Embroidery - Cosmos and Foxgloves

 

I have often watched the Rowndean embroidery shows, and really loved the effects achieved.   The fact that you can be as random as you like and alter the kit design if you so wish appealed to me.   I also like the rustic nature of the designs, and the used of pieces of chiffon, sequins and beads and different thicknesses of threads used.

I wasn't sure if my eyes would cope, but decided to try a couple of small kits, on the premise of if I couldn't get on with them, I could pass them on to somebody else in the family to complete.   Well I amazed myself/   I manged to cope ok, and really enjoyed doing them.  I liked the fact that I didn't have to be precise, and didn't have to worry about the neatness of the back!  (As I would have it had been something like a tablecloth - you may recall a few years ago I actually finished a tablecloth that my Nan or mother had started some years back!)   This only took me a couple of evenings to do - and yes I actually managed to do in the evening with the aid of my little desk lamp, rather than having to tackle it in daylight!

The embroider for this kit is done on tweed material.   When finished I added some wadding behind it and put it in a proper display frame.

Resin and Alcohol Inks

I had a play with resin and alcohol inks.   The results weren't quite to plan - there should have been more white on the fronts.   The colours on the back are quite good of course!  However, the effect on the phone holder is quite good as it looks like dark marble.

Back

I also used the left over resin to fill this little fairy house mould.   This went the opposite way to what was intended and was very transparent - but I like the graded effect on the front.

back

 

Silk Flowers

I made these silk flowers last week.  They were a kit from Craft Buddy.   I have left them all white at moment, although I may colour them eventually.    There ae hydrangeas, Camellias, Dahlias, and Chrysanthemums.   I made all these from one kit.

These are in my grandmother's vase

These are in the vase I paianted.

Painted Cushion

Work in progress

finished cover

 
Had a relaxing time painting this  (excuse the crease in the photo).  It was a Craft Buddy kit.

Here it is is with a cushion pad in it.

Circles Card

 Random stencilled circles and a stamp for this card for a man.    Just something a bit abstract and different!

Painted Vase

At the end of the February half term, my son, my two youngest granddaughters and I visited our local Ceramic Shack and for a painting session treat.    This was my vase after it had been fired.   Pretty pleased with it, as I decided to do some paint fusion on it.   I was really amazed that the different layers of paint can actually be felt under the glaze.

side view with sponged detail

reverse side

other sponged side

sponged detail inside

 

Another water colour effect card

 

I love these Studio Light layering stencils.    This one was just created using blue and green Versa Magic and Artistry inks, using just five shades.  The effect looks as though it has been water coloured.

Card for a Genealogist

 Another card created in Craft Artist

Art and flowers cake

 

A cake to go with the card from yesterday (Excuse the rubbish photo - don't know why the top icing has come out yellow - it was white the same as the rest of the cake).

Very much out of my comfort zone with this cake, as I don't DO buttercream cakes as a rule.   The cake is a four layer gluten and dairy free, salted caramel flavour victoria sponge, with velvet vanilla dairy free buttercream".   The coating was an experimental "first" for me using a ganache kit. 

I also made some fishnet cake lace that went around the cake, on which I adhered the flowers, which were made from flower paste.  Also made from flower paste were the top flowers, the artist's palette and paintbrush, and the numbers and the name on the board. (It was the first time I have made the cake lace, albeit I did attempt some many many years ago when it first came on the market, and failed miserably.) 

Close up of the top of the cake

Thankfully the recipient loved it!

Card with an art theme

 Card or Tabitha on her 10th birthday.   Created in Craft Artist.

Work in Progress ....

 .... and why I have been missing !

I have started on a latch hook canvas.   It is very slow progress, I am sure it wasn't so slow back all those years ago when I used to do it with my Nan!