Paper Beads for Paper Saturday

Hi everybody.
I am having internet problems just now, the connection is not working. I am using a rather unreliable USB internet stick, which is more stuck than stick just now, so if I don't visit your blogs , it is not that I don't want to, I just can't!

It was so hot and humid here yesterday that I decided to occupy myself making something small, so decided to make some paper beads, which I like to use to hang onto tags or wall hangings etc.

To make the beads, you start with a rectangle of thin paper, I used 1"x8", and cut it diagonally to make long triangles, which should look like this:

Roll the paper over a knitting needle, starting with the wide end, and add a spot of glue on the last inch. Press lightly till it adheres. Remove finished bead from needle. I gave all my beads a coat of paper varnish to make them more stable.

These ones have been made of strips cut from ads in glossy magazines, which make firm and heavy beads. I threaded some with some other  beads to show the effect.

These ones have been made from handmade Indian paper, and decorated with some gold wire, except for the 2 dark blue ones for which I used some fibres.

This batch has been dipped in cheap school glue, and coated with glass glitter or fibres. They need to be dried on a kebab stick for a few minutes (Not to recommend for people who don't like getting very sticky fingers!)

And here they are altogether for a family photo.

Have fun if you give it a try!

Linking to Paper Saturdays

Have a good weekend, take care, and thanks for coming by.

Paint Party Friday and more....

Hi everybody, another hot week has sizzled by and it's time for Paint Party Friday, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin - thanks girls! Summer of Colour is now over, but it was a fun time, so thanks to Kristin at Twinkle Twinkle, too!

I have repurposed another old canvas this week. I had to add some patches, as it was a bit torn, but that gives a bit more texture. I used a CWS stencil with some structure paste to add the squares and oblongs, and painted it with purple,  turquoise, green and gold metallic paints. I added a layer of cheap glue along the bottom and poured on seed beads and some gold glass glitter. Then I added the 2 little paper houses and varnished them, before adding a few more embellishments in form of stars, dew drops and stickles.  I like how it has turned out, and have it hanging on the wall above my desk.

 

For the challenge at Simon's Monday Blog  I have made a journal page, 'celebrate'.

I painted and sprayed the background, stenciled the chevrons with a stencil cut for me by friend Diane, and added motives in white ink and the lovely die-cuts, also made by Diane- THANK YOU!!! I enjoyed making this journal page. I was not in a good mood to start with, but working on something happy seems to help!

Have a great weekend, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

Cards and happy mail

Hi everybody!

Here it is still hot, hot, hot.

The challenge at OOAH this week is 'patchwork'.

I made my patchwork by stamping shades of green and brown with the ink-pads, letting the colours overlap. I added some faux stitching to give the impression of patchwork, before adding my sentiment and some punched butterflies. This is my last piece as guest DT, it was a fun four weeks!

The second card is a birthday card I made for a friend here, with lots of lovely cup-cakes, some of which I fussy-cut and popped up with foam pads.

And the STAR of the show today is the beautiful card I got from Diane this week, together with a big packet of wonderful filigree die cuts she made for me with her cutting machine, one lovelier than the other. Thanks a lot Diane! You will see them bit by bit when I use them in my projects, the first ones will make their debut tomorrow! She also cut me 2 wonderful stencils with chevrons, bliss!

That's all for today, it's still too hot to sit at the computer! I am not visiting as much as I usually do, normal service will be resumed when the temps drop!
Take care, have fun and thanks for coming by!

A mixed media journal page for AJJ Architecture.

Hi everybody!

Just a quick post before I melt completely.

At AJJ the theme is still architecture, so I have made a mixed media piece, using up a lot of scraps that were flying around my table. Most of the images used are from Gecko Galz. I have layered many things one over the other, as I like to have some 'hidden' stuff in the background. Colour has been added with pastels.

 

I was happy to see I was spotlighted at Simon Says last week, that was good.

Sorry, it's too hot to write more just now!

Take care, have a good day and thanks for coming by!

Fish(y) at Tag Tuesday

Hi everybody!

The theme this week is 'fish'.

My first thought was to make a fish-and-chips tag, but then I had a strange fishy dream Friday night which inspired this rather surreal picture for my tag. In my dream I was looking through windows and watching the people inside, who all seemed to be underwater, and there were fishes and various bits and bobs floating around it, like it was some giant aquarium. 

The background picture is from Gecko Galz, and I added the fish digitally. I printed it once on paper and once on transparent foil. I layered the pictures over each other, making sure that the images were not exactly aligned, which gives an unfocused look, as though you are looking through water. I added a fish and a shell 'outside', and mounted it onto some dark grey mirri-board before adding an eyelet for the ribbon and a fish charm.

More Seaside Moos

Hi everybody! Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

The Moos have all been made from little scraps of painted paper, which have been stamped, embellished and mounted onto mini-cards.

This one was inspired by Shakespeare - 'Full fathom five thy father lies....of his bones are coral made....'

Linking to MooMania

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for visiting!

Yellow submarine

Hi everybody.

The current Alpha challenge at the Craft Barn is 'Y' and we have to use yellow. 'Yikes, yuck, not yellow again!' That was my first thought, and then I heard the music - 'We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine....' - Are you all singing already? Any excuse to listen to the Beatles again!

My dictionary page is so bright you might need your shades, but it was the psychedelic age, remember?

  

Also linking to Manon's Paper Saturdays

Have a great day, take care, and thanks for visiting!