NO INK OR STAMPS?

Hello!

I don't do this often enough but I LOVE the look of stitching on paper crafted projects.  I've stitched on cards, home decor, and scrapbook layouts and the finished results make my heart go pitter-patter every time.

Today I decided to break out my Updated Essentials Paper Piercing Pack and make a sweet card.

Let me first give you a little tip when piercing on paper.  When you poke a needle into fabric, the threads are, of course, much more flexible than paper fibers so they kind of close back up around the hole which means you can't really see where the needle went through.  Paper, on the other hand, is not so forgiving.  When you break the fibers, they're broken and leave an obvious hole behind.  So the trick to hand stitching on paper is to use a finer needle.  You'll still see the hole, but it won't be as noticeable and if you are stitching words, they'll be able to read easier.

Apologies for this blurry photo.  I tried several times but couldn't get my camera to focus!  But I still think you can see well enough the differences in needle sizes.  The stitching on the left uses a larger needle while the stitching on the right uses a smaller one.  It's subtle but you can definitely see the difference.  The right side just looks smoother.

 Here's the completed card.  I used to think you couldn't pair white and vanilla on the same project but I just love the two together!  I've now used up another pack of my Tea Lace Paper Doilies and must buy another.  They've become a staple in my supply stash!

Here's a little close-up of the butterfly.  I layered some gorgeous Gold Glimmer Paper under the patterned butterfly to give it a little more texture and interest.  Pretty Petals DSP is what I used for the top layer.

And another angle.  The curly-cue stitch that I used as the butterfly trail is also found in the Updated Essentials stitching pack.  And you can't go wrong with the gold metallic thread!  I used a double thickness to make the stitching stand out a bit more.  Then I finished it off with a few small pearls.  Almost out of those too!

And there you go.  A beautiful card made without the use of stamps or ink this time.

You can order all of these supplies on my Stampin' Up! website. :)

Thanks for joining me at the Table today!