Category: Craft Classes
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A Spooky Pop-Up Surprise for Halloween
Half the fun of Halloween is the element of surprise — that sudden little jump when something leaps out at you from the shadows. I wanted to capture that exact feeling in paper form without making it overly complicated, which brought me straight to this little chap. On the outside, things look relatively tame. Using…
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Layering Landscapes: Building Scenery One Stamp at a Time
Some days, the most satisfying thing on the crafting table is just letting the stamps do the heavy lifting. There is no intricate colouring or fussy cutting involved here. Just clean ink, crisp paper, and the calm rhythm of building a whole horizon line one layer at a time. These four cards came together around…
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Rolling into Rhythm: The Shared Joy of a Quiet Craft
There is a really beautiful moment that happens at the beginning of almost every craft class. Everyone arrives at my Oakleigh South studio, grabs a cuppa, and settles into their spot. But this week, as people looked down at the slotted tools and neat piles of paper strips on their mats, a familiar wave of…
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Christmas in July Cardmaking Class
Every year December seems to arrive out of nowhere, bringing the usual scramble to write cards, wrap presents, and tick off endless to-do lists. I’ve found that taking a bit of time mid-year to sit down, play with festive paper, and get a jump on things makes all the difference when the silly season truly…
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Jam-Packed with Creativity: A Sweet Afternoon in Class
There’s nothing quite like a craft table full of ink pads, stamps, paper scraps, scissors, laughter and a group of lovely ladies letting their creativity run wild. This week’s class was all about creating these sweet little preserve jar cards using the Filled with Sweetness bundle from Stampin’ Up! What a joyful session it turned…
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Fun Fold Cards Turning Paper Into a Home
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time at my desk lately, just playing around with how a simple, flat piece of cardstock can transform into something with so much more personality. There is something endlessly satisfying about the “fun fold” process of taking a standard rectangle and, with a few precise scores and cuts,…
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Preserving Memories: The Sweetest Way to Say Hello
There is something so incredibly grounding about pulling out the stamps and dies and just losing yourself in a project for a few hours. Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with the “Filled with Sweetness” set from Stampin’ Up!, and I haven’t been able to stop making these little jam jar cards. It’s not often that…
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The Art of the Scroll: Modern Quilling for Today’s Crafter
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the studio lately playing with a modern twist on the art of the scroll. It’s amazing how a simple strip of paper, when coiled and shaped just right, can completely transform a flat stamped image into something that feels alive. What I love most about this…
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One Layer, Many Uses: The Versatile Pocket Card
I’ve always been a fan of clever papercrafting. It is the kind of project where a few simple folds or a bit of well-placed adhesive creates something that actually solves a problem. Lately, I’ve been reaching for these one-layer pocket cards every time a birthday or thank-you rolls around. The concept is pretty straightforward. It…
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Why Papercrafting is the Ultimate Mindfulness Practice
Have you ever sat down to make a card, and suddenly looked up to realise two hours have vanished into thin air? You look down, and there is ink on your fingers, paper scraps everywhere, and a lovely project sitting in front of you. That right there? That is not just crafting. That is mindfulness…
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Gift Twice with These Clever Detachable Bookmark Notecards
We often talk about how much love goes into a handmade card, but there is something extra special about a greeting that stays with the recipient long after the envelope has been opened. I have been playing around with the Notes Of Spring stamp set lately, and I fell in love with the idea of…
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More Creativity, More Classes, More Fun at Alphacrafts
Hello, creative friends! If you have been following Alphacrafts for a while, you know that my passion is bringing people together to share the joy of paper crafting. There is nothing quite like the “click” of a clear stamp or the crisp fold of premium cardstock to wash away the stress of a busy week.…
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The Joy of Ink Blending and Shared Creativity
There is a particular kind of magic that happens when you pick up a blending brush and a fresh ink pad. It starts with a blank piece of white cardstock and, with just a few soft, circular motions, a beautiful glow begins to appear. It is one of those techniques that feels almost like a…
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Apple Card Inspiration
Apple cards are sweet. The Apple Harvest stamp set is beautiful on its own but more effective when used with the coordinating dies. This card uses the 4 flower dies found in the Apple Blossom Dies. My initial idea was a white-on-white design but later decided to add a little colour. If you’re wondering, the…
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Cards Shaped Like Paper Houses
Cards shaped like paper houses is a fun-fold technique that’s easy and only require simple basic measurements and fold lines. Here’s how: First, you’ll need a piece of 4 x 11-1/2 inch Basic White Thick Cardstock. Fold it in half and use this score line to form the roof. Measure 1-1/2 inch out from the…
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Ombre Technique
Ombre Technique – It’s an inking technique that I enjoy using blending brushes. The aim is to overlap the colours but the transition should be subtle. It’s as if the colours are bleeding onto each other. Helpful tools for this technique will be blending brushes, sponge daubers, decorative masks and a colour wheel (to help…
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Monochrome Stamping Technique
Monochrome stamping technique – It is a creative way of producing an image using one ink colour in at least a dozen varying shades. In my card making, I combine several stamp sets and at least a dozen colours to achieve the monochromatic effect that I want. Monochrome stamping is my favourite technique because it…
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In The Moment Inspiration
The In The Moment stamp set is our take-home product for March Stamp Club. It’s perfect for keeping in touch with family and friends. Also, Mother’s Day is just around the corner so if your Mum likes to stamp, she might like this as a gift. Our Stamp Club attendees enjoyed the projects above. We…
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To The Moon Inspiration
To The Moon stamp set is our inspiration for February Stamp Club. I love a good set of celestial stamps, don’t you? Coincidentally, February is also Valentine’s month and this set is perfect for it because then the people you love can have the moon and the stars too! (just in your cards, of course)…
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Eden’s Garden Inspiration
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Eden’s Garden has beautiful botanical images and coordinates with a gorgeous intricate set of dies. We had so much fun creating these projects during our monthly creative catch-up for January Stamp Club. The first card is a clever way of using the leaves in the set. Stamp the leaves in layers in Balmy Blue, Soft…
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Days To Remember, Peaceful Moments and Best Year
Days To Remember, Peaceful Moments and Best Year are my top choices for greetings and sentiments. They were also the take-home products for Stamp Club. If you signed up for December Stamp Club, you would have chosen one or all of the stamp sets to be in your kit. As mentioned before, stamp club is…
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Butterfly Brilliance Inspiration
We used the Butterfly Brilliance stamp set on our November Stamp Club and everyone loved it. It was also the take-home product for Stamp Club. Stamp Club is a monthly creative catch-up where attendees receive a stamp set and also materials for projects that I prepared for us to assemble. Each month is different so…
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Reflected In Nature Cards
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Reflected In Nature is a new stamp set from the occasional catalogue that’s only available until December 2021. The image in this stamp set is beautiful. It features a cottage in an idyllic and calm woodland forest across a lake. When you stamp it, the reflected image is subtle and light. You have to try…
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Journal Collage Art
Journal collage art is a fun project that uses little cut-out bits of paper and embellishments. I always have cut-out pieces and embellishments in a small box on my table and I empty it by making little works of art. It’s so much fun and satisfying because they can be accomplished in such a short…
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Delicate Dahlias
Delicate Dahlias is perfect for making DIY washi tape. This stamp set is a Sale-a-bration freebie available until the end of September. We’ll be using the small flowers found in the stamp set for our project. In one of my posts, we made DIY washi and then used it to make a stunning card. For…
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Feels Like Home Stamp Set
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Let’s try DIY washi using the Feels Like Home stamp set. This is a fun paper craft project that uses the smaller stamps in the set. The Feels Like Home stamp set is a Sale-a-bration freebie available until the end of September. What is washi? It’s printed masking tape used as decoration for paper craft…
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To The Moon Ex Libris
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I’m making Ex Libris bookplates using the To The Moon stamp set. In my previous post, I made a card using the same stamp set. This time we are going to use this stamp set in another fun project – Ex Libris bookplates. Ex Libris means ‘from the library of”. If you’ve been organising your…
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To The Moon Card Inspiration
Today we’re using the To The Moon stamp set to make a card. I wanted to make a reusable card for this project. Every piece that goes in this card can be taken apart and re-purposed. When you watch the video tutorial you will notice that I didn’t use any adhesive. It’s a great technique…