JEWELRY FOR THE MUSIC FESTIVAL SEASON

With the music festival season well and truly under way, I have put together some inspiring festival collection jewelry BOHO style and all.

The Pendant beads are all handmade from paper.  the Colors in them are dazzling and brilliant.  Available at Amazon UK

Necklaces with paper beads.  Each bead is hardened and glazed by hand to create truly ONE OF A KIND pieces

Algae from THE SEATTLE COLLECTION

A scarf inspired by our family holiday to #Seattle

Luxuary Handmade Large Felt Scarf, Shawl, Wrap in Merino Wool-THE SEATTLE COLLECTION - Algae

The numerous lakes around Seattle are amazing.
This is a scarf I called Algae - I know what a title, but I found beauty in it
The scarf has slithers of various shades of Green running through the length.  At one end there are strips of green print and at the other end squares with textural detail in cream and grey natural fibers.

Click to preview my collection of #Merino #Scarves on #AmazonUK

My Scarves

SURFACE DESIGN cosmic voyage

SURFACE DESIGN - COSMIC VOYAGE 
THE COLLECTION

This is designed for wall paper:

If you like any of these give us a favorite on Spoonflower.  click on the image will take you to the spoonflower site.

love to hear you comments.

The Fabric8 Contest 2014

Robert Kaufman Fabrics and Spoonflower collaboration The Fabric8 Competition 2014

This is my entry:

The theme is a COSMIC VOYAGE
Unfortunately did not make the 100 semifinalist list....
Maybe next year
Congratulation to the 100 semifinalist wishing you all the very best.

A SCARF FOR STEPHANIE

A SCARF FOR STEPHANIE

Over a month ago, my friend Stephanie got a dress to attend a @James Bond @casino charity event.  She had a fabulous new black dress for this event and wanted a scarf designed for it.

I absolutely love designing a piece when I know who it is for.  I get a real buzz.  I do feel the final outcome reflects the persons personality.

The dress is black lace with a nude lining underneath.  It has simple lines with short cap sleeves. Very classic.  Stephanie certainly has the curves to carry this dress.  The black dress would be worn with a most glamorous shocking pink and nude pink 6 inch spike, with a silvered toe.

I very much wanted to bring out the Lacey look so the scarf/wrap as it is a long one was going to be feathery and translucent.
The pink heels were the inspiration for the colour theme.

My finished work

• "Fantastic personal service & a unique item, very recommended."
• j h., 16 December 2012

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Mixed Media Greeting Cards

MIXED MEDIA GREETING CARDS

Happy new year everyone!!!
Wishing you all the very best for 2014.  Hope you all achieve all that you set out to do this year.

I decided to blog a bit about handmade cards, as I have been sat writing all my thank you notes to all my friends and loved ones, and all those who have sent me pressies for Christmas

Handmade Greeting Cards, mean a lot more these days in the world of mass produced material.  I do very much enjoy and feel privileged when I receive a card that is handmade.

For an artists and crafter it is a blank canvas with unlimited potential.  It is also a fabulous sounding board for experimenting with techniques as you are working on a small scale.  A lot of my art works including the wearable art, originally start out as an idea on greeting cards.

I have just completed a collection of HEARTS
These are all original works and not prints.  They have an array of textures, colours and contrasts.  I have used various techniques, Origami folds intermingle with mixed media collage and some tangles and doodles like the +Zentangles +zentangles101 +Zentangled Momma   etc.  it all comes together in this collection of hearts.

The Cards are blank inside
I have packaged them in the following sets:

SINGLE CARD

PACK OF 3

PACK OF 6

PACK OF 12

Do have a look see, would love to hear your thoughts.

Aloe Soap

Handmade Soap with Aloe

Aloe is succulent plant, with thick plump fleshy leaves and a spiky spine at the edges of its leaves.  Its the pulp from these fleshy leaves, that is used as a gel in my soaps.

I grow all of the aloe used in my soaps.

There are records and descriptions found on Papyrus dating back thousands of year initiating the use of Aloe as a herbal ingredient.  Today its found in just about everything.

I use the pulp from the fleshy leaves in my soaps.  It is a clear almost translucent jelly like texture.  Quite soothing to touch.

The Soap bars are handmade with a lye base.  I add the pulp and mix it in almost towards the end of the soap making process, about a couple of minutes before pouring into molds so as not to over cook or over process the pulp.

The soap trays are left to mature at least a month, sometimes more.

I then wrap the soaps in natural fibers like wool and cotton sometimes incorporating some flax.  This give the soap a scrubber quality so it gently exfoliates the skin.

Here is my batch of Aloe soap with a design detail inspired by nature.

One block of soap measures 6 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm and is approx 70 g in weight.  they look like adorable parcels.

To Use: Thoroughly wet the bar of soap, then rub to build a good lather. It will take a bit longer than normal soap to get a lather as the soap has to work its way through the wool.  Once you get a good lather it is simply luxurious to use. 

The wool acts like a scrubber or buffer, so no need for bath mitts and flannels etc.  and the oils and aloe in the soap moisturize the skin. 

After Use: simply rinse, give it a little pat on your towel and leave to dry.  The wool will shrink with the soap as it gets used, so it will always maintain the contours of the soap.  There's no need for soap dishes and trays.  No slimy soap mess, just leave it on the wash stand to dry.

I have packaged the soap in 3 sets

One single bar of soap (great as a trial)
Handmade Natural Fibre Felted Soap Natural Facial Scrub/buff/Exfoliate with Aloe Gel 1 x 70g
 Pack of 2
Handmade Luxury Natural Fibre Felted Soap Facial Buff/Scrub/Exfoliate 2 x 70 g
Pack of 3
Handmade Luxury Natural Fiber Felted Soap Facial Buff/Scrub/Exfoliate PACK of 3

If you do try it, I would absolutely love to hear, how you liked it.