Beaded Napkin Cards

Back in the early days of our Pennywise Arts Yahoo Group, we hosted weekly online classes where members shared all kinds of wonderfully beadie ideas with the other community members.  Class nights were something I always looked forward to.  They were special.  The energy around the project, the class, the group,…. it was so electrifying and inspiring!  

There was something about knowing that a group of other crafters were with you in spirit, in real time, at that very moment.  Run into a snafu?  Got a question?  Just ask it at the group site and instant feedback and encouragement could be received.  Additionally there were several funny stories related during classes too,… there was the poor gal who tripped over a power cord and spilled all her beads on the floor, and the lady who who accidentally spilled beads over her husband’s chicken dinner and he ate it anyway, and the ever popular woman who laughed so hard she fell off her chair and had to go to the hospital for an appendectomy,….  Ü  It was one of those “you had to be there” moments.

I have over 273 class files on my home computer.  Yes, that is two HUNDRED and seventy three.  Wowza!!   As I go through my files I plan to share those classes here on the blog and hopefully inspire a reawakening of some really great projects.  Our website archives contain 54 of these classes and I’ll be throwing some of those in as well.

Today I want to feature this easy card by Georgia Wood.  I miss Georgia.  That gal has a most wicked sense of humor!  Talk about witty and fun – time spent with Georgia was never dull!  From her “I hate basketball” hotel room shoebox party in Seattle, to a group “day trip” to Alaska, Georgia never ceased to keep me on my toes.  So fun loving and spontaneous, even “Flat Kat” found herself in unexpected places and pictures whenever Georgia was around!

If you ever happen to be in Roswell, New Mexico attending a wedding ceremony officiated by a very, very  tall alien,…. well, please give Georgia a hug from me!  Ü

Beaded Napkin Cards

by Georgia Wood

Supply List:
Decorative 2 or 3 ply paper napkins, luncheon or dinner size. Floral or a design/style you like.
Roll of clear plastic wrap, any brand.
Several sheets of white tissue paper.
Cardstock, white or a color to compliment your napkins, cut and folded to card size.
Pennywise Arts brand micro beads, clear unless you want to intensify a napkin color.
For this project you will also need your iron and ironing board. The iron will be used NO steam, so you might want to empty the water prior to class.

Directions:

Step 1
Open and press your decorative napkin. Your ironing board can be your 'work station' for this project.

Step 2
Peel away the extra layers of the napkin, you will only use the decorative layer on the card. You can use the excess layers to protect your ironing board.

Step 3
Place your blank folded card on the piece of tissue paper. Lay the napkin over the card and move it around until you find a positioning that pleases you.

Step 4
Trim the napkin but make sure there is enough 'margin' to allow for slippage.  As you can 'rough trim'  the napkin, it is not necessary to pick it up. You can do the trimming with it laying in position on your folded cardstock.

 

Step 5
Place a piece of plastic wrap between the napkin and the card.

 

Step 6
Lay a piece of tissue paper over the napkin. I used the excess layers of the napkin as tissue paper.

 
Step 7
Press firmly on the iron. You want the heat to go through the protective tissue paper, the decorative napkin layer,  and fuse the plastic wrap to both the decorative napkin and the card.

 Step 8
Pressing over, let it set a minute before handling.

 
Step 9
Now that it's cool and bonded, you can pick the entire unit up for trimming.

 
Step 10
Turn the unit over so you will be looking at the back of the card while trimming.

 
Step 11
Trim all the excess layers at one time, following the edge of the back side of the folded card.   Use scissors that do not have any tape or other residue gummed to them! You will be removing 4 excess layers of material at one time.

 
Step 12
Your basic card is now finished. On to beading it!

 
Step 13
Stamp a sentiment if desired.

This tutorial was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me.  I even recall that we hosted a huge napkin swap on the PWA Yahoo Group after this class so that we would all have tons of new napkins to create with!

Here are some cards made by several of our members at the time!

Evelyn Spikes 


Diane Martin aka Fly Di

Darlene LeMar

 

Glenna Schuchman

 

Diane Martin aka Fly Di

Kim

Kim

Jean Marchand

 

Pam Fuda

Janeen DeGeorge

 

Diane Raschal aka Inky Di

 

For the Beaded Cherry card that was created by Suzanne Glazier:   Cover the entire card front with O'So Sticky Tape from and peel off the top liner.  Add the stamped sentiment bordered in red paper and then press the entire card face down into clear micro bead.  Complete with a red ribbon and bow!

Stamp Credit:  Close To My Heart

Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing all of our beadie buddy moms a very special day!

An Exciting New PWA Product!

We are pleased to present the newest member of the Pennywise Arts bead family, Iridescent Bubble Beads!!

Our 2mm Bubble Beads are shimmery, gorgeous and HUGE compared to anything else we have in the shop. To get a better idea of the actual size go take out your ruler and look at the side with the centimeters on it (the smallest lined side).  Now look at the smaller lines within the centimeter marks – these beads equal TWO of the millimeter marks – which is why we can’t possibly call them micro beads!  We considered “mondo beads” but bubbles just roll off the tongue and are far more fun to say!  Ü 

Though they are not translucent they do pick up some background color which contributes to their unique color quality. The above photo was a product of Photoshop.  In the original Bubble Bead photo the background behind the beads is white so the bubbles are not interacting in any way. 

You’ve all heard of interference embossing powders,.. think of these as “interference” micro beads!  To see examples of how they DO interact keep reading!

Sold in 1 ounce bags for $5.25

Click here to be taken to our website to place an order now!

When we first started PWA seven years ago we only knew what to do with the clear beads.  (I KNOW, how weird is that to imagine!?!)  It took all of the amazing input from our customers to help us catch the vision of what colors could do and our world has been rocked ever since!  We know there are o’so many more creative uses for Bubble Beads and we can’t wait to discover them all and share them with you!  If you have some ideas we hope you will share them with us! 

Our design team is hard at work making some projects to inspire your own creative process and we will be sharing them with you as they arrive in the mail.  Yay to fun mail to look forward to!!  Here are a couple that have already arrived:

The Love Nest By Jennifer Toussaint is such a wonderfully bubbly spring bead idea!  Jenn used Crystal Effects and our Iridescent Bubble Beads to create the roof for her love nest.Flowers, buttons and of course the darling birdie complement the colors she painted her wooden house.

This keychain by Dee Moran is fit for royalty! 

A sturdy wooden crown shape forms the base upon which Dee went wild with ink, gems, trim and our new Iridescent Bubble Beads!

Here’s her simple “how to”:

Step 1.  Take a plain wooden crown shape.  Dee’s came from www.5dollarstudio.etsy.com  (More are expected to be available in the store after May 11, 2010).

Step 2.  Sponge shape with alcohol inks on both sides.

Step 3.  Edge both sides of the crown with gold Krylon pen

Step 4.  Trace the shape of the base of the crown onto navy colored card stock, then apply O'so Sticky tape to the card stock.  Use O’So Sticky Tape to adhere cardstock to the wood crown.  Remove red liner from the tape and apply bubble beads.  (Remember to do both sides of the crown this way – being a key chain it’s two sided.)

Step 5.  Wrap gold cording around the top of the Bubble beaded piece.  (Front and back).

Step 6.  Glue large gems to the points of the crown.

Step 7.  Screw in a small eyehook to the top of the wooden piece and attach key chain piece.

Click here to be taken to our website to place an order now!

Background paper credit:  To show off our new Iridescent Bubble Beads we used background paper by Best Creation #GP307.  It’s an embossed, glittery two sided cardstock that will definitely be turning up in some future art – once it’s done being a photo box background!

Wildest Of Dreams

In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined what awaited me at the 7th PWA annual retreat! 

Just when I think I’ve seen it all, a whole new breed of fun finds it’s way through the jungle of my life and once again I find myself laughing so hard my sides hurt.  Smiling out loud, I mean really loud.  Sleeping as little as possible (so as not to miss anything good!)  Eating way too much (Blame Yvonne and Leola!) and even singing at the top of my lungs to the Mama Mia soundtrack with 13 other ladies and one lip syncer (You know who you are D*b!)  Okay, okay, okay, I know that this wasn’t everyone’s favorite moment, but it was one of mine, most definitely! Ü

So many inside jokes, scary stories and silly moments bonded our group together in a unique and special way.  I like to think that everyone got exactly what they needed that weekend, and a little bit more than what they expected.  I know I did!

I am in the process of editing the photos to upload and share but for now here are a few teasers……..

Brian hooked up his trailer and loaded all of our goodies inside… everything fit no problem!

This is the welcome mat that we put at the front door.  Pretty much sums up the PWA retreat code quite nicely, I think!

Here is an aerial view of some of the tables.  Gosh they look so full of fun stuff!!

Whenever beadie buds get together there is sure to be some kind of money business!

And if you weren’t addicted to Banangrams before the retreat, you’re sure to be now!

Mmmmmmm………  Leola baked fresh chocolate chip cookies for us!

There were “healthy” snacks too…….  Ü

THere is always such interesting trash at these things……..  Ü

Here is a bottle cap project by Mary Wallace!   (I’ll be posting more of the fun things that were made when more photos are ready to share.)

Uh oh!  Who let Marion play with fire?????

Seriously??  I’m telling the truth that we did NOT plan this twins outfit and I wasn’t even aware of it until I got this photo from Susan!  LOL!!  But dang we are cute, don’tcha think?

Stop back by soon, and I’ll show ya more fun stuff from the PWA 7th Annual Retreat!

Hugs, Suzanne

Buttons and Beads

Today we have another great project tutorial from designer Evelyn Spikes.  I love how quick and easy this card is to make and the results are colorfully fun!

Supplies Needed:

Patterned cardstock with circles or cardstock stamped with circles in pattern

Coordinating colors of cardstock for mat and A2 card

Coordinating colors of buttons

O’So Sticky Tape sheet from Pennywise Arts

Clear ultrafine micro beads from Pennywise Arts

Adhesive of choice

 How To Do This Technique

Step 1  Select coordinating cardstock.  Cut and fold card base.

Step 2  Cut patterned paper; cut piece of O’So the same size

Step 3  Apply O’So to patterned paper.

 

Step 4  Remove O’So Sticky Tape liner and adhere buttons where desired on patterned paper.

Step 5  Pour ultrafine beads over exposed O’So.

Step 6  Layer beaded piece over mat piece.

 

Step 7  Cut and apply thin piece of mat color to front of card; adhere beaded piece.

Step 8  Stamp and adhere sentiment to front of card.

       

Stamp Credit: Rubber Stampede