Beaded Charm Bracelet

I started this last night, and finished it whilst watching Sheena Douglass's Paint Fusion.  The basic bracelet was a bought one, and is on thick stretchy elastic, and has the rings attached ready to just add the charms.  I then added some different glass beads that I bought at Farnborough earlier this year.  These are mounted on head pins, and then cut to length and an "eye" created for attaching to the rings.   It was good practise and I think I have now got the hang of bending the wires to create eyes.

This is it on my wrist

and another view taken in the shade

Thanks for popping by.

Mags

Black and Silver Ribbon Necklace

I have been working on a special project - a black and silver necklace

This is the necklace with a black bead

This is with the silver bead option.  I didn't have a silver bead, so painted a white one with my acrylic paints and varnished it with a metallic glaze.

Large bead option

I really wanted a larger bead, and they are impossible to find - well ones with big enough holes to go over the ribbon - so I made this one from Cloud Clay, painted with black acrylic, and varnished.  It takes a while as you have to let the clay dry for 24 hours.  Fortunately the painting takes less drying time.

and finally I made a box for it.  Decorated with same ribbon as the necklace, and using my favourite dies, I cut out the flower and leaves from some black and silver marbled card I created a few weeks ago.

Hope the recipient likes it.

Mags

70th Birthday Card

I have used this image from JS Furry Friends before for a man's card, but couldn't resist using it again for my SIL's 70th Birthday, as she used to have a dog a bit like this.

I imported the image into MCS so that  I could  then match one of the blues in the image to find out the appropriate RGN numbers for me to computer generate it in Publisher - I actually made a note of the two shades used and used both later.  (I use Publisher quite a bit for planning a card, as I can snapshot the various backing papers that come on a CD and see which one I prefer as a background paper against the image - which saves printing off loads of papers and then choosing.  - For instance I tried backing papers with dog bones, and paw prints, before settling on this one from the CD.)

The image and sentiment (sentiment has a computer generated surround to match the image), and backing paper were then mounted on blue papermania pearlescent textured card and I also cut the skelton flower from the same card.   I also wanted to try out my Cheery Lynn French Pastry doily die, to make the card a tad more feminine.  The basic card is a pale pearlescent cream cardstock (from C&C bought at Wilkinsons!).

Added a diamante gem to the flower and then over-wrote the sentiment with a bluey/green Sakura gell stardust pen, which was the exact colour of the writing - how lucky was that!

The card was completed using the matching insert from the CD, to which I also added the dog image to the "fly leaf" with a matching computer generated surround (again using Publisher).

thanks for looking

Mags

Sheena Douglas Paint Fusion GiveAway

I can see a big spend coming on - Sheena Douglas is bringing out some new Christmas themed stamps - Pick of the Week on Create and Craft!  Can't wait!   I know my eldest granddaughter will be urging me on to spend!  (Wonder if she will chip in with some of her pocket money!)

I have a load of goodies in the box waiting to be painted for Christmas presents - gosh I am glad I didn't get started on them!

I don't know if the Mr Linky worked so here is a clickable link to Sheena's Blog to see a sneak preview and a chance to win some Blog Candy!  (although to be absolutely truthful - hope you don't win instead of me LOL!) 

http://www.sheena.tv/?page_id=11

oo yes and click on the Gallery when you are on Sheena's site for a glimpse at some of the samples made from the new stamps - you will be blown away!

Mags

Picnic & A lovely Evening out

You saw the "musical cakes" I made in the last posting, well .......

.... Yesterday my son, my husband and I went to Hever Castle to see an open air Chris Barber concert.  This was a present from my son and daughter in law for Derek's 70th Birthday, which was at the end of last month.  My daughter-in-law should have been with us, but she was in France with my youngest granddaughter's visiting her Father  (worked mucked up her holiday dates which meant she had to miss it).  My daughter would have loved to join us instead, but she and her daughter only arrived back from a Guide trip to Switzerland in the early hours of the morning, so she was too shattered to join us instead!

My son organised the picnic, and he did very well.

My son preparing the picnic

Our little picnic (Did you notice I am wearing one of my necklace creations?)

view from our table - beautiful setting

a glimpse of the stage

We were lucky the rain held off until the very end of the concert - the drive home which is all across country lanes and not the best of routes in the dry was a tad interesting!  The grounds of the Castle, which was the  childhood home of Anne Boleyn, were beautiful.  One day I must go and visit the castle!

Finally a big thank you to my son for a lovely evening.

Mags

experimental necklace and some special cupcakes

Had a little play today with my necklace maker and although I used two different colours, I alternated them.  Makes you concentrate on what you are doing! - remembering to count three and then change ribbon.  If I had done this weaving both colours together would probably only have got a bracelet from it for the quantity of ribbon I had - however this has made a sort of choker necklace.   Just need to add some findings and find a bead with a big enough hole to fit it.

and these are some muffins/large cupcakes that I knocked up this afternoon for a special picnic tomorrow.  My son is supposed to be in charge of the hamper, but thought I would make some cakes!  (Will confess that our sugarcraft club demo last night was cupcakes, and I learned a few tricks as cupcakes are not my forte really.)  As you can see the theme is slightly musical - the reason being that we are off to an open air Jazz concert.  Hope the weather is fine!

Mags

A varied day

No crafting today!  I got up and got my beading fix watching Sarah - I always manage to pick up a tip or two.  I then whiled away an hour or so chatting to my pal in Devon whilst I waited until it was time to go to the hospital to the chiropodist (there is one advantage of this diabetes lark in that I get free foot treatment!)  I can now walk again! 

Then to beat the rain forecast for tomorrow, I decided to continue with the painting that is needed in the garden (having tackled the swing yesterday) and almost finished the 4 benches!  I was cream-crackered by dinner time, and really didn't feel up to cooking - so IMindoors went to the chippy - very naughty I know, but it is a rare treat for us.

I wasn't even up to crafting tonight - but if it is going to rain tomorrow no doubt I shall get my fix then!  I did manage a trial necklace last night with some string, whilst watching Holby - not too sure about it.  I like the effect, but it is quite thick, and beads with very large holes are difficult to come by.  Not sure what it will be like to wear - I will probably add some proper necklace findings to it, which will make it better to wear, or I may undo it, and redo it into some keyrings, or maybe make a macrame type bracelet with beads.  (I saw a pattern when googling the other day).  Can't make up my mind.  This is what it looks like - quite pretty lilac and blue string.

and just to show my painting efforts in the garden :

heck there are an awful lot of sides on slatted furniture!  (and don't look at the weeds on the patio! bending to paint is bad enough! - looks like the boiling water treatment is required to kill them first and make it easier to remove them!)  I do like the colour I chose though, and the tablecloth I bought the other week at the French Market matches perfectly!

Mags

Ooops Card!

I have been so busy with my visitor last week, and playing with my birthday pressies, that I overlooked the fact that it was my sister-in-law's husband's birthday today!   (shall blame it on fact that I hadn't turn the "bible"  over - aka the calendar in the kitchen, where all birthdays etc are recorded!)

I quickly remedied the situation earlier today, and the card is now in care of the RM.  To make life easier and quicker when I took the image and backing paper from JS Times Gone By into Publisher I created faux matting and layering around the main image, as well as the computer generated sentiment, and added Happy Birthday to the image in the same colour. 

This meant that I only had to trim around the backing paper, which I did layer on to some pearlescent papermania card in the normal way, and then on to hammered white card.  I used the sea themed insert from the CD inside.

thanks for looking

Mags



Wool necklace!

Yes wool!  Sassie and I bought some  fluffy wool in Hobbycraft on Sunday, which had been reduced to about a third of normal price! - and I played with it last night.

I haven't put any findings on this - just left it with a bow.   Decided to add 3 large black wooden beads to it, that I bought when we were at our little craft shop in local garden centre.  The great thing about these necklaces is that you can change the beads and get a completely different look.

When my DIL saw this last night she said I could knit scarves for the granddaughter's dolls!!!!   I think I will teach the granddaughters to do that.   However I have seen an idea for little animals so this wool might be good for that.  Jacque says she has also used the eyelash wool, so shall have to look out for some of that next time I am in town - Wilkie's normally have that quite cheap.

There is one downside to this addiction, I want to play all the time - and had to drag myself back to cardmaking today, as I had forgotten to make a family birthday card - oops - birthday was today!  Anyway now done and in the post.  Am now off to paint garden furniture (having painted the old swing in the garden already this afternoon - got some brilliant paint for swing from IW - looks like wrought iron finish but is water based - my sort of paint!).    At least I can't say I am bored!

Thanks for dropping by.

Mags

Beadwork - a First

In addition to the ribbon jewellery kit for my birthday, my husband bought me a beading loom.  I started this last night and sat in the sunshine and finished it this afternoon.

Not the most exciting of bracelets, as I only used the beads that came with the loom for my practise, and  there weren't enough of some of the colours so had to improvise with the colourways.   Also I wasn't too sure about how to attach the clasps!   But for a first attempt am fairly pleased.

just to prove it is wearable!

I have a lot of pretty pearlised beads - so will check them out next and work out a design, but first I want to try a bracelet with some memory wire!   Erm ok - hands up - I am getting addicted!

Thanks for dropping by.

Mags