Helmar Creative Team

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas 2023 Part 1 🎄

by Nicole 

Well here we are, December, and Christmas Day is fast approaching! So of course this month my project is all about that 1 day that we get to share with our families and friends, a time to give, and to receive, and create special memories.

Okay, this project was a doozy, it was a whole lot of fun, it was extremely time consuming, and stressful at times (if I had a swear jar I reckon it would have overflowed, lol), but nonetheless I got there in the end, and I couldn’t be prouder.

This is just Part 1 of 4, really hoping I get them all done before the big man comes bearing gifts, I’ll definitely be giving it my best shot 😉

For this little, but massive project, I used all of the following glues to make this project stick -

To get started you will need to make both your inner and outer boxes, I chose to do it this was so I can easily remove the diorama for repairs if needed, or to change it out completely.

The above pictures are the outer boxes, and as you will see, I have inset magnets into one side and also into the narrow back panel that is installed after adding the front sheet of Perspex. This will all make sense when I get the entire project finished. The inner boxes are similar, however they do not have a front on them, and they have a full back, oh, and they are smaller.

Next we need the cover the outer boxes, I chose to use cotton canvas that I have backed with heat ‘n’ bond and tissue paper. To adhere the fabric to the boxes I have used Helmar Professional Acid Free glue, as the fabric has a paper backing this is the best glue for the job.

You will notice in the last picture that the front sheet of Perspex has been installed, to do this I used Helmar 450, the best glue to get a good grip between the Perspex and the fabric, the thin back piece was then installed, the the Perspex side window.

Next was to make some ‘stuff’, not really sure where my ideas came from, but it all started with a chair, strange, I know!

This was fun, and a little on the challenging side for me, but I had to do it and I did 👏👏, after all, I’m a paper crafter, not a mini maker, but now, perhaps I will dabble in it a little more. Of course being a predominately fabric project I used the wonderful Helmar Fabric Glue. I did also use the Helmar Tiger glue to make sure that the main body of the chair, and especially the legs, had a great bond.

Next I needed a tree, so I made a few as I am going to need more for another part of the project. These are super quick and easy to make, and I think they look great, no glue required, but shhhh, don’t tell Helmar!

So what do I need next?, ah yes, I need a floor. Not just any floor, but a super fancy floor! I was going to use a printable, however, that would be too easy, and I can’t make things easier for myself, lol. I went with a herringbone pattern using icypole sticks, lots of icypole sticks, and boy was it worth it, it looks fabulous. Whenever using any kind of wood in your projects and can’t recommend highly enough the Helmar Professional PVA Woodworking Glue, absolutely brilliant stuff.To finish the floor off I stained it then gave it a couple of coats of Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish.

How amazing does that look? I just want to dance on, but 1 of my feet is bigger than the entire floor 🤣

The the next next is…… a rug to protect that floor from the legs of the chair, haha. This was made by plaiting long lengths of embroidery thread, then gluing it onto a plastic page protector using Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA Glue, leave it overnight to dry, then simply gently peel it off the next morning and viola, a cute little rug that is securely held together with a dried glue backing. I saw it on a YouTube video, thought wow, that looks easy, and guess what, it actually was, and looks great 👍 

But wait, there’s still more……. We can’t leave the walls plain, so as I was after a more vintage style what’s better than some timber wall paneling, and some gorgeous wallpaper. For the wall paneling I have used some super thin balsa wood, 1.5mm thick, stained it, then added some frames that I made from the same wood to give it the look of panels, I also added a narrow shelf around the entire perimeter of the room, made for a great spot to display the Christmas cards, again, Helmar Professional PVA Woodworking Glue. The wall paper is printed onto Oxford Paper, and looks just divine, this was adhered with with the Professional Acid Free Glue.

Now it’s just a matter of adding everything into the wee little room, then we’re almost there, So below is everything I’ve made now glued and in place before I add the finishing touches to the outer box.

Back to the outer box, it’s time to add the spacers and the side window, spacers, easy peasy, side window, can’t talk too much about it, it did my head in 🤪 the frame was so fine that I broke the first one just before I finished it, but with some forethought, the second time around was a bit easier. The spacers were adhered using Helmar Tiger Grip, and the window was adhered using Helmar 450, as this was going onto the Perspex.

Oh, last, but not least, I added the cutest little light, just to make your night a little brighter, because after going through this massive blog it’s probable past your bedtime 🥱😴 

Yay, we’ve made it to the end, hallelujah 🙌 If you’ve made it to the end, thank you so much for your time. If you have any questions whatsoever, please leave them in the comments section and I will answer them ASAP. Take care, and happy crafting XX

Photo Gallery

Helmar Creative Team Call-Out 2024 - 2025

Helmar Creative Team Call 2024 - 2025!

Helmar is an Australian owned business who distribute their products to different parts of the world. Helmar is a recognized market leader of adhesives, aerosol and chemical products. We are looking for new creative team members to promote our amazing Craft & Hobby products. If you’d like to be a part of one of the most creative and easy going design teams out there, while showcasing Helmar products and your talent, this call is for you!!!

We are looking for dedicated creative design team members who work well with deadlines and guidelines.            
Positions on the Helmar Creative Team are for a 6 month term beginning October 1st, 2024.

As a member of the Helmar Creative Team you will…

Receive a generous amount of Helmar products!

The possibility of a selection of products from our generous Preferred Partners throughout your term.

Now what does it take to be a part of the Helmar Team? Here are your responsibilities:

1-2 projects per month consisting of posts on the Helmar blog, your personal blog, sharing on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Keeping your personal blog and Facebook page up to date and linking and promoting Helmar products at every opportunity!

If you are interested in being part of the Helmar Creative team, please email the following information to [email protected]

• Name, address, daytime/evening phone number and email address.
• Short biography.
• Links to your online galleries, blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms.
• List other teams you are now on or have previously been on.
• A brief paragraph explaining what special attributes you will be bringing to the Helmar Creative Team.
• Two examples that will best showcase your work. Please ensure file sizes are not overly large or small, nothing over 1mb. Examples could be your Papercrafts, altered art, mixed media, craft projects, kid’s projects, home décor, etc. Make sure to list any special techniques you’ve used using adhesives.

Please submit your application to [email protected] by Wednesday 18th September 2024.

No late submissions will be accepted.

 The new Helmar Design Team will be announced in October 2024.

At this time we are only accepting applications from Australia.

We look forward to seeing your applications!!

Helmar Creative Team Call-Out 2024 - 2025

Helmar Creative Team Call 2024 - 2025!

Helmar is an Australian owned business who distribute their products to different parts of the world. Helmar is a recognized market leader of adhesives, aerosol and chemical products. We are looking for new creative team members to promote our amazing Craft & Hobby products. If you’d like to be a part of one of the most creative and easy going design teams out there, while showcasing Helmar products and your talent, this call is for you!!!

We are looking for dedicated creative design team members who work well with deadlines and guidelines.            
Positions on the Helmar Creative Team are for a 6 month term beginning October 1st, 2024.

As a member of the Helmar Creative Team you will…

Receive a generous amount of Helmar products!

The possibility of a selection of products from our generous Preferred Partners throughout your term.

Now what does it take to be a part of the Helmar Team? Here are your responsibilities:

1-2 projects per month consisting of posts on the Helmar blog, your personal blog, sharing on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Keeping your personal blog and Facebook page up to date and linking and promoting Helmar products at every opportunity!

If you are interested in being part of the Helmar Creative team, please email the following information to [email protected]

• Name, address, daytime/evening phone number and email address.
• Short biography.
• Links to your online galleries, blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms.
• List other teams you are now on or have previously been on.
• A brief paragraph explaining what special attributes you will be bringing to the Helmar Creative Team.
• Two examples that will best showcase your work. Please ensure file sizes are not overly large or small, nothing over 1mb. Examples could be your Papercrafts, altered art, mixed media, craft projects, kid’s projects, home décor, etc. Make sure to list any special techniques you’ve used using adhesives.

Please submit your application to [email protected] by Wednesday 18th September 2024.

No late submissions will be accepted.

 The new Helmar Design Team will be announced in October 2024.

At this time we are only accepting applications from Australia.

We look forward to seeing your applications!!

Lamp Revived

This project has been waiting a long time to get completed and I have finally done it!

I’ve used an old wicker lamp with a very battered shade to create this project. 

I'm very happy with how it turned out!


So, for this project I have used a huge selection of laces and trims all attached to the lamp shade with Helmar Fabric Glue!

I have also painted the wicker base with white gesso very randomly.

and then painted the solid base with black gesso. 


I also painted the old shade with black gesso. 

Once dry I have gone in and started to glue my laces onto the lamp shade starting from the bottom working my way up to the top 

While the glued laces were drying I went and dry brushed some black gesso over the wicker base
I have finished this lamp off with some matching flowers added some extra lace trims around the base and the top of the lamp stand  and that’s about it 

I just love reinventing old finds from an Op Shop bringing them back in a new way 

Masterboard Tags & Journal Cards

Hi everyone, Nat here with an easy recycling project to make some pretty tags that I will use in future journals as writing spots.

I begin my project by making a masterboard using craft card from a book I deconstructed (packaging card or cardstock would be appropriate too).  I also grab my tub of book text scraps.  You can use any book pages for this, though a variety of text size, types and page discolouration adds to the interest of the finished collage.

First I sqeeze a good whack of the PVA glue into my pallet (I am working on a silicone mat with pallets included).

I add water to this until I have about a one third mix of water, and give it a stir to combine.  This makes the PVA easier to brush on.  You can always add more water or glue to get the consistency you require.

Next I use a large paintbrush to spread some glue on my base card and begin sticking down my text pieces.

Glue is also applied over the top of the book page pieces to seal them nicely.

Once my base piece is covered I leave it to dry.  My next task is to stencil some random patterns on my base using distress ink and a stencil brush.  I do one of my pages with purple and brown stencilling and the other with green and brown.

I grab my Archival Inks and Whichcraft Do You Do 'Documented' stamp set next and stamp these using black and brown inks on one page and green and brown on the other.

This is one of my two collaged masterboards complete and ready to make into ephemera.  I just need to trim the overhanging text page edges.

The Masterboards are cut into good sizes for journal cards and long tags.  I didn't do specific measurements for this as I don't mind them being different sizes.  I managed to get four tags and six journal cards from each base piece.

Now the fun begins - the embellishing!  I used Helmar's Tacky glue in a fine-tip applicator bottle to stick down book pictures, postage stamps, coloured book paper and other small pieces.

The tags had the top corners cut on an angle and the corners rounded for the journal cards.  I inked around the edges of all pieces and added paper for writing on the back.

I found fabric scraps to make tabs for my tags and used the Tacky Glue to stick these on.  Sewing around the edges of my pieces hold these tabs on firmly and finished my creations off nicely.

Here is a process video of this project:

This was such a fun project and the PVA glue worked so well to adhere my papers and seal them ready for my stencilling and stamping.  This is such an easy and fun way to make pretty tags and journal cards while recycling a pile of scraps too.

Hope you will give this project a go and have fun crafting!
xx Nat

PRODUCTS USED:

Helmar

Craft and Hobby PVA Glue

Tacky Craft Glue

Other

Book Page Scraps and Pictures

'Documented' Acrylic Stamps - from Whichcraft Do You Do

Packaging for the Masterboard Base

Distress Ink - Brown, Purple & Green

Archival Inks - Black, Brown & Green

Scrap Fabric for Tabs

Stencil Brush

Paint Brush

Water

 

Helmar Creative Team Call-Out 2024!

Helmar Creative Team Call 2024!

Helmar is an Australian owned business who distribute their products to different parts of the world. Helmar is a recognized market leader of adhesives, aerosol and chemical products. We are looking for new creative team members to promote our amazing Craft & Hobby products. If you’d like to be a part of one of the most creative and easy going design teams out there, while showcasing Helmar products and your talent, this call is for you!!!

We are looking for dedicated creative design team members who work well with deadlines and guidelines.            
Positions on the Helmar Creative Team are for a 6 month term beginning November 1st, 2022.

As a member of the Helmar Creative Team you will…

Receive a generous amount of Helmar products!

The possibility of a selection of products from our generous Preferred Partners throughout your term.

Now what does it take to be a part of the Helmar Team? Here are your responsibilities:

1-2 projects per month consisting of posts on the Helmar blog, your personal blog, sharing on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Keeping your personal blog and Facebook page up to date and linking and promoting Helmar products at every opportunity!

If you are interested in being part of the Helmar Creative team, please email the following information to [email protected]

• Name, address, daytime/evening phone number and email address.
• Short biography.
• Links to your online galleries, blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms.
• List other teams you are now on or have previously been on.
• A brief paragraph explaining what special attributes you will be bringing to the Helmar Creative Team.
• Two examples that will best showcase your work. Please ensure file sizes are not overly large or small, nothing over 1mb. Examples could be your Papercrafts, altered art, mixed media, craft projects, kid’s projects, home décor, etc. Make sure to list any special techniques you’ve used using adhesives.

Please submit your application to [email protected] by Friday 3rd May 2024.

No late submissions will be accepted.

 The new Helmar Design Team will be announced in May 2024.

At this time we are only accepting applications from Australia.

We look forward to seeing your applications!!

Groovy Retro Journal Cover

Hi everyone, Nat here - hope you are all doing well.
I would like to make a book cover for a future journal and thought I would take you along with me.  Get your sunglasses ready as we will be doing bright and Retro!

My first task is to take apart an old book. I pull out the book block (pages), and use my knife to cut down either side of the book spine to remove both the front and back covers.  The spine on this cover is too narrow for my journal and we will be making a new one.

I use my knife with a ruler to measure and cut two pieces of chipboard the same height as my book covers and one and three quarter inches wide.  I stick these two pieces together using Helmar 450 Quick Dry glue to make a nice sturdy spine piece.

To hold my three cover pieces in place, I use masking tape.  I place my pieces on my craft mat to help me line them up evenly then use the tape to stick both covers to the spine on the front and back sides.  I make sure to leave a little gap of a few millimetres between the spine and cover pieces to enable the covers to close.

I wish to use fabric over my cover pieces, however the fabric is a little sheer and the writing and colour of the cover pieces shows through.  Additionally, if not careful with the glue I choose it can seep through leaving marks.  I decided to try the Helmar Spray Adhesive to back my decorative fabric on to a plainer piece, therefore making it thicker to avoid these issues.  As I wanted a permanent adhesion, I sprayed both pieces, waited a few minutes for them to get tacky and carefully lay one atop the other.  It worked perfectly for this job!

Helmar fabric glue was then used on the outside of my cover to glue my fabric on.  Due to doubling up the fabric, I did not have to worry about anything showing through which made this task much easier.

I cut across the corners of the fabric and either sides of the spine to help me fold the fabric over without too much bulk and stuck it to the inside of my covers with the fabric glue.

Next to help reinforce the inside of the spine and to make it look neater I use a piece of linen that is just under the height of the cover and about one inch wider than the spine (on both sides) and stuck this down.

I had some offcuts of the fabric used for the cover and I adhered these to some scrap paper using the Spray Adhesive again. I cut two rectangle pieces out of these for pockets and sewed them onto some coloured book fly pages.  These were then decorated with some cool pictures from a digital kit I am using for this project called 'Groovy' by Joey the Cardmaker.  I used the Fabric glue to stick both of these pages with pockets to the inside of the front and back covers.

Now to decorate some more!

I grabbed some ric rac in different colours, flowers from an old dance costume (that definitely fit the retro era!) and some more of Joey's digital pieces to embellish my cover.  These were stuck down with Tacky and Fabric glue.

I folded the ric rac over the cover and adhered it to the inside of the book, adding the numbers '1960' to finish it off. 

I love the way my journal cover has turned out and I am looking forward to filling it up with all sorts of groovy!

Here is a process video of this project:

I hope this helps you with ideas on how to recycle an old book cover into a wonderful new journal cover and you have as much fun as I did making this one.
Take care, Nat xxx

PRODUCTS USED:

Helmar

Spray Adhesive

Tacky Craft Glue

450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Fabric Glue

Other

Groovy 1960s Digital Kit & Freebies (Joey Cardmaker)

Old Book Cover

Chipboard

Fabrics

Ric Rac

Flower Embellishments

Book Fly Pages

January Beach Layout- Helmar

Hello everyone,

Welcome to 2024.

Today I am sharing my inspiration layout for 2024 using Helmar Glues

Keeping with the Summer heat, I have created a summery beach layout, using a photo from our recent

summer beach holiday with the family.

I used a piece of corrugated cardboard tucked under my paper to introduced some texture, 

adding a light smearing of Gesso to the corrugated cardboard.

I used Helmar's Crafter's Choice Premium Craft Glue to adhere everything on my layout. 

I adhered thin cardboard on the back of all my embellishments and photo mat to add dimension,

giving a 3D effect to the completed layout.

I created lots of layouts, using louts of fussy cut pieces.

Once happy with the placement of every thing, I glued clusters of Art Stones, randomly

on my layout to give an added feeling of the beach.

Close Up 1

Close up 2

Close Up 3

My completed layout

I hope that you like what I have created .

I will be back again soon

Debra.

Notepads

Notepads

Helmar Creative Team Project

by Nicole Elmes

Hello to everyone, and welcome to my latest project for the Helmar Creative Team.

Things have been a little on the crazy side this past month, but, I am happy to have gotten this sweet but simple project done. I have been wanting to make these notepads for a while now and have to say I am very pleased with them.

Whether you are new to paper crafting, or a seasoned crafter just looking for something quick and simple, then hold onto your hats ladies and gents as this is a project you may like to try!

You will only need minimal supplies, for starters you will of course need the super fabulous Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue.

Next up you will need your pages, whether you decide to use blank paper or patterned papers, what size to make your notepads, or how many pages you use for each notepad is of course totally up to you. FYI, I went with 50 pages per notepad and made 3 different sizes - A5, A6 and a random size.

 I chose to go with patterned papers which I have printed at home.

Next you will want to cut them into your desired size/s

So, you will want to make up some little boards so as to keep the pages nice and tight together ready for gluing. I cut some thick chipboard/boxboard and wrapped them with baking paper. I cut them approximately the same width as the notepads x around 2” high. You will need 2 per notepad.

Next up, gather your pages and backing board (for the backing board I used 700gsm chipboard/boxboard) and make into a nice neat stack ensuring that the edge you are going to glue is as flat and even as possible. Now that you have done that you will place 2 of the little boards, one each side, and use binders clips to fasten it all together.

Time to get gluing! I prefer to put some Helmar Professional Acid Free glue into a little bowl and use a paintbrush to apply. You want to ensure that you use enough glue, but not too thick, to cover the entire spine, if you get any down the sides be ready to wipe it off ASAP. If you feel the need to add another coat of glue make sure the first layer is dry before continuing with the second coat.

Once the glue has dried, I suggest leaving them for about 30-45 minutes, it is then time to remove the binders clips and the little boards. To do this you will need either a thin craft knife, or a sharp padding knife. Simply put the knife between the little board and the first page and  slide the blade along ensuring it stays super flat so as to avoid cutting into the notepad, then repeat for the back, just remember to cut between the little board and the notepad backing board.

You can of course leave it and consider your project complete, or you could add a cover, which is what I chose to to! I printed the same design on the covers as I did for the pages, I then used heat foil to pretty them up a bit more (because I just can’t let things be!! lol).

The covers are cut to the same width as the notepads, just a little longer so that they can be wrapped over the top and adhered to the back. You will see an example of this below in the photo gallery.

So that’s it my friends, we’re done!

I hope you enjoy giving this one a go, I did!

Until next time, keep well and keep crafting xx

PHOTO GALLERY

Vintage-Style Wall Hanging

Hi all, Nat here with my second project for Helmar.
I am making a vintage-style wall hanging that uses mostly recycled pieces, including old CDs, book pages and laces.  Even the glossy photo paper used was sourced from the local secondhand shop.

My first task was to use my circle punch to create some vellum shapes to cover the hole in the middle of the three CDs I am using.  This will reinforce the area so I don't put a hole in the paper when I cover them.

Next I use the 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere tea-dyed copy paper to what will be the rear of the CDs.  I then cover the front of the CDs - one with tea-dyed paper that has a lovely pattern from a plastic tablecloth on it, one with antique German text and the last with vintage music paper.

I used my leather hole punch to create two holes at the top of one of my CDs to enable me to add some material to hang my creation with, then I punched one hole at the base of what will be the bottom CD of my wall hanging for a dangle to be added later.  I then used my distress ink to ink the edges of my disks.

Texture paste is applied next using a pallet knife and spreading it out over a rose-patterned stencil.  I left this to dry overnight before moving on.

I then placed the stencil back over the pattern to apply distress ink on the texture paste to colour it.  I love the pretty effect that this has.

At this point, the spray application of the Crystal Kote Fixative on the front and back of my CDs  helps protect and seal my papers while enabling me to still continue adding more mediums (paints, inks etc) if I so desire.

Pieces were cut from a lace tablecloth and some tea-dyed broderie anglaise to create pockets on two of my CDs.  I use the Tacky Craft Glue to lightly hold the bottoms of my pockets to the fronts of the CDs while I turn them over and affix the backs.

Next I snip slits into the overhanging fabrics to make it easy to fold over in increments and stick down with the Fabric Glue.

Now we are up to the fun part - which is embellishing.  I use the Fabric Glue again to add some lace pieces to my pocket and the other CDs.  I put some grease-proof paper into the pocket first so that I did not stick it shut!

I have some letters that I have undercoated with a light cover of white gesso, then painted with distress ink.  I am adhering these to my top CD with the 450 glue.

Once I have finished embellishing my CDs I glue them to a strip of tea-dyed fabric to create my wall hanging.

The next task is to thread some seam binding through the holes in the top CD to be able to hang my creation.  I then add a cute, little butterfly dangle made with broken jewellery from the bottom CD hole.

With the addition of a few sentimental family photos in the pockets, I now have a beautiful piece to hang on my wall.

You can check out my full process video here:

https://youtu.be/s4j6dywt4d0

I really enjoyed making this project, being able to re-use these CDs and to create something beautiful to display in my home.  The photos included are of my gorgeous Grandmothers, and it is such a nice way to remember them.

Thanks for joining me today.  I hope you will try this project sometime and enjoy creating a CD wall hanging.
Take care - Nat xx

PRODUCTS USED:

Helmar

Tacky Craft Glue

450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Crystal Kote Fixative - Workable Matte

Fabric Glue

Other

Cds

Laces

Book Pages

Tea-dyed Paper

Distress Ink - 'Ground Expresso'

Gesso

Texture Paste

Photos

My 2024 Diary

Wraparound Diary Cover

by Nicole Elmes 

Well jeepers creepers, how fast did last month come and go!! Anyway, here I am with another project to share with you all 🤗 I decided on making myself this cute cover for my 2024 diary, and honestly, I love the finished product 👏👏👏 This is definitely a project that anyone can do, you just need a little patience to do the hand stitching, apart from that it is pretty straight forward.

To get started you will need some wonderful Fabric Glue, from the wonderful Helmar range, of course. The other supplies I used are Kraft Tex, lightly waxed linen thread, fabric for the cover and inside pockets, an eyelet, and some elastic cord for the closure.

‘Firstly I started by cutting 2 pieces of Kraft Tex to make the cover, I covered one piece with the design I printed, I then attached it using heat ‘n’ bond (as the Kraft Tex is pre-washed it is quite textured and I personally have found using glue a little tricky), once attached and wrapped over the edges, you will see that I have stitched (hand stitched) across the top of the fabric before I started gluing the second piece to the back. It is very important when gluing Kraft Tex to use a high quality fabric glue as it is quite fibrous and to get an even and strong adhesion Helmar Fabric Glue is perfect 🤩 Make sure you glue the covers together in sections as it is quite a big piece and it will most likely start drying out on the end you started gluing by the time you work your way across.

Next was to cover and stitch along to top of the design on the inside slip pockets and glue them into place. I then left it overnight in my book press (you can use any weighted item to do this) to ensure all pieces are nicely bonded and ready for the stitching holes to be punched.

So now it’s just a matter of punching the stitching holes, so many holes 😂, and getting this baby stitched up! I do make a paper template just to ensure my stitches are nicely aligned and evenly spaced, see below pic👇, I did also add a pen loop!  

So there you have it my crafty friends, my 2024 diary 📔 Now I’m off to whip up another 4 that I am gifting this Christmas to some family members and friends. I hope that I have inspired you to get out all of your wonderful adhesives from Helmar and get your craft on XX

Project Gallery