JAI 55 - just add love

Hi there,

well welcome back for a new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we would like you to Just Add Love. Now this could mean a valentines card or a wedding card - you get the idea :) I decided to go with a broad valentines interpretation, I have kind of gathered from US blogs that giving cards to friends for valentines is (quite?) common so I have made a present for a dear friend - Sam. It is for a rather special occaision as she just added a new baby to her family. (You can see Sam's post here). Now a new baby is definitely an occaision (of love) to celebrate but I figure, especially since this is the third in the family, that Mum deserves something special too. I wanted a mix of something edible but also something to last - and then something to package it all in. So this is what I made.




For the something to package it all in - a woven basket. You can find the tutorial here on Splitcoasters. I pulled out a sheet of Bella Rose DSP as it just the right colours. Following the instructions I cut my sheet up into different width stripes and started weaving - it was a little fiddly but really not too bad. In the end I think I finished my basket a couple of rows shorter than the tutorial recommended. I secured in the ribbon handles with brads and covered the rim over with a striped of textured Riding Hood Red, with a Scallop Trim border for the outside. I also tied on a little strawberry tag so I can write a little message.

The something edible was some yummy chocolates that I know Sam likes :)

Now the something to keep are some felt strawberries filled with lavender which you can pop into a draw or hang off a clothes hanger. Now had some lovely wool felt at home in red and green, so I had a look on the web for strawberry templates and found this link to a Martha Stewart tutorial on making a felt/material strawberry pin cushion. So I pinned my template to the felt and cut it out. I made two different green tops, one was using the provided template, for the other I punched a 5 petal flower out of paper and used that as a guide (cut with a generous border) for a different shaped top (I actually liked it better). OK next I had to google knot stitch - then I used white embroidery thread to add little knots over the red strawberries. I used my sewing machine to stitch up the side of the strawberries gathered the tops together then firmly filled with dried lavender and stitch almost closed. Then I stitched on the green felt tops using slip stitch (google again). The last thing was to add a loop of ribbon so the strawberries can be hung off a clothes hanger. They did take some time to make but I have got to say I enjoyed doing it :)

Thanks for visiting and perhaps you can Just Add some Love this week too!

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Tart and Tangy
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red (plain and textured), Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Bella Rose DSP (R), Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon (R), Certainly Celery and Old Olive 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Pure Poppy and Simply Chartreuse felt (PaperTrey Inc), 5 Petal flower punch, 1 3/4" , 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Silver cord (R), Tombow, Sticky Strip, dried Lavender