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