Before I created the alcohol ink landscape I used for my brother's birthday card, I had a number of practice attempts... I was following the basic instructions in Alcohol Ink Dreamscaping, working out what I liked and didn't. I'm not so keen on spritzing alcohol (that seems even less predictable than laying down the inks… Continue reading Alcohol ink landscapes
This one I blame Nancee for 🙂 I'd seen paper beads before but they'd never made it onto my must try list — yes, it was a use for leftover patterned paper, but at the end of the day you had paper beads and that didn't really inspire me. Then I saw Nancee's What to… Continue reading Paper bead bracelet
Q. What to do with an offcut of lino that is too big to throw away but not really big enough to create a detailed scene...? A. Use it to practise carving smooth curving lines and delicate straight ones. the carved lino (even though it looks like the lines are raised) Q. What to do… Continue reading Lino print: Curved lines
I had only done one proper linocut (rather than stamp carving) before I made this one in June last year. I was prompted, quite literally, to do it by the announcement of that month's printing prompt from Handprinted (a UK shop dedicated to all supplies print-related) over on Instagram. The theme was experiment. the design… Continue reading Lino print: Experiment
I made this for my other half at his request. Well, technically, he did only ask for a laminated card with "morning" on one side and "evening" on the other but I couldn't bring myself to just do that. He has medication to take in the morning and evening and he is terrible at remembering… Continue reading Morning-Evening card
This card mask has been floating around my craft room for an absolute age, waiting for the right idea to come along. My first thought was to create a green-man-styled mask with lots of foliage, but that never got past the thinking about stage, though I still think it could work nicely, especially now I… Continue reading Gold mask
I've been debating with myself whether to post this or not. It is finished and it is functional, but I may well remake it. It's actually the second time I've made this design — the first time was before I'd bought some proper jewellery wire so I had a practice with some thin craft wire.… Continue reading Egyptian-style bracelet
While browsing around Etsy, probably prompted by something seen on Instagram, I found A Little Vintage. In amongst the dolls and other items with faces or eyes (which are absolutely not for me although I do appreciate the work involved in all of them), I found her fungi. Not something I had come across before,… Continue reading Fabric mushroom
Series: Wanderlust 2021 #07 The previous mandalas I've made have been quite precise, with all the colouring done carefully inside the lines. The aim with this one was to be much looser and relaxed, to the extent that the initial long petal shapes were painted before the outlines were drawn. It goes against my instincts… Continue reading Wanderlust: mandala
Series: Mandala Makers 2020 #3 After going back to black and white basics for week two of Rachel Evans White’s free Mandala Makers 2020 class, week three drew inspiration from natural forms, reintroduced colour, and used the mandala as a frame for text. Once again, I am making no effort to plan these designs, I… Continue reading Mandala #3
Crafty Rat 