Oops! Missed again!

Ok, so maybe England's first decent summer since my childhood (if I can remember back that far) was not the best time to get back into blogging... yes I missed last Friday... again...lots going on with the family meant that I completely forgot when it came to the day :( 

This week I've been so busy getting ready for an appearance on Jewellery Maker TV next Monday afternoon that yet another Friday almost slipped past me... but I caught it just in time to realise that I hadn't prepared anything for it... sorry! (Note to self: must try harder!)

On a positive note I've almost cleared the space in the garden for my studio shed...fingers crossed I make it out of the dining room before the year is out!

Can't wait til Monday when I will get to show everyone that tunes into JM tv's Designer Inspiration show the new techniques I've come up with for Efcolor enamelling. Here's a little teaser to whet your appetite... hope you can join me!

Efcolor and Paracord braiding

Ok...excuses for not blogging last Friday...

1. The dog ate my blog post
2. I was kidnapped by aliens
3. There was no Friday last week
4. I was so busy getting ready for the enamelling demo at Colemans Craft Warehouse on Saturday that I completely forgot!

I leave it to you to decide which one was most likely ;)

The demo was an absolute hoot by the way, despite the fact that there was a grand prix at Silverstone just down the road and there were 3 tennis finals matches at Wimbledon, as well as numerous other events and fairs going on in and around the neighbourhood. I'm so grateful to everyone who did manage to tear themselves away from the tv or other exciting events, brave the weather and drop in to Colemans. I hope you all enjoyed the usual friendly welcome from the lovely Colemans staff (not to mention the yummy tea and cake) and managed to take advantage of all the crafty bargains on offer!

There were a couple of things that interested people the most and they were the swirled effect I had created with the Efcolor and the paracord bands that I had attached some enamelled blanks to.

I will be producing a project sheet for anyone who needs reminders on how to create the swirled effect, but for those of you who can't wait here's a quick reminder...

First basecoat your blank with white, ivory or black Efcolor powder. Then, when cool, cover with another layer of the base colour before adding some random lines of other colours. Place the blank back on the tealight stove until the powder has melted. Then, whilst it is still on the stove, carefully drag a pointed tool (such as a needle tool or fine embossing tool) through the melted enamel, swirling the colours. Leave the blank on the stove to allow the enamel to settle and smooth out any major grooves created by the tool before removing. 

Paracord braiding is very popular at the moment. I found out from one Colemans visitor that the idea originally came from the military as the cord used in the bands is the same lightweight nylon kemmantle used in parachutes. The military found the cord so useful that it is now considered a general purpose utility cord and has been used by paratroopers in the field for all sorts of things. Hikers and outdoor sports enthusiasts use 'survival bracelets' made from several feet of paracord as part of their emergency kit. The bracelets are a compact convenient way to carry a length of rope which can be unraveled to be used for all sorts of things such as to secure cargo, fixing broken straps, or as a tourniquet. 

Now that they are becoming a bit of a fashion statement I thought it might be fun to combine Efcolor enamelling with the new craft craze...

Cobra paracord weave

Viper paracord weave

So, when enamelling, make sure you use a blank which has two holes so that once you have finished your masterpiece you can sew it with some transparent thread to attach it to your braid. :)

How to carve a soapstone owl...

If you purchased one of Efco's rough cut soapstone owls from the Create and Craft Show here's a few pointers for how to go about carving it...

Use a rasp to shape the body, smoothing out the rough edges.

Use the shaped rasps to create the wings. Sandpaper can be used in tight corners if necessary.

Use finer grades of sandpaper to really smooth out the wings. (If you want to you can leave the body with a little texture to give a contrast to the wings and the impression of ruffled feathers.)

Use the diamond files to shape the head, carving out the eye sockets, eyes and beak. Use sandpaper to smooth the surface.

Use the diamond files again to shape the claws out of the base.

For a super smooth finish use fine grade wet sandpaper on the wings and head, and then polish with Efco's soapstone polishing cream to bring out it's natural qualities.

Changing my Blog Day...

Well, another Monday has come and gone without a blog post and I have come to the conclusion that maybe Monday is just not my day to blog. 

It had been such a simple plan... thinking that the weekends would be my own to do with what I will, I naturally thought I'd have all the time in the world throughout Saturday and Sunday to come up with some interesting (and hopefully a few awesome) blog posts! Ha ha! Life, it appears, has other plans for my weekends, namely family or recovering from family visits... how did life get so busy? 

I don't have kids of my own so naturally I never thought that I'd be the one up at 2am... and 3am... and then 4am waiting for a text message from an eighteen year old travelling to New Zealand for a rugby training 'holiday' whose mobile phone credit ran out on him just as he reached Dubai. :S (The joys of Auntyhood I s'pose!)

So I've decided to give up on the 'Monday is my Blog Day' mantra and go for another day instead....hmmm....which day to pick now... I could go for Wednesday but then Wednesday is WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday) but seeing as my workdesk is always so messy these days I couldn't possibly post photos of it (far too embarrassing!)... maybe Thursday or Friday? It could work out as I would have time during the week to prepare posts...but which would be best?! I think I will just have to try it and see.

So, how's everyone else's week turning out so far... enjoying the cricket (doubtful), the footie (definitely not) or maybe the tennis (possibly)... or how about the weather (definitely!). I do hope the sun has been shining wherever you are. :) Catch ya Thursday... or maybe Friday....hmmm...

Dean Wilson, Artist extraordinaire!

I know, blogging 3 times in one week (can you stand the shock?!) but I just had to share these pics of Dean Wilson from Create and Craft tv... he was such a happy camper playing with the soapstone! I've never had a C&C presenter stay longer than it takes me to pack up after the show - he soooo wanted to finish his heart. I think if he'd had the time he would have spent the rest of the afternoon soapstone carving. :)

Busy little bee :)

Proud owner of a soapstone heart

Dean was such a pleasure to work with... thanks Dean!

Fingers crossed that if I do another soapstone show it's with Dean...now, what should I get him carving next time... hmmm...maybe a fish....?

If you bought any of the soapstone kits please do send me photos of what you create so I can share them with everyone...it's great to inspire others with what you create :)

I'm off to Cochester tomorrow for the Franklins felting workshop...another day of fun...it's a hard job but somebody's gotta do it eh!?! he he he!...

 

Create & Craft Soapstone Show

I don't believe it... for once I'm prepared, post all ready to go and scheduled to publish first thing Monday morning and what happens.... technology lets me down! This should have automatically published this morning (as I knew I'd be doing an excellent impersonation of a headless chicken - perfected over many years - getting ready for the tv show) and did it?!?.... one word... NO!.....RATS!!!!!!

Well, it's still Monday and having had such a fabulous time with Dean on Create and Craft I've decided not to throw my computer out the window (the thought did fleetingly cross my mind) and instead am manually posting it now...

Woohoo! At last, after several false starts, the Create and Craft Soapstone Show is finally happening at 5pm this afternoon... I can't wait! If you've never sculpted before and fancy trying your hand at it then I suggest you check it out as it is a really easy way to get started. Also, if you are a jewellery maker or beader then you may find it interesting to know that you can sculpt your own beads and pendants from soapstone too!

To give you an idea of what it's all about here's an example of how to sculpt a dolphin from soapstone using one of Efco's soapstone kits available on the show.

You start with the rough shape - with some of the Efco kits this will have been done for you already which is great if you've never done anything like this before.

The rasps are the first tools that you use to refine the shape more to what you want. So, starting with the coarser ends and progressing onto the finer ends remove all the hard edges and create a more streamlined dolphin shape.

You can use the diamond files to add finer detail but with the dolphin they are not really needed, so you can move straight onto sanding. Start with the coarser grade papers and finish with the finer one to remove the worst of the rasp lines.

When you are happy with it you can progress onto the wet sandpapers (again, starting with the coarser ones and progressing onto the finer ones), until your dolphin is smooth all over and any sanding lines have been removed.

At this point, if you have any Soapstone Oil you can paint it on, but otherwise proceed straight to polishing with the Soapstone Polish and polishing cloth. You will find that all the detail in the soapstone is brought out with the polish and you should finish with a beautiful shine.

Soapstone has different qualities and colours depending on what part of the world it comes from, but each region produces soapstone with it's own unique beauty.

Check out the Projects4Crafters facebook page for more soapstone inspiration :)


 

Oops! I missed last Monday... sorry!

Well, I appear to have fallen at the first major hurdle and totally forgot to blog last Monday :(

Admittedly there were extenuating circumstances... namely that my whole week got turned upside down! Not to mention I was up at 4.30am on Sunday to fly my niece back from Ireland after the funeral and then had to return to the airport at 11.15pm to pick up my brother and sister-in-law so I was totally wrecked on Monday. I also had to run a few errands for them in the morning before they headed home to Belgium and then I had a lovely trip to my wonderful dentist to have one of my wisdom teeth filled... trust me I need all the wisdom I can hold onto so it was definitely vital I had it done! I also ended up having my niece out from school for the day as she was too tired to go back as usual Sunday night. At least after a day of sleeping and revision she felt almost able to cope with her iGCSE the next day...boy, they may be many (and I mean many) years ago but I still remember the days of O level and A level anxiety and stress... I'm sooooo glad I don't have to worry about exams any more, although, I don't know about you, but I think it's almost as awful watching the next generation go through the same stress now. Hey ho, nothing I can do except make sure chai lattes and pancakes are available as needed ;)

But somehow I still feel like a total fail :( At least this week I'm prepared and am all set to go for tomorrow's post :) Quite frankly I had to be ready ahead of schedule this week as I will be doing a live Create and Craft show with Dean Wilson at 5pm tomorrow, so I hope you can join me for a spot of soapstone carving then! Here's a little taster of what you can expect...

Soapstone Pendant

Simple Soapstone Fish

Soapstone Bead