Easy DIY: add beaded trim to a neckline

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Claire

Inside your CCbox11, the Glamour box, you will have received a length of beaded fluffy trim. This reminded us of flapper styles of the 1920, which times itself nicely with The Great Gatsby film release this month!

But, what to do with it? The amount we have given you perhaps isn’t enough to trim a dress hem with, but you could certainly try the following:

Stitch or glue onto a headband

Stitch or glue around a lampshade

Stitch or glue to an evening bag

Make a choker

Stitch to the neckline of a top

This final idea is one that I tried after spotting a cheap plain top in Primark that was crying out for some jazzing up. The trim really adds a classy touch of sparkle!

Attaching it is easy. The trim is quite forgiving too, so any messy mistakes are likely to stay hidden! Don’t cut your trim to size until you have finished attaching it, to avoid cutting it too small. Start at one end with a few secure stitches, then work along the length, making little stitches in the centre every inch along or so. Try and catch just one layer of fabric from the top so that there are no stitch marks on the reverse.

One you reach the end, cut the excess trim off and secure again with a few extra stitches. All done!

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Easy peasy Jumping Clay buttons!

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Claire

Inside your CCbox10, the BLUE box, you will find some Jumping Clay. It’s an exciting new modelling material that is non-toxic, air-drying, and is JASMINE-SCENTED! Yes that’s right! It’s aimed at children because it’s super friendly, but remember, it’s (just) a modelling clay – perfect for crafters of any age.

So, inside your April Crafty Creatives box, Jumping Clay provided two little samples of blue and white. One of the best things about this material is how easy it mixes. So with blue and white, you can make any shade of blue you want! So to prove that, and make something a little more “crafty” that the butterfly that they suggested (as cute as it is!) I thought I’d try making some buttons. Blogger Crafty Painter made some fantastic buttons using the polymer clay from Box8, which inspired me to make these! Very simple…

1) Use the blue and white Jumping Clay to make several balls of different colours and equal size.
2) Use your thumb to squash the clay into button shapes.
3) Using a sharp object, carefully poke holes in the middle of each button. Two or four – whatever you fancy!
4) Leave to dry.

Something that really impresses me about this stuff, is that when it dries it feels so durable… it bends, but doesn’t lose shape, break, or snap… it’s fab! Oh, and it also bounces when dry too!

What have you made with your Jumping Clay?

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Super simple birthday card using pretty paper straws…

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Claire

The paper straws found in your CCbox8 – the February box – are simply adorable. But what to make with them? When we saw this idea on Pinterest, we had to give it a go with the goodies from your spots and stripes box. If you can stand to actually use them instead of just lovingly gazing at them, and you have a friend’s birthday coming up, this super simple project takes about 5 minutes, and the result is a very pretty indeed.

What you need:
Card blank (or just make your own using thick paper or card)
Four paper straws (or three, or five… whatever you like!)
Bog standard string (a small amount)
Glue (basic PVA will be fine)
Washi tape (optional)
Alphabet stamps & ink (optional)

1. Cut your straws to a size that suits your card
2. Cut pieces of string to fit into the straws – about a third of the length is good.
3. Carefully glue your straws to the card. Just a small amount of glue running the length of the straw piece is enough – don’t use too much.
4. Carefully glue the string pieces into the stop of your straws – again, don’t use too much glue, enough just to hold it in place.
5. Your card is ready! Optional extras are adding washi tape down the side, and writing or stamping “Happy Birthday” on the front too.

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Box8 – make a stripy pendant!

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Claire

Inside your CCbox8, you received a kit to make your very own polymer clay pendant necklace. The wonderful Laura from Kireina Jewellery provided the instructions, and alongwith the spotty instructions that came inside the kit, she also sent us a guide for making a stripey one, and here it is!

Geometric Triangle Stripes Pendant

Create a modern and simple design just using a few simple materials and 30 minutes of your time.

Materials:
Two contrasting colours of clay
A blade (a sharp kitchen knife will work perfectly)
Two wooden rods (spatulas are perfect: 1mm thickness recommended)
Rolling pin (plastic or wooden are both fine)
Tweezers
Ruler
Eye pin
Jump ring
Necklace

Recommended:
Sheet of wax paper – clay won’t stick to it
A small sheet of baking paper to store clay in
Superglue for the eye pin
Baby wipes

Instructions:

First measure the clay: take the smaller block of the two colours and break off a piece from the bigger block that is the same size. You should have two equal parts.
Now knead the clay using your fingers to soften it a little (after you soften one colour, clean your fingers with a baby wipe and do the same with the other piece). Roll each colour into a ball.
Take one of the balls of clay and flatten it using your fingers. Roll over it again with the rolling pin and place two spatulas on either side of the clay. Using a rolling pin continue to flatten the clay so it will have the same thickness as the rods (if the clay is too thick the stripes might end up chunky looking).
Cut the strip of clay into a rectangle measuring 5cmx3cm (measurements are optional, but recommended)
With the second ball of clay repeat steps 3 and 4. This time place the first rectangle over the top and cut around it. Press the top layer down lightly to make sure the two stick together properly.
Cut the double layer rectangle in half again making two squares and stack one on top of the other. Squeeze the square lightly so any gaps in the clay close. Congratulations you have just created your first polymer clay stripe cane!

TIP: Handling clay may make it quite soft and therefore tricky to cut so if this happens wrap the cane in some baking paper and put it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (or freezer for 5). This will make the next part easier.

7. With a blade or sharp knife trim the edges of the cane (this will reduce the overall size – put these leftovers to one side). Cut a slice from your cane around 3-4mm in thickness. Repeat. Place one slice over the other and press them together lightly making sure the layers stick together. Once they are secure smooth over the seam with your finger between the slices.

TIP: Do you still have some of your cane left? If so, then wrap it in baking paper, secure with a little tape and store it in the refrigerator for later.

8. Work out the centre of your striped rectangle and make a small mark in the clay with your blade/knife. Cut clay diagonally from the centre mark to the end tip of the rectangle. Repeat this on the side and smooth the centre mark with your finger. Take left over clay and roll it into a ball.

9. Taking a pair of tweezers insert a shortened eye pin into the longest side of the triangle and your pendant is ready to cure! (remember to bake clay in a well ventilated area.)

10. After the clay has cooled down check to see if the eye pin is secure, if not then remove it with tweezers. Put a small amount of superglue on the tip of the pin and place it back in the hole. Wait for glue to set and dry. NOTE: Don’t push the pin too hard into the clay otherwise you could end up creating cracks around the hole.

11. Finally, to wear your beautiful creation attach a jump ring, thread your necklace through and you are ready to go!

And a wee bonus…

Scrap Clay Project

The title for this mini project is “scrap clay”, but really there is no such thing as you can still transform leftovers into something new. Roll the leftover clay loosely into a ball, flatten it and roll it out using a rolling pin. You have just created a marble effect with your clay! Cut out a triangle, insert a bail, bake and you have another unique design to wear.

How to make paper flowers with cupcake cases

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Claire

Inside your CCbox8, you received 24 lovely polka dot cupcake cases! 12 black/white and 12 pink/white. You can, of course, bake some lovely cupcakes! Or, you can turn to paper crafting and make some very pretty flowers to use in all sorts of ways.

So, first of all, flatten out some cases. I would recommend using 6-8 for nice flower with a bit of volume! As you’re going to be poking holes into the middle of them, I’d recommend strengthening the centre of the paper with a sticky dot, or just a bit of clear tape. Then, take a roll of string (I’ve used the stripey string from box8) and use a little bit of tape to seal the end to prevent it fraying. Don’t worry if this is messy – it gets cut off!

Next, poke a wee hole in the centre of each case. I did this using a sharp pair of scissors – just be careful not to hurt yourself. Then, start threading your flattened cases on to your string. Alternate the colours for a bit of fun! The last one however, turn around so the plain side is on the top. Then snip off your taped end of the string, and tie a secure knot (mine was a triple knot).

Now you need to make the centre of your flower, using the last case you put on the wrong way round. Scrunch it up as shown below. Then, take each layer in turn, and scrunch it slightly – gathering them up as you go. Don’t worry if this gets a bit messy – this adds character to the flower!

And after you’ve done each layer, you should start to see your flower come to life! At this point you can tie off the string and cut it – put a knot as close to the underside of the flower as you can, or keep a length of string attached so you can use it to attach to something.

I’ve demonstrated below some suggestions – these flowers make beautiful accents on gift wrapping, and make a fun accessory when tied on a chunky hairband! They also make beautiful garlands if you string many of them together.

Have fun! You get such different results using different patterns and sizes of cupcake cases.

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A cute way to gift wrap little things…

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Claire

It was my sister’s birthday recently, and during my last trip to London I spotted 3 dainty little pendants in V.V. Rouleaux (love that shop!) and had to figure out a cute way to wrap them. I had some origami paper and some tissue paper squares, and came up with this solution! I rather like it, and it would suit little things of all sorts.

You will need:

Origami paper square (or other pretty paper)
Tissue paper squares
Scrap of cardboard
String (or ribbon)
Sticky dots (or sticky tape)

First thing to do is wrap up your little gift in a square of tissue. Pick a colour that will contrast nicely against your patterned paper….

Then, take your origami paper square and fold in the corners, but not quite to the centre. Then cut a square of your scrap cardboard that will fit inside, and place your tissue wrapped gift on top. Then take another square of tissue the same colour as your other piece…

Then turn your cardboard and gift and place it upside down on your tissue square. It will wobble, but try and keep the gift in the middle. Fold each corner of the tissue square into the middle of the cardboard and secure with a sticky dot (or tape). Then fold in the straight edges towards the centre to neaten it up. Turn it over and voila!…

Now you can place your little tissue parcel into your origami paper. Take a length of string, place over the top, twist underneath, then tie on the top. Try and make sure everything is neat and even…

Experiment with different colours and papers!

The Crafty Creatives box 3, the oriental box from September 2012, included pretty origami papers, so why not have a shot using those? Not a member yet? Sign up here www.craftycreatives.com and receive your craft subscription box every month, full of gorgeous crafty goodies!

How to make a fabric book cover

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Claire

This is super easy, and although I used a sewing machine, it could quite happily be done by hand too, because it needs just two straight lines of basic stitches.

I’ve used the cute owly cotton fabric that came in Crafty Creatives box 7, but you could use any fabric. I might try another one using the hessian from box 2!

1. Firstly, you need to make sure that you have enough fabric to cover your book of choice. I’d recommend a hard-back for ease, if this is your first time.

2. Measure the width of the book front cover, then multiply by four. Then add the width of the spine. My book is 12cm wide, with a 2cm spine so (12cm x 4) + 2cm = 50cm.

3. Measure the height of the book and add 6cm. My book is 19.5cm so 19.5cm + 6cm = 25.5cm.

4. Cut a piece of your fabric to this size – mine is 50cm wide x 25.5cm high.
Note: if you wish a particular bit of pattern on the fabric to be on the front, see if you can cut accordingly.

5. Now that you have your fabric piece, you might choose to add interfacing. I used some white iron-on interfacing (easy!) just to give it a bit of hardiness – but this is entirely optional. Just make sure you iron it to the WRONG side of the fabric!

6. Then fold and press 3cm on each SHORT edge, wrong sides together.

7. Fold your fabric in half and mark the centre with a pin at the top and bottom. Lay flat.

8. This is where it gets exciting! With the right side of your fabric facing up, lay down your book, and match the centre of the spine with the pins.

9. Carefully fold the fabric around the back cover, and pin the fabric together at the top and bottom. Carefully repeat this action for the front cover, then carefully remove the book.

10. You should now have what looks like a messy, inside-out book cover.

11. Sewing time! All you’re going to do is stitch along the top then bottom edges – straight along from edge to edge. Using a machine is much easier and quicker, and even if you’re not experienced with using one, this is a very easy straight line!

12. Slip the book into your cover to test for sizing. When I made mine, it was a bit loose at the top, so I stitched another line a bit closer.

13. Once you’re happy with the fit, trim your seams and snip off each corner (this makes the final product look nicer in a minute…)

14. Turn it out, the right way round. Gently use scissors to poke into the corners, and use your iron to press all the edges and corners.

15. Insert your book – ta-da! Beautiful. I think would be a lovely way to re-use a sentimental fabric, maybe from an old dress or a much-loved sofa that needs thrown away. You could also decorate the front with appliqués if you fancy!

No ordinary box…

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Claire

So, this is a bit of a special CC post that I’ve been meaning to write since Christmas. As you may or may not know, I run Crafty Creatives with my older sister Isobel. We both love all things arty and crafty and creative, and on Christmas day I was presented with a familiar looking gift. As I unwrapped it, I saw the Crafty Creatives logo and thought “Hmmm, why is she giving me one of our boxes?”….

So I opened it up, and was overwhelmed with excitement! Isobel had put together a very special “Claire” box, just for me! Finally I could experience what all of our members experience when they are presented with their box full of surprise goodies – it was amazing! I felt a little bit emotional actually, and didn’t know how to handle it… do I rummage? Do I read the art card? I ended up being way too excited to read the art card – that came later. There was an array of lovely vintagey floral things, baking stuff as I love to bake, and lots more…

So, what was in my special box?

Art card by my sister, Isobel
CC Kit – how to make a “Scruffly” – more on that below!
3 strings of wooden beads in colours I love
Ceramic heart shaped button – from the V&A museum shop!
2m wired gingham ribbon
5 porcelain floral beads
4 half fat quarters, including some Cath Kidston!
Selection of jewellery findings
Heart pins
Retro plastic pot to store bits n pieces
Baking cutters for fancy little biscuits
Bottle of pink strawberry sugar sprinkles
3 tiny mice beads
Pack of stick-on wooden hearts

Wooden stick-on hearts & polka dot fabric

Wooden beads and Cath Kidston fabric

Little floral beads and ceramic floral button (on the art card)

Baking cutters & sprinkles & fabric

3 tiny mouse beads

Pins, pot & wired ribbon

The CC Kit is to make a Scruffly – a little creature made from left over bit and bobs. Each are unique and a bit, well, scruffy looking! Looking forward to making one, and I’ll be sure post him/her/it on here for you all to see!

CC kit – make a Scruffly!

CC kit – materials to make my Scruffly

Thanks to Isobel for this fantastic Christmas gift!

Please let me stress that this box is NOT available to buy and it does not in any way reflect typical contents of the usual Crafty Creatives! It was a special one off – hope you enjoyed having a wee nosey at it.

Claire x

Super simple DIY using your skeleton leaves

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Claire

This is a super easy project, and one that I like as it involves getting messy with glue!

Your skeleton leaves in box7 can be used beautifully in decoupage, and if you’ve got any old jars kicking about, waiting to be recycled, why not try this instead to give yourself a pretty little DIY vase.

Simply get some decent glue – I used Mod Podge Matte…

… then start coating your jar with it. I coated enough to fit one leaf on, but you could do the whole lot in one go. And I just used my fingers, but an old paintbrush or glue spreader would be good too. Then simply press a leaf on – but be careful not to tear it. Coat the leaf gently with some more glue, and the next piece of the jar, and then layer your next leaf on. Repeat this process until you are happy with it, and leave to dry overnight. Take your glue right up to the top so it looks even!

Tips for using Flower Soft

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Claire

The lovely ladies over at Katy Sue Designs, who are behind Flower Soft® which came inside the CCbox7 Woodland box, realise that some of you might not have used it before. So, they gave us their 20 top tips for using Flower Soft®! Just sprinkle a little imagination…

Flower Soft as found in CCbox7. Image credit to http://thesparklypanda.blogspot.co.uk

1. Empty Flower Soft® into a bigger dish and run through your fingers to separate and allow air into the product. This will help you sprinkle evenly, and you’ll be amazed by how much was in that little pot!

2. Use good quality Flower Soft® glue. Runny glue will result in your Flower Soft® dripping off the wires.

3. Always give Flower Soft® drying time after use, especially if using more than one colour.

4. Use a sheet of paper under your project to collect all the excess Flower Soft® you can then funnel the remainder back into the pot.

Making Flowers

5. For a bouquet use five short two inch stems of florist wire, a spray can have between seven and nine stems, apply glue fairly thickly to the end quarter.

6. Sprinkle the Flower Soft® over the glue, turning stem to completely cover – this method ensures you won’t disturb the glue on the wires. No need to be gentle here, just throwing it over works best.

7. Lightly tap off excess Flower Soft® from wires after covering and leave to dry by standing upright in foam or Plasticine.

8. Make your bouquet cone out of fine tissue paper. For best results use a two-inched squared piece and fold as a piping bag.

9. Arranging your flowers should be done from the top. Look at the flow of your spray/bouquet and tier them in layers or graduate for a spray.

10. Now look at the bottom of your bunch and trim the base of the stems to the same level.

11. If making a bouquet, glue the base of the bunch, trim bottom of wires and add glue, place straight into your tissue cone.

12. If making a spray, arrange as desired, then wind thread around the mid point of the stems to secure.

13. Glue the thread bound area of your spray to your scrap page/card and glue the ribbon bow over this to cover afterwards.

14. Because your Flower Soft® flowers are on wires they will bend into any shape even after you have glued onto your project.

15. For tiny bows and ribbon work on projects always use silk ribbon.

Designs and Texts

16. When writing text, use a ruler and write in pencil first to ensure it is centred correctly on the project.

17. Most Flower Soft® works best against light colours, so for best results don’t use over dark printed ink.

18. To add sparkle to Flower Soft® use as normal and after you have tapped off the excess, whilst the glue is still wet, sprinkle fine glitter on top and tap off excess.

19. Don’t make your text or design too small or fussy for best results.

20. Be creative….why not save all your excess sprinkles and mix together to make your own original colour!