Boxing Clever at Hobbycrafts

This is the box we made

As promised, here is an off-the-cuff video I took of us joining in a demo of box-making at the craft fair, now uploaded to YouTube. Charmain of Payper Box led us through the process, using flexible embossing powder and removable double-sided tape. Jeanette from our craft group was on hand to do a lot of the work, also videoing sections as I did a little bit of the crafting, while Ruth did nothing! It was a laugh for us anyway and I hope you enjoy watching.

Boxing Clever with cUp

baby boy trainer bootee and box

In the craft group, sometimes we all do a project each per evening.  I decided upon showing how to assemble this bootee and box.  The Pastel Plaid Baby Boy Trainer Kit design is from CraftsUPrint (see link on right-hand side of Blog) by Amanda McGee, though there are many different designs if you do a keyword search on their site. The downloads are very cheap and can be printed as often as you like.

The box is easily assembled by cutting, adding acetate to the lid aperture, then gluing.  Punch the holes for the laces in the tongue.  The bootee is a wee bit more tricky in that you need more than two hands to attach the upper to the insole, as there are umpteen little tabs to be glued!

We all tried different methods of gluing - double-sided tape, gluestick, PVA, magic tape.  My preferred method is to use really strong red double-sided tape (takes no prisoners!) to centre the middle tab onto the insole; then gradually work my way round the tabs, with your choice of glue, till the heel join is reached where adjustment can be made; fix on the finger tab, then stick on the sole.  Position the tongue and lace the bootee with ribbon, adding the decorations there if wanted (or else place on the box lid).

It was definitely an exercise in having genius hands!
craftyalice

Crafting Tidy-Up

Hi folks,

I just thought I would share with you that have been reorganising my craft supplies with nice new storage boxes.

Well that was the plan. I went to Ikea and bought the triple set of A4 drawers, well three sets to be exact and thought that would be a good start in making my craft area, which happens to be in my hall, much tidier looking.

That was the plan. I had two plastic storage units with three deep drawers that I wanted to empty, but for some strange reason I started looking at rearranging from another storage area in the hall. Yes, I have a big hall...A big mistake. After my son had made up my three boxes I decided that the printer would look better on the other side of the computer table. With me so far?

I happily started transferring A4 card into my new boxes, getting in a mess but still on track - as I thought - until I realised I had three box drawers left and my two triple drawer storage units hadn’t even been opened. Now...what do I have in these drawers that I could transfer? - ah, embossing powders and heat gun. They could go in an empty box I had created earlier and also perhaps the glitter phials. Mmmmm...Can’t do all that so removed the heat gun. My husband appeared in the hall as I was sitting surrounded by craft items everywhere, while stacking glitter phials into a little square box.

By this time my hall looked as though a bomb had hit it and it was also after eleven pm. There I was with no floor space left when my husband said “leave it for tonight“. I don’t think so.

However, as bed was calling me what did I do? I put all my things back in the triple drawers and returned the A4 card to where I had started put the other things that had accumulated during the evening into a carrier bag so that it at least looked reasonably tidy and then I went to bed. But....you and I know that this all has to be sorted eventually or one does not have a clue where one's things are.

I am sure all of you crafters have done exactly the same thing. It even got to the stage when I began to actually want to throw things out rather than find somewhere to put it. You know what it’s like when you walk around with something in your hand in the vague hope that a space will appear from the middle of all your mess.

When I have recovered my sanity and returned to some semblance of order I will let you know. In the meantime, all you who have tidy storage, be thankful.

Crafty Whippet - Not!

PS I also intended to look at all my old cards and revamp them. Perhaps a few months from now might be okay either that or they can stay exactly where they are. I do not intend to have my bedroom like my hall.

So, I've lost these pin backs for making badges...they must be somewhere in the CraftyStudy but after 'tidying' they are locationally-challenged.

A week's holiday on the Undiscovered Isle - Bute - with hubby was well enjoyed by us both.

However, now back home, I've not been idle while ReporterWhippet has been sunning herself on holiday.

Not much crafting done but a lot of videos sorted and uploaded to YouTube: video #8 shows Val making an Exploding Box from scratch without using an expensive kit;
video #15 in response to ninajeanette2's question about folding a circular teabag-paper as in Mary's teabag-folding video #4;
trying to make a Jacob's Ladder for DebbieAC68 - unfortunately resulted only in Outtake #3 ...

The CraftyChums' enthusiasm for BSL (similar to ASL) is now expressed in two videos showing Ruth signing:
Ian White gave us permission to use his music for this video;
and the signs are shown slowly in this video;

Whilst writing all this over a period of a week, the pinbacks are now found! Too late - we've bought more at Craftology!!

Bye for now
CraftyAlice

Craft Report

Sorry you didn't make it this morning, Jane, we missed your input.

We certainly did, my partner in craft.

A good start was made by my leaving my zipper case of card and Val's PG CDs at home, meaning we had to waste still more petrol (I love the petrol sign) in going back since Norman had already left.

No problems. You had left the all important card and Val's music in your study. Fancy forgetting that Alice. LOL (That is what you get for cheeking me yesterday about forgetting mine)

I used Ruthie's Media & Pastimes and Lace Hearts boards: embossing two white linen shirts.

Sounds like good material instead of card.

and one shocking cerise pink scalloped hearts, some black then graphite TVs and just now realise I didn't have time to do the black waistcoats! Ruthie - please may I borrow the board?

You may do that.

Mary actually sat down for some of the time and was busily producing as usual.

Mrs Pergamano here she comes.....showing me how good it was until she found the smaller pen was better!!

She said that I would be able to buy a 1" rolling pin in the Early Learning Centre for curling the Bookatrix shapes

Something a similar size would do the same job I think.

- Becky had embossed some of her own ready for a card. Mary isn't called the Flying Web-Searcher for nothing!

That makes her sound like a cobweb hunter....no, that was Francis yesterday.

Lynn showed us her in-production scrapbook for Gemma and we admired her young-looking Dad and the handsome Colin.

It was very impressive.

Meanwhile Val was busy with black embossed rubber-stamped flowers, filling-in with Twinkling H2Os and watercolour pencils with water-brushes.

I am glad you said filling in. At first I thought the flowers were black.

Ruthie tried plain rubber-stamping before using the pencils, but of course it smudged a teensy bit:

How kind. It smudged more than that I can tell you.

however, the result looked very promising and she was enthused to think of purchasing some.

Indeedy.

When she heard I had a spare tin she was a happy bunny. Unfortunately I forgot to give her some watercolour paper to try for a different effect.

How remiss of you. Did we run out of time or something.

Val then made peel-off on acetate multi-coloured butterflies which looked gorgeous despite them being ~ shudder ~ insects.

They are not called shudder insects but beautiful butterflies.

We were accused yet again of purloining when there was no trace of one of the metal 'badges' that everyone had been given - well, who would pinch one that said Mary on it?

Search your bags everyone, Mary has something missing again.

Val had no extra rulers in her possession, our drawers and bags were turned inside-out,

Well the bags were

when we suddenly thought of the Scrapbook - sure enough, stuck to the plastic cover was? - you've guessed it.

Lynn was trying to steal it and call herself Mary.

Looks like Mary will be needing indigestion tablets again after eating still more hoomble pie, as our Yorkshire Arthur would say.

We listened to part of the Praise Gathering 2008 rehearsals, are you prepared to come along, Jane, to support your three friends?

She will still have concussion after shopping in Glasgow and no money left.

When we left, Ruthie took one of her spontaneity turns and we whooshed off to S for Stamps for a somewhat fruitless visit: no Twinkling H2Os and the lace was extortionate.

It was hardly worth the effort. I didn’t get what I was looking for. Alice was keen to buy more boxes but I sat on her and said NO in a firm voice.

Nothing daunted we called in at Stitches where we got four different designs of lace, to experiment after watching your video (9). Who should wander in but Lynn, wondering what we were buying...We spent the grand total of £1.11...which really must have increased the profit of the new owner Paula, a graduate of the Art School and a dab hand with cutting centimetres accurately - just what we're good at - not.

Every day in every way I am getting better and better: 2.5cm = 1" so there. You should have heard Alice discussing the measurements with new owner Paula...with such expert precision - 70 centimetres please divided into three bits (so that Becky could have some) and she did it. That is what keeps her in business.

We're looking forward to your Exploding Box being demonstrated.

Keep in touch.

Love Alice

How many names have we got now?

Love Ruth

Lots...but they are all printable.

Sounds like you had a good morning.

Jane x

Get Box-making and Create

Hi Everyone,

Our new video is now on YouTube, demonstrating Bookatrix Box-making. We started preparing early on Wednesday morning so that everything would be to hand. It was fun filming the clips and we decided not to delete the mistakes we made. This was a really busy time as we were also preparing the next two videos demonstrating a C6 box and the final one demonstrating the motto mini boxes. The craft area was covered with boxes of all different sizes and colours.

Craft & Chat (formerly Get Creative) 

In the process of filming, at one point the camera was switched off "by mistake". This, I may say was after only one minute of running, so all the “filming” was for nothing. This was to set the tone of the morning:-
I wasn’t far wrong. The next time, the phone rang just as we were completing the movie. We thought that we could pick up where we left off but the phone rang again. It was back to the beginning as I couldn’t remember what I had said. I think I had a few 'senior moments' aka 'intellectual incidents'.


The yellow scorer caused me some confusion as I called it a ‘grease mouse’. Alice corrected me, saying it was a ‘creaser mouse’, which wasn’t right either. It is in fact called a ‘crease mouse’ and I finally got it right. I will call it ‘banana’ in the future.

I thought it might be helpful to remind you of the template measurements mentioned in the videos that were made. I hope it will help you with your box-making.
Always remember that the base of all boxes have to be trimmed a ‘smidgen’ or, as Alice would say, 2mm.

BOOKATRIX BOX A4 card x2
C6 BOX 21x16 cm Border 2.5 cm
MINI BOX 13.5 x 9.5 cm Border 3 cm

The C6 Box-making Video will be our next one on YouTube so remember to look out soon for these.
You will also notice that the canary yellow polo shirts have gone and these have been replaced with blue. The polo shirt is a warmer one but we have a cooler top for the summer.
Until next time.
Bye for now

CraftyWhippet