RING my bell wearable art Item 58

This ring is more delicately coloured than the previous one. Again created using free-form crochet, from which hangs a jingling array of gorgeous goodies.

I've used fine cotton threads in shades of Silvery Mauve, Lavendar, Soft Cream and Cool Mulberry, embellished with a Golden Jingley Bell, Soft Plum Leaf charm and beads of gleaming Metallic Gold, Lavendar Pink, Amber, Pearly Purple, and irridescent Indigo and gold.

CUFF BRACELET wearable art Item 57

This Cuff Bracelet is created using free-form crochet, hand stitched applique and hand-painted embellishments.

I've used cotton threads, pure silk fabric in ivory and some subtly shot with terracotta/purple, tiny printed cotton patches, metallic/irridescent glass beads,vintage buttons and other embellishments. There are two main motifs, one of which slips through a buttonhole to create the fastening for the bracelet.

The look is so luscious! .... Pastel threads of Warm Blue, Peachy Pink, Softest Mellow Yellow, Coffee and Cool Watermelon combine perfectly with the tiny cotton prints in similar colours. I've made and painted plastic shapes which have been applied to the cotton print and silk features, together with vintage buttons in raspberry, pearl and gilt. All finished off with a multi-coloured metallic and irridescent glass beads!

The construction of the bracelet is stretchy, which makes it very flexible for fitting wrists of various sizes. If you have any doubt, please contact me with your wrist size and I will be glad to let you know whether it will fit. It is 2 1/2 inches deep approx. (60 cm approx)

Hmmm... would like to keep this one

Another example of my new addiction. This time a crocheted ring worked in fine cotton .... Flaming Hot Strawberry, Cool Tangerine and Warm Chocolate together with beads shimmering with Pearly Purples, Irridescent Indigo, Coppery Metallic and Tortoise-shell wings that look ready to fly!

The construction of the ring is stretchy so it fits various finger sizes.

BLUE EYE Brooch Pin wearable art Item 55

If you've been popping into my blog for a while now, you may remember the series of Eye ACEO miniatures I did last year. Well it looks like the fixation is back again! Goodness knows why. A psychologist would probably have a great time explaining it ... but who cares.

This 'eye catching' brooch pin is created using free-form crochet, hand stitching and features a striking hand-painted EYE embellishment. It measures approximately 3 inches across (7.5 cms approx) I've used cotton threads, felt and wood. The eye has been painted onto a lozenge shaped piece of wood with a glossy layer of lacquer for protection. The whole piece is backed with red felt complete with a securable pin fastener.

I like it's Off the Wall look! .... Black Lashes and Eyebrow, Warm Flesh & Tanned tones set with cool Ivory, White and those Deep Glistening Blue Eyes! This item is unique and one-of-a-kind. Instead of giving my wearable art individual descriptive titles I've decided to number them as the simplest way of identification. It won't be possible to repeat them exactly, though I will do my best to create custom pieces to specific requirements when requested.

From the horizontal to a new creative direction.....?

SOLD.


During my enforced bed-rest, it turned out there are only just so many international radio news items, and blockbuster novels you can digest before the creative fingers start to itch. But what to do from a horizontal position? Painting was way too messy and regular jewellery techniques just beyond me ..... so I began experimenting with thread, fabric and free-form crochet, one of my favourite things.

Here is a cuff bracelet made from cotton thead, hessian, felt, glass beads and vintage buttons. The larger green button was orignally on a cosy dressing gown made for me by my Mum when I was about 5 years old. Now with a red felt backing it slips through a buttonhole to create the fastening for the bracelet. I think Mum would have approved.

Four Seasons - Greeting cards

I used to make lots of greeting cards, particularly when I was teaching papercraft techniques at the local craft shop. But haven't done many for a while. Today I had a whale of a time using my Four Seasons paintings for this set of cards.

There's a greeting on the front of each and they're blank inside:

Thinking of You

Just for You

Happy Birthday

Christmas Greetings.

They are 4 ins x 5 3/4 ins.

I layered the images onto gorgeous heavy cream textured cardstock and packed them up with matching envelopes in re-sealable clear packets. I've also made a set of 4 Christmas ones too :) Yikes! Nearly September .... Christmas is coming!

October - November & December Birthday Girl Pendants

Three more Birthday Girl pendants: The October design features an Opal semi precious birth gemstone, November a Citrine and December a gorgeous piece of Turquoise. I've used fabulous shimmering natural Mother of Pearl shell and coated the pieces in six layers of lacquer.

SEPTEMBER Birthday Girl

Looks like I've been tagged again :) Hi Lora! Would you mind if I cheated and pointed to my previously disclosed secrets.


Lora is my neighbour on the Etsy Sellers Who Blog ring and not only does she make fabulous jewellery, but has a fascinatingly entertaining blog :)


Meet SEPTEMBER Birthday Girl. Hoping to get this Belle Epoque fest out of my system before getting back to painting.

AUGUST Birthday Girl

It's my grand-daughter Zoe's 16th birthday today. Happy Birthday Zoe! :) Happily she is here with us to celebrate and having a lovely time.

Also finished making an AUGUST Birthday Girl pendant this morning. Again it features one of my cross stitch designs adapted for jewellery, and is embellished with a genuine Peridot birth/gemstone and crystal beads.

JULY Birthday Girl pendant

A while ago I designed a range of 12 kits for my Amathusia Needlecraft range in a vaguely art nouveau style, featuring January to December and appropriate birthstones.

We have visitors just now so painting is on hold and as I needed an arty fix to quell withdrawal pangs, I made the July design into a pendant.

It is decoupaged onto a heavy agate pendant and heavily lacquered, then embellished with a genuine semi precious Cornelian gemstone and beads.

KING FOR A DAY

Another bit of nonsense :)

King for a Day blank note/greeting card. Featuring another pen and ink drawing that I've digitally coloured.

Matted and layer with red and cream on heavy white cardstock. Complete with cream envelope, protected and sealed in a clear plastic envelope.

Queen for a Day

We have a heatwave here just now and paint is drying too quickly.

So yesterday I played around with a tiny pen and ink drawing that I did a few weeks ago. I coloured it digitally, then matted and layered the image with purple and cream on heavy white cardstock to create a funky blank greeting card.

I've called it Queen for a Day and it's now available, complete with a cream envelope, all protected and sealed in a clear plastic bag.

DAY 80 Project 365

Miss Spring abalone shell pendant necklace, featuring butterfly crystal, seed pearls, mother-of-pearl beads and blue, pearl, silvery and irridescent glass beads on a silken cord.

DAY 50 Project 365

Scrapbook layout featuring a pic of Natalie, Zoe and Stephie taken during their summer holiday here 2 years ago.

Created using hand cut letters/stars, punched/torn paper and stitched 3D decoupage elements from my Hibiscus STITCH-BITS kit.

DAY 47 Project 365

Lapis lazuli, crystal, blue and silvery glass beads, fish, star and dragonfly charms... pendant necklace.

DAY 34 Project 365

This is a 'blast from the past' in more ways than one. Found it when sorting through some stuff in the studio. It was one of my first commissions for a craft magazine publisher in my other life as a needlework project designer http://www.amathusia.co.uk

I seem to remember, the theme of the brief was Victorian Berlin woolwork. The editor had my design made into a purse for the photoshoot (top). In those days, few people used the internet, and design briefs used to arrive by post, complete with tear-sheet source material and a whole month before deadline! Happy days :-)

DAY 30 Project 365

I normally time haircuts for the girls when the weather is reasonably warm. Some how this time the schedule got a bit bent out of shape, and even though it's the coldest time of year, something had to be done. So today I got out the clippers.

Sally, first for the chop, was a brave little soldier, though she did shiver a little. I wish I knew how to spin ... just look at all that fibre!

Here she is in her new handknitted cardigan. To preserve her 'street cred' ... it's strictly for after-dark chilly evening wear, until she gets some regrowth . When I took this pic, I swear the other girls stood behind me sniggering! Little do they know, but my knitting needles will be clicking again tonight, with Teddy and Chou next in line. Daisy is sauntering around with a smug look on her shorthaired face.... no haircut, no silly sweater ... Phew!

If you really want to inflict this garment on your pooch, you can find the pattern here ;-)

DAY 23 Project 365

Moony this is the handmade greeting card for 'you know who'.

Materials:

Coloured cardstock. Marvy Art Marker pens. Pastel chalk.

Techniques:

Selectively inked rubber stamping.

Tools:

Rounded corner punch. Butterfly punch. See D's unmounted stamps. Cottonwool for chalking edges.

DAY 19 Project 365

A popout card for baby Jacob.

Materials:
Cream textured cardstock. Silver peel-off stickers. Teddy backing paper. Teddy & heart images to cut-out & layer. Silver cord. Double-sided adhesive tape. Glue.

Techniques:
Dry embossing. 3d decoupage.

Tools:
Straight-edged scissors. Fancy-edged scissors. Emboss to Impress Romantic board and 6mm ball tool. Heart template.

DAY 13 Project 365

H hates shopping, so I was pretty surprised when he suggested we go into town for the new bedlinen I've been whittering on about. Lots of overdone designs and deep colours were on show, but as I'm a bit obsessive about WHITE bedlinen, was relieved and pleased to find some with a simple minimal border motif that suits the room very well.

A while back we had a man in Limassol make us two iron bedside tables and a dressing table, in such a way that I could make mosaic for the tops. The painting is one I did of local artist Katie Sabry. She occasionally modeled for life classes at the Cyprus College of Art