Tutorial: Die-cut card

Hello all!

Yes! This is a tutorial! On a Monday even! I have my act together this week haha!

So recently I wanted to make a simple, yet meaningful card, and decided upon this die-cut option, featuring beautiful vintage craft supplies sourced from Lisa's Craft Shoppe (I also featured her lovely supplies earlier, in this notebook tutorial. Find her links at the bottom of this post). Have a go, and share your beautiful cards with us!

 You will need:

2x blank cards

Pencil

Glue

Cut-outs, stickers etc

Craft knife/scalpel

Cutting board

On one of the cards, trace what you want to cut out in pencil. Here I have chosen the words 'Thank you', and modeled them from a font on the computer.

Now be careful here! Using the  cutting board and scalpel, cut out your tracings. The sharper your scalpel is, the better it will come out.

On the other card, stick down your background. You don't have to cover the entire card, but just make sure that you cover the areas which will be exposed by the die cuts. I have used vintage bits and pieces from Lisa's Craft Shoppe

Then line up the cards, and stick the cut one on top of the covered one. And you are done! Simple, yet thoughtful :)

You can find Lisa's Craft Shoppe on Etsy, Facebook and Twitter. Go check her out!

Another DIY notebook tutorial!

Hey all!

Its finally happening! I'm posting a craft tutorial (hehe).

Now those close to me know how much I LOVE stationery... particularly any paper products, and notebooks are my favourite thing to personalise.

Over time I have found various ways to put my own mark on notebooks, one of which I shared with you back here. Now here is another, slightly easier and less time-consuming tutorial, which I hope you do enjoy!

You will need:

A ring bound notebook

Background paper (I have used vintage book paper)

Stencil

Permanent marker

Scissors and craft scalpel (I left them out of the pic, sorry!)

Modge podge or craft sealant (You can use my home-made sealant from this post)

Firstly gently loosen the ring binding and remove the cover. Be careful to not bend the ring binding too much out of shape.

Glue selected backing paper onto the cover, ensuring that it is the right way up for when you reattach it! Then trim around.

Position the stencil you wish to use where you want it, and colour in with a permanent marker.

Ta Da!

Seal the cover with the craft sealant.

Using the craft scalpel, carefully carve out each of the binding holes.

Finally, reattach to the notebook (the right way up!) and enjoy! A beautiful, personalised notebook has been created!

I hope you do enjoy this tutorial, and let me know what you think, or what you would like to see next. Cheers!

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Merry Christmas all!

I apologise for my absence recently - I have been on a crazy road trip with my family these past few weeks! What have you all been up to?

Anyway, here are my favourite Christmas finds for this week! Enjoy!

Decor from CraftyLou2

Cards from Cardtorial

Card from laLagracepaper

Decor from SignsOfLife

Necklace from fantasticgift

Plush from MarigurumiShop

Jewellery from KParDesign

Decor from AmeliyCom

Card from TaikaEarth

Tutorial - DIY hand-bound notebook

Hey all!

The inspiration for the tutorial this week came after receiving a lovely vintage supply kit from Lisa, over at Lisa's Craft Shoppe! I mean, what idea doesn't come to mind when you open up this package:

Anyway... :D

I searched around for a notebook tutorial, but ended up creating my own. Keep reading for the how-to!

Materials:

Two pieces of cardstock (I honestly just cut a blank card in half!)

The paper you wish to bind, cut to the size of the cardstock, plus one scrap piece

Bits and pieces to decorate... as mentioned earlier, my notebook features vintage ephemera from Lisa's Craft Shoppe

Glue

Scissors

Craft sealant - either Modge Podge, or make your own (click here for the tutorial)

A thick, strong needle, like a binding needle

Twine or thread

Ruler

Pencil

Here we go!

Step One

Start gluing the decorations onto a piece of cardstock... don't worry about bits hanging off the edge... you can clean those up later...

Well, now haha. Trim off the excess bits.

Step Two
Cover this with the sealant and allow to dry (it will dry clear, I promise!). Repeat with a few coats. The more coats, the glossier it is!

Step Three

On the scrap piece of paper, draw up a binding template. You can use whatever measurements you wish - I ruled the puncture points 1 centimetre in and in 1 centimetre intervals.

Step Four

Use this template to puncture the binding on all of your pieces of paper and cardstock.

Step Five

Time to start binding! First, secure the pages with a peg or clip, with the two pieces of cardstock as the covers.Using the twine and needle, use a stitch of your choice to bind the pages. I used a running stitch, which doubles back on itself, however, blanket stitches also look really good. Check out this pinterest board for some good book-binding tutorials.

Step Six

When you have bound the notebook, you are done! Well, almost, haha. Just need to tie off and trim the twine, finishing by applying glue to the knot for security. NOW you are finished!

 TA DA! Anyway, I must say a MASSIVE thank you to Lisa and her supplies for the inspiration for this project! Keep watching this space for more tutorials featuring these cuties!

You can check out Lisa's Etsy shop here and her Facebook page here.

Also, remember to let me know how you go! I would love to see your own notebooks and inspirations!

Tutorial: cheap and easy home made craft sealant/modge podge

Hey there!

Any craft project can always benefit from a few coats of sealant, for protection and a glossy finish. However, commercially available craft sealant, such as Modge Podge, can be rather expensive!

The good news is that it is incredibly easy and cheap to make your own! I promise it won't cost you any more than $5 MAX!

You will need:

PVA glue

Water

Container

Stirrer

All you need to do is mix 3 parts PVA to 1 part warm water and it's done! Store in an airtight container to ensure it doesn't dry out.

What's your best craft trick? I would love to hear them!

Crafts and gifts now available online!

Hey all!

A Little Touch of Crazy has finally opened up shop online! You will now be able to purchase many of the crafts and gifts featured in this blog from the shop (click here).

Let me know what your shopping experience is like? Also, what would you like to see in the shop?

Cardmaking, magazines and free downloads

Hey!

So today I just wanted to feature this nifty little magazine I found whilst browsing my local newsagents...

Cardmaking in Easy Steps is a great publication with fantastic ideas to spark the papercrafter in you! What I liked the most about it was the kit that came with it, 8 pieces of cardstock, 3 pieces of felt, a stamping kit, washi tape, ribbon and paper dyecuts. Oh! And some great free downloads online.

I have just started to delve into these goodies and made this cute number in less than 5 minutes!

For what comes with the magazine, it is fantastic value for money and well worth the time of any papercrafter, regardless of experience!

Check it out here.

What is your go-to when you're stuck in a crafting rut? Or what would you avoid? Comment below!