Helmar Creative Team

Beautiful Paper Bows

 

Today's project is quite simple and easy to make but it is a lovely touch to any project and just nice to have a few in your stash!

What you will need:

Helmar Craft Glue, Assorted cardstocks (I just used some leftover pieces) and a bow pattern/die/cut-out.

You can easily search on Google for a bow pattern if you don't have one, there are many available to easily cut out. I used a cut file from the Cricut Design Studio.

Generally with a bow pattern you would have a couple of layers to add dimension, if your bow does not have this option simply just one by hand slightly smaller than the bow.

 

 

Once you have cut out your bow pieces you may like to 'curve' your paper by running your finger and thumb over the bow parts to help the paper to curve better.

 

 

On the reverse side of your top piece, apply Helmar Craft glue and then carefully line it up on top of your base piece and glue down.

 

 

Once this is dry, apply Helmar Craft Glue to the reverse side of the middle of your bow and then curve one end of your bow piece towards the center and adhere and then the other end overlapping the first end. Hold for a couple of minutes until the glue has secured the bow.

 

 

While this part is drying you can layer up and glue any other components for your bow such as the tails and knot.

 

 

Glue the knot to the center front of your bow and then once this has dried you can glue the ends to the back along with the tails.

 

And there you have it, a very simple and sweet little bow to decorate with. You can add little flower centers to the knots or just leave them the way they are and you can also curve the tails if desired. It's wonderful to have a variety of colours and sizes made up for future projects.

 

Thank you so much for visiting the Helmar Blog today and I do hope you found this tutorial useful.

Take care 

Jeanette xxx

Quirky shelf unit

Hi everyone and welcome to another creative post using our favourite glues and adhesives 

with Helmar!

Today's creation is a set of MDF stepped shelves suitable for the top of a desk. 

I started with my MDF project and gathered all my bits I needed to complete this project including some quirky papers, gesso, and Helmar craft adhesive. 

I have wiped the MDF board all over to remove any dust. 

Traced around the outside edges of the shelf pieces onto the back of the paper. 

And applied a thin coat of white gesso to all the MDF pieces.

While the Gesso was drying I Cut out the paper pieces with Scissors.     

Then using the Acid Free craft glue which I decanted into a small dish I applied the glue to the MDF  board using a paint brush. 

I then gently layer the papers on top of the MDF boards gently moving it into place before applying pressure to secure the paper to the board. 

Once all the papers are attached to the MDF boards pieces I have taken them all outside and given them a good coat with the Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish spray it adds a nice sheen to the finished project. 

Once all the pieces were dry I have added more glue along the edges and in the joins and assembled the stepped shelf unit together. 

And that is how you make a nice little stepped shelf unit for use on your desk. 

Recycled Rose Journal

As most could of guessed by my posts I love to recycle or upcycle things, so over a period of time I have collected some strange pieces of cardboard and assorted different papers with the intentions of creating an Art Journal with them.

Well guess what I have created...

Materials needed to create a similar project 

2 A4 MDF boards

2 sheets of decoupage paper

assorted flowers, metal embellishments

assorted cardboards, mailing envelopes, fancy thick papers

black acrylic paint 

Art alchemy wax

Helmar Spray Adhesive

Helmar Krystal Kote Matte Varnish

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Helmar 3 Dimensiol Scrap Dots


I started with 2 MDF boards and 2 sheets of decoupage papers by Little Birdie.

Using Helmar Spray Adhesive I sprayed both the paper and the board and stuck them together.

I allowed this to dry doesn’t take long at all.

Next step was to paint my MDF boards and the edges with a Matte Black paint blending around the edges of the decoupaged front board.

To protect my MDF painted boards and the decoupaged front board I took my pieces outside and sprayed thoroughly with Helmar Krystal Kote Matte Varnish.

While this was drying or should I say airing because it does omit some toxic fumes (so always spray outside), I started on my decoupage rose piece for the front board.

I have fussy cut this out and then just broke the paper fibres with my stylus to allow the image to sit with a bit of shape. 

I have used scrap dots to secure my decoupaged roses onto the front board image. 

I then decided this project needed some kind of mixed media embellishing.

So I  have cut some ball and chain pieces to use as the flower stems and also added a recycled butterfly piece off a hair band from an op shop all attached with Helmar 450 Quick Dry adhesive.

Used a bit of Art Alcamey wax to add some colour around the board edges and to define the 3D flowers. 

Now onto the recycled pages what a collection I have.

I use the boards to mark the position of where the holes need to be punched and then re enforced all my assorted papers with some cellophane tape to help protect the holes from tearing.

To attach all my pages I have used 2 screw apart threaded DRings. 

Once my album was all completed I finished up with a nice fabric flower on the front.

And that is how you create a recycled journal out of any and all papers and cardboard pieces.

Thanks and please share!

Paperclip Corsets

This month's project is a favourite of mine and I've made them in different forms over the years, little corset paperclips for your journals or other crafting projects.

What you will need:

Helmar Craft Glue, decorative cardstock, smallpieces of lace, yarn and fabric, scissors and if you desire you can use some glitter glue.

To start with decide on your corset image, I used a couple of pre-printed images from the Stamperia paperline 'Princess', I also had some dressform die cuts that I trimmed off at the hip line. If you don't have these things you can quite easily find an image online or just draw your own corset shape.

After cutting my shapes out I chose a backing cardstock. I placed my corset (right side facing me) on top of the cardstock (right side facing down) and traced around the corset. Remember if you are making more than one to mark (on the inside) which corset it belongs to.

I then played around with my laces etc to find the right colours and textures to go with each little corset. My rough measurements are that the 'skirt' will be about two to three times the length  of the corset. If you wanted to make little ballet tutus you would use much shorter pieces.

Using my Helmar Craft Glue and on the reverse side of the image. start to glue the laces etc on, remember the first pieces glued on will be the most visible pieces once you finish so you need to glue these on upside down, be sure to keep flipping the corset over to see how it is looking as you go. Layer your laces and trims and try to have the heaviest/thickest ones last.

 

Once you have glued them all on, flip your corset over and trim any overhanging edges.

Now to work on the paperclip part.  Using the cardstock piece you cut out earlier for the backing, mark a little indent at the top which is the width of the paperclip and cut it out carefully. This is so that the paperclip will not be seen from the front of the corset. Slide your paperclip over the backing cardstock. I like to have the longer part glued inside the corset.

 

On the inside, very generously apply your Helmar Craft Glue all over the paperclip and cardstock and glue the two sides together, press them firmly and allow time for the glue to dry.

 

Once the glue is dry you can decorate your corsets according to your taste and how they will be used. Please remember that if you are going to use them in a book/journal you will need to keep them as flat as you can, I used glitter glues and lace on mine.  You could also make up some 'plain' corsets in advance to be used in future projects.

 

Once everything is dry you can trim up your skirts if needed, I like mine looking 'shabby' so only a little trimming was needed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the Helmar Blog today and I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial and will consider making some for yourself or as gifts for others. They are also great to use as bag toppers or even to put on the front of a card.

Take care and have a lovely day xxx

Jeanette

 

 

Trifold Fabric Junque Journal by Tamiko

Hey hey good people, Tamiko here! If you like me, then you never met a handmade Journal you didn't like (giggles). Let me show you what I made!

 

Materials needed:

Helmar Craft & Hobby PVA Glue

2 Concentric Tags

Fabric

Bone folder

Scissors

Craft Knife

Permanent Marker (blk)

Rubber band/ Waxed linen

Glue brush

Construction of this journal actually began with me, gathering paper tidbits, unused small bags and scrap paper. I placed those papers together to create a signature.  This was put to the side so that I could create a cover. I label my 2 tags inside cover and outside cover. The outside cover was a slightly bigger tag than the inside cover by 1 inch.

 

I took each tag, slathered them down with some  Helmar's Craft & Hobby PVA Glue, using a brush. I laid the tag against fabric, wrong side up. I left 0.25 of an inch overhang around each tag, to cover the edges.

 

I cut a slit along the fold, sorta midway on the outside cover. I took an 18 by 3 inch piece of fabric and folded it in half, along the 3 inch side. I secured the edges using ____? YOU GOT IT.... Helmar's Craft & Hobby PVA Glue! I took that strip and then threaded it through hole. I played around with fabric tie closure to secure even amount of tie to hang over the ends. I even tried to ink the edges and ink the tie slot with a permanent marker.

 

I slathered even more Helmar's Craft & Hobby PVA Glue on the non fabric side of each tag. Adhereing them to each other and lining them up along the folds. 

 

I loved making use of the pockets. Inside them I inserted additional pieces of paper with some fabric elememts to draw or write on. 

I hope you enjoyed the process of making my tiny little junque journal and that you make your own soon! Dont forget the best way to hold it all together is with HELMARS WORLDWIDE line of fabulous adhesives!!!! Until next time, be safe!!!

Faux 'Mercury Glass' Vase

Today's project is a fairly simple one, it's something I've been wanting to complete for a while now but just haven't got around to doing. I found a vase at the Op-Shop/Thrift Store a couple of years ago, it was a silver foil lined vase but the silver started peeling off shortly after I got it home. I finally decided it was time to do something with it.

What I used:

Helmar Tacky Craft Glue, Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish, 'Go Press and Foil' silver foil, scissors and a brush.

As you can see, the original silver was flaking off quite a lot so I washed it and it ALL came off, the vase was now just glass, I didn't expect that but went ahead anyway.

Next I cut up some strips of the silver foil into manageable sizes. 

I then applied my Helmar Tacky Craft Glue to small portions of the vase and using a brush I spread it out. Please note that I have used far too much of the Tacky Craft Glue in the second photo, only a small amount is needed for this project, enough to grab the foil.

I then applied the foil. I am using the foil on the outside of the vase as I want to use this as a storage container in my craft room.

Continue foiling the remainder of the vase, it's helpful to allow one part to dry before moving onto the next.  You can also go back and fill any spots as you wish.

Once this was done and it was dry (which doesn't take long) I decided to apply a coat of Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish to help protect the foiling. I used a plastic bottle filled with water and placed my vase upside down on top of it so that I could easily spray the varnish all around. I set this up outside which is always recommended if possible.

Unfortunately I couldn't photograph myself spraying but I gave the vase two coats of varnish allowing time for the first coat to dry over night.

Here it is finished but still drying on a little shelf. Of course when using Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish be sure to read the instructions thoroughly.

I do hope you have enjoyed this little project and thank you so much for stopping by the Helmar Blog today, take care everyone xxx

 

Jeanette

Little Sparkly Tags

Today I am making some little sparkly tags, these may also be used as embellishments if you like  :)

This project was inspired by a youtube video which I will LINK HERE 

What you will need:

Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, paper/cardstock (I used glitter cardstock), a small bowl and a variety of seqins, tiny beads and glitter and a hole punch if you want to make tags.

First of I have cut out some circles from glitter cardstock in a variety of sizes. As these will be used as small tags for gifts etc I kept them small at 1", 1.25" and 1.5". I also punched holes into them at this stage.

I then had a bit of fun making up a mixture of the sequins, beads and glitter in a small bowl, just enough to make a few of the tags.

Taking one of the circles, I applied Helmar 450 Quickdry Adhesive quite generously to the right side.

I then placed the circle into the sparkly mixture with the glue facing down, pressed firmly and then lifted it out. You have time to adjust the sparkly bits to your desired look and clear the punched hole before the glue dries. 

At this stage, you can add a little more glue to any parts that may need more filling, you can also add more glitter or even glitter glue.

I made a variety of the circle tags using different variations of the sparkly mixes.

You can see here how the same mix of the sparkles added to different coloured cardstock gives a much different look, one is made with white glitter cardstock and the other with silver glitter cardstock.

I do hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and will consider making some for yourself, they didn't take long at all and it's a great way to use up some of your sequin and bead stash. The majority of my sequins and beads have been found in op/thrift stores for just a few cents.

Thank you so much for joining me here on the Helmar Blog today and happy crafting everyone!

Jeanette xxx

 

Rise Up With Some Paper Lilacs

Hello Helmar Fans, Raelene with you today sharing the paper Lilacs I made for my husband's Disworld themed 40th Birthday.  My husband has been a Terry Pratchett fan since he was young and has been collecting his books for decades, he still has the first book he bought second hand with his pocket money so I really wanted to throw him a Discworld themed party.  I had lots of ideas for decorations and food and a epic cake I wanted to attempt but I ran out of time so only got to make the one decoration.

For those of you unfamiliar with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series I suggest heading to your nearest bookshop and grabbing The Colour of Magic, Hogfather or Nightwatch to get you started or watching The Colour of Magic or Hogfather or Going Postal on whichever streaming service you can find it on where you live.  It is well worth it.  Lilacs are what the rebellion wear in Nightwatch, hence the title of this post.

To make my Lilac I researched and found some videos of people making them and from those made my own plans, click here to see the video I found the most helpful.   I decided for added strength I would use Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the florist wire to my paper/cardstock, Helmar Acid Free Glue for any paper on paper gluing and to use 3 shades of purple cardstock from the Purple Passion Cardstock Pack that Spotlight stocks. 
You will also need Green cardstock for your leaves, Green Florist Wire, Green Florist Tape (close to your leaf colour), some jewellery making tools (wire cutters and round nose pliers), small ball tool, small 4 or 5 petal flower punch and a scrap of foam to shape your flowers on and poke the wires into to let the glue dry when you add the base to the flower.

We had a bit of a working bee for punching and shaping flowers and we spread it out over a few weeks to try and reduce the repetitiveness. To make it go quicker I pre-cut each sheet into strips just wide enough to use the punch, One person would be punching, one would be shaping while I cut strips.

Once they were all punched and shaped it was time to add the wires and the bases.  I started by cutting the scraps of cardstock leftover from punching the flowers into small strips (I cut them about 1 inch by 1/4 inch as my flower punch was bigger than what is ideal for this project), then I put a drop of Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive on one end of the strip, I wiggled the wire in it and then folded the end just over the wire, set aside and do the next one.

 

Once the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive was dry I put a small amount of Helmar Acid Free Glue along the strip and tightly rolled it up, set aside to dry.
Once that was dry I added a dot of Helmar Acid Free Glue to the flower base and placed my flower onto it and set aside to dry.

  
 

Next I decided to put my florist tape half way up my paper base to give it a more natural flower base feel.  Just wind the florist tape around, starting half way down the flower base and firmly pressing as you go.

Then I created my leaves, I decided to create the same leaf as the lady in the above video but as my punch was much bigger I had to create bigger leaves just like I did with my flower bases.   I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the wire into the fold as it gives a much stronger hold.

 

I followed the wiring instructions from the video but adapted towards the end as I had a few less flowers than she did and my flowers were bigger (worry I have no pics of this process as I was wiring at night and no one was around to take photos).

I hung my finished project on our DND cupboard door until the party and then on party day it went on the table nearest to hubby, I think it looks so good next to my Marzipan pigs.

LOVE IS .........

This month we celebrate Valentines day

but what is Valentines to you

to me it is Love for family and friends. 

So here is my creation...

To create this project I purchased some MDF letters that spelt the word LOVE,

gathered together all sorts of laces, trims and ribbons 

and an assortment of pinkish flowers, charms and lots of gems. 

I used 2 Helmar glues to create this project: 

Tiger Grip Adhesive and Fabric Glue.

So to start I have glued a thick strip of lace on each letter using the Tiger Grip adhesive .

Once dry I trimmed this wide lace back so the letters were more prominent. 

Next step was to add the different layers of lace, trims and ribbons on each of the letters using the Fabric Glue.

I have then moved on to add a beautiful piece of flower trim to all the letters. 

Now onto the fun part of prettying the letters up firstly I added gems to the centre’s of each daisy and I also added my 4 word charms. 

Then some pretty flower combinations and metal charms.

All completed! 

I hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day! 

Robot Pen/Pencil Holder

Hello Helmar Fans, it's Raelene with you today.
Hubby got me a pen/pencil holder with dividers in it from the clearance section at Officeworks years ago, it had marks on it and he thought I would like to alter it but I couldn't decide on how I wanted to alter it until now, so I grabbed it out and some old thin robot scrapbooking paper I got from Spotlight several years ago and set to work.  Yay for stash busting ;)

I started by trimming 2 piece of my paper to fit
 

I then ran some Helmar Acid Free Glue around the edge of one side of the pen holder and a squiggle in the middle, then spread it out with a foam brush and applied the middle of my paper to the side, Helmar Glue gives me the wiggle room needed to get a precise line up of paper to the edge and time to smooth things out.  Once I had the middle piece right I glued down the side pieces to the sides of the pen holder.

I repeated this with my other piece of paper.  I love that on one side the robots aligned perfectly and the other side it was so close that my only issue was having 2 blue together.

You could stop here but I didn't want to have 2 blue robots together so I went through my stash and found a robot die cut or sticker to adhere over the second blue robot. 

I decided to add some navy blue ribbon from my stash to the top and bottom edge of the pen holder using Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to get a strong hold on the paper, unfortunately my hand wasn't steady so I got some where I shouldn't but mistakes are just a embellishment away from being awesome.

I then started adding stars from my stash randomly over the pen holder so my robot covering the extra blue robot felt like he belonged and to cover some of my wibbly wobbly glue mistakes, then I just randomised to make it feel natural..
I adhered the die cut stars down with Helmar Acid Free glue.
I adhered the resin and sewing patch stars down with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

 

Apart from the resin and sewing patch stars everything is flat so the pen/pencil holder can sit on it's side for pens that need to be kept that way.
I love how it turned out, now to work out who gets it on their desk.  :)

 


It even works as a book end ;)