Using Non Hotfix Preciosa Crystals

The lovely folks at Crystal Parade have sent me some crystals to play with!  

My first project was this framed friendship gift made with the addition of black flocked heat transfer vinyl, a brush stroke font, a Samantha Walker cutting file and my Silhouette Cameo.

I'll cover how to make the flocked part in a separate post. The file required some minor editing before being ready to iron on to the backing fabric (I used a heat press).

The gems are a Crystal Parade mixed pack of rainbow crystals. They are so pretty with a bright sparkle that is difficult to capture, but beautiful to look at.

Being non-hotfix means that they need to be adhered to projects with glue and I used Beacon's Gem-tac glue, a precision glue syringe with a pink tip, and a jewel setter.

The syringe was easy to fill and very (very) precise. I followed directions from a couple of YouTube videos on how to do it to exclude air bubbles. I practiced a few times first, but really needn't have bothered.

A gentle pressure on the plunger delivers a precise amount of glue just where you need it (and more importantly, NOT where you DON'T). 

The crystals, which are 3mm in diameter (SS10) are best picked up with a tool like the jewel setter. It has a waxy end which you manipulate into a point with your fingers. This helps avoid touching the flat side of the crystals which can transfer oils from your skin and make the gems less likely to stick firmly first time.

The trick to keeping your project free from excess glue is to use a small amount of glue and apply minimal pressure, otherwise the glue is pressed to the edges of the gem and none remains underneath to adhere it.

At the risk of sounding smug, I was pretty pleased with how this project turned out. Using a glue syringe might seem like a daunting prospect, but it turned out to be enjoyable and straightforward. More so than my photographic efforts, but that's a post for another day!

SUPPLIES:

CUTTING FILE 

#4836 Flower Scalloped Circle Simplified by Samantha Walker Studio/PNG/SVG

#41433 3d Lori Whitlock Easel Studio/PNG/SVG

FONT
Black Jack by Typadelic on dafont

MATERIALS
Crystal Parade Rainbow mixed pack of crystals
Beadsmith Jewel Setter
Precision Glue Syringe with pink tip
Beacon Gem-tac CPD/AmazonUk/AmazonUSA
Black Flock HTV Prem-flock from MDP Supplies

Origami Fish - wall decor

This week's project was building an origami fish into an underwater ocean scene for wall decor.

Making up the origami fish from the Modular Origami kit was was fun, a great project for a rainy summer afternoon.

The pre-cut paper pieces were precisely cut and each piece was folded into a module, and the fish was built up from the modules - simples!

A little 3-in-1 glue between some of the modules ensured that it didn't fall apart.

Then, a distress-inked background, and some card stock embellishments cut, layered, coloured and decorated were added to the frame,  and the project was complete!

Craft, Hobby + Stitch International 2014 - part 3

Using Beacon Gem-Tac to Adhere Buttons

I thought I'd better share this one before Valentine's Day becomes a distant memory!

My wall art example for Craft Hobby + Stitch was made to demonstrate the excellent bonding qualities of Beacon Gem-Tac. If you design your project so that you can access both front and back of your base material then you can make use of an iron to heat set buttons, gems and other embellishments. This ensures that they are firmly bonded - how embarrassing would it be if they started dropping off mid-show?  

 

 

I firstly cut the heart swirl and sentiment from a piece of white flocked heat transfer vinyl (HTV) on my Silhouette Cameo and ironed it on to a 12" square of regular felt/flannel. Then I adhered the buttons using Beacon Gem-Tac (actually I practiced various arrangements first in the Silhouette's Designer edition software, which saved a lot of frustration). Although the glue dries clear, excess glue would still show up on the matte texture of the felt, so it was important not to allow any glue to oose out around the buttons. The trick to achieving an 'oose-free' finish is to use a thin coat of glue and to gently guide the buttons into place without pressing - and then some patience! I left the glue to cure overnight and then ironed on the reverse to complete the sticking process.

When it had completely cooled down I trimmed the felt and adhered it to a cardstock frame which I'd earlier cut on the Cameo and assembled with Beacon 3-In-1 glue. 

I love the cardstock frames designed by Lori Whitlock and available in Studio format though the Silhouette store. I've made several and I recently made another of these combined with a 3D letter which I'll share in a later post. Ooh, I just remembered a tiny one that I made way back!

Design Credits:

Heart Felt Wall Art
Janet Packer (The Crafting Quine)
Frame: Lori Whitlock
Heart (adapted): Jamie Koay
Flourish (adapted): Bird's Cards

Sewing Frame
Buttons: Janet Packer
Frame: Lori Whitlock
Other Elements: Silhouette Online Store

Craft, Hobby + Stitch International 2014 - part 2

My first (crafting) love, is paper crafts. I love the colours and textures and inexhaustible possibilities in both 2-D and 3-D.

My favourite adhesive for 3-D card and paper work is Beacon 3-in-1 and I think this is amply illustrated by my next craft show make.

Made mostly in card, I also used embossing powders, air dry clay, paper wire and home made acrylic buttons. The lighthouse rotates to display a bottle of 3 in 1, and at the very top of the tower there is an LED light. I hope you like it - I loved making it!

If you missed it, pop back to part 1 and see what I made in 3D in fabric.

Design Credits:
The Ensemble - Janet Packer (aka The Crafting Quine),
3D Letters & Numbers, 3D tag base - SVG Cuts
Capstans, Seagulls, Boat sails, Lighthouse - SVG Attic
Ship's Wheel, Boat base, Anchor: Bird's Cards

Craft, Hobby + Stitch International 2014 - part 1

If you aren't following the action at Craft Hobby + Stitch International trade show at Birmingham NEC you should! The Twitter feed is buzzing at @CrftHobbyStitch.

My contribution to the show has been to make a host of items using some of the vast range of Beacon Glues for Mark at Creative Products Distribution.

Now the show is underway I can share them with you.

You'll already have seen the hot air balloon made entirely with stiffened fabric using Beacon Stiffen Stuff.  I found another Beacon product, Fabri-Tac was perfect for sticking the stiffened pieces together, and I used this combination again to make this fabric rose.

You can see how beautifully the pieces cut on my digital cutter, as the stiffened sheets were perfectly flat and made full contact with the cutting mat.

 

 

 

I decided to test even smaller cuts, and made this little information card to go along with the balloon.

This final picture shows just how small that swag is (yes those are inches!).

I'll share more of my makes with you in part 2.

Design Credits:
Janet Packer (The Crafting Quine),
3D Balloon, 3D Tag base, Rose: SVG Cuts

CHA Makes - Anaheim 2014

What a great start to the New Year! 

For the first time ever I've had some of my crafty makes on show at a Trade Exhibition; the CHA 2014 Conference & Trade Show from January 10 – 14, 2014 in Anaheim, California. They were on display on the Beacon Adhesives booth by the UK distributors Creative Products Distribution. Yay!

Just 2 items were displayed: the telephone featured in my designer paper post and on my blog header and a hot air balloon made entirely from fabric, string and a LOT of Siffen Stuff.

Fabric Hot Air Balloon

I'll share in a later post  how to prepare and cut cotton fabric to use on your digital cutting machine to make this and other intricate fabric cuts without the need of an iron-on stabilizer.

Card Telephone