Stamps & Card Candi

I have been having a play with the Woodware Bubble Bloom and Bubble Butterfly Stamps after seeing the fab creations by designer Jane Elizabeth Gill. These stamps are available to purchase on our website and below I will leave you with lots of lovely inspiration. Make sure you check out Jane's Blog for even more fab creations!

Bubble Butterfly

Felicity - Bubble Bloom Stamps - Clarissa

     

All our Card Candi Colours are available here.

Here are 2 examples created by me:

These 2 examples have been created by Jane Gill:

Hope you like these cards and if you create one yourself we would love to see!

Happy Crafting,

Maxine

Getting started with Candle Making

Here at Creative Hobby Supplies we stock a range of supplies and kits for making your own candles. If you want to have a go but aren't sure where to start then this little guide is for you! We also stock a booklet 'The Basics of Candlemaking' A guide for beginners, which goes into more detail.

Supplies:
Wax - We stock both Paraffin and Soy wax. Both can be used to create your own candles. Soy wax is a softer wax and has a lower melting point than paraffin. Our soy wax is a container blend so can only be used if you are making candles in a container such as teacup candles. Paraffin wax needs to have Stearin added to it at the point of melting, normally at 10% stearin to wax. Stearin is added to the wax to help it harden, increase the depth of colour, reduce dripping and improve burning. If you are using a rubber mould then do not use stearin, Vybar must be added instead at 2% because stearin would rot the rubber mould.

Wick - This is available at different sizes depending on the diameter of your mould. So if your mould measures 64mm diameter then you use a 64mm wick!

Moulds - We stock a range of rigid plastic moulds that can be used along with the paraffin wax. You can also use containers such as teacups to make container candles.

Colour - We have a whole range of coloured dye blocks. These are concentrated dye which will colour your candles. Use a little at a time until you have achieved the desired colour. It's not easy to see what the colour will be like while the wax is still liquid so a little tip is so drop a little of the wax onto some white paper, once hardened you will be able to see the finished result.

Fragrance - Candle fragrance is available in both solid and liquid form. We only stock the solid fragrance for ease of display. To use this simple add in small amounts to your liquid wax. Our solid fragrance blocks are marked into 8 sections, the manufacturers guide is 1/8th strip of the block to 900g wax. This can be increased to suit your own requirements. Suitable in both paraffin and soy wax. 

Useful tips

A super simple way to work out how much wax you need for your container is to fill the container with water. Pour this into a measuring jug, however many mls of water fit into the container is approx how many grames of wax you need to use!

If using soy wax you can melt this in a plastic jug in the microwave. Melt on 30second - 1 minute bursts to insure you do not over do it! Let the wax cool a little before pouring.

When you add the colour and fragrance ensure that you thoroughly stir the wax to ensure that it is distributed throughout the wax evenly.

Paraffin wax needs to be melted in a double boiler. Simply use 2 old saucepans, fill the larger one with water and put the smaller one on top with the wax inside. Never melt wax directly on the heat source as it is highly flammable!

Always cut your wick to longer than is needed. When using a plastic mould thread through the bottom and knot it (this will become the top), make sure you leave about 25mm protruding. Seal the hole with some mould seal. Using a wick stick across the open end of the mould tie the wick to it so that is it straight but not too tight. You are now ready to pour your wax.

When making a container candle you will need some metal wick sustainers/holders and ideally pre waxed wick. You can make your own waxed wick by dipping the wick in some molton wax and then leaving to dry on some greaseproof paper.
Sustainers are used to secure the wick in the bottom of candle moulds and glasses where there is no wicking hole. Use with small to medium size wicks and crimp the neck closed with small pliers to hold the wick firmly. The sustainer can be secured centrally in the bottom of your mould using glue dots or a glue gun.

You may find that the wax dips and cracks in the middle. This is simply because wax shrinks as it cools. This isn't a problem you can simply keep a little extra wax by and repour a layer on the top or if you have a heat gun then you can simply give the top of the wax a quick blast which will sort it out! 

If you decide to use liquid fragrance in your candles then the suggested rate is 5-8% of the total amount of wax.

We also stock 2 candle making kits, a basic kit and an ultimate kit. They can be found on the website here.

I hope that this has given you a little look into candle making and has answered some questions or given you the push to give it a go. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask and I will answer if I am able. 

Happy Candle Making!

~ Maxine

Exploding Box Tutorial

Today I have another tutorial for you, this time to make an exploding box. This is great to make as a gift as you can always hide something inside, or to make an an alternative to a mini book. The finished box measures approx 4" square.

 

You will need:

3x 12”x12” sheets of cardstock (I used Kraft Cardstock)

1x 6”x6” sheet of cardstock (I used another sheet of 12"x12" cut down)

Bone Folder/Score Board

Ruler

Craft Knife or Scissors

Pencil

Double Sided Tape

Patterned Paper for decorating (I Used Echo Park Summer Days)

Corner Rounder - Optional

Outer Layer

1. Start by marking one of your 12”x12” cardstock sheets at 4” and 8” on all 4 sides and then lightly pencil in the lines so that your paper is divided into 9 4” squares. (or simply score at these measurements if you have a score board).

2. Now cut out the 4 corner squares so you are left with a cross shape. (Cut out the yellow squares).

3. Score along the 4 remaining lines in the middle to make the walls of your box and erase the pencil lines.

Middle Layer

4. For the middle layer of the box you need to cut your 12”x12” cardstock down to 10 ½” x 10 ½”.

5. Mark this sheet at 3 ½” and 7” on all 4 sides and pencil in the lines.

6. Cut out the 4 corner squares so you have a cross shape.

7. Score along the 4 remaining lines and erase the pencil lines.

Inner Layer

8. For the inner layer of your box you need to cut your last sheet of 12”x12” cardstock down to 9”x9”.

9. Mark this sheet at 3” and 6” on all 4 sides and pencil in the lines.

10. Cut out the 4 corner squares so you are left with a cross shape.

11. Score along the 4 remaining lines and erase the pencil lines.

As an optional step you can also round all of your corners.

Lid

12. For the lid take your 6”x6” cardstock and draw in a 1” border all the way around the edge.

13. Score on all the lines.

14. Cut on the red lines shown below.

15. Adhere the tabs you have just cut to the side of the lid to make a box shape. Make sure that your corners are nice and square.

16. Now you can start to decorate your box.

17. Decorate each individual square with your patterned paper.

18. Do not decorate the inner square on the outer and middle layer pieces, as this is where you will stick each layer together. You can decorate the middle of the inner layer.

19. If you would like to decorate in a similar way to mine with a border of cardstock around each piece of paper then you will need to make your patterned paper the following sizes:

2 ¾” x 2 ¾” – small inner layer 

3 ¼” x 3 ¼” – medium middle Layer

3 ¾” x 3 ¾” – large outer layer

20. You can then stick each layer together. Apply double-sided tape to the back middle square on the middle and small inner layers. Then making sure you are lining up in the middle stick the layers on top of each other.

21. Once you have decorated and stuck your layers together the inside will look something like this:

22. You can then decorate the outside of your box and add your pictures, journaling and embellishments to the inside. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial and that you have fun making yourself an exploding box. If you make one I would love to see, please feel free to add a link  below to your blog or add a picture to our Facebook Page.

Happy Crafting,

Maxine

Please note: these instructions and photos are copyright of Creative Hobby Supplies 2013. We do not claim that to have invented the exploding box but these instructions and photos are ours. If you wish to link to this tutorial or reproduce in your own words and pictures please feel free, but do not copy this and claim as your own. Thank you!

Creativity Craft Event

Wow hasn't the weather been glorious of late? However I have found myself not crafting due to being out and enjoying the weather while it lasts which is a bit of a shame.

This coming weekend though Creative Hobby Supplies will be attending our local craft fair - Creativity, in the Civic Hall in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. It will be our first 2 day event and I am really looking forward to it, although trying to decide what to take and organising the stall is harder than I imagined!

We have recently had some new bits and bobs into stock of which I will be trying to take to the fair with me. These include Indian Glass Chips and Beads, Large Resin Flower and Butterfly Charms, Washi Paper Tape,  more Card Candi, Pearl Card and Scalloped Card Blanks.

I am just in the process of creating some examples to take with me to the fair using some of our products. While this will mainly be cards as they are easiest to display I will also be taking along some jewellery pieces and of course our jewellery kits. 

If you are in the local area it would be great if you could stop by and see us, if not all our products are as ever available on our website. www.creativehobbysupplies.co.uk

Hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are and happy crafting,

Maxine

Sweet Trees & Chocolate Bouquet Kits

Have you seen sweet trees yet? They make really great gifts and table pieces for events such as weddings. Have you ever wanted to have a go at making your own? Well here at Creative Hobby Supplies we have a Sweet Tree Kit that contains all you need (except the sweets and ribbon embellishments) plus inctructions to make 2 of your own large sweet trees.

The first picture shows an example from the kit company of a chocolate tree.

The 2 pictures below are my examples created using wrapped sweets.

There are so many options using this kit. You can coordinate to your own theme using matching ribbon and choosing either wrapped or unwrapped sweets. 

The instructions included tell you how to make the basic sweet tree and then how to attach different types of sweets so you can choose the method that works best for you. In my wrapped sweets examples I used pins to attach the wrappers, this worked well but you need to then be careful with letting children take any of the sweets. A better more child friendly way would have been to use hot glue or double sided tape, but the instructions will give you more information.

You can find the sweet tree kits instore or on our website here.

We have also just received in a new Chocolate Bouquet Kit. 

This kit is easy to make using chocolates or sweets (or fruit) to create a wonderful flower like display for gifts, parties and weddings. Each kit contains enough to create 2 bouquets and includes: Skewers, vases, cellophane, oasis, tissue paper, tissue circles, florist tape and instructions.

Chocolate Bouquet:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bouquet:

Fruit Bouquet:

If you create a sweet tree or chocolate bouquet we would love to see your creation, please feel free to add a link below in the comments so we can come for a peek.

Happy Creating,

Maxine

Pocket Mini Book Tutorial

Welcome to another Creative Hobby Supplies Tutorial. Today I will be showing you how to create a Pocket Mini Book.

This is what we will be creating:

To complete this project you will need:

-         Chipboard

-         Envelope/pocket template (click to view and download)

-         4x 12”x12” Cardstock/Patterned Papers (double sided)

-         Wet glue e.g. PVA

-         Double Sided tape

-         Scissors, craft knife,ruler, bone folder

-    Book Rings/Binding

-    Embellishments to decorate and ink (optional)

1. Cut your chipboard so you have 2 pieces measuring 5 ¾” x 4” for your front and back covers.
2. Select your Cardstock/Patterned paper you want to use for your front covers – cut 2 pieces to 6 ¾” x 5”. This will give you ½” extra around all the sides.

3. Using a wet glue apply to the chipboard and stick to the cardstock.
4. Using a ruler or off cut of chipboard place on each corner of the chipboard and draw a diagonal line. Then trim off this triangle of card. Repeat for both pieces.

 

   

5. Using a bone folder score along each side of the chipboard and fold up the 2 longest sides.

Add a small amount of glue to the flap and fold over and stick to the chipboard. You may have to keep running your bone folder over the flap to ensure it sticks.

6. Using your bone folder tuck in the very corners of the card on all 4 corners. This will ensure you get a nice finish to your corners. (to see a great video tutorial on how to do this search for 'Make the Grade book' on Google videos.) Fold up the 2 shorter sides. Add a small amount of glue and stick to the chipboard as before.
7. Repeat for the other chipboard cover.
8. Now choose your inside cover paper and cut 2 pieces to 5 ½” x 3 ½”. Stick to the chipboard covers with double sided tape and set aside.

 

9. Cut out your envelope/pocket template.
10. Trace around the template onto the reverse of your paper and cut out.

11. Score along the lines shown on the template and fold.

12. Using double sided tape sick the flaps so that the small side flap is under the large flap and the bottom flap is on the top. Make sure you don’t cover the entire small flap as the larger one doesn’t cover it all – check before applying glue!

13. Now repeat for all your patterned paper depending on how many pockets you want.  I created 5 pockets using 2 pieces of paper and the left over from covering the inside of the covers. You should be able to get 2 pockets from each sheet of 12x12 paper.

14. Now using a punch or drawing and cutting out, cut a ½ circle in the top of each pocket on the front. I used a 1 ½” circle punch.

If you wish to add in extra pages, maybe just simple cardstock pages then cut them out now to the same size as the pockets.

15. Now choose how you are going to bind your book. You can simply punch 2 holes in the covers and pockets and attach some book rings or you can use a Binding Machine if you have access to one.

Your book should now look as below.

16. Now to make the inserts. Cut some cardstock and patterned paper to 3 ½” x 5”. You should be able to use your left over card from your front cover and from when cutting the pockets. Cut some small pieces in different shapes and ink the edges and stick to the larger pieces. You can use these inserts as photo and journaling mats or you could attach paper to the back of them with a brad and use as a mini journaling book.

17. Finally you can start decorating your front cover in any way you wish. For mine I cut one of the few remaining left over pieces of paper to 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”, inked and stuck on the left of the book. I then punched a flower shape and again inked. I tied some ribbon through a large button and stuck onto the punched shape above some of the pom pom ribbon. Now you can add your title and add all your photos and journaling to your little book.

I have created several of these little books in a range of different papers, they can get quite addictive:

I hope that you have enjoyed this totorial and if you create a little book from it I would love to see, please leave a link below in the comments and I will stop by and take a peek :)

For now Happy Crafting,
Maxine

Instructions © Maxine for Creative Hobby Supplies, Please do not reproduce without prior permission. 2013