In Crafts Beautiful…
50+
IDEAS WITH CARD AND PAPER
CHRISTMAS 12 OVER TO YOU 14 YOUR REALLY USEFUL
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CRAFT TIPS
26 INSPIRATION FOR CHRISTMAS
32 AT HOME WITH JULIE & WENDY
38 TAKE ONE DIE 71 ASK THE EXPERTS 114 COMING NEXT MONTH 120 NET SAVVY 122 BEHIND THE CAMERA
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CARDS & PAPER 17 5 WAYS WITH … FOILS
These metallic designs will make your creativity shine
29 FROSTY FRIENDS
59 SHINE BRIGHT
43 WE WISH EWE …
70 JINGLE ALL THE WAY!
51 PICTURE PERFECT
76 SCANNCUT CARDS
56 SANTA SENTIMENTS
97 FESTIVE TRIO
Snow buddies make the perfect Christmas card You wool love making this festive greeting!
Create a pastel winter wonderland canvas
Father Christmas is visiting your crafts this year
Create a warm glow with parchment lights Send a stepper greeting to your loved ones Design and make cards in bulk with the ScanNCut Colour in these cheery reindeer from Hunkydory
17 104 SEASONAL SCENTS
Present your handmade soaps in style with this how-to
112 CHRISTMAS CABINS
Create paper cottages that vary in style and shades
CREATE & CRAFT 45 WHAT’S ON SCREEN
Catch up with the exciting world of Create and Craft
46 EVERY DAY EASY
Create a classy foiled greeting card using the TODO
47 CRAFT CHAMPION
Become a crafting pro with Mel Heaton
48 C&C SHOWS YOU HOW
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Make pillows with the accuquilt® GO! Fabric cutter
Share it! with the rest of the CB community via 4 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM
24 PEOPLE & PLACES 23 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WI
Get the latest goss from the Women’s Institute
STITCH
66 STOCKING FILLERS
Adorn your fireplace with a festive patchwork sock
86 WINTER WISHES
Mark the days until Santa visits with a calendar
101 PRINCESS GLORIA
Give your little majesty a regal doll of her own
106 SCANDI TREATS
Bring Lapland loveliness into your home with a cake band
LEARN & MAKE
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24 ELIZABETH MOAD QUILLS
Go bright and modern with these funky paper wreaths
34 COLETTE SMITH’S
MASTERCLASS
Trim a bauble shape into an dainty design for a card
74 SARA NAUMANN’S
MASTERCLASS
Create wintry scenes with a layered paper piecing effect
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BROWSE & BUY
BAKING
21 TREAT YOURSELF
69 DIY SUGARCRAFT KIT
Stuff your stocking with some seasonal goodies
36 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Receive a free gift when you sign up
63 CHRISTMAS CRAFT COUNTDOWN
Deck your jewellery stand with these twinkly finds
90 ICY SPARKLE
30 PAINTED PLACES
Create a delicate snowflake necklace for party season
93 JEWELLERY SCHOOL
Use Posca Pens add decorative finishes to blanks
72 DUCK TAPE
JEWELLERY 89 BEAD BOUTIQUE
Get into the festive spirit with our collection
MIXED MEDIA
We showcase essentials to decorate your bakes
Get the low-down on how to start making jewellery
Whip up some Christmassy decorations for your home
7 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT Get creative with our Pretty Poinsettia die by Sara Davies
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FAB FREEBIES & PRIZES
40 BUMPER GIVEAWAYS We’ve got a jaw-dropping £10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs!
78 CB AWARDS
www.crafts-beautiful.com
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Vote for your favourite brands in our International Craft Awards
CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 5
Reader Stories
Meet a mate!
Swap hints, tricks and stories with new friends
WEDDING CARD I made this card specially for my cousin’s wedding. I’m happy to say she absolutely loved it. Heather Porter, via email This card is stunning, Heather. Those swans are fab!
Hannah Courtney, 29 I enjoy Project Life products, sewing, making jewellery and reading. I’d like to hear from chatty, like-minded people. 3 Grove Terrace, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 6SN Julie Espin, 41 I like to read, colour in, make cards, and dogs. It would be nice to hear from people aged between 40-60. 3 Church Mews, Church Street, Langold, Worksop, S81 9QA Sheila Wellman I love writing, card making, jigsaws, sewing, knitting, travelling and my small poodle. I would like for anyone, anywhere to get in touch. 3 Woodlands, Overton, Basingstoke, Hants, RG25 3HN Please be aware that entrants to the pen pals section submit personal details at their own discretion
CALM COLOUR Hello CB. I recently finished colouring in a page from a book, I hope you like my picture. Suzanne Marie Dexter-Jones, via Facebook You’ve created such a lovely serene image, Suzanne!
KEEP COSY I finished off a pair of mittens and a matching hat for a refugee. Morag Christie, via Facebook What a beautiful thing to do, Morag.
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
Here’s me and my pup, Katara. I rescued her last December and I love her to bits! Kathryn Vercillo
Hello CB! This is me and my little pooch Xanda. Helen Moore
This is me with my standard poodle, Alfie. Ann Barry Manser
I was on my sewing machine and turned around to find my three dogs had all squished onto one duvet to stay close to me! Joanna Durrant Here’s my miniature schnauzer Harry and I. Amanda Chapman
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Treat Yourself
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‘Tis the season! Stuff your stocking with some festive goodies...
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1 Father Christmas With Sack Garland, £5.50, pipii.co.uk 2 Wooden Star With LED Lights, £18.95, pipii.co.uk 3 Clear Glass Bauble - Holly Design, £3.99, wyevalegardencentres.co.uk 4 Felt Xmas Pudding, £3.99, wyevalegardencentres.co.uk 5 Press Out and Colour Birds, £9.99, nosycrow.com 6 Christmas Tree iron on patch, 99p, buddlycrafts.com 7 Charm Bracelet Advent Calender, £18.00, pipii.co.uk 8 I Love Christmas Echo Park Paper Pack, visit echoparkpaper.com for stockists 9 Grow Your Own Christmas Tree, 99p, oxfam.org.uk 10 Merry Christmas & Holly Ribbon in Red, 75p per metre, josyrose.com 11 Resin Tartan Santa, £16.99, wyevalegardencentres.co.uk 12 Cavallini Christmas, Rubber Stamp Vintage Style Gift Set x 7 stamp & Ink-pad, £19.40, luckandluck.co.uk
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Treat yourself Xmas16.indd 3
01/09/2016 16:36
COLETTE SMITH’S MASTERCLASS
Festive Paper Cuts
TRIM A BAUBLE SHAPE INTO AN DAINTY DESIGN FOR A CARD It’s always lovely to learn a new skill, and paper cutting is one that can easliy be adapted to cardmaking. The handy thing is that you don’t need a lot of supplies to get started, as most of the items you will already have in your craft stash. I’ve decided to show you the technique using tracing paper, so that you can then create your own designs. As Christmas is rapidly heading towards us, I thought a bauble theme would be good as a starting point. The key to successful paper cutting is a sharp knife, time and, most importantly, patience. It can be quite time consuming depending on the intricacy of the design, but it is still a very relaxing craft that produces stunning results.
In The Know... Change your knife blades regularly. If they become blunt it will be much harder to cut the image and will snag your paper. Apply enough pressure when cutting through the paper, but not too much that you break off the fine point of the blade. A roller ball glue pen is perfect for sticking down the design as you have much more control over the glue; especially on narrow or small sections. Cut the design in reverse so that any pencil marks are on the back. Rubbing them out will damage the delicate cut work. Cutting from the back also creates a neater cut line on the front.
“You can save time by printing the design in reverse onto 170gsm card. Lighten the image so there are no harsh black lines” Colette Smith, Designer
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Cards & Paper
Start with... Cardstock: white 170gsm, blue Tracing paper Craft knife
Cutting mat Ribbon Clear gems Adhesives
Christmas Bauble
1 paper over the image and trim both pieces to a
Print the bauble design onto paper. Secure tracing
more manageable size. Trace over the outline of the design in pencil. Using a ruler for the straight lines. Turn the tracing paper over and secure to white card. Re-trace over all the lines in the design, the image will now be in reverse. Check for any areas that have been missed. Using the template as a guide; cut out the small shaded areas, being careful not to tear or bend the paper. Once all the small sections have been cut, move on to the larger areas. Double check that all the sections have been completed and there are no paper tabs. Cover an A6 blank with blue card and carefully stick the design onto it. Wrap and tie a double length of ribbon around the top and finish with gems. CB
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Go Shopping X-Acto knife and blades, Hollywood Trade Ltd, 01527 453972, airbrushsupplyonline.com Tracing paper, WHSmith, 0333 600 5000, whsmith.co.uk Card, Sailor glue pen, Samuel Taylors, 0113 2480044, samueltaylors.co.uk
picture, make sure the paper is acid and lignin free� 4
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H BUMPER GIVEAWAYS WORTH £10,000! H
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Five Hunkydory bundles worth £108 each
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Let your Christmas papercraft stash shine with these papers and embellishments from Hunkydory! We've got five sets packed with £108 worth of products including Liftables Sparkling Snowflakes and Christmas Cheer paper pads, Festive Luxury foiled card pad, mirri mats, super-sized shadow box frames, snowfall acetate bumper pack, and Diamond Sparkles Festive glitters. hunkydorycrafts.co.uk Tick Hunkydory
25 PAIRS OF TICKETS!
WORTH
£108 EACH!
25 pairs of tickets worth £20 each
If you love hopping from stall to stall looking at the lovely goodies on display at craft fairs, we've got 25 pairs of tickets to attend the Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts show in Manchester (2nd – 4th Feb 2017) worth £500 altogether to win! This is definitely the perfect excuse to take a friend or loved one for a day of crafty shopping, demonstrations, workshops and more. stitchandhobby.co.uk Tick Tickets
£10,000 Freebies! H
We've got a jaw-dropping amount of goodies to win in our bumper Christmas issue!
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Three Sizzix sets worth £169 each
We've certainly got a special little seasonal treat for you this month – three lucky winners could get their hands on Sizzix bundles worth £169 each! In each set there's a Big Shot Machine plus loads of Thinlits dies including Christmas by My Life Handmade, Festive Fancies, Festive Bird, Santa and Elegant Deer – enough to keep you occupied this Christmas! sizzix.co.uk Tick Dies
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£169 EACH!
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Bumper Giveaways Xmas16.indd 1
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TRIM THE TREE
Possibly our favourite part! Put on your favourite Christmas CDs, dish up some mince pies and have fun choosing what goes where. You’re sure to find some of your family heirloom decs amongst the boxes, why not reminisce about Christmases past and revel in the nostalgia?
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dobbies.com
We think these kitsch decs are just the thing for the CB HQ tree this year! wyevalegardencentres.co.uk
Write a letter to Santa
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MISTLETOE AND WINE
Keep out the chill with a mug of something delicious. Make a Hot Toddy from the recipe over at greatbritishfood magazine.com
Help little ones to send a note to Father Christmas to make sure that stockings are filled with their heart’s desire. It might not hurt to pop a letter in from yourself, too, just to check you’re still on the nice list!
❄ Get personal Try fraserandparsley.com for beautifully personalised stationery and stamps
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countdown feature.indd 16
02/09/2016 10:49
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NOW BRING US SOME FIGGY PUDDING Stir-up Sunday, always the last Sunday before
DON’T FANCY EATING PUDDING? MAKE SOME CARDS INSTEAD! DOWNLOAD THIS PROJECT AT craftsbeautiful.com
Advent, takes its name from a prayer said in the Anglican church, which begins: ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord...’The words remind churchgoers to start stirring up their plum pudding so it has time to mature before Christmas Day. A tradition the whole family can get involved with, the idea is that everyone should get a turn to mix, and make a wish while they do it. Some households put coins in the mix, with the finder promised wealth, health and happiness for the coming year. For delicious Christmas recipes and inspiration visit waitrose.com/recipes
waitrose.com/christmas
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Decorate your door
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STUFF THOSE STOCKINGS
Put some time aside for hanging up your stockings. Don’t have a fireplace? They still look fab on bannisters or attached to a shelf. Try this set from Paperchase.
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Snuggle up
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Sew magazine
Wreaths don’t have to be made from holly or ivy, why not give baubles, bells or even feathers a go?
The weather outside is frightful, so make sure you’ve got some super-comfy attire for lounging this season. If handmade’s your thing, Sew magazine have a gorgeous pamper set featuring slippers and a sleep mask you can stitch up in the (softest) fabric of your choice. They’d also make a fabulous gift for a loved one. sewmag.co.uk
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Sponsored by
Princess Gloria
Stitching
Give your little majesty a regal doll of her own this Christmas
Sta rt wi t h ... b Fabric: brushed cotton; silk dupion, pink; cotton, gold spotty; taffeta, gold b Netting, ivory b Roving wool, pink b Felt, pink b Cord elastic b Embroidery thread, green b Toy filling b Felt pen, brown b Embellishments See the templates on our pattern pages
Turn over
CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 101
Body
1 pattern pages or online,
Using the templates on our
cut out the following from brushed cotton: one pair of the back head and body; one on the fold of the front head and body; two legs; two arms. Fold the legs in half lengthways and stitch together. The seams become the backs of the legs. Turn both out and stuff with toy filling, being careful not to overfill them. Stitch across the tops of both legs, centring the back seams. Repeat the process for the arms, leaving more space at the top. Turn in the raw edges and slip stitch in place, then fold over the tops again before fixing a button to each fold. Match and stitch the centre back seam of the head and body parts together. Lay the front piece over the back, matching around the head and down the sides, then pin and sew together. Clip the seam allowance around the neck, then turn out through the gap at the base of the body. Position the legs with feet facing forwards on the outer edges of the front, then stitch in place. Carefully stuff the head and body. When you are happy with the shape, slip stitch the gap closed. Sew the arms to the body just below the neck through the buttons. Embroider the eyes with green thread in back stitch, using the template as a guide. Stick tiny silver heart embellishments to the ends of the lines. Cut a heartshaped mouth from pink felt and fix in place. Add nostrils using a brown pen and apply blusher to the cheeks. Wind a hank of pink roving wool around the head for hair, making a bun with a pony tail on one side, then attach using small stitches.
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Crafts Tip Use a large knitting needle to carefully add toy filling into the limbs
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Clothes
1 from gold spotty material.
Cut out one top on the fold
Open it out before folding the top piece, matching the centre back seams together with right sides facing, then stitch in place. Open out the seam and
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fold the piece in half with the seams inside to make a cuff shape, then pull onto the doll. Make two crown pieces from gold taffeta. Fix a small piece of cord elastic to the base corners of one, then lay the remaining piece over the top with right sides facing. Tuck in the elastic and stitch around the edges, leaving a gap at the base. Clip the
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points, turn out, then press flat. Close the gap and stitch a button to the centre point. Cut two rectangles, 15cm x 80cm, from ivory netting and silk dupion. Place them on top of the other with the dupion as the base, then make two rows of gathering stitches across one long side, 1cm down from the edge. Pull the threads to gather to the waist
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Sew With If you want a reliable all-purpose sewing machine that’s great value for money and offers fab features, then the Singer Confidence 7463 is a perfect choice. Simply push a button to select one of the 30 stitches or two onestep buttonhole styles and you are ready to sew – the ideal stitch width and length are set automatically for you. An automatic needle threader and the drop and sew bobbin system make it quick to start and the two Staybright LED lights make sure you can clearly see your work as you sew. Price around £229. Visit singerco.co.uk for details and stockists details.
measurement of the doll. Stitch the two shorter edges together. Pull the skirt onto the doll, wrap a length of organza ribbon around the gathered area and tie into a bow, then add a button. Wind lengths of thin gold-edged ribbon around the feet for shoes and one length for a necklace, then finish off with a purple heart gem. CB
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Stitching
“I chose roving wool for the hair because it’s easy to pile up into a posh hairdo!” Amanda Walker, Designer
GoShopping
Brushed cotton and toy filler, dunelm.com Roving wool, worldofwool.co.uk
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Free for you !
Don’t Miss
YOUR EXCLUSIVE CHRISTMAS CRAFT KIT!
YOUR NOVEMBER ISSUE
ON SALE 14TH OCTOBER 2016
Projects subject to change
Everything you need for the perfect greetings!
ff Packed full o
un projects, exper t
PLUS... Fab cards using Sizzix dies Shape Xmas decs using polymer clay Create a festive fairy for your tree WI gossip and project ideas
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s! advice and crafty tip
Plus
a Christmas shopping guide featuring our fave top brands!