Adult/teenage craft
8-bit popup cards
Hello! Remember that pixel heart card I made a while back? Well it has been one of my most popular tutorials to date so I thought I would add another few designs to the collection. Meet ‘space-invader popup’ and ‘skull popup’:
Like the heart card, they are really minimal (which I just love) and easy to make once you have got the hang of it.
You definitely need a craft knife (and a steady hand) to make these cards this project is only really suitable for adults or teenagers.
If you want to have a go at making them you will find full instructions and downloadable templates after the jump.
3D paper diamonds
Hello there. Hope you all had a great Easter! We had a lovely relaxing holiday (….well as relaxing as it gets with kids). It would have been great to have another week off ^_^
Before I forget I just want to say a big thank you for all the kind messages you have send me regarding my book (you really are a nice bunch!)…and huge thanks to all the people who have bought it so far…
I’ve been meaning to get this paper diamond up for weeks now…but it’s taken ages to figure the template out (and I’ve been having breaks between each failed attempt). I really hate crafty disasters (I seems to be having a few just recently) so I’m happy that this one came good in the end!!
It’s based on simplified version of Satoshi Kamiya’s origami diamond. I did make the origami diamond to begin with but I found it impossible to keep the model closed (and really tricky to make as I couldn’t find full instructions anywhere). In the end I just made a less complictated ‘cut, score & glue’ version which was much easier to assemble!
These paper diamonds are tricky to make (& require a fair bit of patience) so definitely adults only! If you enjoyed making my paper gems then this project is definitely for you.
When you have made your diamonds you can attach thread and hang them up. You could also use them as a gift box…perfect for jewellery (or diamond rings!!). If any of you do succeed in making some please let me know (if you send me a link to your pictures I’ll pop it up on my facebook page).
How-to
1. Print out the template onto a sheet of paper. Cut around solid line.
2. Using a needle (or compass point) and ruler score along all the dotted lines.
3. Turn over and lightly bend along scored lines.
4. Using a glue-stick glue each flap into place. (I would recommend that you glue one flap and stick in place and then glue the next flap etc).
Happy Monday all!
Edited to add: A few people have had problems printing the templates (the dotted lines do not print). If you too are having problems you can download a ‘dotted-line-free’ template here!
Easter garland
This is my first ever Easter craft! A ‘miffy’ inspired rabbit garland. It’s very sweet and would look cute in a babies room too!
All you have to do it print, cut and attach to cotton.
I printed the template onto pastel coloured card (175 gsm).
You can download a template here if you want to try!
Eye-bombing (the new yarn-bombing)!
I saw this great post at flutterflutter last week which was all about ‘eye-bombing’ and ever since reading it I have had an overwhelming desire to stick googly eyes to absolutely everything. It’s a great activity for the kids too!
Sugar-sprinkle monster. Sadly he is no longer with us.
Sheepish venus fly trap.
Sad string.
Cute cactus
Hungry holepunch
Prudish door handle!
Do join in! It’s lots of fun. If you want more inspiration then there is a whole website dedicated to the art of eye-bombing here! Thanks flutterflutter.
Happy Friday all! x
DIY string-tie envelopes
Hello! Sorry about the little break. My son has been off on his half-term holidays so I had a blog-free week!
Now I am back, I just want to give a big shout out (and a big thank you) to my new sponsors, pi’ikea street and paper glitter….do check their sites out!
I also wanted to say a massive thanks to all the people who have left comments lately (and to those who have sent me lovely emails). It’s been especially great to hear from people who have been making the projects…and ace seeing all your pictures…hurray!
I do confess that I have always had a ‘thing’ about string-tie envelopes. They seem impossible to get hold of though so I thought it would be fun to make my own. They are very easy to do!
These dinky little envelopes are great for all-sorts of things (storing paper ephemera, housing invitations/gift cards, storing seeds). I have also been making some for my sons to play with (as they are obsessed with letters/post offices at the moment). I reckon they would also make a cute gift.
By the way, now my kids are getting better at using scissors they have been really enjoying making their own envelopes using the template from my previous post.
You will find a full tutorial and templates below! Happy Monday all 
You will need:
Paper
Card
String
Glue stick
Scissors
Tiny brads/split pins (the heads of the brads I used were 3mm in diameter)
How-to
1. Print out the template onto paper. Cut score and fold.
Template one (tiny envelope, print out on A5 paper)
Template two (C7 envelope, print on A4 paper)
2. Cut out some small, card disks. Paper will work just as well but card will be a bit more hard-wearing.
3. Using a needle, pierce two holes in the envelope and a hole in each disk (marked on template).
4. Attach card disks to envelope using brads. (If you don’t have any brads then you can sew them on. See this tutorial at simplymodernmom.com).
5. Fold the three edges of the envelope up and glue.
6. Attach a piece of string to the top disk and tie off. Wrap round disks to fasten.
If you are not keen on the rainbow brights then I think pastel/neon would be a great combination. For example, make a pale pink envelope with neon pink disk and string. (Note to self: must buy neon card/paper!)
Job done!
{Valentines day} pixelated popup card
I‘ve been scratching my head trying to come up with a card for my hubby {AKA the non-romantic type}. I finally decided to make this pixely popup heart card!
They are really minimal (which I love) and take about 20 minutes to make (that includes the card, insert and envelope).
You can even make some pixely confetti to put inside the card (if you are a big kid like me!).
Full instructions and printable templates below!
(BTW I remember seeing something similar in a popup book years ago. If anyone knows of the book then do let me know!).
How to
1. Download the popup insert template and print out. I used paper but a thin card would probably be OK too. Using some scissors trim around the edge of the template.
2. Using a craft knife and ruler cut and score your card. See diagram below for more detail.
(If you have a cutting machine then see note at end of post!)
Cut along the black lines and score the grey lines.
3. Make the four valley folds as show below (thin yellow lines shown in fig. 3).
4. Slowly fold the top of the card inwards and the bottom half of the heart should begin to push out. (You don’t need to tape it to the table…I did because I was taking pictures at the same time!)
5. Fold card completely in half and smooth down
6. Make outer card and glue/tape popup insert inside. I just used a plain piece of paper which measured 9.5cm x 19cm and then folded it in half.
7. Print out the envelope template. Cut, score and fold.
8. Pop card inside and tape envelope shut (I added some pixely confetti too)!
Edited to add: The lovely Kayla from saynotsweetanne has send me a .dfx file of the card which you can use if you have a cutting machine. I have never even heard of a cutting machine…let alone used one so this is all a bit of a revelation (for me, anyway)!! You can download the file here. Thanks Kayla! You’re a star! (Please leave a comment to let me know if you find this file useful…if you do then I’ll try to find out how to generate them for all my print/cut posts).
Hama bead weaving continued…
I finally got around to posting some more hama bead weaving images. I decided against baskets in the end and went for candle holders instead!
I had intended to make a whole army of them but we’ve all has a dodgy stomach bug over the last few weeks so it put a bit of a dampner on my plans!
The neon semi-transparent beads worked really well against the opaque white beads and the jars look really pretty with the light shining through them.
I was going to write a proper how-to but there is a really fantastic bead weaving tutorial here which is better than anything I could put together.
Hints and tips:
♥ You will need some shirring elastic, a darning needle and some hama/perler beads.
♥ I would say that hama bead weaving is too fiddly for little kids and best aimed at teenagers or grown ups!
♥ Threading the first few rows is pretty fiddly so don’t be put off by this. After that it’s a piece of cake.
♥ I have found it easier to sketch a design first, rather than trying to figure one out along the way. With this in mind I have put together a printable design sheet here!
♥ You don’t need fancy candles…just use an old glass jar and stick a tea-light inside.
♥ If you don’t fancy candle holders then you can make bracelets, baskets, plant pots and coasters using the same method. You can also use seed beads to create some stunning jewellery. Inspiration here!
If you have any questions then leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Happy Monday all!
Handmade geometric stamps for Handmade Living
I‘ve tried to make my own rubber stamps on many occasions but never really got the hang of it. I think half the reason is that it’s impossible to buy the proper carving blocks here in the UK.
So…I put an article together for this months issue of Handmade Living on easy rubber stamps. (I actually wrote this article about three months ago….it’s taking me a while to get used to the print ‘time-lag’ thing).
These stamps are made from erasers, using a craft knife and ruler. If you stick to straight lines then carving is easy and you don’t need any specialist tools!! Perfect for decorating your own wrap, cards and fabric etc. Great also for your kids to play with.
If you want to see how hand carved stamps are done the proper way then check out this ace tutorial at Geninne’s Art Blog. Her hand carved stamps are nothing short of amazing.
Hama bead weaving tutorial on its way early next week! More tummy-bugs/throat infections in our house this week so not much in the way of spare time! Booo!
You can pick up a copy of Handmade Living from Morrisons, Asda, Sainsburys, Martins, WH Smiths, Hobbycraft plus a number of independent shops and newsagents. Internationally, the magazine is available from Barnes and Noble in the US and newsagents in Australia.
You can also subscribe here or here if you want the electronic version.
I ♥ mathematics {platonic solids garland}
Oooh….it’s been I while since I last posted. We had a smashing Christmas and new year. Hope you all did too!
My computer died just before Christmas and it’s taken my hubby and I a while to bring it back to life…which is why it’s been a bit quiet. I lost 3 months worth of work (new years resolution no.33 = backup files more regularly!).
Now seems like a good time to thank all you lovely lot for visiting minieco over the last couple of years. I am ever amazed at the increasing number of people who tune in! I also realise as far as bloggers go I am quite slack…only managing to get a post up every week or two. I’d like to say that this will improve……! Thanks for sticking with me through the quiet times anyhow!
In between posts I regulary use pinterest so do pop over and check it out if you haven’t already. It’s a great site for gathering together all your favourite bits of eye candy!
There seems to be a bit of a Polyhedra craze going on at the moment. It seems to me that mathematics has never been so cool.
I have put together some templates for a ‘platonic solids‘ garland. Perfect for cheering the place up now all the festive decorations have been taken down.
Simply chop, score and glue together.
Don’t forget to thread your cotton in whilst glueing the pieces together….I forgot! (I did manage to thread the cotton through afterwards but it was pretty tricky and took longer than it should have done).
I’ll try to get a better photo of it in situ…our conservatory is really bright and sunny but the rest of the house is pretty dark (especially in this miserable weather).
If you want something a bit more subtle then you could make the polyhedra white with some neon/gold thread!
If you fancy having a go you can download templates here. (There are two templates on each page!)
Cube
Icosahedron
Tetrahedron
Octahedron
Dodecahedron
Happy chopping/folding/sticking!!
Check this site out for a jawdropping collection ofpolyhedra templates. Amazing stuff!
Hama bead weaving…in progress!
Bleughhh! My computer ‘died’ at the weekend and my hubby and have have been trying to fix it since then so that’s why things have been a bit slow around here! Thankfully my sister came to the rescue and lent me her laptop today so I could write one last post to wish you all a happy holidays!
In amongst it all I have managed to find five minutes here-and-there to try out some hama bead weaving. I’m going to work on a few projects over Christmas and will put some tutorials on my site in the new year. I am very inspired by these hama bead baskets at finelittleday and am determined to figure out how to make one!!
Hope you all have an ace holiday and enjoy hanging out with your families and friends. We are off to Scotland for christmas so getting very excited about that!
Cheerio for now
Kate
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