Make Something Nice

CROSS RIBBON FOLDER

2011-10-22T12:08:00.004+01:00

This tute will show you how to make a super little folder.

Materials.
2 pieces of mountboard 10 x 15 cm each
2 pieces of card 9 x 14 cm each
1 piece of paper for the cover 23 x 18 cm
One strip of paper (same as cover) 6 x 15 cm
1 piece of paper for inside front cover 11 x 16
4 pieces of paper for the pockets 13 x 17 cm each
2 lengths of ribbon approx’ 20 cm each.

Step 1.
Take the largest piece of paper and place both pieces of mountboard on the back of it. Make sure that you leave at least 1 cm between the two or the folder won’t close properly. Stick the mountboard to the paper.

Step 2.
Mitre the corners and turn each edge over and stick down to the inside. Take the 6 x 15 cm strip and attach this over the centre. Make sure the glue is right up to the edges, especially at the top and bottom.

Step 3.
Turn over to the right side and do any inking or stamping that you want to do. It’s much easier to do this now while the folder is still flat.

Step 4.
Take the 4 pieces of 13 x 17 cm papers and fold each one in half across the width so you have 4 pieces measuring 13 x 8½ cms.

Step 5.
Choose one of these four pieces and slip it over the top of one of the 9 x 14 cm bits of card.

Step 6.
Glue this to the card front and back and bend the side edges over to the back and stick down. You may need to put a weight on to hold it. With the other 3 pieces, glue them together so each piece is double thickness.

Step 7.
Now, take one of the 3 pieces and apply glue or DST along the bottom raw edge and the sides. Place this over the already stuck down piece (make sure the fold is towards the top) but further down. Stick this in place, bending over the excess to the back as in the previous step.

Step 8.
Repeat this step with the other two pieces of paper and you will end up with 3 pockets. If you use glue instead of DST then you will definitely need to weight it, as it’s getting quite thick at this stage. Now ink around the edges if you want to.

Step 9.
Once your pocket piece is dry, attach it to the right side of the inside of your folder.

Step 10.
Take the piece of 11 x 16 cm paper and the other bit of card and cover this as in step 2. Ink your edges and do any stamping that you want to do now.

Step 11.
Take a piece of ribbon and attach it to the back of the card at one end, up near a corner. Bring the ribbon down on the diagonal and as tightly as you can, attach to the opposite side near the bottom corner. Do the same with the second piece of ribbon but in the other direction.

Step 12.
Attach this piece to the left side of the folder.

Now you can pop whatever you like in the pockets and attach any other embellishments to the front. I used images from Debbie’s Steampunk range, available from THE CRAFTY PAD DESIGNS. The ones I used inside were printed onto Letraset’s Safmat and attached at the end. The ones on the front were printed onto the same paper as the cover, cut out, inked and attached with 3D foam pads. My papers are from the huge pad by MME 'Complete Boy' and my stamps are Bitsy Lotus from Basic Grey.

So there you are. A simple and fairly quick to make project that you can use for many different things and of course, it would make a lovely gift for somebody, especially with some photos or thoughtful verses in the pockets.
Lorraine.
xxx

PROMARKER STORAGE TOWER.

2010-04-01T13:18:00.040+01:00

Do you have lots of Promarkers? Are you keeping them in a box somewhere and rooting around for the colour you need? Well, so was I. I started looking around for storage for them and everything I found was either too expensive or didn't hold enough pens or both, so I sat down and thought of a way to make myself a storage tower for them. This is what I came up with.

It will cost you the price of some A4 cardstock and heavy card or mountboard, both of which you've probably already got. It's very easy to make, although it is time consuming, but have a go and I hope you like it.

Step 1. Using your score board, score down 1 inch on all four sides of your A4 card. Fold over and sharpen the creases with your bone folder.

Step 2. Cut into all four corners just down to where the creases cross to make the corner tabs.

Step 3. Stick a piece of strong card (your scrapbooking pizza boxes are good for this) into the centre of the card for added strength. You will also need a strip down each of the edges.

Step 4. Fold the tabs to the inside and stick down. This is your first box lid and will be the base one.

Step 5. Now, repeat the above, EXCEPT you only need a strengthener strip down one long edge.

Step 6. Again, repeat. This time though, cut off one of the long edges down the score line. This will give you a 3 sided box lid and you only need a strengthener in the centre.

You will need to make as many of these as you need for however many Promarkers you have. Each shelf will hold 16 Promarkers. I made 10 of each (the four sided and the 3 sided) and this will take the whole range of Promarkers with a few spaces spare. You will need an even number of each.

Step 7. Now, before you start building it up, take a 3 sided lid and put 16 Promarkers into it. Using a strip of paper the same length, mark off, using the PM’s as a guide, 16 sections. Put this template aside and don’t lose it. Also, and I suggest using the card that you normally colour on so you get an exact colour match, cut strips to fit the front edges of the boxes. I cut 10 of these.

Step 8. Now, start building your tower. Make sure you have the base lid at the bottom. Using sellotape, stick your boxes together. Also, MAKE SURE that the strengthened edge of the four sided pieces is at the FRONT and the strengtheners on the 3 sided bits are at the top. After the 4 sided base, use a 3 sided lid and keep building like this. Be careful to match them up at the edges. The sellotape will keep them in place temporarily. Plan how tall you want your tower. If you have a long enough piece of mountboard or card to cover the whole sides in one go, build the tower in one piece. I did mine in two halves (10 each) and then put those together at the end, as I didn’t have any mountboard long enough.

Step 9. When your tower is stuck together, cut a piece of mountboard to fit each side and one for the top. Cover these in papers of your choice. I actually covered mine in one of my least favourite papers as I knew I’d never use it for anything else, so I may as well get some use out of it, lol.

Step 10. When your sides are covered, stick them with STRONG tape or glue onto the tower. Be extra careful that you have them all lined up evenly and that you put a ruler or something into the gaps from the inside to push up against the sides for extra adhesion. Remember, the box sides are fairly flimsy at this stage.

Step 11. When you have the sides on, join the two halves if you’ve worked this way, and finally add the top. I also covered the back with a piece of plain white card, just to tidy it up. Your tower is now basically finished.

If you want to make a fancy top like I did, then go ahead. Stick it along the front edge and bend two strips of card to stick at the back and support it.

Step 12. Now, take your strips of card and following the colour chart (which you can download from Letraset) and using the template you made earlier, mark the 16 sections on each one and colour them in with your pens. I also chose to print little labels onto Safmat and attached those after I’d coloured. Attach these to the front of your tower.

I printed labels for the whole colour range and have my spares stored in a little bag. As I get more pens, I shall colour the block and attach the label.

You will also need to cut and colour little circles for the end of the pens. I used my Robo to cut mine and they are 9mm diameter. The extra circles I cut are stored away too until more pens arrive. Stick them on the ends using Diamond Glaze or similar.

So, there you are. Promarker storage for pennies, well a couple of pounds for the cardstock, lol. I hope you like it.

Oh, there's a bit of luck. The postman has just brought me more new pens, so I've got to go update my tower already. Yay!!!!!

MINI POCKET BOOK (single 12 x 12 sheet)

2009-08-09T12:22:00.013+01:00

To make this little book, you will need a single 12 x 12 sheet of paper or light cardstock. You can use plain and decorate as you choose, or, as I have done with my finished book, use a sheet of double sided cardstock. I used a Scor-Pal for my scoring, but you don't have to have one of these. The pockets in this book are large enough to hold ATC's or photo's of a similar size.

Step 1. Score your sheet at 6" then turn your card over and score at 2" from each edge. (2" and 10" if measuring from left). Try to score so that the valley scores will be on the outside when you fold your pockets up.

Step 2. Turn your card a quarter turn and score at 3", 6" and 9" (again measuring from left).

Step 3. Now, put a strip of narrow DST (or glue) along the short edges of the four corner scored rectangles.

Step 4. Fold up along the original 2" and 10" scores and stick down.

Step 5. Now, you will make your ONLY cut. Cut from one end up the original 6" score to the top 3" score line.

Steps 6 & 7. Accordian fold each side as shown, and then, making sure the pockets are on the outside, fold over and glue the parts marked A1 and A2 together back to back.

Your book is nearly complete now, but you will see that the back (where I'm holding it) is open and floppy, so you need to bind it.

There are various ways to do this, but I've given you 3 examples.
First, you can use a stitch binding. Follow the instructions in the Domino Book tutorial allowing for the different number of pages. (apologies for this naff pic).

Secondly, you can use your Bind-it-All which works really well. A word of warning though. If you have the original blue machine, (I don't know about the new one) the book is too thick to punch in one go. Do the centre folds first and then making sure you're punching in the same direction, do the outside folds. You also, cannot turn the back round as per the usual instructions so your wire ends will still be on the outside. Twist them to the back and it looks absolutely fine.

The third option, and my favourite, is to simply glue the open backs together so you have a solid little booklet with no openings at the back or the tops/bottoms of the pages. After I'd stuck my pages together I decorated the book with a few stamps, some understated embellies and glued a strip of ribbon right around the book for a fastening. I printed off 8 photographs of my granddaughter to go in the pockets and gave it to my daughter to carry in her handbag.

So there you are. I hope you like it. It's a lovely little book and has all sorts of uses. Try it yourself and experiment with different closures and bindings.

WAXED PAPER IN YOUR CUTTLEBUG

2009-08-04T11:05:00.007+01:00

You can make your own backgrounds by embossing waxed paper. You may have to experiment with your card as some work better than others.

1. Load up your cuttlebug as normal and using a sheet of waxed paper in your folder instead of card, emboss it. (you may need a shim to get a good impression).

2. Heat a DRY iron to hot. If you have a steam iron, turn the steam off. Put the wax paper onto your chosen cardstock and cover with a sheet of scrap copy paper. Iron over this until you see the wax pattern appear on your scrap.

3. Quickly peel the wax paper off your card and then cover your card with a DYE ink of your choice. I like my distress inks. If you have a good card, you should see the design appear.

4. When your card is covered, take a piece of kitchen towel and rub off the excess ink.

You now have a background to use that will match your chosen embossing folder.

POCKET TAG BOOK

2009-08-04T10:39:00.009+01:00

This little book is made from one A4 sheet of paper. Using just one sheet makes a lovely little gift, but you can use more than one and make multiple pages for something more substantial.

STEP 1. Fold a sheet of A4 paper in half, open it, turn over and fold each edge into the centre.

Step 2. Fold the 4 corners in to meet the valley folds.

Step 3. Now fold the outsides in to meet the middle.

Step 4. Turn the paper over and fold the bottom up – making sure you leave a bit at the top about ¼ inch deep.

Step 5. Fold the ¼ inch over and tuck into the corners. You may glue this if you wish, use DST or just leave it loose.

Step 6. With the folded over top inside, fold in half, and your tag pockets are complete.

I like to make a template and mark each part. This means that when you make your proper one, you will know exactly which pieces are what for decorating. This is especially useful if stamping and need to work on a flat sheet of paper.

Decorate as it is or make a cover from card. You will have four sloping pockets and 2slit pockets down the side. If you choose, you can also make extra internal pages. I attached my pages with brads down the spine, but you can use ribbon or another type of binding.

PIANO HINGE BOOK

2009-07-24T00:08:00.014+01:00

To make this book, you will need card, wooden barbeque skewers and thin cord or waxy flax. This tutorial uses waxy flax.

First of all, decide what size book you want to make and how many pages you want. This one is 6 x 6 which is easy to do, using 12 x 12 card. You can make the book any size you want though.

Step 1. Cut your card to the height you want and double the width. If using 12 x 12 card, just cut each sheet in half. Fold your card in half and using a bone folder, make a nice crease.

Step 2. Score your card ¼ inch each side of your main crease and fold along these score lines, again using your bone folder to crease them.

Step 3. With each page folded in half along the centre crease, measure along in ½ inch increments and then cut down on each mark to the ¼ inch crease.

Step 4. Now, holding your card, push every alternate section inwards. You are making valley and mountain tabs.

Step 5. When you have done all your pages, put them all together and then turn every other page so that your tabs alternate down the spine. i.e. valley, mountain, valley, mountain. Lay your pages in a pile as you want them to appear in your finished book.

Step 6. OK, so far so good. Now, take the first 2 pages and hold them firmly together. Take one of your skewers and thread it through the mountain tabs, doing one tab from each page alternately to the end of the page. Repeat with each pair of pages and then check again that your pages are in the correct order.

Step 7. You’re going to bind your pages now. Take your waxy flax and leaving a bit of an end, weave in and out and around the skewers, pushing each ‘row’ into place as you go. Weave a minimum of 4 rows, but 6 or 7 is better. You can see that a thinner cord is better for this. Finish weaving at the same skewer that you started with.

Step 8. When you have finished weaving, tie your ends into a tight knot (I use a double reef knot). You may want to cover the knot and/or the weaving with a clear glue to make sure it’s secure. Cut and trim your skewers to leave approximately ¾ to 1 inch at each end. If you’re absolutely sure of your finished size of book and weaving, you may cut your skewers to size before you start.

Step 9. Now you can decorate your book in any way you please. You can hang beads or charms from the cord if you want, or trim close to the knot and leave the ends undecorated.

POCKET PAGE BOOK

2009-07-22T22:07:00.016+01:00

Instructions for making this little book. No fancy pics this time, just basic diagrams but there is a picture of a finished book at the end of the tute.
You will decorate as you go but it's up to you how you do this.

Take a piece of A4 card and leaving the length, cut a strip 4 inches wide. Measure in 4 inches from one end and 2 1/8 inches from the other end and score down these lines.

Fold over so the longer side overlaps the shorter.

Cut 4 pieces of paper (more if you like) 7 inches by 5 1/8 inches. Score 1 6/8 from one side and 2 1/8 inches from the other side. Cut a semi circle from the centre piece. Also, cut 2 pieces of CARD 4 inches by 1/2 inch.

Fold these papers over so the longer side overlaps the shorter side and stick down. These are your pockets.

Now, take the bottoms of the pockets (tuther end to semi circle cut out) and making sure they're centred, attach them (glue or DST) in between the two long bits of card.

Now attach the stiffening spine into the book along the crease of the larger front.

Attach a fastener of your choice to the book and make tags to go in the pockets.

I made this one by separating the edges at the folds, using some card as a stiffer cover and fastening each side with a bind-it-all, but the basic instructions are just the same. The fastener was a small magnet.

After I'd made this book, I started looking at it in different ways. I liked the way the cover folded over, but wanted something different. I altered the way the cover was made by cutting at the folds and adding spines which made the book wider and then I made a notebook to attach inside and a pocket on the right hand side. It was a gift for a racing friend of mine and had a years racing calendar printed out and put in the pockets and the notepad was for his betting notes.

TRIANGULAR PAGE BOOK

2009-07-22T20:59:00.009+01:00

A bit different this one, but quite nice.
Take two pieces of mountboard or heavy cardstock sized 6 1/8th x 3 inches. Cover these with paper of your choice, but make sure the paper is large enough to fold inside. (I glued 2 bits of card together for each cover to make them stronger). Mitre your corners and stick it down.

Cut a piece of black paper (or colour of your choice) that is 8 x 2 inches. Mark a line 1/2 inch in from each side. Place your book covers, insides facing, centrally and against the lines. Glue in place. This will be your spine.

Fold the overhang to the inside and glue in place. Rub gently with a bone folder to crease the top and bottom edges, and down the edges of the book covers.

Now, to make your pages. Take 8 or 10 pieces of 6 inch square paper. Fold 4 (5) of them in half, with the right sides together. Put aside.
Take the other 4 (5) and fold in half with the wrong sides together. Open these up and with the wrong side facing up, fold diagonally corner to corner, and then the other corner to corner. Make sure the creases are sharp and then push them together to give you triangle shapes with the folds inside.

Open these out and decorate how you please. Stamp, or stick images, text, anything you like. Be careful if you choose anything bulky as it will interfere with the folds. (You can decorate them before you fold them, but if you use heat embossing, be careful it doesn't crack when you fold. By folding first, you can see exactly where you can place your deco's.)
When you have them decorated, fold them up again then attach and glue one each of the triangles into one each of the sheets that were folded right sides together. Make sure that you line the edges up carefully. When all the triangles are glued inside the pages, glue each of the pages together.

If you want to attach a fastening to your book, do this now. I opened mine flat and attached a cord right across the centre. Now, glue the pages to the front and back of the book. Place them centrally, but also make sure that the book closes.

If you want to put any more embellishments on the covers, you can do that now. Your book is finished.

DOMINO BOOKS

2009-07-21T10:46:00.005+01:00

I use a standard size domino, but you can use any of the available sizes.

DOMINO PREPARATION
The first thing to do is remove the spinner from the centre backs. Flick them out with a piercer or scissor tips. CAREFULLY. (Step 1)
Drill a small hole in the side of the domino. Level it with the centre back line of the dom. (Step 2)
Decorate your doms. You can use inks, paints, papers…anything you choose. The domino in this tutorial was covered with alcohol inks (I use Pinata inks, they’re much more vibrant than Ranger) and then a paper image was stuck on, outlined with black gel pen and then the image was covered with Diamond Glaze. Stamping and heat embossing is another fave technique.
Make sure you cover both the back and the front of the dominoes. (Step 3) This is so you have a coloured edge when the pages are in. When you decorate your dominoes, make sure you have the holes on the correct sides or your design may end up upside down. (see pic – Step 4).
If you want you can colour around the edges of the domino. I usually use a Krylon pen but this one is done with a black peel off marker pen. Choose some brads that match your decoration and glue them into the holes. I use superglue to do this. Make sure that the brad IS NOT fully inserted. You need a little bit protruding to wrap your closure. (Steps 5 & 6).
Place the back cover domino face down with the brad on the right. Put some glue into the groove and stick a piece of fibre or thread of your choice in. Length about 6 – 7”. (Step 7). Leave to dry and start making your pages.

PAGE PREPARATION
Your pages will be made up of 5 signatures. 1 signature consists of 3 pages.
Place 2 dominoes side by side and measure the width and length. Cut a piece of ordinary printer paper, slightly smaller so it fits within the doms. (Step 1A).
Cut 15 of these for your pages. Then, you need an extra one and also one on thin card. These two will be your template (paper) and cradle (card). Mark one corner of each of these with a T (for top). (Step 2A)
Fold each one in half and crease well. (Step 3A)
Cut a small piece of grosgrain or ribbon of your choice, slightly smaller than the width of your page. This will act as a support when binding your pages. (4A)
Take the cradle, put the template on it and the ribbon across the centre. With a sharp needle or paper piercer, pierce a hole either side of the ribbon and one midway (ish) between these holes and the edges. (5A) (I’ve marked mine with black pen so you can see).
Now, put one signature (3 pages, remember?) on the cradle and put the template on top of this and pierce right through all the holes. (6A) Do this with all 5 signatures and make sure your T is at the top. When you lay your sigs down, lay them down the same way.
Thread a needle with your chosen binding. I usually use embroidery thread separated into 3 strands. (7A)

BINDING THE PAGES
Take your first signature and with the mountain fold facing you, take your thread through the top hole. Leave a tail. THIS IS IMPORTANT..do not tie a knot in your thread. Bring your needle back up through the second hole, lay your ribbon over and take your thread over the ribbon, down through the third hole and back out of the fourth hole. (8A – 10A).
Take your second signature and place up against the first. Take your thread down into the bottom hole (11A) back up out the next, over the ribbon, down through the hole and back out the top hole. (12A – 13A). Now you will TIE your ONLY knot. Tie your working thread to the tail left in the first step. Use a reef knot (left over right, right over left) as this is the most secure knot. (14A)
Take your third signature and starting in the top hole, stitch as before. When you get to the bottom, you must join it to the second signature using a kettle knot. Take your needle, and slide it under the thread between the first and second signatures (note the direction of the needle) (15A). Take your thread through the loop and pull firmly. (16A).
Attach the fourth and fifth signatures the same way making a kettle knot at the top of the fourth and a double kettle knot at the bottom of the fifth. i.e. do two knots. (17A). Trim the ends of your thread.
Your pages are now complete and should look like (18A).

FINISHING THE BOOK
Put double sided tape (or glue) across the front and back outside pages, catching the ribbon down, (19A). Place your dominoes side by side, again making sure you have them the correct way round (this time both brads should be on the outside) and stick your pages centrally on the doms, front and back. (20A)
That’s it. Your book is now complete. To fasten it, bring the fibre around the back, across the front and twist round your brads.
21A and 22A

TUTORIALS

2008-11-09T15:22:00.001Z

THIS SITE IS NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION, BUT I WILL BE POSTING TUTE'S OF ALL SORTS OF LOVELY CRAFT THINGS TO MAKE.

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