Christmas Tree

Since putting my Ribbon Tree up in the shop window we've had lots of people asking about it so I thought I'd pop a few pictures up for you all to see...its really easy to make and you can do it with glittery ribbons like I did, or you could cut strips of pretty papers to use instead.

All you need is a Polystyrene cone ... (cones, & ribbons available from our shop). I painted the cone first, that way if you miss a few places it will still look pretty. Below, you will find a few simple instructions and if you need any help, just place a comment and we will reply.


Depending on how close you pin your ribbons you will need around 13-14 metres of ribbon. Cut these into 4 inch (about 10 cm strips). Very gently mark a line around the base of the cone about an inch up from the base....you can just about see it in the picture, then fold your ribbons and pin around the cone (I used 2 pins for each piece of ribbon)

Gradually work up the cone leaving about an inch between layers and finish with a little cone on the top (see finished tree picture)

Hope you enjoy making this, have fun :)

Hilary x

Hunkydory Glimpse of Glamour cards

The newest offering from Hunkydory is these Glimpse of Glamour expanding tunnel cards.

They use a cleverly folded side panel and sheets of acetate to create a layered image with amazing depth.

They are 8x8 in size and look both complicated and expensive. They're neither. It's just £2.49 for a kit which contains everything you need to make two cards. And although they look difficult, they are pretty simple to make really. There's an instruction sheet in each pack. I was going to do a step-by-step tutorial but there were so many photos I ended up turning it into a little slideshow for you:

I quite enjoyed making this, but I have already seen lots of things I would like to improve! This is very much a first attempt at a slideshow tutorial, so please be kind. If you have any suggestions for future tutorials then I would love to hear them!

There are two scenes in each pack and each one is a little scene of luxury. Like all the Hunkydory kits they are made of great quality cardstock with well-made die cut images.

Enjoy!

One stamp, two styles

I love stamping, but I'm always on the lookout for ways to make my images look different. I thought I'd use the same stamps I made this card with to show you how to achieve two very different looks.

Here, I've used the Christmas tree from the set and stamped it on mirri card using Stazon ink. You need to stamp carefully because the smooth surface of the card can cause the stamp to slide - place it on, press down and lift off straight to get a clean impression. It dries really quickly, and then I used Stickles glitter glue to create neat baubles. The greeting was stamped and embossed in blue - not a traditional Christmas colour but it contrasts nicely with the red on the tree.

For the second card, I stamped the tree onto brown cardstock and embossed it using copper embossing powder. It has a much more rustic feel and catches the light nicely. I stamped the greeting on to a piece of paper from an old book to add to the vintage feel. String or raffia would have made a nice bow as well, but I settled for a neutral ribbon as that's what I had in my stash.

There you have it - two different styles using the same stamp. Happy crafting!

K x

Christmas wreaths

I love making Christmas decorations, and these wreaths are a crafty twist on a classic.

I used this wool to wrap around a polystyrene base. The smaller base only needs around 30g of wool, so it's a great way to use up scraps. You'll need more if you use a thinner yarn.

Use a pin to secure the first part of the yarn.

Keep going around the ring, keeping the yarn tight. You might want to use a few extra pins to hold it in place, but you shouldn't need to put too many in. I used half a dozen for the whole ring.

Because of the shape of the ring, you might need to pull the yarn a little tighter on the inside to make it lie smooth.

Finish and secure with another pin. Tuck the end of the yarn in.

Cut another piece of yarn and loop this around...this will be what you hang the wreath with. (You can use this to cover up any loose ends of yarn).

Two colours of yarn are also effective - use traditional Christmas reds and greens, or go for something more unusual. My orange and yellow wreath is more autumnal than Christmassy, but it fits nicely with the colours in my house.

And to decorate! I made 'flowers' by cutting three circles of felt, and stitching them together with a button in the middle. You could cut flower shapes, use buttons on their own, or use flowers made of silk or paper.

I used curling ribbon to fill in the gaps between my flowers. Cut several short strips and tie them around the ring, then use scissors to 'curl' the ribbon.

On my larger garland, I used crocheted flowers instead. These take a bit more effort to make but add to the rustic feel of this wreath. I used curling ribbon again, and the bow on the top is ribbon with a wire edge.

At the moment all the elements are secured with pins. Once I've decided that I'm happy with the placement, I'll use a glue gun to make sure they are well and truly stuck on.

Happy crafting!

Kate x

Inspiration:: Amy Powers

If you want to get in the mood for Christmas, may I suggest:



I can't believe I have only just found this blog. The Christmas ideas e-zine is a work of art in its own right, but is also a fabulous source of inspiration for all things Christmassy. 170+ pages of beautiful projects with photographs, instructions and patterns. I love it!