Blogaversary

Today is my 1 year blogaversary and there must be fireworks. I've come a long way since my very humble first post here. From just a few words to working out how to upload photos (thanks to my son for pointing out that you must click 'done' after choosing your image, in a kind and slightly patronising way I might add) to adding widgets and gadgets and the odd video. Not bad I guess for someone who isn't in the least computer savvy. I've bored you all with things I've made.........

.......and stuff I've painted and stamped........

........to my sometimes blurry photography......

.....and I've even had the audacity to start doing little tutorials. Bit of cheek really, as I'm not the greatest artist or crafter in the world that's for sure. But I've had the best fun and I really enjoy my little blog and have learned a lot since I started. Still very wary of HTML code though!

So it seems to be a common practice that when you have an anniversary you have a give away and that's what I'll do. If you leave a comment you'll go into the draw for a chance to win something. Don't know what just yet, but I'll leave this post up for a about a week and give you, my faithfull readers and commenters time too.

And since my 'fan' base is very small I don't think I'll require the services of random.org.com to choose a winner, it will be more like names picked out of a hat.

Thanks for coming by and visiting and don't forget to leave a comment. I do so love to read them, they always make my day.

Bamboo Tile Stamping and threading

I've taken these photos to show how I threaded my bamboo tiles and also the best way to stamp them.
First the stamping. The best way is to lay the stamp flat and even, then ink it up and bring the tile to the stamp. Less chance of it slipping and the image becoming smudged. Lift the tile straight up and off. Now the threading. I've used hat elastic and as you can see I've threaded it through both tiles to join them together.

Pull it up so it's firm and reasonably tight and then tie a knot. Tug the ends really well so there's no chance of it coming undone.

Snip off the excess quite close to the knot.

Then ease the knot over so that it's sitting above the hole. This step requires a bit of pulling and tugging and lots of swearing. I used a bamboo skewer to poke the knot down into the hole and then from the opposite end I pulled and tugged until the knot disappeared inside the hole.

And here's what it looks like. It was rather awkward putting it on my wrist and taking a photo at the same time, so I've slipped it over a bottle of glazing liquid so you get the idea.

This bracelet consists of nine tiles and it fits my fat, chubby, chunky wrist quite well. But I tried it on Brighita's slim petite wrist and it was a bit loose, so probably seven or eight tiles would be enough. The pictures are from an Artchix collage sheet and they fit perfectly on the tile. I glued them on with a gel medium and when that was dry I've sealed them with Mod Podge gloss.

Just some more tiles. The top ones have two coats of silver metallic paint and I've stamped them using one of my little stamps I got at the craft show (see the previous post). The second row are plain tiles and I've stamped them using Archival Ink in black using a text stamp.

So let me know what you think and if you can think of another way of threading the tiles together I would love to hear from you.

Craft show buys

Last Friday I went to the Stitches and Craft show at the convention centre along with 5 million other women (and a few men). I always go with high hopes of new and innovative stuff that will get my creative juices bubbling. But alas, the same as last year and all the previous years. Heaps of stuff for textile artists patchwork, quilting, sewing machines etc. Very little for paper and paint people like me. But I still managed to buy some bits and bobs.
Some stamps. The flower stamp is for practising the brushless water colour technique that Kelsey taught us. She uses a stamp from a Tim Holtz set I think but I can't justify buying a set of several stamps when there maybe only one of the set that I'll use. So this one will have to suffice and besides I quite like it. The very small stamps are for my bamboo tiles that I'm still experimenting with and I think I've solved the threading problem. Will post some pics later on in the week. Some Pandora style beads. $2.00 each beats $38.00 - $150.00 plus any time.

Some chains in silver and a bronzy, goldy colour. They're a metre long so I'll get quite a few button bracelets out of them.

And some beading books. I always seem to charge headlong into things with little or no knowledge about whatever it is I'm doing, which is beading at the moment, so though I'd better arm myself with a couple of 'how to' books.

So that was my craft show outing. Exhausted when I got home and with a much lighter purse but I console myself with the fact that I helped to stimulate the economy.Well done me!

Mothers Day

It's a bit late I know, but just wanted to share the card my family gave me for Mothers day along with cash to do with as I please. Stitches and Craft Show .........here I come on Friday. Isn't it great?

A Makeover

Not me unfortunately, but my blog. I've now got 3 columns yay!!!!! Been wanting to do that for the longest time and thanks to this very helpful lady whose instructions were very easy to follow and my DD (my pooky wooky, angle face, cherry ripe) I now have. DD works in digital marketing so you' d think my requests for a little updating on my blog would have happened ages ago but I don't know what's worse, her frustration and impatience with my lack of knowledge on all things computer related or my annoyance at her lack of patience with me. Really........Kids, who'd have 'em! But I'm most grateful and now I have just one last thing for her to do. I just want some borders around my sidebar and main post and I've got the recipe for that. Now I just have to pick the right time to beg for mercy, take pity on me, I'm old and computer illiterate, and I can't spell and I'm a terrible cook, and I'm overweight, and my blog is all I have left in the world to make me happy (......too dramatic?).
I don't know what's happened to my header though. It's gone, kaput, drifted off into the blogasphere never to be seen again. So now I'm waiting on the blogger help forum to see if they can help. Could be awhile I'm thinking.
You might be wandering why I don't just go ahead and do the borders myself now that I have the instructions. Well I'll tell you why.........I'm scared, OK. Html code is a scary thing for me and if something went wrong and I lost everything I'd be bereft.
And so now I don't have a header anymore (not that it was much of one) my slide show will just have to suffice for the time being. And if you're as bored as I am with the same old ATC' on there, I promise I will update it with some fresh ones........soonish!

....and on the seventh day, she bought shoes.

.....she had walked many miles in her quest for shoes. Traversed the shops and malls and centres near and far and she was weary and her feet were sore. She was on the verge of giving up her hunt for the perfect shoes. As she dragged herself down one last aisle, a glimmer caught the corner of her eye. A slight twinkle and shimmer made her stop. Could this be them? She held her breathe as she took them off the display and carefully sat down to try them on. She was of an age where comfort was paramount. The toe must be rounded or squared so as not to squash her sensitive toes (ingrown toenails), the soles must be soft and spongey so as to absorb the shock (she was overweight) and there must be no buckles or bows or laces to do up (she was easily annoyed by such things). They were soft and hugged her feet gently. But was there too much glitter and glitz, and so she stood on a chair and called to her fellow shoppers "Do these shoes make me look like muttton dressed up as lamb?" And heads popped up like meerkats on the Savannah and they called "No m'lady, they're fabulous....... we love them.......they look wonderful." And then a small voice called out "Where did you get them?"

And as she pointed in the direction from whence they came........

.......a stampede ensued. Hair was pulled, eyes were scratched, small children were trampled and babies were thrown from prams in their efforts to own a pair of funky trend setting shoes such as were on her feet.

Not really.......I just asked the lady next to me the "mutton-lamb" question and she said, "Naaaah, they look ok". So I bought them.

Button Bracelet #2

I've had fun scouring the op shops for buttons. But I have to tell you they aren't as cheap as I thought they would be. Especially any that are made with metal. I might have to hunt down peoples nannas and grandma's and start raiding their button tins and jars. I've already raided my MIL's and she had a couple of good ones.

This is another bamboo tile I decorated and beaded and wired to use as a pendant. Not quite sure about it though, for some reason every time I look at it I think of robots....warning, warning......danger Will Robinson.

The black and silver bracelet has nothing to do with buttons or bamboo tiles. Just some beads and charms I threaded onto hat elastic. I picked up some cheap silver beads at the bead shop and now thinking about it, the new silver beads were cheaper than the old buttons from the op shop.

I'm off to unpack a VIP today. Probably one of the richest people in Australia. It's a two day job and in some ways I'm looking forward to it and others I'm not. Should be some interesting things in those cartons and can't wait to see the house, but then I'm nervous about breaking something. What if I drop a piece of the Royal Doulton dinner set or knock over a Ming vase or smash a Waterford chrystal goblet.......gawd, I'd be absolutely mortified. Wish me luck!