Crafts Beautiful Magazine - free downloads

I bought the Christmas Special of Crafts Beautiful magazine and it's packed FULL of crafting ideas and FREE gifts.

As well as getting some free Xmas paper to play with if you go on line and register you can access the FREE downloads of patterns for your crafting projects and paper patterns!

There are lots of other things you can access too.

BARGAIN or what!?

I will definitely be experimenting with Cardmaking and Papercrafts.

Follow the link to access their website.....they have great competitions you can enter online  :o)

www.crafts-beautiful.com

MedARTation Project 8...Felt Santa Hats

Ho Ho Ho.....here's some great Christmas Tree decorations to try.

These Santa hats are simple and will add some fun to the Christmas Tree.

 

The starting point for these was a cookie cutter!

 

 



Using the cookie cutter as a starting template cut out a santa hat, a piece for the bobble and a fur brim

 



Use your Red Felt and white felt to make the relevent pieces. I used some sparkely white felt for my bobble.

Quick Tip!
Check your off cuts of felt and bits boxes for small pieces that could be used up by making the bobbles etc.

Stitch the pieces together using a back stitch or running stitch

Make 2 hats to fit back to back...

 

Add a hanging loop and stitch around the sides using a running stitch, but leave the bottom open!

You can then use your decoration as a Santa Hat for a bottle of Wine/Beer as a gift AND as a tree decoration.

 

 

I'm sure you will agree these are really easy to make.

 

Other suggestions for how to use this project:

 

- Make some Blue santa hats for any friends who support MCFC/Chelsea or in their favourite football team colours

- Add some embroidary detail or sequins on the fur trim to add variety

- Stitch names/Year onto the fur trim to personalise gifts/tree decorations

- Attach a few hats to a ribbon and make a Christmas Garland

- Add numbers to the hats to make an advent garland

- Make larger hats to fit on your mobile phones/remote controls for a bit of fun

- Use just one of the Santa Hat cutouts and use to decorate cards or stick to a piece of card to make a fun present label

 

Have you got any other ideas you could share?

 

I hope you enjoy making these x 

 

MedARTation Project 7....Felt Snowman

Well...it's beginning to look alot like Christmas...at least it is in the crafting work as folk get busy makig Christmas crafts for gifts and fairs.

I've made a few christmas tree decorations including a cute snowman which was really easy to make and uses the same templates as the Hedgehog and Sheep..

 

 

You will need:



2 pieces of white felt for the body

Black Felt

Ribbon

Buttons, sequins and pom poms

Pipe Cleaner

 

Start by sewing the pom pom on for the nose, 2 sequins for eyes and some buttons

 

 

Stitch a hanging loop to the back..position the stitching so it will be covered by the hat...

 

 

Cut out a felt hat to a shape of your choosing and add a few sequins for added detail...

 

Stitch the hat to the 2 body pieces and using a blanket stitch fix the 2 body pieces together. Make sure you leave a gap to add some stuffing and then close up.

 

* If you would like to add arms - use the pipe cleaners and stitch them in place at this stage. To be honest - I got so carried away with what I was doing I forgot to add them to this snowman, but will add to others. It's good to have some variety anyway :o)

 

Finally add some ribbon for a scarf ...attach using a cross stitch at the front and back.

 

 

And there you have it ....a cute Christmas Tree Decoration.

 

I hope you like it.

 

I will be adding some more Christmas projects to the blog, so keep checking in.

 



so much to do...and so much fun doing it

Things have been pretty busy of late.
We bought a house...and it needs LOTS doing to it, but that's ok - it's a blank canvas to test out new ideas on :o)

My mind has also been feeling a bit creative...maybe a little too creative as I now have 101 ideas of things I'd like to try, but I'm trying to be mindful and focus on the now.

I have been collecting beer bottle tops for a long time and would like to make a mosaic from them.
I've also been looking at ideas for bottles....any suggestions?
For our stairs I'm thinking of doing something a little more decorative and off the cuff to make a feature out of them...will post pictures once done ;o)

Some of my favourite tweeters are the upcyclers and I have had a look at www.hipcycle.com and they have some great ideas.

I've also been creating my mood boards on Pinterest www.pinterest.com/medartation so you can follow what I'm thinking!

Be back soon with more MedARTation projects x

MedARTation Project 6...Felt Sheep

Following on from my previous post, this is a felt sheep that I made using the same template of 2 overlapping circles...

 

 

I cut the heart in the tummy from some sparkley white felt and with the red bow (cut free hand) I think it has a christmassy touch...know any farmers or sheep lovers??

 

Below are the pictures of how I made it incase you would like to have a go...

 



You will need;

White felt - cut into 2 larger body pieces and 1 smaller underside/belly piece.

                 I used pinking sheers to give a more fluffy look.

Black felt - cut into a heart shape for the face

Heart shape & Bow for accessories of your choosing

1 Pair of googley eyes

A hanging loop

Stuffing



Start by straight stitching the heart & face onto the belly piece then back stitch on the bow. I like to angle to the face piece slightly to give a more inquisative look to the sheep.

Cut the black pipe cleaner to a suitable length to make the arms and legs and then secure these to one of the body pieces. Stitch the hanging loop to this body piece as well. Position the stitching so that they are covered up by the belly when attached (see below)

Secure the belly onto the body and pin in place. Use Straight stitch to secure to the body piece. Finally using back stitch fix the 2 body pieces together, leave a gap for the stuffing and then close up. Stick on a pair of googley eyes and you are done!

NB: Take care not to give this to small children to handle as the eyes may come unstuck over time and present a choking hazard.

I've made a small flock of these sheep and will hang them on the tree. I'm also going to use them to make a mobile for a childs room.....counting sheep makes..you..sleeepy..zzzzzz

Hope you enjoyed this MedARTation project...try it with other colours too (black ,cream sheep or even rainbow sheep).

Next; A felt Snowman decoration

MedARTation Project 5...Felt Hedgehog

There are a few characters that can be created from using 2 overlaping circles as a template.

My next few projects will be using these to create a Hedgehog, A Sheep and a Snowman!

 

 

I used the shapes function on my word processor to draw the circles and overlap them slightly. I then softened the join to make a smoother shape.

For the hedgehog...

Cut out the felt pieces as shown. I used Pinking Sheers for a spikey effect. The heart & bow were from pre-cut shapes & you will need a pop pom for the nose. You will need 2 brown peices for the body, 1 off-white piece for the underside/belly, 1 heart shaped piece for the face (cream), 4 small grey squares rounded off on one side for paws, a hanging loop & stuffing.

 

Sew the brown pom pom on to a heart shaped piece of cream felt for the face and then stitch 2 eyes using brown thread

Straight stitch the face to the 'Belly' (off-white felt) and sew 4 paws. I used squares of grey felt which I rounded off at the corners.

Add the heart and bow or any other decoration you like

Sew a hanging loop to one of the Brown body pieces. It's ok to stitch all the way through the felt as this will be covered up when you sew the 'belly' on top of it.

Using a back stitch fix the belly to the brown body piece (covering the stitching for the loop) and then back stitch the 2 body pieces together. You need to do this a neat as you can so there is a good finish on both sides. Leave a gap and add your stuffing before closing up.

And here's your finished Felt hedgehogs.

They are pretty straight forward to do and I think they are pretty cute. I'm going to play around with colours and combinations and I'm sure I will enjoy making more of these.

 

I hope you like them.

 

In my next post I will show you how to make a felt sheep using the same template pattern.

 

Thanks for looking at my blog x

 

Buddha Quote...

"An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea thats exists only as an idea"

Craft Fair 8&9th September 2012, Uppermill...

There's an Autumn Craft Festival on this weekend (8th & 9th September 2012) at

Civic Hall
Uppermill,
Saddleworth.
10am to 4pm.

It's fairly local to me so may pop over and see what's going on.

Will be a nice day out as its a nice part of the country and I hear they have lots of nice food too!

Check it out x

www.saddleworthonline.co.uk

What are you doing this weekend?

Shopping for crafts supplies...

Just been surfing the net for craft supplies.

I have cut out lots of small felt christmas stockings and need some pre-cut Numbers, Letters and embellishments to pretty them up.

*pre-cut makes my life so much easier as finding it fiddley snipping small details.

Am going to do individual tree decorations, a 'Merry Christmas' and/or 'Noel' garland & an advent garland/calender! Have many more christmas crafts lined up too.

Found some good things on www.ebay.co.uk and www.bakerross.co.uk

I will be watching and waiting for the postman
x

What online stores do you get your supplies from?

Stitching therapy...

Here's a link to an interesting article I found which may be of interest to all you crafters out there

http://healing.about.com/od/therapies/a/stitching-therapy.htm

Crafts really are a form of MedARTation and good for the soul.

In the spirit of sharing, I was prompted to pick up my passion for crafts and set this blog up following my own personal tragedy and I must say it has really helped.

It's nice to be able to take 5 minutes (or hours!) and turn your focus to something else...it's just me and the felt... and that's a very calming place to be.

I hope your crafts give you as much peace and harmony as mine do.

stay smiley x

Craft magazines...so many to chooses from!

So....whilst browsing the shelves of the Supermarket, I also came across "Craftseller". There are so many craft magazines...where do you start!? I thought this was a good starting place for me.

I'm a first time reader and as a born again crafter I must say it's brilliant. I've read though it twice and every time I see something different.
Great to see what other crafters are doing and fantastic ideas for projects too. This edition came with a free stamping set which is perfect as I was going to get some stamps for my "Homemade" labels to put on my MedARTation wares. There were also printed sheets for papercrafts included & ideas for Christmas crafts.

I got the impression that it's ok to make the projects for sale at your own craft fairs based on letters from other readers which is nice to know...you have to be soooo careful these days.

I'm hoping to do a craft fair at some point so hopefully I'll pick up some tips!

Interestingly, there was an article on blogging - Great for beginners like me.

If you would like to check it out follow the link www.subscribeonline.co.uk/craftseller

Thanks for dropping in x

MedARTate with "The art of Crochet"...

Just back from the supermarket & I purchased the new "Art of Crochet" magazine :o)

www.theartofcrochet.com

I used to love Crochet when I was younger...seemed so much easier than knitting for me, although I never expanded beyond the double & treble stitches. Our school asked for people to make squares for the local Donkey Sanctury so they could make blankets for the winter. Such a great cause.

I tried crochet again recently, but became disheartened as I was ending up with different size squares (*need to work on my tensions) and the stitch I want to master is the Granny Square. I've not cracked it yet, but I'm hoping the DVD & magazine will come to my rescue.

I've wanted to crochet a big Granny Blanket for ages & this comes with a project to help you make one as you learn more & more new stitches (*wool included). I'm very excited!

Did you know?....Granny Blankets have magical mystical qualities...at least, I never fail to feel snug & secure under one on the couch & happily fall asleep.

You should definitely check it out. There are lots of other patterns & tips in there too.

www.theartofcrochet.com

I'll keep you posted on my progress x

Thanks for checking in.

Quick Tip .....recycling/upcycling!

Quick Tips...

I have lots of things lying around that are proving useful in my craft work....things such as;

1. Buttons from old clothes - good for eyes & embelishments

2. Those annoying ribbon hanging loops you get in tops....CUT THEM OUT...they are great for
    accessorizing or using as hanging loops

3. Old tops/skirts/dresses....great fabric supply & patterns... I try to choose the smaller ditsy prints

4. Denim - tough and creates a great look when mixed with fabrics/felts

5. Zips - provides interesting edging (use one half of zip) or accesorizing

6. Patterns in the backs of old craft books...they can be used for different crafts too! for example, I
    have a lovely Sun Pattern in a glass painting book which I am going to try using for a felt craft
    project!

What have you got lying around that you could use?

Do you have any suggestions/ideas of what to do with them?

Share your Quick Tips here. I would love to hear them x

Accessories......

So, as you can see from my last few projects I've been adding extra bits of details.

I was seduced by all the accessories and shiny things in the craft shop, but have to say, they were a good buy as they do enhance your projects. I have also been searching through my old craft boxes from past passions and found a few bits n bobs I can use for my Felt crafts.

I have purchased/found;

Sequin circles
Sequin shapes (Flowers)
Wooden beads
Ribbons
Pom Poms
Buttons (& salvaged a few from the button tin!)
Pipe cleaners and
Pinking Shears

I am having great fun experimenting with them all.

Inspirational Quote...

"Always write angry letters to your enemies. Never mail them"
 

-James Fallows

*Laughing*.........now that would be a disaster!

Good therapy tip though x

MedARTation Project 4...Felt BumbleBee

Good Morning!
What crafts and MedARTation projects have you been up to?
I've been a busy bee experimenting with shapes and have made this cute felt bumblebee:

 

 

Why don't you have a go?.....This is how I did it;

 

I used;

Black felt (body)

Yellow felt - face & stripes

Cream felt - wings and eyes

Black pipe cleaner for tentacles

wobbly eyes

black & gold pom poms

Jute string for hanging loop

Stuffing

Sequins

 

1. Start by straight stitching the eye sockets on, a black pom pom for a nose and stitch a mouth

 

 

2. Bend the black pipe cleaner in half (pre-cut to desired length).

    Stitch the pipe cleaner and a Jute hanging loop on to one of the body pieces

    The stitches will be covered by the yellow circle face so make sure you sew low

    enough to make sure the stitched are covered.



 

3. Attach the yellow face and the stripes. I used straight stitch & back stitch to

   do this I also added a few sequin flowers for some extra detail

 

4. Using black thread backstitch the wings on to the other body piece

 

5. Finally....Pin the 2 pieces together and stitch together using blanket stitch or whip stitch.

    *I used back stitch in the sections where the wings were attached. Don't forget to leave a

    gap for the stuffing.

 

    I then sewed some sparkley black & gold pom poms onto the end of the tentacles, twisted

    them round a pencil to make them into a spiral and glued on the eyes using white PVA glue.

 

I think this bee is super cute...what do you think?

 

I hope you liked this MedARTation project. I would to see some of your creations.





Next I'll be making a Felt Hedgehog.....

Stay smiley x