Hate sprouts? Love sprouts? The orb for you…

Just a bit of fun for the holidays!

Remember this little crocheted sprout?

This one had a mistake in the text, so I kept it (and corrected it for future prints! Thanks Sis) and decided that I would find a way for anyone to make similar to add to their own tree, far easier than the fiddly crochet is. It’s as simple as download, print, cut, score, pinch…

The PDF has all the elements you need, as well as step-by-steps and a clickable link to a helpful video (not mine) in case you need that. In case you wondered about the text – and that is my original idea:

The love ’em/hate ’em battle will be played out all across the UK – I can’t say I ever ate sprouts growing up in the USA but maybe you did! In any case, this makes a cute little ornament and a bit of fun for he tree. Hope you make one and if you do, share a photo. Here’s mine, ready to hang:

A holiday ornament to download, print and assemble

I was working on an ornament for some decorations for a few knitting mates and in the process came across some cute sweater graphics. I usually do some sort of ornament for the holidays so I decided to create a file for people to make. If you recall a past post has a lot of detail on how to make these ornaments (SO easy, I promise) and a helpful video as well. But I will add a couple of tips here.

First is find a circular shape that fits the curved areas nicely. I used one of the old Creative Memories circle cutters but there must be 100 things in your house that will also work. It makes scoring that arc so much easier.

Next, get some grabby glue. I swear by the Art Glitter Glue. That stuff grips almost instantly. I made a few of these where I used a tape runner and that did not hold. Double sided adhesive is ok but honestly the Art Glitter Glue is the BEST.

I also added a hanger by tucking the knotted end of a loop into the area at one end of the arc. Unless you add a daub of glue it won’t hold forever. Instead, I like to use a button hole punch (or a sharp needle) to add two holes to the solid area. Then thread your hanger thru that.

I like to add the bead for a little extra decoration but it isn’t a requirement.

If you print 2-a page, they make diddy little ones that are super cute and still quite easy to do. Give them a go. Such a great result for such little effort. Download the one ornament sheet here! Fair warning, the file is big so may get moved to Dropbox at some point. Speaking of, don’t forget this one I already added…

Have fun!

A different orb to print and add to

Last one, I think. I can see that a bowl full of these would make a pretty holiday display. I designed another version, wintery and blue, and popped it up on Dropbox for download. I may have to change this if I am getting back from people that it is not working! It looks like this:

I find that putting a largish knot in a loop of thread or floss or yarn, then squeezing the ball slightly and pushing it inside the gap, then letting the gap close around it is a very effective method for adding a hanger.

But when you download the PDF you will see there are some small moon shaped at the edge. Not enough, but you can cut them, stack them, and make a slightly more robust template for cutting those shapes. I wanted to use up some sheets of sticky backed glitter paper that has been hanging about in my craft space FOR-EV-ER so this was a good way to at least make a start!

For this one I printed 2 x on one sheet. You will be able to do this on your printer but you will have to sort out how. Mine is a simple click from the drop down menu.

This gives your a choice of sizes. Here you can see the One-per-page and the Two-per-page versions for comparison!

I can think of a lot of options for this. I am keen to also use up some of my gilding flakes, so I think maybe the purple one from yesterday would look really pretty with gold flakes added to those moons, and I think that could be added after the fact – we’ll see. But likewise you could cut and add any sort of paper for a two-tone effect, if that additional effort appeals. And of course you can just use the basic template from the first post link and use any paper you like. I have some pretty Christmas wrapping paper of a decent weight that I am also keen to try. In any case, hope you have fun with these, cause they are super simple and so eye-catching for such little effort.

Beautiful and EASY paper orbs

These are honestly so much fun and so easy to make. There is a template here from Creative In Chicago, and a really helpful video here

You can use your own papers (and that can be gel prints or scrapbook paper or anything) but in my experience a slightly heavier paper, 170gsm to 230gsm, really works well. The score lines really hold better than on thinner paper.

You can use the template for a ball all of the same paper, like these. The first one is from a couple of gloss spray pieces

and this green one is from a gel print. Both are very pretty and use the template printed two to a page on an A4 sheet. I believe you should be able to see it rotating here.

The template is bigger (full A4) so the orb is bigger. All you need to do is print, score and assemble.

I like to edge the curves in gold paint, either with a pen or my fingertip. So pretty!

I am trying something new – as this is quite a large file, I am adding it via Dropbox. Here is a printable sheet that you can use. Just click the DOWNLOAD button and you should have it. I’ve cleaned up a lot of old stuff but still not got much space available so … 🙂

I do have another idea I am keen to try – if it works I think it’ll be cute. I’ll share tomorrow if all goes according to plan.

Red tree ornaments to print

As long-time readers may recall from past years, I usually design some sort of small tree ornament to print for DD to add to the Christmas cards she hands out.  I’ve done green ones and a turquoise and a green version with words before.  This year I used the red and white cross stitch style pattern to make them. 

The single page PDF has 10 trees.  You can punch a hole, add an eyelet and something to hang it by and get 10 little ornaments.

If you prefer, you can use three of them scored down the middle and stuck back to back to back for a more 3D version.  When I do that one I often just snip off the very pointy tops – it makes punching the hole easier and the top is hidden by the hanger.

Obviously the flat ones work better for a card topper, although the 3D ones can be pressed flat to fit in an envelope.  You can see both the Christmas colours and the turquoise word version here, and the green version here .

Quick little felt heart ornaments

As you may recall, every year I buy a heart ornament for our Christmas tree, in memory of our first son.  Funnily enough, even with all the crafting I do, I struggle to recall one I MADE.  This year I got a little fabric heart, dotty material, with one big button sewn in the middle.  Well heck – I could make that easy.  I didn’t.  I made something else.  I have gotten a couple of packs of felt as a cover gift from CB, and it seemed the perfect thing to experiment with.  I have a dim memory of something I saw a couple of years back, can’t find it, but think I (more or less) know what to do.

1. Take a piece of felt.  Mine is pretty stiff.  The thin craft felt sheets may be too thin and floppy.  Cut it into two equal rectangles.  My hearts are quite small, as the cover-gift pieces are small, about 7 inch square.  That gave me two rectangles of 3.5 x 7 and I would say 4 or 4.5 inches would have been better.

2. Mark off lines.  I did 3/4 inch but 1 inch would be OK. 1/2 inch or less would be tricky when it comes to the cutting.  You will need to be REALLY careful about the placement of the hanger and the scissors.

3. Cut hangers.  I used thick baker’s twine and about 12 inches folded to 6 inches.  Depending on how long a hanger you want and you finish them you can get away with less.  Tap them to the felt with low tack/painter’s tape to hold them in place. Position them centred within the lines with the hanging loop as far from the edge as you like.  The loop-to-seam measurement is the length of the hanging loop. My loops are short, as we use hooks for the ornaments on our tree.

 

4.  Lay the other piece of felt over the top

I pinned them but you may not feel the need to

 

5. Sew a 1/4 seam along that edge, capturing the hanger.

6. Open out the piece, flipping it around so the two outsides are now INSIDE. I added a piece of tape, sticky side UP, and once again lined up the twine ends centred within the lines. The seam should be folded to about the mid-line, then the raw edge folded over to met the other raw edge.

 

I didn’t feel the need to pin this time, as I was able to see the lines and scoot the twine to position it centrally as I was sewing.

I took some better shots of this step dong the red ones. These only catch the hanger loop end but the folding to sew is clearer. Folding to the mid-line

Folding the raw edge over to meet

Matching the edges

You can see the heart shape better from this angle.  Sewing the other edge – even tho’ I used the green thread it just disappears in the bright red!  Sorry.

All you need to do now is cut along the lines to separate the ornaments! As long as you have been careful in catching the twine you shouldn’t cut thru it if you cut along the lines.

 

How you finish them off is up to you:

Sorry for the crappy photo.

You can do a lot MORE, depending on how fiddly you want to make the process.  Sew a button to the inside, add jingle bells or a button to the bottom, stick or sew small buttons or beads to the outside…but really, the simple version is cute enough.

A couple of things: If you only want the hanger  and not twine/yarn/ribbon thru the middle that is easier. Just sew the loop inside then fold and sew. BUT do keep in mind this really had to be stiff felt, and it is likely to get our of shape over time. See the left one below?  Just tugging on the hanger pulls it out of shape.   It’s catching both ends of the hanger that holds the heart shape.

I think these would be so cute in a thinner version as present adornments, don’t you?

Gosh, sorry for all the photos in poor light. But I hope the concept is clear enough for you to follow.  I think these would be perfect for a craft fair, for example.  With 2 minutes sewing and a little cutting you could have a pile of ornaments for pennies.  Perfect for kids with pocket-money to spend, even at 50p your could raise a lot for charity….

 

just a thought….

Round Robins – merry, happy, dated or not

This was much more of a struggle than it should have been and I am heartily sick of them now.  I designed them, created them, then updated my program and it seemed to cause me no end of trouble.  I would arrange a page, all looking fine, then I would save it as a PDF, open the PDF only to find there were bits missing – a wing here, an inked circle there… Drove me crazy.  I think I finally worked out the “rules” and then it was better, but still.

I ended up making just two versions – a HAPPY CHRISTMAS version, for those who use happy and a MERRY CHRISTMAS version for those.  There are six WITH 2014 and six WITHOUT a date.  You can either use a mix of dated and not dated this year or print as many dated ones as you need then tuck the un-dated ones into your Christmas wrap box for next year!

I printed them on canvas paper

and on matt photo paper

The difference in the reds is more due to the angle and the light than the paper.  Here you can see the paper-piecing version and the printed version side by side

I figure they work for gift tags (just write your message on the back) or as simple card toppers (maybe just add a nice mat behind the circle or ink the edges more and pop-dot it) as well as an ornament style hanging circle.  Now I am off to locate an oven-cleaner.  Has to be my least favourite job ever, and I have high hopes for a steam-cleaner rather than stinky chemical one.  Wish me luck…

Dated robin ornament printable

A couple of people did ask for the robins with the date on the front so I am adding that today.  The PDF is just the one page so if you print the original PDF once and this one once you will have a backer to match up with each paper piecing set

Remember, this is what you see as the sample from yesterday.

Sorry if it is all too confusing – let me be clear:

The robin ornament WITHOUT the date (6 sets) and 12 backing circles (two sheet PDF) can be downloaded HERE

The robin ornament WITH the date and no backing circles (one sheet PDF) can be downloaded HERE

And to further confuse things, if you com back tomorrow I should be able to add a printable sheet that has the ornament digitally “pieced” so all you need to do it print and punch.  I expect I’ll just go ahead and do them with the date and without the date and I guess I have to do MERRY and HAPPY Christmas and probably Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays and…..

DOH!  You see, one of the reasons I started making printables to begin with was that I hated it when I bought some set of embellishments that I loved and they didn’t have exactly what  needed – so maybe I wanted the label or tag or other item, but with a RED border and not a pink one, or I wanted no date so I could use it another year.  But no matter how I try to guess what people want there are always options I simply never think of.  And when I DO think of them, this happens – I wind up making a gazillion sets of basically the SAME thing with very slight variations.

{sigh} I suppose it’s better than moving furniture and cleaning under the fridge….