14 February 2013

Bite 3:

 

Blue Damsel

 
 
 
I am writing this post this afternoon with this view outside my window. I can't believe how the weather has changed in just a few hours!

However, it makes the perfect setting for a pretty little mini-project; a Sugar Buttons corner bookmark that would make any literary feat a true designer staple.

This project shouldn't be too demanding and only needs very basic materials.
 
 
 

You will need:

900921 Princess Posies Sugar Buttons topper sheet.
One piece of Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper trimmed to 8X8 size
One piece of Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper no smaller than 4X4 (perfect for using up scraps!)
(I will be using the fairy wands and some busy buttons scrap)
 Embellishments - if required.
 
I have laid out everything you will need in the picture below, minus glue, tape, foam pads etc;
 
 
You won't be needing the purple dotty card that is pictured above; my original plan for the bookmark didn't work out as planned so I had to alter the topper I used. The Button Bites projects certainly keep me on my toes! Sorry for the bad angle of the shot; I promise you that I do edit these images but they keep importing wrong.
 

Step One: Folding the Skeleton

Using the 8X8 piece of Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper (mine is fairy wands), you need to fold it in half and then into quarters as shown below;
 
 
This will give you a bookmark that is roughly 4" X 4" square, give or take. It will sit nicely over the corner of your pages.
 
With the paper fully folded into quarters, what you need to do is hold it with the open leaves facing towards you and, with your fingers, find the square that will act as the back of your bookmark.
 

When making corner bookmarks it is easier to work with double-sided paper but sadly the Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper is only one-sided. We couldn't think of everything could we? This is where that second piece of Pretty Paper comes in, but more about that in another step.
 
Once you have found the square that is going to be visible, it is a good idea to mark it with a little pencil mark like I've done below;
 
 
 It's a little difficult to see but hopefully you get the idea. The pencil mark is just a guide so that you know which piece to stick the backing sheet onto.
 

Step Two: The Backing Sheet

You will only need a piece of scrap backing paper for this step, hence why I've decided to use a piece of the busy buttons Pretty Paper that I had left over from the last Bite.
 
Using the folded square space as a guide, measure out the required amount of backing paper and trim it to size. Then stick it down with double-sided tape or a tape roller, covering the pencil mark. Make sure that the bottom corner lines up neatly as this will be the only part that's visible.
 
 
 

Step Three: The Pocket

 
This picture illustrates the more difficult way to fold the triangles. The easier method has only just occurred to me while writing this post...common sense isn't a strong point of mine!

You can make the corner of the bookmark one of two ways;

1. You can fold the corners of the squares inside one another and fold them down (as shown to the left)

2. You can fold the corners of the squares outside of one another. You can fold them well and then bend them back on themselves to create the pocket for the bookmark (this way is infinitely easier!)

You don't have to fold the triangles right from the corners; it is wise to leave a minimum of a centimetre between the fold and the corner so that you don't get as much wear on the pocket. 
 

The end result should look like this;
 
 
 As you can see, the busy buttons backing paper contrasts the fairy wands nicely.
 
Now that you can see how the bookmark will work, you will notice that there is a gap in the leaves of the pocket along the top edge (running left to right when using this picture as a guide). You can tack these down with double-sided tape to give it a cleaner appearance.

 

Step Four: Decoration

Now that you've got the structure of the bookmark complete, you can decorate the front. You can use one of the smaller stamps from the Sugar Buttons collection (found in the duo sets), or you can use one of the toppers. I have decided to do the latter.
 
I chose one of the damsels from the 900921 Princess Posies topper sheet. You must take care to remove the holding tabs using some fine-nosed scissors because the edges of the topper will look messy otherwise.
 
On this first example, I simply added 3D foam pads to the back, taking care to line the topper up first so I knew where to put them, and just mounted the topper to the pocket of the bookmark.
 
 
 
 
 However, you could always use one of the Spellbinders Nestabilities dies to trim up the topper a little more. I made another example when I was trying out the easier way to make the bookmark pocket and decorated it a little differently;
 

Using the SBS4-192 Blossom Spellbinders Nestabilities die, I created a lightly scalloped border piece to mount my topper onto. The card I used is a piece of Kanban Mirri Silk Pastel Pink.

I finished the pretty damsel off with some flat-backed pink pearl embellishments but you could always use some Liquid Pearls to create the same effect if you have a steady hand.

The backing paper was, again, from the Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper Pad; an 8X8 square of basic pastel pink and a 4X4 square of gathered rosebuds.

Overall, the effect is certainly beautiful. I may even keep this one for myself!
Whatever embellishments you decide to use, make sure they won't be damaged by the book! After all, a bookmark this beautiful is meant to be used.
 
 
 

THE END

Well done everyone! I hope you're happy with the result. As always, if there is anything you're unsure about or if the instructions confuse you in any way, feel free to contact me. Please don't be afraid to comment on my project posts and leave me feedback. I'd love to hear how you're all getting on.
 
Check out our official Sugar Buttons Facebook page
 
 
Shop for supplies at
 
See you soon for another project! Happy crafting everyone.

 
2 comments:

6 February 2013

Bite 2:


Pinky Fairies

 


Good morning everyone and welcome to the second project, brought to you by the Sugar Buttons team!

As you can see from the image, today's project will utilise some more of the toppers from the Sugar Buttons sheet that I used for Bite One. You will see me do this quite often so that, hopefully, you'll have a stock set of projects that will utilise all of the elements from the Sugar Buttons kits. Plus, there are so many beautiful toppers and decoupage elements that you just don't want to waste!
 

You will need:

Hougie Board & Hougie Tool
One sheet of 12X12 card (preferably Bazzill or similar)
One 7X7 envelope/box
Four pieces of contrasting patterned Sugar Buttons paper/card
One 2X12 plain border strip (preferably Bazzill or similar)
Spellbinders SBS5-025 Labels Seventeen Nestabilities
Sugar Buttons toppers (I will be using 900923 Fairy Dust)
Approximately 14" length of 15mm Satin ribbon
Embellishments, if required.
 
I have laid everything out below;
 
As you can see, I have selected four different designs from the Sugar Buttons Pretty Paper Pad but, in the end, I only used three; the castle vista, the busy buttons and the pink hearts.

These pieces will be trimmed to size in a later step.

For the 12X12 card, I chose a pale blue Bazzill Bling shade to accentuate the blue background of the Fairy Dust topper.

 Step One: Scoring

With the Hougie Board on the 'inches' side, you need to score your 12X12 piece of card at 3" and 9" using the Hougie Tool. Then rotate the card clockwise and repeat the scoring again at 3" and 9". This will give you a nice 6X6 square in the middle of the card.
 
 
 
I have added black lines to these images so that you can clearly see the scoring lines and the resulting effect.
 
Once you have scored all the lines, set the Hougie Board to one side and fold the card along these lines both backwards and forwards. Go over the creases with the straight edge of your Hougie Tool if you like. It is important that the fold lines be flexible so that you can create the napkin fold effect easily.
 

Step Two: Finding the Middle

Using a ruler and a pencil, you must find the exact middle of the middle square between the fold lines. The easiest way to do this is to lay the ruler diagonally corner-to-corner and mark a line approximately halfway down. Then lay the ruler diagonally corner-to-corner on the opposite side and make another mark, intersecting the first pencil line. The point where the lines cross is the middle of the square.
 
 
 
I have edited this image on the left to enhance the pencil marks that indicate the centre of the square. The point where the lines cross will be your guidline for the next step.
 
'X' certainly does mark the spot!

Step Three: Folding the Corners

Working from the top left corner and using the very centre of the pencil lines as a guide, fold the point down to meet the centre line.
 

Repeat this method for the remaining three corners. When you're finished, you should have something that looks like this;
 

Please don't be confused by the blue tack blob in the centre; I use this purely to aid the photography.
 


Step Four: Squares & Triangles

Now, this is as tricky as this card gets so gird your loins. I'll try and give you the written instructions first and then give you a photograph sequence to hopefully guide you through this step.
 
Look at the top left corner of your 12X12 card; you will see two scored triangles beneath and at the side of the square. Gently pull the two triangles together so that the score lines at the bottom meet and lie flat on the base. The resulting shape is a square panel on the top.
 
 
You can see the resulting square panel in the picture on the far right.
 
The first one is always the hardest but if your fold lines are good and flexible, it should make the process easier because the card is more likely to slip into position on its own. Once you have the first square made, the card generally falls into formation easily.
 
You repeat these steps for each 'corner' of the card like so;
 
 
The end result should look like this;
 
 
Now you have something that resembles a small checkerboard pattern.
 
The final step in the folding process is to take the open corner of the squares and fold it back in half against itself so that the tip of the point lies against the closed corner of the card, like you can see below;
 

Repeat this step for the rest of the corners and the finished product will look like this;
 

Again, please ignore the blue tack blob in the centre. This is just to hold the folds in place so that I can photograph it.
 
The skeleton of the card is now complete. You can set it aside and turn your attention to trimming it up.
 

Step Five: Trimming & Cutting

The first thing to do is decide which pattern of backing paper you want to appear on the inside and on the outside. I decided to use the pink hearts backing paper for the outer face of the card and use the busy buttons and the castle vista for the inside, so I'll talk you through the process using my choices as a guide.
 
Now, out of an A4 sheet of the pink hearts backing paper you will need two pieces that measure 5 1/4" (that's five-and-a-quarter inches) X 5 1/4" square.
 
Out of an A4 sheet of the busy buttons backing paper you will need one piece that measures 5 1/2" (that's five-and-a-half inches) X 5 1/2" square.
 
 
Sorry for the rotated angle again.
 
The castle vista backing paper will be used to mount onto the centre square that we marked a pencil 'X' onto to do the folding. This square should measure 6"X6" but do check with a ruler just to be sure.
Cut the castle vista backing paper down to 6X6 square to match the space available and then trim it down by a few milimetres so that it doesn't interfere with the folds.
 
Like you can see in this image, you need to decide how to use the paper to the best effect. Because the castle vista is heavily themed, you will have to position it carefully and make the most of the design. I chose to use the main focal point of the castle and the fountain but you can choose any aspect that suits you if you decide to use this design.
 
 
Once you've trimmed it to size, set the 6X6 piece to one side. You won't need it until later.
 
First of all, using the single sheet of 5 1/2"X5 1/2" busy buttons paper you need to cut it diagonally,
corner-to-corner, to make FOUR large triangles.
 

Set these to one side.
 
Using the TWO sheets of 5 1/4"X5 1/4" pink hearts paper, you need to cut it the same as the busy buttons pattern to make four large triangles. Then you need to cut each large triangle in half again so that altogether you end up with EIGHT small triangles from each sheet - SIXTEEN small triangles altogether;
 

 

Step Six: Sticking

Once you have all your triangles cut to size, all you have to do is stick them down according to where you want them. You will easily be able to match them up based on their size.
 
Stick the smaller triangles into position using either double-sided tape or a tape roller. You might find that using a tape roller speeds the process up.
 


Then stick the larger triangles on all sides of the square inner like so;
 

 
Now you're ready to finish off the inside of the card. Using either double-sided tape or a tape roller, stick the trimmed piece of castle vista backing paper into the space;
 

You may notice from this picture that I have mounted my piece of backing paper onto a piece of Kanban deep blue card. This was because I accidentally trimmed my backing paper too small. However it does have a nice effect so you could bear this in mind for the future if you want to make this card again.
 
As you can see, the understated pink heart backing paper really sets off the busy buttons and creates a beautiful frame for the fairytale castle and fountain.
 
You can see the finished effect in this image;
 
 
 
All you have to do to complete the inner face of the card is to add a sentiment if you wish;

 
 

Step Seven: Die-Cutting

This is the first step in creating the bellyband that will securely fasten the front of the card and prevent it bursting open.
 
The Fairy Dust card topper is so pretty that you could use it just as it is but I chose to mount it onto a die-cut matt. Using one of the smaller dies in the Labels Seventeen Nestabilities set, cut a small panel that will sit behind the topper in shadow.
 

I used the same Kanban deep blue card as I did to mount the castle vista backing paper onto. Then all you have to do is mount the topper to the deep blue matt. The effect is as follows;
 

 
Set the completed topper to one side and this will be used as a centre-piece on the bellyband.
 

Step Eight: The Bellyband

This is where that 2X12 strip from your 'You Will Need' list comes in. I have laid out some things that I will use to design my bellyband;
 
 
 
The bellyband is where you can really go crazy. You can trim it up any way you like. If you want to, you could use an edging punch along both of the long edges and accentuate the pattern with glitter, but for the purpose of this project, I decided to keep the bellyband relatively easy.
 

It is easier to measure the ribbon out by eye than by using a precise measurement. Simply unfurl the ribbon across the top of the bellyband as I have and leave enough overhanging the edges so that you can secure it on the reverse face.

 
 
 


Using double-sided tape or a tape roller for convenience, secure the overhanging strips of ribbon to the reverse face of the card strip. You may find that you have to add some tape to the underside of the ribbon along the front face just to keep it in place.
 


The finished effect should look like the image on the left. You must take care when sticking the ribbon down so that it doesn't move too far off-centre.
 
 When you're happy with how the design of the bellyband looks, it is time to stick the topper down. Take care with this step.
 
Wrap the bellyband around the middle of the pop-out card, making sure that it holds the mechanism in place but not so tight that it won't be able to slide off. You will notice that it doesn't meet completely in the middle. Don't worry about this because the topper will cover the join.
 
Using 3D foam pads or good, strong silicone glue depending on your preference, position them around the gap an appropriate width and depth for the topper, as seen below;
 

Then remove the backing tape from the pads (if used) and carefully position the Sugar Buttons topper in the centre;
 

 
 
All that is left to do is slide the completed bellyband into place around the middle of the card.
 
 

Step Nine: Titivating

 
Using embellishments of your choice, feel free to further decorate the front of your completed card if you wish. I decided to leave mine simple because the pop-out effect of the napkin-fold is enough to impress even the most discerning recipient.
 
 


THE END

 
Well done everyone! I hope you're happy with the result. As always, if there is anything you're unsure about or if the instructions confuse you in any way, feel free to contact me. Please don't be afraid to comment on my project posts and leave me feedback. I'd love to hear how you're all getting on.
 
Check out our official Sugar Buttons Facebook page
 
Shop for supplies at
 
See you soon for another project! Happy crafting everyone. 
 
 
 
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