Tuesday, 15 July 2008

Never Ending Card

It's been a very long time since I've made a "never-ending card". I have an old tutorial that has odd scoring measurements like 1 1/16" and 3 3/16" so I decided to revise it. With these new measurements, it is much easier to use the Scor-Pal for this project!

This has also been called a "four-in-one card". Hope this tutorial inspires you to make your own!

NEVER ENDING CARD

Supplies:
4" x 10" piece of solid cardstock (I used Bazzill)
Scor-Pal
Adhesive
Paper trimmer or craft knife
Stamps (I used Always Remember from TAC)
Ink
Other flat embellishments (optional)
Scrap pieces of patterned paper (I used Angelee from TAC):
(4) 2 1/4" x 3/4"
(8) 2 1/4" x 1 3/4"
(8) 1" x 3/4"
(4) 1" x 1 3/4"

Directions:

Step 1: (see red lines) Click to enlarge if you need to.
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Step 2 (see blue lines) Click to enlarge if you need to.
______________________________________________

Step 3: (see green lines) Turn cardstock so the short side is at the top upper left corner of the Scor-Pal. Score at 1" and 3" from the top edge down to the first score line ONLY. Turn cardstock around and do the same thing at the other end.
______________________________________________

Step 4: (see black lines) Using a paper trimmer or craft knife, make a cut in the center (2" each side) from the 2 1/2" score line down to the 7 1/2" score line.
______________________________________________

Step 5: Now cut on the 2 1/2" score line from the 1" line down to the 3" line. Do the same thing on the 7 1/2" score line.


Step 6: Place adhesive in the four places designated by gray shading in the diagram. Fold the left end up on the 2 1/2" score line, and the right end on the 7 1/2" score line, so they meet in the middle. They will be adhered to the back layer at four places.
______________________________________________

Step 7: Adhere scrap pieces of patterned paper in place. Stamp and embellish as desired.



The picture above shows the beginning of card (gate-fold style).

Open and fold sides to the back to get the next view:


Now, flip top up and bottom down to get this view:


Next, open the sides and fold to the back again and you'll have the next view:


To go back to the beginning, flip the top up and bottom down. It "NEVER ENDS"!


Let me know if you make one! Have a great day, Tootles!


A note from Julie

Vicki I love this ~ Thank you!!!
To see more brilliant creations from Vicki Click HERE and if you use Vicki's Tutorial to make your own 'never ending card' please let us have a link so that we can come and see :)

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Hi everyone

I'd like to say a big "Thank you" to everyone that has contributed to this blog so far and to everyone who visits every day and links here from their blog

Thank you! xx

I am still on the look out for contributors to this blog so if you have any Tips, Techniques or Tutorials to share please let me know.

You may have a small tip that is only 5 words long .... that is fine please share

You may have made a video tutorial..... I love video's and watching others craft...please share :)

If you have emailed me and not heard back then I haven't received your email ~ in this case please leave a comment on my personal blog HERE and I will get back to you.

Thanks once again everyone

Julie x

Friday, 11 July 2008

Little Plaid Flower Tutorial

Just a quick little tutorial to make the simple plaid flowers from my Nellie 5th Birthday Card.

Here is the list of items needed to make this little flower:
  • Scraps of two different patterned/coloured paper
  • Moulding mat
  • Flower punch
  • 1/4" circle punch
  • Pva
  • Embossing ball tool
  • Tweezers make handling the small pieces easier, but not essential


Punch out one flower shape and one circle.

Place the flower upside down on the moulding mat. Emboss around the edges of each petal as shown by the curved arrow.

Turn the flower over, and emboss in a circle around the base of the petals.

The petals will pop up like this.

Emboss around the edge of the little circle, working your way into the centre in a spiral motion. Go back around the outside edge to smooth out the wrinkles.

It should look like this - a bit like a contact lens.

Place a tiny spot of pva in the centre of the flower, and use the tweezers to stick the circle on top.
Finished flower.

You can use other flower shapes as shown. Those with petals that are cut close in to the centre work the best - as with the 8 and 6 petaled flowers here. The five petaled flowers have larger centre areas in relation to their size, and the petals don't pop up quite as well.

post signature

A note from Julie

These are the cutest flowers Joanne I love them!!

Everybody go and check out Joanne's inspiring blog HERE

Monday, 7 July 2008

Coupon Book

Here is a tutorial for a Coupon Book. It's made out of CD envelopes! I know, right?! Who'dathunkit! This is the perfect little book for storing coupons because each page has a "window" so you can see at a quick glance if you have any coupons in that category or not. How cool is that!

We all know how the price of food is going up, up, up! So if you are a coupon clipper, then check this out!

Supplies:
(8) CD envelopes
Bind-It-All
5/8" Bind-It-All O-wires
(2) 5" x 5" chipboard
(10) 5" x 5" patterned paper or cardstock
(2) 5" x 5" white cardstock
1" circle punch
paper trimmer
adhesive
file tabs/inserts
stamps, ink, ribbon, and other embellishments

Directions:
1. Using your paper trimmer, cut the flap off of each CD envelope.
2. Cover chipboard pieces with patterned paper on one side and white cardstock on the other.

3. Stamp around the edge on the front of each envelope.

4. Adhere patterned paper to the back of each envelope. I used the Brighten My Day Wing It Collection from The Angel Company.

5. Punch a half circle at the top/front of each CD envelope using the 1" circle punch.

6. Bind the book all together with the Bind-It-All.
7. Attach file tabs to each envelope. My categories are hand-written on the inserts. You can make up your own coupon categories but here is what I used: Beverages, Breakfast, Cleaners, Dairy, Fruit & Veg., Misc., Snacks, and Pet Supply.

8. Embellish the front and back as desired.

Enjoy!

Thanks Vicki for another brilliant tutorial :)
You can check out Vicki's FAB Blog HERE
If you make a coupon book using Vicki's Tutorial please leave a comment with a link to your creation so we can have a look

Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Another Fantastic Flower tutorial from Joanne


These flowers are simple to make, and don't take as long as the steps in the tutorial would imply!
It is important to make sure that the pieces are dry before attempting any shaping.

Supplies:
  • Plain white printer paper
  • Green card or paper
  • Punches - leaf, heart, 1/4" circle, stamen
  • Embossing mat (or similar spongy surface)
  • Sponge
  • Markers
  • Tweezers, Needle tool (or darning needle), embossing ball tool
  • Stickles
  • PVA glue















For each flower punch out four hearts, one 1/4" circle, and one stamen from the white paper, and one leaf from the green.




















Put a small blob of pva glue on a scrap of paper, and touch the point of the heart to it to transfer a tiny bit of glue. Only a very tiny amount is needed.


















Stick the four hearts to the circle as shown.



















Sponge colour onto the outer edge of the heart petals. I used colour from my marker, and transfered it onto the sponge by wiping the brush nib repeatedly in a patch on the sponge. Set aside to dry.



















Using the markers, colour the stamen shape as shown. Then add a touch of Stickles glitter glue on each rounded end. Set aside to dry.




















Place the heart assembly face down on the embossing mat. Using the needle tool held flat on the mat, curl each curve of the heart top by making a sweeping motion from the edge towards the centre - a bit like spreading butter. Press gently into the mat at the same time. If it curls too much then use less pressure, too little then use more. Only do this just on the curved parts of the heart shape - not all the way in to the centre.

















Turn the piece face up again, and using the ball embossing tool start at the base of one heart, and make a spiral going in towards the centre. At first use only very gentle pressure, and then get a little firmer as you get into the middle. The more you want the shape to cup, the more pressure you need. If it cups more than you want, then gently spread the petals back down with your fingers.



































Use the embossing tool in the same way to cup the stamen shape. Don't use the tool over the ends with the glitter glue.

















Put a tiny spot of glue in the centre of the heart assembly, and add the stamens. If you don't have a bottle with a fine applicator, then use a cocktail stick or toothpick to apply a spot.














Place the leaf onto the embossing mat, and use the needle tool to score vein lines. Hold the tool flat against the mat, and press and pull the point from the stem of the leaf towards the tip. Then draw the needle from the centre vein to the edges to create the side veins.
































Turn the flower upside down and put a tiny blob of pva in the centre. Place the stem of the leaf in the blob of glue. Leave to dry.
















Finished flower. I have added a touch of clear Stickles to the centre of the flower - still wet in the photo!













In the arrangement I made on the challenge card, I added a few extra leaves here and there to fill it out. It is not necessary to stick the leaf to the flower base if you find it more convenient for your arranging.

A note from Julie

Thank you to Joanne for another brilliant tutorial ~ you can find more of Joanne's lovely creations on her Mainly Flowers blog HERE

If you use Joanne's Tutorial to make your own flowers please leave a comment with a link to your creation so that we can come and admire xx

Monday, 30 June 2008

How to make labels for your craft

Transfer method

You will need

Label_tut_6




  • Word Processor/Graphic editor to design your logo


  • Strip of fabric ( I'm using ribbons for this tutorial)


  • Iron


  • 1 Sheet of Iron on transfers ( I've used Rymans)


  • Inkjet printer


  • Your creative head


Design your Logo

I use Corel Paint Shop Pro to design my logo. For this tutorial I've used Microsoft Word as most people have this word processor.



  1. For a step by step guide on creating your logo using Microsoft Word try this


  2. This is an important step for this method. Once you are happy with your logo, group your images together then flip your design to create a mirror image. Here's a step by step guide on how to group images


  3. To flip the images make a copy of your original image(now grouped). Highlight the copied image.On the drawing toolbar, click on draw, then click on rotate or flip then on flip horizontal. Here's a picture of my logos before and after I flipped it Label_tut_3_2





Print your Logo

  1. Highlight your flipped image and on the drop down menu click on copy.



  2. On the menu bar Click on Tools. On the drop down menu highlight Letters and Mailings. From the sub menu click on Envelopes and Labels. You should get something like this Label_tut_1_2







  3. Click on options and you will get this Label_tut_2




  4. From the label products menu choose a template. I've chosen the Avery Standard and 8460 address. Play around with this until you find a label that works for your design


  5. Click ok and it should take you back to the screen in step 2. Now click on New Document and a new screen will open. If there are no grid lines showing on the menu bar click on Table and on the drop down menu click on Show Gridlines


  6. Right click your mouse and an image of your logo should appear on the document. Move the image into the boxes. repeat this process until you have filled all the boxes.Play around with the position of the images and adjust the box height and width until you are happy with the positioning.You can make the image smaller or bigger by left clicking on the image and dragging any of the circles.


  7. Once you are happy, print your images directly on to the transfer sheet( Follow manufacturers instructions)


Transfer image to Fabric



  1. Cut your printed logos into strips like this Label_tut_7




  2. Iron the strips on to your chosen fabric (Follow manufacturers instructions)


  3. You should now have something like this Label_tut_4_2







  4. Cut to your required length. I've used a pinking scissors for a decorative edge.


sew your label on to your lovely craft or use fabric glue. I also use studs both to secure and to add an extra bling to my labels Label_tut_5




This is quick and easy once you've got the hang of it and the results can be really pretty. The disadvantage of this method is that it will wear off with time and you cant iron it once the image is transferred.



in part 2 there's a tutorial on how to make labels using another method. Hope you enjoyed this one. if you found it useful or you need me to explain any of the steps drop me a line.



Iron- on Adhesive method



You will need



Labels_part_2









  • Word Processor/Graphic editor to design your logo


  • fabric measuring 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" ( Size of A4 paper) I am using plain old cotton for mine


  • Iron- on Adhesive( I've used Therm o Web, Heat n Bond purchased from John Lewis Uk)


  • Iron


  • Inkjet Printer


  • Your creative head


Design your Logo



  1. Follow step 1 and 2 in this post to design your label but don't flip your finished image. Group your images together so you have one completed image


Prepare Fabric for printing



  1. Cut the iron- on adhesive thingy (Therm o web, Heat n Bond) to the same size as the fabric (A4 paper) and then follow the manufacturers instructions for bonding it to your fabric. ( Don't peel of the backing paper yet)


Tut_part_2



The one on the right is the iron adhesive cut to size ( It comes in the pack as one strip 17" x1.25 yards) Ps it doesn't usually arrive this ruffled I've ruffled it to show the difference as its the same colour as my fabric.



Part_2



and this is it ironed on and bonded.



Print your Logo



  1. Follow steps 1 - 6 under Print your logo in this post ( Ignore the bit about flipping your image)


  2. Put the bonded fabric in your printer and print your design. ( if your fabric is thick you may need to give it a bit of a helping hand )


Label_part_2_logo



This is what it looks like printed out.



I leave the backing paper on and cut the labels to the size and shape as needed.



Once you cut to the size and shape, peel of the backing paper and iron on to your bag/craft.( Follow manufacturers instructions) You can also sew it on.



Blog_logo



...and this is the label on my craft-y bag



Blog_bag



and the label belongs to this bag



This is the method I use for my labels. You can sew it, its washable and you can iron it. I suspect there's a lot more creativity to come out of it yet.



A bit about Therm o Web.



I think this is an American product. I did buy mine from John Lewis (UK) a while ago. I went back for more recently and they had sold out.



I've done a search on the web for UK based suppliers and so far have found this web site. Somewhere on the site it does say they are trade suppliers but I haven't checked it out yet.



If you do know of a shop either on line or bricks and mortar selling this product please let me know.

Hope you found this tutorial useful. If you did I'd love to hear from you.

Oge

x

A note from Julie :

Thank you Oge for a great tutorial

Please check out Oge's fantastic site HERE it is FAB!!