Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop - January 2025

      

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon January Blog Hop! Our hop theme this month is Valentine's Day Themes and Colors! Each of the design team ladies is going to be creating a project in a LOVE theme or using colors of the holiday, PLUS ribbon!

I am the FIRST blog this month! Welcome! After visiting me hop on to Cheryl's Blog next! (The full blog list is at the end of the post.)

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card to the RRR Shop, plus one digital stamp set of your choice from Bonnie Garby Designs. The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!

I was able to finish a lot of small stitching projects in 2024, plus get some stitches into a few big pieces! I don't just stitch one at a time, but I have a rotation. I know, I cannot ever do it the easy way, right?!

For the hop today, I turned another stitching piece into a table display - for Valentine's Day this time. I still have a few more months of these sweet samplers to make, but I am in no hurry....lot's of things to stitch!

I love all the pinks and red in this project. It was so much fun to stitch! I did make a few changes by backstitching (outlining) a few of the motifs because they didn't stand out enough on the pink fabric. The fabric is from Wichelt, Bo Peep Pink, 14 count. I don't really love stitching on 14 count, but it did make things go along pretty fast!

The finished stitching is approximately 9" x 3 1/4" and the full project is 11" x 5 1/4". The easel I made for the project stands up beautifully on a table or shelf, or on the top of on of my tiered trays. 

I also changed some of the colors of floss because I didn't care for the DMC conversions provided by the designer (Country Cottage Needleworks). I sort of just pick around in my floss stash and see what will look nice together and on my chosen fabric. I do things just the same way I do with my paper crafting....I just Goria-ize everything! {grin}

Note: All twelve samplers call for the same fabric, but I am using not only different fabric, but slightly different fabric counts for each sampler. I am choosing fabric that matches the monthly theme, or that matches my home décor. I am not going to display them all at once, so it doesn't matter to me if the fabric "matches" or if the size of the finished pieces is slightly different. 

This pattern is Sampler of the Month - February by Country Cottage Needleworks. I purchased all 12 months from Fat Quarter Shop online HERE. You can also purchase each individual month at Fat Quarter or at various other online shops.

To make the stitching really stand out I added some bows. I used 5/8" Tulip Taffeta Ribbon first, then added a second bow with 3/8" Hot  Pink Grosgrain with Mixed Pink Hearts. I topped the bows with a fabric covered brad from my stash.

Here is a close up of the ric rac I used around the edges of the stitching piece. This is not available in the shop any longer, but there is still some printed ric rac HERE. I just hot glued the ric rac around the back of the stitching before I added the panel to my easel. This was a first try for me to use a trim like that. I like it. {smile}

I used my stash of chipboard and Valentine patterned papers to create an easel (flat fold) for the stitched piece. I love making this sort of finish for my stitching. It is fast, easy, and I don't have to spend any extra money on supplies! I used Authentique Love Notes, which came out in 2019. I love Authentique papers and remain very sorry that they are no longer in business. Happily for me I have a vast hoard! {Giggle}

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you enjoyed seeing another stitched piece. Hop on and see the other projects from the other ladies! 

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!

Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!
Cheryl
Bonnie
Misty
Karen
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings

Really Reasonable Ribbon Supplies Used:

Trims: 5/8" Tulip Taffeta Ribbon,  3/8" Hot  Pink Grosgrain with Mixed Pink Hearts

Bow making tools: Zutter Bow-it-All

Adhesive: 1/2" Scor-tape

Other Supplies Used:

Cross stitch pattern: Sampler of the Month - February by Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 14 Count Bo Peep Pink by Wichelt

Floss: DMC

Paper: Authentique Love Notes

Fabric brad: from my stash

Chipboard: Grafix

Batting: sewing supply

Adhesive: hot glue, Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue

Other tools: paper trimmer, scissors, score board, bone folder, sewing notions

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop - November 2024

  

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon November Blog Hop! Our hop theme this month is Christmas Themes and Colors! Each of the design team ladies is going to be creating a project in a Christmas theme, PLUS ribbon!

You should be coming to my blog from Ginny's Blog. After visiting me hop on to Cheryl's Blog next! (The full blog list is at the end of the post.)

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card to the RRR Shop, plus one digital stamp set of your choice from Bonnie Garby Designs. The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!

I decided to make a slimline card for today. I love how it turned out, but unfortunately it is a tiny bit too big to fit into a standard envelope! Rats! After over 30 years of card making I STILL cannot remember to check my envelope measurements! I just go in, glue guns a-blazing, and create stuff with zero thought to mailing it later! 

The card measures 9 1/8" x 4 1/8". Those darn "eighths" make it just a bit big for my envelope. But I love how it turned out anyway. I have not started to make my Christmas cards for this year, and with all I have going on it may not even happen....so to get one finished is a big plus! {grin}

I had purchased a lot of Christmas paper last year at the Scrapbook Expo so I pulled those papers out of "storage" to create my card. The paper collection is Tim Holtz idea-ology Backdrops Christmas 2023. This paper is 6" x 12" which is a fun size! And, in Tim style, is very vintage-y!

I used a large chipboard element from Simple Stories Chipboard Clusters - Simple Vintage: Dear Santa. I also used the Decorative Brads from that same collection. I added some sticker word strips from the Tim Holtz idea-ology Sticker Book Christmas 2023.

The star of the show is, as always, that bow! I used 5/8" Christmas Traditions Plaid ribbon to make the bow. This is another of my favorite ribbons from RRR. And, ok, so plaid is my jam anyway, but this sparkly gold, red, and green ribbon...so traditional and lovely! 

When I create a project like this, I get all the vintage feels from days gone by. I miss those simple days sometimes. The height of excitement when I was a kid was getting an orange in your stocking! When I got older I remember thinking my mom was weird because we could just go to the store and BUY oranges! But when I was younger oranges were costly and hard to come by. Any time a relative visited Florida, we waited in anticipation for their gift of citrus fruit when they came to visit us upon arriving home to Pennsylvania. Florida seemed so exotic back then! Now I live in southern California where citrus fruit drops onto your head as if from the sky. {giggle}

The Ribbon Team won't be hopping in December, but I am sure to post a few things between now and the New Year, so come back and visit. 

Thanks for joining me today! Hop on and see the other projects from the other ladies! 

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!

Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings
Ginny
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!
Cheryl
Bonnie
Misty
Karen
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings

Really Reasonable Ribbon Supplies Used:

Trims: 5/8" Christmas Traditions Plaid ribbon

Bow making tools: Zutter Bow-it-All

Adhesive: 1/2" Scor-tape

Other Supplies Used:

Cardstock: ColorMates Natural

Printed paper: Tim Holtz idea-ology Backgrops - Christmas 2023

Chipboard: Simple Stories Chipboard Clusters - Simple Vintage: Dear Santa

Stickers: Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickerbook - Christmas 2023

Brads: Simple Stories Decorative Brads - Simple Vintage: Dear Santa

Adhesive: hot glue, Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue, ATG, foam tape

Other tools: paper trimmer, scissors, score board, bone folder

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop - October 2024

     

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon October Blog Hop! Our hop theme this month is Thanksgiving/Harvest Themes and Colors! Each of the design team ladies is going to be creating a project in a harvest or Thanksgiving theme or using colors of the season, PLUS ribbon!

You should be coming to my blog from Ginny's Blog. After visiting me hop on to Cheryl's Blog next! (The full blog list is at the end of the post.)

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card to the RRR Shop, plus one digital stamp set of your choice from Bonnie Garby Designs. The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!

I created another stitching project! I have been making these monthly samplers off and on for the past year or so. I still have a few more months to make, but I am in no hurry....lot's of things to stitch!

I just returned from a long weekend at a stitching retreat, and I had so much fun! For my paper crafting pals, a stitch retreat is just like a scrapbook retreat except we stitch instead of scrap. The rest is the same: talking, eating, enabling, shopping, eating, talking, rinse repeat! I went in having not met ANYONE and left with a whole bunch of new friends! 

The finished stitching is 9" x 3 1/4", and the full project is 11" x 5 1/4". These projects are all roughly the same size, with a slight difference depending on the fabric count I used. For this particular piece I used 14 count Vintage Country Mocha Aida cloth by Wichelt, The fabric has a mottled look to it, almost like it has some tea dying or age marks. I used DMC floss because it is the most economical. 

Note: All twelve samplers call for the same fabric, but I am using not only different fabric, but slightly different fabric counts for each sampler. I am choosing fabric that matches the monthly theme, or that matches my home décor. I am not going to display them all at once, so it doesn't matter to me if the fabric "matches" or if the size of the finished pieces is slightly different. 

The pattern is Sampler of the Month - November by Country Cottage Needleworks. I purchased all 12 months from Fat Quarter Shop online HERE. You can also purchase each individual month at Fat Quarter or at various other online shops.

I used most of the called for DMC floss, but I did change the called for orange to something a bit bolder, I also switched some of the colors around for parts of the stitching. This set of patterns calls for a very soft colorway and I have been ramping the color up a notch for some parts of the patterns.

To see my other cross stitch projects, just go up to the search box at the top of the blog and search for "cross stitch" or for "Needleworks" to find the other samplers. 

To make the stitching really stand out I added a large, wonderful bow made from 5/8" Ivory/Brown/Copper Plaid ribbon. I love this ribbon! And I used almost all I had left on this project! Time to get more! 

I found a stitched pumpkin medallion in my stash and glued it to the top of the bow. I am not sure where this came from, but I found it in my "Fall" bin of scrapbook stuff. There was a plastic card with several of these fabric or machine sewn items attached. Happy find!  

I used my stash of chipboard and fall patterned papers to create an easel (flat fold) for the stitched piece. I love making this sort of finish for my stitching. It is fast, easy, and I don't have to spend any extra money on supplies! 

I know it is traditional for folks to use patterned fabric when finishing their stitched pieces, but I simply do NOT have the space (or funds) to start the hobby of collecting fabric! I already have several lifetime supplies of PAPER that I can use. {smile}

I have a lot of other finished stitched pieces, but I still need to find time to create something out of them. I want to try my hand at making a little pillow....wish me success because sewing is not my super power! 

Thanks for joining me today! Hop on and see the other projects from the other ladies! 

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!

Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings
Ginny
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!
Cheryl
Bonnie
Misty
Karen
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings

Note: You may have noticed that Kathy is not hopping this month. Kathy has moved on to other life endeavors. Keep up with her on her Blog HERE. 

Really Reasonable Ribbon Supplies Used:

Trims: 5/8" Ivory/Brown/Copper Plaid ribbon

Bow making tools: Zutter Bow-it-All

Adhesive: 1/2" Scor-tape

Other Supplies Used:

Cross stitch pattern: Sampler of the Month - November by Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 14 Count Vintage Country Mocha by Wichelt

Floss: DMC

Paper: various off-cuts in a fall theme

Fabric medallion: unknown

Chipboard: Grafix

Batting: sewing supply

Adhesive: hot glue, Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue, ATG

Other tools: paper trimmer, scissors, score board, bone folder, sewing notions

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop - September 2024

    

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon September Blog Hop! Our hop theme this month is Halloween Themes and Colors! Each of the design team ladies is going to be creating a project in an Halloween theme or using colors of the season, PLUS ribbon!

You should be coming to my blog from Ginny's Blog. After visiting me hop on to Kathy's Blog next! (The full blog list is at the end of the post.)

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card to the RRR Shop, plus one digital stamp set of your choice from Bonnie Garby Designs. The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!

I have a stack of cross stitching projects that I have finished over the winter, spring, and summer. I am finally getting around to fully finishing them into...something. I have another one for you this month!

This design was a freebie from The Wishing  Thorn (Birgit Tolman). It turned out quite small because I used a 16 count Aida fabric. I originally thought to turn it into a little pillow to use as a bowl decoration, but....I just didn't have the mental bandwidth to figure out how to sew a pillow! (Sewing is NOT one of my strengths!)

Full confession: My husband surprised me with a new sewing machine over a year ago. I FINALLY set it all up and taught myself how to sew around the edges of my cross stitch fabric - to keep the cloth from unraveling! (Ok, so I YouTubed how to set up the machine and to zigzag sew the fabric edges!) I do want to stitch a little pillow, but I am afraid of messing up a stitched piece! My sewing skills are limited to a horrible experience in the 7th grade! I am an accomplished and confidante woman...surely I can DO THIS!! {grin}

I have a stash of small, bamboo hoops and used one of those to finish the project. The  hoop is 5 1/2" across. It is perfect for a table or shelf decoration, or this could be hung on the wall. 

I gave the piece a more Halloween flair by adding all the wonderful ribbons! I have a nice stash of Halloween-themed ribbons. Bonnie used create a Halloween ribbon pack every year for Really Reasonable Ribbon. I don't make a lot of Halloween items, therefore, yes...I have loads of ribbons to choose from! 

I started out with a large bow made from 3/8" Grosgrain Swiss Dots ribbon. I used the orange with black dots, which is out of stock, however there there is a version with white dots HERE. I then created another bow made from 3/8" Black Grosgrain with spider webs. Again, this one is out of stock, but there is a reverse print, white ribbon with black webs HERE. 

I then tied a loopy bow from Halloween Baker's Twine and attached an orange button to the bow. I glued all the bows together at the top of the embroidery hoop. I dangled a jack-o' lantern charm from the button. (I found the charms on Amazon for a great price.)

I topped the bow stack with a 25mm Black Rose. Super spooky cute!

I used some scrapbook paper to cover the back of the hoop. This hides the stitching and my finishing "mess." I used a large Spellbinders die to cut the 5 1/4" paper circle.

I am simply  loving my return to cross stitching! It was my "first craft love" in 1988 and after putting it aside for over 20 years when I was homeschooling and raising three kids...it is so nice to come back to it! I have to do things a bit differently to accommodate arthritis in my hands and my ageing eyesight, but...it is going well and I love it! 

I am attending my FIRST cross stitching retreat next week! A four day weekend here in Temecula, CA (about a 40 minute drive) with 50+ other stitching folks! I don't know a single person, but I am looking forward to meeting new friends, having a full long weekend to stitch...and of course there will be some vendor shopping! 

On another note: we are having a lot of smoke and ash from the fires around the area, but my town is not threatened at this time. The air quality is terrible, which is bad for my allergies, but we are safe, praise God. My prayers go out to those in the danger zones and to all the firefighters and rescue personnel. It is so very hot here and I know their job is made worse by the extreme heat. 

Thanks for joining me today! Hop on and see the other projects from the other ladies! 

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings
Ginny
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!
Kathy
Cheryl
Bonnie
Misty
Karen
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings

Really Reasonable Ribbon Supplies Used:

Trims: 3/8" Grosgrain Orange with Black Dots Swiss Dots (alternate version with white dots HERE), 3/8" Black Grosgrain with Spider Webs (reverse print, white ribbon with black webs HERE), Halloween Baker's Twine 

Flowers: 25mm Black Rose. 

Bow making tools: Zutter Bow-it-All

Other Supplies Used:

Cross stitch pattern: Harvest Moon by The Wishing Thorn

Fabric: 16 Count Cosmo Off-White

Floss: DMC

Hoop: 5 1/2" bamboo (Amazon)

Paper: scrap of Authentique

Die cut: Spellbinders Grand Circles

Charm: Amazon

Button: my stash

Adhesive: hot glue, Art Glitter Dries Clear Glue

Other tools: scissors, sewing notions

Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop - August 2024

     

Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon August Blog Hop! Our hop theme this month is Autumn! Each of the design team ladies is going to be creating a project in an Autumn theme or using Autumn colors, PLUS ribbon!

You should be coming to my blog from Ginny's Blog. After visiting me hop on to Kathy's Blog next! (The full blog list is at the end of the post.)

At the end of the hop, comment on the RRR Blog post, answering the question listed, for a chance to win a $10 Gift Card to the RRR Shop, plus one digital stamp set of your choice from Bonnie Garby Designs. The Design Team appreciates your comments, too!

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for joining me today! I DON'T have a card for you today, I have another cross stitch piece to share! I have completed about 8-10 pieces since last November, but I still need to turn them all into something. I decided to use this one for the blog hop today because it matches the theme!

I created a 9" x 8" home decor piece by mounting the stitching onto chipboard. It is all ready for the fall decor in September! 

The stitching is from a FREE pattern by Crocette a gogò from 2019. There are five patterns of seasonal cottages, plus Christmas. (To see my spring cottage, click HERE. To see my summer cottage go HERE.) I have finished stitching the winter cottage, but I have not created anything with it yet. I still need to stitch the Christmas cottage. 

I created the stitching on 14 count Vintage Country Mocha Aida fabric by Wichelt using most of the called for DMC floss. I did change the color of the roof (Sulky variegated thread), the fence (it needed to be spooky), and the birds. I wanted the birds to look like crows.

I attached some batting to chipboard, then mounted the stitching to the chipboard. I then used some very, very retired autumn themed papers and more chipboard to create an easel to hold the stitching. 

I then chose some ribbons for my bow, trying to coordinate with the stitching and the paper choices. For the larger bow I used 5/8" Ivory, Brown, Copper Plaid ribbon. This is such a lovely fall and Thanksgiving themed ribbon! I added a tiny bow created with 3/8" Orange Gingham ribbon. I adore this tiny size of ribbon. I wish I had every color invented in the 3/8" size!

I added paper to the inside of the easel as well. This is an excellent way to use up paper, of which I have much! {smile} I love those goofy birds!

Here is what the back of the easel looks like. This is perfect for one of my table displays for the autumn. Stitching these cottage scenes has been a lot of fun and they don't take too much time to create.

Thanks for joining me today! 

Here is the RRR Blog Hop Order in case you get lost!
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings
Ginny
Gloria - YOU ARE HERE!
Kathy
Cheryl
Bonnie
Misty
Karen
Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings

Really Reasonable Ribbon Supplies Used:

Trims: 5/8" Ivory, Brown, Copper Plaid, 3/8" Orange Gingham

Adhesive: 1/2" Scor-tape

Bow making tools: Zutter Bow-it-All

Other Supplies Used:

Cross stitch pattern: Autumn 2019 Freebie by Crocette a gogò

Fabric: Wichelt Imports 14 Count Vintage Country Mocha

Floss: DMC, Sulky

Cardstock: ColorMates Smooth Dark Coffee Brown

Paper: Miscellaneous retired papers from 2010 and 2015

Chipboard: Grafix

Batting: sewing supply

Adhesive: hot glue, ATG

Other tools: paper trimmer, scissors, score board, bone folder, sewing notions