It could go on a key ring, but really it's more of a fidget toy: I just like the sound the beads make when I play with them 🙂 It started off as a way to practise manipulating wire with jewellery pliers, putting beads on head pins and creating a loop to hang them from.… Continue reading Beaded key dangle
I'm sure that if the internet and YouTube didn't exist I would still be happily drawing away with a black fineliner or copying other people's art with cheap gouache paints. After all, that's the sort of thing I was doing in my early 20s. But we do have the internet and YouTube, and so I… Continue reading A first try at weaving
I've been thinking about getting some Powertex for ages. At its simplest, it is a fabric hardener, but it can also be used for all sorts of modelling and mixed media. It has the advantage of being weatherproof once it has cured for a few weeks, so you can make things for display outside. Rather… Continue reading Powertex hares
The last in my series of amigurumi throwback posts. These are the ones that just didn't fit into the other categories. Puppy Not one of my favourite patterns. I'm not sure what it is — I suspect it's just the way my brain works — but occasionally a finished toy will end up feeling like… Continue reading Amigurumi: the rest
The fifth in my series of amigurumi throwback posts. Most of the patterns I've made end up being only a few inches tall, but there have been a few larger creations. Curious alien They do warn you that the feet can be a bit tricky to make, but the pattern is well written so just… Continue reading Amigurumi: bigger
The fourth in my series of amigurumi throwback posts and this one gathers together the birds and sea creatures. Owlets I think this was the first amigurumi pattern I crocheted and it's a good introduction to making little critters. It doesn't take long, but it manages to introduce a number of techniques: crocheting in rounds… Continue reading Amigurumi: air & water
The third in my series of amigurumi throwback posts and this one is all about the mammals: mostly British wildlife, but a cute little koala did manage to creep in there as well. Badger I did have an idea at one point to make a very geeky series of crochet animals. The Ubuntu operating system… Continue reading Amigurumi: wildlife
The first amigurumi pattern book I bought was Amigurumi World which, as advertised, contained some seriously cute crochet including the bunnies from my first throwback post. After that, I needed something to counter the cuteness and I found the perfect antidote in Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. The patterns all use the same basic… Continue reading Amigurumi: Creepy Cute Crochet
I decided that the time had come to clear my desk. I had too many half-finished projects lying around and they were all taking up too much brain space and causing stress because they weren't being done. I needed to make space for new things. I'm not counting the stack of backgrounds I've made or… Continue reading Tree and moon pendant
And now for something completely different. This is something I have been fascinated by since the first time I came across it. I really don't have room for a full encaustic hotplate — and it would be quite an investment on a whim — so I settled for getting a starter kit with an iron… Continue reading Encaustic landscape
I'd been thinking about doing a couple of blog posts with some of the amigurumi I crocheted before I started making cards — after all, I did set this blog up as a way to record the things I create so why not include some throwback crafts into the mix. When I realised that I… Continue reading Amigurumi: throwback
My other half was telling me about a work colleague who had described themselves as being "a rubbish friend". My brain decided that what I needed to do now was to make him an actual rubbish friend. My first thought was to start off with an empty toilet roll and make a doll-like friend, but… Continue reading Rubbish owl
Not everything has to be a card. I coloured this over a year ago, laminated it and stuck it up on the wall on the landing just above where things that need to be put in the loft tend to accumulate. Completely missing out the "take photos for the blog" stage. In an attempt to… Continue reading Loft notice
Now that I’m all caught up with the outstanding card blog posts, I can start writing up the other bits that are scattered around my craft room. This was directly inspired by Emma’s dragon eggs over at Puddleside Musings. Emma was wondering about ways to add colour to her shiny silver eggs and that got… Continue reading Purple dragon egg
This was the result of two things meeting: my desire to try something different to kickstart my mojo which was in a dire slump after Christmas and my need for a birthday present for my brother's other half. She likes jewellery, I'd never made jewellery before. Perfect match 🙂 I didn't completely throw myself in… Continue reading Three strand bracelet
Crafty Rat 