Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cute ribbon spools–tutorial

I purchased some novelty ribbon recently for a friend, and wanted to package it nicely for her.  That’s when I had the idea to re-cover one of my old cardboard ribbon spools and turn it in to this:

Ribbon tute 77

Inspired to cover my own spools I took a trip out to my local craft store to look at some scrapbooking papers, and found these wonderful ‘designer buckles’ – which gave me another idea – showcasing the ribbon on the outside of the spool.  There are so many wonderful papers and embellishments to choose from!

ribbon tute cover pic

Cute hey?  And they are SO quick and inexpensive to make! 

Here’s how:

Requirements:

  • One cardboard ribbon spool – either new and containing ribbon - or old and awaiting some!
  • Small amount of scrapbooking paper (one 12X12in sheet of paper will cover at least a dozen spools of medium size)
  • Embellishment of choice – such as a button or a scrapbooking ‘designer buckle’ as pictured
  • Glue stick
  • Double sided sticky tape
  • Scissors for paper-cutting
  • Kindy-Glitz (optional)

Tip:  If you don’t have many scrapbooking supplies, do not worry.  I don’t either!  I went to my local Spotlight and picked up three sheets of 12X12 paper for $1.55 each.  Most of the designer papers are double-sided and usually there is one paper in the collection that will have a myriad of different co-coordinating designs on the front.  This is great for a starting point as you can get lots of different looks out of the one sheet of paper!

To start, empty the spool of any ribbon if it has any.  Decide on a scrapbooking paper that complements the ribbon that it will hold.  I’ll give you some tips later.

Ribbon 1

Cover one side of the spool with glue, ensuring it is fully covered (ie. “every little bit!”)

Ribbon 2

Ribbon 3

Ribbon 4

Repeat this process for the other side of the spool, and you’re done!  Now the fun begins!

Ribbon 5

If you want to embellish with a button, use the double-sided sticky tape to adhere it to the top centre of the ribbon spool.

ribbon tute 66

If you fancy a bit of sparkle, you could add a small amount of Kindy-Glitz (glittery glue) to the rim of the spool, like this:

Ribbon tute 67

The gorgeous scrapbooking buckles I used are part of the ‘Wedding Craft Collection’ by Grant Archival (an Australian stationery designer)  They’re named ‘Designer Buckles’ and the other branding on the packaging is ‘Paper chic by Cristina Re’.

To make the buckle spools, cut a length of ribbon long enough to travel across the top edge of the spool and overlap by a small amount so that you can glue in place.

ribbon tute buckle

I used the double-sided sticky tape to attach the raw edges of the ribbon to the underneath of the spool.  Try not to leave too much overhanging, so that when you wind your ribbon on the spool, it isn’t competing with any bulk from the overhang.  The buckles are great because they already have little sticky pads on the reverse, so make sure you find the centre of the ribbon spool before you stick them in place, otherwise if you try to remove one, you may damage the paper beneath.

Once you have decorated the spool, wind the ribbon on.  To start off this process, use a small amount of sticky tape to secure the ribbon before you commence winding.

Ribbon tute 69

To secure the ribbon once it has been wound-on, here’s an idea for creating your own co-ordinated sticky tape!

Ribbon tute 70

Cut a 2cm length of double-sided sticky tape and stick it to the reverse side of your chosen scrapbooking paper.  As you can see by the picture above, I used a really small scrap!

Cut around the sticky tape and remove the backing to expose the remaining sticky side – then simply stick it over the edge of your ribbon to hold it in place!

Ribbon tute 73

Alternatively, just use clear sticky tape or a pin!

Here are some ideas for paper and colour choice…

Ribbon tute music notes

For ribbons with bold bright designs, how about choosing a neutral background? 

Ribbon tute neutrals

If you have neutral or natural ribbons or trims such as these jute trims, why not make a feature of the actual paper and choose something with a bespoke pattern such as this gorgeous paper by Kaiser Craft from the “Timeless Collection”?  Too cute to cover with buttons or ribbons!

ribbon tute bow

How about tone-on-tone?  For this polka-dot trim I used the same colour paper of a different tone with larger cream-coloured dots all over.  I created a bow effect for this one by sticking two short pieces of ribbon to the centre of the spool and then covering with a buckle that had doubled ribbon folded in to it.  All held in place with the double-sided sticky tape – great stuff!

ribbon tute pic

For a funky trim, how about a modern paper with text? 

My personal favourite though is this cute green ribbon on the contrasting blue paper.  By using a contrast, the ribbon is showcased!  If you’re wondering where I purchased my fancy ribbons from, I got them online at Ribbons Galore.  I bought the jute trims in store at Lincraft in Melbourne .  Scrapbooking stores are also a great place for finding funky ribbons, and are often sold by the meter.

I hope you found this useful?  If you make some and blog about it, please link back to this post!  Smile

If you like this project then you’ll love these thread & trim boards designed by the lovely Kerryanne over at Shabby Art Boutique.  Kerryanne’s pattern includes her own bespoke French graphics for the boards, and she also sells mdf cut-outs, so that they’re nice and sturdy and will last a lifetime!  You can find the pattern and mounting boards here.  I can’t wait to make some!

Until next time my friends, Happy Crafting!

Vikki xo  Smile

 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Op shop finds!

Now that the kids are settled back in to school, I’m feeling that ‘Happy New Year’ vibe again with renewed excitement about my creative working year ahead!  I have set a schedule for activities during the week, and allowed myself a wee bit of time for one of my fave pastimes, op-shopping.

My son’s High School is just minutes from some of my favourite haunts, so once every couple of weeks I plan to take full advantage!  Here’s what I picked up last week:

Op shop 1 

  • A small country-style tray complete with a wooden love heart attached,
  • One glass pear
  • Two china teacups,
  • A small glass dish

Op shop 2

How gorgeous are these?  I need to find somewhere special to display them.

Op shop 3

I got a bit carried away with photographing the glass pear.  It’s incredibly photogenic though… the reflections, the crisp edges… it’s almost good enough to eat!

Op shop 4

I also picked up this grey cardigan several weeks back with a view to prettying it up…

Op shop 5

… using ideas from this book:

Sandi Henderson

I just love the cardigan on the front cover and want to recreate it.  This is a really stunning book written by one of my favourite fabric designers, Sandi Henderson.  I also found it really interesting to learn recently that Sandi  is daughter-in-law to one of THE doll-making gurus, Elinor Peace Bailey… and that Elinor’s daughter is the very talented textile designer, Laura Gunn.  What a talented family!  And I love all three of them! 

Anyways, if you are interested in making the most of your stash, with a love of recycling and repurposing -head on over to Jenny’s blog.  Jenny is focussing on repurposing during 2012 and is encouraging readers to join in by giving away one copy of Sandi Henderson’s stunning book!    Head on over to this post to find out  details to be in the draw!  As always, Jenny will be offering up plenty of inspiration to get your creative cogs a 'turning!!!

It’s Sunday morning here, I’ve had a nice cup of coffee, have read some books with my sweet Rosie, and am now going to take our cheeky little pooch for a walk – maybe stopping at the park on the way so that Rose can have a swing.  Life is GOOD!

Catch you round like a Fruit Loop!

Hugs! Vikki xo

Monday, February 6, 2012

The Sumptuous Saroyan Shawl (prepare to drool)!

I am a very, very lucky girl…

Feb3

… to explain why I need to tell you a little story!

Have you met Gerry over at GerryART?  She’s a gorgeous gal who lives in Missouri and spends as much time as possible knitting to her heart’s content!  This lovely lady seriously makes me want to learn how to knit!  I mean, I have been taught on occasion over the past few years but it doesn’t take me long to forget all that I’ve learned.  But Gerry has renewed my interest… she is my idol, my mentor, my Queen of Yarn!  And thinking about it, I’d be very happy to bow down to her feet because her socks are to die for!!!!  I’m not kidding – check these out!!!

Well, Gerry had a little giveaway on her blog just before Christmas and I was the very lucky lady to win this absolutely stunning Saroyan shawl, so beautifully hand made with love.

Feb4

Isn’t that pattern divine?  I wish you could touch it and feel how very soft it is, it’s made with a variegated yarn that is 90% Merino and 10% Nylon.  So snuggly, and it feels really nice on.

Gerry also made me a bespoke ‘Gerry Art’ fabric pouch to keep it in, together with the sweetest post-it notes and a paper-piecing pattern that I’m keen to give a go!

Feb2

Feb6

Thank you SO MUCH Gerry for offering such a wonderful giveaway!  I really appreciate all the love and time you have put in to making this gorgeous item, and I cherish it! 

When we create ourselves, we fully understand how much love, time and energy goes in to making a gift for someone.  I have a very large baby shawl that my Nan crocheted for me when I was a teenager.  She wanted to make one for all her grandchildren (of which there were many) before she passed on.  I used the shawl for my babies, but never really appreciated how much love and energy went in to it until I started being a creator myself.  Of course, don’t get me wrong, it was always very special and has become an heirloom, but it’s a different kind of appreciation when you can fully understand what it means to create.  To me.  I’m guessing that a lot of creative souls feel the same?

Well, I’ve had to dust the cobwebs off my sewing machine in the studio!  *giggle*  The kids went back to school last Friday and I’ve been missing them like crazy!  We had a lot of fun and a lot of down-time, the perfect balance.  I’m just about to start working on a couple of magazine projects, and also have a little tutorial lined up for you!  Although the ole’ needle on the machine hasn’t been getting a lot of action, my sketch pad sure has been!  I always find that when I’ve not had time to be actively creative, my mind pushes on in to overdrive!

I hope you’re feeling creative too!  Because it’s a great way to be feelin’!

Big hugs!  Vikki x

 

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