Iris-Folded Teapot Cards

I have a huge stash of security envelopes that my sweet hubbin has been saving for me. I put some to good use in making these iris-folded teapot cards.

The blue-and-white card kinda reminded me of Victoria Magazine’s annual blue and white issue. I found the iris-folding technique directions and using a template from another craft, I made my own blue and white version.

 Then to switch gears, I tried it in another color.  Instead of using the holographic paper for the opening in the back as the website suggested, I made the opening big enough to receive a teabag envie and taped it into position. I had to squish the cards with a couple of heavy books to get them a little flatter to mail.

You’re Invited to Tea.

Have you ever looked at the designs on the sides of the store bags you get when you purchase something? The “window” on this tea invitation came from a drug store sack that bagged up my prescription drugs. It was kinda translucent and the retro design reminded me of early 1960s era drapes which gave me the idea to use it on a tea invitation as part of a scene. I had a little difficulty deciding just how to make it appear as though it were drapes, then I got the idea to “back” it with window panes, hence rubbing an inkpad on folds on the backside of the paper. Viola! It worked!

By Dolores J. Rush


Stamps:
Artful Illusions, 316.262.0600 (clock face)
Close to My Heart (tea set) 
Kollette Hall for Studio G, Medford, NY 11763 (invitation sentiment)

Instructions:

1. Cut out interesting portion of waxy drugstore sack design (CVS).
2. Accordian fold it. Direct-to-folds ink it with ice blue chalk inkpad
(Clearsnap Colorbox). Unfold & accordian fold it horizonally.
Direct-to-folds ink it again. Unfold and mount on a white square.
3. Attach piece of paper doily to corner, trim off. Stamp teapot, teacup,
clock face, and sentiment in various blue inks. Cut out and attach to
card.
4. Outline whole card with a straightedge & navy blue marker.

Do You Know?

Do you know how many USA place names are related to arts and crafts?

I read a book called “A Place Called Peculiar: Stories About Unusual American Place-Names” by Frank K. Gallant. Merriam-Webster, 1998 recently. He listed some cities with names related to the arts & crafts. He had only so much room to list the most peculiar names, so I had to go dig out my 2003 atlas and see what other ones I could find. .

Here’s the towns listed in Mr. Gallant’s book =

Alaska (AK) = Candle and Circle
Arkansas (AR) = Ink, Inky, Nail, and Stamps
Georgia (GA) = Social Circle
Illinois (IL) = New Design
Louisiana (LA) = Cut Off
Mississippi (MI) = Ecru
Missouri (MO) = Ink
New York (NY) = Painted Post
North Carolina (NC) = Silk Hope
North Dakota (ND) = Concrete
Ohio (OH) = Charm and Novelty
Texas (TX) = Grayburg
Vermont (VT) = Chiselville
Virginia (VI) = Dot and Triangle
Washington (WA) = Beaux Arts

And the ones I found (2 to 3 from each state) =

Alabama (AL) = Greenville and Paint Rock
Arizona (AR) = Apron Crossing, Greenspot, Rare Metals, and Tanners Crossing
Arkansas (AR) = Magazine and Stamps
California (CA) = Button-Willow and Needles
Colorado (CO) = Brush, Dolores, and Marble
Connecticut (CT) = Mechanicsville and Mixville
Delaware (DE) = Carpenters Corner and Taylors Corner
Florida (FL) = Golden Gate and Greenacres
Georgia (GA) = Copperhill and Lumber City
Hawaii (HI) = Pearl City
Idaho (ID) = Filer and McCall
Illinois (IL) = Clay City, Industry, and Vermilion
Indiana (IN) = Mulberry, Poseyville, and Spiceland
Iowa (IA) = Glidden, Marble Rock, and Walnut
Kansas (KS) = Bazaar, Lone Star, Monument, and Potter
Kentucky (KY) = Fleming-Neon, Paintsville, Stamping Ground, Wheelwright, and Woodburn
Louisiana (LA) = Cottonport and Red River
Maine (ME) = Grindstone, Slab City, and Wilsons Mill
Maryland (MD) = Furnace Branch Bus and Putty Hill
Massachusetts (MA) = Blackstone, Carver, Marblehead, Sterling
Michigan (MI) = Alabaster, Coopersville, Inkster, Sawyer
Minnesota (MN) = Brushvale and Black Hammer
Mississippi (MS) = Ecru, Golden, Ruleville, Wool Market
Missouri (MO) = Cardwell, Chamois, Diamond, Irondale, & Leadwood
Montana (MT) = Electric, Goldstone, Lustre, Miller Colony, Stryker, Sweetgrass
Nebraska (NE) = Silver Creek, Steele City, Sterling, Table Rock
Nevada (NV) = Blue Diamond, Fitting, Pyramid
New Hampshire (NH) = Bow Mills, Five Corners, Goose Hollow
New Jersey (NJ) = Jersey City, Milltown, Yardville
New Mexico (NM) = Cotton City and Pie Town
New York (NY) = Brushton, Cooperstown, Copenhagen, Painted Post
North Carolina (NC) = Brasstown, Clayton, Coats, Marble
North Dakota (ND) = Crystal, Dazey, Inkster, Sawyer, Taylor
Ohio (OH) = Boardman, Circleville, Cherry Fork
Oklahoma (OK) = Amber, Big Cabin, Broken Arrow, Marble City, Pink
Oregon (OR) = Mill City, Paisley, Pendleton
Pennsylvania (PA) = Cherry Valley, Garden View, Old Forge, Paint, Picture Rocks, Wampum
Rhode Island (RI) = Arkwright and Potter Hill
South Carolina (SC) = Cottageville, Goose Creek, Holly Hill, Ruby, Silverstreet
South Dakota (SD) = Draper and Vermillion
Tennessee (TN) = Brush Creek, Center Star, Crooked Creek, Ivory, Lovelace, Yellow Creek
Texas (TX) = Argyle, China, Cut And Shoot, Goldsmith, Lone Star, Paint Rock
Utah (UT) = American Fork and Orangeville
Vermont (VT) = Lower Waterford, The Four Corners, Tinmouth, Wrightsville
Virginia (VA) = Columbia Furnace, Flat Iron, Ladysmith, Paint Bank
Washington (WA) = Cashmere, La Center, Lacey, Mats Mats
West Virginia (WV) = Acme, Calico, Cameo, Red Jacket
Wisconsin (WI) = Butternut, Hazel Green, Spring Green, Star Prairie
Wyoming (WY) = Carpenter, Saddlestring, and Wright

Some of these towns sounded like quilt pattern names. I noticed a lot of woodworking, masonry, and metalsmithing city names. Very few needleworking names. Lots of colorful names. And a few brand names here and there.

Invitation to Tea 4 Two

I challenged myself to make another invitation this time using teabag envies as pockets for the tag invitations. I didn’t want a folded card, but a postcard-like card instead, so that the tag invitations would be the center of attention. I’m not real keen on the design surrounding the pockets as I was playing around with this particular punch, but I do like the placement of the pockets and tags.

 By Dolores J. Rush

Stamps:
Inkadinkado, www.inkadinkado.com (4060-D) tea cup
Kolette Hall/Studio G, Medford, NY 11763 (invitation sentiment)
PSX (A-262) Star
see~d’s lil stamps, www.inqueboutique.com or www.goinque.com (50886)
Once Upon a Time flourish

Instructions:

1. Cut out cardstock. Make brown slightly smaller. Punch out ribbon slots
along left side, then draw several straight lines with gold & brown markers.
Make dots between slots with turquoise marker.
2. Heat emboss gold stars as indicated on both brown and blue cardstock.
Attach brown paper to lower left-hand corner.
3. Tape tea bag envelope pockets to front.
4. Stamp invitation to tea on tags. Antique tags with brown ink (ink pad
direct-to-paper). Thread ribbon through holes in tags and insert tags into
pockets.

Teabag Folding Card

by Dolores J. Rush

Punches:

McGill Craftivity, 800.982.9884, www.mcgillinc.com

(circle & Scallop Corner)

PunchBunch (purchased from Morningstar Stamps 913-268-5264, www.morningstarstamps.com) 

 

Instructions:

1. Fold 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch cardstock in half width wise to make a

rectangle.Measure 6 1/2 inches from one short side and cut through both

pieces to make your base card.

2. Punch a 2 inch circle (McGill), a flower (Punch Bunch) and the

four corners (McGill). Attach punched scallops & hearts to corners of card.

(Tip: pick up scalloped pieces of punched corners with tip of tweezers at

very end. Holding glue stick between your thumb & middle finger and

using the tip of first fingernail to anchor the scallop on top of glue, push or

pull across glue to make sticky. Press into place on corner of card.

Do the same with tiny punched heart.)

3. Cut 16 teabag sleeve fronts (makes one gallon of iced tea) into 2 inch

squares. Fold in half, corner to corner, to find the center of the front of the

sleeve. Open, then make a kite fold. Then fold bottom inside corner up to

make a half kite. Turn over.

See illustration (click to enlarge):

 Place half kite at top of card & attach punched circle just under it. Tape four half kites around circle at the cardinal points (north, east, west, & south) evenly, then distribute the other four and tape down. Take the next eight half kites and do the same, except place one-quarter of an inch closer to the center. Tape the punched flower to center, poke a pin-hole & insert tiny flower brad.

5. Insert the tip of your finger into the top half kites to puff up.

Thanks Teabag Folding Card

I decided to feature some old and some new cards on my blog that highlight the recycled bits I’ve added to create my card. In this case, I’m folding real teabag envelopes together, not using the standard scrapbook paper that so many others do and in doing so, I’m using up the stash of free paper I’ve been saving and recycling it into something useful. Below are the instructions on how to fold the teabag envies and constructing the card.

Don’t these blue and white envies remind you of the sailor suits that little boys used to wear?

Stamp: Stampcraft/Plaid, 800.842.4197 www.plaidonline.com (440D287)
Dianne J. Hook - Thanks

Punches:
EK Success, www.eksuccess.com (1 inch circle)
Marvel Education Co., 212-662-7005 (star thumb punch)
McGill Craftivity, 800.982.9884, www.mcgillinc.com
(2 inch circle)

 Instructions:
1. Fold 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch cardstock in half width wise to make a rectangle.Measure 6 1/2 inches from one short side and cut through both pieces to make your base card. Cut a piece of brown cardstock 5 inches x 5 inches and attach to base.
2. Punch out one 1-inch circle (EKSuccess), one 2-inch circle (McGill) & four stars (Marvel Education). Glue stars to corners of brown cardstock.
3. Cut 8 teabag sleeve fronts (makes two quarts pitcher of iced tea) into 2 inch squares. Fold in half, corner to corner, to find the center of the front of the sleeve. Open, then make a kite fold. Turn over.

See illustration:

4. Tape four half kites around circle at the cardinal points (north, east, west, & south) evenly, then distribute the other four and tape down. Points, in center, will overlap slightly.
5. Attach 1-inch circle in center of 2-inch circle. Punch a hole through
centers of circles & center of tea-bag pin-wheel. Insert flower brad through
all & fold prongs down.

6. Stamp thanks and attach to card. Insert two mini-flower brads on either side.