Make your own Spools and Framed Business Card Holder

Two tutorials in one post!  Because both of these are so quick and easy, I'm putting them together in one post.  Enjoy!

First, lets learn how to make your own spools for keeping your trims, ribbons, lace and braiding neat, and even making them display-worthy!  I should firstly point out, that this is not my original idea.  I was inspired by this post by Vanessa Renders.  The post is not in English, but the pictures are very self-explanatory.  Head along to see her lovely photos, I think her spools are wonderful and make a more complete display than mine do.  The extra effort and embellishments will be sure to inspire you!

Here's how I made mine:

Materials:

• glue gun
• toilet rolls
• cardboard for ends (I used the flaps from a nappy box)
• my Spool end printables, or book pages, wrapping paper, music notation or scrapbooking paper
• glue stick
• scissors
• trim, ribbon, lace etc.
• pins

Method:

Start by cutting circles out of the cardboard.  Mine are 7cm in diameter and I got that by drawing around a wooden spool I already had.  Use a teacup or similar to get about the same size.  The printable circles you can download through the link above are 8cm in diameter.  Use a glue stick to attach your paper to your cardboard circles.
Cut your toilet rolls to size as well, if you wish.  I left one full size, the others I cut roughly in half.

Use hot glue to attach some trim to the edges of your cardboard circles.  Most of mine are edged with twine, but one I've done with continuous pearl bead trim.  If you doubled up the thickness of the cardboard circles, you could attach a wider trim, like a braid or ribbon.

Apply hot glue around the rim of one of your toilet rolls and place in the middle of the back side of one of your spool ends.  Hold in place for 10-15 seconds until the glue sets.  Repeat for the other side and your spool is complete!  When the glue is all set, wrap your ribbons or trims around your spool and secure in place with a pretty pin.

The printable for this project is basically several circles of Coy Blooms patterns.  A friend (Hi Joey!) and I brainstormed a few other uses for them, such as a garland (print several copies, cut them out and then sew them together) or as coasters (either just by laminating them, or by decoupaging them onto a cork or wooden base and sealing) or even as pretty liners for jam jar rims.  Share your ideas for how else they may be used in the comments below!

And now for our second tutorial:

This craft would be great to display business cards and brochures in a shop or a market booth or for fans at an outdoor tea party or wedding on a warm day.  It would also be great for favours at a party, like pinwheels, pencils, bubble wands, fairy wands, nail files, chopsticks or even paintbrushes.  Basically anything thin will do!

For this simple project you will need:

• a picture frame big enough to contain the items you want to display
• fabric
• "Please Take One" printable banner
• scissors
• bone folder or embossing tool
• double sided tape
• fabric marker and ruler
• items for display

Method:

Start by dismantling your frame, setting aside the glass and any image that was inside it.  Use the backing board as a guide for cutting your fabric.  You need a piece of fabric the same width as the backing board, and at least 1 1/2 or 1 2/3 as long.  If your fabric piece isn't big enough to give you all the length in one piece, you can cut two, with one being the size of the backing board, and the other being the 1/2 -2/3 length.
lay your fabric on the backing, fold up at the bottom then back down again to give you a pocket.  If you cut your fabric in 2 pieces, fold your smaller piece in half and lay it over the larger piece at the bottom of the backing.  Place the frame over the top and secure in place without disturbing the fabric.

Cut out one of the banners from the printable and use the embossing tool to mark the two folding lines on either side of the text.  Fold as per the following pictures:

Apply double sided tape to the back of the banner ends, and then attach to your frame.  Fill the pocket with your chosen items and put on display!

You can get inexpensive picture frames pretty much anywhere, I got mine from the sale bin at a discount store, but you could find them at landfill shops, charity shops or garage sales.  Got an idea about how to use the leftover glass?  Share it in the comments below!

I hope you enjoyed these tutorials and will find them useful.  Don't forget to comment, share on Google+ and Facebook or Pin these projects so you've got them for later!

Best wishes,

Emma

Shabby Chic Tag Bunting Affirmation Garland

Following an experiment with the fun neon stationary that came with the New Years' issue of Mollie Makes, I decided to have a go at a different style of bunting.  Because, hey, who doesn't love bunting!

This tutorial is no-sew and really easy.  It's a great way to use up some gorgeous fabric scaps and show off those little treasures and blingy bits we all seem to accumulate as crafters.  To make it even easier, I've already created some tags for you!  Download them (Page 1 and Page 2), and follow along with the instructions below the main tutorial!

You will need some large buff coloured shipping tags, mine are about 5.5cm x 11cm (2" x 4 1/4").  You can find these in newsagents and stationary supply stores.
You will also need something to string your bunting together.  I used some bakers' twine with some subtle metallic thread twisted through it.  You could use twine, ribbon, lace, a tape measure, braided cord or even chain or some of that fluffy cord they use to trim fancy lingerie!
I made my bunting 1 metre (approximately 40") so I could string it along a shelf near my desk.  Because my tags are fairly large versus the length of the bunting, I only need about 7 tags so it doesn't look too cluttered.  If your bunting is longer or your tags are smaller, you could use more of them.  Depending on how many other ribbons, embellishments or fabric scraps you want to string along your bunting, the tags could be spaced close together or further apart.  I like my bunting to not be too fussy, so my tags are about 10-15cm (4"-6") apart.

To decorate the tags and fill the gaps, you'll need any (or all!) of the following (or whatever else this list inspires you to use!):

• Fabric scraps.  I'm using scraps my from Coy Blooms fabric collection
• Ribbon in colours to compliment your fabrics of varying textures and widths
• Old book pages, music notation, kraft paper, decorative paper (e.g for scrapbooking or giftwrap)
• Washi tape, glitter tape, foil tape
• Beads, charms, chandelier crystals, bells, rhinestones, buttons or any other suitable embellishments
• Tassels, chain, continuous beaded string, ric rac, lace.

To finish this bunting you'll need the following:

• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Craft glue, hot glue, glue stick
• Coloured pens, markers, metallic pens, gel pens

The idea behind this project is to include affirmations, words of encouragement and inspiration.  Hand write these on your tags or on the paper and fabric you stick to your tags as you go along.  Here are some examples of what you might write:

• You can do it!
• You go, girl!
• Never Stop Dreaming
• Believe
• Keep Trying
• Keep going
• You're Awesome
• You're the Best
• Don't give up!
• Fighting/ Hwaiting! (ok, showing my love of K-Pop here!  Hwaiting, pronounced as Fighting, is a popular word in Korea.  It's meant as an encouraging 'You can do it!' and is normally said while making a fist-pumping action.  Don't say I don't teach you anything!)

Include an affirmation on at least half of your tags.  Make it as personal as you like, it's all about you!

Getting Started

Start by cutting your bunting string to length, remembering to leave enough to tie the ends into loops so it can be hooked or pinned up where you want it.  Arrange your tags along the length, without attaching them, to get a real feel for the spacing and how many tags you will need.

Now, the fun bit: decorating your tags!  Use a glue stick or double-sided tape to apply papers and fabrics, and use craft or hot glue to attach charms, buttons and other embellishments.  Hand write your affirmations as you go.  Here are detail shots of my tags and a few notes on how I made each one:

Fabric, ribbon, foil tape, rose charm applied with hot glue,
 and handlettering.

Torn book page with fabric cut with pinking shears, rhinestones
and lace applied with hot glue.

Book page and fabric with ribbon, button and key charm

Affirmation on craft paper in brass frame on fabric, lace, and ribbon

Handlettering with foil tape, glitter tape, flower punched book page with fabric rosebud and flatback faux pearl

Handlettering with fabric, velvet ribbon, lace, and hot glued button and rhinestones

Fabric with ribbon, glitter tape and foil tape and a rose charm attached with hot glue

Unless you're going to be hanging them somewhere they will be seen on both sides, you really only need to decorate one side.

When you're happy with your tags, use ribbon, lace or twine to attach them to your bunting string.

Between each tag, tie on ribbons, lace, ric rac, fabric scraps etc.  Doubled over washi tape, or paper held in place with double sided tape can also be used to fill in the gaps.  I used some dragon tear drops and bells to make mine sparkly and sensory.  A few tassels and beaded string and it's all done!

A great Crafternoon project to put some positivity in your day, and put some of your lovely craft supplies on show!

For an even quicker version, download my printable tags (Page 1 and Page 2), featuring Coy Bloom patterns and already adorned with encouraging messages.  Here's what they look like (Yay!  My first printables!):

Start by printing them out on the sturdiest cardstock that will fit smoothly through your printer.  Don't scale or clip before printing, just print at 100%.  Cut out the tags and strips using scissors or a rotary trimmer.

You could punch holes where indicated on the tags to hang them from your string (I used cotton string for this one, see above for other ideas!), but I just attached them using glitter tape to keep the string flat and give a bit of sparkle.

Fold the strips in half and use scissors to cut a tail as shown below:

Apply double-sided tape to the back of one half of each strip.  Position the strip so the string sits in the fold line, then take the backing off the double sided tape and press the two sides of the strip.  There are enough strips to sit between each tag and at either end of the bunting.

When all your tags and strips are attached to your bunting string find a place to hang it where you can see the positive messages everyday!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial.  Don't forget to let me know what you think of it in the comments.  Oh yeah, and I'm now on Google+, so add me to your craft and blog circles for more tutorial updates!

Have a great week!
Emma

How I Photograph Small Items for my Etsy Shop

I'm a day late with this blog (you'll forgive me, right?!) so I hope it's going to be helpful!  This is not so much a tutorial, as an explanation of where I'm up to with photographing my items for my Etsy shop, and an invitation for any feedback from those of you who may be more experienced and can offer some more pointers (ok, I admit, it's a bit of a call for help!).

Firstly, here's a behind-the-scenes shot of my set-up (taken with my iPhone):

Fairly straightforward.  I have my neutral background (grey tissue paper), next to a big window with natural light (it was cloudy here today, which works better than direct sunlight because it creates very harsh shadows).  Check out my expensive tripod! (Seriously, anyone whose ever bought anatomy textbooks knows I'm not kidding!).  My camera is a Fuji Finepix 2980.  It's basically a point and shoot with a bit of DSLR capability.  I'm happy to say I no longer just set it to auto and trust it to do the rest.  I set it to a setting that tells it it's in natural light.  Then I trust it to do the rest!  That's about as technical as this is going to get, folks!

Once I've taken all my pictures, I get them across to my computer and edit them with Photoshop.  I have an ancient version of Elements, which is mostly adequate for my needs at the moment.  I definitely find it easier to tweak the pictures here than at the actual 'taking the pictures' step.  By adjusting the shadows, brightness and contrast, I'm aiming for a clear pic that shows the true colours of the item as much as possible.

Here's the raw pic.

I used the timer function so I could stand still side-on to the camera.  It took a couple of goes to make sure it was in frame, as I couldn't see the screen on the back of the camera!
I've read a tip in other blogs that using a tripod and remote shutter control helps in low light situations.  The equipment eliminates camera shake, so the shutter can stay open for longer, letting more light in and still having a crisp photo.  I'm not quite at the point of dictating the shutter speed myself, but I'm thinking that if you use the timer function on your camera, even a couple of seconds, if it's sitting on a flat surface or on a tripod, this would also eliminate that shaking without having to invest in a shutter remote, as you're not touching the camera when the photo is being taken.  Just a thought!

Next, I soften shadows and adjust the mid-tone contrast (Enhance - Adjust Lighting - Shadows/ Highlights):

Bringing out the true colours using the brightness and contrast settings (Enhance -Adjust Lighting - Brightness/ Contrast).  Don't be afraid to really play with these settings, but remember you're going for as close to real life as possible!

Crop it and here's the result:

Yup, those are my pudgy fingers.  I don't think I have a future in hand-modelling, but as my partner declined to allow me to paint his nails and shave his knuckles, I had to work with what I had!

Obviously, each picture is a bit different, and you have to tweak the values for shadows, brightness and contrast based on each one.  So long as you can get a fairly consistent look across all your pictures, and your pictures illustrate the item comprehensively, that's a great start!
Of course, I'm going to keep plugging away at photography, learning more so I can have more control in getting consistent results.  It will be interesting to see how this side of things evolves over time, and I'm sure this blog, and my Etsy shop will tell that story as I go along.
If you have questions because you're a beginner like me, or you can offer some helpful hints, please leave them in the comments!

Just an extra note, it's Spoonflower contest time again!  Ok, so Spoonflower have a weekly contest, so that's not really a newsflash, however they have a big one coming up involving designing a fabric to be used as nursery decor and bedding for Carousel Designs.  I've been planning a fabric collection that will fit in beautifully with this theme (hint: check out the platypus sketches on my instagram @liliflorapretty).  As always there will be plenty of reminders when it's time to vote!

Take Care until next week!
Emma

Shared on the following link parties:
Shabbilicious Fridays
Inspiration Spotlight
Sunday Showcase
Made By You Monday
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
The Makers

Rolled Rose Stud Earring Tutorial

Today's post is a tutorial just perfect for busting your fabric scrap stash and creating something cute and wearable at the same time.  These rag-roll rose earrings are easy to make and wear, and would make fantastic little gifts, stocking fillers or items for a swap party.  There are even a few suggestions for other things you can make with your roses, because you won't want to stop at just two!

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 Strips of fabric 40cm x 1.5cm (I've used cotton from my Coy Blooms collection, of course!)
• Craft glue and bamboo skewer (or hot glue gun if you prefer).
• E6000 glue or similar
• 2 surgical steel stud earring posts with a 10mm pad and 2 butterfly backs.

 Start by putting a small amount of glue at one end of the back side of one of the fabric strips.  Fold the fabric over, making sure it's wonky as shown. Wonky is a technical term.

 Next, fold the long end of the fabric up, so the edges run side by side.

Apply glue in a line from the folded up fabric to the end

Twist and roll in the end to where the glue was applied to form the centre of your rose.

Keep applying small dabs of glue to the roll, then twist and coil the fabric around.  Hold it in place where you've glued for a few seconds to make sure it's holding before applying more glue further around the roll.

Keep glueing, twisting and coiling until you reach the end.  Firmly glue down the end of the fabric, either flat to the side of the coil, or underneath it (this would be the 'back' of the rose).

Repeat the steps to create a second rose.  Try to maintain the same tension in your twists and coils to get a fairly even result.  They don't have to be perfect, near enough is good enough for these shabby chic style roses.

If you didn't already denote the 'back' of the roses by glueing the end of the fabric there, compare both sides of the rose to see which one you'd prefer to have showing to the world, and lay them face-down.  Apply a small dab of E6000 glue to the pads of your earring findings and hold them firmly against the centre of the backs of the roses.  You'll want to leave these for a couple of hours to be sure they take hold.

Here are a couple of variations to show the versatility of these roses.  Below are a couple of earring sets made using velvet ribbon.  Because it's thicker than the cotton, I only used 20cm lengths for the larger roses, and 10cm lengths for the smaller ones.  I also applied a cotton rose and some velvet roses to a hair clip with a scrap of lovely vintage-look lace.

And here are the rolled roses as pendants.  I used a large needle for bear and doll making to pierce a big enough hole for the jumprings.  They would also make cute charms on a bracelet or anklet, or even using ear wires to make dangling earrings instead of studs.

And that's all there is to it!  A simple, addictive craft that can bust your stash, fill a crafternoon and give you a pile of pretty, handy gifts to give to the shabby chic lover in your life, especially if that's you!

Don't forget to comment, Pin and share if you enjoyed this tutorial!

Hi to everyone who came here through the following link parties:
Project Pin-it at Glitter Glue and Paint
Shabbilicious Friday Link Party
Rose Garden Malevik Saturday Show Off
Dear Creatives Inspiration Spotlight link-up Party
ByStephanieLynns' Sunday Showcase
Skip to my Lou: Made by You Mondays
DIY Showoff's That DIY Party
I should be mopping the floors' Inspiration Monday
Grace Langdon Art's Making Monday
Just a Girl and Her Blog Hit me with your Best Shot
Upcycled Treasures The Makers Link Party
Kenary's Think and Make Thursday

Take care, Emma

P.S As much fun as this tutorial is, if you want to skip it and still have the earrings, they're available in my Etsy shop!