Crafts Beautiful Christmas Special 2014: A Digital Sample

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No.1 for Crafters CRAFTS BEAUTIFUL ISSUE 272 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2014

All You Need FOR A PERFECT

QUILLING, EMBOSSING AND CROSS-STITCH

CRAFTY XMAS!

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ISSUE 272 XMAS SPECIAL 2014

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Cardmaking, Paper, Stamp and Stitch...

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MERRY & BRIGHT CARDS

Your Christmas Countdown Starts Here!

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ContentsXmas14qx_Crafts Project Template 05/09/2014 10:49 Page 2

Contents

CHRISTMAS 2014

32 REGULARS 7

FIRST STEPS

Dress up your Christmas presents with a vintage flourish

14 INSPIRATION FOR CHRISTMAS Enjoy our best creative picks and highlights this month

22 ASK THE EXPERT Creative pros offer their top crafty advice

28 YOUR SPACE Share makes and stories with fellow CB readers

35 WEB WATCH Explore the wonders of the creative web with our top picks

50 OUR PAPERCRAFT HERO Celebrate Christmas in style with elegant, festive die-cut ideas

68 MY CRAFT SPACE Corinne Bradd shares her love of paper in the run-up to Christmas

108 REALLY USEFUL CRAFT TIPS CB readers offer their crafty advice

122 BEHIND THE CAMERA Dawn Bibby shares tips on knitting, sewing and jewellery making

92 CARDS & PAPER

11 5 WAYS WITH... WOODEN SHAPES Add festive blanks to your Christmas cards for 3-D greetings that wow

19 MAKE ME QUICK Team traditional papers with cute designs to create seasonal cards

24 PAPER WREATH Ring the changes on a traditional garland with this papercraft creation

31 DOVE CARD Team lacy borders and intricate swirls to make an avian greeting

32 MADE BY YOU Create stylish greetings with our easy guide to paper stitching

34 CHRISTMAS GREETING Take a trip down memory lane with a lovely BoBunny design

59 SNOWFLAKE CARD Celebrate the season with a bang with an exploding box design

60 SPARKLY SCENES Use stamping and embossing techniques to create monochrome cards

66 POP-UP BAUBLES

78 WINTRY WONDERS Include frosty motifs from Sizzix in this colourful set

95 SWIRLING SNOWFLAKES Optimise basic cutting and folding techniques to create a wintry flurry

PEOPLE & PLACES 74 MAKE & SELL

Prepare your brand for Christmas and stitch a felt partridge to sell

77 A DAY IN THE LIFE We hear from Sarah Treblicock; the newest addition to Hunkydory Crafts' design team

100 BEHIND THE BOOK Denise Brown shares her love of paper and discusses her new book, Paper Flowers

STITCH

89 RAG DOLL ANNIE Little girls will be delighted with this gorgeous rag dolly this Christmas

92 GINGERBREAD GIFTS A food enthusiast will love these festive stitched makes

103 SCANDI FLOCK Create a stylishly stitched wreath and card this season

Delight your family and friends by giving them 3-D Christmas cards

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ContentsXmas14qx_Crafts Project Template 05/09/2014 10:49 Page 3

In This Issue

76 FIND FREE TEMPLATES FOR THIS ISSUE AND MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

crafts-beautiful.com

89 LEARN & MAKE

26 PAPER CUT SNOWFLAKES MASTERCLASS Colette Smith shares how to make frosty cards using paper cutting techniques

38 DIANE BODEN QUILLS Create dainty festive trees with our quilling how-to

42 SARA NAUMANN'S MASTERCLASS Get creative with texture and discover how to add classy highlights to cards

56 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN Enjoy our ultimate guide to crafting in the run up to Christmas Day

BROWSE & BUY 17 CRAFT CRUSH

Enjoy bauble motifs in your Christmas crafting this year

86 IT'S A WRAP Go traditional with our pick of packaging essentials and creative ideas

MIXED MEDIA

40 LEAF PAINTING

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106 53 CONTEMPORARY CRACKERS Add a handmade touch to your Christmas table in cool colours

63 FESTIVE KEEPSAKES

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Mix pretty papers with a cross-stitched motif to decorate a journal

72 PAINT CHINA Add a crafty touch to your festive feast with Posca Pens

KNITTING

83 SNUG BOOTEES Keep a baby's toes gorgeously warm in a pair of knitted shoes

JEWELLERY

106 RETRO BAUBLES Make baubles from unwanted jewellery with this upcycled set

BAKE & CRAFT

98 CHRISTMAS PUDDING Learn the history and secrets behind this classic seasonal dessert

Freebies & Prizes 8

HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT Create lots of Christmas decs with your FREE felt and decoupage kit

62 JANOME GIVEAWAY Win one of three DKS100 sewing machines worth a total of £1497!

80 FREEBIES & OFFERS We have over £6400 worth of prizes up for grabs this month – what are you waiting for?

Be inspired by nature with this stencilled tote bag

45 BIRDS IN BRACKEN Create a unique advent calendar with marbling and stamping

www.crafts-beautiful.com

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

…TO RECEIVE AN AMAZING FLOWER PUNCH BOARD FOR YOUR PAPERCRAFTING! FOR DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 36

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 5

Workshop_Layout 1 04/09/2014 16:17 Page 2

Made by You:

CHRISTMAS CARDS

AS THE FESTIVE SEASON GETS INTO FULL SWING, MAKE YOUR CARDS LOOK REALLY PROFESSIONAL WITH OUR EASY GUIDE

WHAT YOU NEED Paper, Authentique, Festive Stickers Card blanks, A6 Ribbons, assorted Buttons

Circle-cutter Piercing tool Thread and needle Adhesives: doubleside tape; foam pads

32 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

SOURCE IT...

Patterned papers:

Card blanks:

Ribbon & buttons:

Embellishments:

Craft Obsessions 01202 814061, craftobsessions.co.uk

The Range 0845 026 7598, therange.co.uk

Cool Crafting, 01539 561928, coolcrafting.co.uk

Pipii 01342 823921, pipii.co.uk

Workshop_Layout 1 04/09/2014 16:17 Page 3

WORKSHOP

Cards

Craft tip Always secure ribbon ends on the reverse of the card with double-side tape

“ONCE YOU HAVE MASTERED THE FOLDED CHRISTMAS TREES MAKE A SERIES IN DIFFERENT PATTERNS AND SIZES FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT,�

Tracey Daykin-Jones, Designer

Design Detail

Mark the card first with dots, then pierce the paper to ensure your freehand stitches are equally spaced out

Cover the front of an A6 brown blank with green and red patterned paper. Fix a strip of organza ribbon down the left edge.

Round the corners of a red panel of paper, then stick a strip of music score paper horizontally across the top. Position the red panel onto the card front and add the rectangle to the top right.

To make the Christmas tree, take a circle of double-sided patterned paper and cut it in half.

With the vertical straight edge on the right, fold the top down, lining up the straight edges on the right.

Take the bottom right edge of the folded section and fold back on itself, lining up the edges along the top. Create one final fold

by bringing the bottom of the semi-circle up, again lining up the straight edges.

Use a paper piercing tool to make holes along the edge of the cream section, then sew the tree layers in place using red thread.

Cut out a small rectangle from brown card, wrap twine around it several times and tie in a bow.

Coming next time...

Learn how to make a felt wreath from scratch following Helen Newton's tutorial

Fix the tree to card front using foam pads. Add the brown base beneath the tree, tucking the top edge just under the curve at the bottom. Finally, tie a short length of ribbon down the left edge and embellish with themed stickers. CB

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IT’S A WRAP! Our pick of the best packaging essentials and creative ideas to make your Christmas sparkle WORDS BY JECELYN LATIMER

Without embellishments and personal touches, a package is just a package. Everyone loves a bit of effort when it comes to wrapped gifts, and adding little extras is what transforms a box into a present. Working with a theme is not only visually pleasing but also saves you time and money if you buy and make things in bulk, and hot on-trend this Christmas is the traditional look! Classical motifs work wonders to achieve a warm, homely finish. So turn up the Christmas tunes and settle down to wrap your presents!

1

Tag-tastic

Die-cutting your tags will give your packaging a very professional finish in next to no time! This gorgeous tree tag was created using the Scandinavian Christmas cards digital set from uk.cricut.com. You could even co-ordinate and use them to create your greeting cards.

2

Stamp away

Whether presents are under a tree, given to a loved one or hiding in Santa's sack, wrapping paper is very important when it comes to first impressions. Why not try stamping repeat motifs onto brown paper using bold inks for a unique look?

We love this reindeer stamp from noolibird.com, priced £16.

WRAPPING UP

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Finishing touches

Tape is a key ingredient when wrapping up your gifts, but you don't just have to stick to the clear stuff.

Washi and patterned tapes can give an incredibly stylish look to presents without much effort or expense. Try this robin tape from thelittlebritishcompany.co.uk 86 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Kelly Oliver is the owner of Everyday's A Holiday and makes her own gift wrap using stamps and kraft papers. Here she shares her top tips. everydaysaholiday.etsy.com

H Generic wrapping paper with florals, stripes and dots can be easily incorporated into your Christmas packaging. Simply dress it up with festive ribbons and toppers, or create embellishments out of it.

It's a wrap_Layout 1 04/09/2014 16:19 Page 3

People & Places

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Parcel fun

Want to add vintage charm to your packages with ease?

These stamp stickers and wrapping set from Pipii have a lovely traditional feel full of vintage motifs.

Just add tape and you're ready to go!

Visit pipii.co.uk to view the range.

5

In the bag

For a lovely way to treat your guests on Christmas Day, dot gift bags around the table with a tag of the person's name on the front. These medium bags in red and green from berryred.co.uk are ideal, and you can also keep your goodies safe from any gravy spills!

6

Good twinings

What better way to instantly brighten a present than to tie it up with colourful, candy cane twine? Try stitching some around a tag or brown paper envelope and add sprigs of pine for a creative way to use it.

This retro thread is available for £2.95 at dotcomgiftshop.com

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Marks & Spencer

Extra touch

For an added touch, tie items onto the packages themselves.

These rustic cream and red fabric sacks are filled with baking treats and have wooden spoons attached to them with cinnamon sticks, berries and homemade tags. Crafting your own sacks would make them extra special and save you money, too! You can find red ticking at susiewatsondesigns.co.uk

8

H Save the scraps and run them through a shredder to be used for gift baskets or packaging material, as well as for decorating tags.

H Take advantage of the great outdoors and collect twigs, pine cones and fresh greens, then add them to the tops of your wrapped gifts for a simple yet creative way of setting a seasonal scene.

H Recycle old maps, newspapers, book pages, fabric and paper bags and use them to wrap your goods. You could even print or photocopy designs if you're looking for something specific. Team with contrasting ribbons and bows for a striking effect.

celebrate-creativity.com

Ribbons galore

Ribbons and presents are like strawberries and cream: they're a fantastic duo!

These Christmas ribbons from gingerray.co.uk certainly hit the spot for us. And there are lots of great bow tutorials on Pinterest; simply search and get creating!

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Mixed Media

ADD A HANDMADE TOUCH TO YOUR CHRISTMAS TABLE WITH JANE KHARADE’S

Contemporary crackers

It goes without saying that crackers are becoming more and more expensive every year, so why not make your own? Upcycle gift wrap tubes with pretty papers, polymer clay buttons and ribbon in your choice of colour scheme – we've opted for cool

purples and blues for a modern look – and don't forget to add cracker snaps and a joke inside. Are your makes too pretty to use? Create an extra set of mini crackers to decorate your tree!

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 53

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CRACKERS

WHAT YOU NEED Papers, New Bloom, First Edition Ribbon, assorted: lilac, blue, aqua Polymer clay, Fimo: lilac (605), emerald (56), white (0), aqua (305) Card blank, 15cm x 21cm Gift wrap tube, 70cm long Mounting board

Acetate, clear, A4 Cracker snaps x 4 Adhesives: glue, PVA; tape, double-sided; masking Brass plate, small flowers Cutters, assortment Scalpel Rulers: metal; set square Rolling pin, acrylic

Using a cardboard tube from a roll of gift wrap, cut two 50mm end pieces and a 75mm middle section for four crackers. Use the template provided on our pattern pages to cut out four cracker jackets from assorted patterned papers. Add slits with a sharp scalpel to assist with the shaping and score where indicated.

Apply an even layer of PVA glue over the paper, avoiding the slits. Position the tubes in the centre of the paper, pressing down gently but firmly. Place the snap inside the tubes; press the ends of the snap on the ends of the two outer tubes.

Roll one half of the paper around the tubes, then roll the other half. Make sure the ends and slits line up perfectly. Repeat for

Craft tip We've used PVA glue to adhere the tubes to the heavy gauge paper.

Thinner papers can be secured with double-sided tape

54 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

the other crackers. Cut 80cm lengths of lilac, aqua and blue ribbon in two and tie around each of the slits in the crackers.

Embellish by gluing on lengths of assorted ribbon. Roll out white and emerald polymer clay and stamp into it with a brass flower plate. Use small cutters to cut out four white curved star shapes and four emerald stars. Add a small aqua or lilac clay bead to each one. Press into them with the nib of an old pen and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Stick the clay elements to the crackers with PVA glue.

GIFT BOX Use a sharp scalpel and the templates provided to cut a box base from mounting card.

Score and bend the sides where indicated to

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Mixed Media

Love it!

“Don’t forget to add some festive cheer” As well as a cracking joke to make the recipient laugh, it would be especially lovely to encase mini presents inside your crackers. Opt for personalised gifts for your friends and family or offer everyone a yummy treat. We adore these chocolate mice, which work beautifully with our crackers.

Priced £2.38 for 10, chocolate tradingco.com

“IF YOU INTEND TO MAKE MULTIPLES OF CRACKERS, SAY EIGHT OR 12, SIMPLY DOUBLE OR TREBLE THE DEPTH OF THE BOX” Jane Kharade, Designer construct, then secure with masking tape. Cut out patterned paper to cover the base using the template. Apply PVA glue to the box and position the paper – make sure the side tabs sit directly next to the box for a neat finish. Smooth out any air bubbles and leave to dry.

Cut out a lid from mounting board. Score and bend to make the lid as for the base and create an aperture. Trim patterned paper to fit and glue into position. Once dry, trim acetate to fit the lid and stick into position with double-sided tape. Make three lilac and three aqua stars from polymer clay with contrasting bead details, and glue to the lid.

STAR CARD Adhere zig zag paper, 9cm x 15cm, to a card blank, 15cm x 21cm, using double-sided tape. Layer purple brick paper, 5cm x 15cm, on top and add a length of turquoise ribbon.

Make up three white curved star shapes from polymer clay and add an aqua clay bead to each one. Once baked, stick them centrally along the ribbon with PVA glue. CB

SOURCE IT...

Polymer clay, rolling pin, small cutters and brass plate, Cooksongold, 0845 100 1122, cooksongold.com New Bloom papers, Craft Superstore, 0116 2744 754, craftsuperstore.co.uk Cracker snaps, Fred Aldous, 01612 364224, fredaldous.co.uk

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 55

Out Now! Christmas

SPECIAL

Projects

Issue

Make an elegant 3-D bauble card for someone you know Enjoy a folksy theme with a sewn wreath and matching card Craft Christmas crackers in wintry hues for the festive season Stitch a sweet ragdoll for a little girl to enjoy Upcycle baubles for your tree with a gorgeous selection of beads Knit turquoise baby bootees for teeny tiny feet

Love

CRAFTS BEAUTIFUL? Enjoy a trial subscription, just £6 for three issues* at crafts-beautiful.com/CRB14T *T&Cs apply

Features Discover crafty projects and ideas in our Christmas countdown We interview paper flower expert, Denise Brown Enjoy festive gift wrapping trends and tricks

Projects subject to change

Learn all about the basics of decorative painting

ON SALE 19th September 2014

ENJOY BUMPER PRIZES AND A FANTASTIC FREE GIFT IN OUR CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

Don’t miss out!

Next month you’ll receive a wonderful FREE gift with eight felt squares, decoupage papers, blanks, threads and ricrac to get you crafting straight away! Plus, we have over £5,800 of prizes to be won in our BUMPER GIVEAWAYS!