Helmar Creative Team

Christmas Gift Bags:

Hello, today I have some quick and simple to put together Christmas gift bags.

I use these for teacher gifts, work mate's secret santa gifts and smaller gifts for the family. 

I purchased my paper bags from K Mart and they were super cheap. I then went through my stash collecting all things Christmas, paper and embellishments.

Firstly I made two holes at the top of the bag, evenly centred so I can tie them with string/twine when I have finished decorating. Turn the top of your bag down at 1/2 inch before making the holes as in the below picture.

I then cut a paper piece to cover the front of my bag and attached with Helmar Quick Dry 450 Glue.

On some of these paper pieces I machine sewed before attaching.

Then it is really about decorating your bags. Here I have added a die cut and a Christmas flower. In another bag I added wood veneer pinecones and used PVA glue as it ensures these embellishments stay in place as they are heavier and textured as opposed to paper.

I have used twine and threaded through the top two holes and tied a bow to finish off my bag.

Here are some other bags I made.

Here are the two Helmar adhesives I used:

 Helmar PVA Glue

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive

So if you have a little spare time these really are quick to make once you have your supplies lined up and ready to go.

Thank you for stopping by today and I shall take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas. See you next year for more crafting inspiration!

 

Winter Wonderland Rustic Grapevine Ornaments

 Hi Everyone, Erin Reed here today!  I love the look of rustic and winter, reminds me of being cozy for the holidays.  I found these amazing grapevine balls with a hint of frosting white of them, and paired them up with some pine and pearl berry sprays to make a fun ornament or a decor item.

Here is a video on how to make these fun rustic grapevine decor spheres.

 

I started with the supplies of the grapevine balls, pine sprays, pearl berries, burlap, and my trusty Helmar Craft Glue.  It give a great hold and does not take long to dry, so it is perfect for this craft!!

Start with attaching the pine spray section to the ball, then add in the berries, this Helmar glue is amazing!!!

Add in a little burlap bow and a twine string at the top and it creates an amazing rustic ornament!!

You can also add a few decorated balls and plain balls with a few extra sprays into a wood bowl for an amazing centerpiece!!

What are you making for the holidays this year? Check out Helmar on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook for more inspiration!

Fall Mixed Media Greeting Card

Hi crafty friends! Jeanne here back with a fall themed mixed media card. I really love the Amber Moon collection from Prima and felt it was the appropriate time before the Christmas season starts to make this greeting card. 

                   Here are some closer shots of the card

I began cutting kraft cardstock to make a 5 1/2 X 5 1/2 card. I picked out a cut out paper from the Prima Amber Moon collection, I distressed the edges with my Prima distress tool, then with a dauber & Walnut Stain Distress Ink, I used it along all the edges.

 

I also used a stencil on the corner of my paper, I used DecoArt Modeling Paste on it. I then dried it with my heat tool, then splattered some of the Worn Leather Prima Bloom spray and sprayed water along the stenciled area.

I then began adhering the paper to the kraft cardstock with Helmar Super Tac EVA Glue. I then adhered the cotton lace using the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. 

I then began adhering the flowers that matched the collection, some do go with this paper line. I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the flowers to my card.After I adhered the flowers I picked out one of the ephemera sentiment banners from the collection , I distressed it with my tool, inked it and added some of the Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to prop it up.

Lastly, I wanted to add some of the Prima Amber Moon Say It In Crystals to the card. I used the Helmar Gemstone Adhesive to adhere them. 

I hope that you like my latest project and know that mixed media can be something simple like this card. Till next time! XOXO

Teabag Art: The Attitude is Gratitude

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!  Guess what? I am arting on teabags today, making thank you cards after a wonderful Thanksgiving.. Here check them out!  

    

 

The items needed are.

Helmar Super Tac Glue

Helmar PVC Glue

Old tea bags

cardstock

clear gesso (created from a previous post here)

fineliner (optional)

watercolors

micron pen (optional)

glitter and metallic paper inclusives

rubber stamps

archival ink pad

paint brush 

painters tape

Xacto pen knife

 Under usual circumstances you would need to brew a batch or so of tea and let the bags dry out.. remove the tags...gently open the bags and remove the tea remains.  You are then left with a lightly tinted tea bag papers.  Grabbed my  clear gesso I made from a previous Helmar post found here, where I took the Helmar PVA with Fredrix Marble dust and made clear gesso. 

(photo from  previous post)

I use the clear gesso specifically to prime the used tea bags without taking away any color. The painters tape was use to create super clean edges. 

I also added some angels wings, hoping to add a lil organic look back to the pictures.. I hoped the color wild bleed a little into the teabag paper.. that was a fail.. :)  but not really..

 

That last picture wasn't very flattering, but that's ok.. That's when you *work thru the uglies*, haha. I think all art has a less then flattering look at one stage or another and you just vision through it all.. and keep creating.

This is the point where I grabbed some stamps and ink to add an owl from a third page of teabags and cardstock. and popped it on the page with some Helmar Super Tac. I added a lil glitter and some metallic paper inclusives (fancy glitter for handmade paper making) Then I took out my watercolor pots by ColourArte and added even more shimmer and color.

Here are just a few more close ups..

 
 

 

Christmas Bauble tree

HI there, Its Bridget here today and I want to share with you a fun little Christmas Decoration I made.

 

 

This was so easy to make and you only need a few things:

Helmar Super Tac Glue

Stacking tree (I found this at kmart)

2 packets medium baubles

3 packets small baubles

Star for the top.

 

Then all you need to do is remove the hanging thread and randomly glue them in.

Then you just need to leave it to dry.  There are so many colour combos you could try with this project and they would all look stunning! What is your christmas decor colour combo this year? Once again here is my stacking bauble tree. I also added a star onto the top of the tree to complete it.

Thank you for joining me again, Happy crafting.

Sweet Marlie

Good afternoon crafty peeps. Today I'm sharing a layout of a lovely friend's
baby girl, Marlie. Only a couple of weeks old at the time and she's just adorable.
I used my favourite Helmar adhesives to complete the layout.

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Helmar Fabric Glue
Helmar Gemstone Glue
Helmar Scrap Dots

I also used
Kaisercraft Cardstock
DCWV Rose Gold Stack
Cocoa Vanilla Studios Hello Lovely Collection
Cocoa Vanilla Studios Love Always Collection
Creative Place Vintage Escape collection
Spotlight Tulle, ribbon, sequins and beads
Crate paper Cute Girl Collection
The Craft Stall embellishments
My Mind's Eye Blush Collection
D'Lish Scraps embellishments
Kaisercraft wood Veneers
Kaisercraft Stamp
Colour Box ink
Sewing machine
Stapler

 

To begin I chose some lovely soft pink and cream papers and stuck them down with 450. 
It's magic, it dries so quickly you can just keep going with your projects.

Next I made the tulle embellishment. I cut a small strip of tulle (roughly 20cm by 5cm)
and used a lot of Helmar fabric glue to pleat it behind the die cut.

I continued with the Fabric glue on the sweet white bow


And the lovely pom-pom ribbon.

Next I glued the wood veneers in place with 450.

For the title I used Helmar Scrap Dot's for dimension, it worked beautifully.

To finish  I glued some pretty sequins and beads with Helmar's wonderful Gemstone Glue.

I don't know what I'd do without Helmar's trusty adhesives!
here's the finished layout, enjoy.

 

 

Lisa with a Scrapbooking Layout - Driving related

Hi there

Lisa here today to share a Driving related project.

This theme is quite prominent for me at the moment as I have 2 teenagers learning to drive. My daughter is 19 & has almost achieved her 120 hours in order to go for her probationary licence.

My son (pictured) just turned 16 so he has just got his learners & this photo was his first drive. He did really well & is loving it!

As a parent I think this ahs been one of the most stressful experiences! That being said that's a reflection on me - not their driving ability lol

So here is the Scrapbooking page I created to document the event...

As he is a teenage I wanted to make the colour scheme & embellishments scheme a little more grown up. I love using a back & white scheme with one other main colour. In this case yellow.

My choice of adhesives & the stars of the show were...

Acid Free Glue 

Liquid Scrap Dots

I start my project by selecting my photo & patterned papers. I decided to create corner borders for interest. A good TIP is once you've cut one corner, flip it over & use it as a template to cut the 2nd piece this will insure that they are the same size & angle.

As you can see in the photo I applied the Acid Free glue to the reverse of the piece I am sticking down - then apply it to my base. I always like to make sure that when apply the glue - I don't go to close to the edges as the glue will spread when you gently smooth it down.

I also used the Acid Free glue to adhere all the layers behind the photo.

Once all the layers were together I wanted to add some height when applying to the page. For this I used the Liquid Scrap Dots which is perfect for this.

Here you can see the dimension.

I'll leave you with some close ups. You can see I added a yellow punched scalloped border with the Acid Free glue, then added some slim glitter washi to finish it off. I also used some cute word stickers & enamel dots to complete my layout.

The acetate pieces I just adhered using a tiny staple.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed my share. Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom

Today I have a photo frame project for you. 

My mom recently entered a nursing home and we have been bringing photos and decorations for her room. I thought she might enjoy a photo collage of four of her favorite photos. She was an only child so I have one of her and her parents, one of her and my dad who died when I was young, an old photo of my sisters and I and a more recent photo of us and mom. 

My supplies included a variety of papers, embellishments trims and Helmar 450 Quick Dry and ScrapDots.

.

 

The background under the frame is a piece of pattern paper and a 7Gypsies Architextures Clock. I glued the paper to the back of the grid. In addition to the photo, in each square I added a piece or two of pattern paper.

 

I added dimension by applying Scrap Dots to the back of each photo. 

 

Helmar 450 sets quickly which was perfect for adding the trim and flower cluster. 

 

 

I think my mom will enjoy having this in her room. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this project which is a great gift for anyone in our family - young or old! 

Thank you for joining me today! Don't forget to visit Helmar for all of your adhesive needs!

 

Butterfly journal

Hi all Vicki-Ann here today and today I wanted to show how you can incorporate some sewing into your art. I have been loving using my sewing machine to add some texture and details into my art. I have been using it on my collage pieces and then using my Helmar Tacky Craft Glue to glue it down. 

 Items that I used for this project

•  Helmar Tacky Craft Glue 
• Helmar Decoupage Craft Paste
• Helmar paint and glue spreader
• Wooden journal cover
• Rings
• Scrapbook papers
• Scrap book and dictionary papers
• Decoart Crackle paste
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Sand paper
• Washi tape
• Plasterers tape
• Palette knife
• Distress ink
• Blending tool 

First I sanded back the edges of my wooden cover. I then traced the cover of my wooden journal onto the back of the scrapbook paper. Then cut that out with my scissors.

 Using my Helmar Decoupage Craft Paste I covered the wooden journal cover with glue with my paint and glue spreader.

  Then popped the paper that I had cut out over the top and using the paint and glue spreader smoothed out any bumps so you get a fabulous seal.

Once this is dry I covered the back just tearing book and dictionary papers and using the Helmar Decoupage Craft Paste and the glue spreader I just covered it all till no wood is showing.  

 

To get great edges I use a piece of fine sandpaper and smooth all the edges once it's all dry.  You could also use a cardboard nail file. That also works really well. I used some Distress ink and a blending tool on the edges of the wooden cover and on the edges of the papers. So they would blend together a bit better. 

To do the collage I wanted to use that butterfly as my focal point so I gathered papers that matched my background and layered till I was happy with the look of it. Making sure that the book paper underneath the butterfly had enough room to sew around it. Then using the Helmar Tacky Craft Glue I put the layers together. Once it is dry, I sewed it all together with my sewing machine.

 

I thought it still needed something underneath the sewn part so I grabbed some washi tape and some plasterers tape and put that directly on my cover.  I grabbed some of the Decoart Crackle Paste and a Palette knife and added it to 3 of the corners. I just love crackle texture. 

 

To add the sewn part I used the Helmar Tacky Craft Glue and the paint and glue spreader and put it on the back. Making sure to Spread it around to all the edges. This holds all those layers on to the cover really well.  

 

Using a clip I just stuck some of the strips of paper I had left over so I could use them in my journal. 

 

You could easily use some stiff cardboard and use this same technique. I hope this tutorial helps you to make yourself a journal. 

Remembrance

 

Hi Everyone, Its Bridget here to share with you another creation I have made using Helmar adhesives.  This month I have created a very special scrapbooking page to me.  It's a photo of my granddad with his mates when he was away at war. 

I choose to capture this moment now because this month is remembrance day.  In Australia we celebrate remembrance day on the 11th of November every year.  On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes’ silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. 

Here is the page I created:

Some items used:

Helmar Acid Free glue

Helmar Decoupage and Craft Paste

Helmar Scrapdots

Water colour

texture paste

 wycinanka wood veneer

burdy embellies chevron arrows

First i created a background using texture paste and watercolour.

I often use the "smooshing" technique to apply watercolour. Its is so easy and simple. Just on a piece of plastic put your watercolour on, flip it onto your paper and gently rub or smoosh your colour onto the page. I just used browns for this page.

 

Then even though this is a copy of the original photo, I still wanted to protect it as much as I can.  So I used Helmars Acid free Glue, to add some strips of paper.

My granddad loved horse racing, so from the racing section on the paper I glued downs some bits of newspaper using Helmar's Decoupage Paste.

Next using scrapdots I added the photo.

I love how Helmar Scrap Dots lift my photo off the page.

All that was left to do was add some embellishments using Helmars acid free glue and I was done. I couldn't think of a title that captured what I felt when I look at this photo, so my page is without a title. Once again here is my page.

 

Thank you for joining me.  Happy crafting.