A Host of Beaded Angels

Hi Everyone

This week I have some little beaded angels for you. They are quick and simple to make and can be used as decorations for small Christmas trees or as embellishments for bookmarks, bag, glass or phone charms.

The basic principle for making them are as follows:

Step 1. Take a headpin and straighten it out with your fingers.

Step 2. Slide on your 'body' bead. (Ideally this bead needs to be a large bead but alternatively can be two beads of varying sizes.)

Step 3. Then slide on the wings bead, followed by the 'head' bead and two flat sequins.

Step 4. Bend the top of the headpin at a right angle just above the sequins.

Step 5. Place jewellery pliers on top of the headpin and wrap the wire around one end. Use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to pull the wire tight creating a closed loop.

Step 6. Trim the excess wire with wire cutters before flattening and straightening the loop with the needle-nosed pliers.

Step 7. Temporarily open up the loop again to attach it to a metal bookmark or mobile phone/bag hanger or thread it onto some invisible thread to hang as a Christmas decoration.

And here are a selection of different angels with a material list for each one (Efco Product Codes in Brackets)...

Tools: Jewellery & Needle-Nosed Pliers, Wire Cutters

Gold-Plated Headpin (21 637 95)

White Glass Wax Bead 19x13mm (21 359 01)

Gold Metal Wing Bead 19mm (24 804 02)

Culture Wax Bead 6mm (10 311 03)

Gold Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 95)

Gold-Plated Headpin (21 637 95)

Cognac Glass Wax Bead 19x13mm (21 359 76)

Gold Metal Wing Bead 19mm (24 804 02)

Culture Wax Bead 6mm (10 311 03)

Gold Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 95)

Gold-Plated Headpin (21 637 95)

Mauve Glass Wax Bead 19x13mm (21 359 43)

Copper Metal Wing Bead 23mm (24 802 05)

Light Pink Luster Matt Glass Wax Bead 6mm (21 337 32)

Gold Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 95)

Silver-Plated Headpin (21 637 91)

Brilliant White Glass Silky Triangle Bead 23x12mm (21 349 01)

Copper Metal Wing Bead 23mm (24 802 05)

Light Pink Luster Matt Glass Wax Bead 6mm (21 337 32)

Silver Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 91)

Silver-Plated Headpin (21 637 91)

Crystal Brilliance Glass Facet Bead 6x8mm (21 298 01)

Crystal Brilliance Glass Facet Bead 4x6mm (21 297 01)

Silver Metal Wing Bead 23mm (24 800 01)

Transparent AB Glass Round Bead 6mm (21 275 00)

Silver Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 91)

Gold-Plated Headpin (21 637 95)

Cream Luster Glass Wax Bead 8mm (21 172 02)

Culture Wax Bead 6mm (10 311 03)

Gold Metal Wing Bead 19mm (24 804 02)

Light Pink Luster Matt Glass Wax Bead 6mm (21 337 32)

Gold Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 95)

Silver-Plated Headpin (21 637 91)

Crystal AB Swarovski Facet Bead 6mm (21 051 02)

Crystal AB Swarovski Facet Bead 4mm (21 050 02)

Silver Metal Wing Bead 23mm (24 800 01)

Silver Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 91)

Gold-Plated Headpin (21 637 95)

Fuchsia Swarovski Facet Bead 6mm (21 051 36)

Fuchsia Swarovski Facet Bead 4mm (21 050 36)

Gold Metal Wing Bead 19mm (24 804 02)

Crystal AB Swarovski Facet Bead 6mm (21 051 02)

Gold Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 95)

Silver-Plated Headpin (21 637 91)

Clear Silver Glass Metallic Bead 18x13mm (21 370 01)

Copper Metal Wing Bead 23mm (24 802 05)

Culture Wax Bead 6mm (10 311 03)

Silver Flat Round Sequins 6mm (10 269 91)

Happy crafting everyone!

Gingerbread Cottage Centrepiece

Hi Everyone

There are only 15 more weeks until Christmas 2016 so here's my first Christmas project for this year. :) 

It's a Gingerbread Cottage table centrepiece for sweets or a small gift or two...

Materials needed:

Papp Art Cottage (26 342 56)

Cernit Roller (79 999 02)

Cernit Knife (79 999 03)

Cernit Tools (79 999 06)

Flower Cookie Cutter (35 370 05)

Cernit No.1 (79 41. ..)

- Brown, Red, Black, White, Yellow & Green 

Oven & Oven Thermometer

Optional: Pasta Machine

Step 1. Condition some brown clay either by rolling it out several times or running it through the pasta machine several times. Once conditioned, roll out a thin sheet and cover one end of the house, wrapping it around the rim of the roof and the sides. 

Step 2. Use the plastic knife tool to smooth down the edges on top of the roof and at the sides. Cut along the edge of the lid. 

Repeat Steps 1-2 for the other three sides.

Step 3. Roll out a sheet of red Cernit to approx 1mm thick and cut rectangles 35 x 22mm. Use a large flower cutter to make a curved edge at one end of each rectangle to create roof shingles.

Step 4. Attach shingles along the bottom edge of the roof so that the curved edges hang over by approx 8mm. Smooth the top edges with a knife tool so you loose the hard edge. Cut a shingle in two to start the second row so that the shingles are staggered. Add a third row above that.

Step 5. Wrap the chimney in a thin layer of brown clay, smoothing the bottom edges down. Condition and roll out a small piece of black Cernit. Cut out a square to cover the top of the chimney, pressing it down and smoothing the join with the brown clay with your finger. 

Cut another shingle in two to start either end of the fourth row. Add another whole shingle to beside both half shingles.

Step 6. Cut sections out of two more shingles to fit them around the chimney.

Step 7. Repeat for the other side of the roof. Then cut out four more rectangles and curve both ends with the flower cutter to create ridge tiles. Lay them over the top edge of the roof.

Step 8. Condition some red and white Cernit before rolling them out into long thin rolls. 

Step 9. Twist the two clays together to create a long candy striped roll.

Step 10. Use the candy striped roll to edge the roof along the front, back and along the top ridge. Also edge the chimney with it.

Step 11. Roll out some more red and white Cernit. Lay the white on top of the red and gently roll over the top to bond the clays together. Cut it into a long strip before rolling it tightly into a 'swiss roll' cane.

Step 12. Continue to roll the 'swiss roll' cane, gently pulling and squeezing to reduce the size of it and also lengthen it. Then roll out another thin sheet of red Cernit. Cut one straight edge and start to wrap it around the cane. Cut the excess at the other edge so that there is only one layer wrapped around the cane. Trim both ends of the cane to neaten.

Step 13. Cut two thick slices of the 'swiss roll' cane and wrap them in some of the candy stripe cane. Cut four more slices and lay them aside. 

Cut a section of the 'swiss roll' cane and roll it out to reduce and lengthen it. Cut 10 slices of the reduced cane.

Cut another section from the reduced cane and reduce it yet further for the door knob.

Step 14. Condition some yellow and green Cernit. Create similar sized blocks from the clay before cutting them into small equal sized pieces. Then roll some into balls and flatten them slightly for 'smarties'. Roll others into small rolls and then slightly curve them for 'jelly beans'.

Step 15. Cut two lengths of the striped cane approx 6cm long and curve over the tops to create two little candy canes. Press the curved over tops together to create the edges of the door. 

Condition and roll out some black Cernit and use this to fill in the door with rows of 'liquorice'. Cut a slice of the really reduced 'swiss roll' cane and press it onto the black for a door knob.

 Step 16. For the windows roll some black into a 'liquorice roll'. Pinch it slightly to shape it into more of a square before wrapping it with some candy cane. Make another square window for the front and a rectangular window for the back.

Step 17. Press the door and square windows to the bottom of the front. Add a 'swiss roll' candy edge cane piece above the door.

Condition some more black Cernit and make it into a small roll. Join the ends to create a small ring for a chimney pot. Press this onto the top of the chimney.

Step 18. Press a large 'swiss roll' slice in the middle of either side of the box. Carefully press 'jelly beans' around the bottom edge of the house. Press 'smarties' along the bottom edge of the box lid above the door and windows. Add small 'swiss roll' slices in the spaces around the candy cane trimmed slice and either side of the large 'swiss roll' slice.

Step 19. Press the rectangular window in the centre on the back. Add a large 'swiss roll' slice either side of the window. Press a candy cane trimmed slice above the window and add small slices around it. Add more 'jelly beans' to the bottom edge of the box base and 'smarties' along the bottom edge of the box lid.

Make sure you can lift the lid and that it hasn't got stuck to the bottom before you bake it. Place the box on a ceramic tile to bake it for 30 minutes following the manufacturer's instructions. Then leave to cool and you are done!

Happy crafting!

Vintage Gilded Paint Rack

Hi Everyone,

Summer is almost over and the kids are about to go back to school so I'm sure you all know what that means.... yep, it's that time of year again, when everyone starts digging out all their craft supplies and gets back into creative mode, yay!

After a really nasty gastro bug which lasted over two weeks I've finally managed to get back into the studio this week. So my first craft project after my hiatus ended up being a paint rack I picked up at Coleman's Craft Warehouse when I did the napkin decoupage demo back in August...

Materials needed:

MDF Paint Rack

White Acrylic

Vintage Collage Napkin (16 604 08)

Ultra Matt Chalk Mod Podge (62 249 11)

Flat Brush & Small Round Brush

Black Gesso

Pale Gold Gilding Wax (Pebeo)

Tissue

Step 1. Make up the paint rack following the manufacturer's instructions.

Step 2. Paint the sides of the rack with white acrylic and leave to dry.

Step 3. Apply a coat of Mod Podge over the painted top and then apply a piece of napkin over the top, lining up the edge of the napkin with the front edge of the rack. Pat it down to make sure it is stuck and then carefully apply more Mod Podge over the top.

Step 4. Use a wet paint brush to remove the excess napkin.

Step 5. Apply another couple of layers of Mod Podge over the top, leaving to dry between coats.

Step 6. Repeat Steps 3-5 for both sides.

Step 7. Paint all the edges with black gesso and leave to dry.

Step 8. Pick up a little gilding wax on a piece of tissue and lightly brush over the napkin decoupaged surface, being careful to avoid the recessed tabs.

Step 9. Carefully brush gilding wax over the gessoed edges.

Step 10. For added protection you can paint the sides and edges with another layer of Mod Podge.

Et voila! I decided not to bother filling in the tab recesses as I was too impatient and I didn't think it really mattered anyway, but you could fill them with standard filler if you wanted to before decorating.

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Terracotta Elephant

Hi Everyone

I had a lovely day with everyone at Coleman's Craft Warehouse yesterday. As usual there was tea and coffee with biscuits and cake on offer on their big demo day and always a happy smile and a warm welcome. It was great to meet up with old friends as well as make some new ones :) and I was pleased to see there was interest for both napkin decoupage and Efco's new Easy Rust. Easy Rust Paste is not only great for creating terracotta ornaments as seen below but can also be used to create rust effects on altered art projects in the same way as Prima's Rust Paste Set - more on that in my next blog post ;)

For those who are interested here are the instructions for how I created the terracotta Elephant...

First you need a paper mache elephant...

Then basecoat it with a good layer of Efco Easy Rust Paste. When dry add touches of the other Efco Easy Rust Paste. (It doesn't matter which way round you do this..ie dark first, light second or vice versa.)

When dry use either pva glue or Mod Podge to add patches of gold leaf...

Then roughly cover over the gold leaf with more Easy Rust Paste except for the tusks and eyes...

Coat the exposed gold leaf with sealer (or weatherproof varnish if you are planning on keeping your elephant outside) to stop the gold leaf from tarnishing.

What you will find is that the 'hidden' gold leaf peaks out in places giving the whole thing a lift or a little life.

As Easy Rust Paste is weather resistant, provided you have thoroughly covered your elephant (including the soles of his/her feet) you can keep it in the garden. It's a very cheap way of creating terracotta sculptures for your summer garden!

Of course if you prefer your elephants a touch more colourful then you could always try napkin decoupage instead... ;)

I used one napkin to create this decorative effect. First I base coated the elephant with white acrylic paint and left it to dry. In the meantime I 'cut' out the butterfly and flower motifs from the napkin using a fine wet brush to trace around each one, gently pulling them apart. Then I painted a thin coat of Mod Podge on a small area and gently patted a motif in place, applying more Mod Podge over the top working from the centre of the motif to the outer edges. I repeated this for each motif until the elephant was covered. Then I applied 2-3 more coats of Mod Podge all over, allowing 20 minutes drying time between coats.

Again this elephant can go outside in the garden provided you use the Mod Podge Exterior paste and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Happy Crafting Everyone!



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Easy Rust is a must...

Hi Everyone

It's been a hectic few weeks so sorry for not getting a chance to blog and it's going to have to be a short one this week too as I'm jetting off to Belfast tomorrow to see my niece perform in her first Youth Musical Theatre summer production. I do hope everyone is enjoying the sunny weather but still finding time for a little therapeutic creativity on the side. ;)

If you haven't discovered Efco's Easy Rust yet then check this out...

It's a paste that can be used on wood, plastic, metal, ceramic and even Efco's Papp Art shapes such as this gecko. When dry it is both weather resistant and lightfast!

The paste comes in two colours... the terracotta (as seen above) and a darker brown. It's also available as a lighter coloured liquid in a bottle.

You can mix the pastes on the same piece to give greater texture and depth to the colour...

Using Easy Rust paste is a great way to make cheap papier maché pieces look like expensive terracotta. Provided you give your Papp Art two good coats of the paste making sure that no papier maché is exposed you can even put your finished pieces in the garden during spring and summer as they should be weather resistant.

Happy Crafting everyone... :)

Efcolor Ebook

Hi Everyone

I've got a new ebook available to view on issuu.

You will find a total of 12 Efcolor cool enamelling projects (many of which have appeared on Hochanda tv) within this ebook. I hope you like it!

One of the projects you'll find in it is the Garden Plaque...

For this one you need to first enamel it with white Efcolor...

Then add another layer of white Efcolor with a very light dusting of light turquoise. Add some light green along the bottom edge with touches of dark green, mallow, mauve and light blue before reheating it...

Then you can stamp your flowers and grasses with assorted StazOn ink pads and the bird with black StazOn ink. Add a little cognac Efcolor for the body of the bird and once reheated and cooled add a touch of blue acrylic for the rest of the bird's body. To finish add a thin layer of transparent Efcolor to seal everything in...

Happy enamelling everyone! :)