In Crafts Beautiful…
50+
IDEAS WITH CARD AND PAPER
FEBRUARY 12 OVER TO YOU 14 YOUR REALLY USEFUL
CRAFT TIPS 26 INSPIRATION FOR FEBRUARY 38 QUICK TRICKS WITH DIES 50 AT HOME WITH JULIE & WENDY 70 ASK THE EXPERTS 103 COMING NEXT MONTH 104 TEMPLATES 112 NET SAVVY 114 BEHIND THE CAMERA
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CARDS & PAPER 17 5 WAYS WITH… TULIPS
Enhance your beautiful greetings with vibrant ribbon details
29 TWO-TONE TULIPS
Add shade to simple stamps for a beautiful spring greeting
31 PUGS AND KISSES
Create squishy faced greetings using pretty papers
57 SPELL IT OUT
Cut, stick and paint to make botanic birthday offerings
57 PEOPLE & PLACES 23 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WI
Get the latest from the Women’s Institute
73 PAPER PROFESSIONALS
We caught up with the artists turning paper into works of art
31 STITCH & KNIT 60 LOVE LETTERS
Show how much you care with a romantic note in lush Liberty print
76 PANDA PALS
Knit up a couple of adorable panda friends for your little ones to love
78 HEART WARMERS
Coil bias strips into Liberty treats your friends are sure to adore
86 JUST TO SAY
Put a smile on someone’s face with a sweet stitchy sentiment
101 HOME SWEET HOME
This cross-stitch favourite is sure to brighten up a loved one’s abode
CREATE & CRAFT
101 Share it! with the rest of the CB community via
45 IDEAS FOR YOU!
Get inspired with fab ideas and buys from Create and Craft TV
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LEARN & MAKE 24 ELIZABETH MOAD QUILLS
Embed an outlined message in a quilled floral design
34 COLETTE SMITH’S
MASTERCLASS
Die-cut to create something unique for your sweetheart
66 SARA NAUMANN’S
MASTERCLASS
Transform plain white texture paste with a few simple steps!
BROWSE & BUY 21 TREAT YOURSELF
You’ll be smitten with these crafty buys in no time!
36 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Receive a free gift when you sign up
63 OUR SPRING DIES HOT LIST
Step into the season with our top 20 die shapes!
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MIXED MEDIA 68 DUCK TAPE
Love is in the air with Corinne Bradd’s designs
82 RING A RING O’ ROSES
80 PAINTED FRAMES
Peel-off outlines and glass paints transform old frames
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JEWELLERY
Celebrate spring with a cheerful floral wreath
89 BEAD BOUTIQUE
99 PRETTY PACKAGING
Spruce up wooden storage boxes for a craft room revamp
90 TEATIME TWIST
BAKING
Combine mini silver clay cutlery with polymer motifs
93 BEAD SCENE
52 READY TO POP
Insects are this season’s hot jewellery trend!
Celebrate the arrival of tiny feet with sweet baking delights
We chat to Louise MacLeod, director of Bead House
95 PRETTY IN PINK
Create this eclectic set using buttons and hair bands
WIN PRIZES WORTH OVER
£1,360
FREEBIES & PRIZES
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7 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT Use your Dovecraft dies to create cards and more!
40 GIVEAWAYS
www.crafts-beautiful.com
There’s over £1,360 worth of prizes to win in our February giveaways!
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Over to you
“Join the crafty community and share your makes and stories with fellow CB readers!” Jecelyn
Star Letter Dear CB, I thought I’d send you some cards I made using the free Christmas foil, emboss & die kit from issue 299. I usually stick to sewing and sell bears, bunnies and memory cushions at Bearfaced Keepsakes on Facebook, though I had to have a play around with the November gift!
STAR PRIZE This month’s winner will receive papers and embellishments from BoBunny’s Felicity collection! With floral, lace and wood elements mixed with shades of mint, blush pink, duck egg blue and soft browns, this set is perfect for your spring cardmaking and papercraft projects. bobunny.com
Shirley Paterson, via letter We’re so glad you loved the free gift! Enjoy your prize.
BRIGHT QUILT Hi CB, check out this quilt I’m currently working on! Stacey Haga, via Facebook
WORTH
£40!
CLEVER CARD Hi CB. I made an exploding Christmas box card for a loved one. Julie Ironmonger, via Facebook There’s so much detail in this card, great job!
Your quilt is so colourful and cute!
We’re on Instagram! For the latest crafty makes and inspiration, visit us at @craftsbeautiful
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Reader Stories
Meet a mate!
Swap hints, tricks and stories with new friends
SLOTH SWEATER I knitted a Christmas jumper for my youngest nephew, who wanted a sloth. Helen Tebb, via Facebook This jumper is brilliant, well done!
LOVE STITCH
Hello CB. I recently finished this cross-stitch project filling out the word ‘LOVE’ with flowers. Amanda Peters, via Facebook It’s so intricate and beautiful, Emma! Very impressive
Karen Ann Scoobie, 53 I enjoy colouring in, having a laugh, animals and cinema. I would like to hear from anyone with similar interests. 130 Whittern Way, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 1PF Lorna Damm, 54 My hobbies include knitting, machine embroidery, crochet and painting furniture. It would be nice to hear from anyone my age in the UK. 18 Mayfair Crescent, Waltham, Ne Lincs, DN37 0EE. Jean Hancox, 69 I like pen pals and crafts, especially cross-stitch. I’m looking for people to write to with the same hobbies as me. F2 Station Mews, Lion Street, Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire, TF2 6AF Please be aware that entrants to the pen pals section submit personal details at their own discretion
CROCHET PALS I made a few Christmas crochet characters for my friends. Debbie Harper, via Facebook These are too adorable! Can we be your friend too?
Pets Corner!
We catch up with CB readers and their best pals
FIND YOUR CRAFTY FRIEND! Calling all crafters: would you like a pen pal? If so, send details of your age, address and interests to social.cb@ aceville.co.uk or fill out the form on page 120
Write in...
and share your designs with us!
Want your makes featured in Crafts Beautiful? Email us a picture at social.cb@aceville.co.uk or post your project to Crafts Beautiful, 1 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8JY
This is Mr Mew, he loves learning with my daughter who’s in college – she’s such a smarty pants! Terry Maynard This is my beautiful boy Jake, who I rescued last year. He has the quirkiest ears! Rachel Ladbrook
Lottie loves treats, cuddles and keeping me company in my craft room while I get creative. Sarah Jackman Read This is Gabby, who was adopted from our local rescue shelter not long after my husband passed away. She’s been a great comfort to me. Janet Fisher Cobb
This is Marigold who we recently rescued from our local rescue centre. She’s now a sister for my two other pets! Hazel Herrin
This is Charliegirl enjoying her holiday! She’s one year old and is a beautiful white bundle of fun. Pamela Bishop
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People & Places
February highlights
To download more project ideas, go to thewi.org.uk/what-we-do/craft/craft-projects
Worth sharing... THE LATEST EVENTS AND CAMPAIGN NEWS STRAIGHT FROM WI HQ
CLARE SPENDER THE NFWI CRAFT ADVISER GETS HER BUTTONS AND BEADS OUT FOR A GOOD CAUSE
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ticking with the ‘I am not going to purchase any new materials’ theme this year I have been sorting through all my boxes and cases filled with buttons and beads that I had forgotten about. For some reason I am drawn to any shade of green. Often there are several different green cotton reels lying around, with a green button or piece of green material and I have a grand collection of green bulldog clips that hold everything together from my receipts to planned projects on my desk. What better use for all these green bits and pieces, than to create heart brooches for the ‘Show the Love’ Climate Coalition Campaign. You can be sure that people will ask why you are wearing a green heart instead of standard red one, and you can tell them of the very worthy cause that you are supporting! Now I wonder how many green beads I have, or should I buy new ones?
THIS MONTH WE ARE MAKING…
8th-10th February 2017 Watercolours for Beginners: Join tutor Michael Burgess on a course that will take you through the different stages of painting a watercolour landscape. Learn about composition, colour mixing and different mediums in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. 23rd-26th February 2017 Drawing for the Terrified: With expert guidance you will discover how to develop your drawing skills
using specific ‘recipes’ designed to build confidence. Work in monochrome and colour to create an accomplished still life drawing to be proud of. 24th-26th February 2017 Afternoon Teas: Whether you want to wow your friends or are hosting a party, this course will teach you how to create high-end afternoon tea pastries, cakes and sandwiches in a mix of classic and modern styles. Delight in passion fruitcake, brulee tart or a show stopper with a twist, a chocolate Battenberg.
See our range of courses at wicraftschool.com
Cracking Time When Nottingham-based mosaic artist, Lis Greensmith got together with a group of like-minded friends to share ideas and experiences, the result was the Vale Inspirations WI. The branch has gone from strength to strength and the members celebrated their second birthday in September with an entertaining belly dancing session which was great fun for all! As well as running her own business, Lis teaches the art of mosaics to WI members around the country and at Denman College. You can find the latest course dates at lily-mosaics.co.uk
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. CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 23
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Emma Watson
Denman Diary
As the crafting calendar rolls into spring, there are many celebrations that require a handmade greeting. This bright design would suit a Valentine or birthday; the card is easy enough to assemble using a die-cut heart shape. Why not select papers with printed sentiments so that you can theme the card to suit the occasion?
LIZ MOAD’S QUILLING MASTERCLASS
Lettering Lesson
EMBED AN OUTLINED MESSAGE IN A QUILLED FLORAL MASTERPIECE Quilled lettering is very much on-trend at the moment, so I wanted to share a take that's a little different. Rather than filling in the lettering, they're outlined in white and the background is completed with a floral design using traditional techniques of quilling, coiling and pinching. I printed my words in 200pt Times New Roman, or a sans serif font such as Helvetica would be less tricky. It can be a time-consuming project, but the dense mass of quilled flowers is striking.
Happy quilling, Liz x
Start with... Quilling papers: 3mm wide, white, pink, red, yellow, oranges, greens, Quilling tools: slotted, needle Card, white
Tweezers Picture frame Ribbon, green Adhesives
Hi! Greeting
1 paper and use masking tape to
Print a short greeting onto printer
temporarily attach it to white card, 11.5cm x 17cm. Use an embossing tool to trace the outline of each letter, pressing heavily. Use as little glue as possible to stick white strips to the embossed outline of the first letter. Work slowly and hold each piece in place with tweezers as the adhesive dries. Repeat until your message is complete. To create a flower petal, use a quilling tool to make a loose closed coil from a 20cm length of yellow quilling paper, then pinch into a teardrop shape. Make five in total. Trim an orange strip to 5cm and make a tight coil for the centre. Make six flowers in various colours and arrange them around your message, securing with a small amount of glue. Trim several light green strips between 5cm and 8cm in length an loosely coil each end, then stick a few near every flower.
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5 into teardrop shapes. Attach at 1cm Coil and pinch 10cm pink strips
intervals along each side of the green strips. Using a needle tool, make open coils from lengths of dark and light green paper between 2cm and 10cm, then glue to the card.
6 and lengths of green around the
Continue adding more open coils
letters and flowers until you are happy with the coverage. Mount the completed panel onto a white blank, 12.5cm x 18.5cm.
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Cards & Paper
Crafts Tip
Use the same white card as for the background to cut 3mm strips, then use them to outline the letters so they match perfectly
Make It Personal Add quilled flowers and coils around a friend's name and frame it to create a unique and thoughtful gift. To make this, follow the same techniques as for the greeting card, creating a few flowers using only three teardrop petals for variation and adding some dark pink leaves made from 20cm strips to help fill the space. We used a 20cm x 25cm piece of white card for this five-letter name.
Hanging Flowers For a door hanger, draw the outline shape, or find a template online, and
cut it from white card. Outline 'Love' and fill the background with flowers, leaves and coils as before. Don't add any quilled shapes to the top of the hanger, as they will not stand much handling. Add a green ribbon to the top and tie in a bow instead. CB
Go Shopping Quilling papers, jjquilling.co.uk Card blanks, craftcreations.com
How to quill‌ an outline
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Tattered Lace bundle worth £212 Posca Pens worth £80
Want pens that work on multiple surfaces including plastic, metal, wood, glass and canvas? Look no further than Posca’s fantastic selection! Available in a range of types and colours, these pens are ideal for embellishing your crafts and are suitable for professionals, beginners and children alike. One winner will receive £80 worth of pens. posca.com Tick Posca
Stock up your crafty stash with this lovely little hamper of Tattered Lace dies, stamps and accessories, plus a box of Bright Hearts Craft Lights and a Deco Foil fusible adhesive spray! One lucky winner will have everything they need to get stuck straight into making cards, boxes and much more with this selection. crafting.co.uk Tick Tattered Lace
Freebies&Offers We’ve got £1,360 worth of goodies to win this issue!
Mystery crochet bundle worth £150
If you’re a fan of crochet or fancy giving it a go, then you need to enter this giveaway – we’ve got a collection of crochet hooks, accessories and books for a special someone to win! There’s a full set of matching hooks worth £45, plus pom pom makers, a double-ended hook and enough patterns to keep you busy for a long time. Tick Mystery Bundle
Graphic 45 set worth £320
One winner will be living the papercrafting dream with this bumper prize from Graphic 45! There’s a selection of paper pads, toppers, tags and tickets from the Voyage Beneath The Sea, Enchanted Forest and Safari Adventure collections, plus lots of other crafty staples. g45papers.com Tick Papers
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Enter online at crafts-beautiful.com/giveaways or turn to page 113 to fill out the form
DREAM DIGI DIE-CUTTING PRIZE!
Cricut Explore worth £199
Create DIY projects and crafts with Cricut Explore One, an electronic cutting machine that offers users incredible precision. It cuts a wide variety of materials from paper, iron-on, adhesive vinyl and even thicker materials such as leather and burlap! You can design on your computer or iPad using free, cloud-based software. uk.cricut.com Tick Circuit
Two docrafts dies sets worth £109 each
Put a spring in your step with heart and botanical Xcut dies from docrafts! There are large dies to make statement card panels with, cute little intricate birds, an interchangeable filigree heart, dancing fairies and many others. We’ve got two bundles with nine dies in each one to give away. docrafts.com Tick Dies
Easy to enter! 1
Eight ticket pairs worth £30 each
Get a slice of the action by tucking into cake, sampling baking products, and watching demonstrations at Cake International! We’ve got one day tickets for you and a friend to attend this amazing event at Alexander Palace in London on 22nd or 23rd April. This giveaway is too tasty to miss! cakeinternational.co.uk Tick Tickets
Visit our website at crafts-beautiful.com
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Click on the ‘Giveaways’ section in the top panel
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Select a giveaway and enter your details
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Spell it out
Cards & Paper
Cut, stick and paint to make botanic birthday gift set from Helen Fitzjohn
turn over for projects
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Sta rt wi t h ... b Cardstock: cream, greens, red, orange, light pink b Punches: Woodware, leaf; Carla Craft, mini six-petal flower, six-petal flower, five-petal flower; small circle, 4cm circle b Pens: ProMarker, Umber; gel, white, gold b Mountboard b Paints, watercolour b Ribbon, green b Adhesives Find templates on our pattern pages
G is for Gift
1 x 44cm. Score and fold
Cut mountboard, 10.5cm
at 21cm and 23cm to create an outer box shape. Take another piece, 12cm x 22.5cm, scoring at 1.7cm in from each edge. Remove the corner squares, then fold up the sides and glue together. Trim two pieces of cream card, 10.5cm x 21cm, then stick them to the inside of the outer box. Secure the inner box to the centre of the bottom panel. Cut strips of brown card, two 2cm x 10.5cm, two 1.7cm x 9cm and two 1.7cm x 19cm. Use them to cover the spine of the outside and sides of the inside. Add a strip of red card, 1cm x 21cm, on each side of the front, then a cream panel, 8.5cm x 21cm, to the centre. Print an ‘...is for gift’ message onto cream card, 2.5cm x 8.5cm, then glue to
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the bottom. Trace or print the ‘G’ motif onto cream, 6.5cm x 8cm, then decorate as for the ‘B’. Matt onto the front. Glue leaves and flowers in the empty space, filling gaps with small circles of card. Punch four 4cm circles from red card, then score each in quarters. Remove one segment from each, then fold and glue over the corners of the inner box.
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B is for Birthday
1 template onto cream Print or trace the ‘B’
card, 7cm x 8cm. Trace a floral pattern onto the letter using a pencil, then paint with olive, coral and pink watercolours. Add highlights to the centre of each flower using a gold gel pen. Fill in the background of the rectangle using an Umber ProMarker, then use a white gel pen to add dots.
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Add a thick gold outline to the ‘B’ and the border. Stick to a piece of mountboard trimmed to size, then onto cream and red card, leaving a 5mm border around each. Trace or use a punch to create leaf shapes from a few shades of green card and flowers from red, orange and pink. Arrange on the sides of a cream blank, 14cm square, securing with PVA glue. Add small circles punched from all colours of card to fill in the gaps. Glue the ‘B’ panel in the centre. Trim a strip of cream card, 4.5cm x 13.5cm. Score and fold 1cm in on the long edges. Stick at the bottom of the inside front. Print a ‘…is for birthday’ message onto cream. Fold an 8cm length of ribbon in half and tape to the back, then cover with a piece of cream card. Slot the strip inside the pocket. CB
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Cards & Paper
Crafts Tip
Gently score and fold the underside of leaves and petals with a blunt scalpel for a subtle 3-D effect
“This project is easy to customise with the recipients initials. Print out different fonts, or draw them freehand to create the perfect design” Helen Fitzjohn, Designer
All wrapped up...
� Customising handmade gift boxes for your recipient is an inexpensive way to give even the smallest of presents a big impact. Use a strong cardstock and carefully select the colour and design to ensure it is reused and treasured long after the celebration has ended. � When choosing a patterned paper, opt for repeat patterns such as stripes and small flowers which will be visible on all sides of the finished box. Experiment using templates and origami
folding techniques – and don’t start right away on your good papers! � Make the box a little larger than needed, then fill the space with shredded tissue paper; it looks great and protects the contents. If you don’t have a bone folder, try using a metal ruler and butter knife for the same effect.
Go Shopping
ProMarkers, winsornewton.com/uk
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R E P A P ssionals
Profe
We caught up with the artists taking the humble piece of paper and turning it into marvellous works of art
J
ulene Harrison designs delicate papercuts and keeps her studio as neat as her work. She began papercutting entirely by accident, but now big companies all over the world use her beautifully intricate pieces to promote products and events. We find out how she got started... “I got into paper cutting truly by accident – I made my first design as an inexpensive gift that would be light to post overseas, then two more followed as wedding presents. I started a blog and soon I began getting commissions, initially from friends, then big companies like Nutella and Waitrose asked for custom designs. I joined an illustration agency and haven’t looked back.
“I prefer cutting to designing, when it finally comes to that stage I can relax. All the ‘hard’ work of client consultation, designing and planning is done. I can put some low-brow TV on in the background and just focus. It’s quite meditative. I moved into a studio space about six months ago, it’s huge and has a lot of light… far too much sometimes and I have to wear sunglasses! I’m a tidy person, which is probably why I like papercutting – it’s clean with very little mess, so my space is quite empty. I don’t have much on the walls. Tidy studio = tidy mind. “My style is detail orientated and often tells a visual story or journey. Quite a lot of my work is romantic in nature, especially the first anniversary pieces – lots of hearts, flowers and birds. It’s funny because that’s not my style in person. I love getting commissions that challenge me to create something different! I know a lot of people draw straight onto the paper they are going to cut, but I design using Photoshop. Mostly I’ll work on one piece at a time only, unless a more urgent job comes in. “The paper I use hasn’t changed since the very first papercut I made back in 2009. It’s Espon Premium Presentation paper in Matt. My scalpel is Swann Morton, number 3 handle, 10a blades – I think this
brand is popular with lots of paper artists. I find it light in the hand and a plaster around the end gives you something soft to hold onto.” Check out Julene’s work at madebyjulene.com and see her blog, crafts-beautiful.com/blog
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Pretty packaging
Cards & Paper
Jill Alblas spruces up wooden storage boxes for a New Year craft room revamp Sta rt wi t h ... b Card, white b Patterned papers b MDF box b Metal gloss paint: Inka Gold, lilac, gold b Ink, brown b Embellishments b Tools See our shopping list below
Box Clever
1 from a box. Trim patterned Remove the fastenings
paper to fit around the sides and top, then apply a thin, even coat of decoupage glue to the outside. Smooth down with a brush. Repeat with a wooden heart. Apply a second coat to all pieces. Once dry, ink the edges of the box and shape. Use a craft knife to make a incision in the lid large enough to fit the base of the heart. Push it through the slit, then secure in place with strong glue on the underside of the lid. Assemble the box and reattach the fastenings.
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Crafts Tip
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Loosely tie a strip of frayed linen around the base of the heart. Rub mini spools with Inka paints, polish once dry, then wrap twine around them. Glue the embellishments on top of the box. Paint the inner box rim and heart edge with gold.
Greeting Card
Matt a blank, 8cm square, with decoupage paper. Cut a 4cm square window in the centre, then stick linen behind. Wrap lace and threaded buttons around the centre, then a clothes peg with linen and twine. CB
Allow the glue to dry thoroughly between each step and ensure the blade of your craft knife is sharp
Go Shopping
Papers, box and embellishments, cc-craft.co.uk Decoupage glue, uk.opitec.com Miniature sewing machine, sinotexuk.com CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 99
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