Create & Craft > Articles by: Carole Lassak

Carole Lassak

Tchotchke Necklace

by Carole Lassak on June 11, 2013

I created this piece of jewelry using Amazing Crafting Products. This necklace has lots of baubles and trinkets—many of them created from items I’ve molded using Amazing Mold Putty. There are reasons I molded these pieces rather than use the originals. First, I don’t own all the originals—the flower basket and the bee are from friends’ [...]

Handmade Paper Bead Jewelry

by Carole Lassak June 5, 2013

  I love creating jewelry using unique components. And handmade paper is definitely not a common jewelry component. I made the paper with help from my grand-daughter using Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit. I followed these basic instructions for making the sheets of paper. One of the hallmarks of handmade paper is the beautiful deckled edge, [...]

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Invitation Made with Handmade Paper

by Carole Lassak May 1, 2013

      What could be more special than an invitation made with handmade paper? A special invitation for a special occasion.   The base of this invitation and the heart are handmade paper using the techniques shown here. I used Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit to make these papers. The base paper was tinted with tissue tints. [...]

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Studio Cloth Makes a Statement—Jewelry Style

by Carole Lassak April 26, 2013

The base of this statement jewelry piece is studio cloth!! I started by napkin collaging both sides of the studio cloth. Since studio cloth doesn’t ravel, there was no need to hem or finish the edges, so there was no excess bulk. After I had the piece collaged, I gave both sides a final finish [...]

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Birds on a Wire: Handmade Resin Paper

by Carole Lassak April 2, 2013

The birds in this piece are all rescue birds!! All of these birds were made from scraps that any normal crafter would have discarded. I rescued them from the trash bin and a life spent in a landfill. I never throw away ANY of my handmade paper—no matter how small the scrap. The papers were handmade [...]

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USArtQuest Dicrofibers Team with Spellbinders

by Carole Lassak March 18, 2013

Every since I saw the new Spellbinders line of Media Mixage elements in January at CHA, I’ve been dying to try them. And dicrofibers are the perfect companion. Dicrofibers come in a wide range of colors and add just the right amount of sparkle. I started by preparing the dicrofibers that would be the bottom [...]

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Handmade Paper Spring Booklet

by Carole Lassak January 15, 2013

Now that Christmas and New Years are over, I’m ready for spring!! And my crafting thoughts are turning to spring, as well. I selected a variety of patterned papers, vellum, and a treasure envelope for the pages of my booklet. The papers were cut 6″ x 6″ to match my handmade paper cover. I used [...]

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Paper Casting Molds for Greeting Card Focal Pieces

by Carole Lassak January 1, 2013

For truly unique handmade cards, nothing beats using one of Arnold Grummer’s paper casting molds. These molds are so versatile—besides paper pulp, you can mold a variety of clays. For these cards I used Arnold Grummer’s magnolia mold, the dragonfly mold, trifold window cards, and Delight™ by PaperClay. I rolled out a small ball of [...]

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Chipboard Mini Ornaments

by Carole Lassak December 24, 2012

When I first saw these chipboard mini ornaments that Joe Rotella designed for Want2Scrap, I knew that I wanted to transform them into a holiday necklace using USArtQuest products. And what could be more festive than the twinkle and sparkle of mica flakes!! The first step was to paint both sides of each ornament with [...]

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Skeleton Leaf Ornaments

by Carole Lassak December 19, 2012

I am still in full-blown Christmas mode—making cards and decorations. Still need to start the baking!! I love the ethereal look of Arnold Grummer’s skeleton leaves, and wanted to use them in some way as a Christmas decoration. Some of the leaves I left natural. Some I painted with USArtQuest Perfect Pigment Acrylic paints. I [...]

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Trio of Christmas Cards with Handmade Paper

by Carole Lassak December 4, 2012

The calendar says December, so that means that I am fully involved in all things Christmas. At the top of my list is Christmas cards. I always make my own, and this year I’m adding handmade paper made with Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit to the mix.   For the first card I embossed a piece [...]

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Gilded Mini ZigZag Booklet

by Carole Lassak November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving is just past, and I’m moving on to Christmas. I made these two booklets using Arnold Grummer’s mini zigzag books to give as greeting cards.   For cover of the booklet on the right, I paired USArtQuest’s Duo Adhesive and Arnold Grummer’s Gold Dust particles. I daubed a foam wedge in the Duo and pounced it [...]

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Hello Kitty Mini Album

by Carole Lassak November 21, 2012

I was thrilled when I was asked to create projects using the new Hello Kitty line of scrapbooking papers and supplies that debuted exclusively at Michael’s on October 28. While I was fortunate to get a sneak peek of these great products, it was a rush to see them at my local Michael’s. For this [...]

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Wall Hanging made with Handmade Papers

by Carole Lassak November 15, 2012

  Welcome to this stop on the Arnold Grummer’s Holiday Blog Hop!! This wall hanging will bring just the right bit of spring and summer to my grand daughter’s room through the long, cold winter months ahead. The supplies I gathered were: metal coat hanger, scrap piece of cardstock, string, stapler, Great Tape, ribbons, tulle, [...]

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Handmade Paper Table Setting

by Carole Lassak November 11, 2012

It’s definitely holiday season, and I’m thinking about all the great family dinners that we’ll be having. I wanted to create something special for our Thanksgiving table, and handmade paper is always special. Here’s what I created. I embossed a sheet of paper that I made using Arnold Grummer’s Papermaking Kit and these basic directions. [...]

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Hello Kitty Comes to Michael’s

by Carole Lassak November 2, 2012

If you’re a Hello Kitty fan you’ll want to check out the new line of products that debuted at Michael’s October 28. Here’s a peek of some of the great paper crafting and scrapbooking Hello Kitty items. I decided to upscale a garage sale clock Hello Kitty style. Here’s the clock that I started with. [...]

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Gilded Christmas Tree Decoration

by Carole Lassak October 29, 2012

I know, I know—Halloween isn’t even here and I’m posting about Christmas. But, it’s not too early to start making decorations. For this piece I used the Christmas Tree mold from Arnold Grummer’s. These molds are great for paper pulp, but this time I used Creative PaperClay. I kneaded the clay and then pressed it [...]

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Handmade Paper Casting Jewelry

by Carole Lassak October 15, 2012

  This is a great autumn project! I created a piece of jewelry from a a handmade paper casting. I used Arnold Grummer’s paper casting strainer, maple leaf mold, cotton linter squares, and copper sprinkles. Following the directions in the linter package, I used four linter squares—enough to cover the mold. I blended the linter squares with three cups [...]

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Halloween Is in the Air

by Carole Lassak September 29, 2012

I made this piece of black paper in the middle of the summer, and have been waiting, ever so patiently, to use it to make a Halloween card. Our hot, hot summer has given way to cooler temps. The crisp nippy nights make me think of Halloween. Here’s what I started with: the handmade paper [...]

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Autumn Leaves Card

by Carole Lassak September 9, 2012

I hate to see the end of summer, but our weather here in Ohio is starting to feel like fall. So, I was inspired to create this autumn greeting card. I started with a blank card, handmade paper that I made using the Arnold Grummer Papermaking kit, and an embossing folder. To get the deckled [...]

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Matchbook Mini Album

by Carole Lassak August 29, 2012

This mini matchbook album is the perfect project to use small pieces and scraps of your handmade paper. I’ve been making handmade paper using the Arnold Grummer Papermaking Kit, and can’t bear to throw away even the tiniest scrap. I started with this lightweight chipboard matchbook. Next, I covered each page and the matchbook cover [...]

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Handmade Paper Booklet

by Carole Lassak August 12, 2012

Handmade papermaking is so much fun!! And Arnold Grummer make is easy, too. When I started my paper factory one nice sunny morning, everyone got involved—my son Seth, daughter-in-law Joanna, and my two year old grand-daughter Chloe. Even my husband Steve, who generally shuns my projects couldn’t resist. We made lots of paper—all from recycled [...]

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Arnold Grummer Design Team

by Carole Lassak July 21, 2012

I thrilled to let you all know that I am know a member of the Arnold Grummer design team. In the next few months I’ll be sharing papermaking ideas and projects with you. Handmade paper is fun and easy to make. Follow along and make the projects that the design team shares. Check out my design [...]

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Booklet Fit for a Diva

by Carole Lassak July 11, 2012

I’m thrilled to be auditioning for the Arnold Grummer design team! Arnold Grummer has all the supplies you need to make your very own handmade paper. It’s fun and easy to make your own papers, and takes paper crafting to the next level. For this little booklet is for a special friend who—you guessed it—is [...]

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Post-it Note Holders

by Carole Lassak June 21, 2012

The plain pads of post-its on my desk looked so plain, I decided that I needed to help them make a statement. So, I designed these post-it note holders. These are quick and easy to do. The decorative possibilities are endless!! And I think these would make great remembrance gifts. I designed the pattern in [...]

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Embellished Tray

by Carole Lassak June 14, 2012

I began this project with a tray from McGuffey Woodworking. These trays are unique because the back piece is held in place with screws so you can easily position papers in the tray. I removed the back piece and painted the tray frame with Krylon Metallic Chrome spray paint. When the paint dried I spritzed [...]

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Sweet Little Birdhouse

by Carole Lassak June 7, 2012

You know by now that I love three dimensional paper pieces. The file for this birdhouse came from a woman on one of my Yahoo groups. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to use Robin’s Nest paper to make it. She was kind enough to share the file with me. I cut all [...]

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Cherry Pie Mini Album

by Carole Lassak May 17, 2012

I created this mini-album using Robin’s Nest papers and embellishments and chipboard from Want2Scrap. I started with W2S’s 12×12 Decorative Sheet Style B Chipboard—a scalloped edge circle. I used a craft knife to cut the chipboard circle into pie-shaped wedges. I used Robin’s Nest Fat Brick Plaid and Valentine Strip paper to cover the front [...]

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Party Treat Tray

by Carole Lassak May 3, 2012

Anyone who follows my blog posts knows that I love three dimensional items. So does the crew at Create & Craft, so when Joe Rotella spotted this paper kit for a party treat tray at a dollar store, he got it for me to de-construct and turn into a paper project. Before I could de-construct [...]

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Black & White Pyramid Box

by Carole Lassak April 22, 2012

Welcome to Robin’s Nest Earth Day Blog Hop. Yes, there’s blog candy!! Each blog will pick a winner who will receive a package of the new mini dew drops. One grand prize winner will receive a Robin’s Nest Leather Binder. Simply to enter—just leave a comment on each blog!! This pyramid box is made from leftover [...]

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Elegant Card with Matching Presentation Box

by Carole Lassak April 19, 2012

I love bling and shine and glitter—and I got to combine them all with this project! The materials that I started with were Robin’s Nest Gold Fleur-de-li cardstock, Goldenberry Dew Drops, Daughter Mini Dew Drops, and chipboard embellishments from Want2Scrap. I started by coating the chipboard crown and flourishes with a thin coat of Duo [...]

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Chipboard Album in Black & White

by Carole Lassak April 5, 2012

This project is a totally black and white one—done with the great selection of papers from The Robin’s Nest. I started with a chipboard album from Want2Scrap. I covered each of the pages with a different—all keeping with the monochromatic theme. After testing several adhesives, I discovered that the easiest way to adhere the papers was [...]

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You Can Never Have Too Many Shoes

by Carole Lassak March 17, 2012

This original hollow brass shoe was one of the first things I molded when I joined the Amazing Mold Putty design team. Joe Rotella, founder and creative director of Create & Craft, found it during one of his flea market excursions. I remember thinking that all the details was probably going to be too much [...]

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Trio of St. Patrick’s Day Cards

by Carole Lassak March 15, 2012

Who doesn’t love St. Patrick’s Day?!  Such a festive holiday. And Robin’s Nest has some gorgeous papers and embellishments that are just perfect for creating your own unique greeting cards. For my first cards I teamed Robin’s Nest supplies with the versatile CraftGeek Autumn punch from Purple Cows. I began by building layers of color [...]

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Small Heart—Big Impact

by Carole Lassak March 6, 2012

Sometimes the smallest stamps have the biggest impact. That’s what I thought when I saw this Filigree Heart stamp from Viva Las Vegastamps! For this card I inked the edges of the card base, gold glitter paper mat, the rosette, and the brown cardstock strip with Walnut Stain Distress Ink by Ranger. I used the [...]

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Heart Sliceform Card

by Carole Lassak March 1, 2012

I have been fascinated with these honeycomb forms since I was a child. It was the next thing to magic the way they collapsed flat and just as easily returned to their shaped form. It was only recently that I discovered these fun creations had a name—sliceforms. I found the pattern for this solid sliceform [...]

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Rehab on Barbie’s Doll House

by Carole Lassak February 20, 2012

This project showcases the diversity of Amazing Mold Putty and its companion Amazing Casting Resin. On evening not long ago when I got home from work, my two year old grand-daughter greeted me with a doll house door in hand. She excitedly told me a long story about the doll house, Barbie, and the door. The [...]

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Exploding Pyramid Box

by Carole Lassak February 16, 2012

I love to present gifts that are beautifully wrapped and decorated. I want the presentation to be as exciting as the gift. The gorgeous Robin’s Nest papers and embellishment are just the ticket for creating this striking exploding pyramid box. For this exploding pyramid box I chose Robin’s Nest Purple Flower and Glitter Purple Daisy [...]

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Princess Dress Card

by Carole Lassak February 14, 2012

I’m pleased to announce that I am now a member of the Addicted to Stamps design team. I’m going to be sharing all the fun I’m having with their incredible digital stamps. This card features the Dress Garland digi stamp by Sherri Baldy. I printed the image four times using the print-and-cut feature with my Zing [...]

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3D Ornament

by Carole Lassak February 1, 2012

I’ve had a long-time fascination with origami. I love the looks of all those intricate folds, but, truth be told, I’m just not patient enough to do all the folding required to create an origami piece. That’s why I loved this project so much!! It has that intricate look of origami, but none of the [...]

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Paperclay Picture Frame

by Carole Lassak January 31, 2012

Welcome to our Blog Hop—Love Cast in Clay!! Amazing Mold Putty meets Paperclay. We’ve got blog candy:  One winner will be picked from the Amazing Mold Putty blog and another winner from the Creative Paperclay® blog. Each winner will receive on 16 oz. package of Creative Paperclay® and a package of Amazing Mold Putty.  Retail [...]

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Reproduction Jewelry

by Carole Lassak January 20, 2012

This pin is one of my favorites. It belonged to my mother. Her brother (my uncle) brought to her as a gift when he was in the Navy during World War II. I’ve always enjoyed wearing this piece of jewelry as a pin, but with Amazing Mold Putty I can now wear a reproduction as a necklace! [...]

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Reclaimed Trinket Chest

by Carole Lassak January 18, 2012

I love searching for hidden treasures in antique and thrift shops.  I found this little gem at our local Goodwill shop. As you can see, it was a little worse for the wear. But, I saw potential I wanted to paint any areas that would be exposed and not covered with paper a dark midnight [...]

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Wine Glass Shade

by Carole Lassak January 4, 2012

Robin’s Nest papers are so elegant!! When I first saw this gorgeous paper I just knew I had to use it to make a wine glass shade. There’s nothing like candlelight to add the right ambiance to transform an ordinary meal into a memorable experience. And wine glass lamps are just the ticket. I used [...]

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Christmas Ornaments Galore!!

by Carole Lassak December 21, 2011

Christmas has got to be my favorite holiday!! Love all the decorations and lights. I’ve been having a blast molding and casting all sorts of Christmas-y things. Amazing Mold Putty is so easy to use and the casting resin gives such great results!! You’ve got to try this out. I’ve got several projects to share [...]

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Christmas Picture Frame

by Carole Lassak December 1, 2011

I’m really getting into the Christmas spirit, so this project is one that I can use for many seasons to come. I started with this chipboard frame that I picked up from a $1 bin at one of our local stores. I selected Robin’s Nest Red Sorbet Glitter cardstock to cover the frame because I [...]

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Christmas Clipboard

by Carole Lassak November 17, 2011

  As a member of the Amazing Mold Putty design team I’ve been having a blast molding and casting a variety of items. This month I’ve molded rubber stamps, fancy brads, and metal pieces to create embellishments to decorate my clipboard.  After mixing equal parts of A and B putty, I molded my snowflake and [...]

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Halloween Clock with My Little Shoebox Papers

by Carole Lassak October 28, 2011

I had so much fun doing this project!! It all started on a Saturday morning when my DIL Joanna and I went to a garage sale. She was searching for toddler toys; I was along for the ride. But I found this clock begging to be refurbished. I removed the clock mechanism and spray painted [...]

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Angel Wings

by Carole Lassak October 20, 2011

Amazing Mold Putty!! Perfectly named. It is amazing—there is no end to the things that you can mold with this easy-to-use medium. You just take equal parts of A (which is white) and B (which is yellow), and knead them together—just like working with clay—until they are completelycombined and there are no streaks. Depending on [...]

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3D Memorabilia Display – Butterfly Frame

by Carole Lassak August 23, 2011

I discovered a new way to save and display precious photos and memorabilia—Globecraft Memories 3D keeper frames. This butterfly kit comes with the globe, pre-cut designer paper, butterfly cut-outs, and these pieces to assemble the frame. To begin the project I painted a thin layer of 3D Crystal Lacquer on the oval pieces and adhered [...]

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Backgrounds with Crystal Lacquer

by Carole Lassak August 10, 2011

I am participating in a card swap next month at Red Letter Journals, one of our local scrapbooking shops. The challenge theme is backgrounds. So, here’s what I came up with. I started with a piece of acetate slightly smaller that my card. I stamped my image—Dragonfly from Earth Art International—on the acetate using black [...]

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Permanent Masks

by Carole Lassak July 27, 2011

I started my paper arts adventure as a stamper. I still reach back to my roots and dig out the rubber stamps. One of the stamping techniques that I most enjoy is masking. This technique creates the illusion of depth and perspective. The original stamped image is covered with a mask so subsequent stamped images [...]

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Mica Powders and Crystal Lacquer

by Carole Lassak July 13, 2011

I love the stamps from Earth Art International designed by Sue Coccia. For this set of notecards I selected the Hare, Dragonfly, and Horse stamps. I used VersaMark Watermark ink to stamp each image on black paper. VersaMark is so sticky that it acts as an adhesive for pigment powders. Next, I lightly brushed mica [...]

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Sakura Crystal Lacquer Blog Hop!

by Carole Lassak June 29, 2011

Welcome to Sakura Crystal Lacquer’s Blog Hop!! You have arrived from Heather’s blog. First off, I need to credit Joe Rotella, Founder and Creative Director of Create & Craft, with this idea. He’s been creating some outstanding projects using aluminum tape. The shapes I used are from SVG Cuts’ Peony Cottage SVG Kit. The supplies [...]

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Crystal Lacquer Wrist Cuff

by Carole Lassak June 21, 2011

I have to give credit for this project to my daughter-in-law Joanna Lassak. We were looking through some of my past projects when she suggested making a wrist cuff with Sakura Hobby Craft Crystal Lacquer. To begin I poured a band of clear crystal lacquer on a Teflon craft mat. Next I sprinkled the base [...]

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Word Book

by Carole Lassak June 7, 2011

The chip board letters for this work book were a gift from Betty Scott, one of the Create & Craft design team members, to celebrate the birth of my first grandchild–eighteen months ago. I will admit that I was totally intimidated by this project and put off beginning it. But once I got started, I [...]

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Gem Particle Jewelry

by Carole Lassak May 24, 2011

I’m finding that Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer combines with many elements such as beads, glitter, microbeads. These jewelry projects paired crystal lacquer and gem particles. These gem particles are a cross between tiny mica chips and chunky glitter. They are available from Sakura Hobby Craft in three iridescent colors: blue flash, raspberry, and peacock green.  [...]

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Outline Stickers Meet Crystal Lacquer

by Carole Lassak May 10, 2011

Outline stickers and Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer are a marriage made in heaven. I’ve been having so much fun with these two products. One projects just seem to lead to another—with no end in sight!! Since I’m always into jewelry, this first project came quite naturally. For my butterfly pin I adhered a [...]

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Book Thong and Kindle Charm

by Carole Lassak April 26, 2011

I’ve been having fun with jewelry findings, beads, and 3D Crystal Lacquer. Both of my sisters are avid readers–one used to be a librarian–and I wanted to make each of them a bookmark. These are so much fun to do. And easy!! To make the charm I cut a word out of an old dictionary [...]

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Easter Eggs with 3D Crystal Lacquer

by Carole Lassak April 13, 2011

Anybody thinking about decorating Easter eggs??? You can definitely add a new dimension to your egg decorations with colored 3D crystal lacquers from Sakura Hobby Craft. I started my egg decorating project by coloring hard boiled eggs. I dissolved a tiny amount of paste dye (the kind used for cake icing) in one cup of hot [...]

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Acetate, Glitter & 3D Lacquer

by Carole Lassak March 23, 2011

Today I have another fun project using Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer, acetate, and glitter. I made a tile that I used to embellish the front of a greeting card. This is an easy technique that delivers results that will have folks asking, “How did you do that?” To start, select the stamp that [...]

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Shrink Film Jewelry

by Carole Lassak March 9, 2011

I am thrilled to be a member of the newly organized design team for Sakura Hobby Crafts!! Twice a month I’ll be sharing a project that uses Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. For this project I made two pins using shrink film and Crystal Lacquer. Here’s the supplies that I used: rubberstamps, Graphix Matte Shrink Film, [...]

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SVG Blog Hop

by Carole Lassak March 5, 2011

Create & Craft is excited to be a part of this SVG blog hop!! We do a lot of paper crafting using Sure Cuts A Lot software and our Cricut cutting machine. Create & Craft is the only SCAL reseller that offers unlimited lifetime support for SCAL. Even if you didn’t purchase your SCAL from [...]

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Bobbin Lace—A Break from Papercrafting

by Carole Lassak February 24, 2011

In addition to papercrafting, I also make handmade bobbin lace and wanted to share a little bit of that world with you. Bobbin lace is a form of weaving. Threads are wound on bobbins that are manipulated to form patterns. Pins help to support the lace while it is being made. The lace is worked [...]

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What Every Woman Wants…New Jewelry

by Carole Lassak February 15, 2011

This project started at the recent CHA Winter Conference. At the Aitoh Origami and Paper Crafts booth, they were using their amazing Japanese papers to cover wooden bangle bracelets. So, OK–I made a couple bracelets and was generally pleased with the results. The patterns and colors of their papers are outstanding–beyond beautiful. Yet, there was [...]

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3D Crystal Lacquer, Glitter & Shine

by Carole Lassak February 8, 2011

I love anything that sparkles and shines, so it was only natural that I would pair 3D Crystal Lacquer by Sakura Hobby Craft with glitter. I began this project by printing an image on acetate using a laser printer. Working from the side of the acetate that is not printed, outline one area with the [...]

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Lovin’ 3D Lacquer

by Carole Lassak February 4, 2011

My head is still spinning with all the ideas and images from the CHA Winter Conference!! After a couple itinerary revisions to avoid the snowstorm in Chicago, arrived home late Wednesday night. Right after hugs and kisses to/from hubby, I got out the 3D lacquer samples from Sakura Hobby Crafts. I just couldn’t wait to [...]

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