Saturday, March 20, 2010

Is The Bow Easy Worth The Trouble? Your Advice Appreciated

Some people tie picture perfect bows every time.

I've looked at a few videos on using the Bow Easy. What do you think? Does the Bow Easy (or similar tool), make a big difference to your bow making results or help with special bows?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.


If, like me, you haven't used the Bow Easy, you can get the low down in the video below by Suzanne J Dean from Scrapbitz.


Saturday, March 13, 2010

Paper Flower Rosettes - Video






This video shows an easy but effective technique for making Paper Flower Rosettes from Tami White, at Stampin With Tami, I'm experimenting with different types of paper flowers at the moment, so I was keen to learn a new paper flower making technique.

Paper Flower Rosette Basics
I didn't follow the video exactly, but the rosette starts off as a thin long rectangular piece of paper all prettied up which you pleat and curl around to make a spiral circle flower shape. You could use any paper and any paper edging punch. I tried it with a Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch and Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossed paper... still experimenting, but I love the technique - great for using scraps too.

The elegance comes from the simplicity of the white highlighting any texture or embellishments. I like the white, but you could try other papers for different effects - old book pages, magazine pages, designer papers, kraft paper, painted watercolour paper etc.

Stampin With Tami
You don't need to be a Stampin Up person to find Tami's blog useful - lots of great techniques and inspirational work. Thanks Tami! She even has a monthly give away.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Favourite Find Of The Week - Just Something I Made Blog

Kanzashi Cloth Flower With Printed Words On Petals
I've been visiting Cathe Holden's Just Something I Made blog for a while now, and it just keeps getting better and better.

Looking around is like fossicking in an antique shop. There's something new and unexpected at every turn... a real treasure trove.

I thought I shouldn't keep all this crafty goodnesss to myself, so I'm sharing the link, - just in case you haven't discovered Just Something I Made already. There are over 2000 folllowers, so maybe I'm the only one who's a latecomer to the party.

Cathe is a commercial artist turned graphic designer and is very generous with sharing her finds from her own collection, purchases and lucky finds - great for artists, crafters, designers and more. Thanks Cathe.

Look for -
  • Vintage Clip Art
  • Silhouettes
  • Vintage Postcards & Photos
  • Images from Vintage Catalogues
  • Blog Buttons
  • Frames & Borders
  • Design inspiration
  • Craft Projects
Kanzashi Flower
As I've been experimenting with Paper Flowers, I was drawn to the Kanzashi Flower Project. Don't you love the way the names are printed on the cloth petals? A perfect gift for a mother or grandmother. You could most likely do this in paper too.... now there's a thought...

Enjoy!