Make My Week # 49 – Sparkly Jewels
On Saturday it was my birthday so as well as having high tea at my place for some of my lovely friends I went to a jewellery making class with my very dear (and daring!!) friend Deb.
We went to this class at the Make Cafe
It was a lot of fun and beautifully decorated including fudge, sweet treats, tea, coffee, fancy juice all in a beautiful setting. If you live in Chch and something interests you I would so recommend any of the classes.
This is what I made – cute huh? I used beautiful origami paper I picked up when we were in Melbourne.
Joining in with Our Creative Spaces.
Make My Week #47 – Speedy Craft
The super glue, the pre-bought fixtures, the speed – what’s not to love??
This week I used some gorgeous vintage buttons my sister bought me in Europe to make these super sweet earrings.(I used a mini saw to shave off the back loops)
I also used some dahlia flowers in resin (or similar something!!) to make another pair of earrings
and this rather large rose ring.
So long as you can control yourself not to touch them too soon (give them 12 hours) these have to be the easiest fastest craft ever.
I had the inspired idea to use my pincushion to hold the earring stalks in place while they dried – it worked a treat.
Other creative types over at Our Creative Spaces – blue button down on the right.
Can anyone else believe it is 47 weeks already…. does that mean there are only 5 weeks left of the year?????
Make My Week #34 – More Wrist Cuffs and A Giveaway
So after you were all so lovely about my wrist cuffs I thought one would make a perfect giveaway for August. These are the latest ones I have made using the same tutorial as last time.
I’ve also made a little brooch for the winner of my last giveaway but I won’t reveal that until it is safely with its new owner. I do like it though I might have to make one for myself even.
If you are a Christchurch person I would love to encourage you to get along to Crafty Christchurch in the GeoDome in Hagley Park – starting tonight and going through the weekend. Some of the Chch bloggers are going tonight if you want to gatecrash.
To see other crafty makes click on the creative spaces button on the right
to enter the giveaway let me know which money cuff fabric you like best. If you follow this blog and want 2 entries just leave 2 comments (by email, or google reader/connect thingy! or however else you might follow). The photo with the cuffs open is the most representative of their actual colours. Have another cut out in the green seersucker (wrinkly) fabric as well so you have to imagine that one!
I am going to give away 2 of these one for anyone who enters and the other for followers of my blog. Not because I want you all to follow, unless you actually want to, in which case welcome!! but I want to acknowledge all the encouragement I get from you choosing to come along for the journey.
to see more of the things I’ve been making go here
and if you don’t want to enter please feel free just to leave a lovely comment but don’t tell me which one you like best (clearly I love comments)
There are daffodils springing up in the garden – Spring is around the corner!
Creative Process
Most Thursdays I join in with Our Creative Spaces which is great place to go and have a look at what people have been making each week – there are sewing projects, drawing, songs, craft, quilts, crochet, knitting…. anyway.
This week the challenge was to talk about what inspires us, our tips for creativity and I guess our ‘process’.
Personally I am inspired by lots of things – colours and colour combinations often grab my attention and make me want to start making. There are definitely times when I see something and set out to make myself one. I’m not too worried by that because a) I know I will never actually make something the same and b) we all start from some jump point even when we feel our work is entirely original and uninspired by anything else we often find someone else just around the corner doing the same (or worse doing it better!) and c) I don’t sell my work so I am not effecting another person’s livelihood.
I was walking around a fabric shop with a friend one day when she asked me if I realised I was touching all the fabric and making noises – I hadn’t realised but I definitely recognise that I feel fabric and I often go fabric shopping with no set plans in mind. I see fabric and then I develop an idea.
In life I hate the thought of a ‘uniformity’ or ‘sameness’ for me the great adventure is indeed that we are CREATED, UNIQUE and we each have a PLACE in history. Somewhere to stand, something to do, a voice. I think this pervades into every aspect of how I create – I find following patterns to the ‘t’ impossible, I rarely follow a recipe exactly, I’d never make the look on the pattern envelope.
For me creativity is a lot about ‘play’ – mucking around with stacks of fabrics and stacks of patterns. Looking at wonderful inspiring images online or on books – my creative inspiration on Pinterest can be found here – and as Pooh Bear would say ‘letting things come, it’s the best way to write poetry (or create) letting things come’.
I often make changes as I go along – if something doesn’t work as I thought it would or if some great idea comes to me.
The things I have made that I am proudest of most often are things that came to me when I played with ideas or started creating on some crazy whim.
I love colour and I love variety I sew, bake, felting, craft, I’ve done stained glass window making, jewellery making, decoupage, lighting, embroidery, photography, quilt making, written stories and poems, …. I’m sure there is other stuff I’ve forgotten….point is I like the process of making – it’s the finishing I find tricky
I love:
the imagining
the ideas
the owning, wearing, giving a thing that is unique
So what is your creative process? Do you start with a pattern? Do your ideas translate as you expect them to? Do you see the creative process as playing or do you take it more seriously or in a more considered way?
Click on the Creative Spaces button on the right for other people’s tips and thoughts and projects
Other stuff I’ve made this year
All images are things I have made in the last wee while
Make My Week #24 – Daddy Rowing A Boat
I am developing a family art wall in our place
My boys don’t do a lot of art, mainly they’ve been too busy playing outside to make stuff but when Flip did a special drawing of an ‘Octopus in the Shower’ at 4 I wanted to keep it so I turned it into a stitched picture
The other day Bounce drew a picture of ‘Daddy Rowing a Boat’ on a wee scrap of paper and it was so sweet I decided to do the same.
He is so proud of having something he has drawn turned into a sewing by mama
What are you making at the moment??
Do you have a fireside project for winter??
Do you have a special way of celebrating your children’s artworks?
Click on the ‘Our Creative Spaces’ button in my sidebar for more wonderful inspiration
Read More – My Boys Stitching
Make My Week #19 – Jacket
I found this pattern at a junk shop a while ago and I liked the shape and the over puffy sleeves (do puffy sleeves remind anyone else of Anne of Green Gables??)
I changed it up a bit in by taking the lapel opening all the way to the bottom of the jacket and using a button and loop system.
The buttons are vintage ones I got off my step-mother and the fabric is some I bought last year or even the year before – it has a slightly pearlised surface and comes from somewhere in Africa from recollection.
I also made the sleeves a lot slimmer to try to reduce the amount of volume going on.
This is my second clothing make for May.
Check out all sorts of creative goings on here.
Make My Week #17 – map bunting
A very quick and easy project this week.
I actually have a set of this planned with letters stenciled onto it for the boys’ room but I can’t find my letter stencil so you’ll have to enjoy the second set.
At the moment I have just pinned it above our bed, temporarily.
The maps are from the 1950s and 1960s and I could only bring myself to cut them up because they were deteriorating.
I have got a gorgeous pile of ones in pristine condition dating to the 1930s – mainly from national geographic magazines that I picked up for about $1. The Atlas and I will have to decide what to do with these ones.
Make My Week #9 Bags
I’ve seen a lot of bunting around over the last wee while but I haven’t seen it on a bag until I did it myself. (although there may be others doing it of course!)
I love the way bunting makes anything feel happy and celebratory.
This bag is quite big and I’ve fully lined it in gorgeous ‘old Mother Hubbard’ fabric and added a cell-phone pocket to make it more useable.
I made 2 of these but I won’t keep either. 1 is for a beautiful mama facing a very difficult journey of watching her 3 year-old go through cancer treatment – more info here. I’ll tell you where the other one is going next week.
I did some free-motion work to make the words – I am getting more confident at it. Made entirely from things in my stash.
And because I especially love this bag and how craft can be a bright star in a dull day I’m joining in with Simone and other bloggers picking their favourite post of the week.
Make My Week #6 – Softie
Little man turning 1. Present required.
Got inspiration from a softies book on my shelves.
Didn’t use the pattern – which is why the limbs could be described as seriously out of proportion.
First time using one of the awesome tags Juliet made for me.
Used all stash and stuffed with a mixture of polyfill and fabric scraps.
Like the facial expression though.
Other crafty wonders over here.
Denim Satchel
Here’s a little something I whipped up from the stash. I didn’t use a pattern I just made it up as I went along – as you do.
Denim from Nin – free
Lining from Deb – free
Elastic? Nom? – free
Buttons Annie (as a swap present)
Hexagons in a big box for $3 at the op-shop
New bag – total cost about 30 cents – I even sewed a pocket on the lining for mobile phone. You can’t tell from the pictures but it is a large oblong shaped bag. Could probably fit a lap top inside it or something similar.
Quite pleased with the results – more creative awesomeness over here – the linky goes up tomorrow but I’m a day early so check there Thursday from mid-morning.
MakeItGiveIt - Let it Shine 