The Artful Crafter is just over a year old now and I sense that we are moving into the next stage of our growth. If you’ve noticed the slogan at the end of each newsletter, you’ll realize that this is actually what we had in mind from the beginning: “The Artful Crafter – Helping Crafters to Be”

So – thanks to all of you who have written. Please “keep those cards and letters coming”. I’m hoping the next stage of growth will be signing some of you up as expert consultants in your respective craft areas to help us handle the increasing volume of mail!

Eileen

August Additions to The Artful Crafter

Since there is so much new content on site, this newsletter will just direct you to many of the new articles. You can click through to go directly to those that interest you. Then use your browser’s “back” button to return and read the rest of the list. We hope you find some inspiration or perhaps an idea that can help you take your crafting business to the next level.

1. Create Your Own (Free) Paper Pricking Patterns:
“Just look around you. Any simple line drawing can become a paper pricking pattern. … To make your own template for repeated use, …”

2. Hand Embossed Wedding Place Cards:
“I mimicked the rose petal imbedded paper by creating a background with my scanner …. Notice that creasing and folding is done before the embossing. If you try to do the embossing first, when you go to fold and crease, you risk flattening your embossed images. …”

3. Best Papers for Hand Embossing:
“with respect to papers for embossing, in general the less recycled stock the better. Fibers that have been processed repeatedly are shorter and weaker. The paper may crack and tear when embossed. …”

4. Wedding Card Pattern:
“Make a unique wedding card using rubber stamps.” Submitted by Wendy Kennedy

5. Wedding Anniversary Scrapbooking Layouts:
“Are you looking for wedding anniversary scrapbooking ideas to help you create a unique gift for a special couple for their anniversary?” Submitted by Ifiok Ekon

6. Look Who’s Scrapbooking Now:
“Scrapbooking has definitely gone mainstream. It’s no longer a niche craft practiced only by young moms who want to preserve their kids’ growing up years. Celebrity scrapper, Leeza Gibbons, started scrapbooking six years ago for very different reasons. ... Leeza … wanted to document and preserve memories of the mom she knew and the life they had shared [before Alzheimer’s struck]. … Scrapbooking is a way to preserve the memories that [the disease] takes away. Subsequently she founded the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation to help combat the disease. … And now we can take inspiration from Leeza by reading her first book on scrapbooking, …”

7. Polymer Clay Cameo How-To:
“You will need at least two colors of polymer clay: usually ivory for the cameo part and a darker color for the background. … The most important step on the cameo level is to smooth the edge of the design so that when the darker clay base is added to the mold, you achieve the nice sharp edge you are seeking between the cameo and the dark background. …”

8. Button Bracelet Fun:
“Button bracelets range from the simple to the sublime. The simplest are made by stringing shank buttons onto stretch illusion jewelry cord. They make a great project to do with your kids. … Here are a few ideas to get you started.”

9. Sewing Invisible Hems on Sheer Fabric:
“I think it’s almost impossible to sew a truly invisible hem on sheer silk or chiffon. … In a perfect world, you would be able to find the same thread from the same dye lot used to weave the fabric. In the real world, professional seamstresses … search far and wide for the closest match they can find. …Here are a couple of tips that might help if you ever get called on again for silk hems.”

10. The Retro Craft of Plastic Film Art:
“I’ve been looking for years for the liquid plastic I used to use. I would make a frame for a petal or leaf out of wire, with a few inches at the end. I would dip my petals and leaves in a can or jar of colored liquid plastic, pull it out, let it drain and dry. Then I would have a clear, colored, thin, flower petal ready to be assembled with others. …”

11. Leather Working Tips:
“For leather work, consider the basics: an awl and spare point, a retractable X-acto knife and spare blades, a retractable knife with a break-off blade and a rotary punch. … If you're just starting out with leather work, you might not want to spend a lot of money on tools. Once you've worked with the basic set after you completed a few projects, you'll have a better idea of what tools work best and what you’ll use most.” By Jake Berlin

12. Crafty Things to Do with an Old Safe:
“I have an old safe which is about the size of a small sink vanity. It was in my driveway when I moved into my home. It is way too heavy to move. Any ideas on how to make it look like part of the landscape?” Question from Kaela

13. How To Decoupage on Ceramics:
“Oil-based urethanes do tend to yellow and are preferred when you want an antiqued look. … For ceramic tiles, I consulted my decoupage Bible, Durwin Rice’s New Decoupage. The book has lessons for decoupaging on ceramic and glass.”