Circle Sketch Tutorial

Well, this is our first tutorial! Lou kindly agreed last minute to be Guest Designer for what remains of August and considering she was preparing to go on holiday I don't know how she managed! Anyway, manage she did and here is her fabulous tutorial for this week's sketch...

Circle Bag made using Challenge #12 sketch

I wanted to make a bag to match my card or alternatively a novel “envelope” to fit my card. This circle bag can be made just using 1 piece of A4 printed card (if it is to be plain!)

I have used:
1 x A4 card with 1 printed design
1 x A4 card with 2 different printed designs (A5 in size)
Pink card for matting & layering
CD, ruler, pencil, glue, scissors & string, scallop punch
ribbon scraps as final decoration

1: Turn over your A4 printed card that has your chosen main design & draw around the CD twice. Mark both circles where you would like your bag sides to reach (as per photo below). There is no particular science here, it’s where you think the sides should end!

2: The easiest way to work out the length you need for the side, is to use a piece of string. Start at 1 point/mark and carefully work around to your other mark. Using your pencil, draw on the string and cut at this point.

3: Measure the string and this will give you the correct length for your side. Mark this on your original A4 piece of card. The width of your side for this sized bag is 5cm.

4: Using the same A4 card, draw on your handle which fits on the same piece of card. Cut out all your pieces.

5: Taking your side strip, score both sides lengthwise (approx 1cm in from the outside). Using your bone folder or scissors, carefully curve the card. This will help you later on when you fit the side to your circles.

6: Apply glue or strong double side tape to the folded tabs. Peel away one side only & begin to cut “teeth”.

7: Join this side to your back circle starting at your 1st mark. Remember to check which way the pattern goes before sticking down ! I prefer to hold the shape in my left hand, feeding/sticking the side down with my right . . . We all have our preferred ways!

8:Once you have stuck the side all the way around, take your bone folder and go over all the “teeth” on the inside to make sure that they are securely attached. Now put this to one side and decorate your front circle. It is much easier if you do the decoration first due to the circular shape. I have decorated the circle but not stuck my flower on as it will be easier to stick the front circle to the other parts. This iswhere the 2 A5 sized papers come in as they have been used to make my layered flower & centre strip.

9: Now it’s time to join the front circle to your side (& back circle). As before, remove the DS tape from the side panel & cut some “teeth”. Lining up your marks, feed the side to your front panel. This is where the curving really helps which you did earlier with your bone folder. Remember to check which way the pattern goes before sticking down ! Once in place, again use your bone folder to ensure that your “teeth” are stuck down.

10: Attach your handle to the side of your bag. I have made a further side panels to cover the handle.

11: Before I stuck my front panel down, I marked where I wanted my flower to go as I wanted to secure the flower with ribbon: I then punched 2 holes in this front panel. So much easier to do it now and not later ! Added my flower to the front and finished with a ribbon knotted thing!

By Lou Sims (http://www.lulucardmaking.blogspot.com/)

Yaaayyyyy Newbies!

I'm mega-pleased to announce the winners of our Design Team call tonight and in celebration I am having a tottie of Pear Cider for the first time which is rather lovely!

Firstly before I announce the lucky victims, oops I mean winners, I would just like to thank all of you who entered because we had STACKS of hopefuls and to be honest it's dead poo choosing only one out of the dozens of you who are fabulously creative and fun. So we had to choose 3 in the end. Please don't be downhearted if you weren't chosen, it really WAS a difficult decision and it took us all ages to choose by a very democratic process. And if you didn't get in this time please enter next time we have a vacancy, you've got to be in it to win it!

So with a large glass of cider in hand I just want to welcome Claire, Kris and Boni to Team Doodle and I'm sure you're all looking forward as much as we are to seeing their fab contributions!! Yayyyy! Well done girls, welcome aboard!! hic!

Right, hic, see ya Friday, don't forget to get your challenge entries in. Nite nite xx

I want candyyyyy...

...Pheweee what a busy busy week! Here at PD Towers we seem to have an order mountain the size of Ben Nevis and we don't seem to be getting anywhere! Good job the Krismeister is on the case, but seriously, if you are still waiting for an order we apologise profusely (creep creep) and assure you we are on it. All orders are being despatched in date order of when they were placed and we know some seem to be taking ages but we are working almost night and day and will be trying to clear them through the coming weekend.

Right on with the nicey nicey bits. So this is the first week under the new rules and I fink we is all a bit confused, mother! So I'm gonna dispense with all the niceties and get down on it (oo get down on it, 80's throwback there).

First of all - Design Team challenge. The entries for this are now well and truly closed and for all the trillions (well, not quite) of hopefuls out there, got my fingers and toes crossed, the Doodle Dollies are snooping around on your blogs as we speak. I will announce the result on Monday night. Ooooo exciting!

So, the winners of this/last/whenever's challenge was to use the Tropical Birdies download from last time. Have to say laydeeees there were some great entries, it was darned hard to choose, there were some stunning ones this week. Wish I could choose everyone every week, you all work so hard and I hate it when loads of people deserve a mench. When I'm rich and famous I will do a challenge where you are all winners and you can all have fab candy.

So the winners are:

Cornish Mist
Teri
and Katie
You lucky girls will all be getting a lovely Sugar Birdies CD! Yay!

We also have to say hi and well done to Paper Creatives who was our newbie winner this week and will get some lovely candy for her troubles.
(can you all email me your addresses please to sales@polkadoodles.co.uk)

Right, on to this week.
We don't have a sketch this week but I challenged the Teamies to use the Candy Doodles CD and make a card/project which is also a gift and this will also be your challenge this week.
There are loads of different options for this, handbag cards, cards that have envelopes with something inside, mini wordbooks, voucher pockets, loads and loads of ideas. AND for a bit of added incentive whilst EVERYONE else seems to be on hols, the winner next week will get a Sugar Birdies CD too. Sigh, I'm just tooo nice...deadline for entries is...Sun 9th August at noon, loadsaaaa time....

As usual the Team have come up with some fab ideas but we are a bit light on entries this week as the entire Team seems to be on holiday at the same time! Tut, no I'm not jealous at all, note to self: must check those holiday requisition forms better next time >:(
So because we wanted to make sure you all have plenty of inspiration we've regurgitated some of the previous challenge entries as the Doodle Dollies have done stacks of projects like this before for you. OMG we are so so lucky to have these lovely peeps on the team...here ya go, enjoy!(apologies for the older entries being at the top, Mr Blogger is doing his usual Thurs night playing up bit for me and I can't get anything to switcheroo).

created by Saskia....Saskia loves getting her teeth into these sort of projects and she hasn't disappointed here, this is makin' me hungry! She's used the distressable flower from the Candy Doodles CD here...

another previous idea from Saskia, a fab tin with little coasters inside - lush, I love this one...(papers from Sugar Birdies CD)...
made by Kerry...again a previous entry here, this gorge bag from Kerry holds sweeties inside! (Or it did before it appeared on Create & Craft and the sweets got shared around the camera guys!)...

made by Kath...this lush bag was entered in a previous challenge and this was a deffo hit with us all, we think it's adorable and sooo easy to make...(papers from Sugar Birdies CD)...

another fab design from Lou and this was also used in a previous challenge too...adorable...

made by Enfys...En entered this fabbylish creation a few weeks ago, awesome!...

created by Ruth...LOVE this handbag from Ruth, I think anyone would love this as a card/pressie...she's used the Candy Doodles stash here and the bag is holding a yummy bar of choccie!...

created by Lou...such a happy happy card...
oooo and look what's inside! gimme gimme!...
created by En... a pamper pressie! flip, what I wouldn't give for that right now!...I love that check paper from the CD and I think En is addicted to those trees, but they're such a good choice, she's a real packaging expert here!...


created by Kath...again we have the trees which are from the Garden collection, think these are the firm faves from the CD so far!
...and an adorable notecard set, again I LOVE these, fantastic!...

Right then, what are you waiting for, go on, scuttle off and get making something lush for your fave peeps...we will see you next week...oh maybe Monday for the DT announcement...thanks for tuning in this week!...