If You Wear Red Today

These necklaces are for a raffle at a Forward Ladies event – “If You Wear Red Today” as part of National Red Dress Day on Friday 3rd February – raising awareness of heart disease in women.  Money raised from the raffle will go to the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.  For more information and to book your place pop over to the events page on the Forward Ladies website

These beautiful red Swarovski hearts are embraced within a silver wire (non-tarnish silver plated) frame that has been hand-formed.  Each heart is individual and unique the only similarity being the swirls that finish of the loose ends.  Both necklaces will be attached to a faux suede 18 inch cord.

I also made these to list on my Etsy shop but I am letting my facebook, twitter and blog followers first refusal before I list them and add postage and Etsy charges to the price listed.  Full description of each necklace can be found on my facebook page.

£25.00

£30.00

I know it's rather late but I'm sure Wendy won't mind me linking to her Handmade Monday post as it is still Monday.

Oh, what do you think of the new look?

You Lift Me Up

Just a quick post today showing one of my cards with a sassy corset.  The corset is a rubber stamp design by Pink Cat Studio - Lingerie set.  I've painted it with my favourite Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils and added some jewels to the front.  The tiny flower stamp is also part of the set and makes for a great border and as we all know you can never have enough bling I've added the tiniest of gems to the centres.  I like this set of stamps as they are sassy and quirky and make me smile.

Coat Update and Handmade Monday #48

Yay Handmade Monday by Wendy from 1st UniqueGifts is back after the Christmas and New Year break


I haven't made anything new this week as I've been catching up on the accounts.  So my post today is an update on the coat that I started just before Christmas.  I was determined to start and finish it before New Year but that didn't happen because of last minute orders and post office runs etc.  But considering I've actually had the material and pattern for over 12 months just making a start was an achievement.  I'm nearly there the lining and sleeves are in I just need to tack the sleeves in place on the inside and finish off the hem.  I cut the sleeve to 3/4 because I wanted to add a cuff or something rather than have a straight sleeve.


You're probably going to think I'm crazy but I am going to cut out different sized flowers from the left over material and some contrasting coloured felt (black) and stitch those to the sleeve and add buttons or beads to the centre.  Then instead of a button closure I am going to add a large hook and eye and cover it with a large layered flower again with buttons and/or beads.  Well that's the idea.  I think the red just needs to be broken up a little because it's quite long (calf length) and I feel its too much to wear all red on it's own.  Plus I want to make it unique to me.

  This is the pattern that I used.

Don't forget to pop on over to Wendy's blog to see what everyone else has been making.

Desk Sharing and Happy Feet 2

Thursday started with the arrival of my 6 year old date- namely my gorgeous niece :)  She's such a bubbly and happy little girl (99.9% of the time).  Our day started of with her coming up  to my workroom where she shared half my work desk with her colouring books.  As she got stuck into doing some colouring I started drawing of a heart with wings.  I'd found some doodles I'd made from when I was making the Sacred Heart ATCs.  As I was drawing I could see little eyes peering over to see what I was doing and promptly a little voice asked if she could have a go and being the lovely aunt that I am I gave here some paper and a stencil with some hearts on it - I always encourage her to create freely and without making any suggestions unless asked and as you can see from the pictures she really enjoyed her making her heart with wings. After she had  finished she cut it out and made it into a finger puppet - I wish I'd taken an photo of the heart because she really did do a fantastic job.

The middle picture shows my card.  I have to add that I have removed the head and the lines under the heart and wings as they just didn't sit correctly.  I still have to finish mine but it can wait.
  
The Happy Feet 2 refers to what we did in the afternoon - trip to the cinema to watch it in 3D.  We thought we were going to be only ones in the theatre but as it happens a few more people did turn up.  We both enjoyed it and had great fun trying to pop the bubbles at the end and yes I know they weren't real.  I'm sure the other people in there must have thought we were both a little crazy but hey it was fun to laugh and giggle with a 6 year old.

Heart Tree

Yesterday I posted these fabric Artist Trading Cards -which I am happy to say are on their way to new homes.

Before I started on the fabric cards I wanted to try out the "heart tree" on card to see if how it would look and work.  I'm happy to say that it did because trees and hearts are 2 of my favourite things to draw (if you can call it drawing) and here it is - 

Its drawn on Watercolour paper with faber-castell pitt pen and coloured with my favourite Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils and finished off with white gel pen.  

First post of 2012

Happy New Year!!!


I am going to blog more this year it's a shortfall of mine.  So even if it's short and sweet I will try and post something on  a regular basis.


In today's post I'm showing off the Artists Trading Cards that I've made for trading at ATCsforAll and for the sister site iATCs.  Firstly we have cards for the "Trees Trees Trees" swap on iATCs.  These are made from fabric and are painted with acrylic paints.  I've added beads and sequins as embellishments and then used embroidery thread to outline the "trees".

Next we have the cards for the Sacred Heart swap over on ATCsforAll.  The instructions for the cards was to use 3 of the 4 elements listed - wings, crown, thorns and flames.  I went with wings, crown and flames as I couldn't get the thorns to look like thorns.  I did have an idea of making a thorn crown out of wire but didn't go with it as these cards will be mailed out to the host and then onto the recipient and I didn't want risk them being delayed or taken out of the postal system for security reasons.  For these I've used Derwent Inktense Watercolour Pencils, Faber-Castel Pitt pens and the card itself is Daler-Rowney -Bockingford Water Colour Paper 300gsm/140lb.

I hope you enjoy reading my rambles - I would love to know what you think so please feel free to leave a comment.

Anita

 

Knitting, Jewellery and Handmade Monday #47

Finally!! I can start making my Christmas presents for a couple of friends.  The last few weeks have been manic with making and sending out orders and making custom pieces for private clients.  I have to admit I tend to work much better under pressure -weird I know.


So for my presents I'm knitting a couple of my friends neck warmers - they seem to be the in thing at the moment.  Personally I don't like anything around my neck -feels claustrophobic.  I found 2 patterns that I liked the look of and didn't take too long to make.  One was from ravelry and the other was from Lynne's Pattern Parlour both of them are free for personal use and are very easy to make up.  It took me longer than an hour to make them but then I find that I can't knit quickly with large knitting needles and I guess I'm not a "proper" knitter:).

The blue one is the ravelry pattern and the purple one is from Lynne's Pattern Parlour.  The blue wool Aero by King Cole and the purple wool is Sirdar Big Softie - each has taken one ball of wool but you can use more if you wanted.  The flowers that you can see on each scarf are brooches that I'd made some time back and co-ordinate very well.

Last week I posted a photograph of the dress I was going to wear to the sole traders Christmas meal what I didn't have at the time was the jewellery that I was going to wear.  Well I managed to make a beaded necklace and a ring in grey/blue and matt red seed beads.

That's it from me for today.  If you would like to see more creativeness why not pop on over to Wendy's and see what the other creative people have been busy making.

Wearable Art Brooch

After the success of the new Wearable Art jewellery collection I have been thinking of other ways of using the art tiles – lots of different ideas but these had to go on hold until this week when the last of my custom orders were mailed out. I’ve also been asked if I would be making headbands or brooches so with this in mind I have made a brooch with some leftover pieces. I think I need to adapt it a little bit but for a first trial it’s not too bad.

My Party Dress

My goodness how time flies when you're having fun and busy.  It also seems to have gone very cold all of a sudden....................snow on the way?  Let's hope it's not as bad as last year.


This coming Saturday I am going to a Sole Traders Christmas party which has been organised by Shilpa Mistry (no not related lol) and is being held at the Indian Ocean Restaurant.  I could have a party for one but I guess that wouldn't be much fun now would it? or would it? :)  


Joking aside it's a great way to not only enjoy good food and drink but also to make new friends and acquaintance.  At last years party I met the lovely Deborah from Tiger Photography and we have since become very good friends.  


I've not had time to shop and to be honest I haven't seen anything which shouts out and says "buy me" and I certainly haven't had time to make anything.   Which put me on a mission to look through all my "going out" clothes - not that I go out much these days.  So having rummaged through my collection I have decided this year I am going to wear a dress I made quite a few years ago and which still fits.  It's a gorgeous deep wine colour and the over-dress is in grey with splashes of green, purple and deep red.  I've altered the original dress pattern so that it splits open in the front to show the dress underneath.  
I've taken some pictures today - not the best photography as you can see but you get the idea.

My Party Dress

I'm adding this to Wendy's handmade Monday blog even though it's not something I've made this week.  I'm sure Wendy won't mind me sharing something I've made previously.  If you have some spare time why not pop on over to Wendy's and see what everyone else has been up to.

Work In Progress (WIP)

Hello and welcome to the start of another week and it's also Handmade Monday #45.  It's getting much colder here and we've had nothing but rain and hail- thankfully no sign of snow.............yet.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get any until the end of the week as I still have a couple of fairs to attend.  Last Friday was the annual craft fair at the Rams Head pub in Disley which coincides with the light switch on - you can read about it on my website.

As well as my jewellery projects I have been making some ATC's (Artists Trading Cards) for a swap/trade on ATCsforAll and another on the juried sister site iATCs.  I haven't made any ATC's for over 12 months because I've been concentrating on the jewellery and haven't had that urge to create anything arty.  However recently I've been having a "craving" to do something and I wanted to get back into the ATC communitly - I have made some lasting friendships on both sites and I've even met quite a few of them in June (2010) at the artfest in Rochester New York.  So the 2 swaps I've put my name down for are My Sacred Heart on ATCsforAll and a Trees Swap on iATCs. 

I've made a start on the heart themed swap yesterday by sketching out a few designs to see how I can incorporate a few of the essential items that are part of the rules of this trade: we have to add 3 of the 4 item listed - crown, thorns, wings or fire.  I think I have the start of one of them using crown, wings and fire.

Here are some of my ideas - not sure how they will turn out but at least I've made a start on them especially as I have to make 3 for the swap and I always include 1 for the host.  These are on watercolour paper and I've used my favourite Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils.

As you can see they are at the early stages and still rough around the edges but it gives you an idea of where I'm going with this swap.  I don't know about you but I always find getting the initial idea the hardest to do.  Once I've got the idea the actual making up of the art isn't as time consuming and it all seems to fall into place.

Well that's enough from me for today.  Why not pop on over to Wendy's and see what everyone else has been up to and if you're a crafter and want to join in we'd love to see your work.