Been Away For A While - Back Now!

Just some items that are going on Folksy. Most of them are ones that I made for my C&G course. I love them but have SO many things to wear myself that I really do need to sell some!

C & G Course

Sorry about the lack of posting in the recent weeks. I have been using a lot of my time in finishing all the things needed to wrap up the course. You know when you get that 'I'm totally sick of this' feeling about something you have not stopped thinking about...? Well, I have that now. I have even been making cards as an antidote. Despite all the lovely beads I bought at the bead show a couple of weeks ago, I don't want to do anything with them for a few weeks. Now may be the right time to get all my Christmas cards made...

TTNP & Coursework

I finished both of these necklaces in my C&G course today. The top one is to be used as a 'tatting' pattern, which is one of the stitches we covered - it is from a kit by Spellbound Beads. The second one is a netting pattern, taken from the internet. I did change several things about it though, to make it my own.

A Few Things I Have Been Doing...

All for my C&G course. We have to make 6 sets of necklaces and earrings. I have yet to make the earrings for the red and black set.

I Really AM Crafting!

I have finished a necklace which is one of my final pieces for my C and G course. I need to make matching earrings for it. I am waiting for a bead delivery before I can start another necklace for the course. I also have a lariat to make and the final BIG piece for the course, which has to be from our own design. I have until November. At least I have done most of the writing up for each piece.

I do have a photograph of the finished necklace, but it is not very good, so I want to get a better one.

Diet still going well, despite a big upset yesterday, which nearly had me reaching for the biscuits. I have my first weigh-in tomorrow, so please send me really positive vibes at around 9.45am...

And More Drivel...

I have managed to stick to the diet this week and have been ignoring any points earned from exercise. Please God (or whoever) let me lose a good amount. I have made a dish from WW cookbooks all week and Mark has been glad about that! Max hasn't though - lots of, 'How much do I have to eat?' Bless him...

Crafting-wise - hmm, well I went back to my C and G course today and began to panic at how much was left to complete. I should really be sitting doing an Apache Leaf necklace rather than blogging, but I am tired and grumpy. I have been getting a craving to make some more cards but I have packed away all my papercraft stuff and really can't be bothered to dig it all out again. I did get some bargain facet beads at the shop that holds my course today - all half price! The shop is Pandorion, and they do have a web-site if you are interested.

So, no pics to show you, although I will be blogging about the fantastic bag I won from Stephanie at 'My Calico Heart'. It is really gorgous and has been put to use already!

Started at Weight Watchers!

I re-joined yesterday and it was pretty much as I expected. I managed to stick to the plan all day and even saved three points for today. I also earned three at the gym, but I am trying to ignore those to see if they help increase my loss. I made a lovely chicken korma for dinner last night, from a WW cook book. Tonight is minced beef cobbler.

I know it is too soon to make a difference, but I did feel slightly fitter walking to school today - it must be a positive mental thing!

I am still crafting. In fact, I took a cross-stitch on holiday and did loads of that. I can't take a photo though as it is going to be a gift for someone. I will post a pic when it has been given to the recipient. I am also doing some beading for my C and G course, and frantically writing up course work so I am not too far behind. The course finishes in November and I still have so much work to do.

The Thursday Night Project - 2 July

I have been playing with netting today, for one of my course final pieces. Unfortunately, this pattern was too damned difficult to pick up easily, as it only came in diagram form. I was not as impressed with the look as I had hoped from the original picture, so I have stopped and will be keeping these pieces for samples in the write up!

A Bracelet and Earring Set - C&G

...Without the earrings, which have yet to be made! I will post those when they are done. It is made up of square stitch, which I hate, but we have limited patterns to make the six sets from for the final work on the course.

C & G Course - My Own Projects

We have reached the point in the course where we have learnt all the stitches and have completed all the artwork side of things. The rest of the time is now for us to continue with making our pieces for judging. These pieces need to be the following:


6 necklace and earring sets (one necklace must be netting, and one oat spheres)

One lariat at least 32" long

Two amulet bags, one netted and one tubular peyote

One major piece - a shaped object or anything to show our skill.


For my main piece, I have decided to make a cross-stitch pattern into a square stitch picture. I was originally going to work three photographs into cross-stitch patterns and convert the colours into delica beads. However, the photos that I have chosen needed too many colours and would have cost too much. I am going to make the picture in cross-stitch instead, and may do one of the three photos in beads at a later date.

Instead, I found some lovely little charts of seaside pictures in a cross-stitch magazine. Here is one of the charts worked up in beads...

I am not a big fan of square stitch because I always seem to make it look wonky somehow - as you can see, this one does too! I have also managed to break one of the beads, so it is likely that I will think of this one as a practise piece and will work it up again.

This is going to be my lariat. It is twisted herringbone stitch and I have tried to choose colours that I would not normally put together!

C & G Amulet Purse - Finished!

Hooray! One more netted one to be made...

'Art' Picture

I had to do some craft work for my C&G course the other week and one of the pieces made me want to go further with it. So today I decided to have a go at making a picture using the same methods. This is how I did it:

• Paint background in various shades of acrylic paints
• Stick torn strips of printer paper on to the background and colour wash them too
• Stick on patches of fibrous, handmade (not by me!) paper and ensure that the edges are washed over with glue, to make sure that they stick down
• While glue is still wet, sprinkle embossing powder over and heat
• Bead a multi-coloured heart using 11 ° beads and stick to picture
• Drizzle diamond glaze in interesting squiggle shapes and sprinkle a light dusting of glitter on them
• Use a glitter glue to make blobs and drag these into points with an embossing tool
• Stamp a swirly pattern around the edge of the picture

I love the finished effect and am now deciding what to do with it. I think I will get a professional mount cut and then frame it.

Week 3 - C & G Course

Again, not a good photo! I can't wait for the summer and some decent light. Anyway, this is 'brick stitch around a large bead' - rather effective if you ignore that it looks like something out of 'Alien'! The colours really work although that doesn't show in the photo. I am planning a necklace out of it - not sure how yet though...

Week 6 - C&G Course

Pearl and Seed Bead Choker:

This is the first piece that I would actually wear (from the course). The course specified one row of right-angle weave only, so that is all we had to make. I am going to make a cuff in several rows though as I think it will be stunning!