Book vases with indigenous sprigs…
My paper versions of the cheerful Vygie, the healing Cancer bush [Sutherlandia frutescens] and Peace Lily [Spathiphyllum] all of them in various book vases
Some More Indigenous Flowers♥
cool
Botanical Envelope Card
The pleasing grey criss-cross lines on this design come from inside of a security envelope.
The girls in my family always put a lot of hand-crafted effort into birthday cards and wrappings. This was the card I made for my daughter’s recent birhtday.
I made a copy of a pleasing cross-sitich pattern, and used that to cut a floral pattern from the envelope paper. [Thanks Vodacom!] The same technique as I used in this pair of cards.
I edged the cutout with black fine-liner and mounted it onto red paper. This was then mounted onto some recycled cardboard, covering the print that was there, but leaving a clear border around the edges.
It turned out to be lovely and long. Too long for an envelope, so I had to custom make one.
All in all a lot of fum to make.
PS – You may like to see really beautiful handcut cards made by my very talented online friend Lisa
PPS- A whole lot of red again 🙂
Quick Pair of Greeting Cards – Make in about 15 Minutes
I often send Freshly Found orders out with a handmade card, so I decided to take some pics and show you how I quickly made a pair of these cards last week.
You Will Need:
- Some pretty recycled printed paper. I am in love with the pastel colours of this set of maps. You could use book print, music paper or even the inside of patterned security envelopes
- Some envelopes. I found a stash of coloured envelopes at a charity shop a while ago, which have been so useful.
- A print out of the pattern you will use. I needed the number 40 as the parcel I was sending was for a birthday. You can enlarge and print any simple outline. Be eco-friendly and reuse the other side of a piece of previously printed paper.
- An A4 Sheet of card board
- A bulldog clip
- A glue stick
- A ruler and blade or rotary cutter.
Here’s How:
Cut the A4 sheet in half to make to A5 size sheets. Use a ruler and blade or a rotary cutter if you have one … Every home should have one!
[Note – to new homemakers – after you’ve bought the bed, the washing machine and microwave oven – buy a rotary cutter!]
[Note – here’s a simple guide to Paper Sizes by previous Freshly Found crafter Callie Purdon.]
Fold each of the A5 sheets in half, to create the card.
Clip the pattern onto the map paper to keep it in place while cutting out.
Cut through both the pattern and the map paper at the same time. Cut around the outer edges first. Use a blade to cut a slit to allow your scissors to cut around the inner space.
Keep cutting carefully…
Remove the clip and release the shapes.
Start on the 2nd heart shape card. Take a rectangular scrap of paper. Fold it in half and cut a half a heart shape out. You can use a pattern, or with a bit of practice you can just cut it out free-hand
Here you can see the line that I cut on the fold. Unfold the heart and cut another one out.
Position the shapes on the cards and glue in place.
Simple. And quick!
White Stripes and Green Leaves
I have a store room outside, where I keep a large part of my vintage collections. Today I gave it a much needed clean up and tidy out. I ‘found’ this vintage fold-up metal recliner chair with detachable foot rest.
I painted it white, when I bought it a few years ago, and although I love it, I just don’t have a place to display it permanently in my home.
I plan to sell it to someone who would like to add some cushions to those sprung metal strips, and give it a happy home.
Late this afternoon, I took it to the top of the garden, picked some early blossoming azaleas, and let it pose for the camera!
Mail me or fill in the contact form if you are interested.
Cross-Stitch Therapy
A dishcloth to add to your collection. Finish this quick and easy cross-stitch pattern in an evening and satisfy your need to create something with your hands!
Use a black crochet thread and a budget checked dishcloth.
The crosses on this one were worked into quarters of the square of the pattern, ie 4 crosses per sqaure.
The pattern is available free online until the end of August. If you would like us to email you the PDF, please click on the Contact Tab at the top of page and fill in a request on the form.
Happy Stitching!
What do we need? What have we got?
Last week we spent a few days with our friends on their family Game Farm in Mpumalanga. I enjoyed the clever almost unintentional decor of this rustic and remote place:
Simple essential elements…
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| Thatch roof, Light, Fan and Mosquito Net |
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| Chair, Plug, Curtains and Early Morning Light |
And the clever use of Found materials…
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| Reed Fence |
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| Packing Case Front Door |
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| Hat Rack from Branches and Twigs |
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| Bedside Table from Wooden Paraffin Box with Branch Legs |
Concertina Shells…
These are the interesting leftovers from an enormous project we have just completed.
Christy, Sandile, Hlengiwe and myself have sourced, sliced, folded and strung together hundreds of folded books for the Shaw Sisters, who are supplying a nation-wide chain store in South Africa.
So…when you are at the mall – please be on the look out for this coming-soon literate installation, and let me know when and where you’ve seen it. – and send us a pic too. Thanks♥
A special thanks to the Highway Hospice Charity Shop for supplying us with books to recycle and to Isla Designs for your contribution too!
Freshly Found at artSPACE Pop Up
We are really looking forward to being part of the I Love Pop Up Shop again. Gen Motley is hosting the event in the Millar Road artSPACE -the cool gallery housed in a warehouse in a light industrial area in Durban.
The special opening is on Monday night at 6.30pm. A host of Durban creatives will be there. The shop will be open until the 15th June.
See you there! RSVP here
Tickled…
I have grown quite passsionate about paper – in particular book paper. I have learnt that each page has a grain, some pages are firm and flexible, while others are fragile and brittle and I am fascinated by the way books age from white to deep cream.
We have started to dye book paper with red ink. These variations in colour have made such beautiful results. Same ink bath – different book pages- many delightful shades 🙂
We have made some large proteas from this paper and are busy with a batch of pink buttonhole proteas at the moment too!
Freshly Found is definitely in the Pink!
Heart Leaf Heart
Every year, when the trees are finished using their leaves, they throw piles of them onto the grass in our garden, I like to pick some of them up and use them again!
This year I made some goodies for friends.
I cut heart shapes out of the leaves, before pressing them under a pile of books.
In this momento, I layered 3 pressed leaves, with a heart shape cut out of the top one only, and the rich rust-red leaf in the middle showing through. I used a little wood glue to keep everything together and tied it with a ribbon.
I attached a handwritten tag and gave it to a friend for her birthday. She invited us to breakfast, and specifically asked for no gifts, just a message from each of us.
I made this wedding card for other friends. The background was a watercolour print I found in a book waiting to be recycled.
I wood-glued the leaves into position and layered it onto the front of a card. What a wonderful wedding it was, with a wonderful story.
Autumn is a second spring
when
every leaf is a flower
Albert Camus
freshly found 
