Day to Day

Tutorial: Letter storage album

 

A few weeks ago I asked my Facebook followers what they would like to see more of on the blog and there were lots of requests for me to bring back creative tutorials again, so as a new regular feature I'll be sharing a 'mini' tutorial with you each week.  The feature will go up every Friday, hopefully in time to inspire you to create over the weekend.   

My first feature is for the snail mail letter writers out there, a letter storage album created from basic and easy to find supplies.  Perhaps you joined up for The Craft Revival creative penpal swap (I did!) and need somewhere special to store your letters or maybe you have cards and memorabilia saved away for a rainy day, and you'd just like somewhere nice to keep them.  

This project is suited for a beginner and you should be able to whip it up within the hour.  Let's get started.

Step 1: Gather your supplies!  You'll need:

• x2 pieces of plain cardstock - cut to size 23cm X 12cm
• x10 manilla envelopes - mine measured 22cm x 11cm  
• x1 envelope (for covering) - mine measures 16.5 cm x 9.5cm
• x10 large shipping tags (available at most newsagencies) or make your own like I did - you'll need a sheet of cardstock for this.
• x1 small shipping tag - for the front of album.
• String or ribbon - approximately 2.7 metres for the tags + 1.2 metres for wrapping. 
• x2 jump rings - available at most newsagencies.
• Hole punch, scissors, corner rounder (not necessary), double sided tape or glue, foam mounting tape (optional).
• Other supplies to have on hand - postage stamp, patterned paper, letter stickers, deco tape and any other scrapbooking goodies that you might like to use.

Step 2: Punch holes in all the closed ends of the x10 manilla envelopes.

Step 3: Corner round two ends on each piece of plain cardstock - use the photograph from step 5 (below) as a guide for this.

Step 4: Select a piece of patterned paper to cover the extra envelope with. 

Step 5: Let's work on the front cover.  Add a thick strip of washi/deco tape onto the front piece of cardstock, approximately 1.5cm in from the right hand side edge.  Cut the selected piece of patterned paper to size, so that it fits on the front of the extra envelope and adhere into position.  

Step 6: My envelope already had a nice patterned sealing flap - if yours doesn't,  just cut and adhere another piece of patterned paper into position.  Adhere the envelope onto the album front and wrap your 1.2 metre length of string/ribbon around the front cover, overlapping the envelope as shown and tying off into in a bow.  Use letter stickers up the side to create a title for the album.  Stamp or write the year on the right hand top side of the envelope.

Step 6a: Make the mini tag for the album front - adhere an old postage stamp on the lower area of the tag using foam mounting tape.  For those that haven't used this before, it's squishy tape that gives your embellishments a lift.  Type, write or print your text onto paper, cut out into strips and adhere onto the top of the tag.  Use the foam mounting tape to adhere the tag onto the album front.

Step 7: You're nearly finished, just the inside to go!  Using cardstock, cut out ten 12cm X 6.5cm tags or purchase some shipping tags of similar size from your local newsagency.

Step 8: Cut the 2.7m piece of string/ribbon into 10 equal pieces and tie a small bow on the end of each shipping tag.  Type, print or write 'Letters from ..........................' onto each tag and add a small piece of washi/deco tape, below or above the text.

Step 9: Use foam mounting tape to bond the completed tags onto each envelope.  Ensure the tag hangs over the edge of envelope about 1cm & adhere a small rectangle of patterned paper above the tag (5cm X 3.5cm) to finish.

Step 10: Punch holes in the front and back cover (to match the envelopes) and secure the project with two jump rings.  Alternatively, you could tie everything together with string, yarn or ribbon.

Now you just have to wait for the letters to fill your letter box, so you can fill the envelopes.  Remember, you can add extra envelopes to the project as they're required - each one should hold quite a few letters though.

Happy snail mailing & may all your letters be good ones.

Christmas gift wrapping & tag tutorial

Only 80 days to go!  

So far I'm feeling pretty on track with Christmas - lists have been written and quite a few gifts are even ready to wrap.  Yep.  I always aim to have the majority of my gifts made/bought and wrapped by December 1st, so they're ready to put underneath the tree at the start of the month.

Since I do have gifts ready to go, I've already started to think about wrapping and tag ideas for this year.  I'm doing budget again for 2012 - I bought a HUGE plain roll of brownish paper for $2 at a local store, that will hopefully be sufficient for all of my wrapping.  I also purchased a roll of lunch wrap (baking paper) from the supermarket ($1-20) and some shipping tags + little manilla envelopes.  You can pick these up at most newsagencies (stationery area) and they're cheap!  Some cupboard searching found my final supplies of deco tape, fabric scraps and green felt.

Materials list:

• Brown paper
• Lunch wrap
• Spotty fabric scraps- or Christmas fabric to suit
• Felt scraps
• Deco tape - or clear tape
• Shipping tag
• Small manilla envelope
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Sewing machine - other options are to stitch by hand or glue.

How to:

Right, let's get wrapping!

Step 1: Wrap the gift with brown paper.

 

Step 2: Tear off a generous piece of lunch wrap, ensuring that the length is able to wrap around the gift comfortably.  Scrunch the lunch wrap a little bit (use the above photos as a guide), wrap around the gift and secure each end at the back with deco tape.

Step 3: Cut a small strip of fabric and wrap around the lower section of the manilla envelope.  Secure with a piece of deco tape at the back.

Step 4: Fashion a Christmas tree out of a small scrap of felt.  If you're not confident with free hand cutting, draw up a template on paper to use.

Step 5:  Slide the shipping tag down behind the fabric, pop the felt tree onto the lower right hand corner and machine stitch roughly around the tree.  I used a zig-zag stitch for this, but straight stitching or hand stitching would be fun too.  Alternatively you could adhere the tree into place and omit the stitching.

Step 6: Cut a small strip of fabric and tie onto the shipping tag, at the top.

Step 7: Add a Christmas greeting on the tag and staple onto the lunch wrap.  You're ready to start wrapping the other gifts now!

I'm going to make up a big batch of tags over the next few days, so they're ready to go as I start wrapping next month.

Don't forget to pop over to Tamar's blog, to take a peek at her Christmas post.  She's having a night out tonight, so her post isn't quite up yet - tomorrow though!

How to do a popcorn stitch :: crochet

*please note - photos are a little bit blurry because they're instagram pics taken with my phone*

I shared a mini tutorial over on instagram the other day and thought I'd pop the photos/steps on my blog too.  I know quite a few of you have either purchased or are keen on getting hold of the 200 crochet block book, so this might be handy for the super cute pop corn stitch that's used for some of the blocks.

The popcorn stitch is quite addictive once you start - it creates a little crocheted puff or 'pop corn' for your block.

Step 1 - Do three trebles into your centre of your work:

Step 2 - Remove the crochet hook:

Step 3 - Put the hook back in, like shown:

Step 4 -  Pull the hook through like you are slip stitching:

Step 5: Final step - pull it nice and tight, then do 3 chain & start the next popcorn! Super easy peasy:

Happy popping!

Valentines Day craft

If you're stuck for Valentines Day craft ideas this year, here's a linky list to all of my previous Valentines Day tutorials:

Love necklace, my favourite! Link HERE.

Make your own heart buttons, link HERE.

Sew a love heart brooch, link HERE.

Valentines Day gift wrapping, link HERE.

Fabric love heart album, link HERE.

Carve your own Valentines Day stamps, link HERE.

Happy making,

Christmas card tutorial - vlog style

Quite a few readers have asked if I'm going to do some crafty tutorial vlogs at some stage.  Well, I didn't really think about it when I started vlogging, but with Christmas just around the corner I thought it might be a good time to start.

So I put together a Christmas card tutorial this morning, showing you step by step how to create some easy cards for the festive season.  They're super quick to make and are all using basic (and inexpensive) supplies that you'll be able to easily track down.  I've also provided some options for switching products around, if you don't happen to have something quite on hand.

My laptop films everything on the flip side, so apologies for the card seeming like you're viewing it in a mirror.  I'm not sure how to overcome this in my vlogs yet!

I hope you enjoyed watching :)

Question: Would you like more crafty step by step vlogs or do you prefer the old fashioned way of step by step photographs?

DIY: Matchbook album

Welcome to day the final day of our Hip Hip Hooray for winter series.   Goodness, this week has flown by - I really hope that you've enjoyed all of the projects.

I'm sharing a tutorial on how to create a matchbook album.  It's a paper based project with small manilla envelopes inside.  These can be used to hold receipts, notes, important messages or anything really.  This project literally took me 10 minutes to make and that was with taking photos along the way!

Materials required: Small manilla envelopes 8cm X 13.5cm (available at most newsagencies), a piece of cardstock, vintage book pages, small paper doily, scissors, stapler and some deco tape.

Let's get started!

Step 1: Trim the top flap off each envelope (I used 5 envelopes) and add a piece of deco tape over the existing adhesive.  Cut a strip of cardstock - mine measured 30.5cm (length) X 9.5cm (width) and position the envelope at the bottom of the strip - approximately 2cm up from the edge.  Fold the 2cm flap of cardstock over and up towards the envelope, as shown in the step photographs above.

Step 2: Fold the top flap of cardstock over and down, ensuring that it tucks under the bottom flap slightly - shown above in the step photograph.  Trim and adhere some vintage book pages onto the outside of the matchbook album (or patterned paper) and add a piece of paper doily to the side.

Step 3: Staple a title onto the front doily.  Adhere extra patterned paper/book pages onto the inside cover of the matchbook album.  Staple the envelopes into position.  Pop it into your bag for extra cuteness while you're out and about.  

I hope you have enjoyed our little winter series - back to normal blogging tomorrow:) Don't forget to head over to Tamar's blog to see what she has for you today.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

DIY: Cupcake making kit

Welcome to day four of our Hip Hip Hooray for winter series.  Today's project is a very simple one, but a super fun gift for a little person to receive - a cupcake kit, complete with Mummy & me cooking invitation and a super easy cupcake recipe. 

I bought a plain cardboard box from a $2 store and then popped in a few cute cooking items - sprinkles, pre made sugar flowers, cupcake wrappers, a cheap icing set, green sparkly icing in a tube and some cake pop sticks.  The cake pop sticks were just an extra for another baking day - but I decided to include them for fun.

Type up your cupcake date details on a tag (see above photo) and also pop a little envelope in the box with the recipe written inside it.  I know packet mixes are easy and fast (so you could include one if you wish) but seriously the recipe that I'm sharing below is VERY simple and equally as fast :)  Bella cooks this all the time and pretty much knows the ingredients off by heart.  It's a throw everything in together and just mix style recipe, which is perfect for little people.

Of course you can include anything you like in the cupcake making kit - for smaller children you could measure out the ingredients (ready to go) and pop them in some ziplock bags.  I think the sprinkles are a nice touch though, because all little people love sprinkles!

Cupcake recipe to include:

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup caster sugar

125 gram butter (melted)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pop the ingredients in a bowl and mix well for a couple of minutes.  Cook cupcakes in a moderate oven.

Don't forget to pop over to Tamar's blog HERE to see her fourth tutorial for our series and check back tomorrow for my final do-it-yourself project :)

P.S.  Don't forget that we have an awesome deal for advertising across two blogs and also in our popular teapot newsletter - go here for details.

DIY + Repurposing: Reading journal

Welcome to day three of our Hip Hip Hooray for winter series.  Today's post is all about repurposing, which is something I really enjoy doing.  To create my project, I've used an old children's story book that was falling apart and transformed it into a children's reading journal to record books that have been read during the year.

You can add as many lined pages as you wish inside the book.  I've mixed mine up with a few of the original story book pages (for fun!) and the beauty of the project is that once the journal is full, you can add more pages when needed:)

Supplies - x2 jump rings, an old vintage book (any size), lined paper, x3 pre-made tags (or make your own), ribbon, a small piece of cardstock (inside pocket), double sided tape, sticker re-inforcement rings (optional) and hand drill - how cute is mine below?! 

Let's get started!

Step 1: Remove the front and back covers from the vintage story book.  Cut the spine away from the main bulk of the story book pages - you can use the pages later to scatter throughout the journal or else save them for a different project.

Step 2: Select a piece of cardstock for the inside pocket and cut to size - you're aiming for the pocket to be approximately half the size of the front cover.  Using one of the inside book pages, cut another piece (the same size) for the pocket.

Step 3: Adhere the book page to the cardboard.

Step 4: Apply double sided tape around the outer edge (3 sides) of the pocket. Adhere the pocket to the inside front cover - as shown in the photograph below.

I added three tags to the pocket, to make it a little bit more interesting and whimsical.  These were pre bought (from Typo) but you could easily make your own or use plain shipping tags, which are available at most newsagencies.  Add a typewritten (or stamped/printed) message on each tag - read and dream, stories are magical and read every day.  Pop a piece of ribbon on the top of each tag and place them in the front pocket.

Cut a series of pages for the inside of the journal using lined paper.

Step 5: Once all of the inside pages have been cut to size, add in a few of the original story book pages here and there, to make the journal more interesting.

Step 6: Shuffle all of the pages together and pop the front and back cover into place.  Use a bulldog clip to hold everything together.  Mark and drill 2 holes through everything and slide the jump rings through the drilled holes.  Add a title (journaling on a strip of paper) as shown in the first few photos :)

I used a few sticker re-inforcement rings on a few of the paper pages inside, just to help prevent them from tearing.

I'll be back tomorrow with my fourth project for the series.

Don't forget to pop over to Tamar's blog HERE to see her second tutorial for our series and check back tomorrow for my third do-it-yourself project :)

DIY: Photo notebook

Welcome to day two of our Hip Hip Hooray for winter series.  Today I have a quick and easy little project - a personalised notebook.  The notebook has been created with two photographs I took at home - one with an image on a fabric background (front) and the other is just a plain photo of the fabric background (back).  

These make great projects for birthday party gifts or that 'just because' present.  I've gone with the toy theme, but they could easily be adapted to other objects - sweets or a cupcake, a remote control or tools (for Dad), iPhone (techno friend) or some small sewing supplies for a crafty friend. Anything really!

Supplies - Glue stick (or adhesive), stapler, cardstock (for backing photographs), photos (x2 for each notebook), corner rounder (or use scissors) and lined paper.

Step 1:  Place a piece of fabric or patterned paper onto your work surface.  Pop the item for photographing onto the bottom right hand corner of the fabric and take a photo.  Also take a second photo (for each notebook) of just the fabric/patterned paper.

Step 2:  Use a corner rounder to round the outer corners of the photos, just on one side.

Step 3:  Cut two pieces of cardstock down to the size of the photographs.  Round the corners on the cardstock to match the photographs.

Step 4:  Adhere the cardstock onto each photograph.  This will make a nice sturdy cover for the notebook.

Step 5:  Using a lined paper pad and the size of the photograph as a guide, cut a series of pages to go inside the notebook.  I cut 20 sheets for mine - but you can do more or less.

Step 6:  Pop the notebook together, pages in the middle and staple.

All ready to use for note taking, story writing and important messages:

Don't forget to pop over to Tamar's blog HERE to see her second tutorial for our series and check back tomorrow for my third do-it-yourself project :)

DIY - snowman cards

 

Welcome to day one of our Hip Hip Hooray for winter series!  This week I have lots of crafty tutorials to share (so does Tamar) and I thought I'd kick off with a snowman card project.  You can whip these up in an hour or so and they're nice to have on hand for winter birthdays or alter the text to create fun 'just because' or 'thank you' cards.

Let's get started! 

Supplies - Blank cards, a small paper doily (available at supermarkets/department stores), felt scraps, embroidery thread, needle, scissors, craft glue, cardstock scraps (for card title), black pen and some stamps or rubons/stickers to create the card title.  

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

Step 2: Cut a small paper doily into quarters.

Step 3: Adhere a quarter of the doily into the lower right hand corner of the blank card front.

Step 4: Stamp (or use stickers/rubons) the card greetings onto a cardstock scrap.  I've used a manilla tag to stamp my words onto.

 

 Step 5: Cut the stamped greetings up into small word strips.

Step 6: Adhere a greeting onto the top left hand corner of the card front.

Step 7: Cut out two circles from felt for the stomach and head - the large one is about the size of a 20 cent piece.  Embroider 3 little criss crosses onto the stomach and two eyes + mouth onto the head.  Using a scrap of different coloured felt, fashion a small hat for the snowman.

Step 8: Adhere (craft glue) the stomach onto the paper doily.  Draw in some arms with a black pen.  Adhere the head and hat to complete your snowman.

Ta-da! You have yourself a little snowman card - or a few of them, if you've been productive.

Don't forget to pop over to Tamar's blog HERE to see her first tutorial for our series and check back tomorrow for my second do-it-yourself project :)