DebraCarmona

Now that my scraps are organized and in a form that I can use I am endeavoring to use up those scraps and see how my system works. In this video I share three designs using only scrap squares. If you want to send me a coffee Venmo @Debra-Carmona-6 Cash App @DeborahJCarmona

The price of patterns are expensive today so I show you ways to use your old patterns restyling them.

In this video I show you how to weave 1/4" paper strips to make a card front. This is a great way to use up all those leftover strips you have after cutting your card inserts. Plus at the end of this video I show you some other creative uses for those long thin scrap strips. If you want to send me a coffee Venmo @Debra-Carmona-6 Cash App @DeborahJCarmona

I pulled vines from my backyard to create some wreaths to decorate my house and yard. I show you how to make your own vine wreath. This is the perfect spring craft and at the same time you will be saving the trees. I also demonstrate how to decorate a wreath. These wreaths can be re-used every season saving you money.

In my quest for using up all my scraps I have been creating card fronts with using only strips and having fun with that. Here are some fun ways to use up those strips. More to come as I plan to do another video showing the process of weaving strips. If you want to send me a coffee Venmo @Debra-Carmona-6 Cash App @DeborahJCarmona

I like to give my chickens treats year round. Besides food scraps from the house during the summer they get watermelon, and in the fall they love pumpkins, Grub Terra is great especially during winter and early spring while their is a lack of available natural bugs.

Combining my skills as a card maker, water colorist, knitter, crocheter, sock bunny creator, I bring those together to make a special gift for my grandson in this video. If you want to send me a coffee Venmo @Debra-Carmona-6 Cash App @DeborahJCarmona

Using the Birch wood stamp I create a grassy nature scene with an old stump. I show you how to color the scene with colored pencils. You can use any brand of colored pencils but I am using Prismacolor pencils because they are my favorite. I show a different way of framing the image with a new tool. I also show you a new paper cutter and I share an organizational tip for storing metal die cuts.

In this video I am showing you how to do a watercolor painting from the Stampin Up BIRCH wood stamp. I do speed up parts of the painting process to keep the video as short as I can while explaining my process. If you have never done watercolor painting before I encourage you to try it. Using the stamp as your drawing may make it simpler for you to start. I have had so much fun playing with this stamp and still have more ideas for different uses for it. I do not show the coloring of the lighthouse in this video because I have done so in a previous video. The cards I make are usually 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" which is half of a sheet of 8.5" x 11" making two cards from one full sheet.

I am obsessed with the possibilities of how the BIRCH wood stamp can be used. In this video I will show you two more ways to use it. A tool is not limited to a single use. I hope this video will inspire you to explore other options with the tools you have on hand. You don't have to be an artist to create a beautiful realistic backdrop. I show you how to make a romantic sunset ocean scene in this video.

I use an unexpected stamp to create the waves and rocks of nautical scenes, a BIRCH wood stamp. In this video I show you two ways to deal with the rocky shore where the lighthouse shall stand and also how to color the lighthouse. To see how the ocean backdrop was created see my previous video "Creating Realistic Ocean Backdrop for Card Making" At the end of this video I give a peek at my next video in this Ocean series.

In this video I show you how to create a realistic ocean backdrop and show you possible ways to use it. I also share some artistic tips when designing your own card.

I like to design a coiled basket in a way to disguise the abrupt start and finish which is often seen in oiled baskets. So I worked out this star design to do just that.

In this video I discuss the different thread options possible for making pine needle baskets and the qualities of those threads so you can make your choice of which thread is best for your project.

How I made a twisted handle for a berry basket.

Sometimes it is desired or necessary to create large opening or windows when shaping a basket. The Faggoting Stitch is a great way to fill in those gaps and lends to a unique design. In this video I teach how to do the faggoting stitch, how to prepare an area for it and show you why the order of things done is important.

I like to have a center to start my baskets. Sometimes I cut them from wood and sometimes I buy them. Some of the bought ones needs some modifications such as wood burning touches, staining, and drilling holes etc. I show you my process in this video.

In this video I share how I add embellishments with a wood burning tool on molded wood centers in preparation for making centers for baskets. You can purchase these at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby but you will have to drill the holes yourself.

When pine needles are put through a Glycerin Bath they will have more flexibility and are less likely to break when bending them to shape your basket so it eliminates the need to soak them before coiling. In this video I show you my process to prepare the needles with a Glycerin bath and also how I dye them. I also share tips about bundling and storage of the needles.

A sweet mouth watering tasty ham that our family loves for special occasions.

The ti stitch is great stitch for creating a sturdy basket because it has what I call a locking stitch that holds the stitches in place. When done correctly it can prevent the coiled needles from slipping. I am working with waxed sinew but I also show you how this stitch looks using cotton thread as well.

In this video I share my special technique in completing a wrapped row forming a continuous circle from start to finish and transition into the second row so that I have a smooth non abrupt transition from first to second row. It takes some practice to get good at this. The more I do it the better I have become. In some of my more recent videos you will see the improvement. In my next video I will begin teaching stitches such as the "Ti Stitch" and after that I will teach how to do the "Wheat Stitch"

This video will get you started in pine needle basket making. With this video I am starting with a 4" wood center that can be purchased from a craft store. I drilled the holes myself with a 3/32" drill bit. The holes are drilled between 1/4" - 1/2". The closer the better because as the basket diameter expands your stitches will grow further apart so get the holes as close as possible from the start. After drilling the holes lightly sand the back of the center. Then you may stain and or varnish if desired. My first row is a wrapped row. I like to start with a wrapped row for the first row. Look for part 2 "Finishing the Wrapped Row" to complete this first row. The needles are dyed green not naturally green. They were light brown when I dyed them. Fresh green needles will turn brown. I will upload a video how to prepare and dye pine needles.

In my pursuit of perfection in basket making I prefer my baskets to have smooth transitions from start to finish. I have developed a method of what I call a continuous circle even in a coiled basket. In this video tutorial I show you how I create such a finish on the final wrapped row where the beginning and the end are indistinguishable. I will be uploading a series of pine needle basket making tutorials I am an award winning basket maker. I will be sharing my tips here on this channel. Subscribe to be notified when my videos post.

In this video I show how to do the Wheat Stitch which can be a decorative stitch. In the last video I created stems with the Ti Stitch in brown sinew. I changed to the natural color sinew for the tops of the wheat stems. The Wheat stitch can be a useful stitch when your spokes become too far far apart as mine was in this basket. The holes were just under 1/2". I would have been better if they were closer to 1/4" apart. But anyway I used the wheat stitch to look purposeful in my design and to help have stitches closer together for the strength of my basket.