Origami

I was flicking through my Martha Stewart Craft Encyclopedia earlier looking for a quick project/technique to try whilst sitting in front of the TV. There are so many amazing projects in the book that I want to try but quite a lot of them will need extra stash so I decided to give Origami a go.

There were a number of different Origami projects in the book varying from beginner level to frankly hardcore paper folding genius level. I decided to give some beginner projects a go and went with the fortune teller and chinese lantern makes.

I started with the fortune teller, I remember we used to make these at school and have great fun playing with them on the playground. Martha's book suggests using them at dinner parties as table decorations one for each guest which I think is a great idea.

I then made a chinese lantern which can be hung over fairy lights to give a great effect. Both of these were fairly easy to make I think they would look slightly better if I had used a bone folder to get more accurate folding. As you can see I used some left over xmas papers I had and I think when folded they look less xmasy and can be used for any occasion so great for using up and left over festive stash.

Lantern Making (Part Two)

The lanterns I was making earlier in the week are now dry, tonight I put some small tealights in them to test them out and I am really happy with the effect they give off. For the moment I am going to use them as candle holders and have them on the work surface.

I made the little one I showed you in part one of this post earlier in the week, and after I left it to dry I had enjoyed it so much that I made another one. This time only using two colours of tissue paper red and blue. When the summer comes I plan to attach wire to the jars and hang them outside when having BBQs and outside parties.

I am going to try this technique with a range of different shaped jars and try them with various candles to experiment with the different light effects that can be achieved. I also read that you can use pro markers to colour on glass and give a stained glass effect which I am quite excited to try. So watch this space for more lanterns in the future.

Which Craft Magazine to Choose?

Since getting interested in craft, I have become a regular reader of various craft magazines. I have tried a whole range of magazines varying from quick cards to simply homemade.

I have read on a number of blogs that people haven’t always found craft magazines useful and that often they feel it is the same material and projects being re written in various different ways. I however feel that as a newbie to a craft world reading a variety of magazines has been invariably useful its fun to look at what other people are doing and is interesting to read reviews of new products.

I have got inspiration on various card designs from different paper craft magazines and learnt how to use different techniques such as quiling and decoupage. I also have marked a number of knitting and needle craft projects to try in the coming months.

The most useful magazines I have found are the more general ones which cover a huge variety of crafts ranging from gardening to crochet. Although I am not particularly interested in the gardening or baking sections I like the breadth of projects included in these types of magazines I also like the more varied articles on things such as setting up a craft business and upcycling. Of these more general magazines I have been a big fan of simply homemade and making magazine. They are both priced at 4.99 and are published monthly.

I also have enjoyed the more specific magazines such as cross stitch crazy and lets knit although they are filled with information about only one craft they are very informative and give a huge variety of articles within them.

Ever growing collection of craft magazines 

As it is January it is the time to be thinking about getting a subscription to my favourite magazines lots of them seems to be offering deals if you become a subscriber the only problem is deciding which ones to subscribe to. If any one has any suggestions on their favourite craft magazines please leave a comment and let me know.

Lantern Making (Part One)

I read a huge number of craft blogs I can spend whole evenings stumbling from one link to another. During my blog hopping I often get inspiration on new projects or techniques to try. 

Recently I have seen a number of people make lanterns using old jars and tissue paper. I decided I would give it a go. I bought a barganous huge pack of tissue paper when I first started crafting but haven't really used that much of it so this was the perfect project to use some with. 

I started by using a star punch to punch little stars out of tissue papers scraps, I then stuck about 6 of these pieces onto the jam jar I then layered on other bits of tissue paper using PVA glue. Once they were all stuck on I left it to dry for 20 mins before then coating it again with PVA glue. 

This is as far as I have got this evening I am going to leave it over night to dry and then finish it off tomorrow hence this os only part one of the post. 

Lantern in progress 

Craft New Years Resolutions

Seeing as it is the time for New Years resolutions I have decided to compile a list of crafts I want to try and projects I want to complete over the next 12 months.

I’m sure as the year progresses this list will change and involve but have decided it will be a good starting point for deciding what projects to work on.

•            Quilting – I think home made quilts look beautiful and have been reading about quilting techniques in a craft book I purchased recently (review to follow in another post) It looks like its one of those crafts that can be made as easy or as difficult as you want so I think I’m going to attempt to make a basic quilt to use as a throw on my sofa.
• ·      Glass Painting- In the December issue of ‘Simply Homemade’ I saw a project which involved decorating tumblers and simple glass plates or dishes with various designs. I think it would be fun to do this and think it would make good gifts I know a lot of my friends would love a hand-painted glass item.
• ·      Copic Markers- As I have said before I have a fairly sizeable collection of pro markers which I love using they really give a great effect if you spend the time on the images perfecting them. I am intrigued however to try Copic markers and see which I prefer, in a number of the online articles I have read about them it has stated that they are interchangeable with the pro markers and can be used together so I think I may buy a few and do a Copic vs Promarker article.
• ·      Freehand machine embroidery – I purchased a few hand embroidery foot for my sewing machine but unfortunately when attached it doesn’t fit an embroidery hoop underneath. I am going to purchase another foot that will allow a hoop underneath and give it a go. In an ideal world I would like to buy a new sewing machine as the one I have is fairly old I think it may be five or six years old now, it does however still work pretty much perfectly but doesn’t have all the settings or attachments I would like. It’s a Toyota sewing machine but I think I would prefer a Janome or Singer. I think before jumping into a new purchase I will try and complete some more projects on my current sewing machine and decide if it really needs replacing.
• ·      Crochet- I have seen a number of projects in my knitting and crochet magazine that I would like to have a go at. I have been told that crochet is a little harder to master then knitting so not sure how easy I will find it as knitting was a little bit tricky. Going to start with a few granny squares and hopefully will get enough together to make a blanket.
• ·      Mosaic- On one of the episodes of Kirsty’s handmade Britain she completed a Mosaic mirror it was beautiful and looked like a very enjoyable craft. I am going to first try one of the small kits that Hobbycraft sell for about £3 as I think this is a cheap way of seeing whether I like the process of making a mosaic. If I do I will invest in a few of the basic materials needed to get started on a larger project.
• ·      Card making – Although this is not a new craft I would like to try it is something that I would like to further experiment with. There are so many different techniques out there that I think look really great on cards for all occasions so I am going to try and give as many a go as possible. I also am determined to make sure that I start to do cards further in advance so I have more time to make sure each one is perfect before it has to be given out. I plan to start on Easter cards in the next week or so.

I’m sure I could think of a lot more crafts and techniques I want to try but this post is already fairy lengthy. I have decided that at the end of each month I wil do a sort of catch up post which will evaluate how I am getting on with trying these different crafts so hopefully come the end of January I will be able to cross a few of the above of the list. 

Ebay

I am literally in love with Ebay, I think I may have an addiction the amount I have spent on craft materials on Ebay in recent weeks is a little bit scary.

There is such a wealth of craft materials available on Ebay for really reasonable prices, it's perfect for starting out as you are able to buy the materials for a wide range of different crafts without spending too much money. In the last few weeks I have bought all sorts of stuff including:  

• Rubber Stamps 
• Embroidery Hoops
• Embroidery Thread
• Pro Markers 
• Buttons 
• Beads 
• Paper 
• Sewing Machine Accessories 

Everything has been really bargainous and all the sellers have made sure that my items got to me really quickly. Ebay really is a great place to buy craft materials and I would advise anyone who hasn't used it to give it a go.