New Year, New Challenge

Happy New Year - hope you had a lovely Christmas.

Last year was the quietest I've had on the blogging front

since I started this blog, so this year

 I hope to join in with a few more challenges.

  Well that sounds a bit like a new year's resolution

 and I always resolve never to make

any because I never keep them up!

Anyway, I'll start as I mean to go on and the first 

challenge I've joined in with is on the blog called

Operation Tackle That Bead Stash

"Take one painting that is well known, classical or modern,

 and make something inspired by it

What can I make?

Anything as long as it involves beads!"

The painting I chose is

'Self portrait with a straw hat'

by Vincent van Gogh

 

 

I took inspiration from this painting by using the same

colours - blue and yellow and a little red.

I made a simple handbag key finder

 The large flat bead in the centre is Aragonite

and the yellow faceted beads are Agate.

The red strap is leather.

(Absolutely no chance of not being able to find

your keys in your handbag with this flower

attached to them - it's quite heavy!)

Deadlines for entries is 31 January 

and there is a prize for one randomly selected

entrant.

Now, to find another challenge!

Thanks for looking :)

It Must Be Christmas!

A few Christmas cards have been dropping through our letterbox

so it must be Christmas now!

I thought I'd better get a move on and make a few myself.

I used the Tim Holtz/Alterations  'Ice Skates' Bigz Die from Sizzix.

I made a few with a background of old sheet music, aged and distressed a little and a Christmassy rub on.  The sentiment is rubber stamped onto

a Spellbinder's Nestabilitie die cut shape.

 

I then turned to my box of scraps and used some scrapbook paper

which wasn't at all Christmassy, but I think it still works.

The little sprigs of holly are plastic and came from some of last year's

Christmas Crackers!

 

I die cut the skates from card and leather.

Although the leather does have a nice texture, I think I prefer

to work with the card as it takes the distress ink better. 

Next on my list is to try making some Christmas Crackers -

 I've almost got enough toilet / kitchen paper roll inners!!

Thanks for looking and I hope your

Christmas preparations are going to plan :)

Ice Skates!

My latest favourite Bigz Die by Sizzix

 Alterations/Tim Holtz

is the Ice Skates

I bought it with the intention of making Christmas cards,

but today made a birthday card.

 It has a simple background of a doily and

K & Co Scrapbooking paper edged with a little

Old Paper Distress Ink.

I cut the skates from white mountboard

and painted them with Folk Art Acrylic

'Seamist' colour.

The boot laces are embroidery thread.

The heels and blades were coloured

with Distress Markers.  I tried to make

blades shiny by covering them with a layer

of Mod Podge Lustre.

To go with the card, I made a simple

stretch bracelet.

  

It's made up of Shell and Howlite chips

and a little gold coloured charm.

Hope the recipient will like them.

Thank you for looking :)

 

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Hello & Etsy!

Hello Blog mates!

It's been that long since I last blogged, I'd 

almost forgotton how to do it!

Hope this finds you all well and happy.

I haven't been doing much craft-wise apart from the

obligatory family and friends' greeting cards.

I did buy some fabric a few months ago though

from the Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements range

 

I bought the 'charm pack' 5" x 5" little squares

and it's totally lush.

Then I couldn't decide what to do with it and it

sat on my desk for ages and ages.

I finally decided it'd make great little outfits

for paper dolls - what else would it be for me!!

So I busily got to work and made

 ten lovely mixed media dolls.

I'd often thought about opening an Etsy shop but never did -

these little dolls I made gave me the push to go ahead.

I'm useless at self promoting as it feels so un-natural to me.

However, the deed has been done so here's the link

 If the link doesn't work (when you click on the pic)

there's a link near the top of my side bar.

I've called the shop 'GemstonePaperDolls'

because as well as loving making paper dolls,

I've also been buying a lot of genuine gemstones recently to

be made up into jewellery - although I don't know how

long that's going to take me to get around to! 

Got to start somewhere though I suppose.

I'll leave you with one of the dolls - she is actually

wearing a tiny little coral gemstone around her neck.

Her boots are real leather -

an upcycled old purse of mine.

Thanks for looking - 

I'll try not to leave it so long next time xx