

I like to have these ready, they are blank inside and I can add whatever message I want when it comes time to use them.  I like that I use up all the little bits and pieces of this and that; that I save.