Coral Christmas Beading

I'm finding more and more that I want to sit on an evening and enjoy a bit of beading. I love that I can sit with a bead Matt on my knee without the worry of my beads rolling off a tray and sit with Chris watching a bit of TV.

What crafting is your TV Craft?

Anyway, this was mine for the last couple of evenings.

Crystal Cascade kit, purchased from Bead Supply Auctions by Boheme.

Quite funny really as I wasn't keen on the colour ways of this until I started to make up the snowflake elements.

Pretty yes? I think so.

So now I need to find a new project to start.

I was aware that my link for my Jamberry Nail Wraps failed, I did correct it but here it is again Jamberry nail shop. And while I am featuring Christmas her are some gorgeous Christmas designed nail wraps.

 

 

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Photos on Wood

I was playing around with an idea of putting photos onto wood.

I wasn't sure that it would work for me but I knew I wanted to try it. The first couple of tries were a disaster and the image peeled away. I first tried with good old PVA although it seemed to have worked the glue just went milky and when peeling off the backing of the photo, I lost too much of the image to save.

I next tried with decopatch, this worked a little better but again I was losing too much of the image.

My final try was with a product made by Trichem called Voila, I've had this product for 10+ years and it worked beautifully.

I had to prepare the photo and created a sketch from the photo before printing onto a Matt photograph paper. Once I had brushed the Voila over the chopping board I layed on the image and let it completely dry into the Voila. That's when the fun starts, you have to soak the back of the photo and gently roll away the backing and this leaves the image in place on the wood.

I then let it dry and started to use distress inks around the edges and wrapped string and added flower and then give it a spray with a Matt varnish.

Of course once the above photo of my Daughter on her wedding day was done I needed to go on to my favourite subject of my Grandson with his Grandad.

 

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Pip Bead Jewellery

OK I may have became hooked, I blame Sarah Millsop and Ruth Mackie - McCartan both bad influences, I found I needed something relaxing for evenings and something that would allow me to be creative as I grew with it.

I played for a while, different beads different findings different chains and yet I kept coming back to the same, I loved the cords and weaving and the surprising one for me was a needle and thread.

So P bought some pip beads, not really knowing what to do with them I started to play.

this is my first attempt, I believe is was made using a flat know technique for the braid and then I played around until I got the beads the way I liked them by adding to the cords.

I think it turned out pretty dont you?

A Beautiful Day

Oh my, where do I start? I suppose it should start with how happy we all were.

Photo by Inkspot PhotograpChing ching darlings. Peter and Sue from Inkspot Photography are personal friends of ours and they are spectacular.

Oh, wedding favours.

we wanted something fun, vintage in keeping with Natalie's dress and the colour scheme and this is what we plummed for. We may have ate lots during the making of these.

It just made the day even sweeter, if that was possible.

As you can see, it was all hands on deck.

The above was the first day, Adam (now husband to Natalie) came along on the 2nd day to help fill and finish them (not daft).

Next I roped in Sarah Millsop Jewellery designer extraordinaire.

I couldn’t get a necklace to match my outfit so Sarah picked out the Swarovski Crystal for me to make my own.

Of course it didn’t stop there, she had me hooked and I went on to do matching earrings and bracelet.

Then I got to thinking (dangerous I know)

wouldn’t it be lovely to make both my own Mam and Chris’s Mam a set each of Necklace and Bracelet, so that is exactly what I did do.

As you can see I played around with the colour of theirs as I was more confident after making my own.

My Mam wearing hers on the day.

Piece of cake anyone?

I won’t show you the whole cake as yet, I will patiently await the official photographs.

Cake was made by Claire's Artistic Licence Cakes, you will find her on Facebook.

The happy couple are now on their honeymoon and the rest of us are trying to come back down to earth after the most beautiful of days.

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Pain..... it's a pain.

Some days it's a struggle, some days it's good and some days it knocks you sideways.

I think managing pain has to be one of the hardest things to do.

When I was young I thought it was only old people that got daily pain, as you grow into the world you soon realise it can hit anyone at any time.

It even gives you a sense of humour, I have found many people who suffer pain have the biggest sense of humour. The phrase "if I didn't laugh I'd cry" comes to mind.

I decided to write this after suffering a real flair up in my own condition, I suffer from Psoriatic Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Normally I have it under control and manageable.

I won't talk meds as everyone is different but I do take a cocktail of injections and tablets to keep me right.

So what has happened to give me the flair up that has knocked me sideways... who knows?

I recently had to do an increase on meds to try to get everything back the way is was and manageable again, I get sick of hearing myself moan about the pain and yes sometimes I cry when no one can see me but I try to steer clear of the self pity route but let me tell you it is damned hard when you are hurting.

So double the meds and the feeling of walking through a dream until your body adjusts, wanting to fall asleep every time you sit down, frightened to drive because of the fatigue.

Hearing phrases like "you look well" and thinking if you only knew the half of it.

Oh and to top it all off my gorgeous Daughter gets married in two weeks and I have the favours to make.

So for now I am putting on the happy face and doing the things I can do and leaving the things I can't.

Jak x