Making foiled flower decorations

Do you like the effect of these foil decorations on my greetings card? When you see them in person, they look like they have been foil printed onto the card because they are very smooth. Or perhaps they could even be peel offs. But no, they were much cheaper to make than that.

They started life as a roll of 3m Aluminium tape. The kind you use for DIY. All you need then are some flower punches. I've used my Tonic Studios flower punches here. 

All you need to do is punch out a few flowers and carefully peel off the backing paper- this is a bit fiddly- but worth it. Then apply to your card or scrapbook page smoothing it out carefully. Then use the bottom of a glass and rub in circular motion over the flower to burnish it to your page- this removes any catchy bits. For the finishing touch use a sharpish pencil and draw in lines and designs however you want the flower to look. I think the finished result is very satisfying.

For this one I used one of my Petal Pairs punches and a heart punch to make a leaf shape.

Believe me, you can get a whole lot of flowers out of one roll of tape. And you can use so many different punch shapes with this technique. Just try to keep to ones that are not too fiddly. 
Have fun, and let me know if you try this. 

coming soon...

Hi there, there is not got much to update with this week it's mid term school holidays right now, but thought I'd let you know what will be coming shortly.


I will be showing you how to make a nice throw using a ready made cheap fleece throw and some fabric.


...and i'll be showing you how to jazz up a  plain guest towel...


I am also working on a cupcake box template for you, so once that is tweaked and perfected, I shall be sharing that...


...and, once I get them photographed, I'll let you see some other little journals I've been working on.


For all those on holiday this coming week, have fun with your family making happy memories :-)

A jar for April - in June!

To make this pretty storage jar you will need...

A jar - I used a jar from Rowse honey. To cut a long story short it took me a LONG time to remove the label. So much so I even wrote to the company to complain about the excessive use of non water-soluble glue! Sad, I know!

You will also need one small block of white polymer clay. I used Fimo Soft for the first time. I'm not sure I'd use it again, I'm used to Primo Sculpey and I find it much easier to smooth and work with, but it was all that was available in my local craft shop, so I gave it a try.

Roll just under half of your block of clay into a ball and then roll flat using an acrylic rolling pin if you have one- or a nice smooth bottle or glass if you don't. Then mould your clay around the lid of your jar. I should just point out, it must be a metal lid here and not a plastic one otherwise you'll have meltdown! Smooth out any bubbles from the center outwards.

Trim off the excess as if you were trimming pastry off a pie dish, and then smooth the edges. I wasn't too happy with the way the fimo soft smoothed - or didn't so I found some old cotton lace and pressed it all around for a nice texture.

Bake the lid as per instructions on Clay packaging.I placed my lid on a piece of paper to bake.This prevents any shiny spots from baking on a metal tray.

Meanwhile, roll out some of the clay into a thin sausage and cut yourself lots and lots of slices. Roughly about the size of a small corn kernel. Press the pieces flat. To begin the rose take one piece and elongate it a little and roll it up to form the centre of the rose.

Now add petals all around and gradually build up until you have a pretty rose. I must point out here that there are many ways to make a rose. This is just one easy method. I am sure if there are some sugarcraft experts out there, they will know of better methods and they will probably cringe at my crude attempt!

Trim the bottom off the rose with a craft knife or clay cutter. Once your lid is baked and cooled press your finished rose onto the centre of the lid using a cocktail stick. Gently press the rose in place pressing the petals with a gentle touch from your fingers. If you are worried about stickability, you could use a small drop of liquid clay to aid adhesion, but I found that the Fimo Soft is quite good and sticky.

Gradually build up your design by adding more roses. You can do this in a regimented uniform way, or like me just randomly building up the design.

You can add leaves by making a teardrop shape and adding the veins with a cocktail stick or needle. I overlapped the edge of the lid with mine.

Spaces can be filled in by adding buds made by using the first curl of the rose. Now bake your lid as per instructions, allow to cool. Add a pretty label to your jar. ( I adapted one from the Graphics Fairy.)
...And you are done! I put cotton wool in mine for the bathroom. But you could use your jar for anything. Howabout a pretty jar of homemade peppermint creams? It would make a thoughtful gift. I used plain white Fimo, but if you wanted you could make your lid a colourful arrangement of blossoms, or if you make the base in pale blue and the roses in white, you could get a charming wedgewood effect. I'd love to see what you come up with. Do let me know if you try this out.

A Jar for March - Pin Cushion Jar

Would you like to make this sweet little pin cushion jar. It's really easy to do, and would make a thoughtful gift.
You will need:-

• a small jar. Mine is one of those little sample pots from jam that I saved from afternoon tea on a day out.
• a small amount of stuffing/wadding
• a small remnant of plain cotton fabric. You can use tea or coffee to dye it a nice vintage colour.
• some ribbon or trim for the edge
• thread - in this case I used strong thread for gathering and a single strand of red cotton for the bird embroidery.
• some thick card - but not so thick that you can't cut it with scissors. I recycled mine from some packaging.
• a compass - or a saucer roughly twice the size of your jar lid.
• scissors, needle, and a glue gun

You will need two discs of card. One will be a template for your fabric. Make this one about twice the diameter of your jar lid. I did this and then when I cut the fabric out I added a quarter of an inch extra for gathering. The other disc is just fractionally smaller than the lid of your jar. This will be going into the pin cushion.
Cut out your circle of fabric and then transfer your chosen design being sure to place it in the centre. I used my favourite pen that disappears when you spray water onto it. My fabric was thin enough to see through so I could trace the bird from my paper. You can use this simple design or you can make your own .
Using a single strand of red cotton thread, I backstitched the birdy. I like the look of redwork.
Now, using a strong or doubled thread, use running stitch around the edges to gather the circle of fabric. Please do use a strong thread, as there is nothing worse than being in the finishing stages and the thread snapping!
Gather the fabric and stuff as firmly as you can whilst placing the disc of card on top of the stuffing before tightening the thread. Now this is a bit fiddly, and another pair of hands could come in useful here so if you have a friend handy - ask them to help. You can make the cushion without the disc of card, but it gives it a much better shape and a nicer finish, so give it a try.
Tie a secure knot to finish off this part .
Now it is time for the trusty glue gun. Glue the pad to the lid, and then glue on your trim around the edge of the lid to make it all look neat, sweet and complete.
Using this technique, you can make a whole family of jars, big and small. You can use a variety of fabrics, or embroider your own designs. I have a few of my own and I find them very useful as well as pretty. Let me know if you make one!

A Jolly Jar for January

These cold, dark January nights have their advantages. Warm stodgy puddings, log fires, and cuddling up in the candlelight. If you have had the satisfaction of making the candle holders yourself, it's even better.

I know one or two of you might have thought I might have lost the plot when I mentioned the Jolly Jam Jar Project... but wouldn't this look lovely on your mantelpiece. It's fun to take something ordinary and everyday and transform it in to something pretty and useful. If you would like to make one of these, please read on.

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What you will need for your candle jar

An empty jam jar or honey jar - a wide opening is best for this project.

Some trim for the top of the jar

Access to a laser printer or laser toner copier

Clear sticky backed plastic

option 1. a light coloured pillar candle that will fit inside the jar.

option 2. candle making equipment.

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Using your computer, make a black and white design. I found some appropriate quotes on the Internet and then used desktop publishing software to design my labels. Make sure you make them the right size for your jar. If you want to be even more creative, you can draw a design, scan it into your computer and print it out on a laser printer - or photocopy it. Don't make your drawing lines too thin, or they won't show up so well. The bolder the better. I know that many of my readers are very talented artists, and I am sure that you will get a thrill from seeing your own artwork on your candle jar.

You cover the designs with your sticky backed plastic and cut them out. I have seen this technique done using packing tape, but I wanted something with a better finish and I did not want to be limited to the size of the packing tape and so I thought I'd give it a try with the plastic. It worked a treat, and this means I can produce almost any size of transfer I like. I think the finish is smoother and it is much stronger and easier to work with. So this technique is now called...sticky backed plastic transfers.

Now you need to soak your design in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes. Gently rub away at the paper, keeping your design wet, and you will see that the paper will rub off leaving your toner ink on the clear plastic. Keep working at it until you have removed all the paper.
Place your label upside down to dry thoroughly. Once dry, it should be tacky. If not, you can always use a suitable clear drying glue to affix your design to the jar. You might notice when it is dry that you have missed some bits of paper. Just wet the label again and work on the bits that you missed. It's one of those things that requires patience. If you want to make a bunch of labels in advance, keep the backing paper from the sticky backed plastic, and once the labels are dry, stick them back onto the paper until you are ready to use them.

If you are going to go for option 2, then you might want to leave trimming the jar until your candle has been poured, but if you are just inserting a small store bought pillar, then go ahead and get sticking. When your design is ready carefully stick it to the jar, smoothing out any air bubbles from the centre outwards.

Now you can stick a nice piece of trim to the top of your jar. A chunky trim tends to work better than ribbon here, because the trim helps to hide the bumps. If you don't have any trim, why not cover the rim with a suitable glue that dries clear and wind some jute twine around the top a few times for a stylish finish. I use fast tack glue which dries clear and seems to have a good strong grip.

Option 2.
For a container candle.
What you will need.

Candle wax - there are a huge variety of different waxes available to the candlemaker nowadays. Soya wax is particularly environmentally friendly. Different waxes come at different melting points, so do check with you supplier for the melting and pouring temperatures. For my recycled jar project, I used old candle stubs so that even my wax was recycled.
A Double boiler for melting the wax. This is essential so that you do not heat the wax too much.
Wick sustainer, small metal discs for holding the wick in place in a container candle.
Suitable sized candle wick, please check with your supplier for correct size, or if you want you can buy pretabbed wicks ready to stick into your container.

Wick holder - I use a bamboo skewer cut in half and held together with two elastic bands.
Optional...
glue gun for sticking the wick retainer in place in the jar.
wax dyes and scents if you want to get really fancy. Essential oil for a natural frangrance.

For this jar you need to keep the candle colour light so that the black design is shown off to it's best.

There are so many sites out there with instructions for container candles, I didn't think I needed to make another one. I know it won't take you long to find out how. Here is one example at this great website.

If you make one of these, then please drop me a link so that I can see your wonderful creations. I hope this has inspired you to try something new. Have fun!