#256

Since the inspection last week, I’ve been taking it easy and trying not to mess the place up again too soon. So I’ve been playing around with the friendship bracelet kit, plaiting and cross stitching and fiddling as I watch Netflix (so many shows, so little time.)
Today I began another bracelet, trying the wheel with the stripes on it. Using one of my favourite colour combinations of pink, cerulean blue, lime green and purple. I first fell in love with these colours when they happened to be the colours of shampoo bottles, piled together on the side of the bath one day. At a stretch, orange can be added to the mix, but I’m not a fan of orange, so I tend to leave it out unless I need an extra colour, but black probably works better, depending on the look you want.

#255

Finally another inspection over and it was shopping day.
Before my body decided I needed to go home, I picked up a box of friendship bracelet thread , that came with a kit and strange circles. While I was bored in the evening, I decided to try to see what the discs did, and was pleasantly wowed. By putting 16 threads into slots and basically moving one thread up and one thread down, turning slightly and repeating, you end up with a pattern coming out the other end. This amazed me quite a bit, as I am still unable to see how it’s done. My partner deduced the use of dark magics were involved.
I always liked the look of friendship bracelets, but never had the patience. First time, I didn’t have the patience to learn. Then, when I did, I didn’t have the motivation to continue them for long enough, and would plait most of the bracelets length, let alone make two.
I also picked up a magazine, at the shop, that had some quilling supplies attached, including quilling paper, a slotted tool, and a sizing and shaping board, all of which would have equalled the price of the magazine itself normally. Also the magazine has some lovely ideas, not only cards, which is great for a multicrafter, like me.

#254

Just a quick photo to try and show the actual colour of the wool I’m using. At least the ball is big enough for a scarf and hat…and mittens, and shoes and marker covers… Maybe just a really long scarf.

#253

Scarf is slowly getting longer. I can only do a few rows at a time, so I’m surprised it’s this long already. Apparently, I get bored with stitches more often than I thought, as I was expecting at least a few longer blocks. Whatever keeps me going, I suppose. I had to change to my ducky needles, as the metal ones were too long for the project, and kept banging on the computer table. Being plastic, they don’t do the nice click-clack sound properly, but they have ducks, so I forgive them.
It is duck season, after all.

#252

I went into the city to have lunch with my partner and go to the craft shops. I set aside two hours to shop, but I ran out of money in half an hour. I bought green and black fabric for the beanbag chair and also a zip for it.
I’d seen a few cards lately using a branch punch, so I wanted to see what I could do with one. Apart from wreaths and foliage behind flowers, it could be used for reindeer antlers, distant large trees… Or close up small trees. I was going to get the large one, which cost almost double, but this one is quite a nice size still (2.5cm/1 inch high.) If I need a larger amount of branches, I can just add more pieces.
I’m the kind of person who is rather clumsy, especially with food and always gets stains on my shirts. One of these shirts is a lovely white batman shirt with a lovely chocolate stain on Batman’s face. In an effort to cover this stain, I thought I could add a little artistic flair and add some yellow fabric marker to lessen the noticeability of the stain. I had a packet of sharpie fabric markers, but I didn’t have any yellows, which would suit not only this shirt, but a Transformers Bumblebee shirt that I’d like to add some colour to.
The only problem with buying this stuff today is, when I got home, I found out we have yet another inspection (a month early. :/) So my plans of completing my craft room properly, along with any other plans will be put on hold, and rushed to be tidy.
I don’t think they’ll believe we have two junk rooms…

#252

I went into the city to have lunch with my partner and go to the craft shops. I set aside two hours to shop, but I ran out of money in half an hour. I bought green and black fabric for the beanbag chair and also a zip for it.
I’d seen a few cards lately using a branch punch, so I wanted to see what I could do with one. Apart from wreaths and foliage behind flowers, it could be used for reindeer antlers, distant large trees… Or close up small trees. I was going to get the large one, which cost almost double, but this one is quite a nice size still (2.5cm/1 inch high.) If I need a larger amount of branches, I can just add more pieces.
I’m the kind of person who is rather clumsy, especially with food and always gets stains on my shirts. One of these shirts is a lovely white batman shirt with a lovely chocolate stain on Batman’s face. In an effort to cover this stain, I thought I could add a little artistic flair and add some yellow fabric marker to lessen the noticeability of the stain. I had a packet of sharpie fabric markers, but I didn’t have any yellows, which would suit not only this shirt, but a Transformers Bumblebee shirt that I’d like to add some colour to.
The only problem with buying this stuff today is, when I got home, I found out we have yet another inspection (a month early. :/) So my plans of completing my craft room properly, along with any other plans will be put on hold, and rushed to be tidy.
I don’t think they’ll believe we have two junk rooms…

#251

Today was a bit productive, in the craft sense. I made a card, a mini beanbag chair and did some beading.
For the beading, I was getting my loom out to lend out and had a thought about using big plastic pony beads with wool instead of thread. I only made it three beads wide, so it was really quick, especially without fumbling with tiny beads. The only thing I had to do was make sure the threads were two coils apart to fit the beads between them (if you have a bead loom, you’d know what I mean.)
As for the mini bean chair, my partner and I used to own a beanbag chair which was much easier to get in an out of than the regular drop shaped ones. It came to a tragic end when we were looking after a kitten who thought it made a lovely spot to use as a litter tray… So we couldn’t keep the chair… Or my pants that I was wearing. It was water resistant, but the urea and its bleaching effects were too strong. Recently my partner has been missing that chair more than ever, and wanted to buy a new one. After quite a bit of research, we came to the conclusion that it might just be easier to find a pattern. After a bit more research, we came to the conclusion that many people charge a lot for beanbag patterns, and to get the one we wanted, we may have to make the pattern ourselves. I drafted a couple patterns based on a picture he found and my memory of what the one we had looked like, and I made a mini version to make sure it all went well. It seems to be in order, but he decided it has to be black and green. Since I don’t have those colours in my stash, it’s back to the craft store for me.
As for the card, my partner has gaming nights, playing a video game I’m not fond of, so I went to the other room to watch a dvd, and I had a bunch of craft stuff around, so it just all happened. I was going to add small rhinestones to the sentiment strip, but I had already gotten up to get the card base, then the glue, the ink and stamps and the paper trimmer, I figured I’ll do that later.
It’s hard keeping all my crafting to one room. My craft room doesn’t have a TV, my front room doesn’t have any surfaces, my computer room is good for company, but can’t do anything messy near the computers. Also I only have one chair between the computer and craft rooms, and it’s not easy for me to move it back and forth all the time. We’re thinking of setting up a TV in the craft room so it’s a bit easier and less lonely in there.

#250

Today was a massive comedy of errors, mainly ending in injury for me, so I didn’t end up doing too much. It started out ok, with the craft market across the road, I bought a couple of fat quarters for hexagon making, but got too excited and didn’t wash it first. I’ll have to make it into a decorative piece, or risk washing it after its sewn and all the bright lovely colours have the chance to run and make a one colour brown quilt. Curse you impatience.
When I got home I gathered together die cutting supplies, and plopped myself in front of the tv for a while. I got to try out my new cutting plates, which seemed a bit different than my original ones, but work just the same.
I did a little bit more knitting, as much as I could with a sore arm (thanks to my larger cat jumping on it.) The picture above shows how weird it looks, but it is a lot more purple than that, as the yarn is purple, blue and pink. It’s strange that using just two stitches can create so much variation in both look and width…
What I also find strange is that us in Australia call yarn, wool. But wool is a type of yarn, and you can have acrylic wool, which is contradictory. It’s a lot like the fries/crisps/chips dilemma, where Australia calls them both chips. Such a strange and confusing place with not enough craft stores.

#249

I did a few things today, in the way of crafts. I slept in, so I crafted instead of my afternoon nanna nap. I did some embossing, which is fun. Still using my hair straightener to heat the powders. I have a heat gun on my list, but I’m great at improvising. I had a few problems with the white powders I had. One was rather chunky and lost all detail, but a brilliant white, the other was lovely and fine, but subtle and transparent. It helped to use a white ink pad under the fine powder, but it made it look silver. I might have to invest in some superfine ones, designed for sentiments, as I have a lot of delicate looking stamps.
I tried embossing that honeycomb texture from the silicone mat, but I must have pushed harder in some areas and got a bit of ghosting, probably due to the extra squishiness of the silicone. I tried embossing some stamps, which had large flat areas, onto patterned paper in clear powder, with the intension of inking over it, and it resisting, leaving the image patterned, and the surrounding area inked. Unfortunately I messed up three images, before figuring out I had put too much ink and stained the clear image. But now I know, and I could even see some of the pattern through the ink which is fairly nice.
I also began knitting a project. Yay! My hands are not a fan of knitting, but I surely am. I’m surprised I got as far as I did, and can still type. Just. I originally wanted to make a beanie for myself, and I’d bookmarked a pattern, but when I went back, I realised it was meant for kids, and was in all garter stitch. I love purl, so this wouldn’t do. I’d already gotten out the wool and kneedles, so I looked a bit for a beanie with matching materials, but for some reason (maybe because I haven’t made one yet, or found one) there isn’t a way to search for patterns by needles, yarn and stitch. All I wanted was a beanie knitted on 4mm straight needles with 8ply wool, but that’s too much to ask for, so I started a scarf. They don’t need patterns and I wanted one to match my nonexistent beanie. I just cast on 30 stitches, and began knitting. After a few rows, I decided to make it a sample scarf, as I got bored of the stitch I was using. Scarfs are so lovely and forgiving. If only they didn’t make me itch and feel like I’m suffocating…