Merry Christmas from BuzyBobbins

Merry Christmas from BuzyBobbins

Hello everyone
I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Did you all get your stitching done in time for the Holidays?

I hope everyone has a relaxing and joyful time.
I will be back in January with some more brand new Cross stitch designs so please pop back to see them.

Much love and happy stitching
Gemma x


 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

Zodiac cross stitch designs - Capricorn December 22 - January 19

Zodiac cross stitch designs - Capricorn December 22 - January 19

Colour	DMC Number	Anchor Number
Black	310	403
Green	702	239
White	5200	1
Brown	3371	382

This design was originally designed in Anchor colours, for a closest match to the Picture use Anchor, a conversion chart was used for DMC.

Hello everyone

This is the first design of a new series of Zodiac themed cross stitch designs. This is designed to be a good size for a large card. The designs use only a few colours of embroidery thread and whole stitches only so while the background design may need a little more counting these will be great for a beginner to try to stretch themselves on their cross stitching skills. 

This months design is Capricorn

Capricorn's birth dates:  December 22 - January 19

Capricorn is an Earth sign so I represented this with a mountain motif and green/ brown colours. The mountains help to symbolize how people in Earth star signs are said to be dependable and stable. The colours convey the Earth signs tendency to be grounded. After reading up on the qualities typically shown in an Earth sign it seems that they will make good friends with the only commonly noted weakness being a tendency for greed so just keep the cookie jar away from those earth signs huh?

Keep coming back over the year as I will be adding more Zodiac signs hopefully in time to Stitch it for their birthdays. This one is cutting it a little fine because Christmas is proving so hectic.

Anyway much love and happy stitching
Gemma x 

More Zodiac themes cross stitch designs:


Zodiac cross stitch design Aquarius January 20 - February 18
Zodiac cross stitch designs - Capricorn December 22 - January 19
Zodiac cross stitch -  Pisces February 19 - March 20
Zodiac cross stitch design Aries - March 21 - April 19
Zodiac cross stitch design - Taurus April 20 - May 20
Zodiac cross stitch design Gemini - May 21 - June 20
Zodiac Cancer June 21 - July 22 cross stitch design
Zodiac cross stitch design - Virgo August 23 - September 22
Zodiac cross stitch design Libra - September 23 - October 22
Zodiac Scorpio October 23 - November 21 cross stitch design

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

How to make a simple Minions Christmas bauble

How to make a simple Minions Christmas bauble

Hello everyone,
It seems like minions are everywhere these days but I realised there are no Minions on my Christmas tree nor the trees of my friends so I set about to solve this. :)

Heres a tutorial on how to decorate some baubles of your own. This method requires some cutting out so young children will need some adult assistance. However the adult could always cut out the shapes in advance allowing children to stick them on with child safe glue. I checked this worked with my child safe PVA glue and the baubles have been holding up without being heavily handled. However this can also be made with stronger craft glue for a sturdier finish if they are going to be given as presents.

What you will need:

Gold or Yellow baubles. 

Felt in Grey, White and Black

Thin black ribbon

Scissors

Glue (I used PVA glue but a stronger craft glue can also be used)

Step 1:
Take the black ribbon and glue it all the way around the middle of the bauble and allow this to dry.
This will represent the strap of the goggles that each minion wears.

Step 2:

Cut out a large circle of grey felt and a slightly smaller circle of white felt. You will need one set for each eye your minion has. 

Glue these circles on. It is recomended to use the circles to cover the area the ribbons overlap to help your bauble look neat. 

Step 3:

Cut very small circles of black felt for the pupil and glue one on each eye. 

Step 4:

Lastly cut out shapes from your black felt to become the mouths and hair. 

This is a fun excuse to rewatch the movies to work out what expressions you want to use and hairstyles to copy. 

Here are my examples for the faces. 

I hope everyone enjoys this tutorial, have a great time decorating your tree with plenty of Minions. 

If you have any pictures of your own makes please pop them in the comments I would love to see them. :)

For a few more ideas on what to do with some old Christmas Baubles here are some links

 

Christmas Bauble Upcycling

Upcycling worn out Christmas Baubles
Spiderman Halloween decoration
How to make a Bloody handprint Halloween decoration from an old Christmas bauble
How to make a dripping bauble Halloween decoration.
Pokemon Gastly Halloween decoration
How to make a Wrapped sweet Christmas decoration.
How to make a Squirtle Squad decoration
How to make a Jake the dog decoration
How to make a Chain Chomp Christmas bauble

Other Upcycling

Upcycled bunting from left over wrapping paper

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

Fun things to make with Simbrix

Fun things to make with Simbrix

Hello everyone

Last week my Simbrix arrived! For those who don't know they are cute little building blocks which have recently been funded via Kickstarter. The fun thing about these bricks is that they stay together fairly well normally but can optionally be ironed to make a creation permanent. None of the following projects have been ironed so can be re-used for another creation.
Here's a link to their website: http://www.simbrix.com/

Anyhow I have been spending loads of time coming up with fun things that we can do with the Simbrix so here's a few ideas and templates if you happen to have your own Simbrix. If not then these templates can also be used for tiny little cross stitches too. Remember though finished items in cross stitch will be smaller than items in Simbrix.

Simbrix Photo Frame

To make this adorable photoframe I built the frame with the middle hole slightly smaller than the picture. The outer edge can be as wide as you like but remember it will need to fit on the shelf. 

To attach the photograph to the frame I used a small amount of photo friendly masking tape on the back. When you want to re-use your Simbrix for another creation the masking tape peels right off again. 

Be careful not to use regular sellotape for this since it could damage your picture/ photograph.

In this particular design I used the heart shape from the coaster below. 

Simbrix drinks coaster

Heres a very quick design for a drinks coaster. If your favorite mug or glass is larger than mine then add some extra bricks around the outside of the design until it fits. If you intend to re-use your bricks I don't recommend using this coaster for very hot cups. 

Simbrix Christmas decoration

This is a Simbrix creation I turned into a Christmas decoration. It perched quite well on the branches of my tree. I didn't even have to iron this one to work well as a decoration because on the tree it isnt handled so won't fall apart easily. 

Here's a design for this decoration, it looks like a brightly coloured cracker, though my friend swears it looks more like a wrapped sweet. I guess it could be either. 

Simbrix selfie accessories

A cheeky little sunglasses and mustache combination for accessorizing your selfie.

This design is pretty simple to make and in Simbrix is in proportion to an adult face. The glasses and mustache can be separated and used individually if preferred but I really like the way they look as one piece. 

Anyway thats all for now. I'll be posting some more Simbrix designs once I have another collection ready for a post.

Much love and happy crafting

For my first review of Simbrix heres a link: http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-preview-of-simbrix-interconnecting.html

For a few Cross stitch designs which could be used for Simbrix (designs with whole stitches only work really well for this) here are a few links:

Little Rainbow over the Hills Cross stitch design
D20 small dice design
Easter egg alphabet
Colourful Christmas Crackers

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

Pengiun in a Christmas hat cross stitch design

Pengiun in a Christmas hat cross stitch design

Colour	Used in these areas:	DMC Number	Anchor Number
Black	Outlines top of head and eyes	310	403
White	Face, details on hat and scarf	White	2
Dark grey	Beak	3799	236
Grey	Body main colour	414	235
Red	Hat and scarf main colour. Backstitch on scarf	606	334

This design was originally designed in Anchor colours, for a closest match to the Picture use Anchor, a conversion chart was used for DMC.

Hello everyone
Heres another cute Christmas themed design. This one is a little bit big for a Christmas card but if you are looking for a Cross stitch with large areas to fill this one could be a relaxing change for you.

I think this may make a sweet little logo to add to a large Christmas stocking. It could make a nice change to all of the traditional Santas and Reindeers which are normally found on decorated stockings.

So, have you worked out whats going into the Christmas stockings for your family this year?
For my cross stitch loving friends their stocking stuffers are going to be tiny little cross stitch kits and maybe some nice treats of variegated or metallic thread. For the kids in my family I have found some cute little craft kits which are age appropriate.

Anyway I'd better finish wrapping all these now
Happy Crafting
Gemma

Christmas designs

Christmas stocking maze
Christmas bauble collection
Gingerbread people
Colourful Christmas Crackers
Christmas bauble maze
Cute advent calendar motifs
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse - card and bookmark design.
Making friends - Santas Elf making a snowman
Fur topped stocking Christmas card design.
Sprouts! Just say no! Christmas cross stitch design for sprout haters!
Wavy Christmas tree - Simple Christmas card cross stitch design
Simple cross stitched Christmas gift tag designs

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

How to make a wrapped sweet Christmas bauble tutorial

How to make a wrapped sweet Christmas bauble tutorial

Hello everyone,
Heres a tutorial on how to turn a small bauble into a wrapped sweet decoration. This is a great way to re-use a bauble which is too scuffed to use on the tree otherwise since you won't see the bauble itself when you are done.

What you will need:

Baubles (it doesn't matter what colour or how scuffed they are)
A piece of fabric to use as the sweet wrapper, I used a neat gold fabric from another project but you can use what ever fabric matches your Christmas decorations.
Matching thread to the fabric or invisible thread
Ribbon or string for hanging the bauble
Felt (optional)
Scissors
Glue (I used PVA but a stronger craft glue can be used)

Step 1:
Cut a rectangle of your fabric wide enough to go around the middle of your bauble. Make the fabric long enough to cover the bauble plus extra to create the twists of the wrapper.

 Step 2:
Glue all the way around the middle of the bauble, ensuring that the hanging hook will be facing out of the wrapping. Allow the glue to become tacky and wrap the fabric over the bauble.
You may need to hold the fabric down to ensure it dries while stuck on. Im afraid I had to hold it a few minuites to do this. Don't worry about the loose ends either side of the bauble we will deal with this later.

Step 3: (optional)
Once the glue on the fabric has dried you can add a complimentary piece of felt (or other fabric) to make a little label for your sweet. If you choose to do this it is best to add it over the area where your main fabric overlaps to help cover the join. Alternately use your Ribbon to create a stripe all the way around the middle of your sweet or add a pretty bow to it.

 Step 4:
Take your matching/ invisible thread and tie it around the top and bottom of the bauble to create the wrapped sweet effect. For the thread at the top of the bauble take care to wrap it at the point where the hanger meets the bauble rather than above the hanger. (we will need it later)

Step 5: (optional)
Check you can still see the hanging loop inside the top of the bauble wrapping. Use your string or ribbon to create a loop to hang your new sweetie bauble from the tree. Ensure that the loop is longer than the wrapping so when your bauble is hung on the tree the top wrapping is not squashed by the branch it is hung from.
If you don't add a hanging loop these decorations are light enough to simply rest on your Christmas tree branches.

So there it is, a really easy way to make use of baubles which are scuffed or the wrong colour for this years Christmas decorations. Also this can be a fun project for kids if an adult can help with the cutting of fabric as the kids can choose the fabric combinations they want to use on the tree.

I hope everyone enjoys this tutorial, I look forward to seeing any pictures of your own makes. Have a Merry Christmas :D

Gemma

For more tutorials on how to upcycle old christmas baubles here are some links:
Christmas Bauble Upcycling
Upcycling worn out Christmas Baubles
Spiderman Halloween decoration
How to make a Bloody handprint Halloween decoration from an old Christmas bauble
How to make a dripping bauble Halloween decoration.
Pokemon Gastly Halloween decoration
How to make a Squirtle Squad decoration
How to make a Jake the dog decoration
How to make a Chain Chomp Christmas bauble

Other Upcycling

Upcycled bunting from left over wrapping paper


 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

Simple Idea for handmade Christmas cards

Simple Idea for handmade Christmas cards

Hello everyone this is a really simple idea for a set of Christmas cards. I made these cards because I have run out of time to cross stitch but still had many more people to get cards to. 

To make these cards first I started out with a blue card blank. The exact shade of blue doesn't matter because a darker shade of blue could be a night-time sky and a lighter shade of blue can be a twilight sky. Next I got some snow patterned paper and simply cut out some gentle wavy lines to represent a snowy hill.
I used some Christmas tree cutouts which my friend had made using her paper punch and added some glitter glue for some extra sparkle. 


Using a punch gives great results every time and saves time in cutting out ornate shapes. I think If I would have had to cut each tree by hand these cards would have taken much much longer.

 To top it all off our use some spare star shape sequins which  were lying about in the bottom of my sewing box. I used Pink and yellow to match the glitter glue on the trees. A mixture of blues, yellows and silver/ white sequins would look fabulous as a realistic colour sky or you could go all out and use a variety of colours because of course its Christmas and everyone knows Christmas eve is a very magical time. (for children and adults alike)

Both of these cards took me about five minutes of cutting and gluing together but I think the end effect was very worth it. 

Now all I need is a very jolly merry Christmas stamp to add to the inside unfortunately the one I have is very very small and would be dwarfed and all that paper so I'm going to have to invest in getting a bigger one for next year. Maybe if I stick a link here to one I really like someone may add it to my WishList for Christmas. 

For some more fun things to make for Christmas here are some links:

Christmas designs

Christmas stocking maze
Christmas bauble collection
Gingerbread people
Colourful Christmas Crackers
Christmas bauble maze
Cute advent calendar motifs
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse - card and bookmark design.

Christmas Bauble Upcycling
Upcycling worn out Christmas Baubles
Spiderman Halloween decoration
How to make a Bloody handprint Halloween decoration from an old Christmas bauble
How to make a dripping bauble Halloween decoration.
Pokemon Gastly Halloween decoration
Upcycled bunting from left over wrapping paper

For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.

Adventures at the Frequency Festival - Part 2

Adventures at the Frequency festival Part 2

Hello everyone
Heres a few more exhibits I saw at the Frequency Festival. This is an event which happens at two year intervals so it will be a little while until the next one, But I'm already looking forward to it.
If you missed it here's the link to Part one: http://buzybobbins.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/adventures-at-frequency-festival-in.html

Squid soup 
Displayed inside the waterside centre

This installation was at the back of a large dark room, at first it looked like a strange lit area in the distance and I walked up to it with some puzzlement. 

However on closer inspection it's is an area filled with large strings of lights all dangling from a frame. As people walked through them they sensed the movement and lit up accordingly. While nobody was inside the lights would gently pulsate out from the middle or from an edge which gave the impression of ripples floating on a ponds surface. 
The fun started when somebody walked through. an excitable child trying to activate as many lights at once caused a bright twinkling trail behind them as they rushed through the strands. While a more sedate man who stopped in the middle to take a photograph has the lights die down around him as he stopped walking and stood still.

I'm afraid that pictures don't do this piece justice as is the case with many great instillation art works. The true experience is to see it for yourself and to watch your own movements influence the patterns in the lights.
However this seems to be the joy of the Frequency Festival to experience as well as just look at art pieces. 

The exhibit shown in the light, as you can see the slights are equally spaced along each wire and suspended from a metal structure.

Blind data by Co_lab

Shown in the Waterside Center

This is an exhibit designed to make you think and in particular think about how your data is collected and used online.
It seems like a very simple premise, you are given a sheet of information about a person with all of the personal data stripped out. You are left with information such as email keywords, search terms and items ordered online. Then are asked to take the role of a government agent who is trying to work out from this small collection of information who to put on a terrorism watch list and who is innocent. 

You get to pick between three official looking folders. There is a child friendly version of each one too so younger people can join in without the more adult data being shown.

However once you are handed the sheets you find the choices far more difficult than first thought. 
Heres one of the sheets I got to look at:

Take a look at this one, do you think this person is a Terrorist? If you don't think so what do you think this person is? Why do you think they are making those internet searches and ordering those products?
You may realize after asking these questions that this information is actually very little and hard to make a judgement upon.


This is an interesting piece, while some may argue its status as art, you must remember that the purpose of art is to make you think and the Frequency Festival often has pieces which are very interactive. So in fact this piece fits perfectly within the festival. It was nice to see something which relies on your participation to get the message.

That's all for this festival. There were loads more are pieces I could write about but them I would be writing until Christmas and I would like to get some more Christmas themed cross stitch designs up before the big day.

Bye for now, Happy crafting and big hugs to you all.

Useful links:
The Frequency festival official web page: http://frequency.org.uk/
The Frequency Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/frequencyfestival?fref=ts

 For the Buzy Bobbins Index page Click here.