Crafts Beautiful December 2016: A Digital Sample

ISSUE 300 DECEMBER 2016

Inside!

£5.99

Your Fave Christmas Dies

WIN! Top Gadgets · Colouring Books Clover Tools · Posca Pens

Stocking Fillers

100T+Y Make it Magical CRAF

with seasonal projecftts and stitch! to stamp, papercra

IDEAS

Easiest-ever Pattern

CELEB CRAFTERS

Julie & Wendy’s

FESTIVE FIXES! Send it !

Snowflake Motifs EMBOSS FANCY FINISHES

Love it !

Family Favourites READY-TO-USE TEMPLATES

15 EASY CARDS with your Freebie

Handmade Gifts to Share

Plus...HOW TO CRAFT FOR CHARITY ✤ 3-D QUILLING

LAYERING TECHNIQUES ✤ GLASS ETCHING ✤ DUCK TAPE DECOR

In Crafts Beautiful…

50+

IDEAS WITH CARD AND PAPER

DECEMBER 12 OVER TO YOU 14 YOUR REALLY USEFUL

59

CRAFT TIPS 26 INSPIRATION FOR DECEMBER 38 TAKE ONE DIE 42 AT HOME WITH JULIE & WENDY 70 ASK THE EXPERTS 114 COMING NEXT MONTH 120 NET SAVVY 122 BEHIND THE CAMERA

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CARDS & PAPER 17 5 WAYS WITH …

SNOWFLAKES

Send a unique frosted greeting to someone this year

29 FESTIVE FRIENDS

Celebrate all things bright and beautiful this season

31 TACHE-TASTIC

Whip up these quirky Christmas cards

50 CHRISTMAS CABIN

Create a beautiful greeting with Hunkydory

53 MERRY CHRISTMOOSE

Make someone smile with this cute, punny greeting

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56 STACKED SENTIMENTS

Add extra depth to a greeting using layered die-cuts

67 PERFECT PAPERCUTS

Cut and paste three delicate designs with this tutorial

102 ALL THAT TWITTERS

Less really is more with selective gold accents

56 PEOPLE & PLACES 23 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WI

Get the latest from the Women’s Institute

63 THE CHRISTMAS ANGELS

These crafters have gone above and beyond to help those in need

STITCH & CROCHET 71 STITCHMAS CRAFTS

Create a festive fabric greeting for someone special

104 HOLLY BEAR

Find out how to cochet a delightful little teddy softie

106 MERRY MOUSE

Share it! with the rest of the CB community via

Use scraps of fabric and yarn to make a friend



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CREATE & CRAFT 45 IDEAS FOR YOU!

Get inspired with fab ideas and buys from Create and Craft tv

LEARN & MAKE 24 ELIZABETH MOAD QUILLS

Use basic techniques to quill your own elves

34 COLETTE SMITH’S

MASTERCLASS

Bulk cardmaking is a breeze with this sweet pudding

74 SARA NAUMANN’S

MASTERCLASS

Use liftable sheets to give dimension to greetings

BROWSE & BUY

71

21 TREAT YOURSELF

Our pick of the best ways to wrap your holiday gifts

36 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Receive a free gift when you sign up

MIXED MEDIA

BAKING

59 SCANDI BIRDS

Create a Nordic card and gift set

76 DUCK TAPE

Corinne Bradd’s how-to for fun, festive projects

Master basic icing skills with tips from The Biscuiteers

89 BEAD BOUTIQUE

Make greeting cards with polymer clay trimmings

112 RUSTIC ROMANCE

JEWELLERY

99 DREAM TOPPINGS

66 ICED GEMS

Take delight in textured wood, tartan and lace

Icy tones and delicate frosting is the key to this trend

90 JOLLY HOLLY

Team holly leaves and red berries for seasonal cheer!

93 JEWELLERY SCHOOL

WIN PRIZES WORTH

95 GILDED TOUCH

£2000

7 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT

Get the low-down on how to start making jewellery Embed gilding flakes in resin to create this set

40 7

Time to celebrate with these die-cut, embossed and stamped makes!

40 GIVEAWAYS

31

www.crafts-beautiful.com

There’s an incredible £1,520 worth of prizes up for grabs!

103 £1000 PRIZE Ten lucky readers can win a Posca Pens bundle.

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Make the most of your FREE

6 Piece Die, Stamp & Embossing Set! USE YOUR FAB FREE GIFT TO CREATE SWEET CARDS AND PAPERCRAFTS – THERE'S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET STARTED! Ring Card

Make a striped panel from pale blue and green card, 3.5cm x 9.5cm each. Die-cut large circles from brown, then cut out the centres using a smaller one. Stick them randomly onto the striped panel, then add pale blue and green half circles to the centres, inverting the colours. Trim and matt onto an A6 blank.

Balloon Trio

Round the top corners of a blank, 10.5cm x 14cm. Stamp patterned circles onto yellow card and attach to the front. Fix a bow with three twine lengths on. Die-cut three circles from patterned paper, fold down the centres of each one and piece together with glue. Repeat for two more.

Head over to crafts-beautiful. com/videos for a demo from Corinne Bradd!!

Be Mine

Mount white card, 11cm square, onto a slightly larger blue panel.

Die-cut nine circles and fix in place, then secure to a blank, 12cm square. Attach a sentiment to the centre using foam pads.

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How to use your

Free Gift Birthday Circles

Emboss lilac card, 8.5cm x 11cm, then mount onto beige and glue to a blank, 9.5cm x 12cm. Die-cut two smaller circles and one large one from pink and fix to the front.

Emboss a sentiment onto a strip of beige and secure over the circles.

A Little Note

Mount white card, 9.5cm x 13.5cm, to pink before fixing to a blank.

Glue strips of patterned paper onto the white panel. Draw on a border.

Die-cut a white circle, stamp a sentiment and attach to card.

Zesty Greeting

Stamp pink, orange and lime chevron circles onto white card, 9.5cm x 10cm, then stick to the top of a blank, 10cm x 12cm. Make an orange scallop border and fix it below the panel. Add a sentiment, ribbon and gems.

Spotty Bag

Stamp circle chevrons diagonally across a piece of thin A4 card using lime, turquoise and pink inks. Download a bag template (or copy from our pattern pages) and use to make your own.

Assemble and punch two holes in the top next to each other, thread with pink ribbon and tie in a bow. Make a tag and attach to the bag. .

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Pink Note

Emboss white card using pink ink. Cover a blank, 12cm square, with raspberry card and round the bottom corners. Add the embossed panel. Attach a black and white fishtail banner, pink circle sentiment and ribbon to finish.

Lollipop

Attach beige card onto a blank, 10.5cm x 14.5cm. Die-cut circles from coloured card. Stick the shapes into a circle and attach a wooden stick to the back with tape. Glue a button to the centre. Secure ribbon around the stick and attach the lollipop using foam pads.

Button Flowers

Turquiose Spots

Emboss pale turquoise card, rub over with ink, then cut off the sentiment and set aside. Trim the patterned panel to 7.5cm x 10.5cm, stick to darker turquoise card and fix to a blank. Add three embossed circles and the greeting.

Matt polka dot paper onto a blank, 10.5cm x 14.5cm.

Fix two thin green card strips to the front. Trim two small green circles in half and fix with foam pads. Die-cut pink and yellow circle pairs and assemble on the front with a button centre.

Add a sentiment banner.

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People & Places To download more project ideas, go to thewi.org.uk/what-we-do/craft/craft-projects

December highlights NFWI CRAFT ADVISER, CLARE SPENDER SHARES HER CREATVIVE IDEAS FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

E

ach day I am crossing things off my Christmas list, but it never seems to get any shorter! Food delivery has been booked, turkey ordered, and most of the family gifts are hidden in various spots around the house (I just hope I can remember where – perhaps I need to make a map!). I feel the need to stop and put my feet up and what better way than with a cuppa! Vicki the NFWI Food Adviser has been mixing tea and we thought that this would make a lovely handmade gift. We’ve blended, steeped and tasted different varieties, adding rose petals and cornflowers to make a more fragrant concoction, then rustled-up some festive packaging to create a unique gift. So go on, sit back and enjoy a quiet moment before the Christmas rush with a cup of your own freshly brewed tea, I know I am!

Worth sharing...

THE LATEST EVENTS AND CAMPAIGN NEWS STRAIGHT FROM WI HQ

Eat Your Greens

THIS MONTH WE ARE MAKING…

Who would have thought that a sugarcrafted sprout would look great on a Christmas cake? When baker, Fiona Wakeford was asked if she could make some for the Craft Committee, she wasn’t fazed in the slightest, her only concern was that they would be good enough. As she comes from a long line of members, she wanted to make certain that they would all approve of the final decoration – which they do!

Sew these adorable robins using scraps of felt – they’d make perfect little stocking fillers or decs. Once the pieces are stitched together and packed with toy stuffing, attach a penny to the base so that the robin sits up and looks perky!

Denman Diary 7th December 2016 Festive Flowers: Create a traditional garland using winter foliage and deck your home in seasonal style.

9th December 2016 Edible Gifts Day: Discover how to stock-up a hamper with delicious homebaked treats made by you!

See our range of courses at wicraftschool.com

An artisan in all-things paper, Sarah Maton, the President of Nottingham City WI, specialises in intricate papercut artworks.

Together with fellow artists, Sarah Sewell of Wildgoose Designs and Jessica Kemp of JAK in the Green, Sarah runs Curious? in the heart of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter, offering artist-led workshops, courses and masterclasses in a wide variety of disciplines. Find out more at thesarahmaton.com

Emma Watson

9th -11th November 2016 Christmas New Wave Weekend: A special get together for all the ‘new wave’ members emerging across the UK. Join a series of workshops covering the latest trends in craft, cookery and lifestyle.

Paper Work

TO FIND YOUR LOCAL WI… Use the postcode search tool at thewi.org.uk where there’s a list of federations and details on how to make contact with your local WI adviser.

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Let them decorate cake!

December

Inspiration

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The Renshaw Academy is a brand-new state of the art facility and part of the Real Good Food Development Centre in Liverpool, that’s aimed at honing the skills of sugarcrafters and industry professionals from around the world who have cake decorating at heart. The academy will offer world-class teaching aids, equipment and technology to inspire your own creations. Head to renshawacademy.com

Our pick of the best crafty highlights to try this month

Non-stop craft channel!

Hochanda TV have extended their live hours! They now broadcast from 8am – 10pm, seven days a week.

Following their move to new home Freeview channel 85, Hochanda is the first Craft Shopping channel available to watch 24 hours a day on National Freeview, and is now available to watch 24/7 on Freeview 85, Sky 663 and Freesat 817, as well as in HD on hochanda.com

Could you be Dressmaker of the Year?

Dressmaker and Sew magazine have joined forces to launch a brand-new competition, exclusively for stitchers!

Submitting a garment is quick and simple, and it can be entered via email, or any of the Sew or Dressmaker social media channels or website. Launching officially on the 11th November, head to sewmag.co.uk or makeittoday.co.uk for more details!

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Crafty pop-up

The Museum of London shop and designer-maker charity Craft Central have teamed up for the first time to create a special pop-up store for Christmas. Opening on 14th November, it will feature ten independent designer-makers, selling handcrafted jewellery, ceramics, stationery, homewares, prints and papercraft all made in the UK. Book online at museumoflondon.org.uk

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Crafty News

Hot Product!

Sizzix have two new dies for the festive making season! Thinlits Die Set 3PK Santa and the Thinlits Elegant Deer. Both great for cardmaking and papercraft projects this Christmas, the Santa set can be customised using your favourite seasonal colour palettes, while the Elegant Deer will add lots of detail to greetings and gift wrapping with its intricately swirled antlers. sizzix.co.uk for stockists

Christmas with Cath Kidston

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Looking for the perfect Christmas gift?

We are sure Cath Kidston will have just the thing – their range of festive products definitely made us feel merry and bright! From the iconic kitsch prints to adorable decorations for the tree, there’s something for every stocking. cathkidston.com

CB loves...

The Creation Station

The Creation Station is the UK’s leading arts and crafts activity company that helps children and adults learn vital life skills through their own creativity. Activity sessions help children to explore materials, discover new techniques and develop skills to nurture their potential. With exciting partnerships coming up with Play-Doh and other family friendly brands, it’s time to get involved!

To register interest, or for more information, parents or guardians can visit thecreationstation.co.uk

Out & About

24th November - 11th December, Bath Christmas Market, Bath City Centre. This year, the South West’s most popular and picturesque shopping event features many carefully selected craft and textile designers and artists showcasing their unusual handcrafted gifts and artwork. bathchristmasmarket.co.uk 26th November - 2nd January, The Winter Tree by Kaffe Fassett, Standen.

This Christmas, Kaffe Fassett’s tree in the courtyard will be the highlight of Standen’s winter programme.

Designed by Philip Webb (architect and lifelong friend of William Morris)

the house is a fine example of Arts and Crafts workmanship with Morris & Co. furnishings. Each room of the house is decorated in the style of a different decade at Christmas and this year Kaffe will be adding his own Christmas touches throughout the house.

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Bearthlehem

How cute is this Steiff nativity? It’s a very special collector’s item featuring the classic scene – but with added cute factor! Head to steiff.com, the official website offering the full range of children’s and collector’s toys.

CB’s top reads

The Little Book of Hygge (Penguin Life, Hardback, £9.99) is the definitive guide to the Danish wellbeing concept, Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), from happiness expert and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen Meik Wiking. This lovely book contains practical steps and tips to become more hygge: how to pick the right lighting, organise a dinner party and even how to dress hygge!

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Tache-tastic

Cards & Paper

Make these quirky Christmas cards

by Cathie Shuttleworth

Turn over

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Sta rt wi t h ... b Paper: decorative, coloured b Punch, star b Self adhesive gems b Foam pads b Paper clips b Chalk, red b Thread See our shopping list opposite

Triangle Card

1 side-folding card. Lay it

Make a tall, rectangular,

on a cutting mat and trim into a triangle shape with a 10cm base.

Using the template on our pattern pages, cut a moustache and glasses from contrasting paper and glue them to the bottom of the card.

Cover the top of the card with decorative paper, then trim the excess. Punch a star from paper and stick it to the top of the triangle.

2 3

Crafts Tip

Enlarge or reduce the templates to make different shape and sized cards

Bauble Card

1

Cut a square card with an aperture in the middle, then glue green and decorative paper to the front. Create two circles from co-ordinating paper, buff the edges with red chalk, and add a card strip to the back.

Snip a paper clip in half and glue each to the back of each bauble. Feed a length of thread through the clips and tie a bow. Seal thread ends with glue to prevent fraying.

Use the template to cut moustaches from decorative paper and stick them onto the circles.

Attach both baubles to the

2 3

card, one with glue, the other with foam pads.

Tree Card

1 folding card and glue Make a large side

patterned paper to the front. Experiment with stripes and borders. Use the template to cut one size of each moustache from coordinating paper.

Pencil a line down the middle of the card. Glue a star at the top, then working from smallest to largest, stick the moustaches to the card to create a Christmas tree.

Cut a pot shape from paper and fix to the base.

Embellish the tree with gems to resemble baubles. CB

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“Add moustaches and glasses to your Santa and snowmen cards for a contemporary take on Christmas�

Cathie Shuttleworth, Designer

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Cards & Paper

Go Shopping Decorative papers, therange.co.uk Self adhesive gems, hobbycraft.co.uk

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Cards & Paper

Merry Christmoose Die-cut, stamp and colour your way to a cute festive fave

Crafts Tip Try adding a little glitter along the edges of the snow hills

Sta rt wi t h ... b Paper, Echo Park, Winter Park b Stamp, Sugarpea, Merry Christmoose b Dies: Die-namics Double Stitched Circle STAX, Stitched Snow Drifts b Pens, Copic alcohol markers b Ink-pad, Memento, Tuxedo Black b Embellishments: ribbon, lace, pearls See our shopping list opposite

1 11cm x 14cm. Fix light blue 3 circles, then die-cut Trim blue squares paper,

paper, 9.5cm x 12.5cm, to white card and glue onto the other section. Attach white lace and gingham ribbon across the panel and secure at the back. Glue the background to a blank, 11.5cm x 14.5cm.

Die-cut a large stitched circle die from plain mint paper. Make a large scallopedged circle from white card, then attach the mint circle on top and fix to the front with foam pads.

2

Die-cut two white stitch

them both using the stitched snow drifts and glue to the bottom of the circle topper.

Stamp a moose and two trees using black ink and colour with alcohol markers.

Trim around all three images and secure in place with foam pads.

Stamp a ‘Merry Christmoose’ sentiment onto white card, cut around it and attach in place with foam pads. Make a gingham

4

bow and glue to the left side of the ribbon border.

To finish, add pearls to each corner of the light blue panel. CB

Go Shopping Sugarpea Stamps, sugarpeadesigns.com Die-namics Dies, mymumscraftshop.co.uk CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 53

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Iced Gems

Master basic icing skills to create perfectly decorated treats with Biscuiteers Instead of leaving out cookies for Santa this year, surprise him with a plate of gorgeous iced biscuits made using a little know-how from Biscuiteers!

Harriet Hastings co-founded Biscuiteers with her husband after they saw the opportunity to set up a biscuit gift business online. Since the website launched in September 2007, they’ve taken the baking world – and our tastebuds – on a truly magical journey.

We’ve shared a few icing essentials for you to apply to your bakes.

“Blow everyone away this Christmas with some fab iced biccies!”

Jecelyn Latimer, Editorial Assistant

Bake with Biscuiteers

 Biscuiteers make royal icing using 180ml water, 1kg icing sugar and 30g powdered egg white.

Beat for five minutes using an electric whisk for smooth icing.  Biscuiteers use two basic types of royal icing: a thick paste for piping details and a runnier one for flooding. The piping icing is similar to the texture of toothpaste, and flooding icing should be thicker than double cream.  Plan on using lots of icing shades? Split the mixture into bowls, then add your desired

tints. Gel and paste colours give the strongest results.  To fill a piping bag, pop the nozzle into the bag first, stand it upright in a container, then spoon the mix in. Once the bag is two-thirds full, pick it up and squeeze the icing down to the bottom of the bag before twisting shut.  An effective way of decorating is ‘flood on flood’, where you ice on patterns immediately after flooding so they ‘melt’ into the design. ‘Line on flood’ is for adding details on once it’s dry.

We’re walking to the kettle so we can have a cup of tea with these The Snowman and The Snowdog biscuits! £45 for a family-sized tin. biscuiteers.com

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ue Be ad

Bo ut

iq

Shop & Create

Feeling frosty

Swarovski Glass Pearls 8mm in Powder Rose, £2.65 for a pack of 25 beadsdirect.co.uk

4mm Facet Round Glass Beads in Light Sapphire, £2.90 per strand, beadhouse. co.uk

Iced Gems

Set Polymer clay shapes into resin for this sweet looking collection - It’s totally ontrend! We’ve got a full tutorial at crafts-beautiful.com, just search ‘candy collection’.

Mixed Angel beading kit, £9.99, Impressionscarfts. co.uk

Winter Wonderland

“This trend is definitely inspired by the Pantone colour’s of 2016 Serenity and Rose Quartz” Carolyn Kirkpatrick, Deputy Editor

Icy tones and delicate frosting is the key to this trend Ice & sparkly

Lavender Amethyst Cabochons, from 39p, caverswallminerals.com

Ice, Ice Baby We just adore this Frozen themed jewellery box. To see Elsa’s performance, simply wind up the clockwork mechanism found on the back of the case, and watch as she twirls in time to the tune of ‘Let it Go’. £19.98, beckyandlolo.co.uk

Crystal AB Dragonscale Beads, £2.55 for 7g, cjbeaders.com

Czech dobble beads matte metallic steel, £2.35 for a strand of 20, spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk

SHOP OF THE MONTH: CJ BEADERS With over 10,000 products for beaders, jewellery makers and metal stampers, we hope our large range of Products from Brand names such as Beadalon, Miyuki, ImpressArt, Metal Complex, The Beadsmith (and more) will meet your needs. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please email us - we have access to over 80,000 products! Owned and run

by Beaders, help is on hand to provide advice and make sure you purchase exactly what you need.

Don’t forget! We’ve got lots of amazing jewellery projects at crafts-beautiful.com CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 89

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Merry Mouse Use up scraps of fabric and yarn to make this cheerful festive critter

Sta rt wi t h ... b Fabric: cotton, beige, starry red, starry aqua, white; 28 count linen, white b DK yarn: turquoise, red b Embroidery thread: black, red, blue b Polyester toy filling b Elastic 6mm, 9cm length b Beads: black, red b Buttons, 5mm, purple b Crochet hook, 3.5mm b Knitting needle, 3.75mm b Tapestry needle b Blusher Find the templates on our pattern pages

Merry Mouse

1 pattern pages or online,

Using the templates on our

draw around the body, two ears, two arms and two legs on a fat quarter of beige cotton, folded in half, right sides together. Pin through the layers of fabric and sew a running stitch around each piece, leaving the flat seams open for stuffing.

2 additional ear shapes

Cut each piece, then two

from starry aqua cotton, all with a 6mm seam allowance.

Pin aqua and beige ears, right sides facing, sew around, then leaving the bottom open for turning. Turn the ears, arms, legs and body right side out, then press.

3 the legs inside the seam at

Stuff the body and legs, pin

the bottom of the body, then stitch across. Stuff and stitch the arms, then sew each one

Crafts Tip

If you prefer, use 14 count Aida instead of linen to cross-stitch the star motif

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