Crafting Ireland Issue 12

Issue 12 August 2012

I r ela n d ’ s f i rs t on lin e cra f t ma g a z in e....

In si de t h is issu e

F u n s t a mp e d ed ges S p ook y A lt er e d B o o k

Fa mily Tre e L a y o ut

Altered Mask

WELCOME to Issue 12 of Crafting Ireland!

As always we have a fun tutorial packed issue for you all. This is the second issue with our amazing design team in. We hope you have enjoyed getting to know them and look forward to seeing more of their work To see our list of design team members click here.

Some of our design team projects will be featuring over on our blog also so make sure to keep an eye out over there and maybe become a follower if you are not already!

We are doing a special Ustream online class on the 25th August 2012. It is at 6pm BST. It will cover creating Christmas cards using up last years paper stocks, so very thrifty and practical but

Submit your work - find out more at www.craftingirelandonline.ie

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fun!! We have tried to pick a time that will allow as many of our readers to attend as possible.

If you can’t attend we will be recording the class so you can watch it later. The class will be hosted here on Ustream. The supply list will be posted on our blog and website so if you want to join in on the day please do! The class will be looking at creating mini layout pages and a standing desk holder for them.

In the mean time we hope you all enjoy this issue!

Don’t forget you can keep up to date with us on our BLOG

Ni c ol e

Timi 3

Editors note........p2 Paper Mache Mask........p6 Spritzed Backgrounds........p12 Halloween Door Hangers........p14 C H A R e v i e w. . . . . . . . p 1 8 Stamping a Fun Edge........p22 Altered Manequin........p26 Autumn Layout........p30 Hipstimatic Mini Charm........p34 Spooky Altered Book........p38 Classes and Crops........p42 4

Masking Stamped Images........p45 Spotlight On.......p50 A l t e r e d D e s k O r g a n i s e r. . . . . . . . p 5 5 Canvas Covered Mini Album........p58 The Noun Project........p59 Back to Basics—Stamps........p62 Crafty Storage Ideas........p67 A u t u m n J e w e l l e r y. . . . . . . . p 7 0 R u l e r B o u n d Ta g B o o k . . . . . . . . p 7 6 Swap Details........p81

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I bought this mask in an Art shop but it is something you could also make! I decided I wanted to make a tropical themed mask using Graphic 45s Tropical Travelogue papers.

Aideen Fallon

What you will need:  A mask-shop bought or home made  Patterned Paper - I used Graphic 45s Tropical Travelogue  Paint- I used DecoArt paint in Bronze  Embellishments Step 1 Use tracing paper for the areas you want to cover with patterned paper.

Traced them out using the tracing paper to make them easier to cut out!

Step 2 Glue the papers down and pain the rest of the mask using cool bronze paint.

My dad got me a whole bunch of these DecaArt paints reduced in a hardware shop to €1 each.

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Step 3 Gather some embellishments you want to use. I wanted to use Prima flowers, feathers and a bit of tropical coloured bling.

Step 4 Glue down all the embellishments on the mask. I also added some prima pearl centers and some black flat-back pearl trim from my stash. I think it looks pretty cool. Here it is finished:

And a picture from the other side-how great are these feathers!

Of course I had to try it on ....

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One of my favourite lines of paper is Crate Paper. Not just for the quality & design but also for the fact that its double sided, it’s like double value, I really love this new range called Story Teller. It’s got that sweet vintage feel to it. You can use any 3 sheets of co-ordinating paper. I decided to do an 8x8 layout with a family theme to add to my family album. This is a simple way to document a sweet image you may have of either family members or parents.

Eva Birdthistle

What you will need:  1 sheet of Story Teller “Yesterday”  1 sheet of Story Teller “Trademark”  1 sheet of Story Teller Lifetime”  1 sheet of Story Teller Alphas  1 sheet of navy cardstock  Ink for edging  Black journaling pen Step 1 Choose your co-ordinating cardstock, preferably double sided.

Cut your navy cardstock into 8x8.

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Step 2 Cut/punch 4 scallop edges, about 8 inches each, alternatively if you have cardstock that is already scalloped just trim it (I used “Trademark”).

Step 3 Mitre the edges so they join up at the corners, leaving a little space around the edge of the card stock.

Step 4 Cut 2nd sheet of paper 7x7 (I used “Yesterday”) .

Step 5 On the back of the wood effect paper (or brown cardstock) draw free hand a tree shape, remember it is reverse.

Step 6 Cut out the tree shape, ink the edges.

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Step 7 Again free hand-draw the rest of the tree out of co-ordinating paper (I used “Lifetime�).

Step 8 Add your title to the layout following the curve of the tree.

Step 9 Ink a number of autumn coloured leaves. Bend them slightly and glue to the layout where the bend is so they stand off the layout.

Step 10 Add your favourite family image, either of parents, siblings or kids. I journaled the following around the edge of the layout.....

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“Like branches on a tree we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one�

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I like white space on layouts and also like to use different media to create backgrounds. This time I wanted to make a sprayed background but keep it quite simple. I wanted to enhance the patterned paper more than the background, so I didn’t use any stencils or other accessories that you could use with spray inks.

Timi Konya

What you will need:  A few spray inks in coordinating colours  Patterned paper  A few journalling cards and stickers  1 sheet of white cardstock Step 1 Spray the darkest colour of the spray inks on the white cardstock, in this case brown. Let it dry or dry it with a heat tool.

Step 2 Then spray the lighter colours (yellow and green). Let it dry.

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Step 3 Take the top off of the darkest green colour ink and splatter the ink diagonally on the page. You don’t need to splatter much in the middle, because that will be covered with patterned paper and the photo.

Step 4 Gather pieces of patterned paper and the photo. Glue them down on the page, along with some stickers. Curl up the corners of the patterned paper and journalling cards to add some texture to the page.

Step 5 Add the title and journalling to the layout and there you have a very quick but fun layout.

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Our family loves decorating for Halloween!

Mary Jo Rhoda But sometimes those decorations can get pretty expensive. In the past, I have enjoyed using recycled materials and my scrapbook supplies to make some inexpensive decorations for our house.

Now these aren’t made to last year after year. And that is fine with me! It gives me an excuse to make something new for the next holiday.

For this project, I am recycling some cardboard that came in one of my scrapbook packages to use for the base of my door hangers.

What you will need:  Piece of 12x12 chipboard/cardboard  Patterned paper  Embellishments  Letter stickers  Washi tape  Twine  Pop Dots Step 1 I decided to make four separate door hangers, so I cut my cardboard into four equal pieces.

One to keep and my son and I decided to share the rest with our neighbors.

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Step 2 Cover each base with a piece of Halloween themed patterned paper.

Step 3 Embellish each board using Halloween themed stickers, buttons, flowers, letter stickers, tags, and washi tape. I like to do a lot of layering on my pieces.

Step 4 You will need some twine and a heavy duty hole punch.

I used the smaller hole punch on my Cropadile by We R Memory Keepers.

Step 5 To keep my holes even, I use a ruler to line up my holes. But you can eye ball it if you feel comfortable doing that.

Once I cut the holes, I threaded each end of a piece of twine through the front side of each hole and tied large knots in the back. If your knots slip through, I recommend securing with a piece of tape.

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And now I have some simple hanging decorations for Halloween.

To make them a little more durable, a nice layer or two of Mod Podge will help. Since I am just making these as temporary decorations, I omitted that step.

I would recommend though putting the Mod Podge on over the flat elements before adding the embellishments that add depth.

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Kate Walsh

From http://createwithkate.com

CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) hold two major trade events in the USA every year. For the paper crafter it is the launch dates of the new paper collections and new products from the very best the industry has to offer. The bigger CHA Winter show is held in Anaheim on the west coast every January, while the smaller CHA Summer show is held in Chicago Illinois…..the Windy City!

What most of you don’t know is that I am lucky enough to have good friends and family living about 10 mins from where the summer event is held, who also have children the same age as my son and who have spare rooms and are only too happy to have visitors (especially when they bring a suitcase full of Cadbury’s chocolate J Wohoo…CHA, here I come!!!

Ok, so the show was held in Rosemount, which is a large conference complex, consisting of hotels, meeting rooms, conference halls and of course the show hall (which is probably the same size as the main hall RDS) To attend the show you have to be a member of CHA and either a retailer / buyer, professional crafter or designer and I have to admit, it’s amazing!!!

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In summary it’s a feast for the visual senses, full of inspirational products, projects and people who

all love to craft and therefore a lot of fun.

As well as the display floor where all the goodies are launched, demo’ed and displayed, the CHA run workshop’s and business seminar’s in the meeting and conference rooms. This is a fantastic part of the show as you get expert advice on various aspects of the industry; from product design to online marketing.

The show kick started for me on Monday morning at 7.45 am with registration for a full day of Ranger workshops Yippee!!

First I had Tim for two hours, where we got to make a fabulous festive home décor piece that also doubled as a pull toy We got to use his new Christmas paper line which is gorgeous, reminiscent of 80’s wrapping paper. The class in itself was unusual in that practically everything was done for you so all you had to do was assemble the pieces.

Which is the only way we could have finished this gorgeous piece. I even got mine signed on the back , and have a small video taken of it (where I am tongue tied like a school girl…so embarrassed) Shopping wish list … Lantern, pulley wheels, Holidays past paper collection and alterable Christmas Trees!

The second workshop was with Claudine Hellmuth, where we got to do a mixed media mini canvas using her product line.

It was a real hands on class with a very lovely lady who looks about 20 in real life! She demonstrated two resist techniques (one using Vaseline), an image transfer using her matte medium and we got to play with the melt pot and beeswax Shopping wish list … Matt Medium, melting pot!

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The last workshop I did was with Dyan Reaveley of Dylusions. For those who haven’t met Dyan before she is a force of nature with a great sense of humour and a very talented lady to boot!

We got to make a gorgeous mini album using the new 10”x10” Kraft tags ranger has launched. But the best part was her sprays and stamps, I just love, love, love her style….fun, quirky and colourful!

Watch this space!!!!

Shopping wish list … Everything Dylusional!

That was the end of the workshops for me, but only the start of the show… as the following day the doors opened for the main event!!

When you are a retailer and a crafter, it sometimes gets very conflicting as the business head can conflict with the crafting heart. For me, the show highlighted the fact that, although it is a retailer event, it is creativity that is the lifeblood of the industry.

It is us, the crafters, who design the products. We are the ones who use them. And boy, do we the crafters make beautiful things!

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After making three attempts to write about the floor, I came to the conclusion that the best way to describe it,

would be in a photo and video gallery. So hear are the photos and you can see more on my blog here and the videos on my you tube channel here.

Happy crafting and keep creating Kate x

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For something a bit different on your card why Robin Funge not try creating a fun edge! Stamping along the edge of your card can make a clean and simple card more interesting or create the illusion of movement. Later, dressing up the inside of your card, can really make your fun edge pop!!

I love the effect of solid stamps with this technique, but I have done a coloured example as well to give you an idea of how both ways can be special.

Using something like butterflies or birds flying off the edge of your card can be very beautiful and effective for this technique as well!

What you will need:  Blank Card Base  Scissors  Acrylic Block  Ink  Stamp sets of your choice  Distress Inks and distress tool (optional)  Copics Step 1 Starting off with a blank card choose a stamp set that will work for the edge of your card.

Solid stamps work well for this type of edge but you can also use stamps that need colouring if you like!

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Step 2 Using an acrylic block ink up the same stamp or multiple stamps and stamp along the edge of your card base about a centimetre from the edge. Leaving the small space at the outer edge gives you the option of leaving some white space when cutting around your stamped images.

Step 3 If you are colouring your images then I usually colour them before I cut along the edge of my card.

Be sure to use an ink that works well with Copics or your own colouring medium, like Memento.

Step 4 Leaving a small white border around my stamped images I cut along one edge of the card with sharp scissors.

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Step 5 To make my stamping along the edge stand out, I usually dress up the inside of the card on the same edge by stamping, distressing or adhering a small piece of solid cardstock.

Step 6 I then finish my card by adding any extra stamping, sentiments or embellishments.

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Stamping along the edge of this card gives the animals a more 3D look and the stamping and distressing inside adds to the rustic/farm look.

The stamping along the edge on the crayon card gives the illusion that the crayons are falling and the dark contrasting cardstock inside makes the cut edge stand out!

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This month is an autumn theme. As I have Sue O’Connell had a little sort out over the past weeks of my craft stash, I was determined to use some of it that has been hanging around for ages like my mannequin I purchased from a car boot sale for 50 pence and I had ethereal, nature and earth tones running around my head for this one.

Last month I had the pleasure of going to the WOW Embossing Powders HQ with fellow DT's and we did a technique with foil, flock, embossing powder and double sided sticky sheets. I loved this technique and so I have replicated it for the skirt on the mannequin.

What you will need:  1 x mannequin  Black gesso & White gesso or acrylic paint  Stamped tissue paper or Tim Holtz tissue paper  Distress Stains in peeled paint and vintage photo  Martha Stuart Glitter paint or other.  Stencil  Double sided sticky, WOW foils, flock, bark and verdigris embossing powder  Printed card & Velvet ribbon  Mariella die-holly vine & Cherry Lynn leaf stacker die & Spellbinder bauble blossoms 2 & Butterfly punch Step 1 Firstly, I painted the mannequin in white gesso and the stand in black. If there is a paint I cannot do without it is gesso in both colours. It is sooo fantas tic as a base for anything to cling to. Next I cut Tim 26

Holtz tissue paper into strips and used PVA glue to put it onto the mannequin body. Once dry, I went over this in peeled paint and vintage photo distress stain, and then painted over the top, Martha Stuart green glitter paint.

Step 2 The WOW technique came next. Get a stencil -I chose a Dreamweaver leafy stencil and put in down on one side of the double sided sticky. Take the different foils, I chose copper, dark blue and green and rubbed this into the stencil. When pulled away some of it stays in the stencil crevices. After that I used brown flock and rubbed this over the stencil, putting back in the pot what I didn't use. I then peeled the stencil off and sprinkled bark embossing powder over the pattern. The embossing powder stuck to the areas hidden by the stencil.

I then used a heat gun lightly over the picture and the embossing powder melted and formed ridges in the pattern. I covered a full A4 sheet of double sided sticky with the stencil and the technique then peeled off the back of the sticky and laid it onto a very colourful piece of 12 x 12 paper. This would mean that when I 27

curled the pieces for the skirt, the backing paper would show through in some areas and blend with the mannequin torso.

Step 3 I then cut this into 2cm strips, curled one end and glued the other onto the torso forming a skirt all the way around. I then finished off with a velvet ribbon around the waist, tied at the back.

Step 4 The leaves scrolls are a Marian Designs die-holly vine and Cherry Lynn leaf stacker die. I then covered these in Versamark and WOW verdigris embossing powder, then went over the dies with peeled paint and vintage photo distress stains once heat set. I then glued them onto the bodice. The glitter flower is from my stash of Prima flowers and the little flowers are made from cork with the spellbinder bauble blossoms 2. The butterflies are an Anne Griffin punch. The watch, key and gem embellishments from my stash.

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Step 5 The collar around the bodice is made from the spellbinder bauble blossoms 2 out of parchment paper inked with vintage photo distress stain.

This is the rear of the mannequin.

I have called this mother earth as it looks very organic to me and the day I made it I was in a very calm state even though the wind and rain were lashing it down outside, it made me feel all cosy in the house...

If you create something similar, let us see your projects over at the Crafting Ireland Facebook page.

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In Japan, one of the most popular scrapbooking Aki Iinuma subjects for autumn is a celebration called “753”. In November, parents with children of 7, 5 or 3 years old celebrate their children's growth. Children usually wear kimono (Japanese traditional dress) and go to a shrine with their parents and/or grandparents.

So, as a part of autumn layouts, I’d like to share this 753 layout. With these garlands shown in this tutorial you can easily create any kind of celebrationthemed layout.

What you will need:  Patterned Paper (Sassafras Lass, BasicGrey, Pink Paislee, Cosmo Cricket, Prima Marketing)  Chipboard (My Mind’s Eye)  Flower (BasicGrey)  Tab (BasicGrey)  Paper doily  Tulle  Game piece (Tim Holtz)  Glassine paper Step 1 Punch or die-cut patterned paper into small circles and stars.

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Step 2 Sew the circles and stars to make garlands.

Step 3 Glue the garlands to the patterned paper.

Step 4 Then you will need small pieces of patterned paper. Some of them should be punched or scissor-cut on the edge to make the layout even more fun.

Step 5 Make layers of patterned paper, tulle, paper doily, glassine paper and your picture.

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Step 6 Add paper trim, chipboard, game piece and flower. Now it’s done!

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....Diarise the date now....

The Great Big Craft Extravaganza Irelands premier crafting fair – for crafters 5th,6th and 7th October Athlone Springs Hotel    

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10 Shops confirmed Lots of classes Crafting space Shop window – an opportunity for crafters to show off their wares Demonstrations and Make and Takes and challenges

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5 Euro entry fee – which includes a Make , Take, and a Raffle ticket Classes include – cardmaking, scrapbooking, felting, altered art, wedding stationery, jewellery, Find all the info on Facebook – Like Great Big Craft Extravaganza Or on our blog at greatbigcraftextravaganza.wordpress.com 33

Eve Louw This Mini album charm is always attached to my baby bag !

What you will need:  Cardstock  Pattern paper (for the Cover)  Transparency (optional)  Washi Tape  Charms  Photos

Step 1 I have cut my cardstock down to 6”x4” which will give me a 4”x3” booklet perfect to go with my charms.

Score all your pages at 3” and fold in half.

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Step 2 I’m going to use a LARGE pin to bind my booklet, pierce two holes in the spine to you can bind it.

Step 3 Attach all your charmes to your booklet.

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Step 4 I called my booklet August as I will be doing more of these and just replacing the booklet so I always have a little journaling spot with me.

I will then bind all the booklets into one.

Step 5 For the inside I printed a photo or you can use a polariod, I picked up two leaves from our walk and included them in the transparency pockets.

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I love everything about Halloween – the costumes, Krissy Clark trick-or-treating, telling scary stories, and spooky decorations. So, I jumped at the chance to alter a book, changing it from a regular ordinary story to a book full of fun, slightly creepy images – along with a place or two to record favorite Halloween memories.

What you will need:  A Hardback Book  Gel Medium  Gesso  Acrylic Paints  Exacto Knife  Binder Clips  Scrapbook Papers  Journaling Tags  Spooky Halloween embellishments and pictures Step 1 Start with an ordinary book. It’s important to use a book that has the pages sewn into the binding, rather than glued in, because the first step will be to rip out about half of the pages.

This is necessary so that your book will still be able to close once you have decorated it.

Step 2 Gather small sections of pages and glue them together with a 38

gel medium. When you finish, you will have created four to six sections of glued pages.

I usually apply binder clips to help the pages stick together while the glue is drying.

Step 3 After your glued pages have dried and they are nicely stuck together, you will want to add a coat of gesso to any pages that you may want to paint.

Since I wanted to get all of my painting out of the way, I next added a coat of gesso to the cover of my book and then painted it with a black acrylic paint.

It’s easier to paint the cover of the book at this stage, before you start decorating the pages.

Step 4 Once the cover has dried, you can paint pages in the book if you desire. I chose to use a combination of painted pages and pages covered in scrapbook paper. For the sections covered in scrapbook paper, I made sure to first color the edges of my book pages with black marker.

This creates a nice consistent border if your scrapbook papers aren’t cut perfectly to size.

To adhere my scrapbook papers to the pages of the book, I ap39

plied gel medium to the book page itself as well as to the back of the scrapbook paper. This helps to prevent the scrapbook paper from getting bubbles or looking lumpy.

Step 5 Next step is to create a niche in one of my sections of glued pages. First, I outlined the area that I wanted to cut out with black marker. Then I simply took an Exacto craft knife and cut along the lines.

Depending on the size of your niche, you will have to cut along the area several times for the craft knife to cut down through all your layers of book pages.

After the pages were cut out, I applied more gel medium to the inside edges to make sure they were completely stuck together.

Step 6 After all the paint and glue had dried, it was time to move on to the fun part – decorating my book! I decorated it the same way I would decorate a mini-album, using my scrapbook papers and Halloween embellishments.

Instead of pictures of my family, I searched the Internet and found free spooky images that I printed out and used.

I created pockets for several of my pages so that I could insert tags on 40

which I included journaling about a few of my favorite Halloween memories. Here are pictures of a few of my pages so you can see how my book turned out.

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We would love to publish your classes and crops here. Whether you are a shop running crops and classes or just a group of crafty people looking for like minded people let us know. Simply email your details to submissions@craftingirelandonline.ie

Card Art Kilcoole http://cardarteventskilcoole.blogspot.com/ Crafty Angels All places must be booked in advance. Crafty Angels, Cutlery Rd, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Ph : 045-446678. http://www.craftyangels.ie

Scrapbook Store More info can be found on the website http:// www.thescrapbookstore.ie/workshops.php or contact Annamarie at workshops@thescrapbookstore.ie

Jackies Cardmaking Workshops http://jackiesworkshops.blogspot.com/

Scrap n Yap Check out Scrap n Yap on Facebook for more information.

An Siopa Buí Check out An Siopa Bui’s website for all class information.

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nspiring Ideas Visit http://www.inspiringideas.com/ for more information.

Archangels craft club Archangels Craft Club - we meet in St. Gabriels Clontarf every Tuesday 7.30 - 9.30pm and do all sorts of crafts - knitting, cross stitch, card making, beading and scrapping etc.

We are in our 9th year - all very informal but it’s a place to craft with like minded individuals. We are always on the lookout for demonstrators and enjoy the social aspect of crafting (along with the tea and cake!) If anyone is interested in coming along to join us, or maybe there is another club out there who would be interested in doing a Christmas craft day together please do contact me. Contact Christine at christinehelenokelly@gmail.com or on 0857151759

Create With Kate Workshops in card making, scrapbooking and mixed media. We also are a mobile craft supplies shop. Visit createwithkate.com for more information or phone 087 984 1196.

Scrapbooking Limerick Create beautiful scrapbook pages & crafts at our crops & classes Bookings: 086 3817677 www.facebook.com/scrapbookinglimerick

The Polka Dot Craft Club Cardmaking and scrapbooking workshop Killarney The Polka Dot Craft Club Facebook page

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Crop Tarts ‘Crop Tarts’ are a group of scrapbookers/card makers who have a regular crop on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. at “Le Cheile”, Donnycarney Community & Youth Centre, Collins Avenue East, Donnycarney, Dublin 5.

We are a friendly bunch who like to share our ideas/stash/equipment etc., so each month we usually have a short demo by one of our members e.g. recent demos have included crochet flowers and colouring with Promarkers or it might just be a LO that we are especially pleased with or a new card making technique.

We are a non-profit making group and the cost of hiring the room for each 4 month session (plus tea/coffee and biccies of course) is divided amongst the members signing up for that session. This usually works out at about €20 for each member. €5 for a days cropping away from the children/husbands etc ~ what a bargain !!! (Well we think so!) We welcome new members with open arms (always nice to see a new face) and your first visit is free.

On Nov 10th we are very excited to be having the extremely talented Dutch scrapbooker, Lida de Witte do a workshop with us. Lida loves shabby chic, grungy and distressing without stress and she has agreed to design a project especially for Crop Tarts. Check out her blog at http://lidadewitte.typepad.com/laugh-out-loud to see some samples of her truly amazing creations. As well as Lida’s workshop, there will also be a technique based double paged layout class where we will be experimenting with different types of mixed media. We have a few extra places available for this special occasion (which as always will be non-profit making) and the cost for the full day is only €50 including refreshments and a raffle.

If you are interested in joining us for our monthly crop or for our ‘special’ day in November please email Isobel at croptarts@upcmail.ie

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In this tutorial I am going to show you two different Nicole Mullen methods of masking images. Often we want to mask an image so that we can ink a background up around it or stamp another image so that it looks like it is sitting in behind the first image.

Method 1—Creating a paper mask Step 1 Stamp your image you wish to use. You can also print it digitally if you wish.

Then stamp or print a second copy of your image this time onto scrap paper.

Step 2 Cut out your stamped image. Be as careful and precise as possible, you want it to be the same size as your main stamped image. I cut off the ends of the banner on my hot air balloon as I did not need them in my mask.

Step 3 Place a bit or repositionable adhesive or double sided tape on the back of your cut out mask. Then stick your mask over the top of the image you want to protect. Place it on as precisely as possible to get the best finish.

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Step 4 You can now ink around your image. Make sure to hold your mask down and be careful that it does not move however as you don’t want ink getting under it. When you are done inking you can take your mask off and see the results.

Method 2—Using masking fluid as a mask I am not going to show you how to do the same thing using masking fluid. This is a medium that artists use when water colouring to stop colours bleeding or blending into previously painted areas. It costs about €9 in most art stores and a bottle goes a long way.

Step 1 To use the fluid first you need to shake well.

Then you will need a very fine tipped paint brush so that you can apply it as precisely as 46

possible. You will then simply paint a thin layer of it over your image making sure to keep inside your lines.

Tip: This will work on coloured and uncoloured images. It also has a slight yellow tint to it which makes it easy to see where to apply.

Step 2 Let it dry fully, this takes about 3-4 minutes depending on how heavy a coat you put on it. When dry you can then ink right over the top of it. The masking fluid acts as a resist medium.

Step 3 When finished inking you remove the masking fluid by rubbing at the edge of it with your finger or an eraser. It then starts to peel off like a rubber skin.

When it is all peeled off you are done!

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Comparison Below on the left is the image I masked with the scrap paper cut out. On the right is the image I masked with the masking fluid. You can see how I got a much better and closer finish with the masking fluid.

I also used the fluid to mask a stamp to repeat stamp. I stamped a jar image and painted a layer of the fluid on it. When dry I stamped over this with the jar stamp again. I peeled off the masking fluid and was left with two jars looking like they were sitting one slightly behind the other. Doing this means you won’t see un-necessary lines from the second stamping through the first image.

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Mina Hartley In every issue we will be spotlighting the work of an Irish based crafter. We will look at paper crafters, scrapbookers, and altered art aficionados. If you think you know someone who you think sound be spotlighted let us know at info@craftingirelandonline.ie This issues spotlight is shining on Mina Hartley. Here is Mina to tell us a bit about herself and her work....

I’m originally from the North East of England but always came to Ireland for holidays as my Dad is from the North coast of Ireland, eventually we came here to live after we were married for a few years.

I have been married to Phil my Husband for 36 years (yes I know it’s a long time isn’t it) and have known him since I was 15, we have one amazing Daughter aged 27 who we adore to bits. We live on the North Coast in County Londonderry. I gave up work through very ill health when my Daughter was still at school and luckily enough have never had to go back (more time to craft).

W hen and h ow di d y ou get i nvol ve d w i th paper cr af ti n g?

Until a few months ago my Husband worked away so I had a lot of spare time to fill and have always been crafting in some form, my Mum taught me to sew and knit etc but painting and designing was always my thing. I saw a craft pro50

gram on a shopping channel about 4 years ago and though ‘oooohhhh I would like to have a go at that’, so of I went to the shops and found it almost impossible to find anything for cardmaking so instead I bought some wrapping paper with huge roses on it and did my first ever piece of decoupage and I have never stopped from then.

What i s your f av our i te asp ec t of paper cr af ti n g?

I love designing and painting but my all time favourite thing to do is cutting out, I’m addicted to cutting paper. I colour my images with distress inks and the hours fly by when I start, I sometime only stop when my stomach tells me to.

What a re t he te chni ques t hat y o u us e m ost o f th e ti m e?

Painting with distress inks and again cutting out.

What a re yo u r " can ' t d o w i tho ut " pr odu c ts?

I couldn’t do anything without papers, papers and more papers, as I don’t own a die cutter I couldn’t do anything without my teeny tiny Pergamano curved scissors either, they are razor sharp and the point goes through things like a knife through butter as the holes in my hands can show lol, my other essentials are my brushes I use Daler Rowney brushes and my Langton Hot Pressed card oh and not forgetting my guillotine.

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W hat i nspi r e s y ou?

My inspiration comes from the designs on the papers I use, I look at one and know what I’m going to do with it, which image to use, the colours, shape and everything else...they are my total inspiration and when I buy them I can’t wait to get home to cut them up.

How d o yo u des cr i be y ou r sty l e ?

I don’t think I have a style although I’m sure someone would disagree with me lol, I will have a go at most things.

Do y o u blo g ? W he r e c an w e s ee y our w ork?

My

personal

blog

is

http:// pinkpuds.blogspot.com/ where I ramble about family, life in general and have a good old rant now and again...oh and I post something new I have made on it everyday I am on some wonderful DT’s such as http://www.bunnyzoescrafts.com/ Blog http:// bunnyzoescrafts.blogspot.com/ http://www.craftsandme.co.uk/ index.php 52

Blog http://www.craftsandmestamps.blogspot.co.uk/ http://www.funkykits.co.uk/ Blog http:// sugarnellie.blogspot.co.uk/ Hav e you a ny pl a ns f or th e f utur e ?

I don’t have any plans as such but I used to teach painting and cardmaking classes and would love to do some more teaching as I loved it, meeting all those lovely people and the look on their face when their finished card was gorgeous is so wonderful, I made a lot of really good friends from the classes.

I would also like to do some more demoing at shows.

I think people think that because I paint my images it takes me forever, it takes me about ten minutes to paint an image and I’m quite organised.

So demoing is real fun and there’s nothing better than a natter with people is there and I have never had any complaints about being bored with a demo...well not yet anyway lol 53

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I like little wooden chests with drawers, because I always find them very useful to keep all the small bits and bobs that can appear on a desk.

Timi Konya

I bought on of these drawer units from a craft shop, but somehow I felt that simply painting them was just not creative enough.

What you will need:  Untreated wooden drawer unit  Acrylic paint  Patterned paper  1 toilet roll  Paper clips Step 1 Cover the desk organiser with brown acrylic paint.

I diluted the paint with some water, so the woodgrain remained visible.

Step 2 Cover some of the sides with patterned paper of your choice.

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I used border stickers from the paper collection to add some interest. You can even add layers of patterned paper, if you like.

Use gel medium to adhere the paper to the painted wooden surfaces. When it all dried cover the whole piece with some more gel medium to seal the paper.

Step 3 Take the toilet roll and cover it with patterned paper. I used simple paper glue to do so.

Decorate the tube with some of the border stickers or just stripes of coordinating paper. Ink the edges.

Glue the decorated toilet roll in the corner on the top of the desk organiser. Try to hide the seams of the patterned paper and the border stickers.

Step 4 I wanted a few matching paper clips, so I chose green and yellow clips and adhered little pieces of patterned paper on them. Use gel medium for adhering the paper to the metal.

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Step 5 Decorate the little drawers with some sayings or mark them so you know what they hold.

You can add some post-it note pads and use the back panel to clip up some of those very important reciepts.

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When I saw the sticky back canvas in one of the new Papermania ranges I knew that the time had come for a canvas covered album.

Timi Konya

Below a video tutorial that leads you through how to create the album. The cover is made from chipboard and the pages are from 6x6 double sided paper and there is very little scrap at the end. Click on the image below to watch the video.

What you will need:  Chipboard for the cover  6x6 double sided paper  Sticky back canvas  Thread and needle

Measurements: Chipboard for cover: 2 pieces of 6 x 4 ¼ chipboard (front and back) ¾” x 4 ¼” for the spine Canvas for cover: 2 pieces of 7 ½” x 6” sticky back canvas Pages: 6x6 double sided paper (Scoreline: ½” and 2”)

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I recently came across a very fun website called The Nicole Mullen Noun Project. www.thenounproject.com Their mission is to “....collect, organize and add to the highly recognizable symbols that form the world's visual language, so we may share them in a fun and meaningful way. “ Basically the site is full of fun images to describe nouns. When you visit the site you will see the most recently uploaded nouns.

When you hover your mouse over the noun image it will tell you what it is.

I loved the simple graphic nature of the images and decided to use them in a project. My first project is a card.

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Project 1 Step 1 Download the images of your choice.

You can search all noun images or by keyword. I searched for different images of cameras.

Step 2 I created a Word Document page that was the size of the card I wanted to print onto. In my case it was 13cm wide and 26ch tall/long.

I worked out where on the card I wanted to position my images using the ruler along the left of the screen to make sure I did not place them up too high—this would mean the images could print on the back of the card! I also added text at this stage.

Step 3 I put my card blank in my printer and printed my fun yet funky card!

Project 2 Step 1 I wanted some fun non text based journaling on some little journaling cards I had. Again I chose what images I wanted and downloaded them. I then just printed these directly onto card stock.

I brought them all into Word again just for ease of printing.

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Step 2 Print and cut out your images.

Step 3 Glue your images onto the journaling cards or even directly onto a layout as a title.

Step 4 I placed my journaling cards in the pocket of the mini layout desktop stand I made recently. I love how they add some interest and are almost like a secret message—EYE, HEART, PERSON = I LOVE YOU!! Cheesy but fun!

I hope you have fun exploring this different way to create cards or title layouts and create journaling!

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Stamps and Stamping

Timi Konya

Stamping is a huge part of paper crafts, you can use stamping in card making, scrapboking, art journalling basicly almost everywhere.

There is a huge range of stamping products out there from rubber stamps to different stamping blocks.

In this short article we are going to look at the very basics of craft stamping.

Rubber stamps There are two kinds of rubber used to make rubber stamps: Red rubber and grey rubber. Rubber stamps have great qualities; they give really crisp images and they can be stamped into hot surfaces like Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. Rubber stamps can be wood mounted or unmounted.

Wood mounted rubber stamps have three layers: Wood block, foam cushion and the rubber (the actual image).

Woodmounted stamps are ready to use and the only thing you need is the right ink. Wooden stamps need more space to store if you hava lot of them.

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When you buy unmounted stamps you need an acrylic block to be able to stamp.

Unmounted stamps are a lot cheaper than woodmounted stamps, because you have to supply the handle to your own stamp.

Unmounted stamps come in two forms. You can purchase only the rubber stamp in a sheet or individual images and then you need to attach the cushion to it before using the acrylic block.

It can be tricky sometimes, you need very sharp scissors to trim the rubber and foam cushion. Generally the foam cushion has adhesive on one side, that is where you attach the rubber to. Or you can buy unmounted stamps with the cushion.

In both cases the foam cushion has a clingy surface that will stick to the acrylic block and you are ready to stamp.

The only negative thing about rubber stamps that it can be hard to see where you are stamping.

For this problem some companies have already found the solution, they print the image on the back of the foam cushion, so it is easy to see.

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Most popular manufacturers:  Hero Arts  Stampendous

 Penny Black  Inkadinkado  Tim Holtz  Magnolia  The Greeting Farm  Whiff of Joy Polymer or Clear stamps Clear stamps are very easy to use however they need to be attached to a smooth surface to be able to use them. This can be an acrylic block (sometimes I use the B plate from my Cuttlebug die cutting machine).

Clear stamp are almost completely transparent when purchased. The stamps are little bit tacky so they attach to the acrylic block. More than one individual stamp can be ararnge on the block to create different designs when stamping.

Great things about clear stamps that you can see where you are stamping and that they are really easy to store. There are several storage ideas for storing the stamps, like CD cases or plastic pockets etc... They are also a lot cheaper than rubber stamps.

But they also have some drawbacks: loss of the stickyness on the back, they are easy to tear and some cheaper stamps can yellow over time.

Sometimes there are 64

problems with the crispness of the image, but the opinions on this topic greatly vary.

Foam stamps Foam stamps are alternatives to rubber stamps. They are made of foam and great for bold distinctive images. The qualities of the foam allow foam stamps to stamp bigger images, but they aren’t great to use for small intricate images.

Foam stamps are mostly used with paint but most of the inks will work with them too.

You can easily make your own stamps from Fun Foam: die cut or hand cut the foam and attach it to an acrylic block with some repositionable glue.

Foam stamps are not just for children! Check out Claudine Hellmuth’s or Donna Downey’s foam stamps.

Tip: Always look after your stamps. Clean them after each use to prolong life of the stamp.

Digital stamps Digital stamps can be downloaded to your computer and then printed. If you want to colour in the image that you printed you would need a little experimenting, because sometimes the printed image can bleed.

You can find digital stamps anywhere on the internet.

There are lots of free images and also bigger companies may have their digital versions for purchase.

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If you would like to advertise in Crafting Ireland email us at info@craftingirelandonline.ie with advertising in the subject line for more information.

Below are a list of some shops that we shopaholics like to order all those essential supplies from. All these stores are either located in Ireland, or else ship to Ireland with reasonable rates.

Ireland

LillyPad Craft Supplies http://www.lilypadcraftsupplies.ie/

Cardz’n’Scraps – Cork Art Supplies http://cardznscrapz.com/

Crafty Cutting www.craftycutting.com

Scrapbook Store http://www.thescrapbookstore.ie

United Kingdom

Crafty Angels http://www.craftyangels.ie/store/

Artist Trading Post http://www.artisttradingpost.com/

Scrapbook Store http://www.thescrapbookstore.ie

Artistic Stamper http://www.theartisticstamper.com/

An Siopa Bui – The Yellow Shop http://www.ansiopabui.ie/

Craft Barn http://www.thecraftbarn.co.uk/

Create With Kate www.createwithkate.com

Craft Emporium http://www.craft-emporium.co.uk WOW Embossing Powders http:// www.wowembossingpowder.co.uk/

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Wild Orchid Crafts www.wildorchidcrafts.com

In this issue we will be looking at Nicole Mullen’s crafty space and see how she stores her supplies. Here is Nicole to tell us all about her space....

Hi there and welcome to my (messy) crafty space. I have set up my crafting area along one wall in my spare room. I will take you through it in the photos below.

I have two desks side by side. In the first image it is a small kitchen table that is at the perfect height for sitting and working at. Under this desk is a small Ikea drawer unit which you can see in the second photo.

In the bottom photo you can see my second desk.

It is at perfect standing height. It has my eCraft on top and underneath a pull out press the holds my papers.

On top of this press in my Big Shot and my paper cutters. I slide the press out to use these and then tuck it away when not in use.

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My desk has various storage pieces on it to contain all my stuff. On the left you can see my Ikea storage units, these store embellishments, adhesives and various small bits and pieces. On the right you can see a small shelf with folders. These folders contain all my clear stamps and paper scraps.

You can see a close up of the folders on the left below. They hold quite a lot as they are thick folders. On the right you can see my ink and sprays stand.

This was designed by me and made by my husband.

Behind my eCraft I have a notice board covered in magnet sheets. I keep all my thin metal dies on here which makes them really easy to access.

Most things in my craft room were bought very cheap, all the shelving was bought in the Ikea clearance section over time for about â‚Ź3 each. I also 68

picked up all my storage boxes for on the shelves in Ikea. Again mostly all of them were in the clearance section. This made kitting out my craft room very affordable. I have lots of open shelving but the boxes all labelled make everything look tidy and organised and hides most of the clutter!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek of my crafty space. If you would like your space featured get in touch with us at info@craftingirelandonline.ie

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I love everything about autumn, it is my favourite season, but what I like best are the colours you find in the leaves at this time of year.

Felicia Thomas

With this in mind I thought I would make some autumnal jewelry but I couldn’t find any leaf themed beads or charms. Years ago when my children were small they used to make beads from salt dough…. So I went searching for the recipe and spent an evening making dough leaves!

It’s so simple it isn’t really a recipe at all! Use any cup as a measure; put 2 cups of plain flour & 1 cup of salt in a bowl. Add enough water to form dough then knead it well until it’s smooth.

Roll it out (a little more flour stops it sticking to your surface) and then I used rubber stamps to form my shapes.

Don’t forget to make a hole in the top for the jump ring (a cocktail stick works well) not too close to the edge, that will weaken it.

Bake it at 130 for 90 minutes (less if you have only made a few pieces) and then let them cool.

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I used some metallic gold acrylic paint as a base and then added green and bronze Perfect Pearls which gave a lovely iridescent shimmer.

When you’re happy with your beads its time to make them into necklaces!

It’s very simple to put together once you have the right tools:  you will need a CRIMPING TOOL  and either ROUND NOSED PLIERS or THIN NOSED PLIERS. You can find these at most craft shops.

You will also need:  Crimps (tiny beads that you squash to hold things in place)  Tiger Tail wire (this is plastic coated so won’t cause any allergic reactions)  Clasps & Jump Rings  A selection of beads in your colour choice (I got a cheap bracelet from Penney’s and took it to pieces)

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Step 1 Ok, the first thing to do is measure your wire – a standard necklace is 17” but you may like to wear it longer or shorter.

Step 2 Now add a crimp bead to one end of your wire Step 3 Add your clasp, bend the wire over & thread the end back through the crimp

Step 4 Using your crimping tool, gently squeeze the bead flat – this will hold everything in place Step 5 That little end of wire that is sticking out there will really irritate your neck so you need to add some small beads and make sure the end is trapped inside them. Secure them in place with another crimp bead.

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Step 6 To add a jump ring to the leaf charm you need to hold the ring in your crimp tool and use your pliers to open the end put it through the charm and gently close the ring again.

Step 7 The first necklace is super simple, take the loose end of the wire, and thread it through a round bead, through the jump ring, back through the round bead.

Step 8 At the loose end of the wire add a crimp then the small beads to match the clasp side and 1 more crimp (hope that makes sense!) fold the end of the wire back through the crimp to form a loop and use your crimp tool to secure it.

Step 9 Push up your beads to cover the sharp end of the wire and secure the crimp, open a jump ring and add it to the loop.

Step 10 And there you have it, one finished necklace!!

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For the second necklace you add your clasps to the ends in exactly the same way but the important thing here is to check and double check that you have a crimp at each side of each cluster of beads.

So, up to step 6 is the same then: Step 7 Add a small cluster of beads, don’t squeeze the crimps yet!

Step 8 Add a cluster; add your leaf charm and a matching cluster, again, no squeezing yet!

Step 9 Add a small cluster to match the first one (no, we’re still not squeezing!)

Step 10 Fasten the ends together and (this makes it a lot easier) put a piece of Blu-Tack on your work surface and stick the clasp into it .

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Step 11 By gently pulling the leaf you will find the center and can then line up your clusters so they are level. Now you get to squeeze all the crimps into place!

Step 12 The finished article!

So, now you have two unique necklaces made from dough, an old bracelet and a little know how!

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I have seen wooden rulers being used in altered projects lately. I decided I wanted to use one to create the binding for a tag mini book.

Nicole Mullen

What you will need:  Tags—as many as you want pages in your book  Inks & sprays  Wooden ruler  Chipboard  Book pages  Glue  Embellishments & stamps  Ribbon/twine  Eyelets and eyelet setter Step 1 Take your tags and ink them up. I used shades of yellow, orange and purple for mine. Ink up the book pages in similar colours.

Step 2 Adhere the book pages to the chipboard and die cut or hand cut tags from it to make the front and back cover for the book.

I also sprayed some lemongrass glimmer mist on my cover pages to add a bit of shimmer and sparkle!

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Step 2 Score your tags and covers at 3cm. If your ruler is wider or narrower you will have to adjust this figure. Basically you need to score just to the outside of the with of the ruler.

Step 3 Paint the front cover with crackle paint to give it an interesting texture and effect and leave to dry.

Step 4 Cut your ruler down to the width of your tags. The ruler will create the binding on the tags. Mark on it where you want to punch your holes. You can use a crop a dile or a drill to make your holes.

Step 5 Punch holes in your front and back cover and all the tag pages to line up with the holes in the ruler. On the back cover set eyelets and thread with twine or ribbon, whichever you prefer.

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Step 6 Thread the twine through to the front cover. Then place the ruler on the top of the cover and thread the twine right up through it. Tie the twine at the front in a knot or a bow, whichever you prefer!

Step 7 Decorate your cover as you wish. I am still deciding on a title! I did stamp a wonderful La Blanch raven on it though. You can also use ribbon as a closure for the book at this stage if you wish. If you embellish the pages a lot you will probably definitely need this stage!!

Because each page is scored they all open nicely with the ruler binding holding it all together.

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This idea could be used to create mini albums, notebooks or any other project that needs binding!

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We have decided to replace our regular challenge with a Swap instead. The wonderful Felicia of Scrapzville has kindly agreed to host the swap. Some of you may know that Felicia used to run Scrapzville Swap. Well we can happily say that Scrapzville Swap is back in conjunction with Crafting Ireland!!

For the swap you will be assigned a partner and a theme to follow. You then create a mini album to send to your partner, and you will receive one in return.

The rules for the swap are quite simple;

 The album should be no bigger than 6"x6"  It should have at least 6 pages including the front and back covers.  Please remember that your swap partner (probably) doesn't know you and the work you send will be their first impression of you - so make sure that you are proud of your work and would be happy to receive something similar.

 Please do not sign up for this swap unless you can complete the swap, your partner may be overseas and you are responsible for postage fees.

 You must have an email address to enter - this means you can contact your swap partner to discuss favourite colours etc.

 Sometimes people send extra goodies with an album, this is a lovely gesture but NOT compulsory, therefore it is up to you.

 Please do not expect to receive extras!  The last and most important rule is.... Enjoy creating!!

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To join the swap you will need to email your details to Felicia at; felicia@craftingirelandonline.ie

How to join in Issue 12 Swap Theme—Autumn Create a mini book using autumn colours or autumn theme. Whatever autumn means to you!

Sign up deadline—Sunday the 26th August by 1pm GMT. You must have emailed Felicia your details by this date and time to be included in the swap.

Swap partners announced—Monday the 27th August. You will be told who your swap partner is, and given their email address so that you can get in contact to exchange postal addresses, style preference, etc Albums must be in the post by— Monday the 24th September (or sooner). Try to get the album posted as soon as you can so that your partner can hopefully receive it before the next swap is announced!

The swap is open to everyone, no matter where you live.

When you have finished your album consider taking a photo of it before posting it off , and email this photo to Felicia. We will then try to publish these photos along side the next swap announcement. If we don’t have the space they can go up on our Facebook wall.

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Contact us at info@craftingirelandonline.ie for advertising rates.

out on 1st October.. .

Article submission If you have an article or tutorial you would like to get published please email us about it at submissions@craftingirelandonline.ie

Make sure to check out www.craftingirelandonline.ie for more information on future issues 83