Pom-Pom Blanket

I kept seeing people's pom-pom blankets on FB, and really wanted to try one.  You rally need a loom, but I had an inspiration as I only wanted to make a little one for granddaughter's dolls, and used my macrame board! As you will see it worked!

the start

My first attempt was ok, but the pom-poms weren't very full ....

First attempt

 ....  I discovered that I needed to use two balls of wool together to make it thicker.  I only had one ball of each colour - so used one strand from outside of the ball and one from the inside!

Second Attempt

Second attempt is more like it.  Pleased with that.  Think I shall now have to make myself a loom to make bigger ones.  These blankets are right up my street - they require NO knitting!   Hubby suggested I make a bath mat next!

In the Den

My eldest granddaughter's school had a fire, so at the moment the girls are taking turns going into school for lessons.  Today was one of her "home" days, so naturally we took ourselves off to the Den to do a bit of crafting.  It was a tad cold out, but we were snug in the Den.

faux leather

I made some faux leather (yesterday), using one of Sheena Douglass's embossing folders, and today I coloured it up.  Having done the basic colouring with ink various distress ink pads, I then went in with  the mown grass distress ink, using an ink duster brush to colour the leaves.

I cut out the various sizes pieces, and glued them to the tin I had prepared .  Then added some gilding wax along the edges, and a small wooden butterfly which also had gilding wax applied (mainly so that I knew which was the opening side of the tin!)

It was quite difficult to cut the shapes to fit the tin,  I am going to cheat with the lining on the inside and do some printed faux leather with copy paper using CAP2 

Finished tin

The original tin, which had black gesso applied before the faux leather.

As it was quite difficult to cut the pieces to fit, as I have some more of these tins, I may try a different technique and either using modelling paste and do some altered art with that, or maybe try using up some of my papers and do a sort of decopatch finish.

My granddaughter was obviously "playing" along side me.  She did some more to a project she started last week, working on a stationery box that a craft friend had given me for her bedroom.  It is still work in progress.  I am not sure whether she is going to do some other decoration on it, but it needs some varnish on it.

Granddaughter's Stationery Box

She then tackled started another project, whilst waiting for the box to dry.  This is also work in progress. She painted the wooden plaque first with a little tinted gesso, and them stamped the fish, water and lily on in Stazon.  She then painted them with Luminarte Primary Elements and the clear glaze medium.  I believe she is going to put some sort of words on it and then varnish it.   I am not sure if she is going to paint the other side, so that she can have an alternative image on that.

Wooden Plaque

So all in all a productive day in the Den.

Tissue Box - update

Well here it is the revamped tissue box.  Redid the flowers with Pebeo Fantasy Paints (the ones that look like enamel when dry).

Looks really good now, although photo doesn't do it justice.

A Bit Rusty!

Seems I am a bit rusty on the paint fusion.  Having managed to venture to the Den this week on a couple of occasions, I finished this today, but confess I am not happy with it really.  I doesn't matter as it is only for my desk in my craft room.  I can see lots of things wrong with it - but hey ho - thought I would share it anyway!

I did a crackle effect on the box to start with the other day, cream over burgundy.  I probably should have started again from here, as the crackle wasn't up to much.

I then used Sheena Douglass's new stamps, and part paint, part paint fushioned them.  I am quite happy with the leaves, but not the flowers.   I didn't realise until I had taken the photo that I had a couple of smears on them!   Possibly caused because some of the black paint wasn't quite dry when I applied the silk finish to the box, or maybe I managed to smudge the images when I was holding the box to apply the gilding wax!   Still I can always repaint it at some point..

I have just had an idea - I might get the enamelling kit out and re-do the flowers for a different effect.  I can't remember what colours I have, but if I have something similar, as I want the burgundy flower colour scheme, I will give it a whirl.

"Touchy-Feely" Card

It is the birthday of one of my aunts this week, and as she is almost completely blind, I try to create "touchy-feely" cards for her.

This one is created from one of Sheena's embossing folders, used on dark pink card (believe it or not), which was then treated with Renaissance Gold and Silver Gilding Waxes.  (I will confess here that I could only find my Renaissance Gold wax to start with, but I really didn't like the effect, so eventually I found my original choice of silver and went over it again - and really like the effect).  

I then made a flower from the "leaf" ribbon that I bought recently from Ribbonbox, and rubbed a little silver gilding wax on the edges of that, as well as over the heart ribbon (also from Ribbonbox).  The Butterfly is a Memory Box die, cut from the same pearlised card as the main card, with the centre rubbed over with the silver gilding wax.

The name was some black foam letters that I had in my stash, which I coloured with a red gold promarker and then glazed with glossy accents.

I created the insert with CAP2, using a butterfly from the Digiboss cd, and creating my own embossed Iris from an outline image from another kit.  (obviously the insert is not touchy-feely!)

Thanks for popping by.

Another Birthday?

A card for a very dear crafting friend.  Slightly tongue in cheek on the sentiment, as she had a big "0" last year.  Couldn't resist using these images from my new glamoureyes cd.  Image mounted on cream pearlised card, and few liquid pearls added to centre of flowers and the necklace around with glass of "Oh Be Joyful" .

Happy Birthday Sassie xx

Man's 70th Card

I made this for an old school pal, with whom I still keep in touch.   He used to be in the merchant navy. Topper created in CAP2, and mounted on grey/silver pearlised card  (I am loving this colour card for men's cards)

There are going to be a lot of 70th Birthday Cards for friends this year!

Ribbon Camellia

I bought a ribbon camellia kit at the Make It Show at Farnborough, and this week I got around to making it up.  The outer petals of the flower are made with wired silk ribbon, and the inner ones with wire organza.  

I was thinking of putting a brooch back on it  and turning it into a sort of corsage, but having taken the photo with it sitting on some of the faux leather I made, I and a friend thought it would look good on a box. Decisions, decisions!

close up

Whilst chatting on the phone .....

to a pal, I made this card for her husband!

Created with CAP2  and the Glamoureyes collection cd, and although it might not be completely obvious, the image was mounted on some of my lovely new dark grey pearlised card stock.

In the Classroom with Nanny

My eldest granddaughter is suffering from tonsillitis, so I have been called on for some childcare for the past couple of days.   Yesterday she mainly slept, and I managed to get out in the garden and do a bit of gardening, and then we played some board games in the afternoon.

Today she was a little brighter, but still wasn't well enough to go to school, much as she wanted too as it was her favourite lessons today - cookery and art.

So it was Nanny to the rescue, and we did some cooking and some craft.

 First we made:

Loaf of bread made in the slow cooker

Whilst that we cooking we made:  (as we were using the slow cooker for the bread, we cooked this in the oven.

Large choc chip, raisin and fudge cookie with mini choc eggs on top

After lunch we did some crafting and I taught her how to make:

faux leather

My piece is on the right, her two pieces are on the left.   The photo doesn't do them justice as they are actually quite a bit darker in real life.

Not sure whether I will have my "nurses" hat on again tomorrow, we shall wait and see.

"Music" themed card

Well the new die set has been in use again (well the grand calibur and the dies were out for Tabitha's card, and I was experimenting to see what size card they would produce, so naturally having made a card base, I used it!

This one is for my cousin, who plays piano and trumpet, and enjoys going to the theatre!  Hope she likes it.

Card for a two year old

Here is the card, I made to go with the dolls bedding.   Tabs loves In the Night Garden, so used a picture of Igglepiggle.

I also used some of my latest purchases from Make-It at Farnborough on Saturday.   A spellbinder's die for the card base, a memory box butterfly and a silk flower, which is made from ribbon for Ribbonbox.  Love this ribbon, comes as a strip with a  pull thread - cut of seven leaves, pull thread and tie a knot and voila - one flower.  They do various colours, but I bought cream and white as I can always change the colour with promarkers.

Dolls Bed Accessories

It is my youngest granddaughter's 2nd birthday tomorrow, and I have bought her some dolls bunk beds. They came with a mattress and a pillow, but I thought I would be nice to make some more bedding.  Well I didn't leave myself much time to make them.  The beds only arrived on Friday, and I was out all day Saturday, and all this afternoon!  and of course I hadn't even thought about the fact that being bunk beds, I would need to make two of everything - duh!

I set to on Friday and made a couple of  of little blankets.  Now you all know I am not a great knitter, so I thought as time was short I would use large needles and make them a bit lacy.

blanket

Yesterday I set about making some quilts/duvets.  I used a couple of fat quarters from my stash and made reversible ones, with a little appliqued heart on them, to compliment the heart on the bunk beds.   Gosh it is ages since I have done any sewing in earnest, even though I had a new machine last year.  Of course I had forgotten how it worked (things are in a different place to my old 50 yr old one!).

As you will see I also made a couple of sheets - using an old sheet that I no longer use, adding a little lace and ribbon on the top edge.

one side of duvets

reverse side of duvets

Finally, here are a couple of pictures of the finished bedding in the bunk beds.  I have shown them as being different quilts, but as I mentioned they are reversible, so she can have them matching if she wants.  At least it gives her a bit of choice.  When I have more time, I will try and make some more bits - perhaps a proper patchwork quilt, and perhaps some matching covers for the mattresses and pillows.

As you will see the heart applique, matches the hearts on the end of the bunk beds.

Considering how little time I had, together with learning how to use the sewing machine again, am quite pleased with how they turned out.  Fingers crossed she likes her present and has fun playing with them.  No doubt her big sisters will have as much fun too.

Update: She loved her present! and so did her big sisters!