PMC Leaf Pendant

I am really pleased with this pendant, this is one I shall keep! New to this craft I am a little short of things especially gemstones but I still like the square one and it is Amethyst... one of my favourite colours! I used a real rose leaf to get the shape and texture but I did file off the little pointy bits along the edge as I thought they might be a bit sharp or scag my clothes. Now to think of what to make next! (Do have something in mind though ;) )

I did a little shopping today and got myself a few bits. Among them is a scrapbook so I can get the photos of hubbies 60th organised and I also got some white tags from PM. I also got myself a little pestle and mortar ready for doing enamels... can't wait to get some! Other than that today has been teaching, still got to finish the lesson yet but I am having a break and we will continue later.

Working out in the workshop

I decided to let the girls have a play in my workshop this week. It was great fun for us all and they made some concertina books. They enjoyed making them so much they made some mini ones to. Because the aren't English I decided to keep the instructions to a minimum... better that way! Constance really enjoyed the day so much she has added crafts to her list of interests. She has managed some great scrapbooking in it since, it is looking like a great journal of her stay. (The papers are from the Smirk range, available in the Paper n Lace store) This week we will be making some jewellery... simple beads and wire. I am sure they will enjoy that to!

Enamelling

I thoroughly enjoyed my day enamelling at Chris Pates! The class was taken by Tamizan Savill and was a fabulous day. I made some cufflinks prior to the day but the hearts I wanted to enamel on them were a little to deep so they didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped... never mind I will get it right next time! I have been having fun with the PMC, just made a pendant that I had hoped I would have fired by now but the gem I set decided to pop out so I have to wait now for the new setting to dry properly... will fire it tomorrow. I will be taking an 8 week traditional jewellery course starting September and I am quite excited about that!

The flower pendant was something I wanted to try to see what happened in the kiln with pieces that aren't flat. I used sand to hold the flowers in shape and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. Being new to this medium I am a little short of tools so used an O cutter to get the shape and it has the same texture as the cufflinks. I intend to do some spending in the next few days though... need to for sure!

Well I finished it...

Still don't like this page much. New to scrapping I am not to good at it but I do love doing it! Yesterday was The Modscraps crop and I had a fabulous time. We had a class in using acetate. I have included the page I did with that to. I have to say that Belinda created a wonderful page, it was outstanding actually! Wish I could show you that picture but you will just have to believe me! ;) I do have another page planned out but the photos I took with me were to big so I have brought it home to finish it here. No time to do it today though as I helped one of my girls with a carboot and then both girls and all the grandbabes came for Sunday lunch. I have a lot of work to do (sadly not crafting though) so not sure when I will get the chance to do it this week. Wouldn't it be wonderful to just craft all the time instead of some of it! Bliss!!!

Setting Stones in PMC

I took a class on Saturday in 'Setting Stones in PMC' and once again really enjoyed it! I didn't get as much done as I would have liked but I am looking forward to putting into practice what I learnt. This is the one thing I got completed, well I say completed but I still have to polish it up some more. I hope to get the other sorted today but as with all new things I don't have all the equipment I really need so not sure if I can without buying more stuff.... crafty hobbies are expensive aren't they! This morning I spent some time looking on the internet for books, there are so many out there making it difficult to decided which to get so if you have any suggestions?....

I finished it!

Well it was started at the crop but I couldn't finish it as I didn't have the neccecaries. I must say though that I did learn a lesson and that is double spreads need to be done at the same time! Having received a photo of one of my daughters with her children I took it along to a Scrapaholics crop as it was black and white and I thought it would work well with the information I had. It did! I am really proud of it, especially as it was only my second ever page. Then my other daughter gave me a fabulous photo of her and her children and I decided that although it was colour it would go well with the other. Of course that is where the trouble began... I had used almost all the papers from the first page and it was done in another place where others had kindly lent me bits and pieces, inks etc. I didn't have enough of the original supplies left to do it exactly the same but with some manoeuvring I think I managed a fair job and they are side by side in my scrapbook. It was only as I finished that I remembered the actual colour I used for the embossed bits... it was mine but, oh well, to late! Must say I wasn't to impressed with my new glue pen but that's another story, suffice to say I won't sell them! As for paper the Periphery Collection Pack was my saviour! It included some paper that in the same colourways so I managed to do it with a bit of cut pieces hidden under photos! All in all it worked out ok I think....

As always my photography is rubbish although I did learn some things on Paintshop Pro while sorting out the little ones!

National Scrapbooking Day yesterday

I had the great pleasure of joining in with Modscraps crop and great fun it was to! I am not very good at scrapping but who cares as long as it gives me pleasure! Not only that but we all have to start somewhere don't we! Some of the girls who go to Modscraps do produce some incredible work. If I thought that someday I may be half as good I would be happy! I have included a page I did finish but I am part way through another which I need to finish. What to take to a crop is still something I need to sort out as I never seem to have what I want when I go. Perhaps a little more forward thinking on my part would help but as I am so disorganised and lacking knowledge I have no idea what to do until I arrive - some day, Please God, I may break the cycle and actually know what I am intending to do so I can ensure I have the right equipment. For example I scan and print off photos I want to use but usually not until the morning I am going. Some of the girls there yesterday had hundreds of photos... it gave them some choice whereas I just had a couple and could only work with them. Not much help when we had surprise papers which really didn't go with my photos. Ah well it's ok as long as I enjoy myself! The page I have shown was done for one of yesterdays challenges which was to use a black background. The patterned paper was one I happened to have with me. Elisa is a very bubbly person and the spots texture on the background piece and patterned paper is representative of this. I was able to use the bubble alphabet to compliment it, thank you to the person who lent it to me!