Category Archives: Tutorial

Paper craft Christmas table decorations

20 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by in Boho Blossoms, Christmas, Curly label, Extra Large Oval, Home decorating, Petite curly label, Punches, Scallop oval, Tutorial, Word Window

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Hello!

Today I want to show you some crafts I’ve been making ready to decorate the table on Christmas Day.  This is the first year I’ve hosted Christmas at my house, so wanted to make the table look nice.

I have made laminated and stamped Christmas placemats, Santa hat place setting cards and Santa napkin rings for each guest.

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Laminated and stamped Christmas placemat

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Stamped Christmas place mat

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Punch art Santa hat place cards

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Punch art Santa belt napkin holders

These are all things I’ve featured in my blog in the past.  If you’d like to know how to make them, please check out the older posts for detailed instructions:

  • Laminated and stamped Christmas Placemats click here.
  • Punch art Santa place setting cards – and making the punch art Santa hat – click here.
  • Santa napkin rings – and making a punch art Santa belt – click here.

I’ll try and remember to post a picture of the decorated Christmas table!

Wishing you all the best for a happy Christmas and a safe and fun festive season.

Caro x

 

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Homemade advent calendar

28 Saturday Nov 2015

Posted by in 1 1/4 inch circle, 1 inch circle, 3D projects, Home decorating, Star, Tutorial, Washi tape

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I am ridiculously excited to show you what I’ve been working on over the past few days – an advent calendar!

  
I’ve just hung it on my wall after extracting solemn promises from Mr 6 that it will not be touched before 1 December! 

This is made with match boxes, a baking tray, magnets and glitter Washi tape to cover the boxes.  I also grabbed a few Christmas decorations to stick on the edge.  (And nothing but super glue worked to stick those suckers onto the metal!)

Here are some photos of how I put it all together:

   
    
    
    

    

  
  
The Washi tape is a Selley’s pack I bought at Costco. 
The numbers are a free download from http://justsomethingimade.com/2009/10/simple-spool-advent-calendars/.  

They work with a 1 inch circle punch.   I also used Stampin’ Up!’s glitter sheets and my  1 1/4 inch circle and star punches as backgrounds for the numbers. 

I stuck magnets on the back of each box so they would stick to the baking tray. 

I also used sticky strip to run sequins along the side edges of the tray and some Washi tape and glitter glue for the top and bottom. 

I stuck it to the wall using 3M removable hanging strips. 

So there you have it – my glittery, sparkly home made advent calendar.  Anyone got any ideas for what to do with hundreds of spare matches? 😉 

Thanks for reading. 

Caro

What to do with all this colouring in?

29 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Birthday, Bitty Butterfly, Elegant Butterly, General occasion, Punches, Small Heart, Thoughts and comments, Tutorial, Using up scraps

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I’m pleased to report in finally starting to feel a little better! Still off work, but I’ve graduated from lying down all day to being able to sit up for a few hours at a time. Progress!!!

Today I realised how many notebooks of scribbles and coloured in pictures I have lying around the house. 

I have a lot of long teleconferences in my job. One of my favourite things to do while listening on long calls is some doodling/colouring in that my son likes to call my “scribble scrabbles”.  

  
Today I decided to make some cards out of one of my “scribble scrabbles”.  First – to my punches!  Today I used large and small butterfly punches and a small heart punch:

   
 
Tip: the small heart punch is brilliant for using up the edges from paper where you’ve needed to leave spaces between larger punches.  However it can be tricky to use the punch with very small pieces of paper!  Here’s a quick tip: put the small piece you want to punch on the sticky side of a post it note. Too easy!

   
 
 

I had a lovely time sorting through my pile of old card stock and mixing and matching with punches. A great way to use up scraps! Here are some of the results of my playing today:

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
   
It felt so nice to be making something today!

Thanks for reading

Caro 

Olaf birthday card (from Frozen)

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in 1 1/4 inch circle, 1 3/8 circle, 1 inch circle, Bird Builder, Birthday, Cards, Cupcake Builder, Jewellery tag, Kids cards, Kids party, Modern Label, Owl, Punches, Tutorial, Word Window

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Hello

Sorry I haven’t posted to my blog in a while.  I’ve been pretty busy with not much time for crafting.   I finally got a chance to make some stuff recently though, so I will show you a few things over the next little while.

It is my little boy’s 5th birthday today (where did that time go?!?) and, like seemingly most children, he is currently quite obsessed with the movie Frozen.   So I decided to tackle Olaf the snowman for his birthday card.   Here is the end result:

Olaf the Snowman card (Frozen)

 

The card background is on Coastal Cabana card stock with some (retired) Winter Frost designer series paper.  I used my dazzling details glitter to add some sparkly snowflakes in the background.  I wrote the greeting (“I like warm hugs” with my Coastal Cabana Stampin’ Write marker and punched it out with the word window punch.  I used the modern label punch to do the background, also in Coastal Cabana.  I put a couple of dots of dazzling details glitter on either side of the greeting for some extra sparkle.

Here’s how I made Olaf (all pieces punched from Whisper White unless otherwise specified):

The base of the snowman – 1 3/4 inch circle punch, with approximately 1/2 cm cut off the bottom

The middle of the snowman – 1 3/8 inch circle punch, with approximately 1/4 cm cut off the bottom

Head – the large oval punch

Feet – the two large circles from the owl builder punch

Buttons – the middle sized circles from the owl builder punch (Basic Black)

Arms – 2 x branches from the bird builder punch (Chocolate Chip).  I thought about trimming the leaves down to make the arms look slightly more twig like, but I decided that was far too much effort!)

Mouth – oval punch (cut off about 1/3 from the top)

Teeth – the base of the jewellery tag punch (retired).  If you don’t have this punch you could easily cut a small rectangle freehand.

Nose – I punched a 1 inch circle punch and then cut it down to an oval freehand

Nose – the candle from the cupcake builder punch (I also thought about using the candle from the same punch, I think either would work) (Tangerine Tango)

Eyes – I glued on some goggly eyes with some mini glue dots.

I drew on the eyebrows with a black texta and have since been informed by Mr 5 that I should have drawn on his hair as well.   Feedback was noted, hair has now been drawn on (although I don’t have a picture of that!).

Apart from the minor criticism about my attention to hair detail, Olaf was received with much excitement today!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll try not to be so long between posts next time

Caro x

 

 

Upcycled container card sets

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in 3D projects, Blossom, Card sets, Cards, General occasion, Gift card holders, Love notes, Punches, Tutorial

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Hi!

I mentioned in a blog post the other day that I love to look at ordinary, every day things and figure out how to make them prettier.   The other day I was in my kitchen rinsing out some plastic containers that berries and cherry tomatoes had been stored in, when it occurred to me that they would probably make perfect little gift card holders?  And they did!

Yesterday I showed you some gift cards I made with the Stampin’ Up! blossom punch:

Blossom Punch gift card setHere’s what the cards looked like packaged up in a plastic cherry tomato container!

Upcycled tomato container gift card holderYou can see a little better on an angle:

Upcycled tomato container gift card holderThe cherry tomato containers comfortably hold 8-12 note cards plus envelopes.

Check out these little blueberry containers!  They hold 4 cards plus envelopes.

Upcycled berry container gift card setI decorated the inside and the top of the containers so they look really cute inside and out:

Berry container gift card setBerry container gift card setAnd here are a few sets looking very cute all grouped together:

Upcycled plastic container gift card setsI am so excited with this idea.  I may never recycle a plastic container again!!!!

Now to find the lucky recipients of some little gift card packs … 🙂

Thanks for reading

Caro x

Storage idea: sponge daubers

17 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in 3D projects, Boxes, Thoughts and comments, Tutorial

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Hi

Today I want to show you a fabulous idea I got from a fabulous Stampin’ Up! demonstrator in the UK – Sam at pootles.com.uk.   If you haven’t checked out her blog and videos on YouTube you must.  Now.  I insist!  (But please do come back!)

Look at my new (and OK, I admit, extremely anally retentive!) way to store my sponge daubers!

Sponge dauber storage box

I use these little daubers all the time, but spend ages in my drawer hunting for them, and then cleaning them before I use them to get rid of the last hint of colour from the last time I used them.  No more! Inspired by Sam’s blog post I bought a new set and  I now have a lovely little box with a sponge dauber for every colour I own.

The sponges are stored in one of Stampin’ Up!’s wood mount cases (you can now buy the cases in lots of 4 and they are soooooo handy!)

This is my box on the inside:

Wood mount case sponge dauber storage box

Sam at pootles.com.uk has a great video on how to make the inserts for the box.

I ended up changing the dimensions Sam gives for the inserts just ever so slightly for mine.  I used 9 strips of card stock 12.5 cm long and 2 cm wide, notched at 1 inch spaces.  (I know that is a weird switch between metric and imperial, but trust me, it’s easier that way!)   Then I used 4 strips of card stock 17.8cm wide with notches every 1.8 cm.  This gives you 5 rows of 10 spaces each for your sponges.

Card stock inserts for sponge dauber storage

To make the notches I made 2 cuts with my scissors on either side of my pen mark (perhaps 2mm apart) and just removed the tiny bit of paper in the middle.

One of the things Sam doesn’t show you in her video is how she got the little circles of colour on the colour chart in her box to show which dauber goes where.    Watching the video, she says it was a very messy process to do – and that I can believe!   So before I made my own box I did some thinking about how I could avoid the mess of inking up all the sponge daubers all at the same time.

I decided to make a 2 sided cover for my box.  A front cover where I could control the mess and dab on one colour at a time, and a blank grid to go on the inside where I will let the daubers ‘do their thing’ over time. (I also took the opportunity to re-arrange and re-ink my ink pads as I opened each one – oh, I was in my own little organisational-nerd heaven this afternoon!)

I cut a piece of white card stock 12.5 x 17.8cm and used my ruler to draw a grid the same dimensions as the notches in the card stock.   I used a few mini glue dots on the blank spaces in my ‘cover’ grid to stick it to the plastic on the cover of the box.

Thanks to Sam for a brilliant idea – and I am so chuffed to have all my daubers so neatly arranged 🙂

Thanks for reading

Caro x

Cut out card technique

05 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by in 1 3/4 circle, Baby cards, Birthday, Cards, Decorative Label, General occasion, Punches, Tutorial

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Yesterday I showed you a card I made with a cut out image in it.   I think of this as a peek-a-boo card!

Baby punch out card

Today I wanted to show you how to make it.

Step 1:  fold a card blank.   I used my 1 3/4 inch circle punch, but you could use any shape you like.     Centre the punch at the top of the front of the card and punch out an image.

IMAG0168Step 2:  stick the image on the inside of the card so you can see it through the open circle on the front.  Tip!  Do not try and glue this from the inside.  Close the card and stick the image to the inside of the card through the hole on the front.   This will make sure you get a perfect alignment.

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Step 3: decorate the front of the card however you like.  This will probably mean covering over the circle you’ve cut out, but this doesn’t matter.  We’ll fix that later.   I’ve kept this card front really simple:

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The hole is hiding there under the purple card stock.

Step 4: Once you’ve decorated the card, open it, and cut a circle on the inside from the same hole as the first one you cut.

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(Note: this picture is upside down from how you’d see it if you were punching yourself!)

This is how it will look like when finished:

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And you’re done!  A very simple card but pretty effective I think?

My mother is sitting here while I’m typing this and she says to say it’s so simple even your mother could make it! Here’s a picture of a card we made together this afternoon using the same technique:

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This technique also works with other punches.  Tomorrow I will show you a couple of cards I’ve made using the same technique but a different punch.

I hope you enjoy making some of these.

Caro x

Another handy card layout

21 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by in Birthday, Cards, General occasion, Tutorial, Using up scraps

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Hi.  Thanks for dropping by!

Today I wanted to show you another handy card layout that you can adapt for a whole range of occasions.  For example, Mothers’ Day:

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Or birthdays:

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Or just general occasion:

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To make these you need the following pieces:

Base card – A6 card

DSP layer – 14.2 x 10 cm

Layer to mat the white/tie ribbon – 9.5 x 7 cm

White/vanilla layer – 7 x 5.5 cm

Ribbon

Decorate the white/vanilla layer however you like and tie the ribbon onto the mat layer and you have a simple card.

One tip for tying a ribbon bow on the card.   I find it easier to glue the ribbon to the back of the mat layer and then stick the mat layer onto the card before tying the bow.

IMAG0073It’s harder to put glue on the back of the mat layer when the bow is already tied – plus you will probably squish your beautiful bow!  I also find it much easier to tie a bow when the ribbon is already securely attached to the card stock so it doesn’t wriggle about!

Hopefully this has given you some ideas for another simple card to make when you’re a bit short on time.

Thanks for reading

Caro

A tip for punching small pieces of card stock

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in 1 inch square, Cupcake Builder, Tutorial, Using up scraps

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Yesterday I showed you how I made some hot air balloon baskets with the Stampin’ Up! cupcake builder punch and the 1 inch square punch.

Making these baskets is a brilliant way to use up scraps of card stock.   Do you remember I made some Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer decorations a few weeks back?  Ever since then I have had 6 soft suede circles on my desk that I was trying to figure out what to do with, as well as a pile of off cuts.

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All very uninspiring … until I realised they could be hot air balloon baskets!

Today I wanted to show you a tip for punching small pieces out of scrap paper.  It can be very fiddly trying to get the small piece in the right place and keep it there long enough to punch.

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Solution?  Use a post it note to help you!

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This is a really handy tip for whenever you want to punch something out of a smaller piece of paper.

I hope this helps!

Caro

Lion birthday card

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in 1 3/4 circle, 3/4 inch circle, Blossom, General occasion, Kids cards, Masculine, Owl, Tutorial

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The other day I showed you a gift wrapped present for a friend’s 40th birthday.   Today I’m going to show you the card I made him.    This friend is a big Brisbane Lions fan – so of course my little man decided that he needed to have a lion card made in Brisbane Lions colours.     A creative challenge for someone who has no idea about AFL!

First step in the creative process:  Google to see what the Brisbane Lions logo looks like!

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Second: figure out the Brisbane Lions colours.   I went with Pacific Point, Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze from Stampin’ Up!

Third: figure out how to make a lion card!!  I was inspired by this card by Terry Blais.   This is my version:

photo-2Here’s how I made the lion:

Step 1:  punch 2 flowers from the Blossom Punch in Cajun Craze.  Then punch out 3 petals from the Blossom Punch in Crushed Curry.   The Cajun Craze pieces will be the mane and the Crushed Curry will be the lion’s paws.

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Step 2: punching pieces for the face.   I used a 1 3/4″ circle for the face and 2 x 3/4 inch circles for the cheeks.   I cut the eyes and nose using the Owl builder punch.

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Step 3: assembling the lion!!    I stuck the 2 Cajun Craze pieces together using dimensionals so the second layer of the mane had some height.  I then stuck the 1 3/4 circle on top and stuck on the pieces for the face.  I added goggley eyes for a bit of extra cuteness.  You could also use black eye centres from the owl punch, or even just draw black dots with a pen.

Step 4: adding the lions paws.   I cut the centre petal out of the Crushed Curry Blossom Punch piece like this:

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This worked well as 2 lion paws.

Here is the finished lion:

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I used a sponge dipped in Cajun Craze ink to dab around the paws and face for a little extra colour.   A black pen for the whiskers and freckles and I was done.

I matted a Happy Birthday greeting in Cajun Craze on a Crushed Curry background and put it on an angle so it looked like the lion was holding a sign with its paws.

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I think the birthday boy thought it was very cute (even though not exactly your traditional 40th birthday card!)

Thanks for reading

Caro