41st Project completed - A toilet roll mini album

Hi!


Right, I have decided to have a go at a paper craft project this week, as you will probably have gathered my field is much more of a textiles related one so please excuse the basic nature of my paper crafting!


So what did I make with my toilet roll inners?

A mini album


Materials

• 3 or more toilet rolls
• patterned papers to cover them (I used photocopies of some of my artwork)
• Some card (white or patterned )
• Ribbons or chunky threads
• A hole punch
• Glue
• Paint
• Paper trimmer or scissors
• Optional - Some decorative brads and other bits and pieces

Instructions

1. Take your clean toilet roll inners and fold so they lie flat.

 

2. Carefully cover your rolls with patterned paper. I then put a colour wash over my papers to make them more subtle.

3. Measure out a card Tag to fit into each roll they should be roughly the same length as the roll as after you have bound the rolls together they should still protrude from the pockets. You can decorate these however you like. I used some angel hair paper and paint. Punch a hole at the end of each tag and thread through some ribbon or chunky threads.

4. Bind your rolls together by punching two holes at one edge and thread them together using some ribbon or threads. Knot on the top. And add a space for a title. You can now decorate your tags and folder with decorative brads etc. and add photos, samples or whatever you like!

38th Project completed - a gift box

Welcome to the 38th completed project in the challenge. Firstly I must apologise for being a few hours late with this one, I had completed 3/4 of the project and had put it to one side when the pup decided she required a snack and decided that it looked good enough to eat! So I had to begin all over again!!!!!

Anyway here it is, a paper mache gift box.

Materials 

• Empty gravy tub
• Cereal box
• Multi purpose Glue
• PVA Glue
• 1 Sheet of tissue paper
• Decoupage flower
• Ruler
• Pen
• Scissors

Instructions

  

1. Cut your gravy tub  down to the desired size, you need to end up with two sections, a base and a lid. Cut a circle from the cereal box to make a top for the lid and glue into place.

2. Cut a strip from your cereal box that is the same height as the inside of your base plus 5mm x the inside circumference of your base and glue it inside your base so that it lines the inside of the base and creates a lip for the lid to fit onto.

  

3. Cover your sections inside and out with a layer of tissue paper. Try not to build up too many layers around the inside if the lid and around the lid as this will make fitting the lid more difficult!

4. Add some decoration, I used a flower that I removed from a handmade decoupaged greetings card that i was given, and there we have it a great little gift box ideal for any small gift!

 

37th Project completed - A metal work pendant

Hello again!


Wow this week has past quickly, last time I looked it was Sunday evening and now it is Saturday already. As you will know from the previous post, I decided to play about with an old metal paste tube. 


I knew that as the metal was nice and soft it could be easily embroidered on a machine but I must admit to never having tried it myself. I have discovered that I love it. It was so much fun to do! So here it is a metal work pendant made from a purée tube! 

Materials needed

• Empty purée tube
• Small scrap of felt
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Ball point pen
• Multi purpose glue
• Spoon

Instructions

1. Open out your empty purée tube by cutting off the top and bottom then cutting up one side. Clean thoroughly and place onto a folded towel, iron out any wrinkles with the back of a spoon. Mark out a rough design with a ball point pen.

2. Cut a small piece of the tube to the desired size of your pendant and back with a piece of felt, then with your feed dogs lowered and an embroidery foot fitted to your machine start stitching in random small circles. I used 3 colours of thread separately: yellow, orange, red and merged them together.

3. Returning to the towel, working from the rear colour in the motifs with the ball point pen to emboss the design. Then trim.

4. Cut another piece of felt to cover the back of your work and glue into place with the multi-purpose glue. Trim into the finished shape once the glue has completely dried.

5. Securely stitch a jump ring to the top of your pendant, it is now ready to be threaded onto a piece of cord or a chain ready for wearing.

20th Project announcement

Good evening!

Well the start of another project, the twentieth in the challenge (yes already). The kids have Radio 1's Big weekend on and are watching Lady Gaga. I must say I love all her outfits and feel she is doing such a great job at promoting fashion and wearable art. Which can only be applauded. So while she is on wearing a very tame (for her) shiny PVC number, I will let you know what I will be playing with this week.

So this week I have......

A large soap-box, a newspaper and an empty tomato puree tube (I have another one which is very nearly finished so I may add that one in too).

See you Saturday night for the result.

15th Project completed - a springtime bangle!

Hi, this weeks project was really fun and quite quick once I had worked it all out. I have made a bangle from the industrial cardboard tube using some leaflets which arrived through the post from local garden centres etc.

Materials used:

• Industrial cardboard tube
• Magazines / leaflets
• PVA Glue
• Acrylic paints
• Acrylic varnish
• Paint brush
• Hacksaw
• Sharp scissors

Instructions to make the bangle blank

 

1. Mark your tube in 3cm segments and cut to size with a hacksaw.

 2. Sand to smooth edges, and then remove a 1cm section as above. Round off the edges with a pair of sharp scissors and re sand. You now have a blank bangle to decorate as you wish.

Once you have the bangle blanks made you could decorate them anyway you like. Paint them, cover them in fabric or paper or just stain or varnish them as you please!

How I decorated my bangle

1. I used torn pieces of paper taken from the leaflets to make a background, these were stuck to the bangle blank with PVA glue to look like a mosaic.

2. I applied some motifs onto the background which were carefully cut from the leaflets and glued on, then left the whole thing to dry. 





3. I then painted the inside and edges carefully with acrylic paint to match the outside and painted a very light wash over the whole thing to blend it all together. Then I left it to dry completely .

4. To finish, I added a couple of coats of gloss acrylic varnish to add depth and shine.

There we have it, a bangle to enjoy wearing this spring.

Join me tomorrow evening for the next project announcement!