Mixing it up with your kit leftovers!

So when you have delved into your crafting kits you always end up with a bunch of stuff leftover right? So what do you do with it? Well don't consign it to the waste paper basket - jam all your leftover bits and bats together, sprinkle a little bit of something new in and see what you can come up with. Not only is it handy to use up your leftovers it also gives you great inspiration putting things together you might not have thought about before!

Here's a quick idea making a bracelet and using up a small square of fabric this one is from the Hot Date Quirky Kit. I also added some my leftover pearl beads from the same kit and added some wooden beads from my stash........How to:
To make the fabric bead you'll need a piece of fabric, here I've cut a piece out so the motif is in the center. Cut it out as a square and then snip off the corners. A piece of thick card cut into a circle the same size as the motif on your fabric or if you;re using an all over patterned fabric make it the same size as the bead you want to make. A needle and thread and a piece of wadding.
Turn the fabric over and make a running stitch around the edge of your fabric piece. Put the wadding in the middle of it then put the card piece on top. Push everything down and at the same time pull your needle to make the fabric tight around the edge. Add more stitches running across the back from side to side and top to bottom until the bead is formed and the fabric is nice and tight.

Cut another piece of fabric out to cover the back of your bead. To make a space for your thread to go though make two holes in the fabric and thread through a piece of elastic then tie it tight and trim it down.


Sew or glue the piece of fabric to the back of your bead.

Thread some beads on a piece of elastic threading on your fabric bead in the center. Make sure it;s the correct size for your wrist then when you're happy tie the elastic ends together in a double knot and trim the ends.
Want to make a piece of jewellery as a gift? You can also reuse your Quirky Kit packaging, not just pretty for being pretty but pretty useful too!

Cards are a great way to use up leftovers. Here I mixed up a piece of the wood grain sticky back plastic from the Hot Date kit with a cut out embellishment and a scrap of Bazzill card from the Juicy Fruit kit plus some American Crafts Thickers alphabet stickers from my stash....

How to:

Cut a piece of card to 4x12 inches and fold in half to make a 4x6 card blank (will fit a C6 size envelope).

Cut a piece of wood grain sticky back plastic to 2.5x4.5 inches and stick it to a piece of thick card packaging. Cut it out then add the letters and the cut out pear from the Kitschy Digital sheet stuck on with 3D foam pads to give it dimension to match the Thickers.

Stick this panel to your card blank to finish.

Add an extra finishing touch by stitching a vintage button to the flap of your envelope. The envelope used here is from the 'Fresh Baked' card kit, vintage buttons are available here.

Scraps are a great way of making up a quirky scrapbook layout. Collect together some pieces from your past kits and play around with them on a page. Here I used the leftover Bazzill card (from making the card above) notecards and buttons from the 'Note to Self' Quirky kit, wood grain tape and fabric from the Hot Date Quirky Kit plus stamps, paint and American Crafts Flair from my stash. How to:

Trim down the green card then sew it to the pink card with a sewing machine (or you can doodle fake stitches). Apply pink acrylic paint to the edge of a notecard with a dry brush. Brush over the stitching with more paint, again applying it with a dry brush. Layer the painted norecard with another notecard on your page and stick down once your happy. Cut out two pieces of the wood grain tape, tear one end and cut the other at an angle then apply a piece to the top and bottom of your notecards. Add your photo to one corner of the notecards and embellish further with buttons, fabric and the Flair button badge.

Add journalling to the note card to finish. I've done my journalling with stamps and tape to add more texture and interest.

So grab your kit leftovers mix them up together and see what combinations you can come up with. Have fun!

xx Leo

Stamping Tutorial - using clear stamps

I received an email from a customer about using the clear stamp in the Juicy Fruit Quirky kit and I thought it would be a good idea to pop up a tutorial on ways to use clear stamps.
Ok so here we go....
The most conventional way of using clear stamps is to use them with a clear acrylic block. Most craft shops sell them and they look like this.........

This is a medium sized acrylic block measuring 3x4 inches.

The next important bit to stamp with is the ink. I use Versafine ink. It dries quickly, gives a great clear image and because it's oil based it's kind to the clear stamps and doesn't stain them. I got mine in WHSmiths, most craft shops will stock it it's a popular inkpad.Next thing is to apply the clear stamp to the block, it's super sticky on its flat side so will stick really easily all you need to do is peel it off its plastic sheet and lay it on the block then press it down a little. Next comes the fun inking bit!
Ink the stamp by holding the inkpad and dabbing it directly onto the stamp. Doing it this way gives an even ink coverage. Next get your paper ready.......

Turn over the block and press it down onto your paper. Do it all in on motion so you don't smudge the ink. Press over the stamp with your fingers and then take it away to reveal your image....
There we go, all done!
Don't forget to clean the excess ink off your stamp, you can do this with a baby wipe or a piece of damp kitchen towel. Clean the stamp while it's still on the block then peel it back off and put it back on it's plastic casing to keep for next time.

If you want to work with a clear stamp without a clear block you can have a go at doing either one of these....

Use a traditional wooden stamp you might already have, clean the top of it then apply the clear stamp to the top...

Ink the stamp as usual and then turn it over and stamp it on your paper.

You can also use an inkpad or an inkpad lid in the same way.......

The best thing though about using clear stamps with a clear block is you can see where your stamped impression is going to be before you stamp it. Makes them great for using a few different stamped images together like this.....
Great for making your own cute little notelets like these....... I think they need a bit of colour.....

Ohh much better! You can add colour with coloured pens and pencils.

Happy stamping!
Don't forget to have a peek at Julie's fab ideas for ways to use your little strawberry stamp. How have you been using your strawberry stamp on your projects? We'd love to see your ideas and blog links!
xx Leo