Today's makes

I have been trying to sort out my craft room so when I found some tins in the cupboard while looking for jars for my marmalade I decided to cover them in pretty paper and recycle them as storage pots.  Well I suppose every little helps!

 And I also made a toilet roll holder for the bathroom, making a pattern from one I bought in Rhodes that is in the downstairs loo.  The fabric was left over from a duvet cover I made when I started university so that must be 30 years ago!  See, everything comes in useful eventually!

I made this for my Father-in-Law's birthday next week. He is a tram fanatic and lives near Blackpool so I found a photo of a Blackpool tram, printed it several times and decoupaged it. 

And this is a card I made last week, for a friend but couldn't post it until he had opened it! He likes music, books and wine and I managed to find some images that combined them all.  

I got a hug!

Thank you so much Margaret for this lovely hug!  That was very sweet of you!  And I will pass it on to 10 more super and inspiring bloggers:  Amelia,  Sarah,  Natalie, Chris,  Jane,  Carolyn,  Jacquie,  Twiggy,  Maritrez,  Fi  

2nd Jewellery Challenge

This is my entry for the second jewellery challenge inspired by Aims' lovely jungly fabric.  I bought the flowers and leaves from last year's Big Bead Show at Sandown Park; its about time I started using up some of my bead stash rather than adding to it!   I got all my beads out the other evening and came up with all sorts of ideas for how to use them, and even found one or two things I had forgotten that I had had.

A not very quick "quickie"

I thought I would whip up a quick pair of earrings, using black diagonally pierced frames and lilac foiled beads.  Quick, ha!  I wanted some black seed beads to fill in between the frames and the lilac beads, so I got my seed bead box out and all the black ones I had were too small and pulled through the holes in the frame (as did the headpins), so out came a box of mixed black and metallic grey beads in a variety of sizes and finishes.  Which I opened upside down and spilled all over the table (and floor).  Twenty minutes later I had picked up most of them, only to find that the small beads were too big to fit.  Eventually, after realising the head pins were too short and having to find some longer ones, I put a small bead on the bottom, then enough bugle beads to balance the lilac bead centrally, and a facetted bead on top.   Something that should have taken 5 minutes to assemble took about an hour, and I still have to pick the rest of the wretched beads up and sort them out into their compartments again.  Aargh!  Still I am pleased with the end result at least.

A Whale of a Time

I made this today for my friend Trevor's birthday.  I adapted the idea from a design by Katy Godbeer in the latest issue of Docrafts Creativity magazine.  As soon as I saw it I thought of Trevor, and it was great fun to do too.  I made another couple of cards today but the recipients might spot them, so I won't post pictures of them until after the event, so to speak!  Don't want to spoil the surprise!

Becky very kindly sent me some envelopes for the Marie Curie Create a Card for Cancer Care campaign, after I mentioned that I couldn't get hold of them in Woking last weekend (and our local Craft Central in Shepreth where I usually get them has now closed down).  So I shall be busy making cards for the charity for the next few weeks.

January Jewellery swap

The theme for this month's jewellery swap on the Crafts Beautiful Forum is purple - either earrings or a hairslide.  I have used purple seed beads, light amethyst matte Swarovski crystals and some glass hearts, on tigertail. Must get them in the post today as they are due by the 17th!

Sarah's Jewellery Challenge No. 1

This is my entry for Sarah's first jewellery challenge.  I had a hard job thinking what was my favourite colour until I opened my wardrobe and realised I had more turquoise than anything else!

The stripy focal bead was made by Sharon Reynolds.  Some of the others are Mike Tillerman's.  They are knotted onto silk thread with silver spacers.

Today's makes

I have been catching up with this month's swaps on the Crafts Beautiful forum.  

These are the first ATCs I have made.  The theme was "Fantasy" and I wanted to do fantasy horses.  I couldn't find a Pegasus or Unicorn anywhere in the shops so I ended up searching for clipart instead.  I printed them off and painted them with shimmering mica paint in cream for the bodies and purple shimmer for their manes and wings.  Their hooves and the unicorn's horn are highlighted with silver gel pen.  The background for the Pegasus is mulberry paper in pale blue and white, with crystal glitter glue on the clouds, whereas the Unicorn is mounted on ironed Angel fibre in a sea green colour, decorated with punched paper flowers.

The theme for January's bookmark swap is "Monochrome" so I have used papers from the "A Hint of Pink" stack from Dovecraft and highlighted them with crystal glitter glue and black glitter.  It's my turn to host the bookmark swap for February so I have started the poll today.  The choice is between Bunnies, Transport, Sweets and Birds.  Guess which is my favoured theme!

I now need to get on with the jewellery swap - either earrings or a hair slide in purple...

Reasons for being a card maker

Reasons for being a card maker

1) It helps keep the economy going. It is one's duty to support cardcraft manufacturers, timber/paper mills, craft shops and internet sites. 

2) It is less expensive and more fun than psychiatric care. 

3) It's participation in a contest- The one who dies with the most unused peel offs, toppers etc, wins. 

4) Craft bits keep without refrigeration, you don't have to cook them to enjoy them, you never have to feed them, change them, wipe their noses or walk them. 

5) It's not immoral, illegal, or fattening. It calms the nerves, gratifies the soul, and makes one feel good. 

6) It makes good use of your imag-e-nation

(Found on www.verses4cards.co.uk)

New Year, New Blog

As part of my New Year's Resolution to be more organised I have decided to set myself up a blog so I can keep a better record of my makes. I then promptly made and gave away two cards without thinking to take a photo of them. Ho hum, must try harder! My next makes will be for Crafts Beautiful forum swaps: a monochrome bookmark, two fantasy themed ATCs and purple earrings or hair slide. I also have Sarah's jewellery challenge to do when I can make my mind up what is my favourite colour. Purple? Turquoise? Green? Decisions, decisions!