A Covid-19 Easter

I was invited to a online scrapping session a few weeks ago.  It was a great way to get myself crafting as I have been struggling to get back to crafting since the move, I have just fallen out of the habit, if that makes sense.
Anyway I scrambled for what to scrap and decided to scrap our Easter during Covid-19, I had been collecting a variety of free printable Covid-19 Scrapping supplies (link at the bottom of the post) so I printed them out and created a Easter during Covid-19 kit for myself with these, the Easter Wishes Collection Pack from ColorPlay (ordered from CraftOnline) and some Poppy Crafts Cardstock.

During the scrapping session I started my usual way of prepping everything that needed prepping, so I short listed what I might use, fussy cut out assorted items, coloured my virus characters with some Distress Ink and a Aquabrush.  Once everything was ready I started figuring out my layers, cutting papers, adhering down and then embellishing.







I adhered my papers down with Helmar Acid Free Glue and used Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots to adhere some of the words and my virus characters to give them some pop.
Once it was all down I remembered I had this planet earth glass flair from Kaisercraft in my stash so grabbed it, it was perfect for this layout.

I decided to use a lot of words to tell the story of how we adapted a family tradition by using Facetime to have Hot Cross Buns with our adult kids & Granddaughter, the kid's Grandparents and Aunt, Uncle & Cousins.

I love how the layout turned out, the various printables worked really well with this range from ColorPlay and the cute bunny and egg stickers were perfect for hiding mistakes ;)

Have you scrapped your Easter 2020 yet?
What products are you planning on using?
Here is a link to the post that I found most of my printables on.

Bee Bath - Helmar Creative Team

Today I have a cute project for the Garden to share with you.

With this move I am now able to garden (the old house had stairs so any gardening I tried died as I couldn't tend to it as needed), so I decided to try Container Gardening, this was planned for a late March to early April start but with isolation I brought it forward a couple of weeks so we would be harvesting sooner as we have food intolerances and in early March it was very hard to get the foods we can eat.

I have been reading up on all sorts of stuff about container gardening and veggie gardening when I came across a Bee Bath and it seemed like a really cute idea and a great way to use this broken chair I rescued from being sent to the tip as I felt it would work in my garden to rest my Bee Bath on :)






I grabbed a shallow pot and a pot saucer, blue glass pebbles (according to the internet putting these in the bath prevents bees from drowning and attracts them), Helmar Silicone Adhesive Sealant and selected some flowers that according to the internet Bees love and set to work.

At first I tried putting the Helmar Silicone Adhesive Sealant on the edge of the pot and holding the saucer in place until it dried but that didn't work, I kept wobbling.

So after lots of wibbly wobbly mess was created I flipped things and put some more  Helmar Silicone Adhesive Sealant on the bottom of the saucer and place the pot on top and left it to dry.

Once it was dry I added some good quality potting mix to the pot and planted my flowers with the tallest at what would be the back.  I have over-planted the violas but as they grow I will transplant the excess, I wanted plenty of flowers from the start in the hope of attracting bees to my Veggies.














I have 2 ways of using my Bee Bath.  I can just add a shallow bowl into the saucer and place the pebbles and water in this to make cleaning easier as you need to provide fresh water daily and clean the bath once a week for the bee's health.  Or you can just put the pebbles directly into the saucer and just hose it when you water the pot.

I think this has turned out super cute and I am going do add smaller pots around the edge at the front to fill out the chair more and attract more good insects to my veggies.

Upcycled Floppy Disc Pencil Holder no burnt fingers

When we were sorting through stuff for our big move we found a box of unused floppy discs, so cool, E thought it was very retro and worthy of a instagram post.  I decided to upcycle some of them into a pen/pencil holder.  I know people have been doing this for a while with hot glue and burning their fingers but as always I like to find ways to make things that don't involve burning my fingers so I decided to experiment with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to see if it would work.

I adhered 3 floppy discs together with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.  

I then added my base while the glue on the 3 sides was still workable.

Finally I added the 4th side by running a bead of Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive around the 2 sides and on the top edge of the base.

I think it turned out really well, I made some mistakes while making it but that means I can do a better job on the next one I make.
I think it is going to be a home to some Helmar goodies instead of pens thought.  ;)

I'm a Mermaid - CraftOnline Creative Team Project

We are all moved and 90% unpacked so I got to scrapbook for the first time in months and it was so good to be creating the way I love most again.  I have had to edit this video a lot as there were long periods of indecisiveness as I was out of my usual flow, if that makes sense, but I am really happy with how this layout of my Granddaughter posing in a Mermaid cutout turned out.

Items used in this project
Bazzill Bling Cardstock Charming
Bazzill Bling Cardstock Her Majesty
Eyelet Outlet Shell Brads
Echo Park Mermaid Dreams Collection 
Poppy Crafts A5 paper pad Mermaid
Scrapaholics Chipboard Floating Mermaid
Scrapaholics Chipboard Mermaid Kisses
Poppy Crafts die Sea Shell
Poppy Crafts die Sea Horse
Poppy Crafts A4 Cardstock Yellow Pack
Stickmaster Glue Residue Eraser

Tonic Studios Mini Guillotine

Julie Taylor 18x24 inch cutting mat

Universal Crafts Etching Tool 

 

I cut the shell die cuts with some Kaisercraft Cardstock in my stash, it is a old colour and no longer available.  I would suggest trying Kaisercraft Oatmeal and blending inks to get the result you want.

I coloured the shell die cuts with Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy.  I coloured the Seahorse with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I glued everything down with Helmar Acid Free Glue, Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and some Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots were perfect for giving some lift and pop where needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can view my Process Video by clicking on the pic or video below.

 

 

I love how this layout turned out.  All the little bits that say I am a Mermaid were just perfect for telling the story of the photos and prompting my memory of it.

Headset Repair - Helmar Creative Team

One of the ear cushions/muffs came of C's headset and with the move I did not want to be replacing his headset just yet so I decided to try fixing it myself. 
Ideally I would have like to use Helmar Fabric Glue for adhering the fabric back down and then Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere it to the plastic but I packed my Fabric Glue when I packed my sewing stash so I just had the 450 Quick Dry to work with and it worked really well.

To adhere the fabric back where it has come away from the stitching I worked in small sections with my Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive gluing it in place a inch or so at a time.

Once this was dry I put Helmar 450 Quick Dry on the surface for the muff and adhered it down to the headset.

I wrapped some rubber bands around it and left it to dry for longer than needed as I wanted to be sure I gave it it's best chance at holding.

All fixed.
As I am typing this he has been using his headset for a week and there are no signs of any issues.

2 Lovely Cards - CraftOnline Creative Team

The big move is nearly over, we are just getting the last few things from the old place and finishing off the unpacking so my next CraftOnline project will be coming to you from my new set up.  I am so excited.
Meanwhile Today I wanted to share with you 2 Lovely Cards I created using some gorgeous Poppy Crafts Papers to have on hand to give hubby for Valentine's Day or just for the hell of it.

Items used on this project
Poppy Crafts Sweet Heart 6x6 Paper Pad
Poppy Crafts Valentine's Day Washi Tape
Poppy Crafts Pink Cardstock Pack
Poppy Crafts Citrus Burst Cardstock Pack
Helmar Acid Free Glue
Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots 


You can view my Process Video by clicking on the pic or video below.

I love how my cards turned out, I think they suit a wide range of occassions.  I hope they inspire you to make something.

Quick and Easy Drawer Repair - Helmar Creative Team

One of the drawer fronts in our Buffet broke a while back, we sealed it with some duct tape to prevent bugs getting in and put it in the get around to fixing it when we have the glue and the time catagory.
Thanks to Helmar I have the perfect glue to fix the drawer front and the perfect cleaner to get the duct tape adhesive off.  With moving I need to sell or give away the buffet away so the time to fix it is now.  

I used some Helmar Super Strength PVA Wood Glue.  










 

I borrowed some clamps from a friend to hold my pieces together while the glue dried.  I left it overnight to give it as much time to bond as possible before use.

I used too much Helmar Super Strength PVA Wood Glue but I have never done a repair like this before and was wanting to ensure I didn't use too little, so I just wiped off the excess with a damp cloth when it seeped out. 

While my glue was drying I decided to clean off the duct tape adhesive from the buffet with Helmar H2000 Remove Cleaner.  This stuff is great for getting adhesive residue off things, just spritz and rub off with a rag.  It is best to test on a section that isn't visible first.















All fixed, I apparently messed up the alignment and didn't notice until it was dry but that's ok, this was about getting a functional drawer again and it was a messy break.  So my advice for people like myself who haven't done repairs like this before is be careful with your alignment when applying the clamps.