Felt Ornament: Clown Fish

Inspiration: I wanted to make something else in felt and I wanted it to be colorful.  After some image surfing on the internet, I settled into making some clown fish.

How I Made Them: I found an image of a clown fish I liked online.  I printed out 2 copies.  I cut them out and created templates as I cut - one of the main body, then cut out the white stripes for more.  Then used the 2nd copy to cut out the 4 fins.  

I used the cardstock templates I made to cut my pieces out in felt.  I applique stitched the white stripes onto the fish body using white DMC floss.  I placed together my front and back and between them placed the fins and the charm hangers.  Starting at the front bottom fin, I blanket stitched around the fish using a DMC floss as close to the main color of felt as I could find.  After passing the last fin on my way around, I paused and stuffed the fish with some polyfil and then finished it.  I glued on a google eye to finish the fish.

Card: Hootie Turkey

Inspiration: I really hadn't planned on making a Thanksgiving card, but I thought it would be fun to make a card of the Hootie (Owl) as a Turkey to share with members of my technical community for Thanksgiving or messages of Gratitude.

How I Made Them: I used the same templates I used to make the felt ones (see this blog post) but cut them out of paper and then glued them together on a folded piece of 5x8 card stock.  The did extend a little over the edges but I figured that was ok.  I used them as note cards and wrote personal messages inside to the recipient(s).

Card: New Year's 2019

Yes, still posting old cards.

Inspiration: I didn't have a lot of time to create something that year but I had lots of postcard sized card stock in blue.  So I made a postcard for the New Year (I think I actually made them originally for Rosh Hashana and then just changes to the Gregorian year).

How I Made Them: I actually hand drew the Hebrew words and the 2019 on card stock but since I didn't trust that I could do it the same multiple times, I scanned the image and then printed it out for additional cards.  I colored them after printing - always making Ahava (Love) in pink or red, Shalom (peace) in Green or Purple, and Tikvah (Hope) in Gold or Yellow.  I used a variety of colors of the 2019.  Then I glued the coloring to the blue card stock and wrote "May peace, love, and hope surround us in 2019." near the bottom of the card with a Gold Gel Pen.

Card: New Year's 2020

Yes I know, it's now November and I'm posting about a New Year's Card that I sent out in January.  I'm just trying to catch up on sharing some of creativity that I didn't get posted the last few years.

Inspiration: So, it's 2020 which is like 20/20 so I went with glasses.  Plus I wanted something my daughter could help with and i knew I could get her to make drawings inside the glasses.

How I Made Them:  I used a plastic stencil I have that includes glasses as one of the options.  I chose to make them in purple because my daughter's glasses are purple.  I wrote the 20's in each lens and then had my daughter draw 2 of the same picture in each one.  Then I added the writing on the outside: "Looking up in the New Year!" On the inside, I included the following poem:

Let our thoughts this year
be fore-sighted and clear.
No doubts from hindsight
nor sight far nor near.
Let us smile -- shining bright
with laughter -- never fear
For we hold in our hearts
family and friends who are dear.