Fiskars Craft

Making a Christmas village

Here’s something that is special…
My love at Christmas time is seeing those mini villages… Little lit up houses set in old fashioned times. I’ve always wanted a hole village and a huge display… But the prices have been high on these things and the place to put them hasn’t been available to me….

Now I have the space… And I finally think I have the skill to make a village. but the best thing about it all is that I can show you how to make one for yourself! At a fraction of the cost of those expensive little houses!

All you need per house is:
A paper trimmer with scoring blade or a scoring tool
Two sheets of double sided patterned card stock (I used KaiserCraft twig and berry collection)
One sheet of printer sized white card stock
Fiskars fine tip scissors
Fiskars fingertip Craft knife
Clear plastic packaging or acetate or velumn
Clear glitter glue
Flower soft in white or ivory
Fiskars Self healing cutting mat
Foam adhesive
White glue – elmers or flower soft glue
Acrylic paints and a black marker pen – for the stained glass window

Here are the photos of my templates I have made up and used in the videos. Measurements are written on them… Click on them for bigger pictures to read measurements.

Here are the videos that show you how to make the houses.

Part 1: cutting out the building base and making the windows
 

Part 2: making the chimney/bell tower and final finishing touches
 

Thanks so much for watching…
I hope to make a general store too.. But that is time permitting.
Any building can be made, really, with just the above instructions and templates with a little bit of tweaking here and there for each different building.

All the best and hope your Christmas decorating wishes come true.
Here are closeups of the house…

the tree is accordian fold spine with 4 half tree shapes cut out and stuck on side of the house.

windows in snow

front of house without snow

close up of snow front

finished house one side…

finished house other side

fiskars tool used in the projects on this post...

happy crafting....


Debbie B
Artycrafty.wordpress.com

Card a Day - Monocrome stamped card (tutorial)

Hi all I'm back!

Hope you are all finding time to make some Christmas cards.
Here is my next one... We are going a little monocrome but not fully....

Here is how I did it:

1. I cut a front panel for the card from similar colour of the card base.
2. Then I used a Fiskars Med lever circle punch to punch out 1/4 circles from the corners of it.
3. Next I used Kaisercraft twig and berry range Flourish clear stamps with the Fiskars Stamp Press and Stampin Up! ink pad - crumb cake (which was a similar but darker shade of the cardstock I was using)
4. The flourish was stamped at the top of the panel. Then I stamped "Merry" (old cloud9 clear stamp) and "Christmas" (Paperxtra clear stamp) on the bottom of the panel.
5. I tied some ribbon around the blank part of the panel and put some Kaisercraft red rhinestones on the flourish.
6. I used foam adheasive to pop up the panel on the card base front.
7. done!

Simple easy and fun... see my theme I have here... I like quick too. Especially this time of the year!

Happy crafting!

Debbie B
Artycrafty.wordpress.com

Hey all you South Islanders - this is for YOU

Spotted TODAY in CHRISTCHURCH  ooh la la...lots of yummy Fiskars Products

Well our spies are sure out and about today in  

        CHRISTCHURCH NEW   ZEALAND......looky what Fiskateer Nicola Cotterill  just sent through to me.....shopping TODAY in the NEW LINCRAFT store.

So this is the second LINCRAFT store to open up in CHRISTCHURCH.....woohoo...and I've been told that another opened up in DUNEDIN TODAY also.

              Have YOU spotted some FISKARS products in a store near you lately?

xoxo

Lyn Dwyer

 

A4 sized family Layout

Hi all...

today I thought I'd take a break from doing Christmas preparation and Christmas crafting and bring you a family layout.

I love the layered look... different elements layered all haphazzardly - it looks so.... interesting.

I used Kaisercraft Miss match collection and diecut shapes for this layout. Also adding a ribbon, a stenciled image I had sitting on my desktop (flower sprig), Misc news print type scrapbooking papers, home made pattererned masking tape (Aka: DIY washi tape)

This collection reminds me of grandmas, times gone by and vintage era. The overall feeling of the Miss match collection would be great for steam punk enthusasts too that want a bit of colour in their layouts instead of browns etc.

 

tools used in this project post:

 

happy crafting!

Debbie B
Artycrafty.wordpress.com

Card a Day - overlaying/punched edges

For this card I decided to go with a Black, white and gold theme

                  ....and finishing off with some border punching.

     I love using punches along the border of my cards...makes them go from plain simple....to a little my stylish I think....and I like that look.

Inside the card I chose to journal in both black fine liner pen and white signo pen. So black on white....white on black.....

Another card made using a tree from my Alison Ellis Christmas papers.....I cut around this tree...then matted in black and white card.

Next I stamped the Merry Christmas Sentiment using my Fiskars Stamp Press and punched around the corners with my Fiskars Twist and Flip Punch.

Inside the card I added a punched strip of white card.....using my Fiskars Ivy League Interchangeable Border Punch. Then lastly...I punched along the edge of the black card......so that when you close the card....the two punched edges overlap to give that double punched affect.

Hope you are enjoying all the project shares on here at the moment.....there are so many more porhects to come in the lead up to Christmas.

xoxo

Lyn Dwyer

 

Childs room Christmas make over.... part 3 - a flag banner

Hi all

My thing every year the lounge and kitchen gets decorated wonderfully..... the hallway gets a little decorating but the rest of the house is just left.....

My aim this year is to start on decorating the kids rooms.... I have a boy and an girl both at school and under 8yrs old.

Today I am posting up a simple fabric flag banner.

with my pinking shears, ruler and rotarty cutter in tow I got to work on the banner...

cutting very many flags and doubling them up sewing them wrong sides togther in zig zag stitch to make the flags double sided.

I did sew some left overs together and cut out flag pieces too....

with the left over fabric from the valence used in the bedfooter project i made a belt/string thingy.

Pinning and sewing along a very long length carefully putting the flags either side of my belt/string thingy and zig zagging along the top of the flags.

Here is my banner or rather, christmas bunting finished but all curled up....

I will show you the finished room soon.

Fiskars tools used on this project post...

Happy crafting!

Debbie B
Artycrafty.wordpress.com

Photo a Day Mini Album Week 3

Welcome to WEEK 3 of my Photo A Day Mini Album Tutorials.......today is the last session and you get to finish your project....woohoo......

        How is everyone going? Anyone finished WEEK 1 and 2 Tutorials?

                       In case you missed them you can see them here:

                                                 WEEK 1

                                                 WEEK 2

I fully understand that this is a busy time of the year and whilst it may not be the best time to create one of these Mini Albums....you may wish to attempt one in the near future...maybe even in the NeW Year.....and that's fine.....you can always come back and find my Tutorial on here 24/7.......the same goes for any of our project shares on here.  Don't you just love the power of the internet....and the endless possibilities for learning.

ok......this week we are going to either Make a 6" X 6" Cover using some Cardstock you have in your stash..................or you can use premade covers like I have done...

I had 2 x 6" Acrylic Covers in my stash....so I used these and just added some embellishments on the front. I continued to use some Kaisercraft embellishments for the Mint Twist Range.

              But you could also paint or stamp images onto your covers......just have fun with it!

Using my Fiskars 1/4" hand punch......I lined up my pages with the holes in the cover....and punched through the pages.....one at a time.....you could also use the Fiskars Eyelet Setter Punch to do the same thing.....but make sure you have your mat underneath.....don't want to wreck your table....LOL!

Next add some rings......I have only added 2...but if you are making your own covers....you may wish to add 3....totally up to you!

Next we need to find some threads or ribbons that co-ordinate with our Album and add these to the rings. I found some threads and ribbons and cut them with my Fiskars Microtip Scissors.

       So now we have all our pages and covers done......rings added with threads and ribbons.

All we need to do now is to take some pics come December...and add each day to our Mini Album.

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorials the past 3 WEEKS......and I hope that some of you may get a chance to create a Mini Album...they really are fun to do.....

I have mine sitting on my craft table eagerly awaiting for Decmber 1st to come around so that I can take my first Photo.....and then add it in......I may even take a few days...then print them off a few days at a time......can't wait to get started clicking my camera again........and then recording the memories in my fun Photo A Day Mini Album.

            If anyone creates one of these....please let me know....I'd love to see some pics!

xoxo

Lyn Dwyer

 

A card a Day - Tara

Hello again!

Today i have brought you another simple card for you to make for xmas.

As you can see it is really simple to make. i took a 5 inch square card and covered the front with christmas patterned paper. THen stamped an image coloured and cut out with my Fiskars Trimmer. Then mat and layered the image.

Then to add some extra effect, i cut some co-ordinating papers and using my Fiskars Jester border punch made some creative edges to layer the image onto. A couple of stickers and the card was made.

It took no more than 10mins to whip together and if you are making a bunch for christmas this is the way to go. simple but effective.

Tara :)

 

A challenge entry

Hi all

We have a challenge entry come through...

Here is what Christine has to say....

Hi

Here is my monthly challenge entry - an Avent Calendar that my Mother and I made for my daughter.

My Mother tells me she is going to fill it each year as part of Annabel's Christmas presents.

 

Thanks

Christine Cleary #2264

What a wonderful entry! Hand made Avent calendars are fabulous aren't they? and Can be used year after year after year.

Good luck!

Have you entered this months challenge yet?

Aussie Christmas Wishes - Card a Day

How are you going with your Christmas card making?

I'm thrilled to say that I have just crossed another two off my list!!!

My brother and his family live in the USA and this year I am making some Aussie themed cards for each of the kids.  You may remember that earlier this year Bella released some fab Australiana stacks (in 3 different sizes, 12x12, 8x8 and 4.5x6.5") and I have enjoyed making lots of red, white and blue Aussie cards with them.  Luckily they are still available at my local Spotlight, so I got another couple of mat stacks and a pack of the Fundamentals PETITES Alphabet Stickers, the blue matches really well with the papers.  This 1st card was an 8x8" sheet trimmed in half.

Do you like the banner?

... it is actually the "waste" bit that comes off when you punch a Banners Away border with your Interchangeable Punch Cartridge!!!

The stars are the Fiskars medium Twinkle Twinkle squeeze punch.  I took a fine brush and painted Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue on all the stars and the banner bits and smothered them with glitter (do them one at a time, as the glue dries really fast), layered the stars with a dob of glue, stuck the banner bits down with some of the same glue then used foam dots to give the stars some dimension.

Here is the 2nd card, made using the smallest sized mat stack

Do you like the sparkly "red" gum leaves?

I punched a red strip of cardstock using Ivy League Interchangeable Border Punch Cartridge, cut to make a narrow strip, painted with glue and smothered with red glitter.  The alpha stickers are from my stash - I sanded off the glossy coating, inked them red, then used the same glue and glitter so that they matched the leafy border.  I used the same glue and fine paintbrush to stick the alphas down, as the self adhesive backing got a bit "distressed" by the sanding/inking/glittering process!!!

I added some red rhinestones to the trees to finish it off and make it look a little more Christmassy.

I now have two Christmas cards ready to post come December 1st - which is a first for me!!!  One more "Aussie" card to make and all three kids will get their Down Under Christmas wishes.

Hopefully there will be a kangaroo card hopping by here soon!!!

Thank you for dropping by and looking at my cards :)