Crafts Beautiful July 2015: A Digital Sample

Love colouring?

No.1 for Crafters!

FREE ART THERAPY GIFTS INSIDE*

WIN A CANON CAMERA WORTH £289 Easy Issue 281 July 2015 Cute & Keepsake Dolly

5 WAYS WITH YOUR FREE STAMPS H STENCIL EMBOSSING H NAPKIN DECOUPAGE

£4.99

Love it!

*postage applies

PATCHWORK OWLS

ISSUE 281 JULY 2015

35+ur fave 106 Creative Ideas All yo side! We know you’ll love this summer techniques in NEW CARDS

STAR CRAFTER

Debbie Shore’s Sew-Quick Tricks

SWEET MOTIFS TO COPY

Share it!

CAKE SLICE BOXES

Paint it!

Money spinners TOP TIPS FOR SELLING ONLINE

SEWING MACHINES ON TEST H BABY KNITS Plus...

H CRAFT HOLIDAY SPECIAL H CRAFTY KIDS’ PARTIES

JULY 2015

in this issue..

REGULARS

100

12 OVER TO YOU

Share makes and stories with your fellow CB readers

18 INSPIRATION FOR JULY

See what we’re loving this month

68

29 AT HOME WITH JULIE

& WENDY

The ladies get set for summer with fun, easy holiday makes

38

38 OUR PAPERCRAFT HERO

Embrace this summer’s feather trend

55 YOUR REALLY USEFUL

CRAFT TIPS

CB readers offer their creative advice

57 HANDMADE HOME

CARDS & PAPER

76 ASK THE EXPERTS

15 5 WAYS WITH... OFFICE SUITE

102 NET SAVVY

21 POP-UP PARTY

112 COMING NEXT MONTH

31 LUNCHTIME MAKE

122 BEHIND THE CAMERA

43 BLOSSOM TIME

Host a smashing outdoor party for kids

Tricks and tips from our team of craft designers

We take a look at wonderful places to visit online Find out what our August issue has in store

Leonie Pujol divulges what she’s been up to

72

Combine various motifs to create stylish greetings Score and cut a collection of fun birthday greetings

Flock to bright colours to create ontrend flamingo cards

Capture holiday mementoes with Sizzix dies

44 FEATHER TOUCH

Stamp and emboss a vintage-themed stationery set

72 DRAW STRAWS

Organise a soiree with these paper straw invitations

106 BERRIED TREASURE

Enjoy our papercrafts inspired by summer berries

PEOPLE & PLACES 52 COLOUR ME HAPPY

Try your hand at art therapy - it’s the perfect anti-stress craft!

78 CREATIVE ESCAPES

Which crafting holiday will you experience?

STITCH SPECIAL 63 READY, STEADY, SEW!

We test sewing machines and talk with GBSB winner Matt Chapple

64 IN THE GARDEN

Create a patchwork and cross-stitch cushion this summer

66 FLORAL TOTE

Wow with an easy reversible bag by Debbie Shore

68 DELIGHTFUL DRESS

93

Stitch up a sweet A-line dress for a girl

103 RAG DOLL MOLLY

Sew a super sweet dolly to create a little one’s new friend

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

86

FREEBIES & PRIZES 7 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT

Use your FREE Debbi Moore stamps to create a range of greetings

26 FREEBIES & OFFERS

We’ve got a fab £1,585 worth of prizes this month!

50 BAKING

40 SARA NAUMANN’S MASTERCLASS

7

Make your online shop stand out with Camilla Westergaard’s advice Keep your shelf tidy with these owl bookends

LEARN & MAKE

KNITTING

JEWELLERY

MIXED MEDIA

89 BEAD BOUTIQUE

Give cards a neat finish with matching stamps and dies

64

Knit a snazzy Fair Isle waistcoat for a little one

Enjoy a DIY outdoor party with our favourite finds

Decorate using a letter coiling technique

32 EASY DIE AND STAMP DESIGNS

Bake and decorate Peggy Porschen’s heavenly treat

100 TOASTY TOTS

48 BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

24 ELIZABETH MOAD QUILLS

11 CRAFT CRUSH

86 MAKE & SELL

This month we look at the ins and outs of this material

BROWSE & BUY

85 SHOP TALK WITH FOLKSY

74 VANILLA CAKE

49 7 STEPS TO… POLYMER CLAY

MAKE & SELL

Stencil embossing’s made easy with our breakdown

Add zing to party papercrafts with Posca Pens’ vibrant colour palette

50 FAUX MOSAIC

90 KEEP IT NATURAL

Paint wooden beads to create a stylish African-inspired set

93 ORIENTAL BLOOM

Make a gorgeous polymer clay garden set

81 FLORAL HOME

Embrace the nautical trend with seaside beads

Flourish your adobe with gorgeous decoupaged trinkets

Try a new technique to make soutache pieces

97 JEWELLERY SCHOOL

Start making jewellery with our guide to basic techniques

Brands we love!

48

50 43 63

44

www.crafts-beautiful.com CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 5

sponsored by

Faux mosaic

Make a gorgeous garden set from polymer clay with Ellen Kharade’s tutorial

Use the same techniques to make two lovely flowerpots

Sta rt wi t h ...

b Polymer clay, Fimo Soft b Texture sheet, Fimo Accessories: Oriental, Meadow b Polymer clay adhesive b Paint, acrylic, white b Terracotta pots and saucers b Lollipop sticks b Mosaic fix adhesive b Mosaic fix grout b Tissue blade, Fimo Accessories b Scalpel b Cutter, fondant, 1cm square b Stamps, alphabet See our Shopping List opposite

50 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Mixed Media Mosaic Saucer

1 clay and roll out into a

Condition pink polymer

rectangle, 5cm x 9cm and 3mm thick. Using a tissue blade, chop the clay into 1cm squares. Cut some in half. In the same way, make a batch of yellow and green mosaics.

Create a smaller amount of pink and green mosaics and emboss them with either a small decorative stamp or the end of a felt tip pen top.

Cut a card circle, 4cm.

Roll out blue clay, 5cm square, to a thickness of 3mm. Press an Oriental texture sheet into it until you get a good impression.

Place the card template over an interesting section of the motif and cut around it using a scalpel. Bake all pieces to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Once cool, rub white acrylic paint over the textured pieces so it sits within the pattern, leave to dry for a few minutes, then rub away the excess with a damp cloth. Apply mosaic adhesive to the back of the round decorative piece and stick to the centre of a terracotta saucer. Do the same for the mosaic tiles and adhere around the central piece. Continue gluing down the tiles, alternating the colours and using the half

2

3

pieces as necessary until covered. Leave to dry.

Wearing rubber gloves, mix up grout to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Push it into all of the little gaps between the mosaics, then scrape away any excess.

Leave to dry out for 20 minutes and rub over the surface with a rough cloth.

4

Leave for another 20 minutes and repeat the process until the tiles are clear of grout – if necessary, rub with a damp cloth. Once dry, buff the mosaics with a dry cloth.

Plant Markers

1 roll into a 3mm sheet.

Condition pink clay and

Emboss with a Meadow texture sheet, then cut out two ovals. Apply a little Bake and Bond adhesive to the backs of the pieces and sandwich a lollipop stick between the two.

Roll out two thin sausages of pink clay and twist together to form a rope.

Apply adhesive to the outer edge of the oval and wrap the

2

rope around the shape, then trim the ends to fit and bake.

Roll out a 3mm sheet of blue clay and stamp a herb name into it. Trim the letters using a fondant cutter and stick across the front of the oval using a little adhesive. Add a mini flower for decoration and bake. CB

3

Shopping List

Fimo Soft polymer clay and Fimo Accessories texture sheets, 0845 600 5930, staedtler.co.uk Bake and Bond polymer clay adhesive, Metal Clay Ltd, 01929 481541, metalclay.co.uk

Fun with Fimo

Essential to this project is a texture sheet. Available in packs of two, the sheets are designed to create imprints into polymer clay. They’re made from flexible, high quality material for durability and ease of use. They are also transparent, which allows users to line up patterns accurately for a seamless join. Perfect results every time! For more information, visit staedtler.co.uk or call 0845 600 5930.

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 51

Draw straws

Invite friends and family to a summer soiree with these exciting paper straw cards

Tip

TRIM STRAWS TO THE DESIRED LENGTH USING A SCALPEL, GENTLY ROLLING THE STRAW WHILE CUTTING THROUGH FOR AN EVEN FINISH

72 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Cards & Paper

Sta rt wi t h ...

b Straws, various colours b Paper pad, Summer, American Crafts b Adhesive letters, Shin Dig, Doodlebug b Ribbon, grosgrain: yellow, orange b Twine, white b Card, white b Punch, hole b Adhesives See our Shopping List below

Fruity Fun

1 down the left edge of A6

Stick blue patterned paper

card. Adhere a red dot print to the remaining section. On the reverse, fix zig zag paper.

Type and print party invitation details onto white card, trim, then layer onto a green pattern. Adhere on top of the zig zag paper.

Cut a large circle from yellow paper and a slightly smaller one from white card.

Trim a second yellow circle, slightly smaller than the white, and cut into eight equal-sized curved triangles. Stick onto the white, leaving tiny gaps

2

between the shapes. Adhere this to the larger yellow circle.

Repeat this process to make a slightly smaller lime shape and a smaller lemon one. Stick to the card using double-sided tape and 3-D foam pads.

Trim a silver and white straw, 17cm long, and fold

3

How to make... A PARTY INVITE 1

2

a long strip of orange paper around it. Secure the two ends together using doublesided tape and stick adhesive letters across to spell ‘PARTY’. Trim an inverted ‘v’ at the end of the strip.

Tie yellow grosgrain ribbon above and below the orange panel, then fix orange ribbon below. Trim the ends with sharp scissors. Add 3-D foam pads to the back of the orange panel and glue the straw between the join in the papers to complete.

4

Party Bunting

1 quarters of A6 card with Cover the top three-

3

4

sky patterned paper. Stick green onto the remaining section. On the reverse, add an ice-cream print. Adhere yellow grosgrain ribbon over the join of papers on the front.

Secure the ends on the back, in the centre. Add invitation details as before.

Trim five ribbon shapes from various papers and punch two tiny holes in the top of each one. Cut two orange straws, 9cm tall. Pierce a tiny hole through both sides of each near the top and thread white twine through one. Thread the ribbon shapes

2

“Make quirky straw easels to accompany the cards – they’re super quick and fun! ” Tracey Daykin-Jones, Designer

onto the twine and pass through the top of the other straw. Secure with glue.

Stick 3-D foam pads to the backs of the ribbon shapes and adhere the whole piece to the centre of the card, gluing the straws down. Affix letters to the bunting to spell out ‘PARTY’. Tie a bow of yellow ribbon around the horizontal strip to finish. CB

3

Shopping List Summer papers and adhesive letters, visit americancrafts.com for stockists CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 73

Delightful dress Stitch up a sweet A-line dress for a little girl with this tutorial by Kirsty Hartley

“I’m inspired by simple nostalgic imagery and Scandinavian design, but above all I love to use bold colours – little ones adore them!”

Kirsty Hartley, Designer

68 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Stitch Special

Sta rt wi t h ... b Fabric: dressmaking, lining b Thread, sewing, matching b Tailor’s chalk b Zip, 18cm (optional)

-----See our Shopping List overleaf

Cutting Out

1 or copy the pattern for the Print from your computer

A-line dress on our pattern pages, following the lines for the correct size. Make a pattern for the front, with the neck sitting lower, and another for the back. Press your chosen fabric, arrange it on a flat surface, then make sure the grain lines on the pattern are parallel to the selvedge.

Mark around the pattern pieces using tailor’s chalk, adding 1cm all around but 2cm at the hem. Trim the pieces out carefully. Cut the back of the dress in two halves, allowing for a 1cm seam running down the centre back into which you will add a zip.

To make the dress with facings on the neck edge and armholes, cut facing patterns by drawing a straight

2

Tip

IF YOU ARE USING PRINTED FABRIC, TAKE CARE THAT THE DIRECTION OF THE PATTERN IS THE SAME FOR EACH PIECE WHEN CUTTING THE MATERIAL

3

line across the body patterns 4cm below the armholes. To make a fully lined dress, cut a complete dress from lining.

It needs to be at least 2cm shorter in length. The rest of the instructions are given for this version, with facings, but the method for the lined dress is the same.

Pockets

1 pockets. Overlock the Cut out one or two

edges and press them under by 1cm. Fold the top of the pocket back twice by 1cm and press. Topstitch to secure.

Place the pocket on the front and pin. Topstitch around the side and bottom edges, backstitching at the start and finish. Add a small triangle shape of stitches at each top corner to make the opening secure.

2

Sewing Facings Place the front facing and dress front right sides together, pin and sew around the neck and armhole openings. Snip the curved edges to within 2mm from the seam. Turn through and press.

Zipped Back

1 edges and place right sides Overlock the centre back

together. Mark the length of the zip along the opening from the top of the neckline downwards. Sew a seam from

Turn over CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 69

the bottom of the dress up to this point. Next, press the seam open and continue to press the seam allowance right to the top.

Pin the zip into position.

Following your sewing machine manual, select the correct setting and foot to sew the zip into place, 5mm from the edge. Repeat step 1 by sewing the centre back of the facing.

Place the dress back and facing right sides together and sew around the neckline and armholes. Clip the curved edges to give a neat finish.

Turn through and press.

To sew the facing into place around the zip, hand stitch or carefully machine stitch by sewing over the original stitches, working with the right side of the dress, but this time through all layers to secure the lining into place.

2

3

4

Finishing

1 dress front and back right Place the turned-through

sides together, matching the shoulder seams so all four shoulder edges meet. Sew the four layers together, 1cm from the edge at the shoulder point.

Pin the side seams, right sides of the dress and right side of the facing together, carefully matching at the armhole seam. Sew and press. Overlock raw edges as required. Turn out and topstitch around the neck and armholes, 1cm from the edge. Press.

Finish the hem edge by turning 1cm, then another 1cm to the wrong side and stitching down. Topstitch around the arm and neck edges, 5mm from the edges, taking care at the curved edges. CB

2

3

Reader

Details This project has been adapted from Wild Things: Funky Little Clothes To Sew by Kirsty Hartley (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ÂŁ20).

70 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Shopping List

Alternative dressmaking fabrics, Sewbox, 01787 269366, sewbox.co.uk

Tailor’s chalk and zip, Sew Crafty,

01628 620703, sewcraftyonline.co.uk

7 STEPS TO

Polymer clay WE LOOK AT THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS MODELLING MATERIAL

1

Clay basics

The wonderful thing about polymer clay is that you can transform it into almost anything! This man-made material can be set in an oven and comes in a large selection of types and colours to suit all. It can be rolled and shaped to create buttons, sculptures, jewellery, embellishments and much more.

2

THE TOOLS

There are lots of tools out there, but you’ll only need a few to get started. You’ll even have most of them in your kitchen such as knives, shaped cutters, a glass chopping board and an oven. Acrylic rolling pins are best as their wooden counterparts may leave fibres in the clay and blemish the surface.

5

On the surface

4

Fingerprints can be useful for adding texture to some designs, but if you want a smooth finish, dip a paintbrush into a water and rubbing alcohol mix, then brush over the surface before washing off. Alternatively, bake then buff using light grade sandpaper. Running a sheet of clay through a pasta machine also gives it a lovely, even result.

STARTER MAKES

easy to make.

Canes are very e ones are mad e ey Simple bulls d an r de lin cy clay by creating a n a sheet. You ca wrapping it in er th ge to them forge many of ns ers and patter w flo te ea cr to use to s ce into sli before cutting ake m to t an w u yo in projects. If tise ac pr to u’ll need sculptures, yo apes. sh t ou g in th oo rolling and sm

7

Learn more

There are plenty of how-to guides in books and online articles, which list everything from the basics to in-depth tutorials. You could also attend a workshop, for example at carolblackburn.co.uk or through the British Polymer Clay Guild at bpcg.org.uk.

3

Get ready

Clays come in hard, prepackaged blocks th at need to be worked with yo ur hands to soften before rolling out. Some clays will be stiffer than ot hers, so you’ll need to experiment to find the type that is right for you. If you overwork it and it becomes mus hy, soak the excess oil out by sand wiching it between sheets of pa per until it’s suitable to work with .

6

ARTISTIC TOUCH

If you want to get extra arty after your makes are set, you can try painting them. Acrylic paints are great value for money and ideal to use. You’ll want to add a base coat in white or black, then layer to achieve your desired look. Fine marks may be drawn on using a non-alcoholic marker pen instead. You may want to apply a glaze to the surface too.

3

KIT LIST 5

1

4 2 1 Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos, 01138 150050, craftcellar.co.uk 2 Fimo polish set, 0845 100 1122, cooksongold.com 3 Sculpey slicer, craftmill.co.uk 4 Fimo Soft in Raspberry, 020 7993 5479, craftyarts.co.uk 5 Sculpey Bake & Bond, metalclay.co.uk CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 49