November 25th, 2016
Inside: how to make a simple tree paper piecing card I’m terrible at math but even I know that according to Aristotle, a philosopher in Ancient Greece, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Apparently it doesn’t only works in math or life it also works in crafts. In the crafts case a few simple paper pieces can create something truly pretty. WHAT IS PAPER PIECING Paper-piecing is a fun way to add texture, interest and patterns to your design. It’s a great alternative to coloring stamped images and a fabulous way to use any scraps of paper that are just too good to throw away! THE BASICS OF PAPER PIECING Paper is usually a technique made with stamps and cut out paper pieces. However it can also be created just from pieces of paper to assemble a pattern or an image without the base of a stamped image. Consider …
November 23rd, 2016
Inside: how to make a pop up slider card the easy way! When you have been crafting for a long time like I am you love learning new things that challenge you and excite you. Lately I’ve been exploring paper engineering and pop-up in particular. It is so much fun to create these pop up cards and projects and see people’s reaction to them. If you stick around I’ll teach you how to make an easy pop up slider card that people will love to receive! POP UP SLIDER CARD By making a few simple cuts into a piece of card, you can create a tab (or multiple tabs) that you push forward and decorate, or you can make it 3D and stick a cutout image to it. Not only is it fun, it’s easy, too. To make this card you will need to be accurate with your measuring and cutting. Otherwise the …
November 22nd, 2016
Inside: how to make an easy Christmas spinner card 3D cards are a great way not only to surprise your family and friends with amazing and unique holiday cards but to get into the holiday spirit by displaying them. One of these cards is a spinner card. WHAT IS A SPINNER CARD Spinner cards are fun, interactive cards that cause an image to spin quickly when the card is opened. They come in different designs and shapes but there is always a twisting element in the center. SPINNER CARD TUTORIAL Start with making the four panels that assemble the card. I used a base paper and a cover paper to create a contrast but you can use just one piece of paper for each panel. Next you’ll need to cut out a circle from the center of each panel. You can find more information about how to cut circles here. Attach a twine …
November 21st, 2016
Inside: how to make a folded Christmas tree card Adding a Christmas tree to your Christmas card is a classic way to make handmade holiday cards and the best way to do that is to make a folded tree Christmas card. HOW TO FOLD A PAPER TREE There are many techniques and ways to make folded paper Christmas trees in a 2D and 3D looks. I’m going to show you how you can do it in just 5 minutes! The idea is to use half a circle as the base shape to fold the tree. HOW TO CUT A CIRCLE In order to use half a circle you need to cut a full circle first. You can cut a circle with: A circle cutting system Use calipers to draw a circle and then cut it Trace a plate or a large circle and cut it Here are some circle cutting systems …
November 6th, 2016
Inside: how to make art journaling with Distress ink People often complain that they don’t have enough materials or supplies to make art journal pages or other crafts. I think that not having everything is sometimes an advantage. I once taught an art journaling class and I said that you can make an art journal page with just two materials. The girls laughed at me and challenged me to show them how to do it. So I made an art journal page with just Distress inks and stencils! ART JOURNALING WITH DISTRESS INK Every art journal page has two main elements: background and a focal point. In order to make these elements you can use any material or technique. Limiting your supplies forces you to be more creative and come up with ways to make what you want with what you have. DISTRESS INKS Distress inks are water-based dye inks that have incredible …
