Crafts Beautiful December 2015: A Digital Sample

ISSUE 287 DECEMBER 2015

40+ Designer 25 FESTIVE CRAFT BUYS CHRISTMAS £2,000 PRIZES UP FOR GRABS CARDS

£4.99

Issue 287 Dec 2015

20 WAYS

WITH YOUR BOW MAKER!

1 0 Make Christmas 2 Crafty Tips & Tricks

you can’t do without Love it!

Sparkle!

with our fabulous creative ideas

Simple Motifs to Colour in

FOR PAPER & CARD

Easy Stitch

FOLK ANGEL

Share it!

STAR DIE-CUTS perfect for gifting

INSPIRING DECS Great for batch making Exclusive designs to copy

Inside...SHIMMER SHEETZ ❄ QUICK PAPER WREATH

❄ CUTE FELT ROBINS ❄ ZENTANGLE BASICS & MUCH MORE

In Crafts Beautiful …

DECEMBER EVERY ISSUE

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12 OVER TO YOU 23 AT HOME WITH

JULIE & WENDY 26 INSPIRATION FOR DECEMBER 33 CORINNE’S CRAFT SPACE 38 OUR PAPERCRAFT HERO 66 NET SAVVY 70 ASK THE EXPERTS 113 COMING NEXT MONTH 114 YOUR REALLY USEFUL CRAFT TIPS 122 BEHIND THE CAMERA

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CARDS & PAPER 7 5 WAYS WITH...

BLOOM BEAUTIFUL

Make a whimsical Christmas card set

21 LITTLE ANGELS

29 ON THE SPOT

30 LUNCHTIME MAKE

KNIT & STITCH

42 WINTER SPARKLE

82 FOLK DOLLY

46 BRANCHING OUT

99 FESTIVE TRIMS

53 SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS

100 JOYEUX NOËL

Create paper pieced angel designs Add fairy cards to your to-do list Work classic style into your greetings Here’s a fun, bright tree card to enjoy Whip up a herd of colourful reindeer

We chat with artist Sarah Campbell

Knit a folksy doll in time for Christmas

Appliqué a charming framed project

Sew a stylish tree cushion and card

65 FESTIVE TRINKETS

102 LOVE FOLK

68 FOLKSY REINDEER

104 ALL THE TRIMMINGS

Make fun Christmas designs

A pretty reindeer gift set tutorial

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Stitch a sweet angel doll for the tree Fashion a festive placemat

MAKE & SELL 81 SHOP TALK WITH FOLKSY

Organise your Christmas selling

87 LEAFY WREATH

Make a paper wreath with our how-to

LEARN & MAKE 24 ELIZABETH MOAD QUILLS

Quill a simple snowflake set

34 PIECING MASTERCLASS

Create rocker cards using this technique

50 LET’S GET TANGLING

We take a look at the art of Zentangle

62 SARA NAUMANN’S MASTERCLASS

Beautify cards using Shimmer Sheetz

 Share it! with the rest of the CB community via 4 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

BROWSE & BUY 11 CRAFT CRUSH

Have a woodland-themed season

36 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Receive a free gift when you sign up

44 CRAFTY SHOPPING GUIDE

Get everything you need before the big day

MIXED MEDIA 54 HAVE A DUCK TAPE CHRISTMAS

102

Fashion decorations using this versatile material

60 JINGLE ALL THE WAY!

JEWELLERY

112 SIMPLY SCANDI

Posca Pens lend an arty touch Give plaster casting a go this issue

89 BEAD BOUTIQUE

We explore Scandi shades

91 ROCK STARS

Make a frosty statement this season

BAKING

94 BUTTON UP

84 FAIRYTALE BAKE

98 JEWELLERY SCHOOL

A gingerbread house for the family

Design the perfect Christmas gift set Get the low-down on basic techniques

FREEBIES & PRIZES 15 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT

07

Put your free bow maker to the test

40 FREEBIES & OFFERS

107 CHRISTMAS WITH GLUE DOTS Adhesives worth £500 on offer

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40

We’ve got £1,529 of prizes up for grabs!

72 INTERNATIONAL CRAFT AWARDS

www.crafts-beautiful.com

Vote in our 2015 awards and win prizes

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 5

Winter Sparkle Why not impress your friends and family with a gift made using the new Sizzix® Winter Wishes collection from Jen Long? With the themed Thinlits dies you’ll be able to create Christmas lettering, snowflake motifs and even a poinsettia pillow box or two with ease. sizzix.co.uk

Top Gadget With the new Brother ScanNCut CM300 you can enjoy the functions of a 300dpi scanner, five fonts and a library of designs, as well as being able to modify or combine your own. It’s fantastic for all papercraft projects, giving you the freedom to be truly creative - with no dies, design cartridges or PC required! Priced £399, createandcraft.tv/scanncut

December

Inspiration

Social Circle

Model Magic

From pets to princesses, fairies to farms and rockets to robots the new FIMO Kids Form & Play sets are a fantastic introduction to modelling. Because the polymer clay is ready to use without the need for conditioning, your little ones can get crafting straight away. For stockists, call 0845 600 5930, staedtler.co.uk

Colour Calm

Derwent has teamed up with local artist Sarah Taylor to launch a new colouring book called Unwind in the Wilds.

Inspired by nature, colouring newbies will enjoy the creative process of filling in Sarah’s exquisite and detailed illustrations using Derwent’s quality fine art pencils. For details, visit pencils.co.uk

Our pick of the best crafty highlights to enjoy this month

Grab a pair of needles and knit your own woolly masterpiece for Christmas Jumper Day on 18th December. This brilliant annual event in aid of Save the Children is a great way to do your bit for charity.

Find a wide selection of patterns for all ages at stylecraft-yarns.co.uk

CB loves...

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Crafty News

Festive Finery

Set your Christmas table using this season’s soft pastel colourways. These crackers will add that allimportant finishing touch and come in a set of six with a small gift and party hat in each. They’re sure to get the whole family into the festive spirit.

Priced £6, dotcomgiftshop.co.uk

To win a £150 bundle turn to page 40

Paint It!

With Posca’s water-based pens you can make your Christmas decs and cards look unique! The pens are available in a range of vibrant colours, including metallics for adding that festive sparkle, and the seven different tip widths will offer plenty of scope for design. posca.com

Got five minutes?

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PAPERS for your stash...

Card Tricks

Out & About

The Fiskars Tag Maker not only punches a tag, it can also set an eyelet without any noisy hammering. It’s quick, easy and in one simple movement you have beautifully finished shapes for decorating cards, present wrapping and more! Priced £24.99 with 20 eyelets, fiskars.co.uk

25th-29th November. Craft in Focus is returning to RHS Garden Wisely to stage one of the UK’s most popular craft and design fairs.

This year the event incorporates a new Food Pavilion for a Taste of Christmas. Visitors can stock up on delicious chocolates, cakes and English preserves – the ideal stocking fillers! Admission, £9. RHS members and accompanied under 16s free. craftinfocus.com 1st-2nd December. Make your own Christmas wreath using foliage cut from the Hinton Amber Estate in Hampshire. Price £35. nationaltrust.org.uk 4th-5th December. Join a workshop at Homemade London and create

bespoke baubles and decorations.

Price £25. homemadelondon.com

A Christmas Carol, visit graphic45.com for your nearest stockist

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Branching out Craft Tracey Daykin-Jones’ fab and funky Christmas tree cards using patterned papers

Tip

USE SNOWFLAKE SEQUINS INSTEAD OF GEMS TO REALLY MAKE IT SNOW!

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Cards & Paper

Sta rt wi t h ...

b Double-sided patterned papers, Bella BLVD Christmas Cheer b Card: white, brown b Punch and die, star b Bakers twine, red and white b Cord, white b Buttons b Gems See our Shopping List below

Trio of Trees

1 the inside with snowflake

Take an A6 blank and cover

patterned paper. Trim the front panel, leaving a 3cm section remaining, and add a strip of green and white dot paper. Trim the excess piece of card to 3cm high, cover with red patterned paper and put to one side.

Cut out a large circle from double-sided paper and trim in half. Place the semicircle with the rounded edge nearer you on the table. For the first fold, take the right edge and fold back on itself, halfway down the straight edge. Next, take the corner of the folded back panel and

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bring forward (folding in the opposite direction), lining up the outer edge with the first fold. Bend the larger section on the left to the back, ensuring the crease lines up with the second fold.

How to make... A THREE TREE CARD 1 2

3 more patterned paper

Repeat twice to make two

trees. Add small rectangles of brown card behind the bottoms of each to create trunk shapes. Finish by adorning each tree with a punched star.

3-D Tree Card

1 cover the front with red Take an A6 blank and

patterned paper. Trim a slightly smaller piece of white card, round the corners and layer onto the centre.

Trim Christmas tree paper, 6cm x 9cm. Using a roundbarrel pencil, gently curl the paper around it, securing the tube shape with double-sided tape. Create the remaining tube shapes, reducing the width by 0.8cm each time.

Select three tubes and attach buttons in place using white cord. Trim the ends. Glue the longest shape, in place first ensuring it’s straight. Add the remaining shapes in descending order.

Cut out a tree pot shape from brown card, tie red and white twine around it and knot at the front. Fix

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4

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“Secure curled tube shapes with double-sided tape and pop a tiny peg on each end prior to gluing onto the card to keep them curled” Tracey Daykin-Jones, Designer

to the card beneath the tree using adhesives. Punch a star from yellow card and adhere to the top. To finish, glue silver gems to the background. CB

Shopping List Christmas Cheer paper pad

by Bella BLVD, Papermaze, papermaze.co.uk CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 47

Simply Scandi Give plaster casting a go and create Jill Alblas’ pretty Nordic toppers Sta rt wi t h ... b Clay, air drying b Moulding paste, Siligum b Moulding plaster b Texture mats b Paint, acrylic: red, gold b Card: kraft; red corrugated See our Shopping List below

Decorative Plaques

1 different shapes and sizes, To make plaques in

you first need to create a master from air drying clay.

Place a texture mat or wooden shape on top of a flat piece of clay, 8mm thick, and press down with a rolling pin to impress the pattern onto the clay. To make a shaped plaque, position a template on top and cut around it using a sharp craft knife. Leave the clay piece to dry out.

Make the mould by mixing the siligum pastes together following the manufacturer’s instructions. Press the gum firmly on the textured clay and mould it round the edges

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so in effect, you’ve made a tray. Leave the gum to set for about five minutes, then remove the clay master and discard.

Place three heaped teaspoons of plaster in an old pot and mix with cold water to the consistency of double cream. Pour the plaster slowly into the mould and leave to set for about one hour. Ease the mould from the sides and remove the plaster casting. If the mould doesn’t release easily from the sides, or the plaster looks watery, leave it for longer.

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4 thoroughly in a warm

Leave the plaster to dry

place. Gently smooth the edges of the clay plaque with fine sandpaper. You can paint over any raised areas of the pattern or add detail. CB

Shopping List

Air drying clay and siligum, Homecrafts Direct, 0116 269 7733, homecrafts.co.uk Moulding plaster, Hobbycraft, hobbycraft.co.uk

Craft Crush

Woodland Retreat Escape to the country this Christmas with our woodland lodge ideas Tartan, foliage, stags, toadstools... all these wonderful things have got us excited about a natural-themed Christmas this year. And that doesn’t mean dousing everything in muddy colours. Instead, we’ve chosen bright and uplifting pieces that’ll make you smile, from whimsical fabrics to versatile papers and stamps. We love the poinsettia die set from Crafter’s Companion – make lots up in vibrant red and green, then use them to adorn cards, pillar candles and your mantelpiece.

Clockwise from top-left: 1 Christmas holly wooden blank set, £1.49, daisymoondesigns.co.uk 2 Winter Wonderland fabrics by Bethan Janine, £3 per fat quarter, purple-stitches.com 3 Pretty Poinsettia die from the Sara Signature Festive Wonder Collection, £12.99, crafterscompanion.co.uk 4 Plaited grapevine wreath ring, £2.19, buddlycrafts.com 5 Very mini rubber stamps in ‘Toadstool’ and ‘Christmas Tree’, £2.95 each, luckandluck.co.uk 6 Gold glitter reindeer, £7, talkingtables.co.uk 7 Papermania Christmas in the Country papers and Urban Stamp in ‘Stag’, from £3.60, onestopcraftshop.com 8 Gold-plated brass laser-cut filigree leaf charms, from £1.79 for two, beadsdirect.co.uk CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 11

Love folk

Turn this season’s fabrics into Amanda Walker’s sweet Christmas angel Sta rt wi t h ...

b Fabric: Winter Wonderland, Dashwood Studio; cotton jersey, cream b Felt: red; self-adhesive, white b Buttons, small b Ribbon, red satin b Fusible webbing b Toy filling b Wool, pale yellow b Sewing machine Find the templates on our pattern pages

Cutting guide: From cotton jersey: one pair of body and head pieces and one pair of legs.

For the clothes: from red felt, one jacket and two hat pieces. From patterned fabric: skirt, 54cm x 18cm; two pairs of back bodice and one pair of front bodice.

For the wings and heart stick white felt to the wrong side of the remaining patterned fabric and cut out the shapes

Make The Doll

1 together, stay-stitch across Before sewing the pieces

the base of the two body pieces, head and top of the legs; this will stop the fabric from stretching and keep the waist nice and trim.

Sew the leg pieces together; down one side and up both legs to the opposite side. Clip the curved seam allowance between the legs and turn to the right side.

Stuff each one with filling, taking care not to distort the shape.

Stitch the body and head pieces starting from the base on one side, up around

2 3

the arms, the neck and head, then down the opposite side.

Clip under the arms and up into the curve of the neck on both sides. Turn to the right side and stuff. Stitch the body and legs together. Turn in the raw edges along the stay stitching lines, then hand slip stitch the two together.

To make the hair, plait together six lengths of yarn to 23cm. Hand stitch in place over the head seam. Add ribbons to finish. Stitch a tiny ‘V’ for the mouth and two blue dashes for eyes.

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Angel Clothes

1 match the shoulder seams of To make the dress, first

the front and back bodice together and stitch. Repeat on the remaining front and back pieces. With the right sides of the two bodices facing each other, match the necks and back opening and stitch together. Clip around the neck, turn to the right side and iron flat. Stitch down both side seams through

the layer; the neck edge has been neatened, leaving the armholes raw as they will be covered by the jacket.

To make the skirt, use webbing to fix a 2.5cm hem along one of the long edges of the fabric rectangle. Make a row of gathering stitches on the opposite long edge. Gather

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the fabric to fit the base of the bodice by pulling up the threads.

Pin the skirt and bodice together, then stitch in place.

Match the back seam of the skirt and stitch not quite all the way, leaving 2cm free at the waist of the skirt. Place the dress on the body. Stitch the back neck of the bodice to fasten.

Sew Easy We’re loving the award-winning Janome 525S - it’s the perfect introduction to machine stitching. The model has a well-balanced range of stitches and features ideal for beginners as well as those with experience. The machine can handle all types of fabrics and the jam-proof drop in bobbin system ensures smooth trouble-free stitching. The stitch selection is by dial. Just choose the letter which matches the stitch and start sewing - it’s as easy as that! The automatic one-step buttonhole produces perfect buttonholes, whilst the automatic needle threader makes fiddly threading a thing of the past.

For more details and stockists, visit janome.co.uk

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Crafts Beautiful Promotion

3 underarm seams as indicated

To make the jacket, stitch two

on the pattern piece. Turn the jacket sleeves to the right side, turn over the curved edge, this will become the collar, then place on the angel. To fasten the jacket, wrap the front edges over each other and stitch a button through both layers.

Place two pieces of felt together for the hat and stitch two cuff areas on the hat as indicated on the pattern. Clip into the top of two seams and turn the hat to the other side; tease out the seam allowance at the top of the cuff seams. Stitch around the curve. Turn out the fabric and fold up the cuff, then attach a button for decoration. Stitch the hat in place.

Stitch the wings to the back of the jacket. Attach a hanging loop to the top of the heart and place between the hands, then stitch together. Add ribbon for decoration. CB

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Shopping List

Tip

TO GIVE THE WINGS MORE MOVEMENT, PLACE FINE WIRE BETWEEN THE FELT AND FABRIC SO THEY CAN BE BENT INTO SHAPE

Fabric, Dashwood Studio, dashwoodstudio.com

Cream coloured jersey fabric, myriadonline.co.uk

“This project only needs small pieces of fabric, so a patchwork fat quarter will give you a nice choice of patterns to play with�

Amanda Walker, Designer

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