The Chic Crafter

FREE Cricut Settings Cheat Sheet

2013-05-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

They say sharing is caring (smile). These are the most common materials that I cut and it works for me I hope to you to as well. Happy Cricutting!

Click the image below and print. You can post the printed copy to the lid of your cricut for easy reference when you need it.

Handmade Rosary Bracelet

2013-04-26T10:24:00.003-07:00

I went to a Catholic gift shop on my Mom's birthday and wanted to buy her pretty Rosary bracelet. And right there my creativity began to work again. It would be much more meaningful If I create it myself, so I just bought the Cross and Mary charms around .50 cents to $1.5o and I know back home I have a lots of beads and stash that I can put together. So here is my first DIY Rosary bracelets, once I started I cannot stop. It took me 1.5 hours, and I was able to produce 7 sets which I can give to my friends and family.

DIY Roman Curtain

2012-08-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy I just finished hanging my own made new Roman Shades in my bedroom! It was pretty easy to sew, just make a long piece of fabric with hemmed edges. If your fabric is thin can add the interfacing to give little bit structure. In this project I use outdoor fabric I found from Joans.

I bought my cheap min blinds from Target for less than $4.

Steps:

1. Mini blinds have a series of cords that hold the plastic strips in place and help lift the shade. The lift cord is thick and the ladder shaped cord holds the plastic strips. Cut the ladder cord out of the blind, but be very careful not to cut the lift cord! Leave some few ladder cords, I decided mine to have 7 inches apart.

2. Lay down you sewn fabric to the floor and top it with the blinds.

3. Put enough mod podge in each strips, or you can use hot glue but you have to work very fast as it easily cooled down and you loss the stickiness.

4. Reattach the thick slat and tie off at the measured mark.

Healthy Eats for Pregnant Women

2012-08-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

YES!!! We are expecting a new baby. Today I stop drinking coffee for the love of the baby :) and start to google good healthy foods.

Here's one of the good information I found from USDA and I wanted to share with fellow expectant moms. Have a healthy pregnancy!

Making Healthy Choices in Each Food Group

Follow your Daily Food Plan for Moms and eat the amount recommended for each food group. Include the foods listed below—they are the best sources of some nutrients you need when you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Vegetable Group

(choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)

Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Pumpkin
Spinach
Cooked greens (such as kale, collards, turnip greens, and beet greens)
Winter squash
Tomatoes and tomato sauces
Red sweet peppers

These vegetables all have both vitamin A and potassium. When choosing canned vegetables, look for "low-sodium" or "no-salt-added" on the label.

Fruit Group

(choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)

Cantaloupe
Honeydew melon
Mangoes
Prunes
Bananas
Apricots
Oranges
Red or pink grapefruit
100% prune juice or orange juice

These fruits all provide potassium, and many also provide vitamin A. When choosing canned fruit, look for those canned in 100% fruit juice or water instead of syrup.

Dairy Group

Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
Fat-free milk (skim milk)
Low-fat milk (1% milk)
Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage)

These all provide the calcium and potassium you need. Make sure that your choices are fortified with vitamins A and D.

Grain Group

Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
Fortified cooked cereals

When buying ready-to-eat and cooked cereals, choose those made from whole grains most often. Look for cereals that are fortified with iron and folic acid.

Protein Foods Group

Beans and peas (such as pinto beans, soybeans, white beans, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas)
Nuts and seeds (such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, and peanut butter)
Lean beef, lamb, and pork
Oysters, mussels, crab
Salmon, trout, herring, sardines, and pollock

NOTE: Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish when you are pregnant or breastfeeding. They contain high levels of mercury. Limit white (albacore) tuna to no more than 6 ounces per week. Learn more about the safety of eating seafood during pregnancy.

All of these foods provide protein. In addition, beans and peas provide iron , potassium, and fiber. Meats provide heme-iron -which is the most readily absorbed type of iron. Nut and seeds also contain vitamin E. Seafood provides omega-3 fatty acids.

Spinach Smoothie

2012-06-07T13:57:00.002-07:00

I've been doing this for almost half year now and I'm so happy to see this in one of Dr. Oz Defy your age lists, so I thought of posting this.

Spinach (and other dark, leafy greens) is an important ingredient in all of my green smoothie recipes. In fact, every recipe on my website calls for leafy greens including spinach. The fruit in smoothies masks the delicate flavor of spinach so it is a great way to boost your intake of healthy greens without tasting them. I wanted to share with you the easy way to prepare this healthy drink for busy mom like me.

Dr. Oz's group of youthful experts share their secrets so you can defy your age. From cutting edge breakthroughs to the fountain of youth in a glass, they've got simple solutions to take years off your look! Plus, the biggest beauty breakthroughs of the year are revealed!

You can do this once a week, after chopping and measurement what I do is to put alltogether in ziploc and tossed it on freezer. I forgot to take picture of my frozen yogurt but all you need is to put it on a regular size of cupcake baking tray and freeze it in an hour or two (see the picture down below in light pink block). Spinach is not typically a flavor that is sought out for in green smoothies. Because of its delicate flavor, spinach is easily masked in a smoothie by including flavorful fruits such as pineapples, oranges and berries. Choose spinach that is crisp and vibrantly green.

Recipes:
This is good for two serving.
2 Big handfull of spinach
1 Banana
1 Frozen block yogurt. You can use any flavor you like.
1 Apple

Every night before going to bed I tossed on pack so it will be ready next day and it's not to hard to blend. You can add soy milk or less fat fresh milk according to your taste.

DIY Pink Sugar Hearts

2012-06-07T09:50:00.001-07:00

This is good to make on valentines day or tea parties. Very easy to make all you need is sugar, food coloring, ice tray. I got mine from Ikea and if I remember it right it only cost less than $3. And additional information... I found my 5 year old son enjoying this heart sugar shape and he thought it is a candy treat :)

Here's how to:
Put sugar on the bowl and put a little water using spoon. Don't flood it too much or the sugar will dissolve, water is used to keep the sugar together when you press it. Add the water gradually until you have good consistency afterwhich you can add few drops of food coloring of your choice until you get the desired hue. Then scoop it on the tray using spoon and press in on to make sure no space or bubbles beneath it.

Note:
I used a 2 cups of sugar just enough to fill in one tray.

Fold-up Market Bag Tutorial

2012-03-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Aside from being organized, one of my 2012 resolution is to be environmental friendly to our mother earth. So I added this on my project list.

I dont feel good when I throw some plastic bags from grocery stores, and specially when I know this will end up to a landfill. And yep, I'm big supporter of reusable bags and so this is a big hello environmental concious crafty people out there :)

And please after you create a couple of these, put it right back to your car after using or washing it to maximize the use of it. Or keep extra inside your purse just in case you ran to buy something on your way.

Folded Tote Market Bag

Here's what you'll need:

2 fabric pieces 15 x 10 inches (main body)
2 fabric pieces 15 x 6 inches (contrast body on top)
2 fabric pieces 4 x 16 inches (handles)
1 hair elastic band
1 button

here's my cut out fabrics

Steps:

Handles:

First, fold strap in half lengthwise, open the fold up and fold edges again towards the center fold. Better if you iron to flatten it for easy sewing.

Sew along both edges.

Fold one of the main body fabric to locate the center, then fold your piece of elastic in 3/4 and baste at the center and sew it (zigzag). Finish seam with either a zig-zag stitch to have more stronger stitch. Do the same for the other main body and contrasting panels.

After sewing cut the excess.

align the cornets and pin

Turn the bag so that RIGHT sides are facing in and WRONG sides are facing out. Press well. Then sew a 1/2 inch seam down one side, across the bottom and up the other side. It should be look like this... pic below.

After sewing the seams of the three sides, fold half and inch to the seams twice and run a stitch.

Get the two handle straps you created and pin 3 inches in from the edge of the bag. Sew seams across the top to secure the straps in place. Sew your button about 5 inches below the elastic and you're done!

Finished Product

fold it in three

roll

the button and elastic will keep in hold and folded

Please leave me a message I want to hear from you :) and thanks for dropping by. - Chic Crafter

Marsmallow Lego Man Pop

2012-03-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

My son turned 5 years old this week and he is in-love with lego toys. Although this is a pricey toy to have and yet I love this kid of play, because thru this a lot of thinking and problem solving to put a figure all together. So I thought of this I can make for his birthday to give to his pre-school classmates.

Nowadays, I can see a lots of cake pops in bakeshops and coffee shops and so I thought of making one. And as a working mom I dont have much leisure time to bake, crumble the cake and mold it into round ball. Marsmallow is already a perfect shape already to make the head of lego man. So this is how I make it.

Ingredients:
All are bought at Michaels Craft Store except for Marsmallow
-A pack of medium size of marsmallow
-A pack of mini or smallest size of marsmallow
-Candy melts collor yello Pop stick
-Food color pen

Step 1: Melt the candy according to the package instruction

Step 2: Stick the marsmallow on the stick. I cut the mini size of marsmaller into half and put it on the top. Sorry I make this so easy and fast I forgot to take picture.

Step 3: Dip the marsmallow in the candy melt. Tap few times to take out some excess. See the top now? That is the mini size I stick on the top.

Step 4: Put it on a holder stand, I use a cabbage and stick to it while waiting for it to dry.

You can put it in refrigirator if you dont want to wait too long. I did mine before going to bed and left it on my dining table and when I woke up next day Its perfectly dry and ready to draw the face.

Hydrate

2012-02-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here's to boost weight loss - 2L water, 1 medium cucumber, 1 lemon, 3 strawberies and steep overnight in fridge and drink every day.

Homemade Fabric Softener

2012-02-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

I posted this already last November, but today I make another batch adding essential oil from my previous cold process soap project. I used a 1.5 Tbs. of Lemon zinger and .5 Tbs of Sandal wood and I love the combination of these scents. It has a citrus smell with a little hint of floral scent, I hope you find this helpful for your laundry household budget! Click here for the complete recipe

DIY Homemade Laundry Soap

2012-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

For the homemaker's out there on the budget like me and have passion for savings. I got this idea form Being Creative blog site. I tried my first load yesterday right after the mixing done and it works great! My laundry clothes look's clean and smell fresh. So I'm sharing this wonderful saving money idea to save more money.

Ingredients are pictured below. I got this all together in just one trip at Walmart and cost me $18.59 including tax. According the blogger it will last almost a year, can't believe how much money will be saved. If I bought a TIDE my 18 bucks will only last me for 2 months.

1 - 4lb/12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 - 4lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle I use the pink ZOTE also found in detergent isle.

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle (This is optional, I added it into mine because I have pretty messy kids and the cleaner the better).

Steps:

1. Grate the Naptha Felts or Zote bar.

2. Get a big container and line a garbage bag or large plastic bag on it. (sorry I forgot to take pictures of my container with the plastic bag lining on it.

3. Below is the picture of my all mixed ingredients that I rolled back and forth and it now ready to put in a dry container box.

Make up magnet board

2012-01-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Project cost $6.80
$4 magnets
$2.80 metal sheet
Old frame - free
Extra fabric -free

Time spent: less than 30 minutes

Organized makeup - priceless

Steps:
1. Take out the old picture and save the back side.
2. Fit the metal sheet.
3. Cover the sheet with fabric and use glue gun to attach. Make sure you stretch the fabric for more smoother finish.
4. Put the covered metal sheet and cover it with the picture frame back cover.
5. Put magnets to your makeup and attach.

Easy DIY iPhone Case Tutorial

2011-12-28T22:04:00.001-08:00

My husband gave me new iPhone 4Gs for a Christmas gift (lucky!)... and It's been almost a week now and I haven't get any new case so I thought of creating one and why buying.

Materials:
2 pcs fabrics size 10 x 4 inches
2 pcs fusible interfacing 10 x 4 inches
1 pc fabric size 2x2.5

STEPS:

1. For the tab, fold the 2.5” tall by 2” wide tab piece lengthwise in fourths and edge stitch. Sorry I forgot to take picture how I did it but you can see on the next first picture how the tab looks.

2. Place the fuse interfacing to the wrong side of fabric. Like sandwiching the two fabic. Be careful and make sure that the right side of the fabric are facing each other. And place the tab righ away (see pic below) so you won't forget the tab.

3. Run a stich all round it with 3/8 seam allowance and leave at least 2 - 3 inch open so you can turn it out the right side of the fabric. See the picuture below where I stop and left a 2 inch open.

4. Clip corners and trim a little.

5. Turn the right side of the fabric out. Top stitch the top and bottom.

6. Fold in half with the tab at the back. Stitch as close to the edge as you can while catching all of the layers.

7. Add a Key Ring.

Now I am less to worry about my iphone in getting scratched, and pluss I can add my key on my case for easy find.

Mod Podge and Shoe for Upgrade

2011-12-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

I found this video at http://craftzine.com/ and love the way she updo her shoes. You might want to check it out!

http://youtu.be/ySqKohG_m7U

Winner of my First Giveaway

2011-12-28T09:08:00.001-08:00

Thank you for dropping by and joining the giveaway. Sorry this is a little bit too late, I was out of the country during the holidays. I hope everyone had fun with their family and love ones.

I choose the winner by using the random.org site.

So out of 6 people who drop by for comments the lucky winner is comment #2 majorasue.

Congratulations your 3 Orange Cream will be delivered to you soon. I will send you email to get your address or where to ship.

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Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting a giveaway to which anyone can contribute this week. What a fun event! We get a chance to know other people's blog.

The actual Giveaway Day was Monday, but it is open until the end of the week. I am giving away this natural 3 LIP Balm, which I made.

If you would like to enter to win this tote you need to leave me a comment on this post. Only one comment per person, please (I will remove extra ones). I will draw a random winner after 6 pm on Friday December 23, 2011. If you have not attached an email to your profile, please leave it in the comment. If there is no way to contact you, I will draw again immediately. I am happy to ship within US and Canada.

. Also, don't forget to hit up Sew Mama Sew and enter other great giveaway

DIY Key Ring Holder

2011-12-18T12:22:00.001-08:00

I posted a headband project here last month. The fabric folding and size to be use in this project are the same. Click here for the details.

This project is very easy to make just follow the direction I used on my headband project and instead of putting a rubber band to close the circle you put the key ring instead.

To start with after creating your band fabric insert the key ring before close it.

Run a zigzag stick to make sure it is securely close.

Get a 4 inch long ribbon, I used brown with 1 inch width. Wrap around the ribbon and cover the zigzag stitch. Fold the end of your ribbon in one of the side.

Run a stitch both side to close it securely.

Would you like naturally made flavored Lip Balm? Giveaway Day begins

2011-12-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting a giveaway to which anyone can contribute this week. What a fun event! We get a chance to know other people's blog.

The actual Giveaway Day was Monday, but it is open until the end of the week. I am giving away this natural 3 LIP Balm, which I made.

Family Stick (Free)

2011-12-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Create your family sticks and copy and paste the code to your blog.

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

3 Dollar Hurricane Vase

2011-12-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

Lastnight, before going home from long day of work, I decided to drop by to the Dollar Tree Store near our house to buy some christmas ribbons for my gift wrapping. And ofcourse there are great cheap finds at this store, I thought of William Sonoma hurricane glass with letter W etch on it that I always wanted to buy, but it will cost $68-$78. I know lots of craft blogger already do this project, but I always to add it on my project list and thought other cheap way to do this.

And this what I found at candle/glassware aisle:

First, take out the sticker tags attach on it.

Plug the glue gun to heat up

Fill-in hot glue around the side of the candle holder.

Attach the candle stick holder at the button of the vase.

Make it sure you centered it.

You can put candles, pebbles or pine cones. Maybe I should etched our lastname initial next time when I have more time :)

15 minutes DIY Kleenex Tissue Holder

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

They really are so easy and fast to make! I thought of this project initially what is usuable for this season, with allergy and cold in full swing other than that tissue pouches are great any time of year! They are so easy to make as well. You can create this in less than half an hour (probably closer to 15 minutes!).

What you’ll need:-2 pcs of 6” x 7.5” piece pattern fabric

STEP ONE:

Take your tow fabric, I used two color and place the right sides of the lining and outer fabric together.

STEP TWO:

Run stictch along the side. Leave one side open so you can turn it out.

STEP THREE:

Turn right side out.

STEP FOUR:Stitch a 1/4” seam to the open side.

STEP 5:Take one of the sides and fold in to the middle of the fabric. Repeat with other side with little bit overlapping and stitch a 1/4” seam.

Viola! All done and so simple.

Easy DIY Cosmetic bag

2011-12-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

Before I never knew how to make zipper's, and because I like to share knowledge, I decided I’d write up a little tutorial for my method (and probably the method of others, too). I hope everybody who has used and enjoyed this tutorial!

I didn't mentioned any size of the fabric cut, because you will decide how big or wide you want on your project.

Step1: Lay down the inner fabric, I used a canvas fabric here. If you used another printed fabric put the right side down.
Step 2: Lay another layer of fabric with right side or prints on top. It will be easy and neat to pin it together.
Step 3. Lay down the zipper on to (right side)
Step 4: Sew it and don't forget to use zipper footer.

Step 5: Flip it back and sew it again with 1/8 inch.

Step 6: Do this again to the other side.

Step 7: After sewing the fabric and zipper all together it will be look like this (below) when you spread out. Don't forget to open the zipper halfway or it will be hard when you flip into the right side later.

and the back looks like this....

Step 8: After sewing the zipper, align altogether like sandwiching the zipper.

Step 9: Run a stitch on each side but leave one side open (see pic) of the inner fabric.

Step 10: Cut the corners but don't cut the stitch. I'm doing this so it's not so bulky when I turn it out.

Step 11: Then go ahead and turn the whole thing right-side-out. Turn under about 1/2″ of the bottom of the lining, press it flat, and sew it closed. No more raw edges!

Tuck the lining into the pouch, and it’s practically finished!

All you have to do is iron out any wrinkles and then admire your lovely new pouch with its perfect zip and you are done! Congratulations!

Messegner Bag - fold-over bag tutorial

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

I wish I can make this soon! Thank you Noodlehead!

Now before I get too sappy, here it is: the fold-over bag - a casual and fun spring bag!

Materials needed:
1/2 yard material for exterior (you'll need about 3/4 of a yard if you have a fabric with a directional print)
1/2 yard material for lining
scraps for pocket
double fold bias tape (I made my own, but it's really easy to pick some up at the store, too!)
about a 1/2 yard of medium weight fusible interfacing
2 yards of cotton webbing (1 1/2" wide)
(5) 3/8" grommets
the usual sewing tools: rotary cutter/mat, thread, pins, etc.

Let's get going!
Preparing your material:
First cut your exterior and lining fabrics to 14" wide by 22" tall (2 of exterior, 2 of lining). For the pocket, cut a piece of fabric 8.5" wide by 11" tall (iron on your fusible webbing to the wrong side of this pocket piece). You'll need to use a piece of bias tape approximately 8 3/4" long to use for the top of the pocket and about a 32" piece for the top edge of the bag. In both cases my bias tape wasn't actually bias tape (since we're not using it around any curves it isn't necessary) - it was cut straight across the grain.

For the inside pocket:
You can adjust this pocket size as you see fit, I wanted it to hold my two most important things - my keys and my cell phone. I also like a nice stiff pocket (that's why I'm using the interfacing - so if you don't care about that you can just omit it).

Fold each side in 1/2 inch and press. Fold entire piece wrong sides together in half and press again.

Attach bias tape to the top of the pocket. Next you'll want to take one piece of your lining fabric that's cut to size and fuse on another piece of interfacing to the back side. (This will help your pocket from ripping away from the lining if you get a little crazy digging in the pocket looking for your rigging cell phone.) I place the top of my pocket about 13" from the top of my bag opening.

Sew pocket in place along both sides and bottom (I'm showing the inside of the lining so you can see how I stitched the pocket in place). You may also choose to divide the pocket by sewing a single line of stitching down the pocket.

For the bag:

Next, take the two exterior pieces and place them right sides together. Pin. With a 1/2" seam allowance sew both sides and bottom of bag together, leaving the top open.

To make the boxed corners place your hand inside the bag corner and press together the two seams making a triangle.

Now measure 1 1/2" from the tip of that triangle and make a mark (I use a pin - but that's kind of a lazy and less precise way to make the line) perpendicular to the seam. Sew along that mark.

Trim tip off leaving a 1/2" seam allowance. Repeat for other corner.
Do the same steps above for the lining of the bag.

Assembling the bag:

Place lining into exterior of bag WRONG sides facing together. Align side seams and pin in place.

Take your bias tape and pin in place, aligning raw edges to the raw edges of the top of the bag. Start sewing along the fold about a 1/2" in, leaving a little tail unsewn (we'll take care of this in the next step).

Sew all the way around the top of the bag.

Now, fold in that little tail, that'll leave a nice finished edged when you flip the tape over.

Flip tape over and pin in place, sew close to edge. I had success sewing the bias tape on with the lining side up, but you may want to sew it with the exterior side up since that's the side that you'll be seeing most.

Fold over the top of the bag and press (you can fold it over however far looks good to you, I folded mine down about 6.5" from the top. Looking pretty spiffy now.
Attaching the strap:
I cut my cotton webbing about 49 inches long, but you can pin your strap on the bag and adjust it to fit how you like it. I wanted a cross-body type strap.

For an added punch of color (or pattern if you wish), take a few small pieces of scrap fabric and make them into double fold bias tape. Sew onto raw edges of cotton webbing - this will cover up the raw edges. My first bag I was able to tuck the webbing underneath to hide the raw edge, but the black webbing was pretty thick - so this was a nice alternative. Pin the strap in place centered on the side seams with a tail of it hanging about 4" down from the top of the fold. Mark where your grommets will be placed, cut the holes through all layers of the fabric, insert grommet, hammer into place (be sure to read the directions on the back of the grommet package for full directions). Place two grommets on each side of bag. {If you don't have grommets, or don't like the look, you can also just sew the straps in place, but it can get a little tricky}. Just be sure to make sure your straps aren't crossed and that they are parallel to the side seam when you go to insert your grommets.

Making front tab (this is mostly decorative, but it sort of functions as a pull tab for when you want to open the bag):

Take another piece of scrap fabric 2" wide by 6" long. Fold in long sides 1/4" and press. Fold tab in half with WRONG sides together and press. Tuck under the raw edge about 1/2" at the top and pin in place on bag with this end facing the top of the bag. Sew in place by topstitching all the way around the rectangle and making a square with your stitching where it meets the bag. Attach grommet.

You're done! This can be a really fun and functional bag. I used a home dec weight fabric from ikea for the exterior of this bag, but you could also use a regular quilting weight cotton. You might want to interface it with some medium weight interfacing if you choose to use a regular quilting cotton, unless you want a really 'slouchy' bag. Enjoy! Here's an alternate version I made using slightly different bag measurements, but the same concept:

Terms of use: For personal use only.

Easy Page Corner Bookmarks

2011-11-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

Found this clever project of Page Corner Bookmarks visit nheilke.

I used to believe that a person could never have too many books, or too many bookmarks. Then I moved into an apartment slightly larger than some people’s closets (and much smaller than many people’s garages) and all these beliefs got turned on their naïeve little heads.
But what a person can always look for more of is really cool unique bookmarks. Placeholders special enough for the books that are special enough to remain in your culled-out-of-spacial-necessity collection.
Page corner bookmarks are cute, practical and deeply under-represented in the world. They’re easy to make, easy to customize, and will set you apart from all those same-same flat rectangular bookmarks. Corner bookmarks are where it’s at.

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What you’ll need:

pretty paper of cardstock weight OR a combination of plain cardstock and pretty, decorated lighter weight paper
scissors
ruler
mechanical pencil
glue stick
[optional] other decorating tools, such as crayons, markers, stamps, stickers, ink pads, embossing powder, etc.
page corner monster bookmark template (or you can make your own using the instructions below)

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Putting it all together:
Below, I’ll teach you how to make two similar-but-different types of corner bookmarks. The first is a square overlapped by a triangle , the second is a triangle overlapped by a smaller triangle.
If you are making your own template from scratch, follow all the steps below. If you’re using the PDF template linked to above, cut the pieces out and skip to step 5.
1) Ok, the very simplest thing to do is to cut a triangular piece off the corner of an envelope, and use that. Decorate it if you wish. If you want to get a bit more in depth, ignore the envelope method and move on to step 2.

2) On a piece of plain scrap paper, draw a square. Use your ruler so its sides are perfectly straight. Don’t make it too big – mine measured 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches, though you could go larger than that. Draw second square exactly the same size on the right side of the first square (so they share a side) and a third square exactly the same size on the top of the first square. You should end up with 3 squares that compose an L shape.

3) Using your ruler, draw a diagonal line across the uppermost square, from its top right corner to its bottom left corner. Scribble out the upper left half (now a triangle) of the square, as you won’t be using that part.

Next, draw a diagonal line across the bottom right square, from its top right corner to its bottom left corner. Scribble out the lower right half (now a triangle) of this square.

4) Cut out all parts of the entire shape that have not been scribbled out. This should be a square with two triangles attached to it, one on the top and one on the right. This is your template.

5) Trace your template onto your pretty piece of cardstock (or onto the plain piece of cardstock that you intend to decorate), and cut the shape out.

6) Using your ruler and the tip of your mechanical pencil with no lead showing, score a line (make an indent) along the edges of the square that connect to the two triangles.

6.5) [optional] Cut a square of pretty paper slightly smaller than the one you used for your template and glue it onto the square portion of your shape. I generally do this if the paper I’m using is quite plain.

7) Fold one triangle inwards, so it covers the upper half of the square.

8) Apply glue to the underside (the side still facing up) of the second triangle, and fold it over onto the first triangle.

8.5) [optional] As in step 6.5, if you’ve used plain cardstock and want to glue fancy paper on top of it, cut out a triangle of the fancy paper that’s slightly smaller than the folded-over triangles of the bookmark. Glue the smaller triangle on top of the larger, folded-over ones.

9) Add any decorations or illustrations you wish. Use by slipping over the corner of the page you wish to mark, like a pocket.

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Now, here’s how to make a triangular bookmark, where the back is a triangle and not a square.
1) Follow steps 2 and 3 from above.

2) Use your ruler to draw a diagonal line across the remaining, center square, from its bottom right to its top left. Then draw another line, parallel to the one you just created but about 1/2 inch lower down. Erase the first line.

3) Extend the shape’s bottom line and the two side lines so that they meet up. You should now have a shape that looks like a castle flag: a rectangle with a triangular indent at one end.

4) Cut the shape out.

5) Trace the template onto your nice paper. Be sure to make a little mark on either side where the corners of the two outer triangles meet the inner triangle , and extend this mark onto the inside of your shape.

Cut the shape out. If you want a fancy bottom edge, cut that line with fancy scrapbooking scissors.

6) Now follow steps 7 – 11 from above, scoring along the appropriate lines, folding the two outer triangles in on top of each other, gluing them down and adding any fancy paper or other embellishments.

(I actually turned mine over at this point and folded it the other way, so the colours were switched. See below.)

EDIT: Here’s another take on monstrous page corner bookmarks, from another artist who thought it up completely separate from me, long before I even thought of thinking about doing this project or writing this post. Great minds, eh?
2nd EDIT: Many people have seen this blog post over the past months, and many have commented very kindly on it, and many have used the tutorial to make their own page corner bookmarks. A number of the links following the comments below lead to wonderful images of other people’s creative takes on this project. I wanted to post one image in particular here, which I take from the Priestthorpe Primary School Blog. There, a whole classroom of kids made their own page corner bookmarks, and they look fabulous! I love all the different personalities displayed.

Thanks to all of you who’ve shared your own page corner bookmark results, and all of you who’ve said such kind things about the project. It’s heartwarming to think about all the books around the world that are having their page corners nibbled at this very instant.
3rd EDIT: Yet more thanks to all the folks who continue to make use of this tutorial and post your own wonderful versions. Here’s another idea: This crafter decided to use small round stick-on jewels for the pupils, which I think looks great. The downside of course is that they protrude a bit, so your book won’t close flat, but if they’re fairly small jewels it shouldn’t be too bad. Stickers, sequins or paper buttons could also make great pupil substitutes

DIY Headband - Easy

2011-11-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is the most easiest DIY headband to make and thanks to bluebird studio for sharing this tutorial, please find time to visit her blog. I guess everyone will get their headband and I need to make more for stocking filling this holiday.

All you need is 20-22 in by 4 in of your scrap fabric and elastic hair bond.

Step 1: Cut your 20-22 in by 4 fabric, and fold in half and iron.

Step 2: Fold the edge going to ther center. Do the something to the other edge.

NOTE: It will easy to sew if you iron it first.

Step 3: Run top stictch at both edge...

Step 4: Make a flap by folding the end in 1/4 inch. Place the elastic hair band inside the flap and fold it again to the end and sew.

Step 5: Do this as well to the other end to connect.

Happy Sewing!

DIY Homemade Lip Balm

2011-11-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

I took a cold process soap making a few months ago, and this how my curiosity kicks in making a homemade bath and body, after research and nice chit chat with my classmates and instructor I got inspired and amazed how beneficial and cheap it can be, and knowing what raw ingridients commercial products puts in thier goods. And I was surprise how easy as ABC lib balms to make, I can do only 1oz of the solution and I can fill up 6-8 lip balm tubes just enough for family members and friends to give.

Here's my first Lip Balm project and I wanted to share it with you. There are so many suppliers out there but I usually bought my supplies from http://www.thesage.com/, I found about this website from http://www.marthastewart.com/ and from my cold process soap class instructor. Their price is very competitive to compare with the other suppliers, they have good customer service, good quality, and they ship fast too. But find local suppliers around your area if you can so that can save more on your shipping.

Please visit me at http://www.bonanza.com/booths/naturefusion

http://naturefusion.artfire.com/

Orange Cream Lip Balm Recipe

NOTE: This can fill 6 or more lip balm tubes.

Ingredients:

.25 ounces Beeswax

.33 ounces Shea Butter, Refined

.33 ounces Regular Cocoa Butter

.40 ounces Sweet Almond Oil

2 mL Vitamin E Acetate

10 drops Orange Cream Flavor

Materials Used:

Beaker

Spatula or Stirrer

Weighting Scale

Double Broiler or Microwave oven if not available

Steps:

1. Weigh all ingredients, then melt the oils and Beeswax in microwave.

2. Add the essential oil and pour into prepared containers. Always use pastic dropper, glass dropper tends to cool easily.

3. Let them cool at least for 10 minutes then cap.

This quantity fills 6 lip balm tubes with just enough remaining for your anxious family members to sample

Please visit me at http://www.bonanza.com/booths/naturefusion