It's a Creative World

A bit of knitting

Hiya Claireliz here...

I've not done as much papercrafting as I would like lately as I've been distracted by some knitting, my Mum mentioned that she would like some legwarmers for her birthday, so I thought I'd knit her some, it seemed like a good idea at the time until about a week later when she said she'd like very long legwarmers that ruffle to just over the knee, which means I've been knitting a super long legwarmer....

 

It's currently just above my knee so I have a way to go yet, also - the problem is legwarmers come in pairs, this is just one so I have another to knit yet (& all before the end of April - help please, it's taking ages)

 

The pattern is really easy, cast on 66 stitches to 5mm circular needles, then join the edges of the cast on row so your knitting in the round, then just knit 3 purl 3 until they reach the desired length, then cast off. Repeat for the second legwarmer. You can also do this using DPNs (double pointed needles), I can't get the knack of those so I stick with circulars lol.

That's all from me for now, thanks for stopping by & taking the time to leave lovely comments, it's always much appreciated & be sure to drop in tomorrow when we have something new to share with you all.

Take care & see you soon

C xx

 

Stitching Stamps again!!

Last year I stamped my Bombshell Mermaid stamp onto fabric and coloured her in with Copic markers. I made a quilted surround from sea themed fabrics:

Well this time I wanted to use the same stamp but EMBROIDER the mermaid stamp this time!

I also wanted to include some fabric for the mermaid's tail and bikini top so I bonded some Bondaweb (to prevent fraying) onto the back of my chosen fabric and stamped the Mermaid's tail and top onto this fabric:

I then carefully cut it out the tail and bikini top from the fabric.

I stamped my Mermaid onto a piece of cream fabric using Staz-On ink and put the fabric into an embroidery hoop.

I took the fabric tail and bikini top I had cut out and used some clear glue to place it onto the mermaid:

I then used a combination of back stitch and satin stitch to outline and fill in the mermaid's image.

I also outlined the fabric tail and bikini top with back stitch.

Once the embroidery was complete I finished the mermaid by attaching her to a collaged and stitched fabric background to make a hanging!

I rubbed a little Rock Candy Stickles over the fabric tail and top to give the mermaid some sparkle!

Hope you enjoyed this project remember stamps make excellent subjects for embroidery!

Happy crafting!

GlitteryKatie xxxx

 

 

A little spot of colour

Hi everyone - Dolly here.

I did a post last month all about using black and white to make pages pop.

I hope you have been enjoying playing around with black and white and now is the time to add just a little splash of colour to make the pages really pop.

 There are several ways you can do this.

The first really obvious way is if you have a photo which just has a little pop of colour.

I took the photo of this beautiful white tiger at Colchester Zoo and the stark contrast of his tongue with everything else black and white was so noticeable it seemed obvious to echo it on a page.

  

Red can be a really romantic colour, associated with hearts etc and so adding just a few touches of red to the black and white layout of my cousin’s wedding just added a little bit of detail. I added red centres (brads and beads) to the flowers, a red shadow to the letters and a thin red border.

 

 

However red can also add drama to a page, as it does with the poppies in the remembrance day page below and the little hints of red in the page about Kira.

 

 

 

The page with all the doodles needed a hint of colour to add detail and so the soft pink, picked up from the photo and using scraps of paper, just added the little detail the corner needed.

 

It can work in reverse too. Sometimes if you have really bright colours they can be very hard to scrap without overpowering he page. If I have something really bright I like to use a lot of black as it can make the page dramatic, highlight the bright but also sort of tone the page down.

 

The sunset pictures were really dramatic and needed very little other than a black background to set them off and make them even more dramatic.

 

Black is an unusual colour to use with the photo of a one year old, but setting Emily against a black backdrop and adding soft pink embellishments brought the picture to life.

 Finally have a go in photo programmes making part of a picture colour against all the black and white. I LOVE doing this. You can get some great effects such as making a whole strip of photo colour – like the page of Fiki – or just picking out a highlight from the photo and leaving that in colour.

 

Have fun playing with little pops of colour on your pages.

 

  

Experimenting with laminating

I recently started playing with laminating sheets, and although I don't have a finished project yet, I hope this will give you some ideas.

The alcohol inks were put on the inside of the laminating sheet.

I tried a mixture of paper with text flowers, and just butterflies and flowers.

I think it gives a lovely effect. almost like making your own transparencies.

You can laminate sequins too.

Thanks for stopping by It's a Creative World

Debbie x

BRIGHTER BUTTONS

I have a few very plain cardigans, which are wardrobe staples for certain occasions, but which I fancied livening but not permanently.

I'm no great shakes at crochet, but I can manage a couple of simple stitches, which is how I made these:

It's no secret that I love pink and green, so if I'm wearing a skirt or dress in those colours, I can button up with my black cardi and little toning button covers. (a white cardigan would look good too)

Spring on the way? This little hyacinth button slip-on is just the thing on this fine soft cardi.

And when autumn chill has me reaching for my brown cardigan, a cosy button wrap brings cheer. (I know it's a weird place for a button, it's always puzzled me, but it really is up there, honest...)

Light was fading, by the time I got undressed and dressed again for the third time, but you can get the idea I hope!

I used hook size 3, and King Cole Bamboo cotton for most of these, and as Mandy is the crochet queen around here, I won't even try to write proper instructions, but I began with a sliding loop, or magic circle, as it was important that the central hole could be cinched up to fit tightly around a button. There are lots of tutorials for the magic circle on youtube, but I learnt from a book, and then it was simply 12 trebles into the ring for round one, followed by a colour change and 2 trebles into each of the 12 spaces and fasten off. Any shape of motif would do, as long as it has a sliding loop centre. Mini granny squares would be sweet, or petalled flowers.

I'll be back another day with more button fanciments.

Eleanor

xx

 

Tart up your cupcakes

Hi, Kel here. I keep hearing that the day of the cupcake is over and I refuse to accept it! The cupcake is a classic. It is so easy to make them into something amazing for a special occasion. I was doing a practice run for a friend's birthday tea later this week and I came up with several quick and easy variations, with no special equipment.

Today's batch of chocolate cupcakes. I really like this recipe, properly chocolatey and still quite light. It's all mixed in one bowl too, so less washing up.

 

Such an easy way to add a little pizzazz to your cupcakes. Spread the frosting thick and flat and then roll the edges in your favourite sprinkles.

The classic cupcake swirl. I thought that this was impossible at home, but a little practice and finding the right nozzle did the trick. A large star nozzle is ideal, but a smaller one will work too. I don't like as much frosting as they put on in cafes, so this has a thin layer of chocolate and a smaller swirl.

 

This is just a mix of the top two really - a big swirl and some chocolate chips. It's a good solution if your swirls go a bit wrong!

Based on the same technique as stripy toothpaste, you can get a nice two-tone look by smearing one colour down the sides of the icing bag before filling it with your second colour.

 

This one is probably my favourite. It looks so grown up and again, isn't as sweet as a lot of cupcakes. It's a bit of a cheat to include in this, as the rose take a bit of skill, but you could do just as well with a bought sugar flower, a berry, or jelly decorations. That being said, these roses are pretty simple once you have the knack and you can make up a batch in advance.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I have to go wait for the sugar rush to pass!

Kxx

Teddy Time!

I love Traditional Teddy Bears and I love anything miniature so when I spotted these gorgeous kits by Emily Farmer on Etsy I was so stoked!!  I was even happier when my darling hubby bought me a kit for Christmas!!

The kits are gorgeous and include EVERYTHING you need except thread and filling- so you are ready to go straight out the bag!

I love the traditional styling of Emily's bears and her kits make up beautifully, the fabric is a non-fray type which makes the stitching up part much easier! 

Emily is also available via email for tips and any questions you may have, which is great if you are a newbie!

The kits are small and can be fiddly but if you are a neat stitcher and have made some toys before you won't have any problems with these kits.

Here are my Teddies so far:

Scooter on the left with the trousers is 3.25 inches tall and his lil bear friend in front is a tiny 1.5 inches short! The larger white and peach bears are 3.25 inches in height!

Here's my latest bear based on Scooter but in a soft blue rayon fabric:

I've been making them as pressies for my family as they are so cute- you don't realise how small they are until you hold one in your hand!

I'm currently working on this cutie:

As you can see I'm building a little collection but at least they don't take up much room!

Emily's kits are available from her Etsy Store, her online store EmilyFarmer.com and in the UK from Emmary Bears.

Happy Crafting!

love,

GlitteryKatie XxxX

Gridlock!

Hello! Simple scrapper Alexa here, hoping that the title has not totally switched you off!

So, can I interest you in a grid? if you're short of time, inspiration, or both, whether a scrapbooker or a card-maker, grids have a huge amount to offer. The simplest? A grid of three by three to give nine. This is my favourite as you will see. Why?

1 Got lots of photos and wondering how to make a two-page layout? Select one large one for the left, and nine smaller ones for the right. In effect, you are only having to think about designing one page:

2. Got a few photos, but not nine? Substitute some paper scraps or tags. This way, you don't need to hunt for a whole sheet of paper to match.

3 Got a bit more time? Add in some other elements like handmade flowers, little pockets, rub-on letters or chipboard.

4 For added effect, miss out a few of the squares. This works particularly well with a larger grid. The eye mentally replaces them, so although they are not visible, the page still feels coherent. Replace some of the squares with snippets of journalling or parts of a title:

 

In fact, if I was only ever allowed to choose one layout design for ever after, this would be it. I hope I've convinced you! Happy crafting, as we slide past the equinox and towards Spring!, and thank-you for popping in today ...

Some Easter Ideas

Hello Joy here,

I am enjoying some lovely sunshine here in Oxfordshire. I think Spring is finally here and while Spring is in the air my thoughts turned to Easter. I know it is still a few weeks away but I like to be organised. I thought these printables would help you be organised too.

My first one is  Easter cupcake toppers.

 
Punch out the toppers with a 2" scalloped circle punch.  Attach them to  cocktail sticks with  1" circle, sticky labels.

Download Easter cake toppers 

I have also done some labels for Easter goody bags.  I make them with disposable icing bags. Which I get from Lakeland.

 

They are easy to fill with goodies and are secured with a ribbon at the top.

 
Download Easter tags

 

These are also great for inexpensive party bags.

Happy crafting  Joy xxx

 

 

 

 

Colourwash Treehouse

 

 

 

This was the other part of the ArtsyCraft event I attended.

The class was taught by Lin and Leandra and was great fun.  I haven't done much work with metal before, we were each given our own tools to use for the class.  (It's a great way of try out a new technique without buying tools that you only use once.)

We also used the new metal foil, Fresco Finish Paint (fabulous for a smooth finish, I wish I'd bought more coolurs), Ranger colourwash sprays and Paper Artsy Thornden Hall papers.  (It's hard to choose which side to use.)

Lynne x