This is the 2nd half of the beaded Mickey Ears Tutorial
the good thing about this 2nd half is it applies to wrapping any headband so even if you are not making Mouse Ears you can still use the technique to wrap your headbands with ribbon and give them a new lease on life, or to decorate
I have been seeing some gorgeous wire and floral hand made Mickey ears in videos and on Etsy so wanted to put my own spin on them
so here is the first Half of my hand Beaded Mickey Ears Tutorial
Please subscribe to My YouTube channel if you would like more of this kind of tutorial from me
It is called crafting in bed.
And whilst every care should be taken as this one does include the use of a flame it is actually pretty easy to do (well for me I cannot speak to anyone else)
at any rate you can craft this anywhere however due to illness and lack of crafting I wanted to find some things I could easily do in bed so on my worst days I did not feel like I was missing out on at least a little bit of creativity.
This is a tutorial I created using brusho and stamps. This is something I made up after getting my first lot of brusho from the Blitsy black fri sale last year
How remiss of me of me to forget to post it here oops
This year one of my goals is to post at least a tutorial a Month, I am a bit late with Last Months so here it is.
It is a little tricky at first, however stick with it as once you get the hang of it it is really simple and easy :). It also can be made bigger or smaller depending on your needs.
A great decorative Piece for the Poker, Vegas, or other gambling type themed Party
Materials:
9 thick plastic poker chips
24 small screw eyes
12 jump rings
Pliers
Awl
Step 1: Lay out your poker chips into the pattern you want, I have used one colour here however you can easily mix and match your poker chips for a funky patterned look.
Step 2 Take Your Awl (you can find these really cheap on ebay) and gently poke a hole in your Poker chip. It does not have to be a huge hole but at least enough to start to put your screw eye in.
For corners you need 2 holes one side and one bottom/top depending on position
For the sides you need 3 and for the center you need 4 (this will of course vary depending on how big you are making your mat)
Continue with each poker chip until you have the holes you need.
It pays to have a couple of extra in case of mishaps, also please please go slow and be careful as Awls are very sharp and it is easy to slip if your not paying attention to what your doing.
Step 3: Put your screw eyes into each hole, I do this just enough so that they stay in, as I find its quicker to have them all in then do the next step
Step 3: Take your pliers in one hand and your poker chip in the other and twist in your Screw eye’s. I found this a little difficult with some of the screw eyes, so you may need to push down hard with the pliers. The Pliers also save very sore fingers.
Step 4: Connect your poker chips together. Using your jump rings and starting at the top corner and working on the first two rows then adding in the last one (or more if you are doing a larger Mat)
I stretched the Jump rings first by placing on the nose of my pliers and opening them a little. I also used the pliers to close them again to keep the mat together.
and viola here is the finished Mat. The great thing about this tutorial is you can so easily adapt it, you can take the basic idea of the screw eyes and thick poker chips to make jewellery, a Poker chip version of a beaded curtain, a chandelier the list is endless of the variations and ways you can use this basic idea.
First off you should be hopping here from Daisy’s amazing blog
Welcome to my Box-a-lope tutorial I know there are a few of these already online though I just played with my scoreboard to get mine. It may look a little daunting in terms of steps but it really is very simple and I like to make things as easy as possible for each person so that all skill levels can accomplish my tutorials easily.
The best bit about this project its a one sheet of CS one so its great for stretching the budget, cards that are a little to big for a normal envelope or to sneak a few goodies in with your card.
step 1. Using your Martha Stewart score board with the envelope maker in place or a ruler and a pencil. Score your lines on the diagnal at 4.5″ and 5″
turn and do this on all four sides your CS should have score or pencil lines to look like the ones in this pic
Step 2: Cut down your corners on what all sides (I always cut the top two flaps off but you can tuck them in if you prefer it really is up to you) Make sure the two you are leaving to create tabs with you cut a small piece out of the end as pictured this will help it sit better.
Note you can turn your cut off bits into photo corners for other projects very simply the following pics show you how easy it is
ok back to our box-a-lope
Step 3 Turn your box-a-lope over and decorate your front panel this will make it easier if you want to stamp, emboss or ink your box rather than when it is already made up. You will notice I accidentally did my box sideways which was a decorating error on my part you do not need to do this you can have your box with the flap at the top it is totally up to you.
Step 4 Add tape as shown to one of the side panels, the whole of your bottom panel and the outside of the little tabs
Step 5: Stick the tabs to the outer bits of your box-a-lope
step 6: Stick your side panels to each other being careful to keep the shape (if you have a book or thin box the right size use that to help)
step 7: Stick the bottom fold over bit panel (I cut a rounded shape into the end of mine you do not have to I just like how it looks better and yes a corner rounder is on my wish list)over the side panels.
Step 8: Add adhesive to your top panel, fill your box-a-lope with goodies and viola your done 🙂
As a special give away for this blog hop I am giving the above box-a-lope stuffed full of goodies from my etsy store and some other stash away to one lucky commenter so comment on this post for your chance to win.
It is now time for you to hop on over to Ashley’s awesome blog
(the pictured suitcase boxes are 5″ wide rather than the 6″ in the tutorial it is explained in the instructions how you can alter the size)
A friend showed me a vintage suitcase that had been turned into a work of scrapbooking art. We were talking and as things go she wanted to figure out how to do the same thing on a smaller scale.
I said I had a few ideas I wanted to try and that I would get back to her and thus this tutorial was born.
This is perfect for the budget crafter as it uses just one sheet of 12 cardstock and the leftover bits are put to use. As well as leaving you with some squares that are perfect for inchies or layout titles and such.
Please do not be daunted by the amount of steps involved once you have made one of these you will discover how easy they are to make and how effective they look.
Materials:
A 12×10” piece of Cardstock in a colour of your choice
A 2”x6” piece of cardstock leftover from your original 12×12 or in a contrasting colour (depending on if you have Distress crackle paint or other acrylic paint to use)
Distress Crackle Paint or a contrasting colour in acrylic
10 brads (optional 26 if you would like all 3 of your corner pieces with a brad)
Ribbon, trim or Thin strips of faux upholstery suede for your straps and handle
2 Buckles (I used pearl ribbon sliders you can however get small buckles off eBay for a more authentic look)
Score board (alternatively a ruler and pencil will work however a score board is the fast simple option)
Strong double sided tape
Optional 1 7/8” x 1 7/8” piece of grungeboard
Multi Medium in Matt
Optional 6”x12” piece of patterned paper
Step 1:
Score your cardstock along the 12” edge at: 1”, 2”, 5”, 6”, 7”, 10” and 11”
Step 2
Turn your cardstock to the 10” length and score at: 1”, 2”, 8” and 9” (Please note if you want a smaller length to your box trim off extra cardstock and make sure you score at 1” and 2” on both sides by flipping the cardstock around I did this for the 2 boxes with the pattern paper on them to make them a 5” box.)
Step 3: Cut down the lines of your box along the 12” sides as shown in the picture. Along the edge lines down to the end of your two 1” score lines, please only do the 2nd line on the corners (see step 4 for why you need to do this the L shapes are then recycled into your corner pieces) It should look like this image:
Step 4:
Cut off your corner pieces in an L shape (each part of the L should be a one inch square so you will end up with 3 of them. Also cut off the 2 extra squares in the middle leaving two one inch squares. Your box should look like this picture
Step 5: Place tape as shown in the photo: The inside pieces get tape on the flat cardstock that will fold inside the box, the tabs get tape on the rough side or outer side of the cardstock as shown in the following pics
Step 6 OPTIONAL If you are adding patterned paper to the outside of your box. Score it the same way the 12” side of the cardstock was scored in step one.
Place tape around the top edges of the box and on both sides of all score lines. Stick down your patterned Paper (this method allows for the pattern paper to be adhered not only easily but also in a way that means no bubbles and such later)
Step 7: Fold all your score lines and run a bone folder over them for crispness.
Step 8: Remove the top part of your double stick tape from the ‘tabs’ (the small 1” squares) and attach them to the piece next to them. As shown in the photo:
Repeat step 8 until all 8 corners are stuck down giving you your basic box shape
Step 9: Remove the top layer of your tape from all the long flaps and fold them down (this has the added benefit of making your box a little sturdier)
OPTIONAL: Add your grungeboard strip to the inside of the box hinged bit or place underneath your pp on the outside this will help keep your box in shape. You could also paint it with crackle paint or cover it in felt or faux suede for an added luxury look to your suitcase and adhere it to the bottom (the hinged 2” scored bit that allows your suitcase to be opened and closed)
Step 10: Score your 2”x 6” strip straight down the middle so you have two 1” sides. Turn to the 6” length and then score every 1”. (Please not my pic shows a 12″ strip done the same way you can do this if like me you often loose bits as your making things)
Step 11: Cut these into L shapes like your corner pieces you should now have 8 of these in total.
Step 12: Take one of your L shapes and fold over into one square. As shown in the pic
Step 13: Cut along the diagonal of your square. The best way I can describe this is to make sure you do not cut your ‘fold’ line and that you’re cutting off the open side of your square.
Repeat this for all 8 squares they will end up looking like a sort of square pac man:
Step 14: Paint your corner pieces with Distress Crackle paint or acrylic in a contrasting colour. If you chose to use cardstock in a contrasting colour you can skip this step.
Step 15 when dry place a brad in the centre of each corner piece (I use the piece that is in the centre as such) If you want to add brads to all sides do this now to the other two pieces as well.
Step 16: Paint some multi medium or other adhesive onto the non painted/non presentation side of your corner piece. Stick the triangle that has both of the other triangles attached to the top of the corner of your box (as shown) then stick down the other two triangles over your corner (see the pics below).
Repeat with all 8 corners.
This is what your box will look like
Step 17: Cut a strip of faux upholstery suede, ribbon or trim for your handle. Make sure it is a width your happy with.
Place holes for the brads towards the bottom corners of your Handle. Hold the handle to your box where you want it to be and mark the holes.
I used a tapered AWL (one of the benefits of being a bear maker as it is a tool of the trade however I also find it invaluable for scrapbooking as well) to punch the small holes needed in the box.
Add the brads to your handle and put through the holes.
NOTE: It took me a while to find a way to do the handle that I liked. I make the handle a bit thicker and put the brads down the bottom corners so that it overlaps the top part of the suitcase to look more like a real handle. However this is your suitcase you are free to do your handle how you choose.
Step 18: Measure your ribbon, trim or faux upholstery suede around your box making sure you have enough to go all the way around, with added extra to form your ‘straps’
Step 19: Using your ribbon, trim or thin strips of faux upholstery suede glue them into your ‘buckles’ by folding a piece of the end over and gluing it down. Do this for both strips
Step 20: Do up your straps at either end of your suitcase.
And Viola you did it!! You can now create a mini album or use this as a gift box or decoration. Would also be great for a bon voyage party as party favours. You are only limited by your imagination. I would really love to see your creations if you try this tutorial!
Best of all this really is an economical little project.
Make your Own Glazes
Another budget saver is making your own Glazes.
You can do this in so many ways and my sister even has a YouTube tutorial on how she does it
Although her preference is now to use Multi Medium in a gloss. I still love to use triple thick and will share my method step by step complete with photos for you all
This is Number 2 in things you can do with re-inkers other than re-inking your ink pads.
You can get bigger containers to make larger amounts of glaze however I truly like just making a small amount at a time, as I find it goes quite a long way.
I got my containers from eBay in the nail art section; here is a link to some http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/140549609149?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
The reason I liked these containers is because they come with their own little trays to store them in. They hold 5mls and you can most certainly search through and find larger ones for a bit more money to make larger batches.
So along with your containers and re-inkers you will need a gloss medium. I love and am completely addicted to triple thick. However I have also successfully made glazes with Glossy Accents and Multi Medium in the Gloss finish
Some Pearl ex, Perfect Pearls or other Mica Powder or Irradescance Medium (this last actually works best to give a shimmer to your glaze).
A small mixing spoon
A water mister or some water
If you want to turn your ‘shimmery glaze’ into something similar to ‘glimmer glam’ you will need some chunky glitter or fine depending on the look you are after
So now you have gathered all your Materials together let’s begin. You will see my Sister and I both have similar but different methods when it comes to making our glazes. Neither is right or wrong it is just what works for us.
Step 1: Mist a small amount of water into the bottom of your container (If you are using a bigger container you will need more water than in the pic shown)
Step 2: Add in a scoop or two of your gloss medium. Leave some room at the top of your container as you do not want to make a huge mess or waste this when you stir it.
Step 3: Add in a drop of your re-inker. I used Antique Linen Distress and needed 4 drops. However most colours will in such a small container only require one to two drops at most.
Step 4: Add in your pigment powder. I used Perfect Pearls Biscotti and was a little disappointed as it did not really shimmer when I used it to glaze with. Note if you are using Iradescance Medium mix a very teeny amount with your water then continue with adding your gloss medium and skip adding the pigment powder step.
Step 5: Use the skinny end of your spoon to stir your mix until it is all combined. Do this gently as it will take a minute and you do not want to create lots of air bubbles or spill too much.
Your finished glaze (you can make this as watery or glossy as you like depending on what you are using it for will depend on the thickness needed)
A great use: Take a Mulberry Paper flower and dip it in your glaze. Move it around till it is all coated. Shake off the excess. Then move away from your container and blow on the flower to remove all the excess glaze. Stick in some Foam or plasticine and allow to dry overnight. You may be tempted to dry the flowers with a heat gun. I have found from my experience it is far better to let them dry naturally. This gives a great finish to flowers and the colours are intense and vibrant. It is a totally different look than misting the flowers
Step 6: This is vital so you are easily able to re open your containers each time you wish to use them. Clean around the top of your jar.
And that is it. So quick and simple. Another great cost cutting idea for the budget crafter. See My Shabby Chic cards and boxes, as well as my Nieces 16th birthday card to see how vibrant paper flowers are coloured this way
And that’s all there is there isn’t anymore
I have a confession; actually it is more of an addiction. I love making mists.
as you can see from this picture of my Misting Box
Sure if I had the budget I would be buying as many as I could get my hands on. However as a budget crafter you cannot beat making your own mists.
It seriously costs you less than about $1 a bottle if you follow my tips.
Lets talk about the Materials you will neeed:
Firstly Invest in Re-Inkers, especially Distress ones. The reason for this is many. There is so much you can do with Re-Inkers above and beyond re inking your stamp pads or using stamping foam to make your own custom stamps or stamp pads for ones you have yet to own the Ink Pad of.
I will actually write up a tutorial on the things you can do with re inkers as I have quite a few.
Anyway back to mists.
Invest in a big jar of your favourite pearl ex powder (pearl, macro pearl or interference gold all make wonderful mists) and some Gum Arabic Powder. Alternately use your perfect pearls or any other mica based pigment powder. Both work really well and will give you different effects. I have used both pearl ex and perfect pearls in mists and love both of them. What I love about pearl ex is the ability to buy a larger jar we can only hope that Ranger will at some point create larger containers for some or all of their Perfect Pearls range.
TIP: Add in your gum Arabic powder straight to your jar of pearl ex and shake well this helps overcome the problem of lumps and having trouble mixing the powder into mists, water colours and other such things. Following the instructions on the bottle of course ¼ gum Arabic to pearl ex
Invest in your misting or spray bottles. Look on EBay for bulk purchases (here is a link to one of my favourite places to get them from http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/290599549921?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649 )
You do not have to buy loads to begin with 10 bottles will give you a good range. The reason I prefer the 50ml bottles is that with the mini misters (these are fantastic for a smaller project when you only want a limited amount of a colour) you do not get a lot of use and often in projects I need to make more mist. So the 50ml bottles go quite far and mean that I do not have to make that mist up every time I want to use it.
You will also notice from the photos that I have a 100ml water bottle also purchased cheaply from eBay.
This one will sound a bit odd but also add to your Misting supplies one bottle of each of the cheap food colourings Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink. I got mine at a local supermarket for 99c. These actually make really good mists and can be mixed to make other colours.
A ‘Recipe’ Book to add in a colour sample as well as how much of each Re-Inker or Food Colouring you have used. Also for when you mix your own colours and such.
A Black Sharpie or other Black permanent Marker to write in your Recipe Book and on Your Bottles.
An Eye Dropper and small spoon or scoop.
Water (I use an old soft drink/soda bottle and always have it handy in my craft space)
So now you have all your materials what next?
Now you get to play Mad Scientist and experiment
Let’s start with a Basic Re-Inker Mist pick a colour and let’s begin
Step 1. Fill your bottle with water leaving some room at the top. Remember you can always add more water after you have made your mix but want enough room to add your shimmer powder and re-inker
Step 2. Add a small scoop of your powder (when you have made a few you will discover the joy of trying different combinations of coloured powders for different effects however for the most part I stick to a neutral or golden shimmer so as to make my home made mists more versatile.) Swirl your bottle to mix in your shimmer
Step 3. Now this will depend on the strength of colour of the Re-Inker as well. Colours like spun sugar will no matter how much Re-Inker you add only ever give you the barest hint of colour so choose slightly darker colours if you want bold bright mists. Add in one eye dropper full of your Re-Inker, put your spray nozzle back on and mix well, do a test Spritz on a blank piece of white paper to see if you like the strength of the colour. If it is not strong enough add some more Re-Inker, this takes a little bit of intuition as you may need one or two more eye droppers full or just a few more drops. Think about the depth of colour you want.
I used Forrest Moss and one full eyedropper was more than enough to make the colour
Tip: Start gradually and build up it is far easier than going to dark and having to then turn what would be one bottle of mist into two
Step 4: In your ‘Recipe’ Book write down your recipe with your permanent Marker. Also write it on your bottle
Step 5: Mist your ‘Recipe’ and allow it to dry
And that is it a basic Mist made and ready for you to use
Food Colouring Mists are made in the exact same way. Just substitute Re-Inker for the food colouring and use a bit more caution as the food colouring is very concentrated. You can also use India inks, and other fluid based inks. I really want to try making a mist with brilliance re-inkers as I think you could get a lovely shimmer from them without needing to add perfect pearls or pearl ex.
Tip: Experiment with making your own colours. Mix Both Re-Inkers and Food Colouring together for some great colours.
Tip: Use Black Soot or Black India ink added a single drop at a time to intensify and darken colours. Do not use with light colours such as pale pinks and yellows as the black will totally take over these colours.
That is it some homemade misting basics.
I love Mists. As a budget crafter for me it is about stretching every craft dollar as far as possible to allow me to be as creative as I can. Home Made mists are a fantastic way to do this.
However the pre made variety are rather awesome. If you’re on a budget look for the value packs and store specials to help you build up your collection or try making your own.
Hi and welcome back to Heavenly Craftings today’s tutorial is a very simple Child friendly one.
You only need a few Materials and the results will amaze you. This is a great way to recycle old books that are just lying around. Great for both the environmentally conscious crafter and the budget crafter.
Some flowers made using the end product of this technique
YouTube Tutorial (please like and subscribe to my ever evolving channel)
So let’s get to it.
Materials:
Flower Dies
An old romance novel
A die cutting machine
Assorted Distress Re-Inkers
A plate or shallow container
A water mister
How to:
Tear out your book pages into sets of 8 pages (you will only need about 6 sets to make plenty of flowers.
2. Choose your flower dies and arrange them onto your die cutting machine plate
Arrange as many as you can and then cover with the book paper and cut them out. Do this until you have a nice pile of flowers
Mist your container until rivulets form
Drop in a few drops of each colour of Re-inker into your container
Mist your container over the re inkers until the drops start to bleed into each other.
Scatter your flowers over the ink until you have a thick layer of flowers and cannot see any ink
Mist the flowers until they are all well dampened
Push down on the flowers to allow them to absorb all the ink.
Allow them to soak up the ink for a few minute
Turn the flowers over and mist them generously again
Push down on the flowers
Take your flowers and separate them onto your craft mat. You can leave some in clumps of a flower type.
Allow to dry overnight or place in small batches in a box and dry with your heat gun
These make great rolled roses, scrunched flowers or individual blossoms.
Heavenly Craft Musings 