The Magic Bean

Freebie Friday - French Inspired Craft Tutorials

2012-05-25T07:52:00+01:00

This week I had a wee "vacances" in Paris. That would be "holiday" if you don't speak French. Even if you don't speak French you can find a project below with a little French twist, that bit of "je ne sais quoi" that makes it extra special.

New to the Magic Bean?

Every Friday I do a round-up of free craft tutorials on a certain theme. So stop by every Friday for your weekly dose of free crafts, patterns and tutorials. Or browse for more free resources by combing through the "Free Craft Tutorials & Patterns" category (just click the link) or use the Google Search function on the top left of my blog to search for something specific.

Interiors and Home

Make a French vintage inspired laundry hamper with a tutorial on Apartment Therapy.

Make your own French soap Savon de Marseille with a free tutorial on MarthaStewart.com.

Create a DIY French memo board with a tutorial shared by Jaime on the blog Everyday Art.

Make some French Fruit Wall Art with a tutorial from Crafts by Amanda.

Make a French Provencial Inspired Wall Relief with a tutorial created by Walter, on Mod Podge Rocks.

Great for a multitude of sewing and interiors project, this tutorial from the Graphics fairy shows you how to make a French grain sack from a free printable image.

Printables and Paper Dolls

The Graphics Fairy has a wealth of free printable images, including an entire free French printable images category. Click the link to check to browse the French images. One of my favourites is the Marie Antoinette Digital Collage sheet. Click the link to see the Versailles inspired images.

Download a free vintage French paper craft and paper doll book created by Holly and shared on her blog Chez Beeper Bebe.

If you have a passion for paper dolls, download Flora the paper doll and her French Ballgown from Paperthin Personas.

Download the cutest free printable French gift tags from Amy at Eat Drink Chic.

Dolls and Doll Costuming

Make a simple but chic French beret for a doll with a tutorial on BJD magazine.

Make a fabulous applique cloth Kokeshi doll with a tutorial on the French blog Cre-Enfantin. The tutorial is in French, but if you use Google Translate you can translate each section or the entire blog.

Don't forget that many of the 18th century doll costuming tutorials that I shared in this older post were French inspired, so if you are looking for Marie Antoinette dolls or costuming, click the link to go through the links to free tutorials.

One more for the road...

I've linked to this one before, but I'll share it again, a French Market Bag tutorial with Coco Chanel Handles as shared on the Sew4Home site. Click the link to see how to make it.

Wordless Wednesday - Through the Mist

2012-05-23T08:19:00+01:00

Colleen Babcock

Freebie Friday - Tutorials and Crafts that Help Preserve Your Memories

2012-05-18T09:07:00+01:00

Scrapbooking is the craft that most often springs to mind when you think of preserving memories, but there are all sorts of other ways that you can remember special people and moments. Here are a few tutorials that I've found that allow you to display treasured photos and mementos in new and interesting ways. Many of these would make great gifts for Father's Day coming up in June.

New to the Magic Bean?

Martha Stewart shared a great idea to use your computer scanner to scan fabric from favourite items of clothing then, make this display of favourite clothing. Click the link to see a tutorial, get the templates and to see the how-to video.

Disney Family Fun shared an tutorial to turn an old sport jersey into a memory board.

Anna from My Life and Kids, guest blogged over at Mod Podge Rocks and shared a tutorial to make handprint canvases. Anna intended these to be for Mother's Day but they would be equally great for Father's Day. What's good for the goose and all that.

Another tutorial created with Mother's Day in mind, but great for any gift, a PVC pipe bud vase with photos, as created by David on Mod Podge Rocks.

Kimbo at Girl with a Glue Gun shared a tutorial to make a memory that you can take with you - a DIY key tag marked with the finger print of a loved one.

Emma who writes the Knit 1 Slip 1 blog shared a tutorial to make a personalised charm. Click the link to see how she did it.

Julia at Everyday Mom Ideas shared a tutorial to create a Memory Lane Board Game - a great way to talk about your memories.

Julia Sandvoss shared a tutorial on the Making Memories blog for creating a special reminder of your holidays in a jar. Don't you just wish you could bottle up some memories so you could have them forever - well now you can!

Kate Riley from Centsational Girl guest blogged at Front and Main and shared another type of memory jar tutorial using stacked apothecary jars.

Here's a picture perfect gift idea for Father's Day, a photo frame made of old ties. Get framed by clicking the link to see the tutorial on the Plaid website.

And don't forget my very own tutorial to make Fabric Baby Blocks Stuffed with Memories. The tutorial covers printing photos directly onto fabric and making the photos into soft baby blocks.

If you love to make cloth dolls, as I do, re-visit this older post about healing dolls where I give several links and ideas for creating a memorable reminder of someone special using a doll.

Even if a moment lasts just seconds the memory can live forever. Let's hope these crafts help you to preserve those precious seconds.

Wordless Wednesday - The Wise Woman of Wookey Hole

2012-05-16T08:17:00+01:00

Colleen Babcock

Tutorial for a Bottled Lightning Bug Night Light Made from Recycled Materials

2012-05-15T17:37:25+01:00

As of today, May 15th, 2012, you have one month left to make a doll for the Doll Street Re-Imagine History challenge that I am hosting.

In celebration of our sponsors who are offering each of our winners over $100 US in prizes, I'm featuring each sponsor in turn ahead of the June 15th deadline for entries, starting with prizes offered by Eucalan. No matter where you are in the world you can participate in this challenge and win yourself some amazing goodies which includes a Custom Gift Pack of Eucalan products. The custom gift pack includes 4 x 100ml bottles of Eucalan No Rinse Delicate Wash plus handy travel size packages of Eucalan worth a total of $30.

And I have a fantastic free tutorial that will make sure that you'll enjoy your prize even after you've used up your Eucalan No Rinse Delicate Wash - a Bottled Lightning Bug Night Light made from an empty 100ml bottle of Eucalan.

Click the link to download the free pattern and instructions for this fun recylced project in PDF format: Download Bottled Lightning Bug Instructions and pattern

Tip: If you are having trouble downloading the pattern and instructions then please ensure that you have Adobe Reader installed and that you have updated your Adobe Reader. It is free to both download the reader and to update it, just click the link to visit the Adobe site.

As I am rather addicted to Eucalan products myself , I go through bottles of Eucalan on a regular basis (I use the No Rinse Delicate Wash for crafts as well as washing all my delicates and I never go anywhere without Eucalan's Stain Treating Towelettes). With all those beautifully shaped empty bottles around I can't resist creating projects from the packaging; including my Eucalan bottle doll tutorial called A Delicate Disposition. Click the link to see that free tutorial and pattern and to read my top 5 uses for Eucalan.

If you are keen to win yourself some Eucalan products, click the link to see the Re-Imagine History Doll Challenge Rules and get the entry form. You can also find out more about our other sponsors and the other great prizes on offer.

Please feel free to link to my free projects, however, as a courtesy, if you wish to link to this project, please link to this page and not directly to the downloadable PDF file. Please do not save the PDF file and upload it to your own blog. Thank you!

I shared this tutorial at:

Freebie Friday - Free Banner, Bunting, Pennant, Garland or Whatever You Want to Call Them Tutorials

2012-05-11T08:48:00+01:00

They go by so many names: bunting, banners, pennants, garlands, but whatever you want to call them they are great for celebrations of all sorts. Bunting will be particularly popular for the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations coming up, but I say use any excuse to break out the banners.

New to the Magic Bean?

Just Bunting

AllAboutYou.com shared a very simple way to re-use old shirts by making them into bunting. Click the link to see the instructions.

Cheri who writes one of my favourite blogs, I Am Mama Hear Me Roar shared a tutorial to make a garland out of scraps. Click the link to see how she did it.

Brighten things up with some paper bunting made from wrapping paper or even old comics with these instructions from AllAboutYou.com.

Jessica Jones, the design genius behind the blog How About Orange, shared a tutorial to make thise super fun Compliment Bunting.

If you want to re-use your bunting for any special occasion consider making this bunting tutorial which features a clear vinyl pouch in the bunting so you can insert a photo relevant to the occasion, as shared on Tie Dye Diva Patterns.

Sew up a fabric bunting with a tutorial on Moda Bakeshop as designed by Wendy Poling of the blog Sewing in the Wendy City.

Bunting Adorned Stuff

Cathe at Just Something I Made has a tutorial for the most gorgeous Pennant Bunting Greeting Cards. Click the link to see the tutorial.

On the blog Mrs Priss, learn to make a super cool bunting necklace using this free tutorial.

OK, brace yourself for the cuteness - learn how to dress up a plain shirt with a string of mini-bunting with a tutorial on the blog Just a Bettie Trying to Be a Martha.

Suzanne at Just Another Hangup, shared a great tutorial to make a pouch festooned with bunting. Click the link to see how to do it.

Suzanne of Just Another Hangup used a similar principle to make a Kindle case decorated with bunting. Click the link to see how Suzanne changed up the measurements to make the Kindle case version.

Here's hoping you string out the fun with these bunting tutorials no matter what you are celebrating.

Wordless Wednesday - Nesting in a Roman Ruin

2012-05-09T08:33:00+01:00

Colleen Babcock

Whipping Up a Guest Blog Post About Creativity

2012-05-08T14:25:14+01:00

Today I am guest blogging at Whip Up. Kathreen, who writes the blog Whip Up, has asked creative types, including me, to write about their creative process for her special guest blogger series.

I've been really enjoying reading about other people's creative journeys as part of this series. I hope you'll enjoy reading about mine. Click the link to read about My 4 Essential Creative Truths.

I'd really be interested to know - do any of my creative truths ring true with you? What are your creative truths? I hope I'm not the only one who gets creative while wearing one shoe or in the shower. Having said that, I just found this quotation which suggests that I'm not alone in how my creative epiphanies dawn:

“Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.” — Nolan Bushnell

Want to read more about my creative process? Here are some of my thoughts on Finding Inspiration and The Evolution of a Doll Design Idea.

Here's hoping you come out of the shower with an idea and then do something with it!

Look What Doris Made

2012-05-05T16:50:09+01:00

You know what makes me deep down in the gut happy?

When I open my inbox in the morning and find photos from a student who has taken one of my doll making classes or has made one of my patterns.

So when I opened an email from Doris Purvis FULL of images of dolls that she has made in my classes or using one of my patterns - well, let's just say I was pretty excited.

But when I saw how outstanding Doris' dolls were I was ready to burst. Bursting can be messy, so I decide to brag instead. I think it is safe to say that Doris has really taken her doll making to a new level. I'm proud to say that I had a tiny part in that.

Doris took my Ascending cloth doll class back in November at Blue Haze in Chesham. Although I originally created this doll to be held aloft on a stand, I told the class that I thought the doll would look really wonderful posed on her front, mounted on a sea themed base to look as though she were swimming. And Doris did just that to absolutely stunning effect. This doll is so beautiful I wish I could claim I'd made her myself.

Doris also attended my recent Finders Keepers class and this gorgeous cutie is the result. She so looks the part in her little bonnet and dress that I couldn't resist making her photo look like an old-fashioned daguerreotype.

Doris also attended my All Bottled Up Doorstop doll course with the Doll Maker's Circle in January and made this beautiful version of my no-sewing machine necessary doll. Look at that face!

And Doris made this dreamy version of my Stitch in Time design after yet another doll making class at Blue Haze in Chesham. Look at the face and the gorgeous colour scheme.

And Doris has made several dolls using my patterns too, including this delicate and lady-like version of Gather Ye Rosebuds...

A fun spin on my Give Us a Kiss pattern where Doris substituted the ball of mistletoe that the original version was holding onto with a sign that reads "Kiss"...

And a super cute, super sleepy intrepretation of my free cloth doll pattern Little Sneaks...

And not forgetting Doris' version of my free Pinelope pin cushion doll pattern. I might have troubles sticking pins into something with a face that darn cute.

I can't wait to see what Doris makes next. There is really no greater thrill as a teacher than seeing something of this quality being created by your students.

Thank you Doris!

Freebie Friday - Union Jack Craft Tutorials

2012-05-04T08:20:00+01:00

Whether you are flying the flag for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in June, or for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games later in the summer, or even if you just love the iconic symbol, here are a host of Union Jack inspired crafts that you'll love.

New to the Magic Bean?

Knit a Union Jack pillow in muted colours as designed by Martin Storey for Rowan and shared on AllAboutYou.com. Click the link to get the free pattern.

Becca who blogs at From Gardeners Two Bergers shared a tutorial to make this simple but effective ruffled Union Jack pillow.

Lynne Goldsworthy of the blog Lily's Quilts shared at tutorial on Moda Bakeshop to make this shabby chic Union Jack wallhanging. Click the link to see the tutorial.

AllAboutYou.com shared some very simple instructions to sew a Union Jack Pillow.

Jan Constantine shared a tutorial to make an applique and embroidered Union Jack pillow on AllAboutYou.com.

Barb Blair shared at tutorial on Design Sponge to refurbish a chest of drawers with the Union Jack symbol. Learn exactly how to refinish furnish with the Union Jack by clicking the link.

Ashley at Make It Love It shared a tutorial to refashion a plain pair of jeans using denim scraps to create a Union Jack applique on one leg. Click the link to see this tutorial.

Janine, otherwise known as the creative force behind the blog Heidi in Lederhosen, shared a tutorial to personalise a t-shirt with a name spelled out with the Union Jack.

Janine at Heidi in Lederhosen has a real passion for the Union Jack so she has several more Union Jack inspired craft tutorials, including:

A Union Jack I-phone cover

A Royal Pouch tutorial with the Union Jack proudly displayed on this little bag's side.

And don't forget my very own Union Jack adorned "I Was Born to Be Royalty" Tea Towel tutorial.

The Union Jack is not just the flag of the UK, but also a really popular design feature at the minute. Maybe it's the Will and Kate effect, but it seems that the Union Jack really is the new black.