Join me on Hochanda!

Hi Everyone

I'm posting this one day early this week as I'm going to be on Hochanda tv tomorrow at 11am, 2pm and 6pm. I will be demonstrating assorted enamelling techniques with Efco's Efcolor cool enamel powders. Here's a little taster of what's going to be on the show...

As you can see you can use Efcolor for jewellery or wall art! I will post step-by-steps for the pendants next week :)

Hochanda is temporarily not available on Freeview - however you can still watch it on other platforms e.g. Sky, FreeSat and online at www.Hochanda.com

Happy Enamelling!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter is coming...

Woohoo! Easter is just around the corner when we can all binge on chocolate without feeling quite so guilty. (Just don't weigh yourself for at least a month afterwards!) ;)

If you fancy giving someone a little gift this Easter other than chocolate though, why not try your hand at creating this personalised Post-it Note Book using a couple of Stampbord coasters as covers...

You'll be amazed at how quick and easy it is to produce really polished results!

Materials needed:
2 Stampbord Coasters (Premium Art Brands)
Old Versamark Ink Pad (Efco)
Ocean Pan Pastels Set (Premium Art Brands)
Sofft Foam Applicator (Premium Art Brands)
Rose Rubber Stamp Set (Premium Art Brands)
Alphabet Rubber Stamp Set (Efco)
Acrylic Stamp Block
Memento Black Ink Pad
Stampbord Scraper Tools (Premium Art Brands)
Graph'It Apricot Alcohol Pen (Premium Art Brands)
Graph'It Blender Alcohol Pen (Premium Art Brands)
Gold Graph'It Shake Pen (Premium Art Brands)
Baby Wipe
Matt Spray Varnish
Co-ordinating Coloured Card
Embossing Tool, Craft Knife, Ruler & Cutting Mat
Double-sided Tape
Square Post-it Note Pad (76x76mm)

Step 1. Ink up a Stampbord coaster with an old Versamark Ink Pad.

Step 2. Use a large Sofft sponge to apply the bright yellow green PanPastel from the Ocean set across the middle of the coaster in one direction.

Step 3. Apply the some turquoise PanPastel across the top edge, blending it into the bright yellow green in the middle. Then apply some phthalo green PanPastel across the bottom edge, again blending it into the middle.

Step 4. Ink up the funky flower stamp with black Memento ink and stamp it in the middle, along the phthalo green edge.

Step 5. Re-ink the stamp and stamp it at a slightly different angle off one side of the Stampbord to fill in the gap. Repeat for the other side to fill the entire bottom edge of the Stampbord with stamped flowers.

Step 6. Spell out your chosen name using the alphabet stamps on the acrylic block. (Remember to spell it backwards when the stamps are face up so that when you flip the block over it will be the correct way.) Ink up using the Memento ink pad and stamp it across the top of the Stampbord.

Step 7. Use the scraper tools to scratch away the PanPastels inside some of the stamped flowers.

Step 8. Colour the white flowers using the Apricot Graph'It pen. Use the Blender pen to create highlights giving them a more dimensional feel.

Step 9. Use a scraper tool to scratch a rough border around the stamped name.

Step 10. Repeat Steps 1-3 for the back panel. Stamp a couple of faux hinges at the top edge using the Fleur De Lis Stamp from the Roses Stamp set. Spray both covers with a good coat of Matt Varnish.

Step 11. Use a baby wipe to remove any PanPastel from the edges of the Stampbord panels.

Step 12. Colour the edges with the Gold Graph'It Shake pen.

Step 13. Stick the back panel to a piece of scrapbook card (see photo) using double-sided tape. Crease the card along the top edge of the Stampbord with an embossing tool.

Step 14. Measure the depth of your Post-it Note pad (the standard size is usually 1cm) and score the card this distance from the first score line.

Step 15. Stick the front cover, in line with the back cover, along the second score line.

Step 16. Trim the excess card with a sharp craft knife before sticking your Post-it Note pad inside.

You could scrape away more PanPastels to colour in more flowers or alternatively use a different stamp, perhaps one that you think would suit the recipient's interests or hobbies or just stamp/write a message on the front instead. Quite frankly the possibilities are endless when it comes to personalising a Stampbord Post-It Note Book!

Happy Crafting!

Oops! Where did Friday go?!?!

It's been a busy old week as I've been galavanting around Yorkshire! :) Sadly it rained for most of the time (even snowed a little) but we did have one day of sunshine...

Everywhere I went there were loads of snowdrops...

And there was lots of wildlife around too! See if you can spot the Easter bunny in this picture...

So having returned from my jaunt north of Watford Gap here's a quick and simple project for you this week...

Neon Efcolor Pendant!

Materials needed:
Black, Neon Pink and Neon Orange Efcolor Powders
Square Copper Pendant Blank
Scroll Heart Stencil
Efcolor Tealight Stove
Jump ring and rubber necklace
Fine Sandpaper and Pliers
(All materials available from Efco)

Step 1. Lightly sand both sides of the copper blank to remove any grease and help the Efcolor powders key in.

Step 2. Cover the back of the copper blank with a layer of black Efcolor powder. Heat on the tea light stove until the enamel has melted.

Step 3. When cool, cover the front with a random mix of neon pink and orange powders.

Step 4. Make sure to place the blank on the stand before heating it on the tea light stove. Leave the blank on the stand to cool once the powder has melted. 

Top Tip: The straighter it is on the stand the less chance you have of nicking the edges.

Step 5. Remove the blank from the stand when cool and place it on your scrap paper. Lay the stencil over the blank and cover with a thin layer of black Efcolor powder - just enough to block out the colours underneath.

Step 6. Carefully lift the stencil slightly to be able to slide it over to the side. Place the blank back on the tea light stove to melt the black powder. Leave it to cool on the stand too.

Step 7. Once cool attach it to your necklace with a jump ring.

Happy Crafting!

New Texture Mats from Efco

Efco have released twelve new Texture Mats for use with polymer clay as well as stamping and adult colouring...

This ring has been created using the new Ammonite Texture Mat.

The twelve new designs are:

13. Drops

14. Mechanics

15. Africa

16. Watches

17. Poetry

18. Dragon

19. Music

20. Indian Elephants

21. Sealife

22. Dimensions

23. Ammonites

24. Wonderland

If you want to create your own polymer clay jewellery using Texture Mats check out the Sutton Slice Ring (PC/0009) Project Sheet available at on page 1 of the Polymer Clay section of www.Projects4Crafters.com.

Happy Crafting!