Last Christmas Card Made this year

HI Crafters

Well it has been a busy week and like many crafters out there,  there was a last minute rush to make the card for hubby before the big day. I did manage it though, just in time and with new dies that arrived in the week.

A lovely pop-up card 
The dimensions for this card had to be altered from the basic pop-up card to hold the die cuts used
Made with cream and silver-grey card the four dies all give winter scenes 

I have 4 other dies that are suitable for everyday card and will be making a couple of different designs with them in the new year.

Happy New Year to you all 

Dee

Denman College & Mosaics

Hi Crafters

I recently went to Denman with friends from my WI to do a course on Mosaics
It was great fun, the tutor was very good and I was pleasantly surprised at my finished item

We had an introductory hour on the first evening, after dinner, and I had already decided to try making a specific item rather than cover a base board. Little did I realise how much work this would give me, but the challenge was worthwhile, I had help from Liz the tutor and managed to cut all the glass, tiles and place the embellishments to complete the board the next day, leaving the last morning to grout.

Hey Presto!  I have a new number plaque for my house. 
Liz has a shop on Etsy where you can purchase small kits to make mosaic butterflies, seahorses, snails, dragonflies etc 
the shop is "lilyMosaicsByLis" at www.etsy.com/uk
Or visit her website at www.lily-mosaics.co.uk
Super gifts for crafty friends and family.
There were four of us from our institute and we had such a good time we have booked to do silver clay jewellery, next year.

Dee

Recycling your Christmas Cards

Hi Crafters

We all love to recycle our Christmas cards as they are often very pretty and just too pretty to throw away.

After following the 'Posh Paper Lady' on YouTube, I have been inspired to do a workshop on the 18th January at Pawlett Village Hall 
9.30 - 1pm

I have so many lovely ideas to use those pretty cards and much more that cutting them into tags.
Gift Bags and boxes  from the Posh Paper Lady, some adaptions and some new ideas of my own 

The cost for the morning is just £5 

Anyone interested please contact me for more information and a booking form 
But be quick it is filling up fast.

Dee

  

Origami Pot and lid

Hi Crafters

I recently showed you an origami star dish that I had made, and mentioned in the post that a lid could be made to fit the dish.

Another visit to YouTube and hey presto here is version 2 of the lovely little dish.

They are so darned cute I made a couple more 

The two at the back have been made from 8" squares whilst the little one in the front is a 6" square

The pink and gold box on the left I have made a paper bead for the lid so it has been made using just one piece of double sided 12 x 12.

I will show you the open dish 

 As you can see there is a reasonable amount of space in the little pot and would be great for easter gifts and chocolates, so I think I am going to make this at Pawlett WI for the April meeting.

Dee

Reindeer Choir

Hi Crafters 

Just a quick post today to show you the Reindeer Choir cards we made at Craft Club last night

I saw these on Pinterest and made some myself and then the group decided to make them.

They are a basic Teepee card dressed with antlers and open mouth. I had to design the open book, and hands, as I could see them in some of the pictures but could find no instructions. 

You can use any oval dies of suitable size and some of the antlers are flower branch dies.

Thank you to Angela for taking the pictures and sending them to me.

Dee 

Cute little Origami dish

Hi Crafters

A quick post today to show you this pretty little origami star dish/gift box.

This is not my idea it came from Rachthestamper.com
You can also see another version with a pretty lid on www.Dawnstampingthoughts.net, or Youtube.

In the demonstrated versions they used double sided papers and these are the easiest to use as you make one and decorate, but for my trial I used a piece of 6 x 6 from my stash and as I did not know how well it would turn out just used single sided. (this is a good tip for new trials as single sided is generally less expensive) 

As you can see the base of the star shows the white side of the paper.
But having mastered the folding I used a Christmas paper double sided, this one used a piece 8 x 8" cut from a 12 x 12 

I used some of the 12 x 12 left over to make a handle.

I then thought if there are lots of you out there with lots of one sided 6 x6 sheets of paper, how could you use them up to make these pretty boxes. A eureka moment later and I cut one sheet down to 5.5" square folded it in the same way, but using the opposite side up, and then slipped it inside the 6 x 6 folded square to make the one you see in the picture at the top of the page.

They make pretty little star dishes to put your sweets into
Or you could follow Dawns Stamping Thoughts method and make a lid to give a small gift 
I can see me making these for Easter.

I hope you have a go and if so I would love to see the results

Dee

Christmas is Coming

Hi Crafters

So here we are in November already and Christmas Craft Fair season begins.
The main reason for so few blogs in October was my preparation for the Craft Fairs I do.

My first is on 9th November at Nailsea and I love this fair. It is well attended and with a great variety of crafts on offer. It runs all day over 3 halls at the Methodist CHurch.

I am nearly ready. As in previous fairs,  this year I am trying some new items as well as regular paper crafts. I try new items cautiously, if it is a new papercraft with a relatively small price tag and uses craft items already in my stash I may make 10-15 or whatever looks presentable on the table. If the item is larger and uses additional craft items that have to be purchased I will may 5-6. This is the number of Christmas Wreaths I have made to take to Nailsea. I have made some lovely wreaths using a metal ring that can be recycled next year. Some are covered in burlap ribbon and some in wire edged Christmas ribbons before decorating.

I had thought about taking wreaths to craft fairs before but was not sure how to present them, I ususally see them mounted on a back panel but I have nothing like this, however I have bought myself a wreath stand and am really pleased with the look and height as it will sit well on the table.
I can display a couple of wreaths at a time which is fine as anyone interested can then see what else is available and the display will not overshadow the other items on the table.
My next problem was the actual sale. If I sold one, what do  I put it in. I could buy some carrier bags but the bags large enough to take the wreaths are made of plastic and I am trying to promote more natural crafts, as well as recycled so plastic bags did not compliment the theme. I  therefore spent this morning making large carrier bags from ends of rolls of wallpaper and oddments of ribbon and cord from my stash.

I am now set to present my 6 Wreaths at the Fair.

During November I will write about the items I have made and then in December I will give a report on what worked and what didn't. Many of the crafters that so generously share their makes on YouTube do series on Craft Fair items and will also share the successes and less favoured items, so if you are thinking of selling at a fair in the next year it is well worth doing dome homework and checking out what is currently popular. A large chunk of trade is lost to me as I make very few items for children. I do not have any so do not know the market and steer clear of trying to make for them.

I do make items suitable for teacher gifts and stokcing filler and this year have made some delicious Elf Stockings for Chocolate lovers. 

Good luck to all of you taking part in Craft fairs for the holiday season, I would love to hear how you get on

Dee

Gift Bag from Upcycled Cards

Hi Crafters

Following on my previous post here is a gift bag made from 2 Christmas cards, in a similar way to the box. 

The finished gift bag measures 15cm wide and 16cm tall with a 8.5cm gusset, so will hold quite a lot

It would be suitable for a number of items including makeup, toiletries, breakfast gift bag etc.
Ideal for Teachers gifts, friends and neighbours, and shows some thought and effort has gone into the gift process.

Again this idea came from a similar item demonstrated on Posh Paper Lady blog, where you can get the layout and scoring required to put your 2 cards together together for the base gift bag. I have added some green tissue paper to go with the card and used some scrap card from my stash to make the handles.

Here is the gift bag alongside a second box I made with another 2 cards from the card set and in this box I have added 10 cards made using more of the cards and envelopes from the kit.

I will be collecting Christmas cards to recycle and both of these projects can be used to recycle your Christmas cards received this year, by simply choosing 2 cards the same size that go together and lining the card with some pretty papers from your stash. Check back in January to see how I can get on with this idea and for fuller tutorials. 

Why not subscribe to my blog by hitting the follow button at the top of the page. It is free, and you can check in for more inspiration and general chit chat on crafting and ideas for craft fair projects.


Happy Crafting 
Dee

More Ideas for Card KIt Stash

Hi Crafters

I have been busy preparing for the Craft Fairs, but when I could  not sleep last night I had a cup of tea and went on YouTube where I saw another great idea to use up those card kits you have purchased, used but have lots left in the kit sitting in the cupboard.
The idea is simple and can be adapted to most size cards
Use 2 of the cards to make a great box

The idea comes from The Posh Paper Lady Blog, who demonstrated the idea with 2  5" x 7" card, her boxes were lined with more card to make them very sturdy, but I think my cards were heavy enough card not to need lining. 

My cards were 15cm by 30cm and I therefore worked out the dimensions and cuts required to make this gorgeous box

I cut 2" from the back of each card and then scored 1/2" down the cut edge. Using red tape I put the two cards together to form the middle of the box. 

Then I worked out the depth of the base and lid I wanted and cut 2 pieces of card to make the base and lid these measured  24.25cm x 17.75cm, scored at 2cm and 4.5cm on all four sides. 
Make up the lid and base, glue the middle to the base and decorate 
This bow is a little excessive but I love it. The finished box measures 15cm x 8.5cm x 21.5cm, so could be used to wrap those parcels for Christmas 

I liked the finished box so much I made another from 2 more of the cards from the set and this I will use to house 10 cards and envelopes made from the set. This £8 kit has given me hours of crafting and it feels really good to re-purpose something from your stash. I have made cards, covered notebooks, and made several styles of boxes from the kit. 

Happy Crafting
Dee

Recycling Project 2 - Book page Gift Bag

Hi Crafters

Today I have another gift bag from recycled paper. This time using  pages from a book
After I have finished with the book I like nothing better than to use them for my craft projects. Check out all the lovely ideas on Pinterest and get inspired to recycle.

This is a simple gift bag made from a large page, it makes a bag 12cm H by 8cm W
with the gusset it is just the right size for a pack of sweets or small gift. 
You can then stamp the pages to reflect the season and use.
These would be great for Halloween candy
Want a larger bag then put 2 pages together 
I wanted these for Christmas and wanted to  use the BOho Stamp as I love it. It may have been better with a smaller print but the fun of crafting for yourself is anything goes.

The easiest video on YouTube to follow if you need to know how to make the bag is from a lady who goes by the name of  'Priyanka knowledge bank', but there are many videos on making paper bags. However if you get the principle from this video you can see it is made with wrapping paper  and you can make larger bags with this. 

If you want to use recycled materials such as book pages your bag will be restricted in size to the materials available, but of course you will be helping the environment and crafting so it is all good. 

As you can see I have used a variety of strings and ribbon for the handles but again I am using scraps and recycling oddments so I am pleased that the projects can use up bits from my ribbon bag. 

Another plus with these bags is they fold flat for storage 

You will need:
book pages from a book you have finished with (the bigger the better)
Glue stick
Hole punch ( I used my Crop A Dile, but any single hole punch would work as well)
scraps of ribbon or string at least 20cm long
Stamp and stamp pad - I used the Boho stamp by Inloveartstamp and Ranger Adirondack Earthtones ink Oregano, Eggplant and Terra Cotta.  

Happy Crafting 
Dee

Paper Tassels for your Projects

Hi Crafters

Today I am talking about making paper tassels.
This is a great way of decorating your projects and using up your stash of paper pieces and oddments of beads and embellishments.

This is not my own design I found several tutorials on YouTube and the one I worked from was Quick and Easy tassels from Nina Ribena, mainly as I was trying it out and quick and easy sounded the best way forward. 

Having looked at other tutorials they are all made in the same basic way with slight adjustments to the way the decoration is added. If you are a beader this part will pose no problem for you but if like me you have done little or no beading you will need to follow the process for the beads to be added during the making of the tassel.

The great thing about making these is they use up your scraps of paper, and if you  have them filed in an orderly manner then you need to go to your stash of papers that are 8.5" by about 3-3.5". It also todies up your odd beads and decorations 
You do not neeed exact measurements, but make the paper tidy and mark/score the paper about 1-2 cm from the top, depending on your width of paper.

Cut narrow strips along the length of the paper cutting up to the scored line.
Cut out the last inch or so so you have a little piece at the top ready to start rolling up.
Place your cord or wire horizontally over the top line at the end you have cut the bottom away, and roll the paper as tight as you can around the wire glueing ever inch as you go. Place a peg over the rolled tassel to hold it while the glue sets. 
Add your beads to the top over the wire and bend the wire around to form a loop, I recommend you follow the video for this as I used cord for mine as I had no wire handy. 

You can now decorate the top folded part of the tassel.

 I have made one or two thread tassels before but these are my first paper tasssels, and I am very pleased with the results. Like all new crafts there are areas to be improved, but I would happily use any of the tassels made so far to decorate my journals or memory books I make. 

So why not check out the tutorials and have a go yourself. If you like what you see here please click on the follow button at the top of the page,   comment and share your makes, I would love to see your version of any of the makes on my blog.
Dee

Recycling Project 1

Hi Crafters 

Today I am going to show you a way of using up the odd envelopes you end up with occasionally. Most crafters have a small stack of leftover envelopes and pop them in the craft cupboard in case a card they make needs that size envelope. I have also been given envelopes in the past or picked them up at the scrap store to make envelope mini-albums etc.

Todays project is using up large envelopes that were for A4 cards. This size card has gone out of fashion a little due to postage charges and I have used some of the cards for other projects, cutting them down. So with the batch of envelopes I have left I will make gift bags. These bags will be perfect for the craft fairs. Anyone purchasing a couple of items will have them presented in a pretty gift bag and hopefully this will make my stall stand out a little and be remembered. It is one of the tips I have read about on Lyriclovers blog and it is always a good idea to package your items well when selling.

I shape and cover the envelope, add some string for handles, and some lace and ribbon to add interest. I am pleased with the results of todays crafting, I have produced 5 large shabby chic bags and all it took was 10 A4 sheets of paper (this was a pack of papers by Tonic) and recycled envelopes and scraps of ribbon and lace.

These bags can be made in many sizes depending on the size of the envelope.

Start by sealing the envelope and cutting a small piece off the top 
Next score the sides and base with equal measurements. These large envelopes were scored at 1" on all 3 sides. Fold back and forth 

 


Put your hand in the opening and line up the bottom corners so you can fold the base in half
Next fold in the sides and you will end up with the bottom corners sticking out, Fold them into the centre.

Measure the panels and cut paper to fit just inside the width and 3cm longer than the length, less if the envelope is small. the extra length is folded over the top to strengthen the top edge ready for the handles. So score a line where this needs to fit over. Glue the 2 pieces of scored paper and slide the top over the to match the score line with the top of the bag and then glue the length of the paper down the bag. Do the same the other side.

Use a hole punch to make the handle holes and add a piece of string to each side 
Decorate with coordinating embellishments.

If you were using the bag to give a present you could decorate with a bow or flower, but as I am storing mine for use at the fair I have used ribbon and lace. 

If you like the idea of recycling, as I do,  this is a great project.

Happy Crafting
Dee

Different Closures for projects

Hi Crafters

Today I thought I would go over the various types of closures you can use on your craft projects

The most obvious and easy to attach are:-
Velcro - Good adhesion nowadays and with the dots available they work well on folders.
Ribbon - Very pretty and provided you place the ribbon before you finish construction the overall look can be very good, plus it is simple to add and most of us have plenty in our stores
Bellyband - Very popular for boxes as it can you can slide it off the box without any pulling to the edges which over time can cause marking.
Kampress studs - having recently purchased these, I love them, they are easy to use and make a very neat closure. They are not expensive to purchase but you probably want to do a lot of crafting to make it worth finding the space to store
Then there are:-
Magnets - I know these are getting more popular, although I struggle to use them well. I do not seem to find the right strength, end up using large ones that work well but are only suitable for larger projects.
Button Closure - Another one I love. So simple to make, recycles buttons from the button box, does not need attaching but acts as a very effective closure. This one you do  not see very often so I will take you through the production.
You need a button and a length of thin 1 or 2mm cord elastic. 
The length of the elastic should be twice around the project closure area without stretch
Thread the elastic through the button, placing it in the centre, and tie twice to secure 

Tie the two ends  together in a simple knot and leave the knot loose until you are sure the fit is correct.

 With the button and knot in the left hand place it on the front of your project, pull it around the back of the project until it meets up 

Slip the button through the two pieces of elastic and the button will hold it in place.

Journals with button closures 

Hope you can find a use for these and they are well worth getting the elastic ready to use, particularly if you make mini journals, notebooks etc

Happy Crafting 
Dee    

Getting Prepared for Crafting Feasts

Hi Crafters

Anyone who reads my posts will know that I am an untidy worker with my desk being tidied regularly, and craft stash overhauled all the time in an effort to allow easy access for all the craft items I have. 

If, like me, you are an avid crafter, with  a large stash of craft equipment and stock, you will know how important it is to get your items in an orderly manner so you know where all the items are when you want to use  them.

Each new project uses a lot of items and I can never seem to get them all out and complete the project in one go, so they tend to get done in fits and starts and before the project is finished the next idea just has to be tried. With Christmas crafting starting and lots of items needed I needed a more organised approach. 

So I took everything off the desk, and had a good wipe down 

 Next I listed my craft items that I use all the time

Cutter
Scissors and small tools
Die cutting machine - kept in the cupboard 
Crop-adile

Other items are used depending on the project.

I then realised that the heaviest item, my BigSHot, was hauled out the cupboard every time I used it, often this meant items were not completed in one go as I would wait until i had several die cutting items to make. 

So only essential items went back on the desk, everything else was put away into the cupboard. This left me room to leave the Die Cutting machine on the desk. 

I still have room to use my cutter (which is how all projects start) and can then complete the item relatively easily including the embellishment and die cut items to decorate the items 

Here is a currrent project, and whilst I am not currently using the BigSHot, I  still have room to complete the items being made. These are Journals and need a outer sleeve, 3 inner shaped and structured layers and then they are held together with a button closure, and I want to make 8. All items are on the desk and provided I get rid of waste card, and put away glue etc as I complete that part the overal process is so much easier and cleaner. 

Even room for my large cup of tea.

I recommend checking your production area regularly, whether it is a little corner or a large craft room, by checking your style of crafting and the items you use regularly you will make the process more efficient.

I do need to make a cover for my Bigshot though so that needs to go on the list of things to make.

More about the project itself with my Christmas Craft Fayre posts 

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Christmas Crafting

Hi Crafters

I have had a lovely weekend housework done and then down to crafting.
Lots of prep to do for my workshops and Christmas Fayres, so lists galore at the moment.

I try to plan the makes for Craft Fayres, or you are in danger of having lots of different items on the table which is just confusing to the buyer.

This year I am trying to keep it to 6-8 paper crafts plus 3-4 sewn items and possibly wreaths if I can find a way to display them.

As I am also trying to downsize the craft, (very unlikely but I have to try) I thought I would try to look at Craft Fayres items differently. What stock do I have in the cupboard and what can I make that fits the sale table. 

I had concertina files on my list of items to make as these are so useful. I also found some DL envelopes in the stash and thought I could add pretty cards to some of the files, as well as leave some just as files.Whilst this seemed like a good idea, having completed my trial piece I found I had a lot of cut pieces that were potential waste, but the fact that I was using up my card stash spurred me on. I cut all the card to make 6 files with 6 cards in each, and then sat down to consider how to use the other bits.

If you are making to sell, the product cost is important, and even if you are making for friends or charity you should be aware of the cost per item. The files with the cards worked out at £4.50 to make, so using the other pieces of card was important to reduce those costs overall. 

By planning and designing a product around the card scraps I was able to make another 4 items to sell. I added one more piece of 12 x 12 cards per make,  and A6 envelopes (which most of us have in the craft room) made a folder and then made 6 A6 cards and a mini flip album to go inside.  

Busy day, but none of the items are completely finished so I am unable to post a picture yet. However they will definitely feature in Christmas Craft Fayre posts which will run in November. If you want see my makes for the Craft Fayre, or other projects click on the follow button at the top of the page .

Now I am back to preparing my workshop items. 

Happy Crafting 
Dee

More Cards from the Card Kit

Hi Crafters

As you know from previous posts, I purchased 2 card kits from EBay. Both were Create and Craft Christmas Kits
The first one had 30 cards and envelopes plus 30 sheets of A4 card. All were foil finished in more traditional colours although there were some "sludgy" colours amongst them.
The cards were used as background cards which left me the sheets of A4 to use. See my post 11/09/19.

The other set had 30 cards and envelopes and 3D pop out baubles to match. The cards were in subtle gold and silver flourishes. See post on 02/09, where I show the finished cards. I left 8 unmade as I wanted to try other embellishments on the card, I also liked the cards so much I bought another set.

Here are the some of the cards I have embellished with a single die-cut from one of my favourite Christmas  dies.

I am very happy with results and will make up the new set with a mixture of both, using some other Christmas dies from my stash.

I also mixed the two sets by using the plain cards from set 1 and the baubles from set 2. I have layered the bauble onto a large cut out background which is an Anna Griffin Die, and used the spare A4 card so the colours all coordinated.

Well this just about covers the items made so far with the sets and will be my last post on it unless I come up with something else amazing to do with the oddments.

Dee

Using up More of the Card Kit

Hi Crafters

Following on from my last post I have been finding uses for the remainder of the card kits I purchased on Ebay.

From the first kit I bought I had a lot of sheets of quality A4 card with the printing going down the page. To use this up I have made Envelope Boxes. Whilst some of the pattern is sideways this can be placed on the side flaps and back panel so is not noticeable whilst the front panel is good.
These envelopes can be used to give vouchers or small gifts and as the card is foil finished it is heavy wearing. I have used kam press fasteners to close the envelope so they can be re-used

I will also use them to make boxes so for less than £10 I have been able to make 30 cards, 10 wallets, 6 gift card envelopes and several boxes. Boxes with a base and lid and self closing pouches can be made with the printed card without compromising the finish of the boxes.  

Altogether a great buy.

To make the envelopes I cut the A4 card down to 8.25" square or 21cm and used my envelope maker 

the piece cut from the bottom of the card I folded in half to make a small card that I put into the envelope so the user can give send a greeting/message with the gift card or present 

Back soon with other projects using up the second card kit. 

Dee

Thinking outside the box

Hi Crafters

Today I thought I would share an idea to save money on your paper crafting.

I am starting to make Christmas items as mentioned in previous posts. There will  be lots of cards, decorations and paper crafts made,  so I have sorted out my basic card stock and Christmas card stock to see what I have and what I need to buy. 

I then looked on Ebay to see what card stock and card kits were available and the prices. I had purchased a large Create and Craft kit that I had re-purposed for my Christmas Workshop and now I was looking for card making resources. 

When looking for large amounts of basic stock to make for Craft Fayres, try thinking outside the box, to get the very best buy. This does not mean buying what you think you might be able to use but rather seeing something that is a bargain and knowing how you can re-purpose it. 
For instance the Create and Craft kit I purchased and am using for my workshop was a kit with 30 cards 7" x 5" and with metallic finish plus 40 pieces of A4 metallic card stock and embellishments.

The cards were not necessarily a print  I would normally use, but there was a good selection of classic green and red cards amongst the kit for me to be able to use for the workshop. This left me with a lot of metallic card in various colours and as the writing and prints went down the A4 sheet, it could  only be used on cards for mat and layering, or "eureka" I can use the lovely Christmas colours and cut out multiple  snowflakes, poinsettia, and stars to decorate cards or parcels or even to make decorations with. As metallic card is usually 40p a sheet, and I paid less than £10 for the whole kit, you can see what a great buy these items can be.

Do not forget to factor in postage on purchases, although you would probably have to do this if you were buying from a store on-line, or consider petrol costs. 

Having sold some Christmas cards already I recently purchased another kit of Christmas cards from EBay.
This time the cards were lovely subtle gold & silver flourishes with 3D Baubles, there were 30 cards and envelopes and the sheets of 3D baubles all cut ready to pop out, plus a few bits of pearls and very tiny bits of bling. I liked the cards enough to use them as blanks if I did not like the baubles, so sent for the set. As the price including p&p was just under £7, it worked out less than 24p a card.
The set arrived on Saturday and I was really pleased with it. I have put together 22 of the cards already. Saving the other 8 to make up differently. 
Tip: when making up a lot of 3D sheets, use a glue gun as this give a slim dimension without having to peel lots of backing papers off, and saves an enormous amount of time. Pop out the items first in sets and then glue together in one go. 

I was very pleased with the result as they look classic and professional, while offering a hand-crafted product. So pleased in fact I have sent for another kit. This time I will probably use the lovely cards in a  different way and sell on the baubles and embellishments, but either way I will  be getting a great buy.

The bits and pieces left over from making the first kit can  be used to decorate other projects

So why not think outside the box and try your own designs using a bargain kit, its also a good step between using a kit as it is sold and making the kit your own. Or if you are having trouble getting started on your Christmas projects, this may help to inspire you.

Happy Crafting

Dee

First Christmas Craft item

Hi Crafters

I have planned my Christmas Caft Fayre makes, so that my table has a mixture of stocking fillers, at £1 to £3 an item, small presents and teachers gifts £3 - £7 and bigger items.

It is time to make a start so the first 10 Giant Decorated Paper clips have been made and packaged for selling.

I have shown these before but this time I am taking more care on the packaging (see Lyriclover on YouTube for presentation ideas) 

USing the many ribbon flowers I have made I hot-glue them to the top of a giant paperclip 
I have backed several with a matching bow, but if any of the pin still shows on the back I cover with a circle of pretty paper. This has the dual advantage of covering up any glue showing and at the same time it strengthes the attachment of the ribbon to the clip.

These clips have been added to a piece of card and will be wrapped in cello bags individually 

I love to use pretty paperclips to put keep any notes tidy on the desk

Or instructions for craft ideas

The clips can also be used for bookmarks 

They also make great decorations for gifts and the joy of them is they can be recycled as the tag simply hangs from the clip.

Only another 10 to make before I am on to the next item 

Dee

Getting Ready for Christmas Craft Fayres

Hello Crafters

Whether you like crafting for yourself or enjoy making and selling your crafts, Christmas is a busy time for us all.

Anyone wishing to make all their cards and several presents, or who sells should be on the way to making the items now.

I made some very pretty large Christmas cards, using up some sale items I bought at the beginning of the year,  and took them to a sale over the Bank Holiday weekend, just to see if they were what people were looking for. They were a hit and every one sold, so now I will have to make more.

My favourite YOuTube person "Lyriclover" has just started her Christmas Craft Fayre series for 2019, and I will be following it, as well as making my own items and some versions of hers.
Before starting her craft  fayres project videos, Amber, at Lyrciclover did a video on selling at Craft Fayres, which included some very useful tips on planning, making, and selling, it is worth checking it out. I have already used her point of sale tip on her first project, and there are always things we can improve on or learn.

I have recently tidied my craft room and sold quite a few spare craft items on Ebay. Whenever I sell anything I try to present it to the buyer in a way that will get me remembered for future sales and it seems to work as I am starting to get repeat business. I usually wrap carefully and try to add a free gift or "happy mail" to the parcel. This can be as simple as a hand crafted paperclip, to a small brag book, (depending on what I have in my stash and the size of the sale).

I also add a card with my blog address. I had run out of these and so yesterday I sat and stamped out another 25 ready for use.

I had the stamp made some time ago, I have tried to find the supplier (it came from India) but I cannot see them on Ebay now, however there are many companies making customized stamps on Ebay, or at your local printers so check them out. They cost around  £8 - £10 so are a good investment. I have several now, these are for paper crafts and I have another one for Sewing crafts.

I was so pleased that in my stash of card pieces, having sorted and tidied them ( see my post 03/08, using your stash project 10) I had enough pretty card with white back to print all of these without going into new card. 

Now each time I make a sale at a show I will put in one of these cards showing the information for my blog.
When I package the items to sell I add contact information with the description on the packaging .
I also take business cards for the table. 

As we go toward the holiday season I will add ideas for wrapping and point of sale, as well as some of my projects I am making for the Craft Fayre/s I am attending. I just do a couple for Christmas. 

An example of how I might add my card with a piece of "happy mail" to a small sale on Ebay. This is a giant paperclip (that I also sell) and is useful as a clip, bookmark or parcel embellishment. 

Happy Crafting 
Dee

   

New Wallets

Hi Crafters

After the last post of the wallets I had made, I could not resist and made some more from quality card stock.

These are made from double sided First Edition card pad. I really love the simplicity and usefulness of these and will definately be making lots for my Christmas Craft Fayres

Back Soon

Dee

Simple Wallets for storage & gifts

Hi Crafters

Today I took delivery of a Kam Fastener, a simple little gadget that allows you put plastic poppers onto your crafted items.

I tried it out and then set about making a set of folders to use the poppers on.

These are my first items made and I am very pleased with the ease of use and results.

There are a couple of little things to remember 

• Make sure when marking the place for the poppers with your pencil, it is only 1- 1.5cm or so from the edge as the gadget (like a hole punch) has little space between the handles and the punching part 

• Ensure the button part is sitting flat before punching it into place or you will only squash one side of the inner, and the popper will not pop in properly.

• Use a trial piece to get use to the gadget and ensure you are happy with positioning and working the popper onto the project because if you get it wrong there is no good way of removing the damaged pieces.

I think this is a great addition to the craft stash and I will use it with fabric bags and boxes as well 

I purchased the set on Ebay and it came with a large tray of 24 different coloured poppers each set requires 4 pieces 

2 Outer buttons and a male and female inner.

The set also contained another arm for different size poppers, a screwdriver to change the arm over and a pocky took to make your hole in which to place the popper. 

I will definately be making a lot more folders for any craft shows that I do as they are so useful. These were made from a single sheet of 12 x 12 with a 3" cut from the side and these pieces were used to make the concertina insides, so there is no waste. But you can play with the sizes to suit your requirements. 

The finished folders are 9" x 5.5"
Great for vouchers

Travel documents

Receipts and statements etc

Happy Crafting
Dee

Great Storage Pockets for Dies

Hi Crafters

Just a quick post today to pass on a great idea from a great blogger,  Ann at Positively Papercraft.
If like me, you have a lot of dies and you like to keep them as tidy as possible, you will have them on Magnetic sheets and in pouches.

I have most of mine on magnetic sheets and these are popped into plastic file sleeves. This works reasonably well, but with 3 storage boxes full,  the plastic sleeves are soft and this makes the pack a little bendy.

Ann at Positively Papercraft shared a great tip to make cost effective pouches that are sturdy. 
Take  a laminate pouch and cut the joined end off 1cm and cut 1cm from the side.
Turn the pouch inside out and put both pieces into another laminate pouch.
Put through your laminating machine and then cut the top off to produce a really sturdy storage pouch

You can make 2 smaller ones by cutting the 1st pouch in half (after trimming) and putting both halves into a second pouch. Make sure there is a space between the 2 halves and when laminated cut the whole folder in half and trim the tops so it opens up.

As the Pound shops all sell laminating pouches 10 for a £1 this is really affordable way of storing your dies. 

Thanks for stopping by and if you want more tips and crafts why not follow my blog by clicking on the follow button at the top of the page.

Dee

New Pop-Up Card

Hi Crafters

Today we have a new pop-up card for you
Very easy to make, so why not check out more ideas for this style on Pinterest or YouTube.

I have made a Christmas Card from a stash of card and toppers I bought in the sales.

Start the base card with a square of card.
I used a piece 8" x 8"
Score at 4", Turn and score again at 4"
Cut up the line from the middle base to the centre
Score from the top centre to the outside points of the middle line 
Fold back the top corner and fold the bottom piece to line up to make one square 
I secured this with a small split pin but you could use velcro (you want to be able to open it to up to be able to lay flat and post) 
Decorate the outside corners and make a small easel card to fit the middle of the base square.

For more inspiration look at Jan Brown on YouTube it is called a Triangular Pop Up Card

I would love to see any you make

Dee