Show and Tell

Yesterday I got tagged by Noahs Ark Crafts, this means I have to go to my first photo folder on my computer, pick the tenth photo in the folder, and write about it. I'm also supposed to tag five other bloggers so that they can do the same, but I haven't got around to that yet!
Anyway, I had to cheat a bit because the first photo folder on my computer is my blog folder, so you've seen all those photos before. So, here is photo ten from my second photo folder ...

I took a photograph of this interesting door in Salisbury last summer. It is one of the doors on the side of the cathedral. I love the fact that it is so ornate, even though it wasn't on one of the main entrances. The colours are amazing, the weathered brown of the door against the rust colour of the ironwork. I think the knocker would be a great starting point for a print design or some embroidery, matbe even some wirework.

CheekyChickens

I have been an admirer of Swirlyarts cheeky chickens for a while. I had considered buying a door stop, but all my doors stay ajar if needed ...
So, I was utterly delighted to discover that she had started making mini cheeky chicken pincushions (that can be used as paperweights). I do have a good excuse for buying a pincushion, I am terrible for leaving pins and needles in random places thinking 'i'll pick that up in a bit'. I have even taken to buying those pins with little flowers on the end - at least then you can see where i've left them!
Anyway in the end I bought a gorgeous green and blue chicken, and Swirlyarts also made me a custom order chicken for my daughter, the purple one.

And you can see that Swirlyarts is such a lovely person that she put some little goodies in the parcel for my daughter. Now should I mess about with the door hinges so I can get a big chicken ...

www.swirlyarts.com
www.swirlyarts.etsy.com
http://www.folksy.com/shops/Swirlyarts
www.swirlyarts.blogspot.com

Yellow brooch

Earlier in the week I did my first ever enamelling demonstration - I was nervous, but it was a success, and everyone in the group walked away with a brooch they has made. Not bad for an hours work and a skill they hadn't tried before.

Due the nature or what I was doing (showing the 'simplicity' of enamelling), I was not working to a design. I wanted to show basic enamelling, how to overlay with translucent enamels, and how to use a stencil with enamelling powder. The result was that I just grabbed at different tubs of opaque and translucent enamelling powders, demonstrating as quickly as I could so that others could get on with the activity too.

The resulting brooch actually matches my blog site quite well!

And it's been quite nice to see other people wearing their enamel creations during the week!

Blue

Had a very selfish jewellery making hour today, creating a new necklace for myself. I had bought myself a new top at the weekend and decided that I would buy some beads to match the top. The aim was to create a new necklace to start my new week at work, unfortunately I ran out of weekend, so decided to make the necklace today.

The necklace is made from a mixture of glass beads and blue acrylic pearls. I normally only use glass pearls, but because I was impatient I compromised and used the acrylic ones - it's only for me after all.

I've tried to use a range of shapes and shades, some of the beads are clear blue, some are opaque, some have a lustre. Obviously, if I made a similar necklace again I would use glass pearls, but I was being impatient, and yes I am going to show it off tomorrow.

Attic attack!

A lot of my belonging are still in my parents loft - my weaving loom, my folders from art college, my Ladybird books, and so on ...
Every so often they give me a bag or a box to put in my loft ... today was one of those times. Lots of yellowing newspaper from the early 90's in a cardboard box, so I was guessing that it was crockery, boy was I right! In a big way! Every Saturday, as a student I would wander around Huddersfield and Holmfirth looking for bits and bobs, usually things I could use in still life compositions. This box contained part of that stash - measuring jugs, butter dishes, sugar bowls, teapots, including these gems that I have pictured below ...

The yellow bowl on the left is a piece of Portmeirion ware designed by Susan Williams-Ellis and made at Grays Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
The cup and saucer is by Wade, don't know any other details.

Both pieces were bought just because they were 'nice' to look at, as a student I probably didn't think to turn them over to look at the names on the base, they were bought purely because I liked them. Twenty years later I am really pleased that my parents held onto the treasures in their loft.

Tuesday Treasury - Printed By Hand

At the weekend I blogged about a book I has bought called 'Printing By Hand' by Lena Corwin. This got me thinking about whether there were many makers in the UK working with hand-printed fabrics and papers, so here is this week's tiny treasury.

  

Top row :-
PINK KNICKERS! PIN CUSHION made from screen printed calico http://www.folksy.com/shops/kittykay

Screen printed calico tote bag, inspired by knitting http://www.folksy.com/shops/justineellis

Bottom row:-
handprinted linocut moleskine cahier journal 
http://www.folksy.com/shops/natcat007

Hand printed glasses / sunglasses case lined with gingham http://www.folksy.com/shops/plainjanetextiles

A short post about packaging ....

A busy evening, prompted by today's return to work, therefore a short blog ...
Sorry, no illustrations, no photographs, just thinking out loud.

Mothering Sunday is 14th March this year, quite early, and only three weeks away if you haven't thought about it yet. I have been thinking about it in terms of both the jewellery I am making and the way it will be packaged.

Valentine's Day was all about pink tissue, ribbon printed with little hearts and little lilac heart-shaped sequins. So for Mothering Sunday I want something that isn't just the more of the same but with flowery sequins instead of hearts, or it gets boring. Do you think about the way the item reaches the customer, or do you cater for the fact that they are giving it as a gift to someone else once it arrives?

So, tonight's task, once the paperwork from my day job is out the way, think about presentation and packaging ideas ... construction, materials, colours, originality ...

Will let you know what grows in my sketchbook.

Printing By Hand

Earlier in the week I mentioned that i'd treated myself to a new book 'Printing By Hand' by Lena Corwin. Well, now i've had a chance to look through it, I thought i'd better blog about it as promised.

I used to do loads of print-making, but it didn't seem to mix well with motherhood, so it fell out of favour, which I know is a great shame. This book may just inspire me enough to give it another go.

The book goes through all the basics - equipment you'll need, projects to get you started and designing repeats, and covers several different printing techniques - stamping, stencilling and screen printing. What I love about this book is the fact there are things you can do without paying out for expensive equipment, like making stamps from craft foam or using 'Fablon' to make stencils. And the projects aren't to 'preachy' - you can easily adapt them to suit the way you design and you intended outcome.

If you are too timid to do something from scratch there are templates in a pocket at the back of the book, and yes it is one of those spiral bound books I love! The only drawback is that because it is an American publication, some of the websites suggested for printmaking supplies may not be of use to UK readers, but i'm sure a few clicks on Google should sort out any supply issues.

The fabric on the right was created by a carved rubber stamp and block printing ink.

The next stage will be to blog about a print that I have created!

http://www.lenacorwin.com/

Soup!

Had a lovely day out shopping in Shrewsbury today, a bit of snow, a bit of hail, but overall a good day. Not much crafting going on, but I did visit a fantastic knitting shop/cafe called Solo Alpaca - amazing yarns, HUGE wooden buttons, lovely needles and South American music! Will go there again (straight after payday). They also run spinning and knitting classes.
http://www.soloalpaca.co.uk


My creative task for the day is soup! A family favourite - Lentil and Lemon Soup, from The New Covent Garden Company's Book of Soups. It's warming, and you can make it more or less from things in your store cupboard ...

You will need ...

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 crushed clove of garlic
• 150g red lentils
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme)
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of half a lemon, or to taste

1. Heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic gently for 10 mins.
2. Add the lentils and coat well in the oil.
3. Add the stock and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and three-quarters of the thyme. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally. After 20mins you may wish to blend the soup (especially if this is being served to little ones!)
5. Add seasoning and the remaining thyme.
6. Add the lemon juice little by little to taste. I use the juice of a whole 'economy' lemon!
7. Serve, we like poppy seed bread with this!

http://www.newcoventgardenfood.com/

Purses

Linking to my needle-felting make yesterday, I have a picture of some little purses I have been making. I had made two heart bracelets and I intended them to be a pair, so rather than just package them in 'giddy' tissue (tissue paper printed with giddythings!), I decided to make a little travel purse for them. It's taken me a while to actually perfect what I wanted, difficult when i'm working full-time, so this week off has been useful. The purses are made from my needle-felted fabric, which you have probably seen on my blog before. The star design is for a different set of jewellery, plus I have made myself a star purse to keep my postage stamps in! My hope is that the triple layer of felt (there is a half-lining too) will protect the jewellery in transit.

Supervised by a responsible adult ...

I have blogged a half-term craft make for today. It's needle-felting, so apologies if you don't have all the equipment, and it also requires supervision.
You will need a felting block (don't use an ordinary sponge it's too open and the fibres will felt into it), a barbed felting needle, and some wool tops (combed and dyes wool). An old tea tray is also useful, you can get carried away and the needle hits the table, or worse, you are felting on your lap and hit your leg!!!
This make also requires a biscuit cutter of some sort, i've used a gingerbread man, but for a first go try a heart or a star.

Begin by pulling tufts of wool from the wool top and placing them inside the cutter on top of the felting block. Don't worry about doing this too neatly, then begin felting the wool using the needle. Push the needle up and down all over the wool, and go around the inside edge of the cutter to gove a nice edge.The barbs on the needle move the fibre in and out of each other, matting them together. Don't over-felt or you will felt the wool into the block. Music helps with this task - I would recommend The Buzzcocks, The Jam or The Specials, but maybe that's just me!! When it looks like the wool is felting together, take the piece of the block carefully, flip, and felt on the back too.

Continue to felt until the piece starts to look smoother and feels thick, you can always add more wool and felt again. The felting without the cutter is best done by an adult! fingers can get in the way!
The completed piece can be decorated - beads, sequins, thread, whatever the children wan't to use. This is a good project for practising button sewing skills.

The completed piece can be turned into a brooch,
or add a ribbon and use as a mini door-hanger.
This project is a great one for explaining to stubborn children what happens if they don't have their hair brushed! That's the science bit!!
Needle felting supplies from http://www.bloomingfelt.co.uk/

More chocolate ....

Quite a busy day for me, so tonight's blog is a short one. I've been shopping in Birmingham and treated myself to wondeful book by Lena Corwin - 'Printing by Hand' (will blog about it when i've had a good look), and last night my daughter had a sleepover.
Girls at sleepovers need lots of catering, so last night I made chocolate brownies. The recipe I got from Sarah on her Noah's Ark Crafts blog, her recipes never fail, and as I type there are only three brownies left - crunchy on outside, gooey in the middle ... lovely!

http://noahsarkcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunday-recipe-62010.html

Tuesday Treasury - Chocolate

Shrove Tuesday today, have yet to make pancakes here, but Shrove Tuesday means Lent - and I know loads of people who are going to give up chocolate.My Tuesday Treasury this week has a chocolate theme, nothing edible so you can still treat yourselves over the Lent period.

Top row :-

Chocolate Mocha Bubbles Pearl bracelet by AMIDesigns http://www.folksy.com/shops/amidesigns

and Chocolate Toffee Muffin Soap by Sud'n'Soothe http://www.folksy.com/shops/SudnSoothe

Bottom Row :-

Chocoholics Pink Chocolates Mini Tote Bag by madaboutbags http://www.folksy.com/shops/madaboutbags

and French Fancy Cake Candle by Cherry Blossom Candles http://www.folksy.com/shops/CherryBlossomCandles

IKEA

Every girl needs a trip to IKEA once in a while, even if the only purpose is to stock up on Dime bars and cheap scissors! I did the latter today, but also bought some other fab goodies ...
Firstly, this delightful BARBAR tea tray. I saw this featured in a magazine at Christmas and fell in love with it. I wish they did fabric like this it's amazing. The photograph is from the IKEA website, my camera kept bleaching out the design with its flash.

My main reason for going was to buy fabrics, first some staples ...

Left:- some plain black cotton, useful as a lining, a backing for photographs or as a contrast to something wild and colourful. Centre:- 'Cecilia' fabric, been in IKEA a while now, very cheap, and lightweight enough to use for dressmaking. Right :- 'Snoa' fabric, being sold off at the moment, known as peg-bag fabric in our house, as that's what it was used to make last year! A big pattern, but easy to combine with other things because of it's simplicity.

I had been really excited about seeing their new range of Annamoa fabrics, imagine children's picture books from the 1960's and 1970's being turned into fabrics, and that gives you a good idea about this range. Unfortunately, not all the fabrics are in stock yet, and some of the repeats are huge! However, I did manage to find this beauty ...

And if nothing else it's an inspiration for crafters and designers to break the rules and put contrasting images and colours together.

Adding a bit of colour ...

Been taking and editing photos for much of the afternoon (retakes of things I had already photographed ... badly). I have found some time for other things, including beading and shopping.

Went to Lidl this morning (to stock up on caramel waffles) and spotted these envelopes. They're the long, thin ones, but they come in ten different colours. A nice way to send thing through the post, but I also like to stick them in my sketchbook to hold templates etc.

Started to experiment with my latest batch of beads. Quite different to the last lot ... blues, reds, oranges and teals. Think this is my current colour palette. This necklace used red 'giant' seed beads, some large red glass beads and some dainty turquoise disc beads with a pearlised finish. Will play some more tomorrow.

Valentine Make

In case you forgot to order something fab off Folksy or Misi, instead of grabbing some half-dead roses from the petrol station in the morning, or just to amuse the children this weekend, here is an idea for an edible Valentine make ...
You need to make some cupcakes or muffins and ice them with pink or red icing, if you can get Valentine paper cases they fab! If you don't have a recipe follow this one ...
(Makes 12 fairy cakes)
For the cakes
100g softened butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten,
100g self-raising flour
For the icing
150g icing sugar
pink or red food colouring

• Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4 and put 12 paper cases in a cupcake tray.
• Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and mix together until fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs.
• Sift in the flour and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.
• Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake the cakes for 15 mins or until they are well risen and firm to touch. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the icing sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 2-3 teaspoons of hot water. Add food colouring to suit your chosen colour scheme and mix it in so that the colour is uniform.
• Spoon the icing on top of each cooled fairy cake.

Now for the optional Valentine extra, below are 3 giddy Valentine flags, you will need to print off 4 copies for your cakes. Cut them out and fold each one to make a triangle. Put a cocktail stick inside along the fold and glue the triangle together to make a flag. Pop one flag in each Valentine cupcake!

Half-Term Re-Stock

A week off work ... a time to photograph in natural daylight, get those ideas out of the sketchbook and made into reality, use the sewing machine during sociable hours, and re-stock on-line shops!
I've also got a plan to do a needlefelting make on here for half-term (for kids, but supervised due to felting needles!), my first one.
I will also be doing some reading during the next week, brushing up on some wire knitting and seed beading techniques, and also looking at ways of spring cleaning my blog! My latest Amazon buy is 'Blogging for Bliss' by Tara Frey.

It's a comprehensive guide to blogging for crafters, with technical information, tips for making your blog look more appealing and ways of increasing your blog traffic. And it's lovely to look at, which is something that I need if i'm reading an information book. It also features over 50 blogs by crafters (with blog addresses so you can investigate further!)

http://www.bloggingforbliss.com/

Enamelling Experiments

Enamelling is great, a combination of craft and science. I am still at the trying things out stage - sometimes i'll do something really fab, but then I try to replicate it and it goes all wrong! Here are a couple of my latest experiments ...

Whilst I am still learning the 'science bit' I have been using a white opaque background when trying new decorative techniques. This one has been sprinkled with translucent enamel powders - orange and turquoise blue.

This one is done with graphite pencil, the graphite bonds with the enamel when the piece is reheated - sorry, the photo is a bit blurry! The bird was inspired by the plump little birds I see jumping about on the grass verge on my way to work every morning.

Mid Week Dip

Thought that today's blog would be bursting with pictures of completed jewellery
wraps, wonderful new beads and my new needle felting equipment ... in the real world that didn't happen. I've still got some sewing to finish, but the sewing machine is set up in the dining room, and the dining room is very cold due to today's snowfall .
All in all, I think i'm suffering from a dip in creativity - the problems of balancing a day job, life and crafting.
My fantastic beads arrived yesterday, I will photograph them and start some new designs asap - i'm feeling orange and blue at the moment. My needlefelting equipment should arrive tomorrow, that multi-needle should speed things up a bit! A nice suprise was a parcel brought round by my neighbour - my free kit from Rowan, I had forgotten all about it! If you subscribe to Rowan magazine, you get a free knitting kit, every year, not an introductory offer, but year in, year out! This year's kit is a lovely lace scarf made with 4 ply pure wool. So not such a bad day after all.
http://www.knitrowan.com/

Tuesday Treasury - It must be love ...

It's Tuesday, which is officially my treasury day (yes, I did a Misi one yesterday, but that was MisiMonday). Only five days until Valentine's Day, so tonight is probably your last good chance to snap up a Valentine's pressie safe in the knowledge that it will arrive on time.
Here's my four for this Tuesday ...

Top Row :- Valentine sock cat bu PussyGalore http://www.folksy.com/shops/pussygalore and ceramic heart by Bev Jennings http://www.folksy.com/shops/bevjennings

BottomRow :- Felt heart by GrannyRuth http://www.folksy.com/shops/grannyruth and cute little Jammie Dodger bag by AskingForTrouble http://www.folksy.com/shops/askingfortrouble

More crafty news tomorrow ...

MisiMonday

A fellow tweeter, O'blue suggested at the weekend that there should be a MisiMonday, folksy and Etsy have their days after all! Misi is the little sister to Folksy and Etsy and sometimes get's overlooked.
So, maybe as a regular thing, maybe as an occasional thing (being as i'm already doing a treasury on Tuesdays), here is MisiMonday, a mini-treasury of Misi makers .... and it's very pink!

Top row :- tape measure brooch by O'blue http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/oblue.html and a dinky little tote by nicsknots http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/nicsknots.html

Bottom row :- pink robot by CuteDesigns http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/cutedesigns.html and gorgeous 'Pot Pourri' sock wool by Wharfdale Woolworks http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/wharfedalewoolworks.html.

Oh yes and my vintage style jewellery! http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/giddystuffvintage.html

Needle felting for Valentine jewellery set is complete and I now need to sew it into a little jewellery wrap!

Well and truly open!

After many, many teething problems, including not being able to load my photos this morning! I am slowly sorting out images to upload and the various sorys of gift packaging and protective packaging I have for different items.

Today I have been needle felting - borrowed my daughter's stuff for this, but have ordered my own kit so that she doesn't moan at me! Just using the needle-felting technique to embelling felt with felt, sort of half-creating your own fabric. Then i'm going to make a bit of it into a jewellery wrap for a set of heart bracelets that I have made.
Using a single needle takes forever so I have treated myself to a multi-needle tool.

Nearly ready!

A busy day, ordering beads, taking photos and finishing off some bits and bobs! I have also ordered some wire that is suitable for knitting. Anyway, I finally feel like I have enough things made to launch my Folksy site - only a month later than I had planned! Will still have to retake some of the photos tomorrow, a bit dull outside today.

Currently making some needlefelted wraps to protect the jewellery, will photograph these tomorrow, and will hopefully have my Folksy shop open too.

And I haven't forgotten about the beading loom, pretty beads for that are on order too.

Trying things out

Had one of those evening where different bead have been constantly on and off my beading board. The beauty of a beading board is that you can work out what things are going to look like before 'committing to wire'. On the other hand I have discovered that this does not apply to glass dagger beads, threaded up a bracelet tonight and realised that you need seed beads in between each dagger bead or they do not lie properly. So I have completed my Snow and Ice dagger bracelet with the aid of some frosted white seed beads.
A few cranberry heart beads are left, going to combine them with some blue or turquoise beads, and maybe orange ones, but not sure ... may need to go bead shopping this weekend.

Jewellery please!

A short post tonight from a very tired blogger ...
Really pleased that there have been some new members joining the UK Handmade Jewellery group in the past week - looks like i've got lots of catching up to do at half-term. Also have lots of photos that I need to load onto the site.
Need to have a weekend (starting tomorrow evening) where I concentrate on jewellery, knitting has been taking over! Obviously I combine the two at times but want to do some beading this weekend. I still have the beading loom to try out (bought at Christmas!) and really want to use it to make some lovely beaded wristbands. Obviously need to realise that I need to learn to eave the beads before I come up with all these fancy ideas! That's often my problem! And seed beads at the weekend means pain on your bare feet on Monday morning as you find the ones that rolled away!

http://ukhandmade.ning.com/group/ukhandmadejewellery

I'm working on it ....

Mid-week and a hundred and one things on the go, knitting up last bit of red EcoWool - probably too late to do a Valentines make, but perhaps something floral for mothers day. Currently chopping up the pale EcoWool and experimenting with some embroidery and beading - not sure whether to do pale on pale - would look quite nice with the subtle stripes of the felt. Sketching ideas as they emerge!
Ice Princess rings are ready, but combination of working late and poor light have stopped me from photographing and listing.

Awaiting some nice new books - craft and cookery ones, but had very nice post today in the form of Albie Owl - a felt owl kit by Noah's Ark Crafts. Technically, it's for my daughter but I am sure I will get involved in making at some point. He's going to be so cute ...

www.noahsarkcrafts.folksy.com

Tuesday Treasury - Green Accessories

My fantastic green brooch by pantandpaper arrived in the post today. I am a big fan of any green accessories and know that I will wear this brooch again and again. So there's a good tip for any designer/makers out there - if you want my custom make something green!

http://www.folksy.com/shops/pantsandpaper

I have decided to make my Tuesday blog a treasury blog, looking at what others are making and creating, and it will we themed of course! So in honour of my brooch the first theme is green ...

Top Row - CraftyLittleMia lovely beaded jewellery, I own three of her rings and yes one is green! and GirloftheSixties this retro style make-up purse contrasts sage green with pastel spots.

Bottow Row - AskingForTrouble set of four Gocco printed button badges, put them on your clothes of on a plain tote bag, and ChainofDaisies wonderful flower earrings, i'm not an earring wearer, but these are sweet!

More next Tuesday, shouldn't be too difficult to guess the theme!