Creative Crafting December 2013

CREATIVE

Issue 26, DECEMBER 2013

Crafting

By Crafters, for Crafters

CREATIVE Here we are again with another festive issue! 2013 has almost passed, what have you been up to? We’d love to hear. It has been another year of change here at CC Headquarters, we have met dozens and dozens of talented people, made new friends, seen more fabulous creations!

It’s been another tough one hasn’t it but let’s keep our fingers crossed that 2014 will see things improving so that we can all get back on track.

In this issue you will find many of your old favourites. Gill has done it yet again with another fabulous recipe, Jane has more hints and tips, Joy tells us about a fascinating blog that you really shouldn’t miss. We also have a wealth of tutorials from new and regular contributors.

Do you fancy trying your hand at writing in the new year? We would love to meet you, just drop us a line to articles@creative-crafting.com with your ideas and we will take it from there.

I would like to think that 2014 will be an ‘interactive’ year. We want to meet lots more of you and help you with your hobby or business. We’ve been around for quite some time now so do make use of our experience, we love to help.

Don’t forget that you can also contact us via the Creative Connections Network (www.creativeconnections.ning.com), CRAFTfest (www.craftfest-events.com) and The Professional Crafters Guild (www.procraftersguild.com) I will leave you now to relax and enjoy our December issue.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas from both myself and Avril,

CREATIVE EDITORIAL Editor - Anna-Marie Miles Technical Editor - Avril White CONTRIBUTORS Tina Tracey - WowThankYou Pat - Starlight Gifts by Pat Jane - Jane Cameron Tina - Shinyies Gill - Personal Space Interiors Joy - Beaded Bazaar Sarah - Crafty Magpie Sharonne - Bespokee Dee - Wingsmith’s Beaded Creations Jane - Loopy’s Place Hollye - I love Markets Leanna - Small Surprises Boutique Nat - Thrasion

Anna

INTERVIEWS with Johana Molina ADVERTISING Anna-Marie Miles theycrystallady@creative-crafting.com Tel: 07763 566636 ARTICLE SUBMISSION To: articles@creative-crafting.com

CreativeCraftingMagazine CreativeCraftin

AvAnna

PURCHASE IN PRINT www.creative-crafting.com/buy_your-copy.html www.creative-crafting.com

Publications

Creative Crafting publishes articles, features and projects provided to us by crafters and suppliers.

By submitting articles to be published the author grants Creative Crafting copyright of each piece.

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CONTENTS

CREATIVE Issue 26

6 KITCHEN CAPERS 15 A CHIP OFF THE 21 CREATE A POT OLD BLOG

STAND

Gill is back with us again and has good news!

It’s not too late for the Christmas Cake!

Joy from Beaded Bazaar introduces us to a ‘Mad Man Knitting’. Not to be missed!

A Pot Stand tutorial and a competition all in one! Aren’t we lucky. Thank you Jane from Loopy’s Place.

10 INTERVIEW

16 THE BESPOKE

24 SILK STOCKINGS!

REVOLUTION Meet Johana all the way from Santiago in Chile with her ‘Felting Dreams’

We introduce ‘Bespokee’ the new way to acquire handcrafted items.

12 REVAMP YOUR

18 BEAD A

CLOTHES Revamp your clothes for a new Christmas Wardrobe with Sarah from Crafty Magpie.

A Christmas Tree Ornament Tutorial from Jane Cameron.

26 HINTS & TIPS

PENDANT An Easy Beaded Rivoli Pendant tutorial with Dee from Wingsmith’s Beaded Creations.

Jane Cameron is back with us sharing more hints & tips. This time, Christmas Posting!

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CONTENTS

28 MILLIE-MAE, TOBY & MUMMY MAKES …

39 THE CRAFT BOX 45 CRAFTING ON

Christmas Cake Pops.

This issue Tina from Shinyies shows us how to make a Christmas Wreath.

32 MAKE YOUR

42 CHRISTMAS

OWN …

MARKETS

Christmas Wrapping with Pat from Starlight Gifts.

We love Christmas, We love markets!

34 IN THE GARDEN 44 AS SEEN BY Tina is back with us for another instalment from ‘The Garden’. More unusual plants have been appearing!

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Joy from Chip off the Old Blog reviews a Chocolate Box Bouquet Kit for us.

A BUDGET Leanne is back from Small Surprises Boutique with another installment.

49 THRASION ARE BACK We interviewed Thrasion a few issues ago. Now they are back with a fabulous new game which gives to charity.

51 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE The Creative Crafting Harrods inspired Gift Guide.

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COOKING

With Gill

I’ve never been fond of Christmas pudding, but Christmas cake is an essential part of the yuletide festivities.

This recipe always produces a lovely rich and moist cake, not too heavy and bursting with gorgeous dried fruits and seasonal spices. I find that homemade Christmas cake recipes are often for huge cakes resulting in the inevitable hunk of unwanted cake lurking in a tin for weeks. My recipe is smaller, cheaper and quicker to make.

The cake will benefit from a few weeks of feeding and storing to develop the flavour. But don’t worry if this is a last minute rush – this cake eats just as well if made and iced just before the big day.

So put the radio on and spend a chilled out afternoon mixing and enjoying the wonderful aroma of your beautiful Christmas cake baking in the oven.

Recipe: Juicy Fruited Christmas Cake

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·

500g luxury dried fruits – whichever combination you like including glace cherries and sultanas (Aldi luxury fruits are lovely and such good value)

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grated zest of an orange and a lemon

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100ml brandy

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100ml strong breakfast tea (black)

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75g chopped macademia nuts

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150g soft unsalted butter

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90g soft dark brown or molasses sugar

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2 large eggs

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1 tbsp treacle

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1/2 tsp almond extract

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2 pineapple rings (from a tin) chopped finely

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150g plain flour

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75g ground almonds

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1 tsp spice of your choice (I like a mixture of cinnamon and ginger, but you could add ground cloves or use mixed spice) www.creative-crafting.com

COOKING 1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC (gas mark 2).

2. Grease a deep 18cm cake tin and double line with baking parchment, making sure the parchment comes up 10cm higher than the tin. You can also wrap brown paper around the tin if you are worried the cake may brown too quickly.

3.Place the dried fruit and zests in a heavy saucepan with the tea and bring to the boil. Simmer until the tea evaporates, then turn off the heat and add the chopped pineapple and the brandy. Cover and leave to cool.

4.Place the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl or free standing mixer bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Tip: if the brown sugar has hardened during storage place it in a small bowl and pop in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften before adding to the butter.

5. Whisk the eggs together lightly then gradually beat in to the creamed mixture, then beat in the treacle and almond extract 6. Sift the flour and spices together in your other mixing bowl and mix with the ground almonds and nuts.

7. Using a metal tablespoon, gently fold a spoonful of dried fruit into the creamed mixture, followed by a spoonful of the flour mix and repeat until all of the ingredients are combined.

8.Carefully spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin avoiding the baking parchment collar and level the top of the cake. {insert image: mix in tin} 9.Bake for 2 hours and test with a skewer; if the skewer is clean the cake is ready. If not, bake a little longer if needed and test again.

10.Allow to cool in the tin, then wrap tightly in the baking parchment and foil and store in a tin somewhere cool and dark.

And that’s your Christmas cake made. If you’ve been able to make your cake a few weeks before Christmas you can “feed” your cake to enrich the flavour. Use a skewer or cocktail stick to make some holes in the surface of the cake and drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of brandy. Wrap the cake up well again and pop it back into its cool dark storage place. Feed the cake weekly and next time, turn the cake over so that you feed it from the bottom too - that way you'll be sure to have a lovely moist well fed cake.

To decorate your cake I would recommend using ready made marzipan and icing; you can even buy these ready rolled now so it makes it so much easier. Warm a generous tablespoon of apricot jam gently and stir until smooth. Spread over the surface of the cake – this will allow the marzipan to stick and form a protective barrier to keep your cake moist. www.creative-crafting.com

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COOKING If you need to roll your marzipan and icing, shake icing sugar over your work surface shape into a ball and roll a circle to approx. 7mm thickness. Carefully lift the marzipan using your rolling pin and lay it centrally over the top of the cake. Smooth it over the cake pressing gently to stick to the jam. Roll the icing and cover in the same way. Trim off any excess around the bottom edge of the cake and now you’re ready to decorate as you please…

I like to keep it simple with some holly berries and leaves like this one – simply use ready made coloured sugar paste and use a holly leaf cutter to make your leaf shapes (you can use a little egg white or edible glue to stick them to the surface of the cake).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o5m29V3XgCA/TqkoN6GS6wI/AAAAAAAAAYc/7BDYIDwf4Qg/s1600/christmas+cake.jpg)

Whatever you decide have fun and enjoy eating your fabulous cake all through the festive season.

Written by Gill from Personal Space Interiors - wwww.personal-space-interiors.co.uk I hope you enjoy my recipes. Why not follow my blog for other foodie treats www.personal-space-interiors.blogspot.co.uk

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INTERVIEW

Felting Dreams

By Johana Molina … a world of miniature made with love.

Johana Molina. I’m 24 years old and live in Calera de Tango, a rural town in Santiago of Chile where I have lived my whole life with my family and my future husband too. I am a self-taught artist, writer, doll artist and illustrator. I’m a shy person who enjoys the simple things of life. I love the beauty, little details that can be magical if you can appreciate with the heart eyes.

A bit more than two years ago, when I started felting, I realized that all was possible with this wonderful technique. Then I started to try to make all of the little friends that I had always imagined.

That it lets me create every day and work with natural elements that I love.

Also to work with colors and materials that I have always wanted to have in my hands and all the ideas that are growing in my mind. I get to work on my own house and manage my time. It’s great!

What is your biggest crafting achievement, and why?

I have a doll that I made some time ago and when I see it I feel so inspired I must go to create more. I have it in my home and I want to cherish it for my whole life. www.creative-crafting.com

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INTERVIEW

What I like to do is write, I have so many stories in my mind but no time to carry them to the paper. I also like gardening and cooking. I have been baking since I was 13 years old in the bakery with my mom. And my father is a gardener and I have had a ‘nursery garden’ my whole life.

The Little Traveler Mouse is one of my favorite creations and I know that other people like it. I think that it reflects ‘the adventurer’ that we each have inside.

Something that worked with me was never give up and give your best every day. Improve what you do every time, be perseverant and don’t lose hope. Believe in what you do and believe in your dreams. That’s the perfect recipe to make go of it!

To be more organized so that I have more time to dedicate to other projects that I have in had in my mind for so many years.

Social media is a great tool for helping you be noticed by everyone else.

My future husband helps me every day. He is my principal support, he does the shipping and running around when I need some material that I don’t have time to look for.

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INTERVIEW

This year I am making real one of my dreams I have had my whole life. I am building a house for my family. I can say sincerely that all the love, effort and perseverance that I put in these years into my work is paying off and we are getting the rewards now.

Etsy Shop: www.feltingdreams.etsy.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/felting_dreams Personal Facebook: www.facebook.com/feltingdreams Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/FeltingDreamsByJohanaMolina Tumblr: www.feltingdreams.tumblr.com Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/feltingdreams

Find Johanna’s Bio here http://feltingdreams.tumblr.com/bio

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Revamping

I

pop up and so t’s that time of year again when the invites for the Christmas parties and the my mind goes straight to…

It can be very costly buying new clothes for that one occasion and it’s not just the clothing – you need to buy shoes, a bag and jewellery not to mention the manicures and haircut!

I’m sure every woman has at least one piece of clothing or pair of shoes that have only been worn once, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who buys a new piece of clothing or pair of shoes and then a few months later you find in the back of your wardrobe you already had a similar item – grrrr.

Well no more….grab all those dresses, tops and accessories and lay them on your bed – first of all take all the items that are too small or too big and put to one side. (It’s a fact women have at least 3 different sizes of clothing in their wardrobe).

Pinning away on one of my favourite sites Pinterest, I found so many amazing ideas from people around the world who revamp their existing wardrobe to create new pieces of clothing without the cost of purchasing a brand new wardrobe of clothes.

Here are some of my favourite ways to bring a new lease of life into your clothing and accessories: Add a bit of lace to your heels You may have an old lace top or similar piece of clothing that you don’t mind using – alternatively you could find a piece of lace clothing in a charity shop for as little as 50p! Cut the shape you require and stick to your shoe with fabric glue. Fabric glue is temporary so you can remove the lace and change it for something else.

Pinterest Link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/21603273186019919/

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Revamping Fabric Bleach Art Turn your plain jeans into a unique pair customised with your own design - think this will probably be popular with the teens.

Pinterest Link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/21603273185379461/ Full instructions here: http://www.joyzz.com/article-508.html

Glitter Shoes Ok, so this looks like a messy job, but if you are organised and perhaps do it in the garage it should turn out well. These red shoes are rather Christmassy, but I think using silver glitter on black shoes would look great too. If you have a steady hand you could create a pattern on your shoes instead of covering the entire shoe. Again you could go to a charity shop and purchase a pair of plain shoes and revamp them!

Pinterest Link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/21603273185361494/

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Revamping Jewelled Jumper Perfect for a casual Christmas ‘get together’ – an alternative to the Christmas jumper perhaps? You could copy the design in the picture or maybe decorate the collar and cuffs with old beads and buttons you have.

Pinterest Link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/21603273185705026/

Studded Bra If you have ‘that’ favourite bra and it’s looking a bit worn, treat it to a make-over with fabric glue and studs or jewels – Note this is for the outfits where you have your bra on show with high waist trousers or skirt.

Pinterest Link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/2160 3273185704823/

Now for the clothes that you put to one side earlier? Be realistic…..If there’s no chance of you wearing them again, sell them or donate to charity.

Follow Crafty Magpie’s Boards: http://www.pinterest.com/craftyma gpie/

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BLOGGING

Best Bits By Bloggers

F

or this month’s review I’d like to introduce you a blog I’ve only recently discovered. Mad Man Knitting is an interesting glimpse into the life of Gregory Patrick and the teddy bears he creates.

Gregory Patrick is a self taught ‘knitting ninja’ who creates his wonderful bears on four needles!

I personally struggle with two and can just create triangles (no matter which shape I’m aiming for) so in my humble opinion I’d say the ninja title is more than warranted!

I won’t go too much into Gregory’s back story, so that you can find out all about him from his blog posts. Instead I’ll let him introduce himself from his Craftsy bio.

Onto Mad Man Knitting’s blog. The blog site itself is very straightforward, easy to use and navigate. All the posts are well written, poignant, and you can’t help but keep reading. So much so, I bought his book after I’d finished all the posts!

This blog is unlike some of the craft blogs I’ve seen as it is full of stories that take place while Gregory is knitting, or photos of the bears in their new homes, as well as some moving and funny anecdotes of his life and friendships.

There is a page dedicated to each style of bear he knits, where you can see some of the charming little guys and read how they came to exist - all of them have a lovely back story, and give you a little glimpse into how Gregory works and creates.

Mad Man Knitting’s blog also has a shop tab where you can purchase his book, a completed teddy, or a knitting pattern to create your own. Should you choose to knit your own bear there is a tab on the blog that leads you to instructional how-to videos to assist you with the assembly and embroidery.

Via links on the blog there are options to donate, ‘adopt’ one of his super cute teddy bears, purchase a knitting pattern to make your own or to purchase his book - “Mad Man Knitting or The Waiter and The Fly”. You can also sign up to follow his blog, Facebook page and Twitter if you’d like to.

Overall, I’d recommend this blog to those who enjoy reading, anyone who wants to have a go at knitting a bear themselves, and anyone who’d like to ‘adopt’ a bear. An easy to navigate site, an excellent blog and an addictive read whether you’re a crafter or not! www.madmanknitting.wordpress.com Written by Joy from www.beadedbazaar.weebly.com www.creative-crafting.com

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BESPOKE

T

here was a time when everyone got what they needed made bespoke on a one–to-one basis from a local craftsman or cottage industry.

Bespokee (www.bespokee.co.uk), the UK’s first online marketplace for getting anything made bespoke, is seeking to recreate this rewarding way of purchasing bespoke goods by helping to forge meaningful relationships between UK makers and buyers. From bespoke furniture and ceramics to bespoke jewellery and sculpture, Bespokee celebrates the experience of getting something unique and beautiful made just for you.

While many people in the UK would like to move away from mindless, mass-produced consumption towards more meaningful, one-off purchases, it is not always easy to do so. For one thing, clients and makers often struggle to find each other. There is also the issue of trust, especially when dealing with expensive items. When it comes to getting something made bespoke, most people today believe that it is simply too difficult, expensive and risky.

Bespokee is here to change all of that by showing that buying bespoke goods can be made easy, affordable and safe. The larger ambition is to increase the UK market for bespoke goods and help top-quality British craft thrive. By charging makers low fees and facilitating transactions that simply would not take place otherwise, Bespokee seeks to make a real contribution to the UK’s community of makers. Bespokee caters to all client tastes and therefore, no matter what their style, all highly skilled, professional makers can sign up for a free maker’s account.

The idea is simple. Clients can find their inspiration anywhere: in a magazine, gallery, market, overseas, on the web or, even better, in Bespokee’s ‘Showrooms,’ which display a selection of its makers’ expertly crafted previous work. (Copying, however, is strictly forbidden.)

Clients then describe their vision for a bespoke project on our ‘Drawing Board,’ uploading pictures or sketches to give makers a better idea of what they are looking for. Makers view Drawing Board submissions and contact the clients they want to work with. Clients view makers’ profile pages and read reviews from previous clients to help them decide which maker to hire.

Alternatively, if a client finds a maker whose previous work they love, they can simply contact the maker to get started on their own project. Whenever a maker is hired, Bespokee Buyer Protection is available for added peace of mind.

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BESPOKE Bespokee has created a collaborative ‘Workshop Updates’ feature so clients can feel like they are in the workshop with their makers. Each project receives its own Workshop Updates page, which allows clients to witness their project coming to life with regular messages, photos and/or videos from makers throughout the making process. The Workshop Updates page for each project ultimately forms a story which can be shared with friends and family via social media.

The projects commissioned via Bespokee often have a lot of meaning attached to them. One interesting story comes from a teacher named Laura. Whilst on holiday in Devon a couple of years ago, Laura and her husband saw and fell in love with a bespoke coffee table. It was made out of vintage printing type cases that had been fixed together, with legs attached and a sheet of glass placed over the top. In view under the glass were lots of compartments containing trinkets and other personal items. Laura later found and bought four type cases from a stall on Portobello Road, but, not knowing which maker to turn to, the type cases soon began to gather dust! Having come across Bespokee, Laura submitted her project, found the right maker for her, finalised the details and, within weeks, had the exact table she had dreamed of for the past two years. Best of all, seeing the coffee table reminds Laura of a special holiday shared with her husband.

To join the bespoke revolution, please visit us at Why should you join our network?

www.bespokee.co.uk.

Bespokee doesn’t try to steal any of the glory; we leave that to the makers. We just generate the interest and get people talking. When a maker is hired, we remove the stress of negotiating deposits and processing payment, leaving our makers to focus on what they are passionate about – making beautiful, bespoke products.

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Beaded Pendant

Easy Beaded Rivoli Pendant

This is a tutorial that will show you how to create a netted base to provide a minimal way to show off a large 27mm Swarovski rivoli.

Techniques: Netting, Tools and supplies 27mm Swarovski Rivoli x 1 Size 11 seed beads x 5grams Thread: Nymo, KO, or One-G Needle (Beading size 12) and scissors Beading Mat Using size 11 seed beads in a colour that matches or contrasts with your Swarovski crystal rivoli you will bead using a technique called netting.

This pattern is easily adjusted for smaller rivoli’s, by using a lesser amount of netted rows.

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Beaded Pendant

Step 1. Creating the base row of beads Thread your needle with a comfortable working length of thread, I would recommend at least 1-2 wing spans so you won’t need to add in a new thread later.

Step 2. Creating THE FIRST NETTED ROW Coming out of a seed bead, pick up three beads and skipping a bead weave through the next bead. This creates a small triangular shape of three beads, this is often referred to as a picot when used in beadwork.

Pick up another three beads and skipping a bead weave through the next bead along. Continue around the base row until you have woven back through the seed bead you started at.

Pick up 12 seed beads and let them fall towards the end of your thread, leaving a tail of around 4-6 inches, weave around all the beads again.

You can add a half hitch knot if you wish, but it is not required.

Now you need to STEP UP to be in the right place to start the next row.

To do this you need to weave up through the triangle (picot) you added first so that you are coming out of the centre bead, in this case the second bead.

Step 3. ADDING THE SECOND NETTED ROW

Step 4. ADDING THE THIRD NETTED ROW

Step 5. ADDING THE FOURTH NETTED ROW

Using the same technique as Step 2 now you pick up 5 beads, then looking along your beading you need to locate the middle bead in the next loop, it will be the 2nd bead in the loop, weave through that bead and you have created a loop of 5 beads. Repeat this around the entire circle until you are back where you started. Now you need to STEP UP again and this time you need to be coming out of the 3rd bead in the row of 5.

Making sure you are coming out of the third bead in the row, pick up 7 beads and find the next central bead in the loop, which will be the third bead.

Repeat around the circle until you are back where you started.

Making sure you are coming out of the 4th bead in the row, pick up 11 beads and find the next central bead in the loop, which will be the sixth bead. Repeat around the circle until you are back where you started.

You need to STEP UP again and this time you will be coming out of the 4th bead in the loop.

You need to STEP UP again and this time you will be coming out of the 6th bead in the loop.

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Beaded Pendant

Step 6. ADDING THE LAST NETTED Row – enclosing the rivoli Making sure you are coming out of the 6th bead in the loop, pick up 9 beads and find the next central bead, which is the 6th bead. Repeat all around but leave your thread loose.

Put your rivoli down onto the netted base with the front facing upwards towards you, and gently tighten your thread, whilst holding the rivoli in place so that the beads lie on top of the rivoli. If you feel the need, you can weave around this circle of beads once more to secure it tightly.

Weave through so that you are coming out of the 8th bead of the 9 just added. Pick up two beads and then weave through the 2nd bead in the next loop. Repeat all around.

Step 7. ADDING THE HANGING LOOP If needed, weave around and locate the middle bead on the edge of your rivoli, which is the 6th bead from Step 11, go down a further two beads.

Pick up 9 seed beads and finding the exact opposite bead go back up the two beads and then the middle bead again. Repeat around this circle three times so that it is secure.

Tie off your thread with a couple of half hitch knots between the beads and repeat this with your tail thread.

To finish add a chain or beaded necklace of your choice to the pendant.

Your pendant is ready to wear and looks great from the front and the back is pretty as well.

Written by Dee from Wingsmith’s Beaded Creations www.etsy.com/shop/wingsmith2010

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Pot Stand

Over the years, I’ve appreciated the help and advice others have given me.

It’s helped me to develop my skills, and in some small way, I hope I can do the same for you.

Please remember, there is always more than one way of doing things, I’m just showing you what works for me.

Pot holders, pot stands and little table toppers are great to make, they use up the smaller scraps of fabric we may have.

I haven’t specified sizes in this tutorial, as the principals are the same, whatever size you choose.

It’ll even work for bigger quilts too.

Are you ready? Then here goes:

Step 1. Choose your fabric and play around with your squares until you are happy with your layout. At this stage, you may want to find your backing fabric and binding fabric and put to one side.

Step 2. Row by row, sew your squares together, using a ¼” seam. Make sure, all your seams are even. This makes matching the seams easier.

Step 3. Press your seams to one side. You want the seams to be going in the opposite directions in each row, so that the seams will butt together snugly as shown in the photo.

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Pot Stand First, pattern side down is the backing fabric. Next a layer of wadding/batting, I’ve used a scrap leftover from a previous project. As this is going to be used as a pot stand, a layer of heat resistant wadding comes next, making sure the reflective side is facing upwards.

On top, comes your pieced fabric, right side up.

Step 4. Sew all the rows together and press. You now have your finished top.

Step 5. This is where you start to “sandwich” the layers together.

Step 6. Make sure all the layers are flat and crease free. Pin all layers together, making sure you use plenty of pins to prevent the layers from slipping during quilting.

Step 7. Quilt as you please. For this one, I’ve used the seams as a guide, sewing either side of each seam, and I’ve used a contrasting thread. Again, this is personal choice and you can use a matching thread if you wanted.

As you can see, I’ve used a walking foot, but don’t worry if you don’t have one, I’ve used my normal machine foot in the past.

Step 8. Once all the quilting is done, trim your quilted piece, making sure it is square. Now you are ready for binding.

Step 9. For this one, I used a two inch wide, contrasting fabric. Make sure it is long enough to go round all four sides, with a little extra to spare. Press one end over by about ¼”to ½”, then press the strip in half, along the entire length.

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Step 10. Decide where you are going to start binding, making sure you are starting with the end that has been pressed over. You want to start a little way down from the end (see photo). All raw edges are to the right, and the fold is facing the centre.

When you get close to the corner, about ½” from the end, leaving needle in fabric, swivel the fabric around and sew towards the corner.

Turn the corner, folding as shown in the photo. Restarting from the corner, continue to stitch to the next corner.

Repeat until you almost reach where you started.

Pot Stand Step 11. Now, slip the end of the binding into the centre of the folded binding so that the ends are enclosed. Holding it firmly, stitch until you have passed where you started. As you can see in the photo, you are left with all the raw edges enclosed.

Step 12. Fold and pin binding over to the reverse, and stitch into place. If you look at the photo, you can see how I slip stitch into place.

You now have your very own pot stand.

Please do remember, this is heat resistant, not heat proof, so use accordingly.

Win the readymade Pot Stand!

If you would like to win a readymade pot stand, then this one is up for grabs.

Send in your name with Pot Stand Giveaway in the subject line to loopysplace@gmail.com.

Entries close 15th January 2014.

Written by Jane from Loopy’s Place www.loopysplace.co.uk

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Silk Stocking

Christmas Tree Ornament Tutorial You will need: Hand painted silk or fancy fabrics of your choice Needle and thread or sewing machine Iron on interfacing Ribbon for hanging Scissors Gold iron fix outliner for decoration (or beads / buttons / sequins)

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Silk Stocking

Step 1. Choose your fabric, with a small enough pattern that it will look good on the stocking. Choose a contrasting or coordinating piece for the top. You could also make a piece of patchwork.

Step 2. Select a piece big enough to make two stocking pieces, and back it with iron-on interfacing. This makes it more rigid and helps it to be a more robust tree ornament.

(The interfacing is optional if you are using heavy / upholstery fabric.)

Step 3. Cut out two stockings, leaving room around them for seams. Remember you need one facing each way, so you may want to do this by folding your fabric in half.

Step 4. Sew round in the shape of your stocking.

Step 5. Neaten up the edges and cut a fringe around, making sure not to cut the stitching. This fringe helps the curves to look good when you turn it inside out.

Step 6. Take a long rectangle of the other fabric, sew a seam down one of the long edges, then fold right sides together and sew around the other three edges to make the top of your stocking.

Step 7. At this point, you can decorate further with gold outliner, or other stick-on embellishments.

Turn your stocking and your top piece the right way round.

Ta-dah! Hang on your tree and enjoy, or give to a friend. You could also make the back out of plain fabric and use it as a fancy gift tag!

Add your ribbon through the top of the stocking before sewing it together.

Place the top over the stocking and sew in place.

Written by Jane Cameron www.janecameron.co.uk This tutorial is for personal and educational use only. Please do not make these items to sell.

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Hints & Tips!

Hints and Tips Last Posting Dates for Christmas It’s that time of year when you want to be finishing off the last of your Christmas making, and will be hoping that your customers are finishing off the last of their Christmas shopping. You’re just in time for the last airmail posting dates for overseas and have a few more weeks for the last UK posting dates: UK Postal Services – Last posting dates (Inland) Wednesday 18th December - 2nd Class and Royal Mail Signed For™ Friday 20th December - 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For™ Monday 23rd December - Royal Mail Special Deliver Guaranteed™ For the last International posting dates, pop over to http://www.royalmail.com/greetings You may wish to use courier firms for larger items – do check out the insurance and tracking choices they offer to confirm these are sufficient for the items you are posting. http://www.parcel2go.com is a good place to do price comparisons and see what options are available.

Last Orders …

Now is a good time to consider publishing your last ordering date on your website. This needs to be early enough that it will enable you to still make the last post.

If you make to order, make sure you allow enough time for unforeseen eventualities.

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Hints & Tips!

After last posting date, have a think about whether you are going to turn your shop off for a bit so you can have a bit of a break with friends and family.

If you don’t want to turn it off, you could add a note that all orders placed during this time will be sent after X date, which means you don’t need to worry about the post office being shut over the holiday season.

To help support your friends and other local makers while ensuring you get what you really really want for Christmas, consider using one of the “universal wishlist” services like Whimventory http://www.whimventory.com and Wishybox http://www.wishybox.com (though you can also add items to your Amazon wish list if that suits you better).

Remember to order your own presents in good time too, and send your Christmas cards. Some people send e-cards and/or plant a tree instead of sending physical cards – this can be a useful thing to keep in reserve if you miss the last posting date!

Don’t forget your customers at this time of year – remember to wish your Mailing list a Merry Christmas!

Review and Refresh …

Over the Christmas break is a great time to look back over the last few frantic months and work out what you still have left in stock, what was popular and what was not. January Sales are a great time to clear out that old work and give yourself the space (and the funds!) to make more new exciting things.

This time of year is also a good time to consider your work/life balance ● ● ● ● ● ●

Do you run yourself into the ground running your business?

Could you do with a few days off? Now is an ideal time to have them!

Can you streamline some of your processes, or outsource something, to make your job easier?

Is your tax return done? Have you got an accountant?

What did you want to accomplish this year? Did you?

What is on your “must do” list for next year and how are you going to get there?

I hope you have enjoyed these hints and tips this year. I’d love to know what you think – please do email jane@janecameron.co.uk, or pop over to my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/JaneCameronArtist) and leave me a comment or a message. I’m looking for interesting and useful topics to write about for next year, so your suggestions will be most welcome.

Happy Christmas and best wishes from me for a successful holiday season!

Note: Please check the Royal Mail Website for the latest information on last posting dates and on any potential strike action. CC magazine cannot be held responsible for any errors or inaccuracies in this article.

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Christmas Cake Pops

Millie-Mae, Toby & Mummy Makes ‌ Christmas Cake Pops!

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Christmas Cake Pops Part 1 – making the cake pops You will need: A cake pop making machine 100 g self raising flour 50 g butter 100 g caster sugar 1 large egg ½ teaspoon baking powder 60 ml milk Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla essence Makes approximately 24 cake pops Method:

Step 2. Next, beat in the egg. Sift together the baking powder, salt and flour, then blend half of the flour into the sugar/egg mixture. Add the milk and mix well, then add the rest of the flour mixture and combine. Let youngest child lick the mixer blade!

Step 1. Cream the butter until it is soft, then add the sugar and vanilla essence and mix until light and creamy.

Step 3. Spoon the mixture into the cake pop wells and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Each well will require 1 tablespoon of batter.

Step 4. Once cooked, remove from cake pop machine and leave to cool.

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Christmas Cake Pops Part 2 – decorating the cake pops You will need: Cake pop sticks Cooking chocolate (white and milk) Candy Melts (for other colours) Desiccated coconut Icing sugar Ready to roll colour icing Sprinkles and other edible decorations Various cutters

Method:

We made three types of cake pops – Christmas Puddings, Snowflakes and Baubles. Before you can do any of them though, you need to stick the cake pops on sticks.

Step 5. Simply melt some white chocolate, coat the top of the stick and push into the bottom of the cake pop.

Step 6. If you have an old piece of polystyrene, this comes in very handy to stand the cake pops in to set! If you can put the pops into a fridge for an hour or so, they’ll be a lot more secure on their sticks!

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Step 7. The next part is the best, messiest, bit! Simply melt the chocolate or the candy melts and carefully dip the cake pops, holding it above the bowl to drip before standing the cake pop back on its base. Repeat with different colours etc until all your cake pops are covered. With children doing this, it makes a real mess and the sticks get as coated as the actual cake … but this is ok, as once dry, you can chip the spills off the stick. With the white chocolate ones, we immediately rolled them in desiccated coconut (to make instant snowballs!). Leave to set …

Christmas Cake Pops Step 8. To decorate the chocolate ‘Christmas Puddings’ you could drizzle some thick icing over the top – but with a 7 and 5 year old making them, we instead opted for some roll out white icing and a flower-shaped cutter!

We then used a smaller flower cutter (green icing) for the ‘holly’ – it was the closest we could get! We then stuck a pink/red edible ball on top to be the holly berry.

Step 9. For the baubles, which we dipped a blue colour, the children simply drizzled some white and red icing over the top.

Unfortunately the red was a bit too ‘bloodlike’ due to overuse of red food colouring …

And that’s it! A selection of Festive Cake Pops to impress friends and family!

Written by Tracey from WowThankYou www.wowthankyou.co.uk

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Gift Wrapping

make your own Christmas Wrapping

Christmas is coming! Make it a handmade all the way.

Well Christmas is on its way and for many crafter's it started back in August with them making and creating their wares to sell at local craft fairs over the latter months of the year.

Why buy a beautiful handcrafted gift and then wrap it in commercial paper, have a go at trying to design your own tags and paper.

There are many sources of inspiration the Internet, social media sites and Pinterest along with blogs and tutorials on line. However you seek inspiration it needs to be your own version of the item, just make it in your own style!

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Gift Wrapping So how about making some of your own tags easy and fairly cheap these can be made by buying plain tags and decorating them with inks and papers, or make them out of clay by stamping into air dry clay and using inks.

This creates a personal way of finishing off all those lovely handcrafted gifts. You can add your own sparkle and make your gift look so special.

Wrapping paper can be very expensive to buy and we seem to use so much. I have used some plain brown paper which can be bought very cheaply on a roll combined with some of my inks and stamps.

This can be as simple or as complicated as you like. I find that rolling it out onto a long table is the easiest way of being able to decorate it.

Then it is simply a matter of choosing your stamp or stamps and ink and away you go.

Do not stamp the images all in the same direction mix it up so it is not uniform. Once the images are dry and if you use a quick drying permanent ink this is only a matter of minutes, you can add small amounts of glitter or if you have the time colour in some portions.

This really does look lovely and the person receiving the gift will see you have taken the time to create something just for them.

Making your own Christmas cards need not be expensive as you can make them as decorative or as simple as you want. All you need is some plain card stock, inks and stamps, in fact anything it may only be some vintage buttons you have found in the drawer.

The more simple the design the more impact it has sometimes. If it is for someone special I always put an insert inside with a nice verse and this creates a more professional result.

Verses can be found on the Internet free of charge and just pasted into a word document or you can buy ready programmes which will print out a design and a verse for your card. I find one draw negative to this is that you can use a lot of printer ink so find it easier to make my own it is very easy.

Written by Pat from Starlight Gifts by Pat www.starlightgiftsbypat.co.uk www.creative-crafting.com

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The Garden

Hi I'm Tina, Welcome again to the garden. Do make yourselves comfortable, I am afraid you picked a rainy day but that is not too difficult at the moment. At least it isn't windy, I was surprised we did not lose any trees recently.

The tea is made and shall we have a little treat, a nice cream cake to cheer us up on this rainy day.

I also have some sunny pictures of the garden taken since your last visit, they should help too.

We are of course enjoying your visit at the beginning of November and the article will appear in the Christmas issue so the garden does not look too much like winter. That comes soon enough anyway, so let us keep it off a little longer. We have photos from late September and October.

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The Garden September is the month of Michaelmas Daisies. They have appeared before in my articles in the magazine. Also the silver plant as I like to call it, which was an annual of a few summers past which so far has survived the winters, fingers crossed for this year.

How many of you remember the silver plant? Some of you? Well done. I will be making checks like this in the future so don't forget to get the next issue. I must not be bossy, but I don't want you to miss out there is always so much good stuff in there.

In my last article I had an unusual plant. See what you missed if you did not get the October issue!

Well this month it is an unusual fungi. It arrived and grew under where the foxglove were. OK another test, which issue where they in?

But I digress as usual, a bad habit of mine I know.

Well it arrived and only lasted one day, turned brown and disappeared, and that was it, gone. I checked and it was a Scarlet Elf Cup, it has a long latin name but as you know I don't tend to use those. I am just going by pictures and I am no expert on fungi or anything else for that matter.

It did appear underneath the foxglove and remember what I read about those and the Faerie? Well just look at its name. Very strange don't you think.

Well enough of that. Next plant, I have two photos of the Fatsia. One before it came out and one almost in full bloom and they are both so different. Yes, this also has appeared before as with some others, the problem being the garden is full of perennials and that is just what they do keep appearing, but I do try to get different photos every year.

Fatsia Before Fatsia - Almost fully open

opening.

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The Garden Here are the Hops you saw them when the were green and now they are brown, another unusual and beautiful plant. They are wild too, just another gift of nature to the garden.

Here is the Sedum a self set, I could not have managed to plant it there. But it looks perfect.

I just have to show you a rose, and this one does look like an Autumn rose.

This is also a time for grasses. They are so beautiful waving their delicate heads in the autumn sunshine.

As we have already eaten our cake here is a photo of a much healthier option that would have been much better for us.

It was a very good year but I should have removed more of the bunches early then the fruit would have been larger. I will do that next year, but they were very sweet if a little small.

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The Garden Now this article is in the Christmas issue so I just had a look around for a seasonal plant and saw a Christmas Cactus. They look such delicate plants but are very easy to look after, do not need much water and after they finish flowering they are an attractive green plant. Keep them indoors but in the summer when the nights are warm they can go outside. But well before it gets cold bring them back inside a little new compost and some food and they will flower again for you. They are very good inexpensive gift.

If you want to make them a bit more special you can put them in a pretty container or basket.

I just know as expert crafters you will have lots of novel ideas.

Also in the Christmas mood here is Holly. It is a beautiful plant with its berries, but just look at its delicate flowers

of the photos r the quality f!

Apologies fo ite up to snuf ey are not qu this time, th d ly giving up an era was slow t bu My little cam ph ra og ter this phot finally died af one for w ne a ed is I’ve been prom Christmas.

Well all too soon it is time for you to leave, time goes quickly when you are with friends.

Thank you for taking the time to visit with me again in the garden.

We will be making some changes in the spring and summer next year and I look forward to sharing their progress with you all.

Have a wonderful and profitable Christmas and I look forward to visiting with you all in the New Year.

Your green fingered friend, Tina www.creative-crafting.com

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The Garden

Fun Fact Keeping in the seasonal mood this issues subject is Holly.

Through the years holly has accumulated many myths and legends centered around its Christmas associations. In England it is believed to house fairies and elves who come indoors to enjoy the holiday with humans.

So I guess I better keep a watch on my Christmas wreaths and decorations as I use Holly a lot, it is to me one of the traditional beauties of Christmas.

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Christmas Wreath

The Craft Box Christmas Wreath With the appearance of all the Christmas decorations in the shops, I realised that I had not made anything for Christmas in a long time.

Then when looking through my own decorations to see what I had and what I needed, I couldn't find my Christmas wreath anywhere.

I knew then exactly what I was going to make.

Cardboard box, PVA glue, Masking tape, Old wrapping paper, Newspaper Old Christmas cards.

Step 1. For the base of the wreath I cut 2 circular rims from the sides of a cardboard box.

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Christmas Wreath

Step 2. I then rolled newspaper into 2 tight rolls and with the masking tape attached the rolls to one of the rims.

Step 3 . I then added a loop of curling ribbon to the back of the newspaper covered rim and taped the 2 circles together, strengthening the wreath.

Step 4. With torn pieces of Christmas wrapping paper, I covered the front of the wreath using the PVA glue.

Step 5. When the whole wreath was covered, front and back, I began to make the holly leaves. I did this by drawing a holly leaf on a piece of the cardboard box, cut it out and used it as a template for the rest.

Step 6. Once the leaf shapes were cut out they were then glued to a sheet of wrapping paper and once dry, were cut out.

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Christmas Wreath Step 7. The holly was added to the wreath, spread out so as just to give the impression of a holly wreath.

Step 8. From the Christmas cards I cut out Robins and glued them in spaces between the holly leaves.

Step 9. As the finishing touch I added small red circular stickers to the holly leaves for the berries.

Simple and easy to make, this wreath was a lot of fun, and very easy to do.

Shinyies- Contemporary Jewellery Boutique http://shinyies.co.uk

Did you know that many of our features and projects are regular contributions?

If you like certain articles don’t forget to check out our back issues to find more just like them. www.creative-crafting.com/online_articles.html

www.creative-crafting.com

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MARKETS

A

round this time last year, I was in what could really be described as a Crafty-Christmas-Paradise; Germany in December is literally a dreamland for lovers of Christmas, crafts, and above all things, MARKETS. It’s with this wonderland of an inspiration in mind that, although back in Blighty, the I Love Markets team were determined to create some truly festive marketplaces for all you artists, designers, seamstresses and scissorsmiths this winter.

Markets, crafts and Christmas form three points of a beautifully constructed love triangle, and I Love Markets are very keen to be the string which holds that triangle together. Whilst we don’t have the Gluhwein like our German mates, we do have plenty of glue!

Portobello Market is quite possibly one of the most iconic marketplaces that the UK has the pleasure of nurturing, and the home to not just ridiculous amounts of budding arts and craft businesses, but also a haven for unique fashion and food.

My mum, who grew up in the area, always tells me how atmospheric the market gets in the run up to Advent, with aromas of patchouli and fresh tangerines warming the spirits of stallholders who brave the cold from early hours. The I Love Markets team are unsurprisingly excited to be bringing our regular pop-up which we host at Portobello Green into the Christmas months, with an array of talented crafters brightening up our stalls.

Christmas shopping will be a really creative experience at December’s Portobello Rocks. There’s nothing more romantic than a good story behind a Christmas present, which is a great excuse to get something from The Golden Grass Company. These lovely stallholders support their home country, Brazil, by designing jewellery pieces for the ladies of the Mumbuca tribe to create. It’s made from an exclusive plant called Capim Dourado, which translates literally as ‘Golden Grass’. This remarkably beautiful plant is forbidden by government to leave Brazil until the Mumbuca females have turned it into the product it is intended to become, which means we can be assured it was made by the correct people, and that the correct people were paid for it. Founder Simone recently quit a full time career at Zara to work on the project full time, and you can very much see the passion that goes into the delicate creations, which often look as they are made of pure gold.

They do have to be seen to be believed though, so ensure to stop by their stall.

I think we can all unite in the fact that there is always somebody for whom we have no idea what Christmas present to buy. Another craftastical I Love Markets stallholder, Wendy Boorer, could be the answer to that predicament: and she answers in the form of clocks. With a history in arts and crafts and a sudden obsession with time, Wendy founded Clocky Wocky when she one day picked up an old vinyl record and turned it into a clock. She now uses not just vinyl but cardstock, carrier bags and even Barbies to create her pieces, meaning each has clock has a different personality. So there’s bound to be one for your difficult Christmas recipient!

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Creative folk at a previous Portobello Rocks, a pop-up event ran by I Love Markets

Some of the stunning pieces by The Golden Grass Company, which can be found on www.ilovemarkets.co.uk

The fabulously eclectic stall of Clocky Wocky.

Lots of these clocks are available to buy on www.ilovemarkets.co.uk

MARKETS It doesn’t stop there! Less than one week after our last Portobello Rocks of 2013 we’ll have…

I never would have guessed, when I was but a wee schoolchild, that the ‘Millennium Dome’ (remember that?!) would become a venue for one of the UK’s biggest crafter events. So here I am, eating all my hats, as Handmade Christmas is taking over the iconic O2 for the second year running, and the I Love Markets team are ecstatic to have nabbed ourselves a corner which we’ll be filling with some of the best designers and artisans. There’s one rule at this event: if what you’re selling is not handmade, you’ll be out the door in a second. Whilst the Craft Police can be a scary breed, we’re pretty happy to be supporting their ethos and hence supporting all you independent designers and makers.

Let the crafting commence!

One of our stallholders will be the sophisticated Tie Doctor, who will happily prescribe remedies for all your fashion problems. Deeming themselves ‘The Neckware Specialist’, Tie Doctor’s regular spot is in the Brick Lane Backyard Market (which is an I Love Markets favourite, by the way). They create pieces for both men and women, filling a huge gap in the market with swanky designs, vibrant colours and an impeccable sense of style. If our foresight doesn’t mistake us, bow ties are set to be the next comeback kid in the world of alternative fashion – and what a superior Christmas present they’d make too.

Dashing! Lots of Tie Doctor’s dapper items are available to buy on www.ilovemarkets.co.uk

Also joining us will be the delightful Pangham, a distinctive collective of jewellery designers that we first came across on a busy morning craft-hunting at Old Spitalfields Market. Stunned by their selection of eclectic jewellery (eclectic meaning: their pendants can range from strawberries and symphonies to dinosaurs and even toilets), their creativity does not stop at what are these truly eccentric pieces; they also craft lantern-style fairy lights that come in a rainbow of varieties. If you’re looking for a bit of magic this Christmas, you must surely come and see Pangham’s stall.

Unfortunately, if I wanted to detail every one of our gifted stallholders I would be forced to write a book (which isn’t a bad idea, really!) but this forms a great excuse to come and see them for yourself. I Magical! Pangham’s lights would put any Love Markets are so proud of our designers, boutique Santa’s Grotto to shame. owners and stallholders and we are quite sure that, with Their jewellery is available on www.ilovemarkets.co.uk them all in tow, Christmas shopping need never be tedious again!

I’ve decided there’s no need to return to Germany this December. Although festive, there’s nothing that beats a good old British bit of Christmas Market Magic.

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REVIEWS

AS SEEN BY CREATIVE

Crafting

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 next review is of:

A Chocolate Bouquet Kit sold by Peakdale Craft Reviewed by ‘Chip off the old Blog’ writer Joy

The chocolate bouquet kit I am reviewing comes from Peakdale Craft.

The kit is under general craft items on the website. It has a minimal description, no price and shows a few images of what can be made with the kit.

For someone who has never tried using a kit of this type before, I would have preferred more information, photographs of what you will receive and details of the extra items you need to buy to use the kit.

You also need a trade account to buy from the site, as there is no option to purchase the kit otherwise.

The chocolate bouquet kit comes in a large box, with enough of the basic elements to create two bouquets as well as a set of instructions and a guide to creating fruit bouquets.

The contents are: 2 flat pack bouquet vases 1 large sheet of printed cellophane 4 foam blocks 1 roll of floral tape 20 wooden skewers 1 cop of curling ribbon 2 sheets of tissue paper An assortment of tissue paper circles You need to provide your own sweets or chocolates, tape and any embellishments you would like to use. You may also need a cool melt glue gun.

The instructions are printed on the two inside pages of the instruction booklet, with seven small diagrams to guide you.

Fixing the vases together is very easy, and creating the cellophane and tissue paper backdrop is quite simple too. To fit the backdrop into the vase, you place a block of foam you have already covered in tissue on top of the paper and cellophane to hold them in place. However, as the top block of foam is such a tight fit in the vase, you only get one or two attempts to get the backdrop in correctly.

When you have decided on your chocolate - I tried chocolate coins and individual chocolates (Rolos); you need to attach them to the skewers - I opted for sticking the pointy end of the skewer through the sweet, as they were being created, delivered and (most probably) eaten on the same day. If you choose to use boiled, wrapped sweets, you may need to use tape or the cool melt glue gun to attach them to the skewers. The sweets are then the centre to your flower.

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REVIEWS To create the petals you wrap tissue circles around the sweet, attaching them to the skewer with tape. They recommend three petals, although I did use more on some of mine - and I had a lot of circles left over so could have easily added more petals to each flower.

You then need to attach the curling ribbon for decoration. I did have a few issues with this.

Firstly, the instructions tell you to start wrapping the florist tape onto the skewer then add a piece of curling ribbon about 1/8 of the way down the skewer - I found this very tricky to do, and didn’t like how the ribbon looked when it was so far down the skewer.

Secondly, the green tape would not stick to the curling ribbon to the skewer and the ribbon kept sliding off.

Thirdly, the curling ribbon provided in the pack was too creased to curl.

I made my own adjustments by adding a longer length of curling ribbon from my craft supply and knotted it to the skewer, creating two pieces of ribbon to curl.

I then pushed the ribbon to the base of the flower, held up the two ends of curling ribbon so they wouldn’t get caught and wrapped the green tape over the knot, the tape holding the petals on, and down the skewer.

I then curled the ribbon as normal, this worked perfectly, and I preferred the way it looked.

To create the rest of the display, you continue to create your flowers and add ribbon to them all. Then add any embellishments, I used ribbon and beads, both from my craft stock. I also used red tissue paper from my own stock for the backdrop of the second bouquet.

For something non-edible you could perhaps use small baubles, beads or painted polystyrene balls as the centre of the flowers. Although it does not mention this in the instructions, I did snap some of the skewers to add different heights to the flowers in the bouquet. I also used twelve skewers on my first bouquet, which would have left only eight skewers for the second bouquet, so more were used from my craft stock.

Overall this is a fairly simple kit to use, and the bouquets do look wonderful when they are finished - I’ve had orders to make some of my own already - but as you need to purchase your own embellishments, chocolates and add to the basics of the kit as well, it could become an expensive gift to create.

The fruit bouquet booklet isn’t really necessary, and the back page of the instruction booklet illustrates how the bouquet would be good for children’s parties - which I have to disagree with as I don’t think that children and skewers are a good combination! This booklet space could be used to give more detailed instructions and diagrams instead.

The kit itself is very basic and perhaps themed kits, (Valentines, Christmas etc) with matching colour vases, tissue, ribbon, and some embellishments would be more appealing. However, I did enjoy using the kit and found it a fairly simple way to create an eye catching display. www.creative-crafting.com

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Crafting On A Budget

W

e all like to keep our spending to a minimum if we can, particularly at this festive time of the year. So when I began planning my next Crafting on a Budget article and project it was only right to think of something festive for you.

Christmas is one of the best times of year to uncover your creative side, so naturally I’ve been very much looking forward to my latest project. There are so many ideas floating around of what to make, and I have supplied a few different examples throughout this article, but for starters I have settled on a technique I stumbled upon a few months ago. It is a simple technique, yet very effective, and it is ideal for this time of year. All you need is a wooden shaped hanging ornament, any shape, paper napkins, PVA glue and scissors, glitter is optional – but lots of fun.

Luckily for me I live near a Country Baskets store so I can pick up materials at a reasonable price, but wooden shapes, similar to those I have used for this project, can be picked up anywhere; a quick search on the Internet will open a few more doors I’m sure. The napkins I have used are just regular Christmas themed paper napkins, which can be purchased from the market, card shops or supermarkets, and they’re extremely friendly on our purses/wallets. Obviously there are many different designs available but I have used a red napkin with a white snowflake design, which works well for a smaller shape, as it isn’t too ‘busy’.

I have used the following technique for both a heart and star shaped decoration, but it can be applied to any wooden object.

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Crafting On A Budget 1. Using the wooden shape as a template, draw your desired shape onto the napkin and simply cut the shape out. Once cut, glue your napkin shape onto the top of your wooden ornament; I have found PVA glue works well and holds the napkin in place sufficiently. It does take a while to dry and I would recommend allowing your newly decorated shape to dry completely before progressing to the next step; it may also need a little trim around the edges if your napkin hangs over slightly.

2. Once dry your new ornament is ready to embellish. With glue spreader in hand it’s time once again to grab your PVA glue and spread it across the top of the dry napkin, remembering to scrape off any excess glue, to provide a nice shiny finish. Whilst your ornament is laid to dry why not add a sprinkle of glitter, to add a festive sparkle as it twirls from the Christmas tree.

The above steps can be repeated for the other side. Alternatively, a coat of red paint (or another colour that fits in with your napkin) also gives a nice, clean finish.

Taking the above note into consideration, a coat of paint also works well when you are wondering how to decorate a blank wooden shape.

One of my examples I have made as part of my Christmas range again involves a small wooden star, complete with string to hang once completed.

This decoration easily fits within your budget constraints and can be finished in minutes.

A quick coat of red paint to both sides quickly allows the Christmas theme to flow, however I decided to add the outline of a gold adhesive star to the inside line of the star, to present a smart finish. And again, the gold will shimmer in the light as the star pirouettes from its perch.

But again, a quick sprinkle of glitter would also add a remarkable finishing touch to any of your handmade hanging decorations, so the option is yours.

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Crafting On A Budget Finally, I took one of my medium sized wooden hearts, and with its larger dimensions I had a slightly bigger platform to express my creativity. ● A nice wash of red paint to decorate the background worked effectively on this wooden backdrop, not too startling but a strong base to build up my design. ● Next came the fun part – the decoration. Lucky for me my gran is a craft fanatic, and although she is unable to partake in the fun herself these days, she is quite happy for me to trudge through her masses of ribbons and other goodies. Whilst visiting recently I came across some sparkly green ribbon which had Christmas written all over it (not literally, although that would have been fab!) and I just had to use it for my Christmas collection.

Although I was fortunate to stumble upon one of my ribbons, ribbons are easily found and at affordable prices. Your local market is always a good place to start when on the hunt for ribbon. ● After gluing a section of this ribbon onto my heart, I next added a bit of artificial holly and some small adhesive stars to finish it off nicely. I initially bought just one branch of the holly, to cut off the leaves and berries as I need them. As my wooden ornaments are relatively small, one branch can make a substantial amount of decorations, which in turn helps to keep costs to a minimum.

And there you have it, four easy to make, low cost Christmas decorations to add a handmade, festive sparkle to your home.

Whatever you’re making this Christmas I hope you enjoy yourselves. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, filled with fun, laughter, memories and handmade goodies. I look forward to reading all of your New Year stories in 2014.

Leanne Fahy – Small Surprises Boutique www.facebook.com/SmallSurprisesBoutique

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CRAFTY GAME

The guys at Thrashion Ltd have come up with another amazing and original idea for a new recycled skateboard product and the best thing is that it's raising money for Skateistan!

Thrashion Recycled Skateboard Jewellery ÂŽ has hooked up with illustrator and graphic genius Jon Horner to produce the first ever skate 'SNAP' game.

This amazing take on the traditional 'SNAP' card game features 52 full colour 350gsm silk laminated cards. There are 13 different designs all illustrated by Jon Horner and reverse printed with another of Jon’s custom designs based on traditional playing cards imagery.

The cards are packaged in beautiful hand crafted games compendium style boxes which have been produced by Driftwood Surfboards and Thrashion Ltd from recycled skateboards and sustainable wood sources.

This new and completely original product will be launched in December 2013 but are available to pre-order through the Thrashion website now! These are a limited edition item and only 10 have been made.

All profits made will be donated to Skateistan.

You can pre-order your SNAP! game here via our website.

For more info please contact Nat at Thrashion on word@thrashion.co.uk or visit the website http://www.thrashion.com for more details. www.creative-crafting.com

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Christmas Shopping

Your

Christmas Shopping Gift Guide Inspired by this years Harrods Express windows display Number 1037 Steam Train Cufflinks for Train Fans Both Young and Old Steam train cuff links of the number 1037 Engine. Fabulous for fans of trains and transport, these cuff links depict a real piece of history. ÂŁ21.95 Urbaneye Cufflinks http://folksy.com/shops/UrbanEye

Wooden Train Ornament Baby's First Christmas Personalized Kids Our personalized kids Wooden Train Ornament is perfect for Baby's First Christmas or child who simply adores trains. Our new Graphic Spaces original design is laser cut from 1/4" maple wood. ÂŁ12.03 Graphicspaceswood http://www.etsy.com/shop/graphicspaceswood

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Christmas Shopping

Train set Wooden 6 car Handmade toy Large Red oak walnut and Cherry Heirloom This is a beautifully detailed Heirloom Quality train set I finished with all natural beeswax made with hardwoods from Southern Maryland. Oak, Walnut and Cherry woods and birch dowels. £82.28 MikeBToys http://www.etsy.com/shop/mikebtoys

Vintage Steam trains, men's gift tags A set of six die cut gift tags made from good quality brown board, (approx 600 microns). Each tag is approximately 11 cm long and 5 cm wide. £4.00 The Shabby Tiger http://folksy.com/shops/TheShabbyTiger

Personalised 1st Christmas Scrapbook/ Photo Album/Memory Book/Guest Book Approx Size: 6"x8.5" (A5), Oonly top quality materials are used, hard backed covers wrapped in top quality cardstock £10.99 All Your Memories http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/all-your-memories

www.creative-crafting.com

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Don’t miss our valentines issue out on 1st February 2014

Publishing since 2009 More projects, more interviews, more crafting possibilities.

Don’t forget that luscious printed copies can be purchased from www.magcloud.com/user/creativecrafting

www.creative-crafting.com