Sea Shell Pendant Tutorial

I love to collect sea shells  - I am fascinated by all the beautiful shapes, colours and textures. On our recent trip to Portugal I collected some on Barril beach, Santa Lucia

I will be running a few sea glass pendant making workshops shortly 

........and thought the shells would add some interests if the students finish their projects early.

I soaked the shells in a 50/50 mix water and bleach overnight. Next morning I left them to air dry and then rubbed some baby oil on them, to enhance the colour and finish.

Next I wire wrapped them with 24 gauge jewellery wire and added a faux pearl to one. I think they are quite pretty and yet the only cost a few pence to make. They could be hung on voile ribbon or twine if you want a sun-kissed beach look lol

an inexpensive way to preserve the memory of happy day on the beach

see you soon......and, if you have enjoyed visiting today, please leave a message or follow by email

Tattlets and painting

I have no excuse for not posting for so long, except that we have been travelling in Europe in our motorhome.

I didn't do much crafting but here a few things I did to idle away some time

this card was  a trial in combining tatting and painting on a card ......the card was going to be white but I wasn't happy with the bottom part so I added a piece of black, painted it and voila... a monochrome card 

I really enjoy painting on black card as the colours seem to pop

iT is possible to buy special paint for painting on card but I find DecoArt Americana works really well so don't feel a need to buy more paints

I also made a few tatted items.......this little tattlet

and a pair of big earrings (I used the Stumpy bookmark pattern by Kersti Anear)

Happy crafting

Fabric Painting on Jeans

why is it that it is always your favourite things which get marks on them?

I couldn't believe it when I went to put on my newly laundered jeans and found a big mark on them - what it is or how it got there is anyone's guess!

My first reaction was that they would make a nice pair of holiday shorts but, seeing as we are on a winter holiday in Portugal, and it's quite cold, this wasn't a great idea.

I always bring paint with me when we travel; but because we are travelling in a motor home I can't bring all my paints (that would take a truck lol), but I do always bring some fabric paints.

I use So Soft Fabric Paint by Decoart  because it is by far the best wearing and soft-to-touch paint on the market. I also love the extensive colour range which you can see here  (63 colours!)

I  also use DecoArt brushes

Painting on fabric is just the same as on other surfaces, but I do dip the tip of the brushes in water (only the tip - you don't want to add too much water or the paint may bleed on the fabric. I always try a test piece on the inside of a garment before proceeding)  to minimize dragging on the fabric. 

This is my jeans look now and I do actually prefer them as I like to wear things that are different 

So Soft Fabric Paint can also be used on t-shirts

and cotton shirts (this one below has a removable brooch I made with hand dyed silk ribbon roses)

and this one has rhinestones

a little tip is that it is always advisable to wash garment prior to painting as this removes any starch used by the manufacturer (and best not to use fabric conditioner)

Happy fabric painting - expensive designer looks on a budget!

Faux Vintage Perfume Box - a tutorial

Hi - I have been diagnosed....well self diagnosis and I am suffering from OCD (Obsessive Crafting Disorder).  This disorder is always with you! It can get you  in the middle of the night, whilst you are eating and, worst of all when you are doing housework! Suddenly you must stop whatever you are doing whilst this idea that will change mankind is in the forefront of your mind!  In my case OCD is hereditary and I can blame (thank actually) my mother, who was a soft furnisher. Even in the 50s and 60s she used to up-cycle furniture

I was recently given a lovely sample of  perfume and it came in a beautiful little box, which was too pretty to throw away

so I decided to give it a romantic looking aged effect and this is what I did:


I mixed instant coffee with hot water

and brushed it on the edges

then printed off 3 images from my favourite source The Graphics Fairy - 2 for the front and one inside

and  brushed the coffee over the images and allowed them to dry. I mixed some stronger coffee and flicked it over the images to give a more vintage look. I used a flat brush, but an old toothbrush works well

next I cut the images to fit the lid, inside and out,  and stuck them on with craft glue

then added a silk ribbon bow (which I dipped in the coffee and allowed to dry), added a vintage button and 2 little rhinestones at the edges of the script

Finally  I glued some vintage lace around the edge

and that's it - trash to treasure!

Roses and teapots

Tatted bookmarks and felt hearts

sometimes I wish I wasn't so much of a flibbertigibbet - I really am a Gill of all trades and mistress of none! Why are we crafters like this I wonder?  I think that it's because, when we see something new to create,  our creative juices start flowing, and we just have to try it....like NOW! lol

Tonight I have been making a felt heart with silk ribbon roses and  decided to add a little dragonfly

for the tail I used used some lovely Kreinik metallic thread that my friend Kim, from across the pond, sent me (thanks again Kim). It is a beautiful thread with lots of sparkle. I dye the silk ribbon myself because this gives a lovely shaded effect.

Another craft I enjoy is tatting and I couldn't think what to do with  tatted bookmarks (except, of course, mark the place in a book). I tried to think of a novel way to present them as gifts and came up with this idea

I printed the image from The Graphics Fairy on to an A5 card and set up the boy & girl images so that one was printed on the back of the card, as an extra touch.

I gave the little girl's dress a watercolour wash and added a ribbon to match

The purple bookmark pattern is a Mary Konior pattern and the red & orange is "Stumpy" by Kersti Anear

I thought about adding some text, but actually like the simplicity of them as they are 

Tatt's it folks!

Painted lace

I love making lace..........crochet lace, tatted lace  and painted lace

I thought I would share my sheet of lace painting tips which I made up a few years ago. This is how to paint basic lace and, if you want to paint something, more intricate I would suggest looking at Arlene' Linton's site

It really is far easier than it looks to paint lace and all you need is a small flat brush, liner brush, stylus (or cocktail stick)  and water based acrylic paint. Painted lace is beautiful on all kinds of surfaces - if you are painting on plastic ie Christmas balls you can basecoat with DecoArt Multi Purpose sealer

To design a round piece of lace 

Place a round object (plaque, plate, saucer or similar) on to the project & draw around it with a soap (or watercolour) pencil – complete using the strokes* below

or

design a circular pattern (in segments)

Cut out a circle of paper and fold neatly as many times as required. Place on the surface and mark round the outer edge. Make small marks to indicate where each fold is and remove the folded paper. If an inner circle is required cut out a smaller circle, place inside the outer one and draw around with soap pencil.  You will now have equal sized segments to assist you in placing the strokes.

To design Square or oblong  project

Make 2 small marks on the outside edge of a coin with a permanent pen (the marks should define 1/3 & 2/3 sections of the coin). Place the 2 marks precisely on the middle of one edge of the square or rectangle you have already drawn and draw round the edge of the coin with the soap pencil. Continue drawing the shapes until you get close to a corner – now you may have to adjust the spacing to fit (or you may have a gap at the end) Repeat this on the 4 sides. Add the corner shapes by using the coin to suit the space. For more intricate lace a 2^nd row of semicircles can be added (with each one resting on 2 circles below). You will now have a series of circles to indicate where the strokes are painted. Paint the lace using the following strokes as required. below.

Materials 
White acrylic paint - Plaid Folk Art or DecoArt Americana 

FloatingMedium or Brush’n’Blend

Flat & liner brushes. 

Stylus (or cocktail sticks) 

Paint a “C” stroke to create each circular shape around th.e edge with a  brush loaded with white on one corner and floating medium on the other

To paint a sheer effect for the base - mix a tiny drop of white with floating medium (or faux glazing medium) and brush over the surface (to create a faux finish effect at this stage you can use a dry brush or make  a pattern using a piece of net,  kitchen towel (I once used bubble wrap). The full effect will not show until the paint dries. 

Make dots using a stylus or cocktail stick. Make sure you have a good puddle of creamy paint.  If you practise you will notice that as you make the dots they get smaller each time which makes a nice graduated effect. If you want the dots a uniform size you should dip in to the paint puddle each time. To make the pattern symmetrical start on the middle of the outside edge o a C stroke and work down until you reach the start of the next stroke. . Then, reload the brush and start again - dot over the very first dot and work down the other side.  Always dip into the centre of the puddle.

To paint cute little hearts - dip the end if a liner brush into the paint puddle and make a dot on the project - repeat making a 2nd dot right next to the first one, then, using the end of the brush pull the paint down from each dot to make a 
heart shape

Lazy daisies use a liner brush and inky paint to paint little 5 petal lazy daisies (just like embroidery at school!) and make a dot in the middle for the French knot

Crisscross - use the liner with white paint. I find it easiest to go around the project making all the lines in one direction and repeat the other way to make the criss cross pattern. 

To paint a lace effect using a paper doily – basecoat the surface  using white or cream (or the colour you want the doily to be). Lightly spray repositionable adhesive on to the doily and place on the surface. Apply the colour you want as the background colour. I prefer to use a sponge dauber but you can also use a stencil brush or spray paint. Remove the doily and you are left with a negative pattern  of the doily (really effective)

I hope these little tips are useful…………enjoy

Tea time

what do I do with my tatting bits and pieces?

I usually make earrings and necklaces, but wanted to do something different....so

I tatted this cute little teapot from the lovely book by Martha Ess and added it to a card

the image is yet another from Karen's site The Graphics Fairy - the colours are gorgeous

Years ago I used to teach card making, and still enjoy making some from time to time. I like the card to be about 250 gsm - this gives a nice crisp fold

I love tea and probably couldn't live without it!

want to come round for a cuppa?

 ps - my new Facebook page is called Roses and Teapots Crafts - I would love if click like

Sweet peas

the weather in Scotland is beautiful and I can't believe I picked some sweet peas today. I love sweet peas with their beautiful shapes, colours and fragrance. I also picked a few fuschia, but I doubt they will last. Still, if I hadn't picked them Jack Frost would probably have visited tonight!

A couple of years ago I decided to paint sweet peas and I struggled with the colours and shapes, but eventually got there.  I used water based acrylic (DecoArt Americana)  but it was watered down so much that it had the consistency of watercolour paint

they were fun to do and made some nice cards

Maybe now I will try painting fuschias - they are so pretty too

thanks for visiting here

tatt's good

Good Morning

congratulations to Glynda Devore who was picked in the random draw - I hope you like the gifts Glynda

It's been a busy week - in between having new doors fitted in the house and a new floor in the living room, I have been busy tatting pretty little  teapots from A Book of Tatted Teapots by Martha Ess

I have been tatting for about 2 years and, up until then, I hadn't even heard of tatting.  Along with other crafts tatting is becoming really popular. There are lots of free patterns online,  lovely pictures on Pinterest and tutorials on Youtube. When I first started I bought "Learn to Tatt" by Janette Baker. This book comes with an interactive CD which makes it easy to follow. It explains how to master the craft and has patterns suitable for a beginner

back to time for tea......

this was my first attempt, it is called Tiny Round Teapot (an obvious choice of name!)

and.....a tiny square teapot

both were tatted using Lizbeth thread  size 20



Yarnplayer has wonderful patterns and one of the first things I made, using 1 shuttle,  was her Carnival earrings. It is an easy to follow pattern which incorporates beads

Another nice pattern is the Stumpy bookmark from Kersti Anear - I love this pattern and it looks good in variegated thread

I used the same "Stumpy" pattern for the angel's wings on a pillow for my friend Jo. The script "I believe in angels" is from The Graphics Fairy

.......yet another craft for which I need "things" - this time shuttles, threads (in every colour), patterns and a lot of patience!

Lots of tatting patterns and shuttles are sought by collectors and fetch really high prices. Mary Konior books are out of print, but can still be found. I have her books Tatting with Visual Patterns and Mary Konior tatting Patterns (of which there are 3 but I only have one so far).

Have a great weekend