Monday 14 September 2015

Octavia Frosted Winter Cushion Tutorial Part 1

Crikey get me posting two days in a row! As promised I'm back with a tutorial to make the cushion I showed you yesterday. I've decided to break the tutorial down into three parts due to the fact that it's quite a big project and I want to be able to give lots of hints and tips along the way. In addition I upgraded to Windows 10 and it has caused a problem with my printer which has delayed this tutorial slightly.

I've listed everything below that you need for the project, but the important things are obviously the CD or Digital Download, Reynolds Freezer Paper, Plain Fabric (I used cheap polycotton curtain lining), Bonda Web and a sewing machine or needle and thread. If you can't get the Freezer Paper you can substitute it with low tack spray glue and card but I found this didn't work as well for me. You could also use the pre prepared fabric sheets that can be bought easily online, although that would not be a cheap option.

Firstly cut a sheet of freezer paper to your required size (my printer takes A3 paper so I used that but if your printer can only do A4 that will be fine too, you'll just have to join your fabric or make a different shaped cushion).


Next take the curtain lining and press it flat, then cut so that it slightly overhangs the freezer paper. With the shiny plastic coated side of the paper facing upwards, lay the fabric over the paper and then starting from the centre of the fabric carefully rub the iron over the entire area. The fabric and paper should now be lightly bonded.


Next trim the fabric down to your paper size. I used a guillotine as it gives a nice neat edge with no frayed bits. If after trimming the fabric you have a problem with the fabric curling away on the corner re-iron that area and allow to cool. Alternatively you can use a very small piece of tape, but be aware that this area will not have any print.


It is important that there are no raggy edges as they will most likely snag in your printer. You are now ready to print onto your fabric. Place the fabric into the manual feed slot of your printer and then press print. Your print settings should be as shown in the picture below.


Once the fabric has printed you can carefully remove the paper and put it to oneside to use for the next panel (I used a single piece of freezer paper for 5 panels of fabric). Gently iron the printed fabric and then repeat the above process to create as many sheets as you need.


If you notice black smudges on the edges of your fabric, don't panic! Most of them will be removed when you cut the cushion to size and if you should happen to have any left they can easily be hidden with a bit of acrylic paint or some careful placement of lace or ribbon! We'll cover that in more depth if need in part three of this tutorial.

Hopefully I've not put you off and you'll join me for part 2 of this project where we will print and prepare the images and embellishments.

If you have any questions just ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by.

Claire x

Sunday 13 September 2015

PolkaDoodles Octavia Frosted Winter Christmas Cushion


Have you seen the latest launch from PolkaDoodles? It's an absolutely stunning collection and available as a download or on CD. I was lucky enough to be asked to make samples for the Create and Craft show, sadly I only had time to complete this project. I do however, have at least four UFO's sitting on my dining room table!


Now, I'll be honest I'm not a sewer but do have a love of fabric and textiles. I've had this idea floating around in my head for an absolute age and as soon as I spotted some of the lush papers in the collection I knew that it was time to try and make it a reality. I will have a full tutorial on my blog tomorrow showing you exactly how I made the cushion, in the meantime here's a brief description.


I printed the digital papers and images onto a piece of A3 fabric. Before attempting to cut out the images and embellishments I ironed Bonda-Web.


Next I decided that I wanted to add some texture and dimension to the cushion so I tried to print directly onto felt..... epic fail! Not to be deterred I decided to try printing onto t-shirt transfer paper and iron that onto the felt. I think it worked pretty well despite the fact that it changed the colours significantly (just to give you an idea of how much the colour changed, the flowers should be the same red as the "25")


Once I'd printed and cut out all of the elements I set about assembling the cushion. Now this is where I panicked... it all sounded really easy in my head but there was one small problem... I'm not an experienced sewer and there were sooooo many elements to this project that it completely overwhelmed me! I put it to oneside intending for it to stay as a UFO but then I thought I've spent so much time effort that it's stupid not to finish it. So with that I removed the backing from the Bonda-web and ironed and stitched my pieces into place!

I don't think I'm too unhappy with the end result - it's far from perfect but for an experiment and first attempt it's come out OK. There are things I'd do differently and definitely things that I'd be aware of (like making sure you cut the fabric with the weave going the same way) but hey it's been a good learning curve.

Thanks for stopping by.

Claire x

Products                                                 










I'd like to enter this project into the following challenges:
Little Claire's Digi Challenge - Christmas
Creative Corner - Anything but a card
CRAFT - Christmas
Crafting By Design - Get Ready For Christmas
A Snowflakes Promise - Christmas
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes
Altered Ecletics - Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything goes
Crafty Time - Anything but a card

Sunday 23 August 2015

Raskog Trolley - Pimp It!

OK I know I'm late to the party with this (I'm sure most of you already have one) but I thought I'd share my latest crafty purchase. Yep I finally treated myself to a Raskog Trolley from IKEA.


As many of you know I haven't been able to craft properly for the past couple of years due to a build on my home that went horribly wrong. Every now and then I have to craft but it's like pulling teeth as I have to use the dining room table and most of my stuff is stored away in boxes. Sometimes it can take me a good couple of hours to find items in my stash that I know I have and then I have to clear away and repack stuff and to be honest it just takes the enjoyment out of it. I wouldn't mind if it was stuff I didn't use very often but I'm talking basic stuff like tools, dies, glues and paints!


My long suffering Husband is fed up with my grouching about not being able to craft and suggested that as temporary fix he'd set up one of the new units we've purchased for the craft room in the dining room downstairs. I really didn't like this idea as it would mean losing precious living space, so after much thinking and googling I finally decided that the Raskog Trolley might be the answer. It means the stuff I use frequently is to hand and I can easily tidy it away. Plus the trolley can be moved out of sight when not in use.


I've pimped my trolley and am now kicking myself that I didn't buy more of the hanging pots. Still it gives me an excuse to return to IKEA! If you have one and have pimped it I'd love to see what you've done as I'm sure there must be lots of really cool ideas to increase storage space.

As you can see Miss Lillie has given it a good look over and is somewhat disappointed that there isn't room for her on it!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

Sunday 16 August 2015

It's that Gorjuss Girl again!

I thought it was about time that I dug out my Gorjuss Girls decoupage as it's been a while since I last used it. This was a super quick and easy make which took about twenty minutes to pull together.



I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

Materials used:                                        










I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafting with friends - Anything Goes
Simply Create Too - Anything Goes
Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs - 3 or more layers
Creative Moments - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes
Top Tip Tuesday - Ribbons & Pearls
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes

Sunday 9 August 2015

PolkaDoodles Paper/Stamp Kit Project - Altered Book


Did you check out the new kit from PolkaDoodles? Fab isn't it? This is one of the projects that is in the step by step project booklet. Despite my best efforts to use everything in the kit I failed miserably! I still have loads left and am currently working on a couple more projects using the kit. The only extra bits needed to make this project are the book, matchboxes, string pearls, die cut branches, paint, and inks.

Apologies in advance for the photo heavy post but there's so much detail that I struggled to fit it into just a couple of photos.


This is the front cover, you get all of the embellishments with the exception of the pearl string and branch die cut.  Can you see those sweet little mdf birds? They are part of the kit and are a perfect size for most projects.


One of the sentiment stamps. Look how perfectly they stamp onto acetate.



Lots of lovely ribbon and lace from the kit.


Can you see all the gorgeous texture?


Little drawers for your secret stash!


A little bit of shaker fun!


Bright and beautiful!


 I think this is my favourite page. There's a little niche and lots of stamping!


 I hope you like my project. I had fun creating it.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

Materials:
                                                 












I'd like to enter this project into the following challenges:
Fantasy Stampers - Lots of Layers
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Anything but a card
In the Pink - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Top Tip Tuesday - Ribbon and Pearls
All Crafts - Anything goes
The Cheerful Stamp Pad - Anything goes
Crafting from the Heart - Anything goes
Altered Eclectics - Anything goes
Country View Crafts - Summer
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes
Dies R Us - Summertime Fun

Saturday 8 August 2015

Sneaky Peek - PolkaDoodles Stamp & Paper Kit

Have you seen the brand new Stamp & Paper Kit from PolkaDoodles which launched on Friday? If you haven't pop over for a look now! It's seriously awesome value for money. Not only do you get stamp, papers, ribbons, lace and the most fantastic embellishments, but you also get a 22 page project booklet which contains step by step instructions for five amazing projects. Stock is limited, so don't miss out and grab yours now.


Here's a sneaky peek of one of the projects from the kit made by yours truly. Keep your eyes peeled cos I'll pop back tomorrow with a full blog post showing my project in all of it's glory!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x                                                  




Wednesday 29 July 2015

New England Patriots Birthday Card

It was my daughter's Boyfriend's birthday at the weekend and he's a massive New England Pats fan. Sadly here in the UK there is little to no merchandise available so I had to make him a card! This was a super quick and easy make and amazingly it photographed so well that you can see the gloss and the glitter that I used.



Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
City Crafter Challenge - Masculine Card (Spotlight Artist)
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations - Anything goes
Card Mania - Anything Goes

Friday 24 July 2015

PolkaDoodles Twiggy & Toots Festive Fun - Gingerbread Love!

You'll be pleased to know that this is the last of my samples from Friday's show! It was another super quick and easy make and I will be remaking this one for a few friends who love Gingerbread Men!


Everything other than the doily, buttons, string and red striped ribbon is from the collection (even those cute little candy canes which have been given a 3D effect simply by adding some Glossy Accents).

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Products used:



Thursday 23 July 2015

PolkaDoodles Twiggy & Toots Festive Fun Clean & Simple Christmas Card

Are you sick of seeing me yet? Lol. Don't worry I'll disappear again for a little while soon! I just needed to get all my samples blogged before I lose the photos or life stops me from blogging again!

Anyway, this is yet another of my samples that I made for the PolkaDoodles Create and Craft Show. It's a really quick and easy make, so ideal for those batch Christmas Cards.


I hope you like it?

Thanks for stopping by.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Products used:        



Wednesday 22 July 2015

Picnix Nordic Christmas, Take One Make Three More - Part Four

Today I'd like to show you the final card that I have created from the canvas shown in this blog post. This really couldn't be any easier or quicker to make as I've simply printed out the scanned image, matted it onto some card and chucked on a bit of glitter and Glossy Accents.


I hope you've been inspired by this little series of makes and I'd love it if you could show me anything you make. Just remember before you scan your piece of artwork that you've created to check with the original artist to ensure that they don't mind.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Products Used:



Tuesday 21 July 2015

Picnix Nordic Christmas, Take One Make Three More - Part 3


This is another project that I made using the scanned canvas image. Again it was really quick and easy and allowed me to use other items that I had in my stash.


I've tried to achieve different looks with each of the cards that I made from the canvas. This was my vintage card. I have to say I think it's my favourite one and I was a little sad to give it away!


Tomorrow I'll post the final card made from the original canvas. So if you're interested please feel free to stop by.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Artisitic Inspirations - Anything Goes
Card Mania - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - Anything Goes
Craftin' Desert Diva's - Christmas In July
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Incy Wincy Designs - Things With Wings
Love To Scrap - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - "i" Ice
Dies R Us - Christmas in July
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Anything goes

Products used                                                



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...