A difficult decision

How do you stay positive? Do you block the negative? Do you ignore the negative, do you run away form it? There are so many ways to deal with it and sometimes you choose what's the best for you at that moment, but not necessary the best for the situation. Today I didn't had the energy to fight, so I chose to "ran". I also tried to protect someone, should I have done that? If to much stress, anxiety and fear is generated from "attacking and dealing" with the negative and and only good things can come from calmness and control, then I did the right thing. But maybe I will have the wisdom and strength (after I have slept on it) to tackle the negative tomorrow or next week when I might be in the same situation again. I think I will be...

But no better time to show you these cards!

These were made from a sheet of 12 tags, all 3"x4".

For the class on Saturday the 11th, you will make 4 cards in class

and take home 2 more that you can finish at home.

You will receive everything to complete all 6 cards.

The paper I used are from Fancy Pants and it is the

"its the little things" design.

Lots of earthy colours with a little bit of orange and pink.

To book for the class, just send me an email. I will send you all the detail.

***

Keep warm and remember to drink some water!

Polymer Clay - Laurie Mika style

Elna & I discovered the wonderful world of Polymer Clay a while ago, when we stumbled upon a book by Laurie Mika.

This was my first attempt!?

The canvas was covered with a paper serviette (napkin) and gel medium tinted with a few drops of ink.

The "roof" in the center of the work, has been covered with gold-leaf to give it a bit of class.

The center of the "house" was removed and some text paper displayed at the back.

Seedbeads were added to a strip of clay under the "exploration" quote.

The flower detail is a wrist watch slider from my bag of tricks.

We used rubber stamps to create the images on the clay, before rubbing pearl powder over it to bring the images to the fore...

Glass mosaic tiles in the corners and 3 more sliders at the top complete this work of art.

Our trip to France will include working with Polymer Clay extensively and we cannot wait  to join Dayle Doroshow and the rest of the guests in just over 3 weeks time!?

Wishing you a creative week!!

Cards made with Craft Paper

Voting day is over, I've got my visa for France and Switzerland,

our water soluble wax pastels are arriving from Switzerland and

I have bought some Zumbuck ointment for the people attending
 class with us in France.

 What more South-African than that can you get!

It's just the Rooibos tea that's missing....

We are so excited about our trip, and the reality
of it all is setting in.

But work has still to be done.

  The class kits for tomorrow has been packed,

Benice said that the Red Velvet and Granadilla cupcakes are waiting,

so now I can quickly publish the cards.

Here you make the envelope from scratch and on the small card that fits inside,

you can do some stamping to finish it off. The rosette is made with a Tim Holtz die.

To cut the 90° corner out of this flag card: Get the middle of the card. Draw a pencil line
along the middle, take any piece of paper put the corner of the paper on the line and
 match up the edges of the paper. Trace and cut out.
(Ghee! it is hard to explain!) Hope you get it!?! 

There is an extra piece of paper inside, don't stick it down, so you can
write on either side.

Place your embellishments, even over the opening.

This is the matchbook card. Made exactly like a matchbook.

You need to put in an extra piece of paper so you can write your message on it. 

Then the plain and simple card. Embellished with a flower and a ribbon. Make a

little slider that acts as a lock. On that piece of paper, you can put your sentiment.

Well, I think some words and explanations escaped me today,

(and the spell checker isn't working!!)

 but analyse the cards carefully and you will be fine in copying them.

Something you can do while the men are watching rugby!

Keep well.

Recipe for only TWO cupcakes

With winter approaching, I find myself spending more & more time indoors, visiting some of my favourite blogs and websites...

While browsing Craft Gossip, I stumbled upon an entry on "How to bake just two cupcakes" (May, 5th 2011) in the "Edible Crafts" section.

Now that sounds like a great idea for when Elna visits and we need something to enjoy with our tea while "cooking" up lessons and kits for future classes!?

Go check out the original recipe on "How Sweet It Is"

and then read how you can convert it into a chocolate version on "A Cup Full of Cake.

Thank you for visiting.

PS - The first photo was taken by my DH and the second is from my personal library.  I did not know if I could use the photos from the blogs mentioned above?!

Mothers Day

To all WOMEN

Happy Mothers' Day

This photo was taken of me and my mom in 1961.

She passed away 3 years later.

How I wish she could be here today...

May your day be filled with love, laughter and above all ... JOY!!

PS - If you need to make a last minute card, go to Rhonna Farrer's website - she has the most adorable card (and banner) to download as a freebie...

a little ice resin

Ice Resin sounds cold but it is HOT!

I couldn't choose which one of the three pieces I wanted to show you first!
Well here they are....

Benice has been very creative, making some lovely jewelry

pieces on the side, using Ice Resin and experimenting with it.

This is a very special piece she made for herself.

(I believe it is the "Two days after pay day" version!)

She made up the three strands, using lots of pearls

and Swarofski Crystals, seed beads and

metal elements .

She also ordered some Frozen Charlottes from Karla's Cottage a while ago and here you can see how she incorporated it into this piece.

Inside this bezel she made a little collage with lace,
text and an image from a greeting card and then filled it with Ice Resin.

This metal piece is actually floating in the resin and it looks stunning.

Thanks for visiting...!

International Charm Day - A South African version

We hosted our second “International Charm Day” on April 28th, 2011 at my studio in Centurion, South Africa.

(Or as Amber Dawn from Inventive Soul calls it - International Handmade Art Charm Day!)

Guests were treated to Turkish Delight and Passion Fruit cupcakes in honour of our blog name!!

(Elna and I did a whole lot of baking on Wednesday!?)

Ina brought her friend, Tessa, along for the day.

Eretha, Teighler and Jeannie proudly displaying their “Bobbin Fairies”!!

Donè, Dawn, Marnè, Maryke and Rita relaxing after a very creative morning!!  Dawn decided to bring her daughter, Maryke and her two granddaughters with for the morning.

Dawn and Rita attended our workshops at Soul Sisters where they caught the "Bead Bug" and, if you look closely, you will Rita wearing her Soul Sister "Fiber Watch"!?

Guests made a "Bobbin Fairy" - to keep and...

... a "Message on a Thimble" which was swapped out for one made by another guest.

Maryke, Dawn and Marnè trying hard to get the split-pins attached to the ribbon-clasp!?

The studio was a hive of activity with ladies scratching for beads, ribbon and fibers.

Oh, what fun we had!!

A huge "Thank You" goes out to Amber Dawn for starting this wonderful opportunity to share with others!!

Please hop on over to the International Charm Day website to see other related events...

Reviving an old wooden coathanger

For a long time I have been wanting to do this project. It is fun and easy and the best of all I can now organize my everyday jewellery in a better way!

I saw some old picture frames covered with dictionary paper and

decided to cover the hanger in the same way.

You will need:

a wooden coat hanger

some fancy drawer knobs

a bookplate

dictionary paper

gel medium

glitter spray

rhinestones

two small nails

Do your layout and drill the holes for the drawer knobs.

Cut or tear the dictionary paper into workable pieces.

 Start at the bottom section of the hanger and cover the undersides first.

 Then do the top, rounded sides. Gel only the piece where you want to put down the paper.

I like working with my fingers, so I rub out the air bubbles by putting gel on my fingers and smoothing it out by hand.

Then, cover the back of the hanger.

Let each section dry before you carry on to the next section.

Lastly, cover the front section. I layed out the pieces of paper, did the incisions and the started glueing them down one by one. Cut into the paper that needs to cover a rounded area, it will be easier to get an even and smooth look by doing this. Give the hanger a final coat of gel medium just to seal it.

When everything is dry, find the holes and open them up with an awl.

Spay the hanger with glitter spray and let dry.

Screw on the drawer handles and adhere the bookplate with stamped image.

I also adhered a charm to the bookplate.

 Lastly the bling! And TA... DAAA !