HINTS AND TIPS

[annie ferret]

:D I guess we all need some help from time to time and we all want to also save money where we can so how about I start us off onto a journey of experience and hands on information.
would you like to have a nice neat thin line of glue. Ok hears a way. get a small glue bottle tha thas a tip on it next look for a old empty disposable pencil ( none stop pencil fine lead ) now pull off the poined end where the pencil lead would have come through, ok so far so good. next you cut down the poined end of you glue bottle a little so that the pencil end can fit over the top of it nice and snug,, now you have an ultra fine glue bottle.
Ok something else.
want a nice buckle to pass those pretty ribbons through to attach to a card, but can't find one. Oh yes you can and whats better its free.. just look at those ring pulls for a minute,, now if you take it from the can and then just gently file down the bit of rough tin what have you got? yep a nice buckle to pass those ribbons through ..you can pray them gold if you like or even use nail varnish to color complement the card and ribbons,,
want another idea,, ok find a nice dolls house /minature site that has some printable 1/12th scale cards and print them off, take a piece of pretty satin ribbon and double it in length to fit the card and thread it through the ring pull. this can be glued in place onto the card. Next , glue several of the small cards onto the ribbon for a nice festive look. you can even write a tiny message into each card or use small peeloffs to decorate them..
Talking of peel offs. do not throw the waste bits away but use the tiny left overs to decorate cards, have you a long line of small dots left on the paper,,, ok here is waht you can do with them.
take a length of clear sticky tape and remove the most of the tacky from it by placing it onto the back of your hand several times. Now place it over that row of dots and press down onto them with the back of a spoon or a bone lift the clear sticky tape and see if the dots have stuck to it if not then press hard on the dot and lift it off keep going till you have enough dots on the tape for use.
Ok just a bit more.
now place the stickytape down onto your card and line up those dots to amke a new border. Press down gently with the back of that spoon and look the dots will now stick onto the card.. have a go. for bigger pics just over lay the sticky tape across a left over picture to then remove the negativelay the tape side by side across the pic and then lay over tape along the seams to hold it all together,,,
Yep there is more where this came from but lets here from you and see what you get up to... annie ferret

[0103media]

Great craft hints and tips...

Brillant thank you....

I sure this advice will help a lot of crafters out...

[0103media]

I forget to say...

Used to live near you... Well sort of....

Tenbury wells... its not that far.... small world hey!!

:lol:

[annie ferret]

Ok I know we all start of with good intentions and the next thing we know the mess goblin has struck, the thread, ribbons and cords have been hit by the knot gremlin. the small findings have been mixed up by the angry fairy and nothing can be found in the place you are sure you left it. So , what can we do to alter this and make our playtime better?
Lets start with the Hummble 35 mm film case,,, Now good news for those like me who have to sav every penny they can. these are free to good homes form any "boots" store or in fact any place that does photograph developing, grab a bag full while you can as they will soon be very hard to find as more and more folk change over to the digital camera.
stage one,,, sort out those ribbons and cord, take one 35mm film case and secure one end of the cord / ribbon / tape, to the outside of the film case and now wind it around it neatly, when you come to the end pop the tail inside the case and put the lid on . to realy secure the tape/ ribbon / cord, just give the lid a little twist and there you are,, if you have alittle bit left over after you finish a project don't throw it away simply pop it inside the case untill next time you just need a short bit.
You can now store all you cases that have seperate ribbons on in a nice see through box. when you want a certain item just look and you have it to hand,, no more kinks in the ribbon iether after it has been wrapped around a bit of card,
Ok lets extend the thinking a little to all those sequins that we just have to have, glue one of the sequins to the top of the 35mm film case with a glue gun or place a strip of sticky tape over it, fill the actual case with the sequins and pop on the lid,, Hey look at that,, again you can see at a glance just where those star ones are,.
do this with all our findings and again store in boxs that will keep them not only clean but neat and tidy.
Is that work bench looking better Yet ? I bet it is,
what more can we use these little tubs for?
Right. now lets save a bit more money.
Look at all those glues you have in front of you, and now start to feel sick. I want you to remember this,
If it is water soluble, If it dries clear. If it seals. if it glues. if it dries stiff any item placed in it including the paint brush you forgot to remove from the pot, then the chances are it is a PVA Glue by any other name.
Now ladies, most of us have a hubby that has tried woodwork. go look in the shed for that big green bottle of WOOD GLUE
SSSSSShhhhhh, this is PVA glue, if hubby aint got one you can filch a little out of then you will have to buy your own, look for a good brand name that has resin in it, it works out a lot cheaper than the little bottles you have scattered about,
do you need "designer tacky glue" ok put some of the PVA wood glue into a 35 mm case and leave the lid off,, stir it often over the next few days untill it has reached the thickness you require and then pop on the lid and place a label on the top that says tacky.gone too thick? stop weeping just add a litle warm water and stir
Instead of haveing to risk contaminating the entire tub of glue with glitter just decant some of into a tub and put the glitter into it, just remember to put on a label around the tub,,
ok just need small amounts at a time? Thats easy,, make a hole in the lid of one of the cases big enough for a toothpick / cocktail to sit in but big enough to allow some glue to remain on the toothpick when you remove it from the hole. the glue will not get dusty and you take out just a small amount,,.
Yes it will stick those metal findings and beads into place,, it holds wood doesn't it,, just a little tip though get an old hairdrier from a boot sale, need to make it tacky to stick that flatbacked gem into place ? No problem simply put a little glue down and then give it a fast count of 8 with the hot hairdrier and place the gem onto the glue. look its set,,
pssst another use for that Pva glue is makeing your own tree trims or those little bits for cards.. HOW. get some of that none stick bakeing teflon sheet from the supermarket and draw a star or moon onto it with the glue, fill in all the little holes and then sprinkle with glitter and leave to dry (speed it up with a hairdrier) . make a lacey one by just sguiggling the glue onto the sheet and leave it lacey,.
Oh, one more thing. have you got a hot glue gun, good cause i have a few tricks up my sleeve for that too apart from the obviouse,,,
enjoy the fun and have a lovely holiday time,, and a bright New Year Annie

[0103media]

Great ideas....

you got any examples ?

URL to any pictures of your stuff..

Great post thanks..

[garters]

Hi Annie,
they're really useful tips, dont laugh but when I first started cardmaking, I wanted to make a card with a champagne bottle on, my peel offs had all been used, and my craft shop could'nt get any more, so I had the great idea of using the left over bits, (now here's where you can't laugh) it took me about 45 minutes to transfer the left over bits, ONE PIECE AT A TIME WITH MY TWEEZERS!!!
Your tip is fab
Thanks
Regards
Garters

[Peter]

Please have a look at the post dates................this one is long gone! :)