Crafts Beautiful Christmas Special 2015: A Digital Sample

50 DESIGNER Crafty Prizes Worth Inside... Stamping, Decoupage, XMAS CARDS £4,500 Quilling, Stencilling, Cross-stitch & More

Just for you!

Issue 285 Xmas 2015

Jolly Toppers

3 To 3 Colouring 3 Gift Guides

Share it!

WELCOME BABY copy our motifs

ISSUE 285 CHRISTMAS 2015

GET, SET, 250 Festive Ideas & CRAFT All you need for a handmade Christmas! p Brands

£5.99

30 MINUTE MAKE

STEPHANIE WEIGHTMAN’S TIPS & TRICKS P122

Love it!

FIMO TRANSFERS

we show you how

KEEPSAKE DOLLY cut & keep pattern CB Xmas 15 Cover.indd 1

Plus...CRAFT AWARDS – PICK YOUR FAVES! H PAPER DECS

H CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS H BEADS & JEWELLERY MAKING

04/09/2015 12:07

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2015

in this issue..

80

REGULARS 12 OVER TO YOU

Share makes and stories with your fellow CB readers

23 AT HOME WITH JULIE

& WENDY

Julie and Wendy turn bits and bobs into thrifty seasonal makes

86

26 INSPIRATION FOR

CHRISTMAS

See what festive treats we’ve been loving

50

38 OUR PAPERCRAFT HERO

Let Scandi chic inspire your creativity this month

47 CORINNE’S CRAFT SPACE

Corinne Bradd rediscovers crafty knick-knacks to make a card

60 YOUR REALLY USEFUL

CRAFT TIPS

CB readers offer their creative advice

70 ASK THE EXPERTS

Tricks and tips from our team of craft designers

105 NET SAVVY

Browse and enjoy this month’s selection of hot online picks

112 COMING NEXT MONTH

Don’t miss your November issue

122 BEHIND THE CAMERA

Stephanie Weightman gets into quilting and shares her favourite dies

38

CARDS & PAPER 7 5 WAYS WITH... GLAD TIDINGS

Make juxtaposed cards using a Dovecraft Christmas collection

21 STREET LIFE

Copy and colour our gorgeous house artwork to depict snowy scenes

30 LUNCHTIME MAKE

Santa Claus is coming to inspire your seasonal card making

44 JINGLE ALL THE WAY

Have your elf a merry Christmas with a fun yuletide set

49 DECK THE HALLS

Glam up papercrafts with Posca Pens’ metallic colour range

50 PAPER PERFECT

Die-cut your way to Christmas with chic mini wreath crafts

52 SEASONAL CHARM

Create elegant yuletide classics with Joanna Sheen’s easy guide

54 CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

WITH... SCANNCUT

Use the Brother ScanNCut to make festive cards and decs

PEOPLE & PLACES 33 CRAFTING FRIENDS

Bianca and Leigh are two crafting pals who met at The Make It Room

STITCHING 82 PENGUINS ON PARADE

Create a fluffy trio of felt penguins with our easy guide

102 FIRST CHRISTMAS

24

Celebrate a baby’s first foray into the festive holiday with a sampler

106 SEW WONDERFUL

Follow our cross-stitch charts to make embellished patchwork trinkets

MAKE & SELL 85 SHOP TALK WITH FOLKSY

Open up to new customers using Camilla Westergaard’s know-how

86 SWEET SUSIE

Stitch up a darling dolly and dress her in fairytale-themed garments

 Share it! with the rest of the CB community via 4 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Contents.indd 1

04/09/2015 10:53

64 FREEBIES & PRIZES 28 STAMPIN’ UP! GIVEAWAY Win Stampin’ Up! prizes worth a total of £1,000+

40 FREEBIES & OFFERS

We’ve got a whopping £4,475 of goodies to give away this month!

40

48 SCOTCH TAPE HAMPER

Be in with the chance of winning a luxury Christmas hamper

15 HOW TO USE YOUR FREE GIFT 72 INTERNATIONAL Discover 20 seasonal CRAFT AWARDS makes with your Hunkydory Crafts kit and colouring book

Vote in our 2015 awards to win prizes from your favourite brands

44 62 SARA NAUMANN’S MASTERCLASS

66 A-Z OF CHRISTMAS CRAFTING

LEARN & MAKE 24 FOLD FESTIVE ROSES

Decorate your Christmas table with a quilled paper display

34 COLLETTE SMITH’S MASTERCLASS

Use a simple masking technique to create a painted floral greeting

Craft easy seasonal cards with unique inked backgrounds

We’ve got you covered with our creative guide for the upcoming season

BROWSE & BUY

BAKING 64 ICED GEMS

KNITTING 80 FESTIVE TANK TOP

11 CRAFT CRUSH

We let vintage items inspire our crafting this month

36 SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Receive a Mandala bookazine and Chameleon pens when you sign up this month!

MIXED MEDIA 42 IT’S A WRAP

Whip up a festive gift set to encase toiletries from The Soap Kitchen

100 YULETIDE TRANSFERS

Copy seasonal imagery onto polymer clay to form unique decorations

Bring a traditional festive cake up to date with playful accents

Vibrant stripes and motifs work together to create a knitted baby vest

JEWELLERY 89 BEAD BOUTIQUE

Take inspiration from bold and beautiful baubles with colours that wow

90 CHAIN REACTION

Update your autumn wardrobe with a stunning metal bracelet

93 FESTIVE SPARKLE

Use gold-plated wire and Swarovski crystals to make a necklace

97 JEWELLERY SCHOOL

Start making jewellery with our guide to the basics

Brands we love!

28

54

49

106 www.crafts-beautiful.com

41

40

100 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 5

Contents.indd 2

04/09/2015 10:53

Jingle all the way Have your elf a merry Christmas with Helen Fitzjohn’s fun yuletide makes!

Tip

WHEN USING BLENDING PENS, START WITH A LIGHT SHADE, THEN ADD SHADOW WITH A DARKER INK IN THE SAME TONAL RANGE

44 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Cards & Paper

“Create the cutest characters kids will love... the candy cane elf decorations make great favours for a Christmas party!”

Helen FItzjohn, Designer

Sta rt wi t h ... b Cardstock: red, white b Paper pack, 6” x 6”, Dovecraft, Back to Basics Christmas Moderns b Paint, artist acrylic: green, black, dark red b Ink-pad, white b Embossing powder, white b Heat tool b Mountboard, red b Pens: Posca, white; ProMarkers, assorted colours b Stamp, small snowflake b Candy canes b Deli sticks b Adhesives: glue stick; foam pads See our templates on the pattern pages

Square Elf Card

1

From white card, create a blank, 15cm square. Trim patterned paper, 14cm square.

Fix a length of festive ribbon along the bottom and tape to the reverse of the patterned square. Position onto the card front as shown.

Print or trace the elf and sign templates onto thin white card. Colour in the motifs using ProMarker pens in red and green. Use the other colours to add shadowing and fill in the features following our photo as a guide.

Cut out the elf motif, a red circle and the sign. Arrange on the card front using foam pads to add some height.

Stamp mini snowflakes onto red and green card using a white ink-pad.

Sprinkle with powder and hot emboss. Carefully cut out the circles and fix to the main card with foam pads. Finish with dots of white applied using a Posca pen.

2

3

Long Elf Card

1

Use the template provided to make a long red base card. Attach a strip of patterned paper, top and bottom. Trim a red panel, 7cm x 22cm, for the front.

Make your own embossing template: take a scrap piece of mountboard and punch holes through it. Place on a light box and pop the red card on top. You should be able to see the holes through it. Use an embossing tool on the spots. Punch holes in the panel and thread green ribbon through. Add an elf, sign and snowflake circles as before.

2

Party Picks Print out and colour the mini elves. Paint the top of the bamboo sticks black and stick Christmas messages to the front. You can decorate the sticks with strips, but leave the point that goes into the mince pie unpainted. Glue the elves onto the sticks.

Candy Canes

1 7cm x 18cm. Measure

Cut a strip of mountboard,

down 15cm, score across, then measure another 1.5cm and score. Fold up to create the back board for the candy cane elf.

Print out two copies of the templates, one on thin white card, the other on paper.

Use the paper version for the Happy Christmas sentiment and fix along the bottom using a glue stick. Paper is easier to use as you can fold the excess under and glue it in place.

Decorate and cut out the elf and elf name from the second copy printed onto cardstock.

Add embossed snowflakes to the back board, glue on the elf and make two small holes either side of the candy cane. String through clear

2

3

Turn over CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 45

Making

merry

Stock up on all the little extras for a truly handmade Christmas

Christmas ribbon, £4, The Contemporary Home, 02392 469400, tch.net

Advent craft buttons, £6.99, The Oak Room

thread or twine and tie at the back to keep the candy cane in place. Glue a small rectangle of mountboard to the right of the base of the back board; this will act as a little step.

Take the elf’s arm and tape to the candy cane so he/ she looks like they are holding it. Punch holes in the top of the back board and thread with a name and twine. CB

4

46 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Shopping List Dovecraft papers, paint, pens and snowflake stamp, onestopcraftshop.com Candy canes and bamboo deli sticks, pipii.co.uk Mountboard, cassart.co.uk

Woodland crackers, £3.99, The Oak Room, 01707 257175, oakroomshop.co.uk

YOUR REALLY USEFUL

Craft Tips

CB readers share their festive advice

FORAGED FINDS Bake pine cones in the oven at 100ºC for 20 minutes, leave to cool, then paint them in a colour of your choice for alternative place markers. Just pop a piece of card at the top with your guests’ names on Helen Wassall, via Twitter

FESTIVE TREAT Make Rice Krispie squares using white chocolate and green food colouring, then pile them into an upside-down triangle shape for a yummy Christmas tree centrepiece. Add sweets onto its surface using leftover melted chocolate Lydia McCarthy, via email

DECK THE WALLS Use a hot glue gun to hang exterior lights onto brick vertically to stop them hanging loosely. The adhesive will easily scrape off when you need to take them down Alex Granger, via email

“I always tell my elves to have a good rest inbetween crafting sessions to keep them feeling refreshed” Father Christmas

Share it!

Leaf Press

Paint fern leaves and press them onto plain paper rolls to create your own bespoke gift wrap Denise Preston, via email

CHRISTMAS CUP

Sauce Solution

Fill condiment bottles with various coloured icings and host a festive biscuit decorating party – this is definitely a great activity for everyone!

Sophie Ellingham, via email

COOKIE BOX

Paint or decoupage old aluminium foil containers to make thrifty boxes for gifting biscuits Emily Bush, via Facebook

Circle Tree

Use oil-based Sharpie pens to decorate mugs. Just put them in the oven at 180ºC for 20 minutes and leave to cool. Handwash to clean

Die-cut or use a punch to make green circles in various sizes, then let kids glue them into Christmas tree shapes. Use buttons, sequins and pens to decorate them. You could even mount them onto a card blank

Nadine Carter, via Facebook

Natasha Hall, via Facebook

onestopcraftshop.com One Stop Craft Shop is a familyrun store that specialises in card making, scrapbooking and general crafty items. They’ve shared a few of their favourite festive tips with us l Using double-sided adhesive sheets when die-cutting smaller motifs and sentiments is a time saver! Once you’ve got your shape, it can simply be peeled off the backing sheet and applied directly to card, without the mess of glue. l Embossing folders are a really easy way of adding texture and patterns to Christmas cards without being expensive. You can also create lots in one sitting –

just add different sentiments and embellishments to mix things up. l There is no such thing as too much sparkle when it comes to Christmas. If you don’t have any glittered paper to hand, make your own by colouring card with embossing ink. Sprinkle some powder on top and heat set. You now have your own glittered card!

If you’ve a crafty tip or trick you’d like to share, get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or social.cb@aceville.co.uk!

60 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Craft tips .indd 1

03/09/2015 15:47

Penguins on parade Create this fluffy trio from double-sided felt using Amanda Walker’s easy guide

82 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Stitching

“The polystyrene eggs used in this project come from a pack with assorted sizes. Why not make up a whole family: babies, teenagers and parents?�

Amanda Walker, Designer

Sta rt wi t h ... b Felt, double-sided, 15cm wide, 30cm per penguin: grey, cream, orange b Ribbons, assorted colours b Polystyrene eggs, 3 1/2� b Googly eyes b Sewing machine/thread b Needle, felting b Glue, Copydex See the templates on our pattern pages

Cutting

Guide

1 From grey felt: one pair of back pieces, one front, one pair of wings.

2 For the features: One beak and one pair of feet from orange felt. One head and chest from cream felt.

3 Each penguin uses 30cm of felt.

Making the Penguins

1 working with a 5mm seam With right sides together,

allowance, stitch together around the curved edges.

Stitch the front piece to the straight edges of the back.

Sew the dart at the base of the front piece; this will make it fit neatly round the egg. Turn to the right sides so the seam is in the inside.

Cut off a slice the size of a two pence piece from the bottom of the egg, so that the penguin can stand up. Pull the felt cover over the egg; this takes a little coaxing, but it will slip on eventually. Tease all the seam allowances with a pin so they are smooth and lie in the same direction. The base of the body may have become a little distorted whilst pulling it, so trim it level with the bottom of the egg to ensure that the penguin sits upright.

Position the wings on either side of the head with a little dab of glue. When dry, needle felt the joins at the top of the wings to blend them into the body piece. Glue the head and chest piece to the front of the body. This piece

2

3

also has a dart, but instead of sewing it, butt the two pieces together. Position over the dart on the front body, then fix the whole piece in place with glue. Tuck the felt feet under the penguin and glue in place.

Using an iron, press a square of orange felt in half across the diagonal. Dab a little glue along the fold line, fixing it below the eyes to make a beak. Hold for a couple of seconds to ensure

4

that the glue has taken. Finally, stick the two googly eyes in place and add a bow. CB

Shopping List Assorted polystyrene eggs, The Range, 0845 026 7598, therange.co.uk Felt and googly eyes, Franklins, 01206 563955, franklinsgroup.com CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 83

What we’re loving this

Christmas Set the Scene

Get set for the festive season with our crafty picks!

Recreate the spirit of the season with an enchanting nativity scene the whole family will enjoy. No particular skill required, simply pop out the ready-cut images and assemble the faux-fabric figures under the Christmas tree.

Priced, £4.25, 01386 853331, www.cotswoldtrading.com

Sticky Stuff Get the kids making their own Christmas cards with Tesa’s creative range of adhesives. The market-leading products have a clever solution for every application, from glitter pens and spray glues to handy rollers. Find Tesa products at amazon.co.uk

Clean Cut

Fans of Tim Holtz’ shabby-chic style will be thrilled with his latest Alterations collection in collaboration with Sizzix. Create heartfelt seasonal phrases and festive motifs using the Thinlits and Bigz dies to give your crafting a co-ordinated look. Visit sizzix.co.uk to see the full product range.

Christmas Countdown Pompom garlands, twinkly fairy lights and sparklers. What more could you wish for to decorate your home this Christmas? Check out the latest festive inspiration and creative gift ideas for crafty members of the family at Talking Tables. talkingtables.co.uk

26 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

News Xmast15.indd 1

03/09/2015 14:48

3 Top Crafty Reads...

Papercrafts...

Amy Butler Decoupage

Includes 80 sheets of decoupage paper in Amy’s inspirational patterns, plus project ideas that will transform your crafts and home. £14.99, chroniclebooks.com

Sewing...

Half Yard Christmas Let sewing star Debbie Shore show you how to create over 30 simple and stylish projects with pieces of fabric. £11.99, searchpress.com

Baking...

Gingerbread Wonderland Celebrate the festive season by baking one of Mima Sinclair’s delicious gingerbread creations.

With tips on constructions, glueing and icing. £8.99, kylebooks.com

Keep Jam’in!

There’s nothing more satisfying than giving old jars a new lease of life, especially those eye-catching pots of sweetness from Bonne Maman. Once you’ve scrapped the last bit of conserve onto your toast, the jars are quickly transformed into novel packaging for homemade treats. bonnemaman.co.uk

Trim your Tree

Sourced from a fair trade co-operative in Kashmir, these beautiful baubles are made from papier mache and individually hand painted using traditional designs in lustrous colours. Sold as a set of four, priced £16.95, decoratorsnotebook.co.uk

5

Papers

for your stash...

Fairy Tales The latest Stamps and Scene-Scapes collection from Tracey Dutton showcases her finely detailed illustrations, and takes you on a captivating journey into a magical land of fairies and fables.

The collection also includes larger Scene-Scapes with printed backgrounds that can be stamped on to create instant artwork. laviniastamps.co.uk

Out & About 22nd-25th October, Crafts for Christmas and Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, SECC Glasgow. Two stellar shows come together with a brand-new layout this autumn. Visitors will discover lots of ideas and supplies for their projects from papercrafts, mixed media to jewellery and soft crafts.

Ticket hotline, 01425 277988, ichfevents.co.uk

28th October, Lechlade Craft Barn, Lechlade on Thames, Cotswolds. Join other crafters on an Advent Calendar workshop. Priced £2 with materials included, this workshop is one of many being held in the run-up to Christmas.

For details, call 01367 700350, jennie@lechladecraftbarn.com

7th-11th October, The Knitting & Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London. Don’t miss this fabulous five-day event held at one of London’s most impressive landmarks.

Advance tickets, 01473 321872, theknittingandstitchingshow.com

The Night Before Christmas, Helz Cuppleditch, trimcraft.co.uk

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 27

News Xmast15.indd 2

03/09/2015 14:48

It’s a wrap

Create a matching gift set to present your handmade toiletries from The Soap Kitchen Sta rt wi t h ...

b Soaps, The Soap Kitchen, Melt and Pour: soap base; Christmas Nostalgia b Soap mould, The Soap Kitchen, reindeer b Fabric, Dashwood Studio, Flurry: Red on White; Ink b Paper bag, brown, small b Card, thick b Embellishments: flowers, fabric; bakers twine; buttons, wooden; letters, wooden; stitched labels, Me to You, Tatty Teddy Christmas b Thread, embroidery, blue b Cling film b Adhesives See our Shopping List opposite

Drawstring Bag

1 and white spotted fabric, Cut a rectangle from red

14cm x 44cm, and fold in half, matching the two shorter ends together. Pin a label to the front centre, 4cm away from the crease; this will become the base of the bag. Unfold the rectangle and sew into place.

Re-fold the shape, right sides facing, then pin the edges together and stitch down both sides. Press and iron the seams open. Fold and press 1cm in around the top of the bag, then press in another 4.5cm. Edge stitch the hem in place, then sew 1cm above the row to make a channel. Turn the bag out and unpick the stitches between the lines on the side seams.

2

42 CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM

Tip

ALWAYS WORK IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA OR OUTSIDE WHEN USING SPRAY ADHESIVE

Crafts Beautiful Promotion

3 onto a safety pin and feed Fix bakers twine, 30cm,

it through the front channel until it comes out on the other side. Repeat the process with the back opening, then knot both ends together. The bag will now close when the threads are pulled. Stitch a wooden button above the label using blue thread. Finally, make blue reindeer soaps by following the instructions that come with the kit, then wrap in cling film and place inside the bags.

Open Box Tray

1 thick card, 13.3cm x

Make a rectangle from

30cm. Score 2.4cm in from each edge to form a frame; the lines should cross at the corners. Trim out the small corner squares formed by the framing. Fold along the score lines and reflatten.

Cut a rectangle of blue spotted fabric, 20cm x 36cm. Using spray adhesive, attach the cardboard to the centre of the wrong side of the material, scored side facing down. Snip the fabric at either side of the short card flaps.

2

Fold and stick the material over the long card flaps. Two fabric tabs will have been formed at the ends of each flap. Use Copydex adhesive to fix them onto the back of the short flaps, pulling the sides up as you do to form the corners of the box.

Clean colouring Want vibrant colours to tint your handmade soaps with? The Zenicolor 5 will give you stunningly bold shades that are completely transparent and won’t bleed into each other. The reindeer in this project has been made using the blue colouring from the pack. For more info visit thesoapkitchen.co.uk

3 over the outside of the

Glue the remaining fabric

it reaches using a pencil, then sew on a button.

Matt a sentiment to the centre of a blue fabric rectangle and fix the button below. Add a decorated gingham flower to the base of one handle. Make coloured reindeer soaps, wrap in cling film and place inside. CB

2

box sides and fix all the raw edges to the underside of the container. Hide the raw edges by adhering card, 8.5cm x 25cm, to the bottom. Fix a ‘Warm Wishes’ sentiment near the corner on one side.

Make four oval soaps from the Melt and Pour Christmas Nostalgia kit, then wrap in cling film. Fix gingham flowers embellished with red gems to one end and wooden letters on the other on all four bars to spell out the word ‘NOEL’. Place them inside the Soaps and moulds, The Soap box and tie a length of twine Kitchen, 01237 420872, over the top of the container. thesoapkitchen.co.uk Dashwood Studio Merry Christmas Flurry fabrics, The Homemakery, 01483 361132, Make a loop from twine thehomemakery.co.uk and glue it to the inside edge of a paper bag. Pull it Me to You labels, Sprinkle Twinkle, taught over onto the front of sprinkle-twinkle.co.uk the other side and mark where

4

Shopping List

1

CRAFTS-BEAUTIFUL.COM 43