"Favorite Project"

Photo Iris Folding by Linda Strawn

This is another way to do and Iris fold with a picture, it is a little time consuming but well worth the effort.

1. Copy the template from page 40 of Iris Folded Greeting Card by Michelle Powel. Or use any iris folding square template.

2. Pick out a photo you would like to use and make 5 copies of it or however many folds you want on your picture. (See Picture 1)


3. Cut out pictures the same size as your template, centering the face in the iris or middle of the template.

4. Number your pictures 1 to 5 on the back

5. Cut a frame out of cardstock by measuring and cutting a 4 ½ x 4 ½ square. (See Picture 2)  
Mark in ½” on all sides and cut out center to make a frame. (See Picture 3)


6. Using a light box lay template down and secure with a bit of removable tape, lay the picture on top of the template and secure with removable tape. Using a pin put a hole in all four corners of the first or largest angle remove and turn to back. Using a ruler draw a diagonal line from pin dot to pin dot, repeat for other pin dots. This will form an X. (See Picture 4)


7. Using an exacto knife cut the lines of the x. And using a stylus score form pin dot to pin dot on all 4 angles. Fold these to the back. And secure with double sided tape. (See Picture 5)


8. Now attach this picture to the frame you made, centering all corners. (See Picture 6)


9. Repeat step 6 and 7 with all 4 pictures going in 1 angle and marking them in order. (See Picture 7)


10. Place the center of the picture and place the next folded picture on top matching all edges and glue this down to center picture. (See Picture 8)


11. Repeat with all other pictures making sure to match all edges. (See Picture 9)
 and (See Picture 10)


12. Now place the frame from step #6 on top of the pictures, being sure to match all edges and secure down using double sided tape. This completes your iris folded picture. (See Picture 11)


13. Using swirly dot border from Hero Arts and pesto Adirondack ink stamp a border all around picture.

14. Add a jewel at each corner as in finished card.

15. Tie a bow using mint green silk ribbon and ad a flower center attach this to middle top of picture. See finished card.

16. Fold a daisy cardstock into a card 6 ½ x 5 ¼”. Attach picture frame to the top leaving a border all around. Add the twill saying, sweetest child from All My Memories, to bottom as in finished picture. What a perfect card. Try sending a card with a picture of the recipient iris folded on your card. Enjoy.

Smell the Coffee by Maria Adams

1. Download coffee mug pattern, and resize to about 3" high (click here pattern.)

2. Take a piece of brown cardstock, measuring approximately 4– 5/8" x 6-1/8" and transfer the shape of the coffee mug pattern to the reverse, about 1-3/8" from the bottom of the card. Cut out the shape of the mug and handle with a craft knife. (See Picture 2)


3. Turn card to right side. Stamp Autumn Leaves scroll with Versamark at the top of the coffee mug, and emboss with white embossing powder. Run the Versamark pad roughly around the edges of your cardstock and emboss with white embossing powder. (See Picture 3)


4. Turn card over to the reverse again and place on top of the Iris pattern exactly. Cut 4 toning colors of pearl paper in several strips of 1" wide. Cover the handle of the mug with a piece of one of the strips, length-wise. Fold each remaining strip in half. Trimming the size of the strips as you go, lay them in numerical sequence following the pattern and using the finished card as a guide – i.e. #1 = color 1, #2 = color 2, #3 = color 3, #4 = color 4, #5 = color 1, #6 = color 2 and so on. Stick the strips with tape on each side as you go. You should end up at the center of the pattern with a small empty square (the iris); stick a square of dark brown pearl paper on top of this. (See Picture 4)


5. Take a piece of dark brown grosgrain ribbon and stick around the card, using double sided tape, below the mug. Print out or stamp your sentiment on vanilla cardstock using brown ink. Cut to size and trim the corners with a corner rounder punch. Edge around this with a brown ink pad. Fix to the center of ribbon with 2 brads. (See Picture 5)


6. Take a 5" x 6-1/2" vanilla card and edge with a brown ink pad. Place brown iris card centrally onto the vanilla card and stick down with double sided tape.

Cardinal by Vaughnde Lee Hathaway, Reader Submission

Pattern from CircleofCrafters.com

Resize the pattern to the size you want and print it out. (You can use Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Word or a similar program.)

Use an Exacto knife to cut around the template on cardstock. Tape the back of the cut out template onto the cutting mat and place the cardstock on top of it, showing where the lines are.

Use all red tissue paper with yellow double corner folded for the beak.

Cut out pieces of a mesh type green tissue paper and made the branches and leaves.

Use a Black permanent marker to do the eye and then use a gold gel pen for the iris.

Swan by Nancy Thaut

1. Begin by printing 2 copies of the pattern. This pattern was found at

www.circleofcrafters.com

Basic step by step instructions are shown at this site. This site also has 8 pages of featured projects with many patterns.

2. Cut out one of the patterns, which will be used to cut out pattern shape of your card stock. Do not cut out your other patter piece. The other pattern will be temporary connected to the right side of the card stock so the placement of your pieces can be seen. Usually when I cut out pattern pieces I fold one-third for the crease. With vellum and this Mylar paper, the mounted pieces do not need to be folder.

3. This pattern does not follow the standard layout pieces of cut paper. Most pieces were individually cut and all are taped on the backside of the card along pattern lines. Once all the pieces are added, removed the pattern from the front of the card. Add black rectangle for eye.

4. Mount swan and background to blue card stock and add stickers.

Iris Folded Butterfly card by Linda Strawn

1. You will find the pattern for the butterfly in the book Iris folded Greeting Cards by Michelle Powell. Enlarge this pattern by 118%. Make 2 copies.

2. Cut one of you copies out. Lay on black cardstock and trace out with a white pencil. (See Picture 1)


3. Cut out carefully using an Exacto knife. (See Picture 2)


4. Using removable tape, tape pattern onto cardstock so the pattern shows thru the back side. (See Picture 3)


5. Cut 4 coordinating colors of scrapbook paper in 1” strips. (See Picture 4)


6. Fold each strip in half lengthwise.

7. I wanted to have a design in my butterfly so I did each color, laying the strip onto the pattern and cutting the edges so they would fit inside the design. You can do the pattern following the number diagram if you want as in tradition Iris folding directions found inside the book. Any way you do it be sure and tape each strip securely. (See Pictures 5
 and See Picture 6  for a backside view.) Use a piece of foil holographic paper for the center square in each butterfly wing. (See Picture 7  
for a front side view.)

8. It is very important to tape over the back of scrapbook paper securely when finished. This is so when you cut butterfly out it will be securely fastened to the backing paper.

9. Using a scissors cut out your butterfly leaving about a ¼” border all around it. (See Picture 8)


10. Using the antenna pattern and silver wire, wrap wire around a pencil and curl following pattern, (See Picture 9)
, (See Picture 10)
 and (See Picture 11)
, Make 2.

11. Cut a strip of blue gemstones from Hero Arts 12 gems long and back them with a small strip of scrap white or blue cardstock. Attach to the center of butterfly. See finished butterfly.

12. Tape on antenna onto back of body, see finished butterfly.

13. Using chalk inks and leaves from Penny Black stamp a white glossing piece of cardstock as shown in (See Picture 14)
. Then stamp 3 flowers also from Penny black with pink chalk ink on a piece of white cardstock. Matt the leaves onto a wine colored card, and matt the strip of white also onto wine colored cardstock. See fig 14.

14. Using a round flower from Heidi Snapp (See Picture 12)  
fold in half and then again in 4ths (See Picture 13)
, and glue this to the right corner bottom on card. See finished card. Add a lady bug button in center of folded flower.

15. Using foam mounting tape, tape butterfly onto card where desired.

16. Cut out gold foiled with love from Hot off the Press leaving a black border and attach to the card as desired, see finished card.

Daffodil by Daylene Strickland

1) Cut ¾” to 1” wide strips of 2 color coordinated pieces of gift wrap. This pattern has 31 folded lines and by using 2 colors you’ll need approximately 15 strips of each color. This pattern was developed by a friend from using a large die cut. (Click here for pattern.) Gift wrap was chosen as it is thinner and won’t have as much bulk when the card is completed. (See Picture 2)
© Daylene Strickland

2) Trim a piece of light yellow or cream cardstock to 4” x 5 ¼” and dry emboss using Cuttlebug flower embossing folder. On the BACKSIDE trace the cut out daffodil shape and trim. Trace the outline of the flower with metallic gold pen before adding any papers.

Use a few pieces of removable double stick tape to secure pattern and frame piece while working and use the pattern as guideline for line placement when adhering paper strips. (See Picture 3)
© Daylene Strickland  Tip: Using a laminated iris pattern extends the life of the pattern and ease of working with it for removal of unwanted tape, glue, etc. Paper strips are folded for creased edges before applying to guidelines.

3) Always working on the backside of the cardstock, add the green stem and leave of the flower first. A security envelope colored with chalk ink was used; trim to fit and tape to backside.

4) Begin layering gift wrap or decorative papers in fashion you choose starting with number one and follow the grid numbers in order. For this pattern, two sections of yellow were then followed by two sections of the patterned paper and then repeated. Once the center (iris) is reached a small piece of gold metallic paper is added. Remember to allows work on the backside of the paper taping or gluing each layer as it is put in place. Make sure no tape or glue is showing in the front of your image. Trim excess paper from back of design.

5) Turn over your creation and see the beautiful iris shaped flower you’ve created! Layer it on coordinating cardstock with eyelets, ribbon and a stamped tag (Cuttlebug tag with Printworks stamped saying).

Iris Ribbon Pear by Karen Slusher

1. Stamp Pear (Rubber Stampede) onto white card front using black dye ink.

2. Stamp another image of the pear onto a sticky note to use as a mask.

3. Cut just the stem part of the mask image and lay over the stems on the pear.

4. Ink Crackle Background (Judikins) using Brilliance Beige all over and then do the edges and random areas in copper.

5. Stamp crackle background over pear image on card by laying card onto the stamp. Press firmly ALL over, or use a brayer to ensure complete coverage; then carefully pick up the card so as to not smudge the image.

6. Using a sponge, add Brilliance Beige all over the card, and sponge Brilliance Copper mostly around the stamped pear image. (Note: Getting ink on the pear is fine, but keep the mask on the stems). (See Picture 1)


7. Remove the mask and use a brown marker to color in the pear and leaf stems.

8. Place your card over a cutting mat and use a craft knife to cut out the pear and leaf sections. Be sure to cut INSIDE the lines of the designs so the outer line of the shapes remains. (See Picture 2)


9. Turn over the card and begin placing ribbons around the edge of the pear as in traditional iris folding. Unlike iris folding using paper, nothing needs to be folded with the ribbon. Use it just as it comes off the bolt – either fabric ribbons or even package ribbons will work. In the sample, I used all fabric ribbons. Starting with the darkest of the green ribbons around the bottom 2/3 of the outer part of the pear (See Picture 3)
, I then continued around the shape using lighter shades of green ribbons as I worked towards the center. Each layer is done using a different kind of ribbon and each is a different color. The trick on this particular shape was getting the pear ribbons to not overlap into the leaf opening.

10. When it came to doing the leaf, I used darker ribbons that had more texture, but it was also done the same way as the traditional iris folding where the pieces are cut and taped to layer in a circular inward pattern. (See Picture 4)


11. Cut a piece of printed paper to the size of the card front (choose one that matches the ribbons used). Using deckle-type scissors cut an opening in the center of this piece so that only about ¾ of an inch remains all around the edge of the hole.

12. Using the Brilliance Copper ink, sponge the deckle cut edge all around. Glue this paper over the card front so that it frames the pear. Sponge lightly with more Copper around the edge of the card.

13. Cut a piece of your choice of paper to cover all the “inards” on the back of the iris folded area and adhere to the inside of the card.