Cathe Holden’s Inspired Barn | Creative Lifestyle

Portrait Prize Ribbon Rosette

Friday, March 23, 2012 by Cathe Holden

A friend took some wonderful photos of my kids last fall and because I love making prize ribbon rosettes, especially multi-tiered ones, I thought that would be a great way to frame a portrait. And so I got crafty, starting with an image of my youngest, Sarah, far left.I asked her what she liked, trying to get a feel for the different components I would use in her rosette. Her answer: reading, leather, lace, Anthropologie, flowers. Awesome!

For the flowers, I picked up this delicious patterned scrapbook paper, Picadilly: Prairie Grass by Basic Grey.

I had several small gold foil frames I bought on clearance somewhere. I just knew they’d come in handy. They are 2.5″ inside and 4″ outside. I removed the hardware from the back of the frame, sized and printed a cropped image of Sarah, placed it inside, and hot-glued it closed.

I cut two wide strips of the scrapbook paper, glued them end to end with a slight overlap, scalloped the edges with an edge punch, and scored lines at 1/4″ on my Martha Stewart Scoring board. I accordion folded along the scores, hot glued one end of the combined strip to the other and collapsed the entire piece into itself forming a rosette. I hot-glued it at the center and did the same to a smaller combined strip of vintage book pages for one of the tiers. I gathered vintage lace from my sewing stash into a round ruffle for another tier and looped strips of scrap coat leather pieces for petals. I stacked and glued all tiers together atop one another. When creating multi-tiered rosettes, be certain your tiers are graduating nicely in size allowing the best of each to show in the final piece.I glued notched scrapook paper sections and coordinating ribbon, leather strips and lace trim for the tailpieces. Note that only the paper tailpieces are glued to the very back, the others are tucked between layers for added dimension. Finally, the framed portrait was hot-glued to the very center.

To finish off the back of the rosette, I hot-glued a large piece of recycled chipboard. For hanging hardware, I curled the ends of a section of wire, bent it into a U-shape and hot-glued the curled sections to the back covering it with a smaller chipboard circle.

I think portrait prize ribbon rosettes will look lovely hanging in our hallway family photo gallery. Off to make more…

15 Comments | Posted in Book Crafts |

Party Store Rosette

Monday, March 12, 2012 by Cathe Holden

A trip to the party store can be a bit spendy, but if you utilize a few items from your take home stash you can stretch your dollar a bit by making a custom rosette for your special event!

With goodies like decorative napkins, streamers, beads, hors d’oevres utensils, and cardboard coasters, an old button-badge and a free digital download or photo you can make create a coordinating party decoration.

TO MAKE: Pick up a set of inexpensive cardboard drink coasters- it doesn’t matter the decoration because you’re going to use the back side- so look for ones on clearance. You will use these as rounds to hot glue your rosette layers to. (1) Cut long rectangles from colorful paper napkins and adhere to full sheet label stock to reinforce. You can also use spray adhesive to lightly coat a sheet of paper and lay the napkin sections onto that. Glue rectangular sections together if necessary to make one long piece. Use a scoring board on the backside of the paper (not the front side of the napkin) and score equal lines for accordion folding. Use decorative scissors to trim along one edge before folding. Glue ends of the long strip of folded napkin together and form the entire piece into a round by bringing the non-scallopped edges together in the center and hot gluing to a cardbaord coaster to form a large rosette tier. Repeat with another patterned napkin for a smaller rosette tier. (2) Cut strips of reinforced decorative napkin to create a looped petal-like rosette tier by hot gluing loops to a coaster. Trim handles of hors d’oeuvres utensils (4) and fan out and hot glue to the back of a cardboard coaster (3). Glue party beads around the cardboard coaster (5). Hot glue a button badge remake to the center of the rosette (6). Glue a reinforced napkin, crepe paper streamers and party beads to the back as tailpieces (7&8). Hot glue a wire loop to the back for hanging.

Read this previous post on button-badge remakes for creating custom rosette centerpieces. You can use any graphic or image printed to plain paper to make your own unique centerpiece. Above is a free graphic that I designed for my rosette, just click on the image to download.

16 Comments | Posted in Decorating, Free PDF files, general craft, Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, party favors, Uncategorized | Tagged Party Rosette Decoartion

My Father’s Tattoos

Saturday, March 10, 2012 by Cathe Holden

In January 1948 a young man of seventeen went into the US Navy only days after he and his father pulled a young family from a burning house. That was my Pop. He’s now 81 years old.My son is turning 17 in a few days and I can’t begin to imagine so much happening in the life of someone so young. Last year, when I went to Texas to visit my dad, I asked him about his tattoos. I don’t think I’d ever asked him about them before, he’s just always had them and they’ve just always been a part of who he was. He told me the story of how he was in Chicago on a 6 hour leave from basic training, (then 18 years old,) and he went to the tattoo parlor of Tatts Thomas. Tatts, a very famous figure in the history of American tattooing, inked a ship on his left forearm. The charge was $3.50. A few hours later, Dad went back to have his Navy service number tattooed on his other forearm for $1.50. That just fascinates me to no end to know.My dad went on to serve his time in the Navy. After marrying my mom, he joined the Army to which he later retired from. Dad served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.I was back in Texas a couple of weeks ago with my husband to visit my Dad for the last time. He’s had serious health concerns for years, including Agent Orange related Diabetes, one of many issues he and many other veterans face as a result of their service to our country. Most recently, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer that has now spread to and has filled his lungs. Although he is now on Hospice care, he is still getting around a little and was able to make a trip into town to tour the Alamo. He said in all his years living in San Antonio that he’s never been. It was a really nice day. Here we are- Dad, his sweet wife Judy, Jeff and I.While at the Alamo, an older gentleman walked up to my father who was wearing his veteran’s hat, shook his hand and said “Welcome home, Soldier”, and my father thanked him. You see, not many who served in Vietnam were ever welcomed home, and often in the case of my father, just the opposite by protesters. I will never forget that beautiful exchange of words nor miss an opportunity to welcome a Vietnam Vet home or thank a veteran for his or her service.

Dad and I still talk on the phone and he’s always in good spirits and always lifting mine. My Pop is at peace with leaving this place and excited about being with the Lord. My heart is overjoyed in knowing that, but I will miss him more than words can ever say. I can’t wait to see him in Heaven- no doubt it will look something like this: Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

I love you Pop.

Update- March 31, 2011: My dad left this place last night to fly away Home. I will miss him so. Thank you for all your beautiful support and prayers. I’ve been blessed by them all.