Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

From Fabric to Paper Cardholder For my last project for Arnold Grummer's Design Team, I will show you how I use fabric and thread scraps from textile projects and make them into handmade paper. This project will detail how to make a card holder out of handmade paper. If you have been following me very long you may remember the Boho Meets Boro Bag I made for Gwen Lafleur's Artist Tribe. https://lyndashoup.com/boho-meets-boro-bag/ If you are going to carry a bag like that about in public, people are going to talk to you. If you are lucky they will ask for your contact information. So having a business card on hand is a good idea. Having your business cards in a case that matches your bag - well that just adds to your mystique!  If you sew you probably know about all the cut thread ends, the tiny pieces of fabric trimmed from the seam or left over after cutting out your project. If you have ever wondered if there is something you can do with these leftove...

If you were like me, you thought pressing flowers involved a large book, paper towels and weeks of time! Not any more! What if I told you that flowers can be pressed in 30 seconds? Well, it is true! Let me introduce you to the Microfleur -- With this press, flowers can go from your garden to cards and projects in seconds! All you need is this kit and a microwave! Let me show you how! I picked a large hydrangea bloom I opened the press and carefully placed the small flowers on the linen surface.  Add the top layers and use the clips to close the sandwich I pressed these in the microwave for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the flowers. They may be hot and are also fragile. It did not take long before I had a bowlful of flowers for my project! I had an old frame which I had gotten at a thrift store and this was the perfect item to repurpose - a wonderful philosophy that Mr. Grummer loved.  I covered the image with a tissue paper, s...

If you're like me, you have a mountain of stash—stuff that has accumulated over your crafting career. I know that my style and tastes have changed over the years that I've been crafting. The other day I decided it was time to de-stash. Interestingly, I found a few items that made perfect candidates for repurposing and reclaiming. I'm going to give them a new life!! This mini album was one of the de-stash items that made it to the keep and repurpose pile. Here you can see the pieces of the album—front and back covers and a magnetized closure tab. The inset shows the closed album. The polka dots just don't do it for me any more, so I decided the cover the album pieces with handmade papers that I made following these basic instructions .  I traced the outline of the covers and closure directly onto my handmade papers, and cut them out with scissors and a craft knife. Next, I painted the originals with white acrylic paint so the design wouldn't shadow thro...

©Michele Emerson-Roberts  2014 You probably get lots of mail this time of year asking for donations for this or that cause. I sure get my fair share and have to pick and choose who to support. Often the requests come with “free” cards (you already know what I do with some of those) or stickers that I don’t always want to just toss. These 4 cards are another example of what can be done with some of the “stuff” that others think of as junk or trash, in this case Christmas stickers. Supplies: Any of the Arnold Grummer™  paper making kits Microwave, heat gun or a sunny window Blender, small strainer, cello sponges Iron and pressing cloth Westcott™ personal paper cutter, scissors Scor-Pal ™ Spellbinders ™ Grand Calibur    Grand Calibur Beacon ZipDry™ Adhesive, double sided foam tape or dots Scraps of white and red paper or cardstock (think junk mail, etc.) Remember: ALWAYS...