by ·0 Comments

Free printables are now a regular feature of this craft blog and this week…

…I am pleased to bring you a colorful design depicting the sun, moon and stars.

Made with the two largest sizes off this week’s free sun moon and stars free printable.

Free printables are very easy to use (as long as you have access to a printer of course!)

Each week, I create a new page on here with a new free printable for you.

The page is always password protected, so you will need the password to get in.

This week’s free printable – Sun, Moon & Stars

To get that free printable password, you need to watch the YouTube tutorial that shows how I used the images.

In that video I will give out the password and all you need to do is write it down, come back here, follow this link and put in the password.

Simple! There is no catch to getting the free printable, the only thing I ask in return is that you watch the video and if you like what I do, perhaps subscribe to my blog and my YouTube channel – that’s it! Not a bad deal really😍

Once you have your free printable, you need to print it off on good paper.

But should it be on glossy or matte paper?

Well that depends on how you are going to use your design.

If you intend putting a glass dome over the top using a medium such as Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents, you will need to use a matte finish photographic paper.

Glass dome/cabochon
A glass dome fixed to a circular design with Glossy Accents – the design was printed onto matte paper.
Glossy Accents and Diamond Glaze are brilliant for sticking glass domes to designs printed onto matte paper.

As you can see above, using a special medium like Glossy Accents to stick the design to the glass dome is very effective when your design is printed onto matte paper.

But if you like printing onto glossy paper, as I do, what happens if you try to use a wet medium to stick the glass dome on?

The pendant design on the left was printed onto glossy photo paper and stuck to the glass dome with Diamond Glaze.

The same pendant design on the right was stuck to the glass dome with a special, crystal clear double sided tape designed to be invisible.

In all the years I have been making glass pendants, this is the fastest, easiest, least messy way I have found to fix glass domes in place on my designs for pendants.

When I first decided to experiment with using double sided tape to do this, I had all sorts of disasters. Most double sided tapes have lines in them that you don’t realise are there until you use the tape on something transparent, such as between a glass dome and a design.

Every single ordinary double sided tape I used from the craft store had marks in it.

And then I discovered a company online called SK Tapes and I found the perfect tape to stick the glass domes to my designs.

Design was fixed to glass dome with crytal clear SK Tapes double-sided tape.

This tape is made for commercial use for companies making signs and nameplates etc, however, listed in the description on their website, it does also say for use in arts and crafts.

It’s not as straightforward ordering this as it would be if you were ordering, say, on Amazon for example. You can’t just go and make a few clicks to order.

Don’t be fooled by the red appearance – that’s just the transluscent liner – the tape is crystal clear.

You have to go to their website and go to the products drop-down menu and click through to double-sided tapes (it’s at the top of the menu). Once you are on the double-sided tapes page, click on the one that says, Butt Cut Double-Sided.

On that page is an enquiry button and I sent them a message from there.

When they came back to me, I told them what I wanted, the 25mm one, paid over the phone and they sent it straight out.

It is expensive, but, this is a quality commercial product. Last year, I paid £12.96 for my roll but that included postage and Sales Tax. And it will last me absolutely ages.

USA readers may know of similar products stateside that we don’t have here.

And if you do, please scroll down and leave a comment to let people know what it is called. Or you can leave a comment under the video over on YouTube.

If you want any of the other items I used in my tutorial, such as pendant trays, glass domes, paper punches or ball chains, you can visit my Amazon shops and have a look through the items I have listed on there.

Paper punches do make life easier when cutting any shape accurately. And pendant trays (right) are ideal for making unique gifts for friends and family.

Here are the links to my Amazon shops:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/rainbowlane

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/rainbowlane

Amazon Affiliate Statement

Next week my YouTube tutorial will be showing you how to use the smallest design on the sun, moon and stars free printable to make a dainty little pendant that will appeal to those who prefer smaller, more delicate necklaces.

Come back next week and join me for that. And if you like my free printables, please consider subscribing to this blog and also my YouTube channel. In the future I will be giving free printable designs to my blog subscribers only, so make sure you sign up now so I know who you are.

It’s really easy to subscribe and I do not share your email address with anyone.

Enjoy your sun, moon and stars free printable – and see you next week.

Advertisements

by ·5 Comments
Faux willow pattern china beads made from another one of my free printable designs available on this website.

As you may know, I have been making some of my free printable designs available to my YouTube viewers.

Most people worldwide are confined to home at the moment and many may not be finding it easy to get hold of craft supplies.

So that is why I have been trying to think of tutorials using stuff from around the house, such as kitchen towel, like I used in this tutorial to make the bracelet below.

free printable designs
The bracelet I made using kitchen towel

This week I have been working on some new free printable designs but then I thought of one I designed a few years back.

I will be making the new one available as time goes on but for my YouTube tutorial this week, I have made this pretty faux willow pattern china bead bracelet.

This is the design I use in my face to face workshops with people who are new to making paper beads.

Faux china beads with a willow pattern look.

As with my other free printable designs, my YouTube viewers can download the template for this and follow the tutorial to make this bracelet.

My finished bracelet

All you have to do to get access to the download is watch the video here on YouTube and listen for the password. It is different to last weeks password because it is on a different page. Once you have the password, click here to go to the download page for that design and use the password. Simple!

What if you don’t have all the other things I used to make my bracelet?

As long as you have a printer, a paper shredder (or scissors and a ruler) a bamboo skewer or toothpick and a glue stick, you can make these beads.

If you don’t have the tiny silver beads, craft eyelets or elastic, you can roll lots of beads and then make your bracelets when the craft stores are open again.

I’m not sure if US viewers are able to order on Amazon at the moment but here in the UK we are.

So I will be stocking my Amazon shops for the other things you need in case you are able to order right now.

My Amazon shops are here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/rainbowlane

https://www.amazon.com/shop/rainbowlane

Amazon Affiliate Statement
My Amazon affiliate statement

And what if you don’t have a bead rolling tool?

free printable designs
The bead tools I manufacture and sell online

https://folksy.com/shops/PaperBeadToolsAndSuppliesUK

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ImagesForCrafts

Ideally, you will have a bead rolling tool such as the 3mm one you see above.

However, if you don’t have a tool – don’t panic!

In a couple of my previous tutorials, I have given you ideas on how to make paper beads without a tool.

Click the links below to see my other ideas for making paper beads without a bead tool.

https://youtu.be/yrRF8DEvX3c

https://youtu.be/8oQlNGIua-Q

This week in my YouTube tutorial, I bring you a third idea and show you how to make a simple homemade paper bead rolling tool that is good enough.

The homemade bead tool is a return to the 70s for me when I was making paper beads this way using cocktail sticks (toothpicks).

This method is fine for making paper beads when you can’t get a proper paper bead tool.

I developed the paper bead rolling tool that I sell online for people who are making lots of beads all the time and need something that is quick and easy to use.

But if you aren’t rolling hundreds of beads, my homemade version will be fine for you.

Have fun everyone and I hope you are enjoying my free printable downloads as much as I enjoy creating them – see you next time with my next tutorial and maybe some more free printable designs!

by ·0 Comments
This is what you can make using my latest designer template for paper beads.
For a short while, you will find the template on my free printables page but grab it quickly as it will soon be in my Etsy shop where you will have to pay for it.

Just a very quick post to go with my latest YouTube video which is about how to make this pretty, colorful bracelet from paper beads.

Paper Beads are ‘my thing’ and for many years I have been manufacturing and selling tools and templates to make it easier to make lots of paper beads.

But while this current crisis is still keeping us in our homes, I am devising ways for people to make paper beads without a bead rolling tool.

That’s in case you can’t get hold of one right now.

My latest video shows the second way I have found to do this, the first way can be seen here.

And to help out those who are new to paper beads, I have made a new designer template for you.

All you need to do is download it and print it out on thin glossy paper.

You don’t need to varnish the paper beads if you print onto glossy paper.

For a limited time, I am offering the template free on this website on my free downloads page. (Password needed, see below)

However, there is a catch!

You will have to go over to my YouTube channel and watch my tutorial on how to use it, to get the password for that page. You will see the password somewhere in the tutorial.

Sorry this is a very brief post – I am late publishing tonight!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment on over on my channel.

Have fun with your paper beads and see you next week!

by ·0 Comments
paper beads
You can make a very robust leather-look bracelet from a sheet of A4 card.

Cardstock bracelet? Really? Yes!

A cardstock bracelet isn’t so much of a crazy idea once you’ve watched my video on how to do it.

A sheet of A4 card is not the first material you would think of if you wanted to make a durable bracelet.

However, that is exactly what I set out to do when I made my most recent YouTube tutorial.

While we are all kept confined in our own homes, many people are turning to craft to pass the time away, some, probably for the first time.

So my goal in making a cardstock bracelet was to use a material that lots of people may have at home already.

In the UK, almost all of our craft outlets are closed because they are considered non-essential stores. I find that strange since Off Licences (liquor stores) are considered essential and are open.

The only place where we can get craft supplies, that I know of, is The Range because some, if not all their stores, now have Iceland food store inside and so can remain open.

Not sure what the situation is across the rest of the world with craft store closures but I’m guessing it’s pretty much the same as here in the UK.

cardstock braceelets

Gone are the days when we could wander around craft stores at our leisure, buying up half the store 😍

But there is still Amazon, at the moment.

So if you want to make a cardstock bracelet but don’t have the things you need, Amazon is a good place to start.

I have updated my Amazon stores to include the things you need to make this bracelet if you really can’t adapt this method to what you have to hand.

Here are the links:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/rainbowlane

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/rainbowlane

Amazon Affiliate Statement

If you browse through all the craft items in my stores, you will find mostly everything I use in my videos.

I have still been managing to get my craft items through Amazon UK. It does take a little longer now but not too much.

In my YouTube tutorial, I use items such as a metal ruler and a bead rolling tool but you could easily adapt this method and still make the cardstock bracelet without those things.

When it comes to varnish, I suggest using clear nail polish if you don’t have something like Anita’s Clear Gloss or Triple Thick.

In the video, I also use the paper bead rolling tool that I designed and sell online.

cardstock bracelet

But if you check out the YT link in this post you will see my idea for making paper beads without a tool.

UK customers can check out my Folksy shop and find the tool there too if you still want it.

The two Crafting In A Crisis projects I have completed. Check out my previous post for details of the top bracelet.

And finally, as Garry, my husband is currently on furlough, he is now amusing himself with making things out of wood.

His usual work is very physical and so it’s good to see him busy chopping, sawing and designing.

So who knows, maybe he will have his own page on here soon!

Hope you enjoy the cardstock bracelet tutorial – let me know in the comments under the video on Youtube.

by ·3 Comments

Paper beads are a great way to keep on crafting when you can’t get out to buy supplies.

There is no doubt we are living in the most difficult times that most of us born since the last World War can remember.

The video clip below was shot yesterday in a town near where I live. I was forced to go out to deal with an urgent banking issue and had to venture into town.

It would normally be packed with people just before lunchtime on a Friday but this was the scene that met me – very eerie.

We are all living in very worrying times, times that many people are finding extremely hard to deal with on many levels.

What should have been a busy UK town centre has been reduced to a ghost town.

Crafting is one way to try and stay occupied and keep our minds off this awful situation that worrying will not change.

So I have been trying to think of ways people can craft if they don’t have everything they need.

One of the projects I came up with is making paper beads without a bead rolling tool.

As you may know, I designed a paper bead rolling tool many years ago and have been selling it online and at my classes for a long time.

My tools and templates do make paper bead making much easier, if you are in a position to get them now.

Uk readers can get my paper bead supplies here.

US readers can get them here.

paper beads
The paper bead tools and templates I manufacture and sell online.

But what if you don’t have the tool for rolling paper beads?

And what if you are in a situation where you can’t get one now?

Can you still make paper beads? The answer is a resounding YES!

If you want to make paper beads but you don’t have the tools or paper to make them, watch my YouTube tutorial.

You will be surprised at how easy it is to make paper beads with two household items you probably already have.

And if you don’t have a template, you can still measure out long triangles on the paper and cut them out. Where there is a will there is a way!

You will be surprised at how I made these beads! You can easily make them too wth no bead rolling tool.

Our main craft stores in the UK are closed as they are not considered essential.

https://www.amazon.com/shop/rainbowlane

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/rainbowlane

Amazon Affiliate statement

I’m not sure I understand the thinking behind that, especially as stores selling alcohol, (or Off Licences, as they are called in the UK), are.

It’s a very strange situation when, during a national crisis with most people like prisoners in their own homes, alcohol is considered more important than the very art and craft supplies that could keep people from going quietly mad in isolation.

Escapism through art/craft is much healthier than using alcohol.

I just don’t get it.

Keep busy everyone – crafting is a great form of meditation because it helps us forget the world for a few hours.

Hope you find my paper beads YouTube video useful in developing ideas for crafting without many supplies – see you next week.

by ·Comments Off on Low Budget Craft Ideas With Waste Paper

Low budget craft ideas are so important in a craft world dominated by very expensive craft supplies.

So you may be really pleased to hear about how you can make one of these beautiful paper bead bracelets using rubbish that would usually get thrown away.

You will need a couple of other supplies but the main material used in these beautiful low budget craft ideas is scrap paper.

If you are new here, you may want to check out this video for other low budget craft ideas, but don\'t forget to come back and try out this one!

And if you prefer to go straight to the tutorial to see the ideas I am showing you in this post, click here to go to YouTube.

If you are here to find out where you can buy the tools I use in the video, scroll down to the end of this post to find the links.

My favourite thing to do is go to my local card shop, buy a birthday card and then make a beautiful bracelet from the bag it came in.

It\'s always tricky giving friends and family handmade presents. We all know that fine line between something that looks handmade because it\'s so badly done and something that is handmade but also very pretty and wearable.

These little bracelets are brilliant if you are looking for low budget craft ideas for making presents or, even to make stuff to sell at craft fairs.

low budget craft ideas

The beautiful beads on the right were made from this small, flimsy paper bag that many people would throw away. And they make gorgeous, delicate bracelets.

low budget craft ideas

So you can see, low budget craft ideas don\'t have to look cheap.

Most people are shocked when I tell them that the bracelet I have given them is made from the paper bag their birthday card came in.

The beads actually look like they are made from china if you finish them properly with a few coats of glaze.

And if you are someone who doesn\'t have a ton of money to spend, a well made hand crafted gift is a great alternative to a shop bought present.

I would be touched if someone spent their precious time making me something.

The beads below were made from a sheet of waste printer paper and wrapping paper from one of my birthday presents.

low budget craft ideas
low budget craft ideas

I never throw wrapping paper away, even if it is torn. You only need a very tiny area of the wrapping paper to make these beads - watch the video to find out why.

The low budget craft ideas I show you in my current YouTube video will probably get you thinking differently about scrap paper.

The technique I show you for how to use the wrapping paper to make paper beads means that you can use any kind of printed matter as the base for the beads.

So that means you can use old bank statements, letters, junk mail - anything that comes in a standard page size with a rectangular shape, or that can be cut into a rectangular shape as you see me doing in the video.

What about the tools I use in the video?

The paper bead rolling tool I use is my own design. I manufacture them myself and sell them online at a very reasonable price.

I also design and sell the printed templates which you can buy online and download to print off but for those who don\'t have a printer, I have designed some paper bead strip template stencils that you place on to top of your paper and draw inside.

The stencils come in one sheet with four different size stencils on it.

low budget craft ideas
low budget craft ideas
low budget craft ideas
low budget craft ideas

Buy the 3mm Easy Beady paper bead rolling tool - £7.00 - ships worldwide.

Please note the special free offer below, when buying both tools together.

Buy the 5mm Easy Beady paper bead rolling tool - £8.00 - Ships worldwide.

Please note the special free offer below, when buying both tools together.

Buy the Easy Beady paper bead strip stencil - £5.99 - Ships worldwide.

Please note the special free offer below, when buying both tools together.

Free Offer worth £5.99!

When you buy the 3mm and 5mm tools together using this link FREE OFFER, you will get the stencil completely free.

Just click on the free offer link and you will be taken to my etsy shop. I ship worldwide.

Come back soon because I will be giving you details of the new paper beading products I am adding to my range in the very near future.

All my Easy Beady products are designed to make paper beading easier and quicker.

And if you are looking for any of the other craft supplies I use in my videos, visit my Amazon craft supplies page, Rainbow Lane.

For those people who don\'t have access to a craft store or who don\'t have time to search around online, I have created this page where you will find some of the products I use and some other products that are similar.

However, I do urge people to shop around to find the craft supplies they need - my Amazon page is there to give you suggestions if you don\'t know where to get your supplies.

Amazon Affiliate Statement.

Thank you for reading this post.

I hope you enjoyed it and are fired up with some low budget craft ideas - see you next time with more crafty ideas for you!