By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

Q. I’m looking at buying my first paper trimmer, but am confused on the differences between them. Can you please explain the differences?

A. There are 3 basic trimmers: the Rotary trimmer, Fixed Blade trimmer and Guillotine trimmer.

The rotary trimmer has a blade that turns as you move it down your paper to make the cut. With this trimmer, you can also remove the cutting blade and put in a decorative blade that makes a different cut such as a wavy or scalloped one. A rotary trimmer can cut through multiple sheets of paper of lighter weight paper. Many of these have swing out arms that allow you to cut a 12 x 12″ sheet of paper.

A fixed blade trimmer has a blade which moves on a track from the top to the bottom to cut the paper. Some of them come with a wire guide so you can make sure your cut is lined up. These are good for smaller projects like making cards. They are also more portable.

A Guillotine trimmer has a handle that you raise and lower to cut the paper. These allow you to cut multiple sheets of paper at one time and are good to cut heavier weights of paper.

Q. What are the most common card and envelope sizes to use?

A. Cards can be any size you’d like them to be, but you need to keep in mind when making them that the larger and heavier the card the more postage it will need. The 2 most common sizes seen are 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ which is referred to as an A2 sized card, and 5 1/8″ x 7″ or an A7 card size. A7 envelopes are 5 1/4″ x 7 1/4″ and A2 envelopes are 4 3/8″ x 5 3/4″. Premade card bases and envelopes are the easiest way to create cards, but can, also, be made by cutting cardstock into the size you need.

3. What are the differences in inks for stamping?

There are 4 ink types: pigment, chalk, archival and dye.

Pigment inks, such as Ranger’s Distress Inks, allow you to stamp on different mediums such as paper and clay. They’re a slower drying ink making it easier to use for embossing. These inks are fade-resistant, acid free and archival safe. Pigment ink looks like what you see when you look at the stamp pad and will look the same on paper. These inks won’t dissolve in water.

Chalk inks, such as Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks, give a softer look to what you are stamping and are fast drying. They can be used on many mediums and can be heat set to make more permanent.

Archival ink won’t smear when used to stamp an image; then colored in with a marker or water based dye ink. It is more permanent and fade resistant and works on all types of paper, as well as, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, clay and more.

Dye ink is water based and will dissolve which makes them good for coloring in areas because they blend well. These inks dry faster and work on all types of paper. They are a more concentrated ink so the color will be bolder when dried. It is a more general purpose ink which makes it good for basic stamping.

Q. There are so many adhesives, which one should I use?

A. There are a lot of adhesive types on the market and which one you use will depend on your project. The two you will use most will be a dry adhesive such as a tape runner to adhere your papers and embellishments and a wet adhesive (an all purpose glue is recommended) to adhere things like ribbons and flowers. Tape runners come in refillable or can be thrown out when empty. You can also purchase repositionable ones that allow you to take your item off and move it around on your projects.

Q. What is wet and dry embossing?

A. Wet embossing is where an image is stamped with ink and embossing powder is poured on the image and is melted to the paper using a heat tool. The heat tool is the most important thing to your creation along with the correct ink.

Dry embossing is done using tools such as a stylus that is rubbed over the paper and texture plate. An embossing machine and embossing folders is another good example of dry embossing.

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

Q. What is the difference between acrylic and cling stamps?

A. Acrylic stamps, also known as clear stamps, are made of a clear polymer that is flexible which allows them to be placed on plastic sheets for easy storage. Since they do not come with a handle like a wood mounted stamp does a reusable acrylic block is needed to use this type of stamp. The image has been etched on and die cut closely so they are the easiest to use as you can see through them to know exactly where you are placing your image. Cling stamps are rubber stamps without the wooden block. They have been trimmed around and a piece of cling vinyl has been placed on the foam mount to attach to the stamp where normally the wood block would be. This vinyl which is very sticky sticks to the acrylic block allowing it to be the handle of the stamp and can be removed after used. These stamps are the actual size of the image which allows for easier placement on your projects.

Q. What is a scoring board?

A. Scoring (or score) board is used to create a grooved line into the paper (score line) which helps in getting a crisp, clean fold. They are a handy tool for card makers to get a clean fold of a card and also can be used for creating the folds in handmade envelopes and boxes, as well as, other projects.

Q. What is fussy cutting in paper crafting?

A. A lot of people know this term from quilting, but it has also spread into paper crafting. There are two ways of doing a fussy cut. One is when you use scissors or a craft knife to cut closely around the edge of a particular image; a stamped image for instance. The second way, which may not be thought of as often, is when you use a die and die cut machine to make a cut around an image in a piece of patterned paper.

Q. I want to use the cards I received on my layout, but how do I do that?

A. You can add a re-sealable bag to your layout and then add embellishments to the outside that match the theme of your layout or you can create a pocket out of cardstock or scrapbook paper by cutting it to a size to fit the widths and heights of the cards with an additional 1/2” added to these measurements on the sides and bottom to score and fold towards the layout which allows it to be attached to the scrapbook page. Both ways allow your cards to stay intact and removable to read again and again.

Q. Any ideas where I can find some inspiration?

 A. A great place to start is the Think Crafts blog, but you may also be interested in the great books that CreateForLess carries.

By Guest Blogger Brie Beazley, from the Blog “My Binding Blog”.

Xyron products are always a big hit with crafters and it’s easy to see why. The company’s laminators and sticker makers look great, help users create beautiful handmade items and, best of all, they’re fun to use. Even kids can have fun with them because the devices don’t need electricity to work, which makes them really safe to use. The laminators and sticker makers also come in a lot of fun colors such as translucent purple, neon green, and leopard-print.

One of Xyron’s most popular devices is the Creative Station 510, which was actually featured on The Martha Stewart Show. The 510 is a laminator made for processing items that are 4.5″ wide or less, but you can do a lot of different things with it. Some of the things you can do include:

• Making stickers and labels. There are adhesive cartridges available for the 510 so you can make your very own stickers and labels. You can use the stickers as name tags, to decorate scrapbooks, embellish greeting cards, trade with your friends, and so on.
• Creating magnets. Making your own magnets is a lot of fun. You can take just about any drawing, picture, or text and create a magnet that can go right up on the fridge. (They also make great gifts!) Just pop a magnetic cartridge into the 510 and you’re good to go.
• Laminating. And, of course, you can use the 510 to laminate smaller items. Make your own laminated bookmarks and paper dolls, and protect your favorite pictures. You could also make flash cards so you or your child can learn new things.

You can get really creative with the Xyron Creative Station 510 and it’s a must-have tool for casual and dedicated crafters alike. It’s also a great device for kids since it’s safe to use. There are so many things you can create with the 510, the list is endless.

By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Join Mable on Facebook to socialize and share with other crafters!

I have an entire shelf in my book case dedicated to just books about sewing. I’ve looked at them thoroughly from cover to cover and have made at least one project from each book. The two books that I use the most are “One Yard Wonders” and “Bend-the-Rules Sewing”.

Photo from "Bend-the-Rules Sewing"

“Bend-the-Rules Sewing” is written by the Angry Chicken blogger Amy Karol. This book has thirty projects, but what I loved most was all the advice and ideas. She writes about choosing and using different fabrics, and an entire section on techniques. She gives step by step instructions and illustrations of different hand stitches, embroidery techniques, and a lot of sewing vocabulary and descriptions of how and when to use different sewing notions. This book is perfect for a beginner to intermediate sewer.

Photo from "One Yard Wonders"

The full title of this book is “One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!” Really, what more can I say then 101 projects in one book!? This book has projects for everything and everyone. The sections from this book are: Dwell Redux, Household Affairs, On the Go, From Head to Toe, Carry it All, Outfit your Small Wonder, Accessorize your Little One, Playtime and Your Furry Friends.

By Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

These little candles are a practically free way of making a sweet, simple Easter decoration for your table. If you don’t have block wax on hand, melt down old candle stubs to fill the eggs for a recycled version of this craft!

Here’s what you’ll need

• Eggs
• Candle wicking
• Dowels or pencils
• Egg carton
• Wax
• Double boiler

1. Crack the eggs at the top of the shell, removing about the top third of the shell. Rinse each shell and allow it to dry.

2. Set the wax to melt in the double boiler. Add scent or color if desired.

3. Place the eggs in the egg carton an fill 1/2 way with wax.

4 Cut the wick into 5 5 inch lengths. Tie one end around the pencil or dowel and then tie a knot about 1 1/2 inch down, trim off excess.

5. Lower the knot end of the wick into the wax and balance the pencil over the shell so that the wick is centered on the egg.

6. Allow the wax to cool and then top off with about 1/4 inch of wax to fill in the void around the candle (this happens during the cooling process).

7. Trim the wick and break off any shell that will come near the flame. Set in egg cups and light!

Easter is already next week!

By Web Design Schools Guide

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crafting stuffed crochet or knit toys that are usually made into animals, dolls and inanimate objects. These stuffed dolls are known for having oversized spherical heads on an undersized body and expressional faces. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert at amigurumi, you always need a pattern to reference and guide you along the way. Thankfully, the Web has tons of free patterns and instructions on how to make these darling toys for less.

Here are 50 free and adorable amigurumi patterns to get you going:

Animals

Animals are the most common type of amigurumi made, and these are the cutest of the creatures.

1. Monkey: This classic sock monkey is designed to be an ornament, but it would make a great handheld toy too.
2. Owl: This adorable wide-eyed owl is easy to crochet and would make a great gift for anyone.
3. Jellyfish: Don’t worry, this soft, purple jellyfish will only sting you with cuteness.
4. Spider: This harmless looking spider is perfect for Halloween decorating or everyday play.
5. Dachshund: Dachshunds make the perfect pups for amigurumi dolls, and this one is by far the cutest.
6. Bunny: You’ll be hoppy, er, happy to crochet this floppy-eared bunny.
7. Cat: This kitty amigurumi will make the purrfect toy for a kid or cat lover.
8. Pig: This precious pink pig is just oinking to be made by you.
9. Beaver: From the buck teeth to the paddle tail, this little beaver is a spitting image of the real thing.
10. Hippo: Challenge yourself by crocheting this happy hippo who is cuter than words.

Video Game Characters

Even your favorite video game characters have amigurumi patterns like these.

1. Kirby: You’ll enjoy crocheting this adorable pink puffball from the Nintendo game Kirby.
2. Pikachu: From the yellow plush body to the lightning bolt tail, this Pikachu doll is a spitting image of the game character.
3. Bomb-omb: This crocheted Bomb-omb from Mario can be a toy or paperweight, but either way it won’t explode.
4. Link: If you’re a Legend of Zelda fan, you’ll love making this adorable Link doll.
5. Invisibility Star: This Super Mario invisibility star is super cool and oh-so-cute with or without a smile.

Holiday/Celebration

Use these amigurumi patterns to decorate for the holidays and for gift giving.

1. Christmas Wreath: Try your hand at crocheting this little Christmas wreath with colorful leaves and a mini snowman.
2. Spring Chicks: These adorable fuzzy chicks would make the perfect Easter decoration or basket surprise.
3. Valentine’s Heart: Give your Valentine your heart, your amigurumi pop heart, that is.
4. Turkey: Everyone will gobble up this amigurumi turkey because it’s just that adorable.
5. Peas in a Pod: Give your newlywed friends something original like these peas in a pod.

Food

These adorable amigurumi foods look good enough to eat, but I don’t recommend trying.

1. Apples: Take a bite at this apple pattern that is cuter than words.
2. Banana: Peel back the layers of this amigurumi banana and you’ll find this sweet face.
3. Cherry Pie Slice: Don’t let this crocheted slice of cherry pie fool you – it’s just for looks.
4. Coffee Cup: Don’t you wish your coffee mug was this cute?
5. Fried Eggs: Fried eggs never looked cuter and more real! Note: Scroll down on the pattern for the English translation.
6. S’more: Just like the campfire version, except for the smiling marshmallow that’s too sweet to eat.
7. Pear: Give this adorable amigurumi pear a try, and don’t forget to add the stem and rosy cheeks as well.
8. Hot Dog: How doggone cute is this hot dog and bun amigurumi pattern? Crochet on some ketchup or relish for added color and taste.
9. Grapes: Try your hand at crocheting these beautiful purple grapes that looks divine.
10. Oreo Cookies: This may be a fat-free version of the real deal, but they are just as much fun to crochet than eat.

Nature

These amigurumi patterns add an adorable twist to nature’s finest.

1. Acorns: These adorable acorns are easy to crochet and make the perfect decoration for fall.
2. Flower Pot: These flowers make a great centerpiece, and, best of all, they won’t ever die!
3. Inchworm: Inch your way through this adorable inchworm amigurumi pattern.
4. Mushroom: You can’t go wrong making this colorful mushroom house.
5. Cactus: There are no spikes on this adorable cactus plant – just a smile and cute bow.

Random

These are the amigurumi patterns that don’t quite fit into any one category.

1. Alien: This googly-eyed alien is too cute not to make.
2. Light Bulb: This light bulb amigurumi pattern is a bright idea and oh-so-cute.
3. Finger: These severed fingers are perfect for Halloween and anytime you want to scare your friends to death.
4. Eyeball: Not only are these eyeballs easy to make, but they are fun to toss around too.
5. Poo: Yep, you read it right. It may be strange, but this is the cutest pile of poo.

Easy

If you’re new to amigurumi, these easy patterns will get you started and improve your skills in no time.

1. Little Miss Peanut: This adorable peanut amigurumi is easy to crochet and can be a plushy toy or a scented sachet.
2. Baubels: These Christmas baubles can be customized for any holiday and look good in any color.
3. Mr. Sour Pickle Man: This sour pickle man is adorable and super easy to crochet since it’s all one shape and color.
4. Mouse: Eek! This not-so-scary mouse is easy to make and plenty adorable.
5. Ghost: This ghoulish ghost can be simplified even further and still look just as adorable.
6. Ball: It doesn’t get much easier than crocheting a perfect sphere in one continuous color like this pattern.
7. Cherry: Check out this simple cherry pattern that even comes with a video tutorial to guide you!
8. Chocolates: These adorable chocolates look just as sweet as the real stuff and are easy to crochet.
9. Tomato: This tomato amigurumi is round, red and easy to make.
10. Beans: These beans come in every flavor and color, but best of all, they’re super easy to crochet!

October is National Book Month and we’re celebrating by slashing prices on selected project idea books. Choose from a wide variety of paper craft, quilting, home décor and craft books at our National Book Month Sale.

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

All right, there’s no point in beating around the bush here: I LOVE this book.

I ordered it because the subtitle mentioned ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), an art form I have just begun to explore, and because the main title said Embellishing with Anything. I am all Over that! And it didn’t hurt anything at all that the cover art was beautiful and interesting. (The author is Gladys Love, and the book is published by C&T Publishing.)

When the book arrived, I fairly flew through the pages, exclaiming at the pictures and promising myself, “I’m going to try that!”

Here’s a look at the blurb on the back:

A look at the table of contents gives you the next hint at what lies between the covers:

• 7 pages explaining 9 techniques
• 7 pages of “Ephemera from Everywhere”, including sushi wrap, bark, clothing labels, and even a dragonfly skeleton
• 6pages on fabric beads
• 54 pages of instructions on creating 17 projects
• 5 gallery pages showing other artists’ works

Here are pictures of a few things in the book:

Felted Beads

Gingko Wall Hanging

Ladybug ATC

 This is one of those books I know I will go back to again and again and again, and I know I will find something I’d missed previously or had forgotten about, something new to try, something that will inspire me all over again.

October is National Book Month and we’re celebrating by slashing prices on selected project idea books. Choose from a wide variety of paper craft, quilting, home décor and craft books at our National Book Month Sale!

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”.

Design Originals Bottle Art Book

Design Originals Bottle Art Book – There’s an expression I use from time to time, “A good idea poorly executed.” I’m going to be honest here, and say that as I turned the pages of this book, I found it running through my head fairly often. Tastes differ, of course, but a lot of the projects shown just looked, well, not too great to me.

Having said that, I’ll also say I like this book. A lot.

Why? First, because some the projects really are pretty. And second, because it takes one simple medium–bottles–and turns it into…uh…wait a minute…counting here…at least eighteen different types of art. You can use the instructions in this book to make:

Wind Chimes

Earrings

A Variety of Jewelry Even black boards

There are also instructions for making photo holders, light catchers, terrariums, candle holders, goblets and tumblers, vases, bells, and decorated bottles.

Even better, when the author instructs you to use a technique, she doesn’t assume you know how. She has instructions for soldering a frame around a piece of glass, for cutting bottles into slices, for firing in a kiln (and for the first time, I want one!), working with polymer clay, and more.

In short, I think this book is well worth the purchase price, and that just about anyone is going to find it a very useful addition to his/her crafting library. Hope you will, too!

Showing some how-to instructions

By Recycled Crafts Contributor, Anitra from the blog “Coffee Pot People”. 

I’m a Janie-come-lately to stamping, and quickly learning to love it after several recent sessions making tags, decorated envelopes, and ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). I’ve taken to haunting the aisles and websites where rubber stamps may be found, and am intrigued by the possibilities, especially of stamped words.

One thing I’ve noticed, though, is that the words I might want often aren’t available, and if they are they’re sometimes the wrong size or font.

The other day, I ran across a whole aisle full of foam rubber shapes and alphabet letters. Letters? Letters are what you use to make words, and rubber is what rubber stamps are made of! Talk about a light bulb coming on. My options as to size and font might still be limited, but I suddenly had at my disposal any word I wanted. 

Here’s how you can build your stamp vocabulary. Start with:

• A package of foam rubber self-adhesive letters
• An assortment of clear or translucent items to use as foundations for your words—
  • Large clear marbles
  • Small plastic boxes
  • Acrylic stamp block
  • The little cases digital cards (like your camera card) come in
  • Scraps of plexi or strong plastic
  • Cassette tape cases
  • Etc.—Just take a look around as see what you have!
  • Glue

The first step is to figure out what word(s) you want to put together. With Halloween coming up, I wanted to do a few that would be good for Halloween cards and tags—Boo, Eek, Yikes. I also wanted a stand-alone “Happy”, something I could put in front of any holiday, occasion, or thing I wanted.

Once you’ve chosen your word, there’s one very important thing to remember: You have to apply the word to the foundation piece backwards, and the letters themselves also have to be backwards. If you don’t do that, you’ll be stamping backwards words and letters.

A note on the foundation for your stamp: You don’t have to use something see-through for it, but if you do, you’ll be able to see exactly where you’re stamping when you use it.

The easiest way to do that is to lay out the letters the way you want the word to appear, on a piece you won’t be using for that particular stamp. Lay the actual foundation piece on top of your word, making a ‘word sandwich’, pick everything up, and carefully flip it over and lay it down.  (It’s rather like turning a molded salad out onto a plate, you know?)

Glue the letters down. When the glue is thoroughly dry, you can peel the paper backing off the letter stickers. (Remember, you turned the letters over because they had to be backwards.)Your stamp will be assembled, but it will be sticky. Don’t worry about that. A trip or two to the ink pad will take all that away, or you can give them a light dusting of powder, which will also de-stickify them.

That’s it! You made a word stamp!

Here are some of my words:

Just a few more bits:

• Some letters are reversible. Take advantage of that, and just stick them down as usual.
• Foam letters are very flexible and malleable. Take advantage of that, too.
• I didn’t find any lower case letters, but judging from past experience there are very few you can’t make with a few judicious snips to the upper case ones.
• The word ‘OH’ is also ‘HO’ if you turn the stamp upside down, useful for Santa’s “HO HO HO” later! ‘XO’ for making ‘XOXO’ is also ‘OX’ when turned upside down…Well, you probably won’t ever use that, though.
• The bits of foam from inside the circle of the ‘O’, ‘B’, ‘P’, etc. can be used to make a paw stamp, polka dots, and…?

I’d love to hear what words you decide to make!

By Sewing Contributor Jessica, from the blog “Life Sew Good”.  

Oh, for the love. (Can you just see me rolling my eyes?!) 

Seth Aaron, from Season 7 of Project Runway was the Zipper Super Star.  He used zippers all the time—and not strictly for practical purposes.  Why, oh why can’t I have this same love for zippers?  Probably because I pretend that I know how to sew them when really I don’t, which creates for major frustration and sewing projects that take way longer than they should.  So, instead of experiencing the same frustration I have in sewing zippers, learn from my mistakes and check out the tutorials that I have found most useful.

1.       Know what kind of zipper you need. 

*Are you using it on a skirt, jeans or other pants?  Sewing a centered or lapped closure is probably most appropriate.  There are several ways to do this.  This is one of the best video tutorials I found on how to do this.

*Are you using it on something more formal? Consider an invisible zipper.  Personally, I like to use this zipper on my skirts as well.  Now, here’s the deal with these puppies:  they are super easy IF you have a proper invisible zipper foot.  If you don’t, it’s way more work.  Coats & Clark makes zipper feet that work on various machines, but for the record, they won’t work on Brother machines, so order one; you won’t regret it.  The same woman who brought to you the best lapped zipper video, also made a very clear and wonderful invisible zipper video (Thanks, Susan) 

*Are you using it as an exposed zipper or decorative touch?  Make sure you buy a zipper that will complement your fabric.  There are many options out there, but if you don’t find what you are looking for, decorate your own zipper!  This is a really well done photo tutorial on how to install a decorative zipper.

2. Baste in a different color thread. 

Actually, I recently made this mistake in shooting photos I had intended for this post!  I was using brown thread on brown corduroy fabric and when I got to the point of tearing out my basting stitches, I could not tell which my basting stitches were and which my real stitches were.  It was especially problematic when they crossed.  Oopsy. 

3. Don’t skip steps.

If you really have an aversion to basting, then at least glue it or tape it for a few minutes.  If you want to have a finished, professional looking garment, then do it the right way the first time!

4. There are different methods to sewing zippers.  Find what works!

If you find one way that works for sewing your zippers, then stick with it; however, if you’re getting frustrated and not getting the results you need, then search other ways to insert your zipper! 

5. If you don’t do it a lot, you’ll forget. 

The only good solution to this is to sew many, many garments, so go for it!

Calling all quilters! We’ve got a giveaway for you! Enter to win two quilting design books, the C&T Publishing Ricky Tims Celtic Fantasy Book and  Adaptable Quilting Designs by Sue Patten.

With the Ricky Tims Celtic Fantasy Book add drama to your quilts with flowing Celtic appliqué designs like knots, trees, flowers and more. You get a full-size freezer paper pattern, plus 9 bonus quilt “skeletons” and 25 Celtic appliqué designs.

Adaptable Quilting Designs has quilting patterns were made specifically to address the need to do more than stitch-in-the-ditch in problem areas such as strips, squares, corners, and triangles. This much-needed addition to any quilter’s quilting pattern library is formatted for ease of shrinking or enlarging every design to fit the tricky spaces that happen on all quilts. Minimal text provides maximum space for inspiration or tracing. Over 2 dozen color photos provide additional visual instruction for the quiltmaker.

Every Friday we’ll post a giveaway on Think Crafts and all you have to do is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week. We’ll pick the winner and contact them via email. Deadline is midnight tonight and the winner will be announced Monday. One entry per person please. Contest opened to all US residents.

Question of week: What is your favorite summer time treat?