Stitched Hearts - Red Work

Hi All

Had a change and did a little stitching.

I made some felt white hearts which I blanket stitched and stuffed with toy filler and then I  embroidered the fronts with designs I made up using various embroidery stitches.  I used Cotton a Broder thread in a deep red, which is beautiful for embroidery.  

Hope you like them :)

Best wishes

KazBee xxx

WOW - I'm a Design Team Member for Hunkydory

Oh my stars, I'm chuffed to bits and fit to burst.  I've been selected to be a member of Hunkydory's Design Team and I can't wait to start.

I love the quality of Hunkydory's paper and cardstock, especially the adorable scorable card which does not crack on folding and I have used their products for many years, always being pleased with the quality and results. You can see through many of my past posts some of their products over the years.

I can't wait to start to get crafting and sharing with you my makes.

Crafty hugs

KazBee xxx

Happy April Everyone

 Home grown flowers

Hope you like these cards, made with my own original photography and home grown rose!!!!!

It's a grey day but it's sunny in my heart, cant wait to get crafting again this morning.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter time xxxx

Easter Treat boxes - Bunny Style

Well Easter is only a week away, so I have made some little treat boxes.

Little Boxes all ready to go!

And the recipe is:

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up Curvy Box die
Die Cutting machine (I used my Grand Caliber)
White Card for boxes (Adorable Scorable, ideal as it doesn't crack on folding or Centura Pearl)
Washi tape in various spring designs
Ranger, Tim Holtz, Distress Ink in Spun Sugar
alternatively for the above use pink card, or an alcohol marker to colour white card to pink.
Ink applicator sponge or cut and dry.
Punches in the following shapes and sizes:
Large oval
Large scallop oval, just slightly larger than the plain oval
Circle punches, sizes; 1 3/4",  5/8",  3/8", 1/4"
Black pen
White pen, or white black board pen.
Cosmic shimmer glue
Tape pens
Dimensional glue stickers (sticky pads)
Mini eggs or any treats you wish to add - have fun in filling :)

and the method folks is:

Die cut the box halves and then before assembling, add the washi tape to the lower section of the boxes at the desired height. I positioned mine at approximately 5mm from the base on all four sides.

The boxes were assembled with the cosmic shimmer glue.  I find this has a quick grab and holds the boxes secure.











Now to make the faces :)

These are the pieces needed to build the face

Use this to help with assembling

Punch out all of the pieces for the faces and get ready to have some fun. I added distress ink to all the edges of the white card pieces except the scalloped ears.  To layer the pieces I applied adhesive to half of the round white cheek pieces and placed them so that the tops met roughly in the middle of the circle towards the lower half, this allows enough room then for the eyes to be adhered behind the cheeks and the pink nose placed to cover the centre gap. (You can place the eyes first and then the cheeks, I just found that it was easier for me if I placed the cheeks first and built around them).  I drew the eyebrows in, added teeth and the little dots on the cheeks for where the whiskers would come from. The white pen added the highlights to the eyes.  Experiment with the eyebrows and the eye highlights, you can get all different expressions by playing with these!

The faces were then applied to the boxes with a sticky pad (dimensional sticker).  The next fun part comes with the filling - I'm going to fill them up with mini eggs - yum yum!!!  Off out to buy them now as just found that hubby has eaten my stash of them -  lol.

The boxes can be opened without effecting the little faces; have fun and enjoy.

Thanks for looking; more coming real soon.

Crafty Hugs, Kaz xxxx

Butterfly Wishes - Hunkydory - On a blustery Spring Day

Hi All

Well it's a beautiful day here on the South Coast, much better than yesterday which was very windy, dark, gloomy and grim!!!! Anyway, thought I would post my make from my Butterfly Wishes Kit from Hunkydory to brighten up the days.

Front view of my Butterfly Wishes

'The recipe today folks is': 

Ingredients:  Adorable scorable
                       Butterfly wishes kit
                       Tonic Die
                       Tonic Butterfly punch
                       Pink chiffon ribbon
                       Cosmic shimmer glue
                       Dimensional squares
                       Stickles crystal glue
                       Scoreboard
                       Paper trimmer

Method:  I used A4 Adorable Scorable card which I trimmed and scored to create a gate fold card. I then used a Tonic Butterfly die to create the design on the front of the card.  The die produces a beautiful open lattice work design which is cut in two halves, on each side of the opening.  The Butterflies are part cut from the card and so it is possible to lift the wings for dimension. I used decoupage pieces from the main topper (used on the inside) and attached them to the front of the card, with dimensional stickers. I punched six butterflies out of paper from the kit in pale pink polka dot and pale blue polka dots, these were assembled into pairs, lifting the top layer wings and then adding  Stickles glue to the bodies of the butterflies, providing a little bit of sparkle. Cosmic Shimmer glue was used to attach them to the card.  The inside section of the card was backed with the paper from the kit which co-ordinates with the set of the butterflies on the front.  The topper was applied with dimensional stickers, including a layer of decoupage and  finally the sentiment was added and the ribbon threaded through the lattice - and 'ta dah' - a lovely Hunkydory Card that I am very proud of.  Another variation to this is to emboss the card before scoring and die cutting.

 Off to make some Easter boxes now; be back soon with some makes, take care and thanks for dropping by :) x

Easter Bird House - Hunkydory

Hi All

Well with Easter fast approaching here's my Easter Bird House Tree, a little bit of home decor with the lovliness of Hunkydory.

I have used the Bird House Kit by Hunkydory, which is divine, to create this little piece. 

Here is a list of all the ingredients used:

My Lovely Little House

One of the die cut bird houses
Tin Pail (the little bucket for the base)
BBQ skewer (cut to size)
Cream Spider Web Ribbon
Fir tree wrap, with leaves (on a spool)
Paper flowers, cream and lilac petals
Oasis (dry, for filling pail and adding flowers)
Hearty air dry clay
Lace
Crystal dots
Two sizes of flower punches
Velcro
Dimension squares
Double sided tape
Cosmic Shimmer Glue
Scissors
Chocolate mini eggs – yum, yum!



"And the recipe today folks is": Cut the oasis to size to fit into the pail. Push the BBQ skewer into the oasis, ensuring that you have cut it to the desired length.  Apply double sided tape to skewer.  Wrap the foliage around the skewer and trim accordingly.  I used the Air Dry Clay to support the post by adding a piece under the box around the skewer and a little inside, then mould to appropriate shape, this can then be covered with foliage before or after it has dried with glue.  The flowers were added to the foliage and secured through the oasis to give the effect of a climbing rose. The Bird house was assembled but the roof eaves were snipped at either side in the middle, to allow for one side to be lifted for box access.

Hinged lid - look at all those little choccies - mmmmm

 Acetate was added to the front entrance (so the choccies don’t fall out) and a circle topper added. The birds have been added with sticky dimension squares to add depth. Velcro added to both side of opening section of lid.  I punched out some flowers from the scraps between the die cuts to keep the theme and colours running through and crystal embellishments were added to birds eyes and the centre of the flowers.  The cream spiders web ribbon was added to keep the rustic feel to the project and a little bit of lace added to the base of the birdhouse.  My little bit of Easter home decor.


Many thanks for dropping by xxxx

Spectrum Noir AquaTints

So I have had a play with my Spectrum Noir AquaTints. I had purchased the Essentials set and was thoroughly pleased with the tints and the gold and silver and so, for my birthday my family purchased the Pastel, Landscape and Beautifully Grunge sets. I have played with the Pastel Set tonight and have made two thank you cards. I started by using the colours as a wash (the background for the cards). The colours go on to the watercolour card beautifully and blend very easily. The colours are true and the pastels are good colours which although subtle in shade are vibrant in tone (if that is possible). I preferred to use my own flat brush for the pieces I made as I found the brushes that came with the set too soft for my purpose. On the card in the front, I experimented a little further, a used a faux bleach technique. I was pleased with the results and I have another background, which I will leave to dry overnight which has sea salt on. The stamps were applied with Memento black ink, onto the painted backgrounds. The butterflies were cut around and then manipulated to give dimension. A little glitter glue was added to the edge of the wings and the body (doesn't show up so well in the photo but great accent on the card). And so here are the finished cards - hope you like them :)

Rose Gold Plated Chain Maille

Hi All

I made this Rose Gold Plated Chain Maille bracelet for my Etsy Shop, I hope you like it!

I enjoy doing Chain Maille as although it is time consuming, I find it quite relaxing.

There are several different patterns for Chain Maille the bracelet above has been made using a very simple design, but I like it!  The art of Chain Maille is based on the original Chain Maille pieces as used in medieval times to protect soldiers in their suits of armour.  The patterns themselves have been used, re-worked and given inspiration to new patterns.

When I have made a few more pieces I will upload them to show some different patterns.

Thanks for dropping by.

Clear Quartz and Apatite Twisted Necklace - A Frozen Twist

Today's make is a genuine Clear Quartz and Apatite Nugget twisted necklace.

 The Apatite has a beautiful turquoise hue and when twisted with the clear quartz the piece has a fluid, watery feel and look.  The nuggets have a smooth shine to them.   This piece would be perfect for any occasion or time of year, perfect for winter or summer.

The gems intertwine beautifully.  The two gems have been strung as individual strands onto wildfire thread for strength and stability as well as to allow movement.

The piece has been completed with silver plated findings.  Silver was used to compliment the Apatite and Quartz with its coolness.

This piece will be in my Etsy shop soon, please look out for it.
Thank for dropping by.

Leather Wrap Bracelets

Today I've been making some Leather Wrap Bracelets for my Etsy Shop.

Here' s one in progress

 

I enjoy making these bracelets as to incorporate the beads you have to weave them to the leather, I use a contrast thread, in the same way you bead patterns on a loom. I have used a diamanté style acrylic button for the clasp.

Here are some finished ones.

This will be in my Etsy shop soon, please drop by xxxx

 

Hunkydory Halcyon Days - Dreaming of warmer days to come!

Had a play with my Hunkydory card kit that I had in my stash - Halcyon Days.
The images are bright and summery and although it feels a long way from that at the moment I loved the images and enjoyed working with them.
I decided to make the little box scene cards which have a few layers of decoupage.
I started by constructing the box frame.  This is the rear side.  The opaque area allows you space to write your greeting.  The set also comes with a little stand which enables the card to stand on its own.
Just love Hunkydory Kits, the quality is brilliant and easy to work with. 

Then I added the decoupage layers. This shows just the first layer.

and this is the final result!

I made four in total; hope you like them :)

Happy New Year 2015

So we've welcomed in the new year and so begins 2015.

What crafty things have you got planned for this year?

I've been finishing off some of my Christmas projects that I had started late.

One of my favourites were my little robins which I purchased from Dandelion Designs.

They are super cute, quick and easy to do. I will post a photo when I've taken them. 

The Brother Scan n Cut - fails me :( 

Sadly I had a Brother Scan n Cut purchased for me for my Christmas and Birthday present but the machine was faulty, it would not turn off/on (literally on taking out of the box and setting up, the machine turned itself on from the point of powering up.  The on/off switich achieved nothing apart from telling me that the machine wa shutting down, which in fact in never did, it just went round on a cycle of appearing to want to shut down. Only removing the power cable would force the shut down. I was and am bitterly disappointed by the customer service I recieved from Create and Craft who I purchased it from and to that end I returned the product and am too cautious to want to re-visit such an experiance.  

I am not an electronic cutting machine novice as I have two Cricut machines, the original Create and an Expression but I was hoping to use the scan facility of the Brother and was looking forward to creating my own designs.  Unfortunately I've been left with a rather sour taste in my mouth and am therefore in the market for examining new machines - any takers?????

Red Work Christmas Bunting

Hi All

I thought I would post today my Red Work Christmas Bunting, which I'm pleased to say I made in time for Christmas.  I purchased a kit from Mandy Shaw Of Dandelion Designs.  It was a beautiful kit and the fabrics were perfect.  I thoroughly enjoyed making it and will be proud to hang it every year.
I hope you like it too.

The main stitch used is back stitch and a few french knots.  The designs are marked onto the fabric by heat transfer and the stitching is then applied over the lines.  Each flag has been bound with bias tape and the same binding was used to make the  hanging cord. 

I thoroughly enjoy Mandy Shaw designs and the material she uses are excellent quality.

I hope you like the red work bunting.

Keshi Pearl Bracelet

Hi All

I've been adding to my Etsy again with a beautiful Keshi Pearl Bracelet.

I have really fallen in love with these Keshi Pearls and their natural free-form shape.  I love their organic feel, although they have an irregular shape they are totally smooth.  A Keshi pearl grows nucleus-free and forms in the cavities where the first generation pearls once grew. They are completely free-form and are the closest cultured pearl equivalent to a natural pearl. 

These particular ones are silver in colour with mother of pearl tones. The average size is 8mm x 10mm and I have used a sterling silver chain as an extender and a silver plated bolt ring clasp.

If you're interested in these at all they are available in my Etsy Shop, just click on the link on the right hand side bar - thanks for looking.

Christmas Houses

Hi All

Haven't posted in a while and have a lot of catching up to do, so I'm going to start with my little tea light Christmas Houses. 



I made these cute little homes out of polymer clay.  I decorated the outside with christmas trees adorned with baubles of all different colours.  I hand rolled and shaped candy canes, all along with seasonal holly and berries and what do you know - it snowed on my cute little house too - well OK I had snowtex!

 I made sure I left a hole in the base big enough to fit a battery operated tea-light and there's my little Christmas House.

I enjoyed making this so much I made several others, so I have a village. 

They are a perfect little night light for all ages.  If you're interested in buying one at all - just hop on over to my Etsy Shop, by clicking on the icon below or on the right hand side of the page.

Clover Clam Shell Case

Hi All

A bit of change....................... It's sewing time!!!

I recently purchased from Create and Craft, the Clover Clam Shell Accessories Case (Forms) as I wanted to do a quick little project that was different.  I bought the sets in all of the sizes small, medium and large but I started with the small one first.

I had already purchased a set of fat quarters from C&C which are absolutely beautiful and perfect for this project - well I think so :)

I should have now taken photos of the process, but I was too eager, so I will do that with the next sizes; however, here is the finished Clam Shell Case!  Finished size is 7cm x 5cm.  I am really pleased with the finished article and its ideal for keeping a few £1 coins in for the trolleys etc.  a few sewing notions, e.g., thimble, thread and needles, a little jewellery pouch and so the list goes on. 

And so to the finished purse, I hope you like it :)

I will be selling these soon in my Etsy Shop come and see.

Love and Hugs

Kaz Bee x

Spellbinders Sunflowers

Hi All

I've finally found time to play with my Spellbinder Flower Dies and am really pleased with the result.
My first flowers are Sunflowers, well who can resist that lovely flower, that follows the sunlight.

So here are my flowers!

It takes ten cuts of the petals but I think it's well worth it.  I used a yellow card I ad and then inked the edges with a stampin' up ink. I will put all the details up when I make my next one, but just thought I'd show this as a starter.

Hugs, Kaz Bee :)

A Picture at Last

Well, at last here's my picture of my finished Scandinavian Tapestry Heart.  I did finish it in time for Christmas and was very pleased with the result.

What do you think?

I am waiting at the moment for our extension to be finished so that I can get all my crafty goodies organised and sorted out so that I can get seriously crafting again.  I soooo can't wait :)

Hugs xxxx

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone and I hope that it is a peaceful and healthy one for all.  At this time of year we reflect on all the things to come and all the things which have passed.  It's not always easy as we are all dealt so many difficult blows in life; however, my best wishes go to all, for peace, health and happiness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hugs  Kaz Bee xx

Scandinavian Christmas Sewing

  The storm for the South East passed through our part of the East Sussex County with some damage to trees and cars but I'm very thankful to say that our home weathered the strong winds without any damage.

Anyway, this change in the weather has brought home even more that Christmas is not far away, with  the seasonal early nights, the blustery weather and the change in all of Mother Nature and so, whilst I was sitting recovering from a recent heart blip, broken toe and lovely bruise to my shin, I thought I would get on with finishing my Scandinavian Heart Snowflake tapestry cushion.

So here's a picture so far .........

The kit is from 'Cleopatra's Needle' and includes all that you need to complete the project apart from a little bit of wadding.  It does include a packet of lavender though, which is gorgeous. 

The heart is worked in tent stitch which is sturdier than half cross stitch and gives a neater and flatter finish.  Here's the back view............

Well I better get back to it now, will post a picture of the finished heart when it's done.  I hope this has inspired your festive making.

I hope to post some more makes over the next few days :) 

Karen