As seen by Creative Crafting - Dinky Things

As seen by Creative Crafting

Produce review of

Dinky Things

Issue 22, April 2013

Followers of our Facebook page and Twitter Account may have seen that we now offer product reviews. This can either be your creations, your service or your course/workshop etc.
If you would like us to conduct a review for you further information can be found on our website. www.creative-crafting.com/product_reviews.html
Depending on how many products we get submitted we may offer single or multiple reviews per issue.

Our first review is for:

Alex from Dinky Things (based in Surrey, UK) sent us one of her papercuts to review. Her Owl and the Pussycat one to be precise. As with all of our reviews it starts from when it arrives through the door. Safely presented with a Dinky Things sticker on the front to show where it had come from. Nice Touch Alex. On opening the envelope we saw that the item had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper with a nicely designed label attached.

 

Here is how Alex described this piece to us.

“This is my Owl and Pussycat piece. Inspired by the nursery rhyme, it is cut from pearlescent paper and mounted on textured card. This is one of a series of nursery rhyme cuts I do.”

Here is the item itself. A very carefully created piece that is sure to bring delight to any that behold it. Alex offers a varied range of pieces including some rather stunning family tree papercuts. These would definitely be worth a look if you are after something with that special personalised feel.
The price for the reviewed cut is £35 without a frame.

 

At first glance the price seems quite high but not when you consider the time and skill that has gone in to creating the item. So if you want something created just for you or your family that is just that bit different pop on over to Dinky Things and meet Alex.

www.dinkythings.co.uk

Interview with Zukie Style

An Interview with Diane Harrod from Zukie Style

Published in Issue 22, April 2013

Tell us about the lady behind ZukieStyle 

Hi I'm Dee (or Diane when in business mode!) I am the designer/owner and maker for my company ZukieStyle. I live with my fiance and pooch in Lincoln, East Midlands. I work from home and can be found selling my wares at various county events. You will mostly find me behind my machine (Candice), walking the dog, or sat behind my laptop adding products to my website and chatting on CC. (www.creative-connections.ning.com)

I work 3 days a week in a gig venue selling tickets to the lovely local folk. As much as I'd love to do ZukieStyle full time, at the minute every penny helps, and I do enjoy the perks that come with my day job :) 

When did you first begin creating your designs, and why? 

I registered my business back in 2010 but I started designing things long before then. ZukieStyle actually started life as handmade handbags and purses; Fashion has always been my background and I just LOVE a good bag! I used to do shift work and would often make purses and bags when I had spare time. I found my friends and colleagues became interested in what I was making so I decided to try selling online. I sold my first bag on ebay! After falling out with my sewing machine after graduating I found once I started stitching again I couldn't stop :)

What is it that you enjoy about your work?

I love the freeness. I can design what I want when I want. It is the most amazing feeling to get good reviews and have appreciative customers. Knowing that I'm supporting handmade and flying the flag for Britain is important to me, we need to encourage our local talent. I also enjoy meeting my customers at events - it is great to put a face to comments that may have been left on Facebook etc. To me it is important to do events to get your face out there so people know who they are buying from.

What is your biggest crafting achievement, and why?

I had a start up grant from the Princes Trust; I was eligible for their 'Enterprise Program' this is open to people on low income or out of work with a business idea aged 18-30. To cut a long story short, I used their grant to expand my knowledge into using and working with leather. I attended a 5 day course which was amazing and came out with a beautiful satchel bag, in the red leather I chose, designed and stitched by my own fair hands. Needless to say, this bag I have kept for myself :) 

Other than your crafting, what else do you like to do?

I like to see my friends, they are all so spread around the country now it is good to visit them and do some site seeing!!! 

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations, which one would it be?

My red leather satchel of course :) 

What advice would you offer to someone new starting out in the craft world?

Don't be put off by those first few events or a lack of sales in the beginning - my first few events were awful I never sold a thing! You will find as your business grows your ideas will change and you will get to know what works and what doesn't. Join forums like CC and get advice as much as possible from different people. If you ever feel down about your work, guaranteed we've all been there and there will be a lot of encouragement from places like CC. Be nice to everyone too, word of mouth is SO important.

If you could change one thing about what you do, what would it be?

I wish I hadn't spent so much money on events that didn't work out; if I knew then what I know now I'd be a lot better off. But then you have to learn from your mistakes.

What do you think has helped your business the most? 

Word of mouth and doing local events - if I didn't have these I wouldn't be as well known locally as I am now. I think it is good to start off locally and branch out :) My website is good, but it has taken a while to get where it is. Websites take a lot of work to get the SEO right unless you have someone who is a whizz to do that for you! I try not to spend much on paid advertising these days - that was also a bad move for me in the past. There is so much you can do for free or cheaply you’ve just got to do your research ;0)

Has any person helped or supported you more than any other?

I have so many lovely friends who have helped me at my events, too many to mention, they act as my wing buddies and keep me company  :) One day I will be able to pay them a decent wage! Also my Dad bless him, he takes me to all of my events more or less and helps me set up! My other half Curt too for putting up with me and the house being a mess while I work - ooops! (Housework comes last to us creative types!) 

Tell us a random fact about yourself!

I have no wisdom teeth - therefore no wisdom! Hee hee!

How To Make An Easter Bunny Brooch

How To Make An Easter Bunny Brooch

Published in Issue 22, April2013

Written by Nicola from Cutie and the Feast

http://www.cutieandthefeast.co.uk

What you will need:

A needle felting mat or piece of foam (you can also use a clean washing  up sponge) 

Approx 40g of wool roving in your main colour

A small amount of black and pink wool roving

Some thin (5mm) double-faced satin ribbon 

Small scissors 

Needle and thread

Felting needle, ideally one 38 gauge and one 40 gauge but if you just have one then either will be ok. A 38mm brooch finding  

Step 1. To start take a piece of wool roving in the main colour of your bunny and roll between your hands into a ball. You want the ball of wool roving to be a bit bigger than your finished brooch. If in doubt start with a smaller piece and then add to it until you get the size that you want. 

Using the 38 gauge needle start to jab at the wool. As you jab you will notice that the fibres start to knit together. 

Keep jabbing and reforming the ball shape, bringing the fibres into the middle of your ball (but be careful these needles are sharp!)

You will want to create a disc shape that is flat on the back and slightly rounded to the front. To do this start to jab on the sides of your wool until you get a nice even shape. 

Step 2. Once you have your basic head shape it’s time to add a bunny nose. 

Take a smaller piece of wool roving and make a small ball. Position this towards to bottom of the face in the middle (where a bunny nose should be) and use your 38 gauge needle to jab the wool. The wool roving will knit together with the main part of the brooch. 

If you aren’t sure how much wool to use add a small amount at a time, its easy to add more but very difficult to take it away.

Step 3. Next, make the ears. Take a piece of wool roving and roll into a sausage shape. Jab at the wool until your ears become firm.  Leave one end of your ear un-jabbed, you will use this fluffy bit to attach the ear to the bunny head. 

Make two ears in the same way and try to get them even, then take a small piece of pink wool roving and jab into the middle of each ear.

Step 4. Now attach each ear to the bunny using the tufts at the base of the ear. Using the 38 gauge needle jab into the head and also through the ear.

Nearly there, your bunny just needs some personality! 

Step 5. Using your smaller 40 gauge needle add small pieces of black wool roving, for the eyes and mouth, and a small amount of pink or peach wool roving for the nose. 

Tie a bow out of your ribbon and fix to the bunny using a needle and thread. 

If you like you can also give your bunny some whiskers. Take two strands of thread or embroidery floss and thread through a needle, then pass the needle through the nose of you bunny. Don’t pull the needle all the way through so that some of the thread is on the other side and the length that you want your whiskers to be, then snip off your thread so that the whiskers are even on each side. 

Finally if you would like to wear your bunny, add a brooch back. It’s really easy to add, take a small piece of wool roving in the same colour as your bunny and jab over the top of the brooch finding into the bunny making sure to jab in between the holes of the finding and close to the edge. 

Ta Dah! You are finished and have a cute little bunny to wear for Easter. 

Wedding Wonders with No Wonga - Part Four

Wedding Wonders with No Wonga - Part Four

Published in Issue 22, April 2013

Written by Kerry from Scrapbookerry

http://www.scrapbookerry.com/

Mr L proposed, I said yes and now we are trying to get the wedding of our dreams with the least amount of money possible. Some things we are making ourselves, some things are being given to us, others we are getting through hard labour and lots of routing around for bargains and other things just can’t be budged. So we will try some haggling instead. 

If you are interested in helping us along the Wedding Wonders with No Wonga journey then please do contact us at weddingwonderswithnowonga@gmail.com 

Wedding Dresses

A wedding dress is one of the most important items within a wedding, anyone that has every watched an episode of Don’t Tell the Bride will more than likely heard a phrase similar too “if I don’t like the dress I am not getting married”

It is something we all dream about I think, and something that takes a long time to choose. 

There is also a vast collection of dresses. 

You can go with a very simple dress, a completely elaborate designed dress, a bling dress, a ball room style dress or a mermaid style dress just to name a few.

You can have it short, long, mid length, or just showing of the front of your leg. You can have your dress strapless, halter neck, thin straps, thick straps, sleeves, no sleeves, high necked, backless or with a heart cleavage. 

The colour of your dress is also very versatile, it can be ivory, champagne, white, red, pink, black or even a bit of a mixture you can have flowers all over it if you desire and the material again can be plain, or elaborate, silk, or lace there are numerous options. 

Actually loads of variations and options. 

It is a minefield out there. 

But the variation doesn’t stop there. 

The price of a dress varies from cost effective to the absolute other end of the scale! Where you are looking at a few months’ mortgage payments to get your dress, we are trying to be a little practical so I have already realised that it is very worthwhile to look around. As the dresses vary a lot in different places. 

I really haven’t had a clue about what dress to get. Or even when to start looking. I went to a wedding fair a few weeks ago and they had a Wedding Dress show at the fair and all the shops suggested that for an August 2014 wedding my best bet was to start looking around Christmas time. 

But what to look for?

I am not the slimmest of brides, although I am hoping to have lost a few pounds before the wedding day, but I generally have an hour glass, to an apple body shape. So I need a dress that not only works around my wide hips and bum, but also covers my large bust. The only thing that I am determined about is not to be pulling up my dress all day long as it is slipping over my bust. So straps are a must. 

I could go for the traditional, quirky or with a vintage feel being that we are doing a vintage tea party. 

I am not wanting too expensive even though there are some lovely expensive pieces out there. 

Or do I go for the ultimate Do It Yourself Wedding and actually look into making one myself? 

If you are interested in helping us along the Wedding Wonders with No Wonga journey then please do contact us at weddingwonderswithnowonga@gmail.com 

Photo Credits

Flowery dress http://www.ianstuart-bride.com/dress/south-pacific/

Short white dress http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?style=J1417 

Quirky Dress http://www.ianstuart-bride.com/dress/bourbon/ 

Flower Page Scrapbook Tutorial

Flower Page Scrapbook Tutorial

Published in Issue 22, April2013

Written by Kerry from Scrapbookery

http://www.scrapbookerry.com/

Scrapbooking is a really nice way to show off your photos, and it doesn’t have to be a selection of pictures. 

Doing a really nice simple yet elegant scrapbook page can be the perfect way to showcase one beautiful picture.

One thing that I love to scrapbook are pictures of flowers that my little boy picks for me or buys me. These are such special moments for any mum and the flowers don’t last that long let’s be honest, especially if it has just been picked from the garden. But the sentiment is something that you want to keep forever. 

So what is simpler than taking a picture and scrapbooking it? Too be honest with the advancement of Smart phones there is no reason not to take a picture as you literally can snap the flower as soon as it is given to you and then transfer this picture to your camera and do a digital scrapbook page without even printing of the photo. 

It is then just a case of printing of the whole page that you have designed and putting this into a frame to keep this lovely moment between mother and son or daughter forever and ever.

I have used a Digital Scrapbooking software programme to make this page, the one that I use is My Memories but there are lots of different programmes out there and this can also be done in Photoshop. 

Open up you software and set a page size for your page, I generally work with 12” x 12” pages and this is the size that I have set for my custom pages. But you can choose any size that you like. 

Add a background page to your page; I bought the Chamomile Tea, by Sugar Moon Designs from MyMemories to use for my page. You can get this kit from here https://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=SMCC-MI-1209-20844. 

These kits are fantastic as it means that you have pages and embellishments to use on all your pages, which are all matching and coordinate together. 

Then add a box, to place your picture onto the page, and start to add some embellishments onto the page. Start with some small embellishments and place them where ever you want them on the page, I started with one flower and then two identical smaller flowers, and placed them in a corner of the page. 

Put your picture into the box, and you can rearrange the size, and where you want the picture to go onto the page. 

If you need to move around the embellishments that you first placed onto the page then this is fine. This is advantage of digital scrapbooking, you can move things around repeatedly until you are happy with things. 

I added some ribbons onto my page; with digital software programmes you can put items to the front or back of pages. I put the ribbons on top of the identical flowers and then moved them to the back of the page so that they look like they are behind the flowers. 

Scrapbook pages are fantastic for many things, but they really come alive if you journal on the page. This means that for generations to come people will know what your page is about. I added a small yellow tag, and a button onto the bottom of the page to add some journaling onto the page. 

Once all the embellishments were in place I then added some journaling onto the tag. “Our flowers for Rhianna Lily, for her 1st Birthday 23/03/2013” Journaling doesn’t have to be a lot but if the bare facts are there, as in date, place, people in the picture, or in this case reason for the flowers people will understand this picture for years to come, and will realise why this particular picture was important enough to be scrapbooked. 

Once the page is completed you can print it off yourself and put it into a framed page to hang in your house, or you can put it into an actual Scrapbook album along with lots of other pages.

If you have a go at this Flower Page Scrapbook Tutorial then we would love to see your page here at Creative Crafting. Please do send over your finished page to articles@creative-crafting.com and we will put them all up in a gallery for everyone to see. 

Hand Painted Silk Cards

Hand Painted Silk Cards

Published in Issue 22, April 2013

Written by Jane from Jane Cameron

http://www.janecameron.co.uk/

Suitable for ages 8 and up, or younger children with parental supervision. 

Adults will love this too!

Always do your painting on a wipe-clean surface, and wear an apron. The outlines in the kit have a special backing which means you do not need a frame.

Put a little paint in your palette. The colours can be mixed (for instance, red and blue make purple, while yellow with a hint of blue will make green). If mixing, always start with the lighter colour and add a little bit of the darker colour to it. You can dilute the colours with the white paint, or with water. This will give more pastel shades.

Dip your brush in the palette, and touch it to the silk – the colour will spread on to the silk so you don’t need to paint too close to the lines.

It’s a good idea to finish one colour before moving on to the next. Ensure your brush is clean by washing it in the water pot.

Yellow with a hint of blue will make green. When doing smaller areas, only dip the tip of the brush into the paint. Any overflow will stain the silk, but you can often remove most of it with a clean wet paintbrush and kitchen towel, if you try before it dries.

When painting a larger area in a custom colour, do make sure you have enough paint to cover the full area.

While the silk is still damp, you can paint over some of your work in another colour, if you like. Try painting stripes or dots on top, and watch the colours move. You can also paint one area in several colours if you have two brushes and start one from each end.

Once the main outline is completed, you may wish to paint the border. To paint the border, first make sure you have enough paint to make it all the way round. Then, work both ends at the same time to stop one end drying and making marks on your silk.

Your card is now painted. Wait for it to dry (about 10 minutes), then iron it by placing a dry cloth (e.g. a tea towel) between the silk and the iron. Use a normal iron, and turn off the steam. Note that the cards may curl up while they are drying. This is normal, and they will flatten out again once ironed.


You can then start to assemble your card. Cut around the card to neaten the edge. You may wish to leave some of your border, or cut around the gold line. Glue the back of the picture using a glue stick, and place it on the front of the card.


Press the card until the glue has set.

Congratulations! Your card is now complete.


If you would like to paint your own fabulous silk cards, you can buy kits from my website. The kit includes everything you need to make 5 fabulous cards and comes in a range of designs.


If you would like a more challenging project and the ability to create your own outlines, try my “Silk Painting Starter Kit” instead, which has been approved by the Guild of Silk Painters. This includes one silk outline to get you started, along with everything you need to start painting on a frame. Just add a jar of water and a piece of kitchen towel!


Happy Painting!
Jane Cameron.


www.janecameron.co.uk
www.facebook.com/janecameronartist
www.silkpainters-guild.co.uk

Tina on the Golf Course - April 2013

Hi I'm Tina !

Yes you did read it correctly I am on the golf course and not in ‘The Garden’, because I am on my yearly trip to Florida.

There  are so many golf courses here I thought you might like to share the beauty of them with me.
I just love being outside in the fresh air, but the golf I produce however leaves a lot to be desired.

Over  here in Florida they are all wanting rain as it has been a very dry summer they tell me; I keep saying they could definitely have had some of ours. There you are, as always we all want what we do not have.

All the courses are irrigated - there are miles and miles of underground pipes. The water used is from the lakes and ponds, most of which are man-made.
Here are just two, there are so many and all so different, but all beautiful. When they are watering though  it can be a little smelly.   

        
The Lakes and ponds are stocked periodically with fish, but fishermen are not allowed - they are just for the birds who flock in their thousands… who wouldn't for a free meal. There is the odd alligator and snake, and turtles which are not the most attractive, but give me those any day rather than the other two. Well it is Florida after all.       

                                                                                                

Many of the birds are residents,  these in the photo are herons and wood storks. The storks are really big birds and seem to look even bigger when they fly, which they do a lot from one pond or lake to another.  The delicate white birds are white Ibis, and boy you should see them dig out the worms and insects with those beaks. Sand cranes are really unusual with their pretty red heads; they are large and so noisy, you always know when they are around.         

Not a lot of flowers are used, just the odd perennials. The plants and shrubs are green all year, it is very cleverly done. It is central Florida so there are a lot of the live oaks  with Spanish Moss as you may remember from last year's article.  

If you are a new reader you should check out the past issues. They are just packed with good ideas.
Ok enough of the commercials now back to the program. Let's get back on the golf course, our friends are very patient with me and my camera, but maybe I would play better if I concentrated on the golf  as much as I do on the photos. Well that is my better half's opinion, and he may well be right.

What a feature this dead tree makes, quite beautiful!

 As with the lakes all the courses are very different from the rustic ones of the old Florida to the new more manicured ones.

Now I am off on a totally different subject, I do this as you know, but I just had to share with you this new top which I bought. Just read it, it is me isn't it! Well me and the garden and I had to come all the way to Florida to find it. I just could not resist it. But we can always do with a new top anyway, can't we girls?

This photo is a little different - a frosty morning in Florida, yes they do have them here in central Florida.
But of course it does not stay long, then the warm sunshine is back. 

It is early March as I write this but before I close I will just update you with a few photos that show how the garden was looking in February.
It has kept remarkably green, could that possibly be due to all the rain do you think? Some parts of the Bog are turning into ponds and the water Iris are just peeping up through the water. A natural pond without all the work can't be bad, and they look so clean and fresh. A few spring flowers are beginning to make an appearance.

Well I will leave you now to enjoy the rest of your day, or morning or evening whatever time it is with you, as of course we have readers  and friends all over the world. What a wonderful thought.

Thank you for joining me again and I look forward to your visit in the next issue when I will be once more in The Garden, I can't wait.
See you then.
Your green fingered friend,

Tina