Helmar Creative Team

Flower Nymph by Suzanne Franin

Hey Everyone Suzanne here

 

This time on the Helmar Blog I created a cage filled with flowers and a Nymph hiding in amongst all the of them.

Make sure to visit the Helmar Website to find out your closest stocklist.

And remember to check the Helmar Blog for more inspiration from the other Design team members !

 

I've had this Prima Bird Cage for ever a friend and I were going to do them together but then she opened a gift shop and hasn't crafted since so I thought it's about time I used it 

Mum and I went shopping in a big cheap craft store and they sold lots of flowers and materials wool etc so we bought lots of flowers and some of this mesh. 

Mum got some bits and pieces too.

I used the Fabric Glue adhere the glitter mesh to the back of the cage.

 I stuck a few layers of cardboard using the Premium Craft Glue (it's my go to at the moment) together so there was height and the Nymph would stand out amongst the flowers. 

I painted the paper clay Nymph with Finnabair Acrylic Paint Sparks and stuck it to the back of the cage and material with the 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

I used a lot of different sized gems which I scattered around the whole cage as well as used them in the Nymphs eyes so I used the Gemstone Glue to adhere them over the flowers and on the bottom of the cage.

 

With the Nymph it has detail that stands out so I used Finnabair Art Alchemy Opal Magic Vintage Silk Wax.

It's such a pretty colour and not too bright just enough to make the details pop.

 

 

 

I used Finnabair Art Alchemy Opal Magic Vintage Silk Wax on the Heart as well and added a large flower to go with it.

 

Helmar Products I used

Fabric Glue

 Premium Craft Glue

450 Quick Dry Adhesive

 Gemstone Glue

 

 Thank you for visiting and I hope you come back soon! x

A Birdie Card with Robyn Wood

Hello! It’s Robyn Wood with you today sharing a sweet birdie double Z fold card featuring Helmar adhesive. I like to create cards with different folds and this one is a favourite as it looks difficult and time consuming – but isn’t!

The Double Z Fold is a cool fold that gives you lots of panels to decorate and is perfect for using up the little left over bits from a creative project. Often, they already co-ordinate well in terms of colour or design, making construction super quick.

The card is created from two decorated and Z-folded panels which then ‘nest’ together to form the shape.

The card is started by assembling all the pieces of patterned paper and trimming to size. Images are stamped, coloured and fussy cut ready for placement.

The base card measures 14cm x 28cm and is scored at 7cm and 14cm. Imagine the piece broken up into three panels, labelled A, B and C left to right. The two outside panels (A & C) are decorated with patterned paper.

The top layer of card measures 10cm x 24.5cm and is scored at 8cm and 14cm. Imagine the piece broken up into three panels, labelled X, Y and Z left to right. Each of the panels are decorated with patterned paper, with the centre one used for a sentiment.

I’ll leave the dimensions of the actual decorations and layers up to you as the design can be quite flexible. But each panel needs to have any embellishments kept to the borders of the panel until pieces are adhered together. This prevents any unwanted gluing of important moving parts.

It is best to keep most of the layers quite flat to enable the card to sit correctly when folded. I have used Helmar Scrap Dots 3-dimensional adhesive to give the middle panel (panel Y) of the top layer a little dimension.

Once both panels are layered with sentiment and patterned paper, fold each into an accordion style Z-fold and place the smaller panel on top of the larger one. Ensure the gap around panel Z is even over panel C. Once you are happy with placement, add adhesive to the layers to adhere panels Z & C together.

Panel X will then sit over panel A. Firstly, allow the panels to gently nest together so you can determine where to add adhesive. There will be a strip of approx. 2.5cm on the right side of panel X that does not require adhesive.

I have used Helmar Tacky Craft Glue to attach panels as it will allow for some adjustment.

Once the two panels are adhered together, embellishments such as the flags and a bird for the front can be glued into place. I’ve used a small touch of Helmar Scrap Dots to give the flags some dimension.

Supplies:
Helmar Scrap Dots
Helmar Tacky Craft Glue
Stamps – Carabelle Studio & Paper Artsy

I hope my card inspires you to create something and share it with someone close to you. Until next time…

RARE Banner

Hi Helmar fans, Raelene with you today.

Rare Disease Day is very special to my family, every year I share social media posts however this year I decided to host a Face Painting Afternoon Tea so we could get together with other local families and paint our faces in the Rare Disease Day logo colours and take a group selfie to share on social media for the #showyourrare campaign.  I thought a little decorating might be fun at the event so I decided to make a banner in addition to using tablecloths in the colours of the logo (I made some awesome op-shop finds for the 3 tablecloths)

You will need

Banner pieces, I just got this pack from Officeworks
Large die cut letters or wooden letters
Helmar Acid Free Glue
Helmar 450 Quick Dry
Papers and embellishments in the logo colours.  I used -
Pink Paislee Summer Lights 6x6 paper pad
Dear Lizzie Happy Place 6x6 paper pad
I decided to pull in some zebra items since the zebra is the mascot for Rare Disease/Rare Diagnosis from the 2018 fundraising kit from Scrapping Fun Kits and also used the butterflies from the cut apart and the awareness ribbon charm from this kit.
Paper doilies and tassle from a very old (I think it was 2016)  Kitaholic Kits embellishment kit
Blue and Pink hearts from Charms Creations
Pink, Blue, Purple and Green Twine.

I started by creating paper clusters by tearing my papers, adding in a paper doily or scrap of tissue paper and gluing them on to on each banner with Helmar Acid Free Glue.

For each piece once I had my paper layers down I added my letter, but first I cut the part off the top that was there for hanging the letter.  I then added embellishments to each banner piece with Helmar 450 Quick Dry.

Once my Banner pieces were done I joined them together with a piece of green twine, tying a know on one corner of each piece to avoid movement and then added twine in the other colours to each flag so as to hid the knot. 
I will hang the banner by adding more Green twine at each end on the day.

I really love how my banner turned out.  Photos of my decorations on the day and our face painted selfie will be up on my social media on the 28th of February so for now here is a pic of the banner on my table so you can see how cute it is. 

A great thing about this banner is because I used Helmar and my Scrapbooking supplies it could go in my album with photos from the day as a double page spread or a fold out spread of some sort.  Now to decide if I want to keep it for next year or scrap it.

Do you love making Banners?  If so do you make some that are a little outside of the box in theme like this one is? Feel free to tag us in your next banner making project #helmar !

 

Mickey Mouse Rock n Roll Rhinestone Shirt

How to make a Mickey Mouse Rock n Roll Rhinestone Shirt

 

Good morning/afternoon everyone.  Kristina here with my latest Helmar blog post.  I had the theme of Rock n Roll, now I am the least Rock n Roll kind of person in the world.  I do love Disney though.  What does Disney and Rock n Roll have to do with each other???  Well, Mickey Mouse does the Rock n Roll symbol with his hand!  So I thought that it would look stunning as a rhinestone design on a black shirt, using Helmar's Gemstone Glue.

 

 

Helmar Products Required:

Helmar Gemstone Glue

 

Other items necessary to complete project:

Shirt, preferably a dark colour

Chalk

Traceable

Old paintbrush

Tracing Paper

Piece of cardboard to place under the first layer of the shirt

 

Here is the traceable I have made from the design pictured:

 

The first step is to copy the traceable onto either tracing paper, or normal paper.  Then cut the traceable out, making sure to carefully cut out the fingers so you know where the black on the shirt should stay.

Place this on your shirt, taking care not to have the design to high or too low, then trace over the whole thing in chalk.

 

Before you begin gluing, place the cardboard insert in between the two layers of the shirt.  This protects the back side of the shirt getting accidentally stuck to the front if too much glue is used.

The next step is to start gluing the rhinestones on using the Helmar Gemstone Glue.  I began with the vertical line on the cuff, then I started on the bottom of the hand.  Pay attention to the lines and neatness, try to keep it relatively straight.  I used the old paintbrush to paint a little line of the glue onto the shirt, then placed the rhinestones onto the glue.

You just keep gluing the rhinestones on, making sure you leave a gap where the black part of the fingers are.

Make sure you leave the glue to dry for at least 24 hours before even thinking about washing the shirt.  When I did wash mine, every single rhinestone stayed attached, nice and firm on the shirt.

This is a picture straight after washing the shirt.  I was really impressed with the strength of the gemstone glue.  The final step is to let it dry and then wear your awesome, unique, one of a kind Disney Rock n Roll t shirt out to the next concert you are attending.  You never know, we may bump into each other at the next Pink concert, ballet recital, or even Disney on Ice!!

Until then, keep your creativity light glowing, and stock up on Helmar products and all those shiny shimmering pretty things that make life so sweet.

 

One final word, please remember that Disney is a copyright giant, it is fine to make things like this for yourself or to give to another person, but please don't charge any money for Disney inspired products.  For your own sake.  So create away! And give away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunar New Year Fine Motor Skill Decorations

Hello Helmar fans, Raelene with you Today.

As a family we like to explore various cultural, awareness and themed days. One of the things I love about doing this is making decorations with my boys, it is a fun way to bring in some fine motor skill activities and sensory activities to our week.
In February one of the days we like to explore is Lunar New Year, unfortunately there is no Lunar New Year activities where we live so we usually decorate in a small way, learn about the Lunar Calendar and we have dinner either at our local Chinese restaurant or we get take away from them.

This year we decided to make a tissue paper Cherry Blossom Tree.
You will need
Branch/es that suit the look you want.
Pink tissue paper or serviettes
Helmar Super-Tac Glue
Helmar Premium Craft Glue
If gluing 2 branches together like I did some scrap cardboard to reinforce the joint.

Start by preparing your tree, if you need to glue 2 branches together do so now. I used HelmarPremium Craft Glue as it is what I had on hand but I think Helmar Super Strenght PVA WoodGlue would be better. I used scraps of cardboard to reinforce the join, it blends in fine and you can only tell if you look up close.   I found a V in the big branch to sort of jam the other branch in and glued it there and then glued my reinforcement pieces over it.

As I was using some pink serviettes left over from E’s Fortnite party we were able to cut 4 circles at a time by leaving the serviette folded in quarter. Using a small bowl and marker I traced a circle on each serviette, then E set about cutting them out, giving his fingers some exercise 😉

Initially we were careful with our scrunching and shaping, starting by scrunching each layer and then unravelling, then layering a couple of layers together, pinching in the middle and scrunching into a flower shape. 
You could just scrunch up the flowers into a ball but I thought this might give E better fine motor exercises.

When gluing the flowers to the branches I put the glue sort of inside the flower and then sort of found a nob on the branch to put the flower over getting a good hold.  Others I just glued straight on.  As you glue the flowers sort of use the glue to get the scrunches to hold together.

For smaller flowers use scraps of your serviette and just scrunch them up into a ball and glue on.

Next we made our paper lanterns.
You will need 
A4 red paper
Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA

Very simple. We just cut some A4 red paper in half, the boys cut slits in all the pieces and then glued them together with Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA, adding a handle with paper scraps. Once dry we simply threaded them onto our Christmas lights and hung them on the window where our tree is living.

Next we made some paper firecrackers.
You will need 

A4 red paper
3mm red ribbon
Gold tape
Helmar Premium Craft Glue
Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA

We cut the red A4 paper into 2.5 x 3 inch pieces, then cut 3 inch pieces of gold washi (2 per firecracker), then cut 7inch long pieces of red ribbon (1 per each pair of firecrackers) and 1 10inch piece of red ribbon.
The washi wasn’t sticking well as it was old so we glued it on with HelmarCraft and Hobby PVA.

Then E rolled each piece around something round to get it to curve.

Time for assembly.
Using Helmar Premium Craft Glue adhere 1 end of the ribbon inside the red paper, then add some glue to one side of the roll and glue the ends together to form a roll.

Glue the other end of the ribbon to the inside of another piece and form the roll. 

Once all your pairs are done you can start tying them together.
I started by tying a knot in the ribbon of my first pair, then I snipped one side of the ribbon near the know. I tied this end around the ribbon of the next pair. I repeated this until the end.

All done, now to hand it near my tree and lantern

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! To celebrate this day of love, I created a new piece of decor. This was a fun project making use of an old frame, some scrapbook papers and assorted embellishments. 

I stared with an variety of papers, ribbons and my Helmar  Tacky Craft Glue. 

I painted the frame red and began working on my heart flowers. I cut a strip of green paper and rolled it around a straw. After applying the Tacky Craft Glue, I applied a bit of pressure until the paper held. I added a bead of glue around the heart and then glued two back to back over a flattened straw. I made a total of 5 flowers. I cut leaves and applied those to the front of each flower. 

Once I had all of my flowers made, I ran a bead of glue along the inside bottom edge of the frame. I positioned each flower on that ledge and propped it up to dry.

Once the flowers were securely adhered, I began to decorate and add embellishments. I did end up grabbing my Helmar 450 to create the cluster. 

Here is the completed piece...

I love the way it came together and had fun pulling out different trims and buttons from my stash. 

 

Thank you for joining me and I want to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are inspired to get out your supplies and create something similar! 

Be sure to follow Helmar on  Facebook. 

Sunshine in a box

Hi Everyone its Bridget here again.  Do you have a friend who is going through a tough time and needs a little cheering up?  You could buy them some flowers, but why not bring them some sunshine in a box! This is a easy fun gift to make and give.

What you need:

A shoe box

Helmar's Craft and Hobby Glue

Helmar's Fabric Glue

Helmar's Premium Craft Glue

Scrapbooking paper

Paint

Embellishments

 

First thing I did I painted the lid of the shoebox a nice bright yellow.  The idea is for the box to be bright and cheery so stick to the yellows.

I then used texture paste and a stencil, to add a pattern to the box.

Using Helmar's Fabric Glue I added some lace to the sides giving it a nice ruffle.

Using Helmar's Premium Craft Glue add your embellishments.

Then Using Helmar Craft and Hobby Glue cover the bottom of your box in scrapbooking paper.  I had this cute sunshine paper in my stash.

Now for the really fun part! Whether you shop at home, head to the dollar stores or shop elsewhere It is time to focus on all things yellow. 

Some ideas:

scented candle

bath bomb

chocolates and sweets

Lipbalms/cosmetics

jewellery

A  little bottle of yellow/wine

nail polish

I am sure this box will put a smile on your friends face. I know I am excited to give this box to my friend and I hope this gives her a little pick-me-up. 

If you make your friend a little box of sunshine, I would love to see your sunshine in a box. So please leave a comment below. Until next time  Happy Crafting!

 

"Spilling My Heart" Valentine Card

Hi crafty friends! Its that time of year when "love is in the air"  and there are many individuals that are in love or want to be in love that believe purchasing the biggest, most fanciest card at the store is the way to express how you feel. As for me, I like things to be simple because I don't believe that less is more. I think a person can say a lot , express a lot with just a few words. This is my reason for making this Valentine card... simple and not too many embellishments. If some of you have seen some of my other work, I love layers of paper, lace, flowers , etc. This card was made super easy. I have lately been trying to put to use my die cut machine & dies. I'm still in the learning process of working with them so here is what I have come up with! I hope you all like it!

I began by cutting my white card stock 5x7 or A7.  I had some left over design paper from Authentique from a mini album I made last year. These I would use to die cut my mason jar and cutting the design on the jar. I used some red textured card stock for the lid. I hadn't used this thin die so had a little bit of a hard time with it but decided to go ahead and use it as it was. I will have plenty of time to play around with it as it can be used a variety of ways. 

 

I had some colored vellum that I cut to fit behind the design on the jar. I wanted to also use some stamps I had in my stash. I used the Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Fired Brick. I stamped the tiny adorable postage hearts on the tiny tags as well as using it to stamp some small hearts "falling out" from the jar. I then began adhering everything to my white card base. For this I used the Helmar Premium Craft Glue for all the adhering. I loved using this because it is great for see thru items such as the vellum sentiment that I used. I used it to adhere this super adorable heart ribbon that I received from a crafty friend on a swap. Before adhering the mason jar I wrapped some red/white twine I had in my stash. For the tiny tags, I had to cut a small gap for the tags to be able to hang from the twine. 

                     

I hope that you like what I have come up with. I have planned on trying to use my steel dies and thin dies more often. Even if it is a way to  use up some of my left over scrap paper. I have also planned on making more cards this month and using some of the stamps I have in my stash that I rarely use as well. 

Well my beautiful crafty friends, I thank you for reading my post today and as always I hope you also check out the rest of the designers work on this blog. Their work is amazing and all of the ideas that they share with you on how to use all of the products that Helmar makes!!  May you all have a Happy Valentines Day and spread the love!! ~Hugs~ Jeanne

   

This Is Me

Hello friends, Lydia back to share another project. This project was in co-ordinance to one of my last art assignments at school before I graduated. The focus of this piece of assessment was 'Duality', meaning an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something. So I decided to focus on the concept of both positive and negative body image through this 3Dimensional artwork.

Below I have included my artist statement that went along with this body of work.

This Is Me is a body of work consisting as a triptych artwork reflecting the duality of body image. Main techniques and mediums that were used were Photography, sculpting using cheesecloth material and glue and painting. This body of work reflects the duality of body image that is observed in today’s society and is echoed through the scripted lyrics of the song ‘This Is Me’ from the film The Greatest Showman. The divided background of white represents positivity as well as the lights behind the cheese clothed bodice and the black represents negativity that heard and seen through the issues of body image. Overall this body of work reflects both the positive and negative attributes that are given to body image in a world that is given high standards of what the perfect body is meant to look like and that you are you just how your meant to be.

The materials I used:

• Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA Glue
• Cheesecloth fabric
• Mannequin 
• Scissors
• Cling Wrap
• Water 

First process that I did was wrapped the mannequin in cling wrap so that it wouldn't get damaged and for easy removal of the bodice once dried. 

Strips of cheesecloth fabric roughly 4 inches wide were cut using scissors and were dampened in concentrated Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA Glue with a little water. Each piece was placed on the mannequin vertically. This was repeated until there was 3-4 layers of cheesecloth.  This technique is very similar to paper mache.

Once the mannequin was covered it was set outside to dry for 2-3 days. Once fully dry the cheesecloth was molded to the shape of the bodice and was removed carefully from the mannequin.

And to finish off the cheesecloth bodice it was attached to a piece of wood and fairy light were placed inside it to be able to light up.

Overall I received a very high grade for this assignment in my art class.

I hope you all enjoyed this little project that is a bit different to what I normally share.

Lydia xxx

 

Mail Art with Robyn Wood

Hello! It’s Robyn Wood with you today sharing a mail art project with you featuring Helmar adhesive. Mail art is something I’ve been doing sporadically over the years, it’s always fun to give the recipient an extra bit of excitement when they see a decorated envelope sitting in the letterbox. An added advantage is the little surprise for the postal staff!

Mail art has a long history but it really took off and became part of a global art movement in the 1960’s. It appears to have no set rules and the level of decoration is left up to the artist, some send their mail art inside another envelope but the purists like to send them straight through the post – the little crinkles, tears and marks from the postal service become part of the charm. One thing to bear in mind though is that you will need clear room for the stamp & postal service marks and a prominent address to ensure your creation doesn’t end up in the dead letter office.

I started my project with a plain white, A5 envelope and added an initial layer of splotchy colour using Distress Oxide inks. Although the Distress Oxides remain somewhat watersoluble, they are a little more sturdy than Distress Inks and less likely to move if they get a little moist while travelling.

I added stamped imagery using the Darkroom Door Vintage Office set of stamps using both black and light grey inks for a lovely background effect.

I stamped some extra images to help build a bit of a theme or story for my project. Colour was added by sponging with Distress Oxide inks and they were all trimmed closely ready for adhesive. The little ornate style frame was perfect for adding the destination address.

Any imagery attached to a mail art envelope needs to be adhered fully without any little pieces able to lift and catch in postal machinery. Helmar Tacky Craft Glue does the job perfectly and the plastic tip makes it so easy to smoosh glue into all the little edges. You don’t want anything holding up your important mail!

If you feel a little worried about the surface of your decorated envelope, Helmar also sells awesome spray sealants, a quick spray of Helmar Crystal Kote Matte Varnish will do the trick.

Supplies:
Helmar Tacky Craft Glue
Helmar Crystal Kote Matte spray (optional)
Darkroom Door Vintage Office & Steampunk & Ornate Elements rubber stamp sets
Distress Oxide inks in various colours

I enjoyed putting this mail art envelope together. I hope it inspires you to create something similar & give your card recipient and the postie a nice surprise! Of course, you don’t need to just use them for handmade cards, imagine the surprise your accountant or utilities company employee might get if you decorate the next ‘ordinary’ letter you send.

Until next time…