Issue 4

Issue 4 September 2011

I r elan d’ s f irst on lin e craf t mag azine. . ..

ue s s i s i h t e d i s In

 Tut o r i al s  G i ve awa y s  C hal l e nge s And muc h mo r e !

Stencilling with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Freebies!!

P aper Pumpkins

WELCOME to Issue 4 of Crafting Ireland!

Hi everyone and welcome to issue 4 of Crafting Ireland.

We have lots of fantastic projects, tutorials, reviews and give aways in this issue. We are welcoming on board Felicia Thomas who will have a regular column in the magazine creating fantastic mini album tutorials for us all. Her mini albums are really amazing and we are sure you will love her column.

Our other exciting news is that we will be attending the Great Big Craft Extravaganza in Athlone. This fantastic event is running on the 30th of September to the 2nd of October. All the shop times, classes, shops and demos that are happening at the weekend can be found on their website.

We will be there on the Saturday and Sunday of the show. We will be running some challenges over the weekend with some great goodies up for grabs!

Submit your work, find out more at Craftingireland.wordpress.com

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It would be great if you are attending the show for you to stop by and say hello!

We would love to meet all our readers and put faces to the names and fantastic submissions and lovely feedback we are getting from you all.

As always we want to say a big thank you to all those who have submitted, contributed or sponsored this issue of the magazine .

Don’t forget you can keep up to date with us on our BLOG and FACEBOOK page.

Keep sending in your work, and happy crafting!!

PS: Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for an announcement on the winners of the Spectrum Noir pens giveaway!

Nicol e

Timi

Editors note........p2 Back to school mini album........p6 Stencilling backgrounds........p12 Titles for scrapbook layouts........p18 Halloween mini album video tutorial........p22 Altered lampshade........p24 Submissions........p28 I n k t e n s e p r o d u c t r e v i e w. . . . . . . . p 3 4 Spooky sweet bag........p42 Bat pop up card........p45 Classes & Crops........p48 4

Back to basics—Adhesives........p50 Wo r k i n g w i t h K r a f t G l a s s i n e . . . . . . . p 5 6 Spotlight on........p64 Printed wall art........p68 Halloween frame........p74 Spooky Halloween card........p76 Halloween altered notebook........p78 Paper pumpkins........p80 Featured website........p83 Challenge........p88 Challenge winners........p90 R e a d e r g i v e a w a y. . . . . . . . p 9 2

We would like to introduce a new contributor to Crafting Ireland—Felicia Thomas. Felicia is a crafter based in Killarney, Co.Kerry.

Felicia Thomas

She is just fantastic at making mini albums, journaling, altered art and much more. Felicia is going to have a column in every issue where she will share her talents with us and show you how to create some amazing things. You can see more of Felicia’s work at her website—http://www.scrapzville.com This mini album is easy to make and can be adapted for children starting school right through to college.

You will need:  6 Toilet Paper (TP) tubes (3” x 4”)  Patterned paper or cardstock of your choice, cut into 6 ½” x 4 ½” to cover the tubes and cut to cover your chipboard on both sides.  You will also need a piece 6 ½” x 4” – fold this in half length ways for your spine  And 2 pieces cut to 3” x 7”  2 Chipboard covers (approx 4 ½”” x 6 ½”)  Ribbon 16” long  6 tags  Ribbons, fibres and embellishments  Your favourite adhesive,  Scoring tool, bone folder and usual crafting tools.

I used TP tubes for the inside and baby flash cards for 6

s

the covers – I found these in Tesco for €1.99 (for a box of 16) and I used a zigzag binding to hold it together.

Step 1 Flatten your TP tubes using your bone folder (don’t iron them – I tried it… not good!) and trim them all to 4” in length. Next cover them with your chosen paper, If you cut them open you can fold over the ½” edge to make a neat opening. Cover all 6 of your tubes.

Step 2 Next take some light grade sandpaper and sand the edges of your flashcards, this will give you a fresh surface for inking your edges and make your adhesive more effective. I used Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Ink for the edges, then cover both sides of each chipboard.

Step 3 Take the piece of cardstock that you have folded for the spine (it now measures 6 ½” x 2”) and score it ½” in from each side – crease these well with your bone folder.. Adhere this to the inside of each cover , lining up your score lines with the edges .

Then using a ruler to make sure its straight add a some ribbon across the whole book, I used redline tape for this. This is your closure for the album.

Step 4 To make the binding take your 3” x 7 “piece of card and score this across the short side at every ½”

Glue your first tube into “valley” 2 (the downward V) the next into valley 4 and last into valley 6

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The 3 tubes now open like a little book– make another “book” with the other 3 tubes.

Step 5 To attach the tubes to the cover, adhere the first and last ½” score line to the ½” score lines of the spine.

Repeat this with the second set of tubes – space them evenly each side of the ribbon.

Step 6 Now it’s simply a case of decorating your cover and adding tags and photo mats! For Junior school my tag prompts are things like :” who I sat next to”, and “my teacher is”.

But for college students you could add recipes (so they don’t starve) and bus timetables (so they can get home!).

The mini album complete and ready to fill in!

You can embellish in any way you want. Felicia has used some cute little buttons and a cute pencil charm—just perfect!!

Inside of the mini album.

We hope you all look forward to Felicia’s regular column, we certainly do!!

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Julie Fei-Fan Balzer of Balzer Designs is a self-taught mixed media collage artist and avid scrapbooker. She has been making art for as long as she can remember and loves the process of creating.

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

She says; “I believe that mistakes are creative opportunities and hold fast to the notion that enjoyment of the process is just as important as the finished product! I like to think outside of the box — experimenting with paper, paint, and fabric — always trying to find a way to push my supplies further and see all the possibilities.”

Stencils Stencils are a quick and easy way to add strong design to any scrapbook page! One of my favorite ways to use stencils is to create beautiful backgrounds for my layouts.

Stencils work with a variety of wet and dry media so there’s never the need to run out and buy something new…unless you want to!

Today I’m using the Copic Airbrush system and four Copic Sketch Markers (RV04, RV09, R27, and 110) to apply color through my stencils. You could also use mists, acrylic paint, or ink pads.

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Step 1 One after another, spray the two pinks and the red marker through the Balzer Designs Wonky Circles stencil in 6x6.

To continue the pattern, simply lift the stencil and move it so that it overlaps one row of the previous placement.

Tip: I like to hold the stencil in place with my hand when I airbrush, but you can also use low -tack tape to keep it in place.

Don’t feel that you have to fill the entire area of the stencil.

Allow some of the circles to be only partially defined.

For more intensity of color, as in the bright red area, simply spray several coats.

Step 2 Use scrap paper to mask off one strand of the Balzer Designs 12x12 Herringbone Stencil. Place it so that it comes into the center of the layout and airbrush with a black marker.

Again, for intensity of color, airbrush several coats.

Step 3 Repeat the same process, but this time with the Balzer Designs 6x6 Herringbone Stencil. Place the stencil just above the previous Herringbone mark.

You may find that the airbrush is slightly sticky to the touch, but it will not come off on your hands.

Step 4 Move the Balzer Designs 6x6 Herringbone stencil to the left edge of your layout and airbrush a continuous line of herringbones down the side of your layout.

To get a continuous line simply overlap the edge of the stencil over the previously stenciled image (as pictured) and

continue on your way!

This is what your background looks like when you’re done airbrushing.

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Step 5 Grab a wet paintbrush and some black watercolor pain and finish off your background with some black watercolor splats.

Simply hold the paintbrush over the layout and gently tap it with your finger. The more water in your brush, the better the results.

Step 6 Once the watercolor paint has dried, add your photos to the left side of the layout, as seen here. My photos were taken with the Hipstamatic app in my iphone and printed at 2.75”x2.75”.

Step 7 Add your title and subtitle and then all that’s left is your journaling!

Stencils make artsy pages quick and easy with great design!

If you’re interested in learning more about stencils I’m currently offering a free online class called “Stencil 101.”

Please visit my blog www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com for more information.

We say....

Julie has been published in many magazines including Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts Gifts, Quilt Scene (upcoming), Creating Keepsakes, Better Homes & Gardens’ Scrapbooks Etc., Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, Somerset Memories, Somerset Digital, scrapbooking m.m. (Sweden), Scrap Art Zine (Germany - upcoming), Scrapbooking & Beyond, Simple Scrapbooks, Histories de Pages (France), books by Leisure Arts, F&W Publications, and Quarry (upcoming), as well as multiple e-zines.

Julie is currently the co-host of Scrapbook Soup TV (PBS) and has appeared several times on Quilting Arts TV (PBS) and hosted the “Artist to Artist” segment on Scrapbook Memories TV (PBS). She will also be appearing on the upcoming season of Crafting at The Spotted Canary 16

(PBS). Julie’s hour-long instructional DVD “Collage Fast & Furious” was released in July 2010

by Interweave.

Julie and her husband live in a tiny apartment with a big art studio in the middle of New York City. She is a graduate of Brown University.

You can find all the stencils Julie used in here store here...

These are the two stencils used in the layout.

Wonky circles

Herringbone

As we all know we cannot have enough alpha stickers!! If you are like me you are always wanting to buy more, saying: “just in case I may need this colour/shape”.

Timi Konya

Then when I have an idea in my head about a layout, I find that I don’t have the right alphas. So what to do???

I will show you a few ideas now how to make a matching title for your project using what you already have around. You can click on all the images to see the full sized layout.

Let’s see first what we can use to make a perfect title: Alpha stickers These are great to use as they are, BUT we can alter them, so they can complement our project. Depending on the surface you can change their colour with inks or acrylic paint.

Sometimes I like to give them a little shine; this can be done with Glossy Accents or Rock Candy Crackle Paint.

Foam & Chipboard Alphas These are more dimensional, can be altered with paint, crackle paints and inks. You can also use embossing

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powder on the chipboard alphas (don’t try this on the foam ones though) it gives a really nice finished look.

I try to buy black and white foam alphas, because they can be easily changed. Even the black alphas can be turned into some light colours and then I would leave the edge of the letters black, it gives a bit more dimension.

Stencils & Masks You can easily make a title with stencils or masks, and the possibilities are endless. Using acrylic paint, gesso, moulding paste, spray inks or just simply markers to draw your letter through the stencils.

Die cut letters Using die cutting machines to create titles is always fun. Depending on the die you use, you can make more or less dimensional titles. I like to use Tim Holtz Decorative Strips for my titles.

When I cut the letters, I colour them with inks, using a few coordinating colours. I like to get the edges well inked with a dark colour, and then cover all the letter with Rock Candy Crackle Paint. After it dries I like to go back with a darker colour ink again, and the ink will soak in through the crackles and it will give a nice finish to your titles.

Patterned paper Many times you will find that there is text or phrases on your patterned paper. You can highlight the text with a frame to use it in your title.

Stamping This is a very easy from of creating titles and if you want to make it more dimensional, a little embossing powder can help you out.

Using your own handwriting I know many of you would say I don’t like my handwriting!!! I think my handwriting is terrible looking sometimes, but I believe it gives a real personal touch to your project.

I like to write my title with a pencil on a piece of patterned paper or cardstock to match my layout.

I then draw a line around it with black or white pen and just cut it out.

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Top Tips

Make your title dimensional!

Use foam dots, liquid scrap dots or hot glue to lift your letters Always plan your title with the layout!

It is good to plan things a little ahead, good to know where your title will get a place in the composition, so it will make a one whole piece and not pieces thrown on the background.

Enjoy experimenting with your titles of your layouts!!

Crafting Ireland We asked you all on our blog a while ago what you would like to see more of in the magazine. We loved all the responses and we have taken them all on board. To that end we are going to try include a video tutorial in every issue of the magazine. We know that seeing something done in a video can sometimes be easier to follow than just step by step photos!

In this issue we created a Halloween themed envelope mini album. We used the Graphic 45 Wizard of Oz papers. These papers were kindly provided by Cardz ‘n’ Scrapz. We hope you enjoy the video. If you use this tutorial to create a mini album post a picture of your completed album to our Facebook page!

Click on the image below to bring up the video....

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The completed album!

Your one-stop shop for all your Card and Scrapbooking needs!! Shopping Hot Products Craft community forum Excellent customer service Fast delivery

I always seem to have lampshades Nicole Mullen in my house that are not being used. I don't know where they all come from but I know that they don't match my current décor at all. So they sit in the press unused and unloved!

I decided to use a quick method to alter a lampshade to bring it in line with my décor.

What you will need:  Lampshade  Hot glue gun  Fabric  Trim or embellishments of your choice Step 1 Take a piece of fabric that will cover your lampshade. I cheated and cut off the end of a leg of linen trousers . The trousers had a stain that could not be removed so I figured better to use them for something! Make sure there is enough fabric to fold over the inside of the lampshade at the top and the bottom.

Step 2 In my case I simply slid the trouser leg over the lampshade as it is a small lamp shade I was working with. If you are using normal fabric you would have to glue one end of your fabric on to the lamp shade and wrap the fabric around the shade and 24

then glue down the other side. Try to make this seam as neat as possible. You could also sew it if you wanted.

Step 3 Fold the fabric up inside the frame and glue in place with the hot glue. I did this by pulling the fabric up tightly and putting some glue on the inside of the frame and pressing the fabric in place. I would advise using something to press the fabric down. I used the blunt end of a pencil. This stops you burning your fingers!

Work your way around the frame this way.

Step 4 When you have the bottom done you can move onto the top. When you get to the top you can pull the fabric very tight up and over the inside of the shade and glue it in. I pleated the fabric slightly along the way to add some interest to the look of the shade.

Continue all the way around the top until you have all the fabric glued down. Again be careful of your fingers with the hot glue!

Here is the shade completely wrapped. If you want to avoid the pleating you will have to cut small slits into the fabric before you fold it over and glue it down. I think the pleating really gives the shade a lot more interest though.

Step 5 I decided to use some floral trim to decorate my lamp shade. My trim was white so I used some distress ink to dye it.

To do this I put a drop of frayed burlap distress ink reinker onto my craft sheet and spritzed it with water. I then put my floral trim into the inky puddle and made sure all of it was wet with the ink mixture. If you don't have a re-inker you can swipe your ink pad directly onto the craft mat and spray this with water. This will work just as well but may take a bit longer, as you may have to keep adding more ink.

Step 6 I attached my trim with hot glue again.

Make sure to press the trim into the glue with something other than your 26

finger so you avoid hot glue burns. (Ahem, speaking from experience there!!)

Top Tip: You can embellish the shade with whatever you want.

Just be careful with what you use, both in embellishments and fabric and make sure they are not highly flammable Items!

I also used a lower wattage bulb in my shade just to be on the safe side!

I love how the lamp turned out in my hall....

Call for submissions….Calling ALL crafters – we want to publish you!!

For each issue we will give you a list of themes to work with. We would love to see what you create inspired by these themes. When you submit an image of your project, please make sure it is clearly photographed straight-on with a neutral background or scanned.

Please make sure you only submit projects that have never appeared online or on a blog before, and it can not have been published previously.

Thank you to every one who submitted for issue three. The themes for this issue were :  Autumn Days  Inspired by Halloween

Autumn Days

Pam Blood craftcreationsbypam.blogspot.com

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Stacy Morgan twinshappy.blogspot.com

Aideen Fallon www.piecesbyaideen.com

Geraldine Reardon littlesnippetsblog.blogspot.com

Weenie Thomas Dublin, Ireland

Inspired by Halloween

Geraldine Reardon littlesnippetsblog.blogspot.com

Pam Blood craftcreationsbypam.blogspot.com

Emma Bourke— paperaddict-emma.blogspot.com Issue 5 Submission themes For issue 5 we have two themes for you to work with. Again you can submit cards, layouts or altered art projects. The themes are:

 The Night Before Christmas  Winter Wonderland Please email your entries along with your name and blog address to

craftingireland@gmail.com by the 17th October Remember your submitted projects can not have been published online or in any other publication before it is featured with us. You can find guidelines for submitting your work on our blog 32

Timi Konya Inktense blocks are new art medium from Derwent. They are inks in a solid block form and they are so versatile to use.

They are water-soluble but once dry permanent. You can use them on many porous surfaces. I will go through a few of them in this article.

They come in singles, 12 piece tins or 24 piece tins. There are some accessories that you can buy with the blocks: grippers so your fingers can stay clean and ‘Grate’n’Shake’ to mix your colours.

Direct to paper You can start by applying the colours you like directly onto the paper. Here I am using some autumn colours to make a 12x12 layout. The colours may seem too faint or light, but as soon as you add a little water with a wet brush or a water-brush then you will see how the colours start to brighten up.

It is advisable to use water colour paper, but I used cartridge paper (165gsm). It takes water nicely, and does not curl up or bubble.

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Stamping I then used the Inktense blocks with some different stamps. I rubbed the blocks on the stamp and spritzed it a little bit with a water mister. You can just tap a wet brush on it if you have no mister, it works just as well.

Ink drips After drying the stamped images with a heat tool, I decided to make some drip effects on the page. I grated some different colours of the inks directly onto a non stick craft sheet and watered it down well. I then just brushed the ink on the edge of my 12x12 paper while holding the page vertically and just let the ink flow down the page.

Stencilling I then used one of my stencils to add more to my background. I grated some inks into the little pot, added water and also added some Perfect Pearls. I mixed this well and poured it into a mister and misted it all over the stencil.

Now my background is ready!!

Creating the page embellishments Embossing I then started to make the page elements. First I did some embossing. I took an embossing folder and rubbed the blocks on it and embossed my paper. Then I sprayed it with some water and waited for the colour to start to move around on the paper. If some places aren’t dark enough, then just rub the block on the embossed paper again. There are many possibilities with the embossing folder. It is fun to play around a little to see what you like the best.

I tore the embossed piece of paper and coloured the edge of it. This was easy to do, I just dipped the block into water 36

and applied the ink block colour directly on to the paper.

Stamping embellishments Then I stamped with the blocks again, but this time on some grunge paper.

The ink works perfectly on the grunge paper. I then cut out the stamped images to use as embellishments on the

layout.

Colouring paper I punched some paper with a border punch and coloured the paper with the inks. This time I wanted to make a very bright piece, so I applied a lot of ink.

Inking Kraft Glassine Paper To create a photo mat I used some kraft glassine paper. First I distressed the edges and crumpled the glassine to achieve a cracked effect. Then I rubbed my Inktense Blocks all across the surface. Then with a water brush I worked the colour into the cracks.

Inking the Kraft Glassine paper.

Fabric Flowers I took some muslin and tore it into long strips. There are two ways to colour them. First apply the colour directly on the fabric and use the water brush to blend the colours.

Or you can grate some of the ink blocks onto the craft sheet, water it down and pull the fabric across the colours.

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When the fabric is dry, you can then make the flowers. To do this cut a circle out of cardstock. Tie a knot on the end of the fabric strip.

Put some glue in the centre of the circle and push the knot into it. I used hot glue, but you can certainly use fabric glue as well.

Then just twist and roll the fabric around the centre adding little dabs of glue along the way. Be careful using the hot glue as it is easy to burn your fingers!!

To make a leaf for the flower just fold a strip of fabric like on the picture below and glue the two ends on each other to hold it in place.

To decorate you can add some bling to the centre of the flower.

Assemble the page and taadaaa!!

I used hot glue to adhere the elements to the background to achieve dimensional effect.

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To summarise the techniques, we used the Inktense blocks: On paper On fabric On Kraft glassine On Grunge paper Embossed it onto the paper Dipped in water and applied colour Grated it to make drips and mist Stamped with it All this with just one art medium. Isn’t it absolutely fantastic??

Where to buy the Inktense blocks: You can purchase the Inktense blocks in sets here. Or you can buy them singly here. You will also find all the accessories and grating tins there too.

Timi Konya Here we will show you how to make two quick projects using the freebies that you get from Crafting Ireland in this issue.

You will need:  Paper bag  Stamp (I used Hero Arts)  White acrylic paint  Embossing ink  Clear Embossing powder  Black ink  Black felt and padding/cotton wool  4 black pipe cleaner  Crafting Ireland Freebie Digi Sentiment Step 1 Cover the paper bag with watered down white acrylic paint to achieve a white washed effect.

Step 2 Stamp the spider web onto the bag with embossing ink, cover with embossing powder, shake off the excess and heat it. This will now resist the black ink.

Step 3 Cover the bag with black ink.

Distress ink is a good choice

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here. Blend the ink nicely, and ink the edges darker than the rest. With a baby wipe gently wipe the bag, the ink will come off from the embossed areas.

Step 4 Cut a circle out of the sheet of felt. Stitch the edge with a straight stitch, then start to pull the thread and gather the felt. Use padding or cotton

wool to put inside of your circle to form a ball.

Step 5 You need 4 pipe cleaners to make 8 legs.

With hot glue attach the legs onto the bottom of your ball (where the stitches are) and wait till the glue hardens.

Bend and from the legs into “spider legs�. Cut out some hand drawn eyes from paper and glue them onto the spider.

Step 6 Glue the spider onto the bag as if it was crawling on it and also adhere the sentiment.

Step 7 Fill the bag with sweets. Fold the top over and close it. I used tiny attacher to secure it, but you could also just use a stapler.

Click on the image for the free Digital Sentiments Download

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You will need  Blank card (I used kraft colour)  White and black acrylic paint  Distress inks (black and orange)  Black cardstock (light weight)  Crafting Ireland Freebie Digi Paper  Few flowers to embellish Step 1

White wash your card base with watered white acrylic paint. Water down some black paint and make some drips on the inside of the card.

Step 2 Take a piece of paper (scrap), fold it into half. Draw a half of a bat body shape close to the folding. I find it is the easiest

way to get a symmetrical shape. Cut it out and use it as a template.

Trace it onto black cardstock six times and cut them all out.

Below is the bat body template and the cut out bodies

Step 3 Fold all the bat bodies into half and glue them to each other. Take another piece of black paper and draw a shape of a bat wing. Cut out two of this shape.

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Step 4 Cut a piece of the Freebie Digi Paper and ink the edges.

I inked first with an orange colour, going more into the paper and then with the back touching only the edges.

It is now two-toned.

Glue the patterned paper on the front of the card.

Glue the wings inside the card, one wing on each side of the fold.

Glue the body of the bat in the middle, right on to the fold line.

Embellish the front with a few flowers and glue the sentiment too.

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 craftingireland@gmail.com

Card Art Kilcoole—Sunday 25th September at 10am to 6pm http://cardarteventskilcoole.blogspot.com/ Crafty Angels Children's Cardmaking Class, held in store on the 1st. October from 2-4pm.

Adults cardmaking workshop is on the 15th & 16th October, also held in store, time 12 - 4pm.

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/ Crafty Alley 24th September—Card making with Claire Buswell Weaving workshop with Carol Feller Oil Painting with Tina Reed www.craftyalley.com

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

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

Inspiring Ideas Free Instore Demonstrations ongoing from 11am – 4pm October 1st – World Card Making Day – Free card making demonstration with Mandy Brennan October 8th – Quick & Easy Porcelain Painting October 15th – Tips & techniques for Fiskars cutting tools October 22nd – Spooktacular Halloween crafts for children October 29th – Celebrate Halloween with us instore all weekend LIKE MINDS Craft Group – next meet up Thursday, October 27th. 630pm in the Craft Café.

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

If you would like your classes or crops listed here free of charge email the details to craftingireland@gmail.com 49

In this series we would like to go back to square one and start with the basics that you need for paper crafting and their various uses.

Timi Konya

Adhesives are the ‘must haves’ in our stash but sometimes it can be confusing which one to use, when or how to use them. I have made many mistakes and needed to restart a project just because I used the wrong type of adhesive. Has this ever happened to you?

So where do we start?

There are a few important things that we need to keep in mind when choosing an adhesive: 1. Acid free adhesives - If you use lots of photos on your projects, then you may want to know if your adhesive is acid free or not. Why is this important?

Acidic products can damage your photos over time.

2. Dry clear adhesives – Adhesives that dry white are not the most suitable ones for craft projects, because even a little drop of you glue showing can change the overall look of your project. We all know that the things we make are homemade, but still we all want them to have a professional finish.

3. Permanent or repositionable adhesives - Some types of adhesives have a permanent and also repositionable version. It depends on you as to which you want to choose. Repositionable adhesives are better for those crafters who like to see the composition first and then make the changes if there’s any needed. If you want to change something on your project which is glued down with permanent glue you have to be prepared that there 50

may be tearing and ripping involved when removing an element.

4. Humidity - Crafters in countries all over the world can experience differences in usage of adhesives. Some types of glues work differently in less humid areas and others differently where the humidity is high. It is for the individual crafter to find out what adhesives work the best in the area they live.

Now let’s have a look at the different glues and adhesives.

Tapes and tape runners In this category you will find all the double sided tapes that are suitable for sticking paper to paper. Regular double sided tape has quite a strong hold, but if you want something really strong you have to buy Scor tape or red line tape.

There are different companies producing these for example: Ranger’s Wondertape. You can use tape runner to apply double sided tapes like ATG guns or small tape runners that are good if you are on the go.

It is important to know that these types never dry, so when you are making a pocket in your mini, you would not want to use a tape adhesive to avoid your tags sticking and getting damaged by the tape.

Glue stick Glue sticks are well known to all crafters. They are easy to apply and work great when you want to stick paper to paper.

They are also good for paper to chipboard when making a mini album, but be aware that some of the glues stick will come undone after a while when the glue dries out and hardens. It can take months or years for this to happen, but if you want to keep something for a long time then it is better to find a stronger glue.

Spray adhesive Spray adhesive is a very strong adhesive and it is great to stick many materials. In paper crafting it is often used when larger surfaces needed to be stuck together.

I prefer to use this when making chipboard cover mini albums.

My favourite spray adhesive is 3M Craft Mount Permanent Adhesive.

Wet glues There are many types of wet glue available for crafters. The most common ones are PVA and white glues. These can be purchased in almost any craft/hobby shop and they are suitable for gluing lots of materials. It is important to know if they dry clear before you use it on your projects.

There are lots of wet glue brands out there: Scotch Quick dry is among crafters’ favourite, because it dries very quick.

Glossy accents This is a clear, three dimensional very strong gloss medium.

It is used for gluing but also can be used to enhance an element on your project by adding dimension.

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Xyron sticker making machine These machines are great when you want to do your own self adhesive embellishments. It has a cartridge in it and when you run through you piece of paper or ribbon it will lay a coat of adhesive on it and turn it into a sticker.

Glue dots Glue dot are great when you want to stick down small embellishments like flowers or bows. The come on a roll and you take off as many as you need.

3-D adhesives 3D adhesives give a nice dimensional effect to your project whether it is a card or a scrapbook page. There are many types of these. The most common are foam dots/squares. They come in different sizes and colours, usually white and black, but you can find transparent ones too.

My favourite dimensional glue is called Liquid scrap dots. This is a product made by Helmar. It is a gel like glue and suitable for metal, wood, paper, buttons and lots more. It has a long dry time, but it’s worth it. It dries clear and gives a great dimensional effect.

Very similar to Liquid Scrap dots is Silicone glue. It is a strong and flexible glue perfect for use in decoupage and other paper craft projects.

Multi mediums/gel mediums/Mod podge These are great not only to stick pieces down, but also give a nice finish and seal your project. They are perfect to use for art journaling or collage projects.

Some crafters say that when using these bubbling and curling occurs on their project. To avoid this bubbling of the paper use thin layers of the glue and make sure to burnish the paper down well. I personally really like Claudine Hellmuth’s multi medium in matte and glossy.

Hot glue This is a lot of crafters’ favourite, because it is suitable for sticking even heavier objects. It also can work as dimensional glue. You can purchase cordless glue guns and cool melt glue guns. These are a lot easier to use than the traditional old hot glue gun.

Glue pens Glue pens are pens filled with liquid glue and suitable for sticking down very small pieces of paper or other embellishments. They dry fairly quick and are easily absorbed in the paper. My favourite glue pen is the ZIG Two way glue pen. Be careful and don’t leave it open, because it dries quickly and you won’t be able to use it again.

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Sheet adhesives And finally there are sheets of adhesives available.

These are great for larger projects such as techniques with Ten Seconds Studio Metal sheets. You can use them to make your own stickers and other embellishments. An example of this adhesive is Wonder tape from Ranger.

In this article I showed you some types of adhesives, but I am sure that there are many more out there. It is only the tip of the iceberg and I am sure you can find more ideas on the World Wide Web to use some of these must haves in your craft room!

In the next issue we will be looking at: Paper

Nicole Mullen In this tutorial I am going to show you a few ways to work with kraft glassine paper. This paper is an unusual product. So what is it? It is a coated paper that is semi-translucent. It does look a bit like wax paper, but it is very different!

The following short tutorials will give you a few ideas on how to work with kraft glassine.

Note Because of the coating on glassine paper you will find that if you try to ink directly onto it then it tends to ‘bead’ on the surface rather than be absorbed.

If you then wipe this a lot of the ink will wipe straight off. The following tutorials will show you how to deal with this!

Embossing kraft glassine paper What you will need:  Kraft glassine paper  Embossing folder of your choice  Sanding block  Ink  Embellishments of your choice 56

ď € Card , paper and binding to make a mini notebook Step 1 Cut a piece of kraft glassine to suit the size of your card base. Put this in your embossing folder and emboss.

Step 2 You will notice that embossing the paper has broken the coating in places.

This is what we want in order to be able to ink the paper up.

Step 3 To break the coating down even further to make sure you get a very good coverage of ink on it take your sanding block and lightly sand the raised sections of your paper.

Step 4 Now ink the raised parts of your paper and you will find the ink stays on it perfectly.

Step 5 Use the embossed kraft glassine to create a card or any other project of your desire! I have made a mini notebook keeping the kraft glassine as the main focus of the cover.

Creating a leather effect frame using kraft glassine What you will need  Kraft glassine paper  Ink  Picture frame  Embellishments of your choice  Adhesive & Mod Podge Step 1 Take your frame and measure it to work out how many strips of kraft glassine you will need to cover the front of it.

Then ink up the edges of your frame.

Step 2 Take your strips of kraft glassine and crumple them into a ball. When you crumple the glassine you are breaking the coating of it, and as a result you get a lighter colour in the creases of the paper.

This gives a very antiqued look.

Tip—The more that you crumple the paper the smaller the cracks and creases you will get.

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Step 3 Glue your wrinkled and distressed kraft glassine onto the picture frame. It should give an old, work cracked leather effect.

Step 4 I put a coat of matt mod podge over the top of the paper and the frame to seal it all.

Step 5 Embellish as you wish and enjoy!

I embellished my frame with some prima chipboard stickers and some floral trim that I inked with distress ink to match my frame.

Kraft resist paper One of the best things about kraft glassine paper is the fact that you can make your own kraft resist paper with it. This allows you to clear emboss patterns onto the paper and have these sections resist inking. You can buy packs of ready made kraft resist paper, but it is nice to be able to make your own to suit projects.

What you will need  Kraft glassine paper  Embossing ink  Clear embossing powder  Heat gun  Embellishments of your choice  Card and adhesive Step 1 Stamp your chosen image onto the kraft glassine paper with the embossing ink and cover it with clear embossing powder. Set the embossing powder with your heat gun as normal.

Tip: When you heat the glassine paper you will see it get very shiny, almost like it is wet or melting. What is happening here is the coating is coming to the surface of the paper. As soon as you stop heating it will return to normal.

Step 2 Repeat stamp to create your pattern on the paper.

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Step 3 Ink over your kraft paper.

Where the ink goes over the embossed sections all you need to do is wipe the

excess ink off and it will reveal the untouched kraft underneath it.

Step 4 Use your custom kraft resist paper on a project of your choice. I created a card. I think the emboss resist contrasts nicely with the inked paper.

Printing on Kraft Glassine paper Printing on kraft glassine paper gives a fantastic old and vintage look to any images used on it.

What you need:  Kraft Glassine paper  An image  A ordinary household ink jet printer When you print the image you need to be careful taking the paper out of the printer as the ink will still be wet and will smear if you touch it. To set the image all you need to do is heat it for a few seconds until you see the glassine get ‘wet looking’.

This will now lock the image into the glassine permanently.

Tip: If you stamp on kraft glassine paper you will need to make sure to heat the stamped image just like above to dry the ink and set it into the coating.

The image I used is a fantastic vintage wedding photo from The Graphics Fairy.

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Your image will not print out as clear and sharply as it will on white paper or photo paper. This all adds to the vintage charm however!

Here is the printed glassine paper held up to a window to show you just how translucent it is....

Because the paper is so translucent you can layer the image over patterned papers or stamped images or text. You can even wrinkle it to make it look even more distressed and aged.

Conclusion I hope these short tutorials gave you an idea of how to use this fantastic and versatile product. New and strange materials like kraft glassine can be a bit daunting at times so I hope you now go out and give it a try and enjoy experimenting with it!!

Clare Buswell 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 craftingireland@gmail.com.

Our third issue spotlight is shining on Clare Buswell. Here is Clare to tell us a bit about herself and her work....

I live in a little village in the south-west of Ireland called Athea. (That’s in Co. Limerick.) I'm pretty much a home bird, somewhat shy, I love spending time with my family in our home in the countryside. If I'm not inside crafting you'll find me in the garden pottering away.

When and ho w di d you get i nv ol v ed w i th paper cr a f t i ng?

I've always been creative and playing with paper in some form or another.

Art was my favorite subject at school and painting is a hobby of mine since early childhood. I studied graphic design at college but it was only a few years ago after the birth of my daughter I discovered the joys of card making.

I was intrigued by some clear stamps I saw online, I did a little more searching and discovered the whole world of card making, I haven't looked back since. I discovered quilling around the same time and became hooked.

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What is your fav our i te as p ect of pap er craf ting?

I love the ever changing nature of card making, discovering new techniques to try, making my own embellishments, especially flowers. I also love the comradery in the paper crafting community, visiting the blogs of the many talented card makers and getting an insight into their worlds, I have gained a whole new group of friends.

What are th e techni qu es that you use most o f the ti me?

I love distressing, sewing/stitching on paper, stamping, embossing, diecutting, making embellishments and quilling when I have the time.

What ar e y ou r "can't do w i thout" pr oducts?

I use a lot of seam binding, I love lace, all types of flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts have some fabulous ones) and of course I’d be lost without my Waltzingmouse Stamps. I always have a good stash of patterned paper to hand too, I love Crate Paper, Echo Park Paper, Webster’s Pages…

What inspires you?

I'm inspired by lots of things, by nature, other card maker's blogs, magazines, I LOVE Pinterest although it's terribly addictive, it's a wonderful inspirational source, I love to dip in! (http:// www.pinterest.com)

How do you d escr i be y our style?

I'd describe my style as Shabby, I love distressing techniques and lots of layers. Most people describe my work as pretty, feminine, romantic and detailed.

Do you blog?

Yes, my blog is called Clare’s Creations http://clare-buswell.blogspot.com/ Where ca n w e see your w or k ? A r e you on any desi g n teams?

Apart from my blog, I have a gallery at www.splitcoaststampers.com where I’m currently on the Dirty Dozen Design Team. I’m on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Sketch Challenge team. I’m also on The Ribbon Reel design team. I regularly design for Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine in the UK. You’ll be also be able to see some of my cards in Paper Crafts Magazine (US) in the new year.

Hav e you any pl ans for the futur e?

I love Waltzingmouse Stamps and I can’t imagine ever wanting to leave!

I love creating with Claire’s designs and the whole team is like one big family. I’m really enjoying working with Cardmaking and Papercrafting magazine (UK), I love the variety of challenges they give me.

I’ve just recently started submitting to the US magazines, it’s an exciting process and it’s something I hope to continue with. In the future I’d love to start designing clear stamps.

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Edi t o rs pi cks The editors each picked one of their favourite projects from Clare’s work to share with you below..

Ti m i says. .

I really like the colour combination on this one. Red, pink and white is a colour combo which can be very feminine but dynamic in the same time. I also really like the handmade flower!

Ni c ol e says. .

I love how Claire has managed to make a shabby chic Halloween card. I love the ruffled paper and how the different patterns of the papers all work so well together. The sentiment is just the perfect touch on top of it all!!

Nicole Mullen I don't know about you, but I have a bit of a penchant for buying photo frames. I don't seem capable of taking a trip to Ikea without coming back with yet another frame! The problem with this frame obsession is that I always seem to take ages to find the right photo or art to go in them. So my latest solution is to create my own wall art!

I am going to show you a simple technique that you can do on any home computer with the most basic of programmes that you will already have installed.

You do not need to be good with computers for this tutorial, if you can follow simple directions I can guarantee you will get great results!!

Step 1 Open Microsoft Word and type out the text for your word art. I used the song my husband and I had our first dance to after our wedding.

You can use your wedding vows, places you have lived, a favourite song, quotes—anything you want!

For my text I ‘Justified’ it on the page. This spaces it out across the width of the

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page and makes it look much neater. The justification button is circled in black in the first picture.

Have fun with your text, choose a fun font and perhaps highlight parts of it in colour.

Step 2 Select your text and copy it. Open Microsoft Paint and paste the text in to the blank canvas that opens. You then save this canvas to make it a image you can use any time. Make sure you take note of where you save it to!

Step 3 Open up another blank Microsoft word document. Choose insert and Shapes and choose a shape of your choice. I chose a heart. I am using Word 2007. If you have 2007 or 2010 this will be the same for you.

Tip If you are using 2003 or a previous version you will have to go Insert , Picture and then Auto Shapes.

Step 4 I drew my heart and enlarged it to be as large as the A4 page would take.

Step 5 Now we need to fill the shape with our text that we turned into an image in step 1 and 2. To do this we need to ‘fill’ our shape with the image.

In 2007 and later word version you need to click on the image and go to the ‘Format’ tab. In this tab select the ‘Shape Fill’ option. In here select the ‘Picture’ button. You then browse for the image you created earlier and select this.

You will see your image be filled with your text!

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For older versions of word you can right click on your drawn shape and choose ‘Format Auto Shape’. You will then get all the options needed to fill your shape.

Step 6 Your shape will have a outline/border on it. If you like this line then you can leave it. You may want to change the colour or remove it. Personally I like it removed. To do this select ‘Format’ and ‘Shape Outline’. You can change the colour here or remove the line.

Again for older versions you can right click, Format Auto Shape and set the line option to None.

Step 7 When you are happy with how your image looks and happy with the size of it then you can print it out. I like to print my images on light weight card, in either cream or white depending on the frame it is going into.

Make sure you print your image the right size for your frame. I made an A4 image as I had a large A4 frame for it to go into!

Top Tip This tutorial can be used for other projects too. I like to create images like this and use them on cards for people.

Below is a card I created for my husband. I kept it very clean and simple and let the image do all the talking for my card!

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Nicole Mullen Welcome to our Crafting on a Budget section. Here we will be looking at how to create some Halloween decorations working on a budget and using supplies you will probably have in your

Halloween Frame This simple frame is a great quick and cheap project to make to decorate your house at Halloween.

What you will need:  Cheap wooden picture frame—I used a cheap frame from Ikea that comes in a 3 pack at €1.99  Ink or paint in orange and black  Halloween embellishments  Paper  Halloween image (for example bat or skeleton) Step 1 Take your wooden frame and colour it with your inks. I simply used a wild honey distress ink pad and swiped it all over the frame. I used a black soot distress ink pad to highlight the edges of the frame to give a more worn and spooky look.

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Step 2 Embellish the frame. I used some bat sequins picked up in a euro store and a small wooden pumpkin. You could use anything you want.

Step 3 Choose a piece of paper you want to use for the inside of your frame. The paper I used is a nice bright stripy paper that had a lot of ‘traditional’ Halloween colours in it.

Adhere your Halloween image to this paper. I used a bat image from the Graphics Fairy. I just printed the image and cut it out and adhered it to the paper.

Step 4 Place your image in the frame and its done. A nice quick, cheap and easy project.

A few of these grouped together on a table top will look fantastic for a spooky Halloween party!

This is a quick and easy tutorial to show you how to make a fun ‘Mummy’ Halloween card. This could be used as an invitation to a Halloween party, as a thank you card for the host of a party you attended or just as a fun greeting to a friend!

What you will need:  Card stock in black, white and orange  Oval and small circle punch or die (you can also cut it by hand)  Tissue paper  Ink  Alpha stickers or alphabet die  Adhesive Step 1 Make a card blank out of the black card stock. Cut an oval out of your white cardstock. And make it about two thirds of the height of the black card.

Step 2 Cut your tissue paper into strips. You will use these as your mummy’s bandages. Wind these around the oval of white card. I placed double sided tape on the back of my oval in order to adhere the tissue paper onto it.

Step 3 Keep wrapping the oval until it is fully covered. This is the base for your mummy face.

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Step 4 Cut a small circle out of black cardstock. Then cut this in half.

This will make the eyes of your mummy. To fix the eyes I slipped them underneath one of the ‘bandage’ strips and glued them in place.

Step 5 I die cut the word spooky from black card and hand cut a banner from orange card.

I inked up the edges of my banner and of the card base I had made from the black cardstock.

Step 6 Put all your card pieces together, and there you have it, one spooky mummy card!

Tip: If your tissue paper looks very white and ‘new’ then take some old paper distress ink and lightly ink it before you cut it into strips. This will give it a more aged look suitable for your spooky mummy.

I love jotter note books, it tend to always have a number of them around my house and in my purses. This Halloween notebook would to make a list of the party supplies you need, or would be prefect as a party favour.

What you will need  Plain jotter notebook  Halloween paper or traditional Halloween coloured papers  Adhesive  Small oval die or punch  Orange card stock  Ink and embellishments Step 1 Cut your papers to fit onto your notebook. I used three different colours for mine. I used one of the colours as a decorative boarder to hide the join between the top and bottom colour papers.

Step 2 To make a small paper pumpkin for an embellishment for your notebook die cut three ovals . Ink the edges of each oval to give them some contrast. You will then place two of the ovals down side by side and the third on the top of the two.

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Step 3 Glue the three ovals into place. Cut a small piece of green card for a stem and then you will have a small orange pumpkin.

These little pumpkins are great for embellishments for all your Halloween projects.

Step 4 Glue your small pumpkin onto the front of your notebook and add any other embellishments you are using. I die cut some letters for on my notebook. I also added some tissue tape to cover the binding on the top of the notebook.

Tip: Altering these little jotters are a great way to use up your paper scraps!

These paper pumpkins are very simple to make and look fantastic as Halloween décor. You can make a few in varying sizes and group them together to make a centre piece for a table or on a mantle piece.

What you will need:  Orange paper, I used two different shades of orange  Ribbon or twine  Hole punch, I used a crop-a-dile  Ribbon or green wire to embellish Step 1 Cut your paper into strips. I cut mine to 2cm wide by 18cm long.

Step 2 Use your hole punch to punch a hole in each end of the strips. The hole has to be the same distance in from each end of the strip. On my strips it was half a centimetre in from the end. It is very important the holes are in the same place for the pumpkin to work.

Step 3 Thread the twine through the strips of paper and knot it at the end. You can use ribbon for this step if you prefer.

If you are using patterned paper 80

you must make sure that the knot in the twine or ribbon is on the side of the patterned paper. This will ensure that your pattern stays on the outside of the pumpkin as you start to create it.

Step 4 Start to thread the other end of the paper strips onto the twine one by one. Because I am using two colours paper I have laid my strips out in alternating colours. Continue to thread the strips on one by one.

Step 5 Continue to thread the paper strips and fan them out as you go. When you have threaded all the strips push them down slightly to bow them out to form the pumpkin shape. Tie the twine when you are done.

You now need to make a stem for your pumpkin. To do this you simply need to roll a piece of paper to form a stem. Hot glue this to the top of your pumpkin. If you want to embellish with ribbon you can tie a ribbon around the stem in a bow.

For my pumpkin I used the twine to tie a bow and some green wire curled to add some interest.

Top Tips In order to make the smaller pumpkin I used paper strips that were 2 centimetres wide by 6 centimetres long.

You can make these pumpkins using any colour papers, plain or patterned.

You can embellish the tops with ribbon, wire stems or even cut some leaf shapes to add to the top.

If you find that the knot under the pumpkin causes it to sit slightly off simply make it as small as you can. And remember pumpkins are all different shapes and sizes so they do not have to be perfect!!

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Welcome to this issue’s featured website— Big Picture Classes. This review was done by Timi Konya who has taken some of the classes on offer.

Big Picture Classes was founded by Stacy Julian in 2005 as Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is the leading education program for scrapbooking, photography, journaling and personal well-being. BPC focuses on to inspire anyone with a desire to capture memories, explore their creativity and celebrate life.

BPC offers classes and workshop in a step-by-step approach, always encouraging participants to use their own stash rather than spending a fortune on each class.

The cost of the classes range from FREE to $12; and the workshops from free to $250 for a special year-long course.

BPC works with extremely talented instructors who are there for you when you need help. These instructors include Donna Downey, Jennie Bowling, Heidi Swapp, Claudine Hellmuth and many more.

I have attended two workshops by Claudine and it was a fantastic experience and I feel I have learnt a lot.

How does it work?

You have to register online to be a member. Membership is free.

Browse classes, BPC offers a wide range self-paced classes and workshops.

Every class has its own description and also a supply list is available so there won’t be any surprises during the class. If you are not sure about a class you

can go and read what other students say about the class in the forum, which is free for members.

Sign up for a class!

Usually you have access to class materials for long time, so you don’t have to be concerned if you are not able to keep up with the class schedule.

What I really enjoyed?

I loved the creativity of the instructors and the structure of class materials.

There were photo presentations, downloadable extras, audio files. I don’t really like to read long-long instructions; I prefer pictures and audio files. So for me it was really a great way of expanding my knowledge on techniques.

BPC Philosophy “...Everyone is born creative. We believe that making time to connect to and nurture your inherent creativity is essential to your health and happiness.

We're here to help you tell your story and leave your mark in fun and meaningful ways. Scrapbooking is our lifeblood—it gives us our strength and vitality as a company. We recognize that there are as many creative pursuits as there are people. For this reason, we offer top-notch online education in a variety of fields and formats...”

When you learn to value your unique perspective, your personal expression becomes art.

Read the blog here Click here to Browse classes Find your favourite instructor—click on the image to the right.

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If you would like to advertise in Crafting Ireland email us at craftingireland@gmail.com 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

United Kingdom

Cardz’n’Scraps – Cork Art Supplies

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

http://cardznscrapz.com/

Artistic Stamper Scrapbook Store

http://www.theartisticstamper.com/

http://www.thescrapbookstore.ie

Craft Barn Crafty Alley

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

https://craftyalley.com/

Crafty Angels

Craft Emporium http://www.craft-emporium.co.uk

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

Scrapbook Store

WOW Embossing Powders

http://www.wowembossingpowder.co.uk/

http://www.thescrapbookstore.ie

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

Wild Orchid Crafts www.wildorchidcrafts.com

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In every issue of Crafting Ireland we will have a crafty challenge to help you all get your creative juices flowing. We will select two winners from each challenge. We will then publish the two winners projects in the next issue.

Our generous sponsor for this challenge is Crafty Angels

The prize for one lucky winner is this adorable Me to You Decoupage kit!

The spotlighted designer this issue is Clare Buswell. I am sure you will agree with us that her work is stunning.

Her shabby chic style is so pretty and is just adorable eye candy.

Our challenge to you is to scraplift one of Clare’s cards! We have included a picture of the card we want you to scraplift.

How does this work we hear you ask? Scraplifting is the practice of borrowing or taking direct inspiration from the idea behind a layout or design and copying or modifying it for your own layout.

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Challenge theme—Scraplift the card below!!

You can follow the layout, use the colours as inspiration and show us your version of Clare’s beautiful creation. A special thank you to Clare for allowing us to use her card.

As always you can submit any type of project, cards, layouts, altered art and so on.

Please email your submissions to craftingireland@gmail.com by the 17th October with Issue 4 challenge in the subject line of your email.

We look forward to seeing your entries!

Thank you to everyone who entered our Issue 3 challenge. They were all fantastic entries and it was very difficult choosing our two winners. A big congratulations goes to the winners; And the winners are....

Emma Bourke

Pam Blood

The prize was sponsored by The Crafty Alley was two sets of fabulous papers—one set of 7 Gyspies Conservatory and one set of My Minds Eye Lost and found!! One winner will receive the 7 Gypsies papers and the other winner the My Minds Eye papers.

Congratulations ladies, we will be in touch shortly!!

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Our issue 3 reader give away was sponsored by The Crafty Alley.

The prize was over 4.5 metres of beautiful lace & trim.

We numbered all the entrants and the lucky winner as drawn by random.org is:

Number 12— Jessica Fitzhenry Congratulations Jessica, we will be in touch!

The Crafty Alley Shop is Co. Kerry's largest art and craft supplies shop although through our wide network of customers and through online marketing, we sell both nationally and internationally.

We stock more than 12000 products in our Killarney shop which we hope to add to our online shop in the coming months.

Do you like digital papers? Do you find yourself buying seasonal papers to only use perhaps one or two sheets? Digital papers are a fantastic way around this problem. You simply need to print one or two pages for your projects and even though it uses ink it still works out cheaper than buying an entire paper pack!

Simply click on the image to the right to be brought to our Photobucket site to download the papers!

Here is a quick example of what you can do with the papers. I created a quick autumn themed card using the autumn sheet.

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out on 31st October For the next issue we would love to see more of your work. Remember the submission themes are:

ď € The Night Before Christmas ď € Winter Wonderland Sub mi s s i o n d e ad line is 17th O c to b e r Article submission If you have an article or tutorial you would like to get published please email us about it at craftingireland@gmail.com.

Make sure to check out craftingireland.wordpress.com for more information on future issues