The Crafter

The Crafter Issue 1 August 2019

Ideas, inspiration, projects and more for all kind of crafts are packed inside

Have you tried Needle Felting?

We tested a kit to make this adorable baby bunny.

See inside for our full review

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We hope that you will enjoy the wide range of craft projects, ideas and inspiration along with reviews and competitions for you in this, our very first issue.

Be sure to check out our social media pages (see page 8) and post pictures of projects you've completed. If you enjoy this complimentary issue of The Crafter why not take advantage of our "3 issues for ÂŁ3" offer that can be found on page 26 (usual price ÂŁ2.99 monthly) Inside this issue you will find an introduction to the craft of both cross stitch and needle felting. Both of which we found very therapeutic and satisfying crafts.

For those of you who would like to knit but don't know how, we have a beginners guide of the basic stitches ready for a free knitting pattern that's coming in issue 2.

We've two craft book reviews inside with "Take a Tin" and "Pop-Ups" and the chance to win the books in our competition pages, There's recipes and quick crafts and a wonderful true life story from cut-ncrafts on how they took the crafting world by storm and why.

With loads more packed inside what are you waiting for.... get reading!!

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Your Craft Challenge!

We challenge you to make something using all of the following six items only, but be creative and think outside the box, a needle doesn't always HAVE to be used for sewing does it?

Scissors Felt Buttons Glue Thread Any kind of stars

Make your item and take a photo, and either post it to one of our social media pages (see page 8) using #thecrafter or email to us by clicking here. All posts submitted by 25th August 2019 will be entered into a draw to win box full of crafting goodies.

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FIVE MINUTE CRAFT ***Sentiment Card***

Hap

py B

irthd ay!

This super simple card takes just a few minutes to make and can be used for almost any occasion. Grab a blank card, some washi tape and gems, and lets get crafting!

Don't forget to photograph your own creations and send them to us on social media using #thecrafter and we could be using it in next months issue!

First decide in which order you want to use your washi tape to make the pattern you like the most.

Starting at the bottom left, place a strip of tape and cut so it sits cleanly against the edge of the card.

Leaving a small space above, place the next strip of tape and cut the edges as before.

Repeat until half the card is covered.

Stick three or four gemstones just off centre to the left on the top of the last strip of tape as shown in the picture opposite.

Personalise the card by using either stick on sentiments or handwriting your message next to the gemstones.

Com etition Tim

! !

Every month we hope to bring you the best craft related prizes and freebies around. To enter, simply click on the "enter" button below each competition which will take you to our website. Terms and conditions apply and can be found here. Good Luck!

Have you seen our crafting challenge on page 4. Just make something, anything, from the six items listed, take a photo and post it to social media using #thecrafter or email it to us. All entries will be looked at and the one our team thinks is the most creative will win a big box of crafting goodies!

The Crafter Issue 1 August 2019

Ideas, inspiration, projects and more for all kind of crafts are packed inside

Our friends at GMC Publications have given us two exciting books to give away, both of which we have reviewed in this months issue of The Crafter. The first book is "Take a Tin" which we reviewed on page 30.

Have you tried Needle Felting?

We tested a kit to make this adorable baby bunny.

See inside for our full review

How much have you enjoyed reading this copy of The Crafter? If you'd like to read more, you could win a years subscription worth ÂŁ25. Just click on the button below to find out how to enter.

Win a years subscription

Win Take a Tin"

Fancy learning all about pop ups?! We also have a copy of the second book from the GMC Range that we reviewed "Pop-Up design and paper mechanics" to give away to one lucky reader.Â

Did you like the look of our need felting tutorial and fancy giving it a try yourself? We loved this craft so much we want everyone to try it so we are giving you the chance to win this gorgeous kit for yourself. One lucky winner will be taking up a new craft very soon!!

Win This Book Win a needle Felting Kit

If you enjoyed the card making tutorials or want to try the paper rolling picture frame, then you can enter this competition to win a pack of paper, washi tape, embellishments and more from those lovely people at Trimcraft, so you can make the projects yourself. Of course you could always use the extras to make projects of your own!

Win paper and embelleshments set

Courgette and Tomato

RISOTTO

D E L IC IO U S AND R E A D Y IN J UST 3 0 M IN U T E S

o right? o t t f a r c a 's Cooking we'll be d n a is it k in Well, we th rgeous o g e m o s u bringing yo like this , r e t f a r C e h recipes in T isotto, R o t a m o T d n Courgette a d ready in n a s u io c li e simple, d tes just 30 minu

What you will need: Arborio Risotto Rice The portion size on the packet is 75g per person but if you have a bigger or smaller appetite, adjust to suit.

Courgettes and Cherry Tomatoes Around 1 standard sized courgette and five cherry tomatoes per person (again adjust as per appetite) Garlic Use half a clove of garlic per person as a general rule but if you love your garlic like we do here, use as much as you like!

Vegetable Stock Cube Use one stock cube per two people. If you both have big appetites then you will need to use slightly more Boiling Water It's difficult to tell you exactly how much water you will need as it depends on how much rice you are using and how you like your rice cooked. Fill the kettle with water and boil, if you need more during cooking you can always boil some more later!

How to make: Dissolve the stock cube(s) in boiling water as per the packet instructions. Put a pan or wok over medium heat, don't add oil, put in the dry rice and garlic and cook for about a minute.

Add a mug full of the vegetable stock water and stir with a wooden spoon. Leave until the water has been absorbed and repeat, adding a mug full of the vegetable stock water once the previous one has been absorbed, and stir for a minute. Whilst waiting for the water to absorb, continue with the instructions below.

Chop the top and bottom off the courgettes and slice into approx 1 inch slices. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters.

By stirring the rice as it cooks, you will see it becomes nice and creamy.

If you run out of the vegetable stock water before the rice is cooked, simply boil some more water and use it plain in the same way.

Once the rice is cooked, put the courgette and tomatoes in the rice and stir for five minutes to warm the vegetable through, you want the vegetables to be slightly crunchy, not soggy like when they get boiled!

And there you go, that's your risotto cooked and ready to be dished up and enjoyed, just thirty minutes from start to finish, healthy, delicious and very filling!

! y o j En

5 minute project: Letter Tile Coasters

We think these coasters are awesome and could make quite a interesting conversation piece, depending on the choice of four letter words used!!

They are really simple to make and really do only take five minutes.

First, gather all your equipment together, you will need: Sixteen wooden tiles for each coaster, ensuring you can make four words of four letters with the tiles, either some wood glue or hot glue gun, a piece of cork sheet or a piece of felt.

To make each coaster, simply glue the tiles together in strips of four and then glue four strips of four together to make a square shape as in the picture above.

Put glue onto the bottom of each coaster and lay your cork or felt sheet on to cover the whole of the bottom side. Trim to fit.

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Here's a project for young and old alike. Have fun and let your creative side go free!!

Let's paint mugs!

Sharpie mug painting is all over the internet right now and although it's a fun and easy craft to do, you need to make sure you get a couple of things right before you start or you'll be disappointed with the result.

What you will need: A mug (or plate or bowl, no limits here!)

You don't need any special type of mug and it doesn't have to be white, you could buy a coloured one and paint over the top. The world is your oyster on this one!

Nan

The Right Pens......

Although you can use any sharpie pen to paint on ceramic, if you don't use an oil based one, the colours will fade and look awful even after baking so have a search for some oil based ones. Of Painting mug s with the kid course, it doesn't have to be an actual s is a great way to p ass the time a Sharpie pen that you use, there are a lot nd are great as gifts for Grandpar of different types of ceramic/porcelain ents, Mother's Day / Father's Day painting oil based pens out there that etc will do a similar job. The Right Finish......

You will need to bake your finished product to set the ink but this has to be done in an EXACT way so be sure to follow the instructions below to avoid cracking!

Let's get started.....

How you paint your mugs is entirely up to you. You may want to do something freehand or stick a stencil on and make a monogram, or even just use masking tape for a diagonal design that compliments your home dĂŠcor. Whatever your design, just let that imagination and creativity flow!

Quick Idea Simply take a shape cut from sticky vinyl, apply it to the mug and apply sharpie spots or stripes to it. Could be a shape or a letter or whatever you please. Remove the vinyl and finish as below!

How to finish.....

Once your mug is painted you need to set the ink in the oven and how you do this is very important to ensure the ceramic doesn't crack. First, put the mug(s) inside a COLD oven. Turn the oven on to 180 c (350 f) and leave for 35 minutes. Turn the oven off and let it and the mug cool COMPLETELY before removing the mug and voila! A perfectly painted mug!

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An Introduction to Counted Cross Stitch

Counted Cross Stich get it's name because firstly each of the stitches is formed by working the thread to form a cross and secondly the fabric used has a "count" based upon the weave (more about this below). Once you've mastered the technique of forming the stitches and positioning them dependent on the chart you are following, you can produce some very intricate pieces due to the fabric you are working on itself.

Called "Aida" (pronounced like "Aider") the fabric has a count, from around 10 to 32, this is the number of holes in the fabric per inch. The most commonly used type is 14 count, giving 14 holes/stitches to the inch which still gives quite an intricate design. As you can imagine, having 32 holes her inch means the stitches will be that much smaller and will lead to more finer detail in the design.

Counted Cross Stitch can be a very therapeutic hobby but is extremely time consuming.

The thread used in Cross Stitch is called Stranded Cotton. This is because the thread is made up from six individual strands and is separated before using.

Generally two strands are cut from the thread at a length of about 30 cm at a time as this is a great length to work with on all fabrics. When putting in detail after the main image has been stitched, you would usually just use one strand of the thread to make the detail more delicate.

There are needles especially for Cross Stitch too, the ends are more blunt than a normal sewing needle to make it easier to get through the holes in the Aida and not through the weave of the fabric. Finally, some people find it easier to stretch their fabric on an embroidery hoop when stitching, making finding the holes less of a challenge. These final two items aren't Aida:Holes per inch = "Count" compulsory when doing Counted Cross Stitch, but they help!

So, now you know a little bit about the craft, let's try some Counted Cross Stitch, this little cat can be stitched in any colour (some Stranded Cottons have variegated colours which would make for a very colourful moggy!) Pop down to your local high street craft shop or visit your favourite online retailer and ask for a small piece of 14 count Aida, some Stranded Cotton of your choice and a Cross Stitch needle...‌.

This is the chart you will be working from:

The chart shows 26 squares across and 32 squares down so make sure, if you are using an embroidery hoop, that there is this space available in the middle of the hoop. Looking at the chart, you can see that the bottom of the cats tail starts with two stitches, one at square 13 in from the left and one next to it at square 14. Thread your needle with two strands of thread but dont knot the end, you don't want unsightly bumps on the underside of your work.

Bring your needle up through from the bottom of the fabric 13 holes in from the left and leave a small tail free on the underside. Take the needle back down through the hole diagonally to the right and pull so that the thread sits flat on the fabric but the length of thread on the underside still hangs loose.

Next bring your needle back up from the underside and into the hole directly below the one you have just come down through and as you pull through, tuck the length of thread through the loop that the thread is making so it is caught flat underneath the thread. This should now secure the loose stray end that you had. Again put your needle down the hole diagonally to the right and pull until the thread sits flat. You should now have two diagonal stitches that look like this

The reverse should look similar but with the tail of the thread that was loose now being sat underneath the stitches.

To make the cross, you simply put your needle up through the hole directly underneath the last hole you went down and then take the thread diagonally across the stitch and down the opposite hole. Your stitches will then look like this: We hope you enjoyed this introduction to Counted Cross Stitch, more next week!

t f a r C e Th Of

Needle

We were sent this cute little bunny kit to try our hands at needle felting, by our friends at The Crafty Kit Company

eautiful g packagin

value for money

Con scic e ea follo sy to w inst ruct ions

e er y incl thing mak uded t o e th e bu nny

ea erfect gift id ter for any craf

See how our team got on with needle felting.....

The first thing to know about needle felting is that it's just wool. We thought that maybe there would be some kind of ball or central piece that you would build the bunny around but you literally start with some wool and then felt it. The second thing to know about needle felting is that the needle is very VERY sharp and it's best to follow the instructions and use the implements provided to stop you from pricking yourself! and (yes, we are speaking from experience here, ouch!)

When we first opened the kit we were very impressed with how professional it looked, all the wool was together in a bag, the needles were safely packed in a clear tube, the eyes for the bunny were attached to a small polystyrene block and the instruction leaflet was in full colour, well laid out and easy to follow. This really is a kit you could send as a gift and know that the recipient would be thrilled with it.

So, what IS needle felting? Well, it is literally just poking the needle into the wool until it kind of binds together and becomes a solid mass. One of our team likened it to the texture of candy floss but then when you smoosh candy floss together and it becomes a more solid ball of sugar, that's what it feels like!! And that's about right. If you visit our website you will see a short video demonstrating us actually needle felting part of the bunny!

We found the felting yo be very therapeutic, and we managed to follow the instructions to the letter to create the egg shapes for the bunny's body and head. The felting of these two together was a little tricky but came together eventually. The thing about this craft is that it is very forgiving, if

you do happen to make a mistake or shape something a little wonky (yes, speaking from experience again!), it is very easy to put it right.

When it came to making the bunny's ears, not only do you have to try to felt two identical shapes, but you then have to felt the pink on top of the brown and make this look the same too! This is where we tested the teams skills, giving two members a needle and wool and got them to work together making the ears, fortunately they actually look really good! Again, following the very concise instructions, we managed to make and attach the ears, cover the bunny with fur, make and attach his fluffy white tail and use single tiny threads of wool sometimes to put the most intricate details on him. Adding his eyes just really bought this little fella to life. The team thoroughly enjoyed making him and enjoyed having to opportunity to try this craft which was new to them, and our photographer certainly had some fun capturing our amazing cover shots!

Overall thoughts: The kit is extremely well presented, ideal for a gift or for a new crafter wanting to learn the craft. A quick to learn craft that left the whole team wanting to do another needle felting project straight away. ***Priced at just ÂŁ12 it is incredible value for money*** The project states it can be completed in 2 hours but it did take us a little longer than that, even taking into account stopping for photographs but we were having so much fun, we didn't even notice the time to be honest!

Buy this or a similar kit to try yourself at www.craftykitcompany.co.uk

CRAFTING WITH VINYL There is so much you can do with both stick on and heat press (iron on) vinyl, the smallest enhancements can make such a huge difference to that home decoration or personal gift. With so many gorgeous colours and even sparkly and metallic vinyl out there, you could be spoilt for choice and the only limit to what you can achieve is your imagination.

Having a cutting machine can make the use of these vinyls so much easier but if you don't own one, there is still plenty of fun you can have with a cutting mat and craft knife!

The vinyl we have used on these pages comes courtesy of Styletech Craft and you can buy it on Amazon (cick here)

s..... a e d i l y vin Stick on

Vinyl stars on a glass candle holder can make a gorgeous gift

The C r a fter

Liven up a plain plastic drinks bottle with a bit of Styletech Crafts metallic vinyl

Pa s t a

Adding a bit of vinyl to empty jars can give your workspace a stylish look

ge a p to n r Tu ck i t s a r o f 60 l y n i on v t c e j o pr

Heat Press Vinyl project

any gorgeous Teddy Bear can be personalised for any occasion such as a christening or birthday, for young or old alike.

Emily Smith

Born

15.07.19

your message here

what you will need: any teddy bear of your choice any iron on (heat press) vinyl of your choice Iron Cutting MAchine / Cutting Mat and Craft knife First measure the size of the print area you have on the teddy bear you have chosen, you may decide to personalize the inner ear or bottom of the paws, wherever you decide, make sure you leave a small margin around the edge of your design so that the vinyl adheres well and cant be easily picked off.

Once you know the size you have to work in, either using your cutting machine design software or a pen of the back of your chosen vinyl, make your deign to fit the space.

When you are happy with your design and the coloured vinyl chosen, it's time to cut it out!

IMPORTANT: YOU MUST ENSURE THE DESIGN IS A "MIRROR IMAGE" (I.E CUT BACK TO FRONT) AS THE VINYL WILL BE TURNED ROUND WHEN PRESSED ONTO THE FABRIC.Â

Right Way Round

Mirror Image

If you are using a cutting machine to create your design then now is the bit we all love to hate.... WEEDING the design. Pulling out all the little bits we don't need from inside the tops of the letter e and the loops at the bottoms on the y's and g's and everything else inbetween. If you're cutting the design by hand then you'll be weeding the design as you go.

Once you're left with just the design on the backing sheet, round the wrong way and the sticky side facing up, it's time to move on.....

And so the next step is to press the vinyl onto the chosen area of your teddy bear. If done carefully this is a rather easy step and taken no time at all, but please remember you are using a hot iron so be careful and supervise any children that may be doing or helping you with this project.

Weed the vinyl stock photo

Your iron will need to be quite hot, the instructions that came with your vinyl should tell you the heatsetting to put in on and generally you would need to turn off the steam setting but again, ready the instructions that came with your chosen vinyl to get it right.

Set up your iron and ironing board and when the iron is up to temperature, lay the teddy bear on the ironing board and make the part that you will be putting the vinyl on as flat as possible.

Turn the vinyl round to that the sticky side is on the bear and the wording and / or design is now round the right way. Holding it in place, put a tea towel over the top and press the hot iron on top of the tea towel.

Hold for as long as the instructions on your vinyl packet says.

Carefully try to peel off the sticky backing sheet from the vinyl, if you find that the vinyl is coming up with the backing sheet and not adhering to the bear, put the tea towel back over it and press again. Continue until the vinyl is fully adhered to the bear.

Don't worry if the paw of whatever part of the soft toy you are personalizing goes a little flat under the iron, wait until it's cool and give it a good scrunch up, the stuffing inside will soon bounce back to it's original shape!

Good luck and don't forget to share your pictures with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using hashtag #TheCrafter

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Crafting Book Review: Take a Tin by Jemima Schlee is published by www.gmcbooks.com at £12.99

Take A Tin....

We were all a little bit excited to get our hands on this copy of the book "Take A Tin" by Jemima Schlee as, if there is one thing that's not in short supply in most households its empty tins and what better way to recycle them than make stunning crafts for the home with them.

The book has sixteen beautiful and innovative projects inside, ranging from a pincushion and bracelet, to a picture frame and lampshades, you'll never look at the humble tin in the same way again!

Laid out in sections such as Gifts, Storage and Lighting, each project has very conscice and easy to follow written instructions with pictures relating to each stage of the project, just like in The Crafter!

At the back of the book, Jemima has included a very helpful section that tells you about the different tools and materials you may need for the projects, and a useful techniques which comes in handy for those who are trying this as a new craft.

In the final section of the book, Jemima has added a templates section which you can either use as it is or use as inspiration to make your own designs and patterns.

The book costs ÂŁ12.99 and published by www.gmcbooks.com

Win Win Win We have a copy of Take A Tin to give away to one lucky winner! See page 9 for details

page of this le g in s y r e v e g re After devourin , the team we it g in v lo d n book a t making a d n a h ir e h yt inspired to tr an idea n o p u d e s a b ation their own cre it our website is v t o n y h W in the book. d enter our n a k .u o .c r e ft www.thecra of Jemima y p o c a in w o t competition and then k o o b " in T a e Schlee's "Tak try yourself? a t c je o r p is h give t

Gather your supplies.....

You will need empty tins of the same or varying sizes, depending on your own choice and needs .

Thick string Hot Glue Gun Decorations of your choice Ready? Let's do this!

The first thing you want to do is peel off the labels from your tins, wash the insides and get as much of the sticky residue off the outside of the tin as you can. The more effort you put in to get this bit right the better the finish will be in the end.

Once the tins are clean, turn them upside down to drain any excess water and leave until thoroughly dry. Make sure they are dry as this will prevent rust from ruining your project!

Ok, here's where the fun starts, put a blob of glue at the bottom of the tin and glue one end of your string there as shown in the picture opposite. remember, you don't have to use plain brown string, why not jazz up your workspace with multi coloured organiser tins?!

Now start winding the string around the tin, putting on blobs of glue as you go to ensure the string sticks all the way around the can. Make sure that the string touches the row below as you go around, you don't want to leave any gaps.

Once you get to the top, cut the string to the required length to make a nice tidy finish to the pot and glue to the tin.

If you are using natural materials to wind round your pot, you will get wisps of fibres sticking out, if you dont like this look simply get some craft scissors and snip them off!

Personally, we like this look!

This is the basics of your tin organiser ready, all that is left for you to do is decorate it, here's some of the ideas our team came up with using many different types of craft items. Why not post a picture of your own creation to our social media sites using #thecrafter you may see it appear in next months issue!

With clear and coloured stick on gems

A g org e ou s flower embellish ment finis hed this o ne

A simple bow makes a statement piece

r e g r u B s e k a C

What more inspiration do you need to make these gorgeous little individual burger cakes? They look great , taste delicious and are ready in no time! Made from a simple Victoria Sponge recipe these sweet treats are sure to please the whole family.

You will need: 225g / 8oz butter or margarine 225g / 8oz Caster Sugar 4 Medium Eggs 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 225g / 8oz Self Raising Flour 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Icing Sugar Red, Green and Yellow Food Colouring

Are you ready? Lets get cooking.....

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4 Grease and line 2 x tray bake or swiss roll trays Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon to create a batter of a soft dropping consistency Pour two thirds of the mixture into one of the cake tins Add the cocoa powder to the remaining mixture and pour into the second cake tin

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, remove from tin and peel off the paper, place on a wire rack to cool Once cooled, using a cookie cutter, cut the same amount of circles from both the vanilla and the chocolate sponge cakes and then slice the vanilla layer in half to create the top and bottom of the “bun”

Cut the spo nges into c ircles to make the "b urger" and "buns"

Make up a thick icing sugar paste as per the packet instructions and add two drops of each colour of food colouring to create a green (lettuce), red (tomato Sauce) and Yellow (Cheese) paste.

Put each colour of icing into a separate piping bag or food bag and snip off the ends.

Pipe a thin squiggle of each colour onto the cocoa layer to represent the burger extras and put a vanilla layer top and bottom to create the finished burger.

When you've made these gorgeous little buns of loveliness, snap a picture and show us on social media using the hashtag #thecrafter

A chance experience four years ago presented a brand new business opportunity for Kay and Rob. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time that bought about Cut-n-Crafts, a thriving family business based in Kent that can be found at www.cut-n-crafts.co.uk It all began far far away in a no so distant past, Kay desperately needed some mdf items to make a special gift that had been inspired by a Welsh online family business, a retailer and manufacturer of craft mdf pieces. She trekked for hours to the Alexander Palace to the annual craft event and paid her entrance fee, dragging a bewildered husband, Rob, along for the "experience". Row after row of ideas, gifts, products and more were displayed on stalls overloaded with stock, hundreds of people ranging in age from teenagers to pensioners were perusing, jostling and bargaining for the sellers wares.

At last, a large, long stall, bedecked with hundreds of MDF items was found and Kay eagerly dug in, filling basket after basket with all kinds of goodies that inspired and delighted her crafty mind. Soon the pile of baskets was 7 high, overflowing with hundreds of items.

The vendor was approached for a bulk purchase of over £1000, for delivery to Kent from their Midlands base. When the offer was declined and the baskets stayed put, a plan formed in the mind of the disbelieving husband who knew his 25 years of engineering experience would finally be useful. The stall holder had purposely LOST themselves a sale of over £1200!

The right machine needed to be found

Eager to strike whilst the iron was hot, the very next day bought about hours of online research, prices of the necessary machines were investigated and by chance, on eBay in August 2014, a seller in the Midlands was offering a machine within Rob and Kay’s price range. Negotiations began, email tennis ensued, prices bartered, cash sales discussed and a deal was struck for a small CNC router.

Rob made payment on the machine and a trip the following weekend to see and collect the beast was arranged, installing it temporarily in an old shipping container on a farm the very next day. This was the beginning of a whole new life…..

Nerve rackingly, the resignation from 2 VERY well paid high pressure careers to follow a crafters passion, an engineers vision and a solid business plan, became a full time business. Designs were made, cut and promoted through their very own website and several shopping platforms such as eBay, Etsy and Amazon. Orders soon came flooding in and became very apparent that 1 CNC machine was simply not enough to keep up with demand.

Further investment in a second much larger machine was the only option if the business was going to grow, this was again collected from an importer in the Midlands and was installed over a weekend in a small cheap but spacious unit in Kent....

Cut-N-Crafts was born proper into the New Craft World !

Now, four years down the line, there have been many, many late nights and incredibly long days, but the hard work has paid off and with the continued development with the 2 CNC machines and 2 lasers, Cut-n-Crafts are now well positioned to provide crafters, retailers, businesses and anyone around the world needing specially produced pieces, with their in-house designed items and custom made articles.

New materials such as Acrylic, Corian, Wood and, more recently, thermo-plastics are enabling them to diversify, amazingly now just 50 feet from that same container on the same farm it all started out !

Primarily the business is true to the MDF side of the craft, and they manufacture hundreds of items weekly in MDF ranging from 2mm - 18mm thick, with new ideas and bespoke product increasing the range every week. 900 items are available.

Many items now are now produced in colour and decorated by Kay, painting with specialist paint sprays and hand embellished finished items are flying out the door to satisfied customers worldwide, utilising the network of shipping facilities available.

The business also produces shop displays and marketing items when time permits, with design to delivery in good timescales for discerning customers.

Local artists use them for creations in 3d work, and much of their expensive wall art is actually made by Cut-n-Crafts from the artists designs.

Teaming up with the company in Wales that provided the inspiration in the very beginning has very recently enabled Rob and Kay to provide items to them which they were unable to manufacture or provide and still maintain their own identity as a unique product provider on their own.

Both companies compliment each other as the ranges are similar, yet not identical, with diverse customers and ranges to suit all but each retaining our own identities and ideas

.One thing has always stayed the same though, it's a married couple. with one goal, and the passion to be unique in the field with new ideas for the craft industry. Kay and Rob...Cut-n-Crafts... 2 people with the drive, passion, determination and sheer bloody mindedness to make it work.

Visit cut-n-crafts at www.cut-n-crafts.co.uk

If, like Rob and Kay, you've built your business up from a love of craft into a full time business and would like to tell your story in The Crafter, please visit www.thecrafter.co.uk and follow the links to "Tell My Story"

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Craft Book Review Pop-Up design and paper mechanics by Duncan Birmingham is published bywww.gmcbooks.com for £14.999

Ok, hands up if you believe that "Pop Up" is only used in children's books and cards. Yes, sadly us too, but this amazing book from Duncan Birmingham has opened our eyes to a whole world of possibilities and crafting ideas!

Take your card making and other crafts to a whole new level with a comprehensive stop by step guide as to how the mechanics of paper folding works. You don't need to know complex mathematical equations or need anything other than card scissors and glue.

Once you have mastered the basics of what makes things "pop" there is no limit to what you can achieve. Duncan takes you through foundation shapes, building techniques and pull tab mechanisms and has a range of project templates at the back of the book to get you started. If you want to add that little extra touch to your projects, or are just fascinated by how it all works, we highly recommend getting hold of this book and start with the "simple rules of pop up". You can win a copy of this book in our fantastic give away on page 10

Rolled Paper Picture Frame This cute picture frame is easy to make and can be made in any size, just use longer pieces of paper to make it bigger!

Follow the simple tutorial below to make you very own picture frame

Gather your supplies:

Coloured papers Glue Scissors Pencil 1 Sheet A4 card Foam Pads

1) cut your papers into 4 strips of each colour, each measuring 10cm long by 7cm wide. Glue along one of the longer edge and wrap around the pencil to make a tube.

2) Repeat with all strips of the papers until you have 16 rolls of paper 3) cut two squares of card both 13cm x 13 cm and on one, start to stick your rolls of paper, starting at the top left put one of each colour vertically down the card. Then put the rolls in the same colour order horizontally across the card as shown opposite

4) continue in the same way until you have completed all four sides and trim any excess paper.

Using a craft knife or scissors, carefully cut a hole in the centre of the card.

5) Place the foam pads on the second piece of card measuring 13cm x 13cm as shown above.

Ensure at the bottom you only leave the space of one foam pad between each one to stop the photograph from falling out the bottom. On the opposite side, what will be the top, only put one foam pad in each corner so you leave enough room to slide the picture in. on each side just space two or three foam pads as shown.

6) Remove the paper from the foam pads and place the cardboard squares on top of each other

7) To finish, we attached a piece of string to the back of the frame with SUGRU the mouldable glue and the frame was ready for a picture. Easy!

If you want to further decorate your frame you could always stick on a few flowers or embellishments to the front to make it truly personal but we decided to leave our plain.

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Follow our very easy step by step instructions to learn how to cast on and do the knit and purl stitches, and you'll be all ready to start with our knitting projects from next months issue! (video instructions can be found here)

: d e e n l l ' u o y t a Wh a pair of 4mm knitting needles

one 50g or 100g ball of Double Knit yarn in any colour

The Basics:

There are four main stitches you need to learn how to do to enable you do do pretty much any kind of pattern when knitting. These are: 1) Cast on 2) The Knit Stitch 3) The Purl Stitch 4) Cast off

Here's how to do the basics, practice and we'll get you a great free pattern in next months issue of The Crafter so you can actually make a project! If these instructions here are not easy enough to follow, check out the video tutorial on our website by clicking here.

Cast On:

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Put your needles together and tie the yarn around them. A slip knot is best if you can. Take one needle in each hand, ensuring the left hand needle is in front of the right hand needle and that the yarn still attached to the ball is wrapped over your right index finger and held between your other fingers and the needle.

Use your index finger to wrap the yarn around the right hand needle. Bring the needle under the left hand needle and then transfer the stitch on the right hand needle onto the left and you have created at stitch!!

Repeat this for as many stitches as you need

The Knit Stitch:

The basics of the knit stich is very similar to the basics for casting on. First ensure your stitches are all on the left hand needle. Push your right hand needle through the stitch as shown above. Using your index finger, wrap the yarn around the needle and bring the needle under the left hand needle but this time, slip the stitch off the left hand side needle and onto the right.

Continue across all the stitches on the left hand needle.

The Purl Stitch:

The purl stitch is just as simple as the knit stich and the principles are exactly the same, the only difference is the way you put the needle through the stitch at the beginning. Firstly, move the yarn between the needles so that it hangs down in front of the work. Now push your needle through the stitch as shown above, so that the needles form a cross.. Wrap the thread around the right hand needle and push backwards under the needle on the left hand side to form the stitch.

Continue across all the stitches on the left hand needle.

Cast off:

First knit two stitches. Then use the left hand needle to take the first stitch you knitted over the top of the second stitch. Knit another stitch so you have two stitches again and repeat until you only have one stitch left. Break the thread and pull the yarn through to secure the work.

And there you have it, the basics of knitting. Whilst practicing for next issue's project here's a few of the abbreviations you may find in knitting patterns, and what they mean.

Stst - Stocking Stitch - This is where one row is knitted with every stitch a knit stitch and every alternate row is knitted with every stitch as a purl stitch. gst - garter stitch - This is where every stitch on every row is a knit stitch 2x2 Rib - Rib Stitch - used for cuffs and edgings - This is where you would knit two stitches and then purl two stitches on very row.

K - Knit P = Purl

hop may s t f a r c t e e r t s h Your local hig s lessons for s la c r e n in g e b e giv het knitting and croc

M1 - Make one - This is where you would make an extra stitch within the row, there are a number of ways to do this and we shall explore these in future issues of The Crafter.

Show us your knitting using #thecrafter on social media

Kids Project Cardboard Tube Race Cars!

Get saving those empty loo roll inners so you and the children can make these fun race cars in all difference colours. who's car will be the fastest?

Don't forget to show us those creations by photographing and sharing on our Twitter, Facebook or Instagram pages using the hashtag #thecrafter

You will need:

Two Toilet Rolls, Paint, Paintbrush, Thick card, Paper Fasteners

How to Make:

Paint the cardboard tubes in the colours you want your cars and allow to dry.

In the meantime, cut four circles of the thicker card and paint black on one side and allow to dry. Once dry, paint black on the other side and paint a white circle in the middle when the black is dry.

Make a small rectangular incision in the top of the tube on three sides only, bend upwards and cut in half to give a small headrest as shown in the picture.

Paint on the white stripes and number onto the side of the car.

Attach the paper fasteners through the wheels and then through the tube to secure.

And there you have your finished cars!

u c d tion T o r t n I o: An

Papercuts Papercuts is the art of cutting paper into designs by removing the unwanted piece and leaving just a beautiful intricate design behind. As with using vinyl for craft, papercuts would be far quicker and easier using a cutting machine, HOWEVER, on this occasion, using a good craft knife, cutting board and your own imagination can make for a very theraputic craft. We highly recommend not using your cutting machine for this craft, just take a seat, relax and enjoy.....

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To make this project you will need: The next page of this magazine printed to an A4 size Coloured Backing Card A Craft Knife A Cutting Board A4 Sized Coloured backing card Spray Mount A4 Frame

Using your cutting board and craft knife, carefully cut out the white sections of the template, leave the black sections intact and joined together

Spray the backing board of the frame with spray mount and place the coloured backing card on it.

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spray the back of your papercut with spray mount and adhere to the mounted, coloured backing board.

Put the frame back together and hang on the wall

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Next month....

Candle making with our friends at Eazicandle showing you just how eazi it is!

Sugru Earrings and crafts ideas

Basic and Complex pop up card ideas

Glas s an d Mi Etch rror ing T utor ials

Delicious Vegan Sausage Roll Recipe

Stringart!

This super easy, super cute tote bag tutorial, knitted from just the knit and purl stitches!

Plus more tutori als, ideas, inspiration , competitions and features!

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l y n i V n o k c i St We love stationery right? But sometimes it can be a little too plain. Jazz up those boring notebooks to make something a little more interesting with a little stick on vinyl.

Choose the vinyl you would like to use, we chose this gorgeous metallic pink from the range from Styletech Craft which can be found here on amazon.

Lay your notebook on the vinyl and draw around it, cut the shape a little larger that you need and peel off the backing paper Lay your notebook down again and stick to the vinyl.

Using a craft nit and cutting board or scissors, cut off the excess vinyl

Using your own sentiment or from peel offs, personalize your book as you wish, we love this Hopes and Dreams idea but show us yours by posting it on social media using hashtag #TheCrafter

Crochet Granny Squares!

For those of you who know the basics of crochet already, here's a little pattern for a simple granny square. For those of you who don't know how but want to learn... there will be a tutorial in issue 2 of The Crafter, out August 2019 Tutorial found on www.allfreecrochet.com

1: Ch 4, beg in 4th ch (Note: the sk 3 ch count as 1 dc) and work (2 dc, ch 3). *In the same ch work: (3 dc, ch 3)**.

Rep from * to ** 3 times. Sl st to the second st of the round to join and finish off.

[12 dc, 4 ch3sp]

R2: Join yarn in any ch3sp with a sl st to join, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) or use a standing dc to begin the round. In the same ch3sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1). *(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch3sp.** Rep from * to ** 3 times. Sl st to the second st of the round to join and finish off. [24 dc, 4 ch3sp, 4 ch1sp]

R3: Join yarn in any ch3sp with a standing dc. In the same ch3sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1). (3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch1sp. *(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch3sp, (3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch1sp**.

Rep from * to ** 3 times. Sl st to the second st of the round to join and finish off. [36 dc, 4 ch3sp, 8 ch1sp] R4: Join yarn in any ch3sp with a standing dc. In the same ch3sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1). (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch1sp across. *(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch3sp, (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch1sp across**.

Rep from * to ** 3 times. Sl st to the second st of the round to join and finish off. [48 dc, 4 ch3sp, 12 ch1sp] R5: Join yarn in any ch3sp with a standing dc. In the same ch3sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1). (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch1sp across. *(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 1) in the next ch3sp, (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch1sp across**.

Rep from * to ** 3 times. Sl st to the second st of the round to join and finish off.

[60 dc, 4 ch3sp, 12 ch1sp]

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