December 18, 2013 by Born To Organize

Craft it Forward: 7 of Hearts

Craft it Forward Button: Grab it for your own blog

In early February, I launched my first Craft it Forward. It’s been great fun having an excuse to craft all year and the pleasure of trying new things.

December’s Craft it Forward is ‘7 of Hearts’ representing my 7th work from the heart. As soon as I secure Vivien’s address, they’ll be on their way to the UK.

Vivien blogs at Where the Journey Takes me. She writes:

I live in a small old mill town nestled into the Pennine hills in Yorkshire with my long-suffering husband of thirty some years. I have two beautiful daughters who have flown the nest (most of the time!). I paint and draw (a little) when time allows, make and bake sometimes but not often enough and garden and grow things as much as possible. I recycle and up-cycle, hate waste and I couldn’t live without my time planner and lists.

Vivien is slowly renovating a quaint and picturesque cottage in Scotland, where she will eventually retire. We share a mutual love of gardening, card-making and organizing.

I crafted a set of cards from KaiserCraft’s Enchanted Garden Collection. Vivien uses flowers and butterflies in her own cards. I incorporated both into the designs, below.

Die cut butterfly using my Silhouette

Butterfly Cards

Using the same paper, I made a set of quilt cards, one of my favorite designs for the Silhouette. I enjoyed combining the geometric patterns of the card design, with the more ethereal patterned paper. Each of the six cards features a different combination of the papers.

Envelopes and card detail

Quilt cards

The last two cards feature the intricate illustrations of the Enchanted Garden designs.

Enchanted Garden Cards

I’ve kept the packaging simple, honoring her desire to scale back: they’re wrapped together with a single piece of ribbon.

What is Craft it Forward?

If you think you might like to try this on your own blog, G+ or Facebook page, here’s how it works. You put forth the offer to create a handmade item. The first five people to comment on your original post receive a handmade item, uniquely your own . In return, they agree to pay it forward, crafting their own unique item for the first five people on their list. Craft it Forward encourages community, creative spirit and camaraderie. It also encourages flexibility, so I expanded my list from five to seven based on interest in the project. Isn’t it fun making your own rules?

Craft it Forward #1: Living Journal
Craft it Forward #2: Flowers and Oscar Wilde
Craft it Forward #3: Three’s a Charm
Craft it Forward #4: Secret Garden in The Round
Craft it Forward #5: Tiny Album, Big Heart
Craft it Forward #6: Garden Journal
Craft it Forward #7: 7 of Hearts

December 5, 2012 by Born To Organize

Cosmo Seeds for Christmas

Throughout the summer I enjoyed a magnificent display of flowering Cosmos. The color and splendor of these easy to grow annuals brought such cheer. I started gathering the seeds so I could share my joy with others.

Using Creative Memories software, I created a five-fold, two-sided panel card. Six of the panels feature photos I took over the summer. Two more panels have simple instructions for planting and growing the seeds. One panel has a greeting, and the final one is a placeholder for the seed packet.

I bought 3 x 3 glassine envelopes from the Paper Source to hold the seeds. They attach to the back panel of the card. I ordered one sample card, made a few design changes, and this week received the bulk order. They’re ready to go.

Photo Panel Card (Front)

Photo Panel Card (Back)

Folded Cosmo Card and Envelope

Cosmo Seeds

Back Panel (Placeholder for Seed Packet)

Back Panel with Seed Packet

The Stack
I love the way they look in a neat pile

I plan to seal each card with a self-made sticker using last year’s garden calendar. I’ll fill you in on the details later this week, so be sure to check back.

Are you making gifts from your garden this year for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza? Please share in the comments below.

November 2, 2012 by Born To Organize

I used to marvel at friendships forged by letter-writing, the back and forth sharing of ideals and dreams, along with the minutia of life. Now I understand. I’ve found a kindred spirit and a new friend through the day-to-day act of writing and sharing in the blogosphere. I received this beautiful gift in the mail this week, from a writer I affectionately call Boomdee. It took my breath away. Here are her lovely words and pictures. With gratitude to you, dear Boomdee.