Paper Stitching Projects

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. If you follow me, you know how much I am into paper stitching. I used to cross stitch on Aida cloth. Now, I am doing it on paper, which makes me very happy. 

Pattern source: a book from the library

Piercing die: Crafty Meraki

# of Strands: 4

Comment: I would like to try using six strands of embroidery floss on this pattern to see if there is any difference in the end look.

Pattern source: waffleflower.com

Piercing die: Ellen Hutson

# of Strands: 2

Comment: I was trying to extend the green leaf on the top right of the pattern based to make the panel larger. If I decide to work on this leaf, I have to look for the exact embroidery floss I used on this pattern. If I don't find it, I can scale down on the size of the panel. 

Pattern source: Cross-Stitch Mandalas by Isabelle Haccourt Vautier

Piercing die: Ellen Hutson

# of Strands: 2

Comment: The pattern is larger than my panel of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I did spotlight stitching, starting at the center of the pattern and moving out toward the end of the pierced panel.

Pattern source: a book from the library

Piercing die: Ellen Hutson

# of Strands: 2

Comment: I love how I was able to stitch the whole design using a higher count piercing die. 

Pattern source: Cross-Stitch Mandalas by Isabelle Haccourt Vautier

Piercing die: Ellen Hutson

# of Strands: 2

Pattern source: StitchableCards.com FB post

Piercing die: Crafty Meraki

# of Strands: 6

Comment: Working on 6 strands can be tricky. I had to make sure that I give the strands the right amount of tension so no strand is loose. If it did come loose, I pull the strand on the back and tape it to hold the thread down. It was recommended to undo the strands before stitching it to give it a bit of fluff. I could see the difference this makes to a stitched piece but I also wonder how the end piece will look if I don't do this step. 

I apologize to the creators of the patterns which source I was not able to mention. Once I find the books where I got the patterns, I will update the sources on this post. 

I prefer the smaller scaled piercing using 2 strands since I can stitch a larger pattern. The setback is my blurry vision. I use a We R Memory Keepers Magnifying Glasses to help me out. I also take a photo of the pattern that I am stitching using my phone. I am able to zoom the pattern while working on it. I should really consider using my IPad for this purpose.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you like today's project filled post. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this project at

Anything Goes Floral #107

Shaker, Wobbler Birthday Card, a Remake

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. A new month means a new challenge at Stick It Down Scrapbook and Card Making Challenge in FB. There are several opportunities to join with three sketches to choose from.

My Favorite Things just said its goodbye to its crafting era. I am saddened to see another great crafting company close its doors. I remember my first MFT product, which I still have, believe it or not. I also remember where I bought it, a brick and mortar store here in St. Louis, which sadly closed a long time ago. I also remember joining the MFT blog challenges, winning once last November 2021. Lots of great memories. It just shows how anything is vulnerable to the changing times. I want to thank Kim, MFT's owner, for all the great things she has brought to me in the crafting world. I wish her well and maybe I will cross paths with her again in the future.

This card is a tribute to MFT using MFT products from my card stash.

This is also a remake of a card I created a long time ago. I had a bit of technical malfunction with the shaker feature of that card. I really wanted a seamless shaker card at that time but I was not able to contain the shaker beads. With the developments and improvements in crafting, I was able to figure out how to fix this problem. 

I stamped the images on watercolor paper using Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress ink so I can do a no line coloring. I used the Misti Stamping Tool to stamp the images. With the texture of the watercolor paper, I needed to re-stamp the images. The stamping tool was a big help on this part.

I stamped five images from the MFT stamp set to follow the number of balloons on the sketch. 

I colored the images using a newly acquired Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors Noveau Set of 24. I already have the set of 36 colors and also own several single watercolor pans. I love this watercolor brand! The new set offers muted colors which is a great addition to the 36 color set. 

After  I watercolored the images, I fussy cut the images leaving a narrow border around it.

I used pattern papers from Doodlebug to complete my scene. I trimmed the green checkered paper at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  I traced the wavy road die on this panel. I cut the panel on the traced lines and erased the pencil lines.

I die cut the wavy road die on a pebbled patterned paper. Using the split panel as guide, I positioned the wavy road die cut on a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" light weight paper. I lightly traced this with a pencil. I colored this traced road with a black marker. This black coloring will show through the wavy road die cut.

I adhered the wavy road die cut to the white cardstock panel using the traced lines as guide. I erased the pencil lines. I lined the wavy road die cut with a double adhesive tape. I wrapped this panel with a left-over plastic film packaging leaving one of the ends open. The double adhesive tape served as a trap to keep the shaker elements. I poured seed beads on this wavy road pocket. It was a bit tough with the narrow opening that's why I chose a very small shaker element, seed beads. I closed the bottom flap to seal the shaker. Now I have a seamless shaker. This is the upgraded step of my previous card. 

I stamped the sentiment on the larger green checkered paper piece. I treated this first with an anti-static tool. I stamped the sentiment using a red dye ink then stamped it using Versamark ink so I can heat emboss it with clear embossing powder. I used the Misti Stamping Tool for this purpose.

I adhered the checkered paper to the wrapped panel using liquid adhesive. I set this aside to dry.

I adhered one of the bear images on the road portion of the panel using a mini wobbler. I adhered the other bear image and the larger tree with foam adhesive. I adhered the other tree and the stop sign image with liquid glue. I used a portion of the negative die cut to ground the car.

I inked the edges of the green checkered panel to mute down the brightness.

This is the old version of this card having the same shaker and wobbler elements (https://ienjoywhatido.blogspot.com/2016/02/masculine-interactive-birthday-card.html). 

Below is a short video showing the interactive elements of this card. It is scheduled to go live later at 4pm CST (My 13 year old posted it that way.) I hope you come back to see it.

I hope you join this month's Stick It Down Challenge. We can't wait to see your take on this month's sketches. 

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this project at

Challenge #346

Scrapbook & Cards Today FB Challenge