Category: Cards

Box Cutters and Corn, but not together

Marie Haigh3 Comments

I’ve made cards from old encyclopedias, photos, cardboard boxes and fancy wrapping paper. None are as much fun as buying a trinket from the dollar store and using a box cutter to hack it up into little pieces.

My latest dollar store find was a stack of party-themed paper plates.

I cut out the balloons with my trusty box cutter.

I suppose you could use very sharp scissors, but that would ruin half the fun. It’s like using your food processor to mash up some graham crackers for a cheesecake crust; it’s much more fun to smash them with your fists or a meat tenderizer.

I then just used some glue to adhere the balloons to cards purchased from Michael’s.

Speaking of food, the local farmers are finally harvesting their crop of corn. Oh, how I love corn on the cob. I always buy way too much and freeze what we don’t use.

Growing up, we always ate corn from the local farm nearby. I still remember how every year in late summer, my father would drive up with the entire back of the station wagon filled to the ceiling with corn on the cob. My sister and I were tasked with the job of shucking all the corn. It was an all day job.

Because I’ve been spoiled my entire life, I won’t eat corn from the can. It’s not the same.

A New Port to Show off my New Cards

Marie Haigh8 Comments

Thank you so much for following me to my new blog home! I truly appreciate it.

I decided to move over to WordPress, using my own domain, for several reasons. Chief among them being that I will be able to create a more professional website here. On Blogspot, I could not list all of my patterns nor could I list any of my pattern descriptions. Here I can dedicate a page to each pattern as I have done with Evie. Additionally, I can create a card gallery and eventually a quilt gallery.

I want a more professional look and to move away from my free blog was so that I will be taken seriously by local yarn stores whom I would like to wholesale my patterns to and to create a good first impression when (I refuse to say If) I publish my first design. The Old Wives Tales states that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. I think this site will better allow me to get off on the right foot.

If you follow me on Bloglines, please update my RSS feed to http://knittedgems.com/feed/. I will try to remember to leave my new address when I comment on your blog, but I just know I’ll goof once or twice.

Enough business jabber, I want to show you the cards I made last night.

First, the goofed card.

I took the time to measure each layer of cardstock and position each one that they were all centered. Only to get all the way done and realize I had stacked them on the wrong side of the card. I tried to just pull the green paper off, but I had stuck it on there pretty good. It wasn’t coming off. So, I cut around it.

I don’t think you can tell. Hopefully, nobody will look too closely.

Then, I stuck a picture of Jake on a card to send to my sister. I hadn’t realized that she never saw a picture of him until I was chatting with her two days ago. Shame on me!

Lastly, I offer you a pic of my favorite card.

I had ordered some appliques for an Americana quilt that I plan to start soon (as soon as I finish sewing up a pair of comfy pants for myself). I had a few extras and had heard that iron-on appliques will stick to just about anything. The rumors are true. They will stick to just about anything, cardstock included!

Katie’s Doll Quilt and (of course) More Cards

Marie Haigh9 Comments

I finished Katie’s doll quilt last night!

Well, there are a few white lies in that announcement. The quilt isn’t completely finished; I still have to tack down the corners. It’s not a “real” quilt either; it’s a “cheater” quilt.

The top of the quilt is just one piece of fabric. The batting is just a piece of flannel fabric. I’m still calling it a quilt, because I did quilt the layers together. They are loosely quilted, but quilted all the same. I just followed any straight lines I could find in the fabric top that went from side to side without meandering. (I don’t trust my machine to meander. Often when I turn a corner on it, the needle gets jammed). Then, I stitched around the hearts that all the My Little Ponies were framed in.

The whole quilt was machine quilted, including the binding. I topstitched it down rather than hand tack it to the back. I imagine with the white fabric on the back side, this quilt is going to require a lot of machine washing.

I tried taking pictures last night, but without any sunlight to speak of, they came out a bit dark. I’ll try again this weekend.

And for cards – I have 3 new ones to show you!

First, a personalized card inspired by my new Carol Duvall book.

Carol had included instructions on how to stamp directly over paper colored in chalk. I don’t have chalk. Nor was I about to color a whole piece of paper in chalk anyway. I want instanst gratification!

But, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the color underneath the bike is yellow. I colored a small section of the red cardstock with a yellow colored pencil to make the stamp pop out a bit more.

In case you’re wondering who I personalized the card for, it’s me. I ride a red bike to run errands and my last name starts with h.

Next up is an Easter card.

I just piled some cardstock up and slapped a bunny button on top. (The back of the button was cut off with an Xacto knife).

Lastly, I give you a Greenland card. Now, I’ve never been to Greenland. And for the record, I have no desire to go. I hear it’s really cold there. I can barely suffer through the Pennsylvania winters without whining once a week.

This picture is from a 1956 encyclopedia that came with the purchase of this house. The son, for whom the collection was purchased for many years ago, thought he could live without the knowledge.

Tag Vote

Marie Haigh8 Comments
My XandO design started out in life as a not-a-blanket. It then morphed into a dishcloth, but was found to be too heavy. Then, it tried to be a washcloth, but it was too big. Now, it is auditioning for a tag blanket title.

I asked Dan what he thought of its new purpose, but he didn’t quite understand why one would put tags on the outside of a blanket. It didn’t make any sense. Tags are supposed to be sewn on the inside of clothing. So, clearly, he isn’t any help.

So, I need your help.

With tags?

Or without tags?

The idea for turning my XandO into a knitted tag blanket came from my friend’s daughter. We attended her christening on Sunday.

For her gift, I had purchased a tag blanket from BabyLoveBlankies, since I didn’t have time to make her anything. She started playing with the tags on it right away. Her mother told me that she has a taggie toy that she plays with when she’s laying down in her crib. And here I had just bought it because I liked the fabrics.

The christening card in the pic above is made from my button stash. I just used Zots dots to glue them in place.

To perhaps encourage my card fetish, my MIL sent me down a present with Dan’s early b-day present. (Thanks, Mom!)

It’s full of great ideas! I can’t wait to try the weaving and frame techniques. Since I have enough birthday cards made for everyone’s birthday this year and a few even for next year, I think I’ll start on mini holiday cards, like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

50 Cent Placemat

Marie Haigh9 Comments
I found this placemat being sold “As Is” for 50 cents. You can’t see it real well, but there are black smear marks on the back side.

I brought it home and cut the top corner two cupcakes out using a box cutter. I then smoothed out the edges with an X-acto knife.

I raided my card drawer for two blank cards and Zots dots (adhesive dots).

Voila, I present you with two birthday cards!

I’m clam-happy (happy as a clam) with how they came out!

On a personal note, Dan has been battling the flu for the past week. He came down with the flu on Wednesday. He stayed home from work on Thursday and Friday. By Saturday, he was starting to feel better. On Sunday, we met up with friends for brunch and Lost Abbey beer (It’s Beer Week in Philadelphia. Normally, we don’t start drinking before Noon. Honest.). Monday he went to work, but stayed drugged on Sudafed. Yesterday, he came home early with a high fever again. Today, he is back at work. But, today I woke up with a sore throat. So, if I’m MIA from Blogland for the next few days, you’ll know why. More importantly, you’ll know that it’s All Dan’s Fault.

My First Zoe Paper Birthday Card

Marie Haigh7 Comments


I cleared off my sewing table last night, relocating my sewing machine to the floor, so I could roll out my new ice cream wrapping paper. I cut out two small sections from the paper to play with. Coupled with my huge stack of cardstock paper (recently purchased with the gift cards I received for Christmas), I made my first birthday card.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out.

I only made one because the Transformer fabric was calling my name. It informed me that there are only 3 more weeks till Easter. My sister has requested pillow cases for each of the children. I plan to make them reversible, so in a year when they hate the Transformers, I won’t get a call for more pillowcases. It’s a brilliant plan … I hope.