Button heart

The second session of the Christmas met at the beginning of March.  The idea was to make button pictures as seen on Pinterest.  The original ideas found were Christmas trees and starts, but I went in a different direction.

I bought the chunky frame for a few quid from Asda.  It looks like a box frame as the frame sticks out quite far, but the glass sits right on the picture so I had to discard it.  I used some painted wooden buttons I had in red and blue and made a heart.  I opted not to fill it in.  It took me all of about 10 minutes!

I did have an accident with the glue.  I had a plastic bottle of PVA glue which used to be kept on the windowsill in my craft room.   Apparently not a good idea.  I picked the bottle up, squeezed and it broke in half, spewing glue everywhere!  

The next session is tonight, we're doing something with jam jars...

coiled bowl which isn't coiled

In the summer, mum and I went to a workshop with Katherine Fortnum.  I still wasn't very well but managed to do OK that day.  We were the only people in the class!  We were to learn a coiling technique to make a decorative bowl.  I couldn't roll the required sausages.  I tried and I tried but then I realised if I carried on, I would start to get upset and frustrated so asked if I could do mine by rolling the clay flat and cutting out shapes.  Katherine, very kindly, said yes and helped me to build a bowl in that way.  

I'm not sure that clay is for me, but if it is, I'd rather use the porcelain clay that we use with Katie Almond as I find it so much easier to work.

We used moulds to build our bowls in.  I cut some hearts and began to build it up.  I've just realised that I didn't take a photo of mum's bowl - I would have been able to show you what a coiled bowl looks like (it's not just one long "sausage" that coils round, it's small coils stuck together). 

As each part was built in, It was important to ensure the inside joins were all nicely blended in, to give the bowl some strength.

I added in some smaller hearts, I think I'd cut them out of the middles of the bigger ones, but I don't quite remember.

Turning the bowl out of the mould was nerve wracking!  It could have easily have collapsed...

A bit of painting - we couldn't do much as we weren't able to dry it out between coats, it would have cracked.  This is what I find off-putting about this kind of clay.  It's actually really fragile.

I painted my heart bowl in the same bluey-green I used for my heart windchimes - very predictable!

And here it is all fired!  It's about 6" in diameter, and maybe 3" high.

I can't really think of much more to say about it, but I have some more photos, so you'll just have to look at them!

Are you still looking?

Hanging hearts

I have some bunny news to start with.  A few weeks ago we lost Kate, our newest bunny.  She had been paired with Harry, who is now on his own again.  She wasn't ill so I can only think that she had a heart attack, she was a very nervous girl.  It's a shame that I only got to spend a few months with her, but at least she had found her forever home and was, I hope, happy with Harry.  Harry has had an eye infection this week, I took him to the vet on Tuesday and discovered that he has cataracts and is most probably blind!  It does explain why I'd been finding it so easy to catch him, apparently I'd been sneaking up on him, poor fella.

Totally unrelated to bunnies, today I wanted to show you the results of a workshop at Debbie Bryan with the very talented Katie Almond.  It was to make a hanging plaque, or a series of hanging plaques.  I went in with an idea of what I was going to make.... and made something completely different!

The photo above shows the pieces just as I was starting to paint them, prior to firing.  We used Katie's usual techniques of cutting shapes, adding texture with lace or stamps or rollers, adding cut out pieces and then painting to highlight.  This is my best job yet with the paint, I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it!

I'd used a textured roller and I highlighted the flowers only.  Painting does take a long time and so I didn't get time to do as much painting as I wanted on the largest heart. 

But I'm really happy with the results!  The picture above and those below are of the fired items.  Katie uses porcelain clay which has such a different finish to the earthenwear clay we've been using on workshops with Katherine Fortnum.  

I punched holes top and bottom (except on one) using a heart punch and a flower punch, just for something a bit different.

I strung them together using Fireline which is a jewellery making material which is very similar to fishing line.  If you're thinking it's very invisible, it's because I didn't string them until I'd taken these pictures!

I didn't know where I was going to hang these, I've got a large collection of hanging hearts, some made by me, some by other individuals and some mass produced.  I decided to hang it in the kitchen.  I've been avoiding hanging anything in the kitchen as I STILL haven't finished painting (3 years after the kitchen was fitted...), but now it's time.

See that silicone on the wall??  That's why I've been avoiding finishing the decorating.  Anyone know how to get it off?  Mr CA said to just keep painting over it but that's not working!

More finishing things off

I did a post a few weeks ago about some languishing UFOs which I'd finally finished.  Well I've finished some more.

This bead embroidered pendent was made in October 2015, you can see the original post here.

When I was putting pendents on chains the other week, I tried this one on a chain, but it wasn't right.  it needed something different.  I thought I'd try a beaded rope so I got out some suitable seed beads and my copy of Seed Bead Stitching by Beth Stone.

The photo above shows the samples I made.  On the left is a spiral which just didn't look right, I can't remember what the middle one is, and the one on the right is a peyote tube.  I really like the peyote tube but it was too big for this pendent.  Instead I chose a tri-stitch from Bead Play everyday, also by Beth Stone.

I didn't take a close up of the beaded chain but it is quite delicate.  I've worn this a few times recently.

I can't find the origins of this project.  It was cross stitched a long time ago, at least 4 years I think.  All it needed was stuffing and the turning gap sewing up.  I'd neglected it so long as I'd cut the linen too close to the seam and it was fraying.

I put lavender in it and sewed it up as best I could.  It now lives in my knicker drawer so I don't suppose the messy seam matters.

Finally I have this rather strange bunny to show you.  Again, I can't find a post about him, but I think I made him before my nephew was born and he's 4 now.

I made the pattern up myself, I have no idea where I got the idea for such a weird bunny from!  The pink bits on the ears are appliqued and I embroidered a face, but I used a pale pink so it's barely visible.

All I had to do on this fella was stuff him, sew up the turning gap and sew on his tail.  There were three different pompoms with him so I selected the one below.

I wasn't sure what to do with him, I was just pleased to get him out of the UFO basket (or rather drawer, though I do have UFO baskets, and bags and piles...) so he lives with my Jellycat bunnies in the bedroom.

I've got to keep on top of this finishing off, I must have scores of UFOs... 

heart chalk board

I took a little accidental blog break there, I didn't have a free minute to write any posts, but what have I been doing?  I don't know!  This summer is just flying by and leaving me in its wake.  On my last trip to Hobbycrafts at the NEC, I bought an MDF heart set, the two hearts below cost £2, in total, not each!

As you can see, I started painting and forgot to take a before picture.  I painted the outer heart in blue chalk paint, which is just beautiful to work with.  Then I painted the "behind" heart with chalkboard paint.  I then glued to top to the bottom.

I don't know what the two holes at the bottom are for, perhaps they are the reason this was only £2?  I haven't quite finished it, I think it needs decorating to within an inch of its life and I'm wondering about paper flowers...  any ideas?

Edited to add: the bottom holes are only on the frame piece, they are not on the solid heart so you can't screw through them or hang anything on them

ceramic birds and wind chimes

Last month I told you about  a workshop we did at Katherine Fortnum Ceramics.  We went to another workshop a few weeks ago and so were able to collect the birds we'd made.

He is intact, if not quite as attractive as he could have been.  I only put one layer of underglaze on him so he's a slightly pinkish/brownish off-white!

Katherine did say that the inside would need a light sand as it was so hard to get it smooth during the making process, I was surprised how bumpy and knobbly it turned out.

He's on the kitchen window sill (indoors) at the moment until I decide where he can live and what he can hold.

At the last workshop we were making windchimes, or a hanging mobile of some sort.  I don't have many photos but I have a few.

I cut out a series of hearts getting progressively smaller.  I then textured some of them in different ways.

I used one of these fancy rulers to imprint some of the hearts.  The small round thing is a stamp, I used that on other hearts.

Next it was glazed, three coats, and I scratched some designs into the glaze to reveal the clay underneath.

They're going to be fired, then we'll collect them.  I think we've got another workshop later this month, I'm taking the Mother-in-law as well as mum so that should be good fun.

polymer clay - craft book challenge

I really did intend to join in Ange's craft book challenge last month, but I didn't get time to make a project from a book.  This month, I have!  In fact, I already have two in the bag - I'll write a separate post about the other project.

Over the long bank holiday weekend (in England we get Good Friday and Easter Monday as holiday) I did a lot of experimenting.  The first thing to come out of the craft box was my polymer clay.  

I own a couple of books by Donna Kato and I tell you, I could just sit and read them like books, well I have, they're full of gorgeous pictures and she explains things so well.  This project comes from The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques by Donna Kato.  Before we go any further, I'd just like to point out that any failure is on my behalf, not Donna's!

It all started with a few canes and a heart shaped cabochon.  I made a mould for the heart shape using some packaging that some brads came in.  I've completely forgotten to take a photo of either the mould or the packaging, but if you want to know what I mean when I say I made a mould, see my previous posts here.

I also managed to forget to take photos of the canes I used, other than this pretty cool zipper cane.
  

The heart itself is a bit of a mess, it was too big really, but the smaller heart mould I made just wouldn't have been big enough.  It is approximately 4" high.

There is so much I don't like about this.  The purple and black leopard skin-like pattern is supposed to be dots but my cane was a disaster.  Likewise the stripy leaves...  You can also see the joins in the zipper.

But, not to be put off, I decided to try my own thing on the smaller heart mould (approx 2" high) which I cast from a glass necklace I have.

The top one is a heart of scrap clay covered with the stripy cane I'd made and used part of for the zip.  The zip isn't pressed into the heart so it stands proud.  The little flower is made from extruded tubes which I sliced.  The bottom heart started with a heart moulded from scrap play, but I loved that pattern at the top left so incorporated it.  The zip is pressed in to the heart on this one so the only raised piece is the flower which is made from tiny balls of clay.  These two will become brooches with a brooch back glued on.

So, one failure, but two successes!

I'm linking up to the Craft Book Challenge on Ange's blog 

fluffy, loopy, gluey

Good morning!  So last week I showed you the beginnings of my attempt at punch needle.

It turns out that watching back to back episodes of Silent Witness is conductive to punch needle.  Because I finished it.  It's not the greatest punch needle in the world, but nor is it the worst (probably, I can't actually admit to having seen worse versions, I'm just hoping they're out there).

The red inner border isn't very pronounced, despite me sitting and teasing out loads of loops.  There were long loops, which I cut, and there were loops in the wrong place.  I just pushed those to the side and hoped for the best.

It's such a nice texture.  It sort of feels like a rug.  Mr CA announced that his sister used to do this when she was young.  I was doubtful.  After a long discussion it turned out he was talking about puff paint (?!?).   The finished design is about 5" high and I intend to sew it into a little zippy bag to store my punch needle tool, needles and threaders in. 

I still don't understand the science of how this works, and I don't trust that it won't all just pull out if I catch a loop on the front.  So I covered the back in beading glue.  This is the back by the way! 

I enjoyed this.  I'm going to do it again... There's a punch needle in Some Kind of Wonderful by Anni Downs which I might recently have accidentally bought.  I mean WON!  Sorry, won.  I did win it Mr CA, you know I haven't bought ANY craft supplies/books/magazines for years, I'm just very lucky... I'm off now to hide the large rabbit scraper foil kit I bought won on Saturday (Wilkos, £3 if you're in the UK and interested).

The world's worst photos

My apologies.  I have two terrible photos for you today.  I am only including them for posterity!

One of my colleagues asked to borrow my red brick stitch necklace for the work Christmas party and asked if I had earrings to go with it.  Now, I think I've mentioned my aversion to earrings before.  Despite once sporting quite a few holes in my ears, I also had one in my belly button and 2 in my nose.  No more!  They make me feel sick.  But... she offered to pay so I decided to make some.

I only remember to take a photo in my car on the way to work the day I had to give them to her.  So I took a photo on the passenger seat of Norbert, in the rain on a cold, dark, dull morning.

Pretty bad picture, but the earrings are actually pretty cool.  I made two rings and hung them individually with chain from the ear wires so they dangle below each other.  She's now asked me to make her a matching necklace.

The other terrible photo is more chicken scratch lavender hearts.  The day after the craft fair my best friend asked if she could have them for her Nana's Christmas present, I said yes, then someone ordered them from my Folksy shop.  I said I'd whip some more up, and whip them up I did.  Once you've done the pattern a couple of times, these are so easy to make.  I finished them on Wednesday night and needed to give them to her the next day.  I put them in a box and had to take the photo inside, on a rainy, dull, dark evening.  Oh the joys of living in England.

If you'd like to see better photos of hearts just like these, try over here.  The photos are better, but not great as it was still me who took them!

I'll be back soon to show you the Christmas cards for my close family (if I get them finished!).  I forgot to take photos of the Christmas cards I sent to family and friends!

more more more

Don't you just hate it at this time a year when all the TV channels are just showing repeats?  Well that's what you're getting from me today!
 
 

Last week I showed you the chicken scratch lavender hearts I'd made?  The ones I showed you before were all embroidered with white thread.  This one was embroidered with a size 5 perle cotton in a variegated array of pinks.  I'm not sure it works as well as the white.

 

I also showed you some crochet snowflakes I'd made.  Well I made some more.  These have all been stiffed with modge podge after an initial blocking with half a can of starch!

 

The top snowflake is a free pattern from the wonderful Snowcatcher who has tons of free snowflake patterns on her blog.

I've just tried and completely failed to identify the other three patterns, clearly they don't look as they should, but if it's free snowflake patterns you're looking for, try my Pinterest board.  Good luck!

And last, but not least, I made more felt Christmas puddings.  These were certainly popular, I think I sold four!