I've now changed my newsletter to a blog – called the Beautiful Creations Craft Blog. You'll still be able to find tips and tricks about your favourite crafts, plus you'll hear about the latest craft project that I'm working on, product reviews and my thoughts about the latest business news in the crafting industry.
The reason I wanted to move from a newsletter format to a blog format is because I want to hear from you! And a blog makes it much easier to do that. So, go read my Blog and tell me what you think!
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Happy New Year!
This month's Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about how to find the time to cross stitch. I find that the older I get, the busier I become. But I always try to find time for cross stitching because I find it so relaxing. I'll cross stitch when I'm watching tv or even when I'm waiting for an appointment. As well, whenever I'm traveling, I'll bring my cross stitching with me and starting working on it while I'm waiting for the plane to arrive. I think that's part of the reason why I like to go to the airport much earlier than I really have to!
I also have a one friend who likes to cross stitch whenever she is on the subway or the bus. She always has her current project in a large Ziploc bag and takes it with her everywhere. As soon as she gets on the bus, she sits down and starts to cross stitch. She often gets compliments and has even shown people how to cross stitch.
I hope these ideas have inspired you on ways where you can find time to enjoy your favourite hobby. I would also love to hear from you about how you make time for your hobbies. Email me, Joanne at jtkjones@beautifulcreations.ca and let me know if I can share your ideas with everyone.
Happy Holidays! I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health and spirits, surrounded by friends and family during the holiday season. My husband and I are planning to stay locally this Christmas and will be spending our time visiting our friends and family. No matter what your plans are, I hope the holidays are good to you.
This month's Scrapbooking Tip & Trick of the month is about how to prevent feeling overwhelmed when putting a scrapbook together. The trick is to break down a big project into tiny little steps. Then, just focus on completing each step before going on to the next. Before you know it, you'll be done! Best of all, this trick can be applied to all the areas in your life, not just scrapbooking.
Last month, I mentioned that I was creating a scrapbook for my husband for his Christmas gift. Good news – it's done! The only way I was able to finish it on time was by following my own tip & trick that I mentioned above and breaking down the project into tiny manageable steps. Here's how I did it.
First, I had to decide on which pictures I wanted in the scrapbook. Once I had done this, then I started to come up with ideas for themes and finding embellishments that would fit these themes. At this point, I wasn't sure exactly how the embellishments and pictures would go together; that I decided later.
Once I had gathered all my supplies, I spread them out on the kitchen table, when my husband wasn't around, of course. Next, I figured out which background paper I would use for each page. Then, I narrowed down which embellishments, pictures and stories I would place on each page. From there, I went page by page and played around with the layout of where each item would go until I found the layout that I liked the best. I tried to keep the layouts simple and let the pictures tell the story.
Best of all, I can add more pages to the scrapbook in the future. Happy Scrapbooking!
I can't believe how fast this month is going by. I keep thinking that it is just the beginning of the month, when in fact it is mid-month already! In less than a month, my father will be coming to visit for the Christmas holidays. I'm very excited about that and trying to come up with things to keep him busy!
I've also been working on a scrapbook that I'm planning to give to my husband for part of his Christmas gift. I've managed to convince my mother-in-law to give me copies of some of her pictures. I'm going to put them in the album, along with some memories his family have told me, in order to create a family history theme. I think I have my work cut out for me!
Since I've been talking about scrapbooking, this month's Scrapbooking Tip & Trick is about how to save money when scrapbooking by reusing everyday items. One such example is by using fabric scraps to create your own frames for your scrapbook. Start by cutting up old clothing or left over fabric into thin strips. Then, place the fabric around the pictures and cut to size. Finally, attach the fabric to your page with glue or brads. If you like, you can add beads or even buttons to dress up your newly created picture frames.
Please visit my Articles Page for more ideas on how to save money when scrapbooking. With a little creativity and imagination, you can do anything!
The weather here has been a little crazy over the past few weeks. First it's hot, then it's cold. Despite the temperature fluctuations, I have been enjoying the beautiful fall colours as much as I possibly can. Soon it will be Halloween and time to greet all the Trick or Treaters at the door. Happy Halloween everyone! Now onto this month's tip on crocheting.
This month's crochet Tip & Trick of the month is about figuring out how much time you will need to complete a project, such as an afghan. As you crochet one row, simply time yourself to see how long it takes you to finish the row. Then multiply the time it took you to complete the row by the number of rows in the project. This will give you an estimate of the total time you will need to complete your project. Remember to add a little bit of extra time to do the outside border, if there is one.
If you are trying to complete your project by a certain date, a good way to ensure that you finish it on time is to spread out the work. To figure out how much time you need to spend on your project every day or week, simply divide the estimated total time needed by the amount of time you have. Then just make sure that you put the time in!
Do you want to hear more from me? You can now follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BfulCreations to hear the latest news and trivia.
I'm dedicating this month's newsletter to sewing because September is National Sewing Month.
This month's Sewing Tip & Trick of the month is all about stitching appliqués with multiple layers. First, sort the appliqués by size, from smallest to largest. Next, appliqué the smallest layer onto the next larger layer. Keep doing this until all the layers have been attached together. Now you are ready to stitch your appliqué to the garment. There are two ways to do this. One way is to stitch the outside edges of the largest layer of the appliqué to the garment. The second way is to stitch only the center of the appliqué to the garment, which will give it a much more 3-dimensional feel.
If you're like me, you want to take advantage of sales as much as possible.
That's why I thought I would pass these savings on to you. Take advantage of 60% off Sale Items at The Stitchery
where
they have all sorts of great projects at unbelievable prices! Projects include cross stitch kits, afghans, blankets, pillows and more!
This month’s Needlework Tip & Trick is all about making learning fun. If you want to learn how to do a few new stitches, or even a new craft, start with a simple project that shows you some basic stitches. Not only do you learn, but it’s fun and at the end you will have a great new project to show off to everyone! To help you on your way, here is a free project from Joann Fabric and Craft Stores.
For this project, you will need the following supplies:
This project introduces you to Monk's Cloth needlework, also known as Swedish Weaving and Huck Embroidery. It is a traditional handicraft that is experiencing a surge in popularity. Fast, easy and portable, the technique uses floating yarn designs to embellish monk's cloth fabric with motifs that can be stitched into everything from tea towels to tablecloths. Have fun and enjoy your new project!
I hope everyone is having a good summer so far. I’m definitely enjoying mine and have even managed to find some time for cross stitching. This past weekend, I just finished sewing some new curtains for the window in my front door. They turned out lovely and help to add a splash of colour to the entrance. I would love to hear from you about any projects that you have finished this summer.
In February, I mentioned that I signed up with an affiliate program in order
to expand my shopping section. I now offer supplies for cross stitching, sewing,
scrapbooking and many other crafts. As of July, I have signed up with two more
affiliates. One is Scrapbook.com who offers a very large selection of scrapbooking
products online, as well as a gallery of layouts and projects. The other
affiliate is The Stitchery
who specializes in needlepoint, crewel embroidery and counted
cross stitch. They offer all the supplies you need to keep you occupied for
hours of creative stitching.
Come and check out my Needlework pages and my Scrapbooking pages to see all the wonderful supplies that they have to offer you.
This month's Sewing Tip & Trick of the month is about how to keep your sewing machine foot pedal from moving. If the floor in your sewing room is smooth, such as linoleum or ceramic tile, cement or even carpet, you may find that the foot pedal moves a lot when you are sewing. Just the simple act of pressing down and then lifting up causes the foot pedal to move. A simple solution to this problem is to put a piece of Sure-Grip drawer lining under it. The lining has a no-slip surface that can grip both the flooring and your foot pedal so that it won't move anymore. Now you can sew away without having to constantly move your foot pedal back into position.
This month's Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about wall hangings. Wall hangings are perfect for designs and finished cross stitch pieces that are an unusual size and would be costly to have a custom frame made for them. As well, they give you another way to frame your cross stitch designs that adds interest not only to your design, but to your house as well.
To see instructions on how to create your very own wall hanging, including a list of all the supplies you will need to finish the project, please visit our Project Ideas webpage.
This month I am featuring a product review of Tag-Along by Chatterbox. The Tag-Along is a mug holder that clamps onto your work table and allows you to attach a garbage bag and the Tag-Along Tote Tool to it. The Tag-Along is lightweight and easy to take with you wherever you go. It clamps securely onto the table with no worries of falling off. The Tag-Along Tote Tool is made of nylon and has several pockets for holding small tools and bits of paper. It also has elastic holders, perfect for pens, pencils and scissors.
**Freebie alert** In addition to the free cross stitch patterns, I have now added some free scrapbooking layouts on my website. They are on my Fun Extras webpage. If you use one of these layouts, I would love to see a picture of it. Enjoy!
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month comes from Evelyn. She wrote me to tell me that the card board centre of paper towel rolls (some are more sturdy than others) make a great storage container for smaller cross stitch work that is in progress and/or in storage because it prevents lines caused by folding. She also rolls her projects with tissue paper, especially if she won't be getting back to it soon.
This is a great tip! I did hear this tip years ago from one of my mother's friends. When I was younger, I use to fold my cross stitch projects when I wasn't working on them. Then she pointed out that they would get creased that way, so I should roll them up and put them in a paper towel roll. Ever since then, I've rolled up my projects, but I had forgotten about putting them in a paper towel roll until Evelyn mentioned it. Thanks for the great tip Evelyn!
If you have been to my website recently you will have noticed a few changes.
I’ve given it an updated look, plus I’ve signed up with an affiliate program in
order to expand the shopping section to offer supplies for cross stitching,
sewing, scrapbooking and other crafts. Currently, Joann.com
supplies the expanded shopping section and they only ship within the United
States.
I’ll be adding new articles and project ideas over the next few months. In addition, the monthly newsletter will now feature tips, project ideas and product reviews for other crafts, including my favourite craft of all, cross stitching.
This month’s Tip & Trick of the month is about threading needles. Whether you are threading a needle for sewing or cross stitching, it can be a tricky task. The most important thing to remember is to use sharp scissors and to cut the thread on an angle. Sharp scissors give a clean cut, which is easier to manage than fuzzy thread. Plus, by cutting on a 45-degree angle, it is even easier to get the thread through the eye of the needle. Happy threading!
Happy New Year! I would like to send everyone best wishes for much joy and happiness in 2008.
For January’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month, I would like to share where I get my inspiration for the cross stitch patterns that I create. One source of inspiration for me is my friends and family. When my friend Vicki was planning her wedding, she mentioned how she had hired a musician to play the harp during the ceremony. She was so happy to have harp music and it really meant a lot to her. Since I was planning to cross stitch a wedding announcement for her, I decided to create an announcement that incorporated the harp and that is how the pattern “Wedding Harp” came to be.
My wedding followed shortly afterwards, where my dad ended his speech with some advice that will not soon be forgotten. He said, “A marriage is like a fine machine, to keep it running smoothly you need to keep it well tuned and well lubricated”. When he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence before the whole room broke out in laughter. I’m not sure who laughed harder – my dad or me. I try to share that bit of humour every chance I can, so of course, my dad’s speech has inspired the pattern “Marriage is Like.”
Open yourself to the world around you and let it inspire you in every part of your life.
