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Autumn / Winter 2013 Issue 4
Unit 417, The Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15. www.inspiringideas.com customer.service@inspiringideas.com 01 8219277
Hello and Welcome to the autumn / winter edition of our instore newsletter. We hope you had a lovely summer but as it draws to a close we’re embracing all things festive. It’s time to start thinking about what gifts you might make, plan your Christmas cards as well as what craft projects you want to complete during the winter. We have a great line up of events to get you started including a demonstration with the talented Ruth Hamilton, designer with Tonic Studios on September 28th. A new addition to our workshop schedule is two card making classes with Cliona Larkin which are sure to sell out very fast so make sure you book your place in plenty of time.
Sewing Kit Essentials Sewing in recent years has been growing in popularity. Helped along by television programmes such as “The Great British Sewing Bee”, sewing is a great way to create bespoke interiors, make a unique piece of clothing or simply save a few euros by upcycling an old dress. Here we’ll give you the low down on what you need to get started. Sharps Sewing Needles - these are essential for any hand sewing as they are very sharp and a medium length with a small eye. They work well with any standard thread. Sewing Machine Needles - Always keep a pack of universal needles in assorted sizes in your kit so you can sew light, medium and heavy textiles. Scissors – never scrimp on your sewing scissors and NEVER use it for cutting anything apart from fabric and threads. A good quality dress making scissors will last you years. A smaller scissors is handy for trimming threads and corners. Tape Measure – an essential in any kit for measuring body measurements to cushio widths.
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Seam Ripper – because unfortunately we all make mistakes sometimes. Thread – it’s always handy to have a few reels in basic colours such as black, white and cream. Pins – standard household pins are a must but coloured glass pins can be seen easily against any coloured fabric. Magnetic Seam Guide – a must have for anyone who has problems with sewing in a straight line on a machine or need to ensure their seam allowance is always uniform without marking the fabric ( not recommended for use with computerized machines)
Craft Awards 2013 We were delighted to hear we had been nominated for Best Independent Craft Store – Ireland 2013. You can help us win by visiting www.craftawards.co.uk and voting for us. There’s some great prizes being offered by Crafts Beautiful that you can win by simply voting in the awards .
Ida’s Top Tips
Keep paper punches working well by punching through a piece of baking parchment. Keep them sharp by punching aluminium foil.
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Liquitex Spray Paint We were intrigued when we first heard that Liquitex were bringing out a water based spray paint; would it be permanent… would it cover well and then it hit us… would it work on polystyrene? While spray paints are fantastic to use and so easy to cover something quickly their downside has always been that when you spray polystyrene it melts. The solvents eat away at the material leaving your beautiful Christmas wreath a melted mess. So we got a sample in and wow it works brilliantly! It easily covered the polystyrene ball and in two coats had built up nice coverage. The paint left no negative marks on the polystyrene where regular spray would have dimpled it and reduced it in size. Liquitex spray is the only water based spray available. As it’s water based it can be cleaned up easily while wet meaning you can clean your hands or table quickly. However, it is permanent when dry making it as durable as other high quality paints. With a matt finish it can be used on wood, metal, card, glass, plastic and more. Coverage we found to be great with Liquitex claiming 2 square metres. Due to it’s low odour it is ideal for using indoors or outdoors and does not carry the same skin irritant warnings that other paints carry. It is best applied in thin coats and while it comes with a standard nozzle extra nozzles in standard and thin are also available. It is currently available in 46 colours so get spraying your Christmas wreaths and baubles now and have them painted beautifully in a flash. We recommend red (0311) and green (0315) for your decorations while the gold will leave a lovely antique finish. When you have finished spraying, to prevent the paint drying in spray can caps, always turn the can upside down and spray for a second or so until no paint comes out. This will ensure the spray cap remains free of paint. You can also rinse the lids while the paint is still wet. Liqutex spray is available instore in a 440 ml can priced from €9.99
My Crafting World Ruth Hamilton – Designer and Artist I’ve been trying my hand at all sorts of crafts since I was a child...sewing,knitting, drawing, flower arranging, paper crafts but I think card making is the one I have settled on. I love drawing and started to make cards with my own drawings and this led on to lots of requests for the drawings as stamps. I usually craft to share with others, the most enjoyable part is seeing how much the time and effort taken is appreciated. I really enjoy the interaction with other crafters - they are generally lovely people who like to share their ideas and get new ones at the same time. When I started card making I made lots of things for friends and family but never uploaded them to the internet. However, I always liked to check out forums, blogs, websites to see what else was around. As I got more experience I started to share my efforts and the feedback encouraged me to do more. My advice to anyone just starting out would be to check out all the inspiration on the web, then take a good look at your surroundings. Nature can provide wonderful inspiration for any project - vibrant colours of flowers, textures on the beach etc. Interaction with other people who are interested in the same things is a great way of developing your craft. Without doubt, my favourite project so far has been designing the Pick of the Bunch range for Tonic Studios. I love flowers so many of the dies, stamps and punches are floral inspired. The Punch and Stamp sets in the range are my big “favourite”. I never tire of using them in different ways. I also enjoy making regular projects for a couple of craft magazines and I always look forward to seeing them in print. Come along and meet Ruth instore on Saturday, September 28th from 11am Visit Ruth online at apassionforcards.blogspot.co.uk or pinterest.com/passionforcards
CANDLE MAKING • GLASS PAINTING • WATERCOLOURS MODELLING • JEWELLERY • OIL PAINTING • CARD MAKING • ACRYLIC PAINTING QUILTING • HABERDASHERY • RUG MAKING • TEXTILE PAINTING • STENCILLING • DECOPATCH • POLYMER CLAY
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Pinspiring Ideas – It’s Time to Start Pinning Have you discovered Pinterest yet? If not, go have a surf now because Pinterst is a crafters heaven for tips and inspiration as well a spot for showing off your makes and making online notes about future potential projects. Pinterest.com is an online photo sharing site created to look and be used like a notice board. Pinners can create different themed boards such as books I’ve read, sewing projects I’d like to make, recipes to try etc. So when you see something you fancy on the web you “pin” that images, project etc. to a board creating a link for everyone else who sees it to follow. Other pinterest users can then repin it, like it or comment on it. You can also browse other users’ boards for inspiration and ideas. Pinterst is great for creative folk; no longer do you have to remember where online you saw that great project or trawl through hundreds of bookmarked sites that you always swore you’d sort into folders one day. You just simply “pin it” to a board you’ve created. To get started you need to sign up for an account. Once that’s done create a few boards and browse the web pinning things you love and would like to share with others. As Pinterest is about sharing, browse different categories and other pinners’ boards for people with similar styles to you. Follow other pinners’ boards and encourage other crafters to follow yours. Seeing other people’s styles and projects makes Pinterest a more exciting place. You can also add your own images directly from your computer or if you have a blog you can pin from your images there. It’s a great way to get more visitors to your blog or Etsy shop. Be careful though, pinning to a site creates a link back to that site crediting the original owner. If you however save someone’s project or image and pin from your computer it’s probably against copyright rules and not a nice thing to do. Visit us on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/inspiringideas
Create It – A Desktop Calendar Take a prefolded square card and score the front panel roughly half way. Cut a piece of coloured card to fit the lower section and stamp or decorate. We used Papermania Urban Stamp – Type Print. Attach to the lower panel with double sided tape. Cut another piece of card slightly bigger than the calendar tab, attach tab to card and card to the base of the blank card with foam tape. Stand the upper decorated panel against the tab to create your own desk calendar – a unique card and gift in one!
STORE OPENING HOURS Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
9-6 9-6 9-9 9-9 9-9 9-6 11-6
café until 5.30 café until 5.30 café until 5.30 café until 5.30 café until 5.30 café until 5.30 café until 5.30
The Craft Café Corner You’ve finished your shopping and now it’s time to relax in our Craft Café and enjoy a spectacular array of food and beverages. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or just a simple cup of espresso coffee in a wonderfully leisurely atmosphere – we will be delighted to look after your every need. We are delighted to announce we are continuing to provide our famous toasted bacon and sausage panini at the extraordinary price of €2.90 available all day, every day!
CANDLE MAKING • GLASS PAINTING • WATERCOLOURS MODELLING • JEWELLERY • OIL PAINTING • CARD MAKING • ACRYLIC PAINTING QUILTING • HABERDASHERY • RUG MAKING • TEXTILE PAINTING • STENCILLING • DECOPATCH • POLYMER CLAY
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Instore Events Saturday Sept. 14th Hands On – Try Out a New Craft 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Sept. 21st Junior Ideas 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Sept. 28th Card Making with Tonic Studios designer Ruth Hamilton Saturday Oct. 5th See what you can create with the Papermania Heat Gun 11am-4pm Saturday Oct. 12th Hands On – Try Out a New Craft 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Oct. 19th Sugarcraft Saturday Oct. 26th Junior Ideas 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Nov. 9th Card Making with DoCrafts designer Cliona Larkin 10am-4pm Saturday Nov. 16th Quick and Easy decorations with “Glitter It” liquid adhesive 11am-4pm Saturday Nov. 23rd Hands On – Try Out a New Craft 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Nov. 30th Junior Ideas 11am – 4pm NO NEED TO BOOK €5 Saturday Dec. 7th Card Making with DoCrafts designer Aga Kilbride 10am-4pm
Workshops Wednesday Oct. 16th
Fabulous Folds for Card Making 6.30pm – 8.30pm Price: €20 If you are looking to master some of the popular folding techniques then this is the workshop for you. With tutor Cliona Larkin you will learn everything you need to know to master the top ten card making folds and also how to make envelopes.
Thursday Oct. 17th
An Introduction to Acrylic Painting 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 Create a painting in one evening with tutor John Carpenter. You’ll learn the basics in acrylic painting and leave this fun evening with a finished piece.
Wednesday Oct. 23rd
Discover Decopatch 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 During the evening you will cover a box using Decopatch™ papers and glues as well as other finishes. You’ll leave with the inspiration to use the skills you learnt to decorate items you have at home or even upcycle furniture.
Thursday Oct. 24th
Create a Stylish Apron 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 Do you love the idea of sewing but can’t find the time to complete big projects? Rosaleen Dwyer’s workshops will lead you into the world of wonderful but quick sewing projects and at this class you will create a stylish apron. You must be able to bring along a sewing machine to use on the night
Wednesday Nov. 6th
An Introduction to Watercolours 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 At this workshop you will be introduced to the joy of watercolour painting with tutor John Carpenter. You will create two watercolour paintings that will be mounted onto greeting cards that you can frame or give away.
Thursday Nov. 7th
Tree Decorating Made Easy 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 At this class you will learn the two most popular techniques used to create decorations with polystyrene. You will leave with two fully made tree decorations and the skills to create your own decorations to decorate your tree or give as gifts.
Wednesday Nov. 13th Thursday Nov. 14th
An Introduction to Card Making 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 Tutored by Cliona Larkin this class is great for anyone new to card making or who would like to brush up on their skills. You will create four cards using various crafts including punches, embellishments, die cutting, embossing and stamping. Create a Tote Bag 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 Do you love the idea of sewing but can’t find the time to complete big projects? Rosaleen Dwyer’s workshops will lead you into the world of wonderful but quick sewing projects and at this class you will create a handy tote bag. You must be able to bring along your own sewing machine to use on the night
Wednesday Nov. 20th Needle Felting For Christmas 6.30pm-8.30pm Price: €25 Come along and discover the delights of needle (dry) felting. You will create a Christmas pudding decoration and a hanging tree piece using the traditional brush technique and also using a base form.
*Booking is essential on all workshops. Please contact the store directly to book. Places are open to everyone over 16 years of age but are limited so book early. All materials are supplied. Places, once booked are non-refundable
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