#191

More sequin embellishments! I got a few more colours of sequins, so I started making more circles. Using the flower shaped sequins look quite good. I can’t wait to see how they turn out with  more layers.
I also bought a heart paper embosser, some wooden shapes (including butterflies : ), some metallic starry paper, Christmas wrap and a couple of heart stamps that I’m yet to try.
I also had to get some replacement blades for my Fiskars paper trimmer, that I’ve only had since June, so six months. I guess I do use it a fair amount and replacement blades come in a two pack which is nice.
I was in the library, looking at sewing books, and saw buttons that had been covered with little embroidered images like bunnies and snails. They were so cute, that I looked through my stash of buttons to find ones with shanks that I could cover. There wasn’t nearly as many as I thought there would be, but enough to play around with. That way I can figure out what size and type of button will work best and buy some more. I could even get buttons made for covering, but no point in spending extra money unless I have a use for them.

#181

I really try to like sequins. But I don’t like them when they are just by themselves, stuck to a card, with their hole for everyone to see. Maybe with a rhinestone or a bead would be OK, but they seem weird to me all naked. What I do like with sequins is these flower like embellishments that I found on youtube.

Embellishments!: http://youtu.be/VktmDp5VRws

When done nicely, you cover all the holes and its all symmetrical. It’s easy to do, though can get fiddly and sticky unless you have tweezers. You can use any size sequins and circle. I even started doing a large one on a canvas. Just draw your circle and glue sequins over in to cover the line and the rest just lines up.

Day #106

Night owling again. Playing with some tiny gold brads and sequins. I suppose these could be useful for adding shinies to cards. They were just fun and easy to make, I don’t really have plans for them. I ran out of the flower sequins, which I tend to use the most of, but I can’t remember where I bought them. I’ll keep an eye out I suppose.
To make these, get a bunch of mini brads and layer anything with a hole. I only had gold, so my combinations were slightly limited, but pink, blue, red, dark purple and green works well.
Still coiling some paper occasionally. The ones above were crimped using a corrugator, which is fun to use. It seems to make the quilling look more like flowers or basketweave, I think.
I like how changing one thing, whether its the texture or the width of the paper, can create a great deal more possibilities and combinations. It’s like that with most crafts. We’re given the tools, it’s the combination of how we put it together that makes it unique.

Day #96

Went shopping today…
I got a new embossing folder, an alphabet die, a small hole punch and a tiny hole punch. The letters I got are a good size for cards and a font that can be used for many occasions. I cut it out of adhesive paper, so I didn’t have to glue all the little bits down.
The embossing folder is a pirate themed pattern, but there may be other uses, such as cutting out the diamonds or using it for gothic themes. It seems more masculine than my other two folders, which may be useful.
The two circles I didn’t realise at the time but are the perfect size for making home made sequins. I got them to fill in the sizes between my existing circle punches, the tiny one especially to make holes for making paper charms for jewellery.

Day #54

Today I was quite annoyed. The thing that calms me down most is painting boxes. The only boxes I had that hadn’t been painted were these matchboxes. So now I have brightly coloured boxes. I really need to buy some more paper mache ones. Or learn to make them without them looking deformed.
I also sequined another bit of felt but the photo was dark and there wasn’t enough battery for flash… but it looks oddly cool.

I’ll take a better picture later…

Day #52

I quite enjoyed beading felt for maybe badges or headbands. Not sure what to use them for, but I had a slow day and made a couple more. I liked the above one, but I didn’t use matching thread, so I have a light pink line through the sequins.

This one took longer, but I like the effect. I’ll have to figure out what to do with them. Until then I’ll probably make some more…