Zodiac quilt is coming along nicely...

It's only 3 months to go and we will have completed our 12 blocks on the 2012 Bead Journal Project. WOW! It's gone so fast... I've now actually finished beading my blocks, but I still have to embellish them with the appropriate crystals and coloured beads.

Each zodiac has so many associations and I thought I'd make a flat reference guide that would look great on the wall, and be totally useful too.

I've started working round a few of them- I've done 6 now... but I've got 3 months now to finish them all and then start embroidering the texts around the piece.

Here's how it's looking now...

Once this panel is done I'll be adding coloured panels around the outside with the seasons and symbols.

Bookmaking...part deux

You might remember the little squashy book I made for January's prompt, I posted a tutorial in the how-to's books section above. It was great fun and will be a little photo album pressie...

This month February's   prompt was posted for an accordian/ concertina book. I've just finished mine and will post the tutorial shortly in the book section, but I couldn't wait to post it now!

I'm doing a zodiac wall hanging, and with my memory being so appalling I get fed up of getting my books out to check on the signs/dates etc, so I decided to use this as a small reminder to help me out.

Here's how it turned out...

Finished book covers and ties

Symbols and names, shall be adding dates etc...

Playing with lino...

I desperately wanted to make some stamps for several projects, and I can't find gel packs for making stamps at a reasonable price anymore, so needed an alternative.

I've lino cut before but it hurts my hands now so wanted something a bit easier to cut. A friend suggested "Easy carve" so I had a look online. My regular art shop actually had some small circles in, which saved me time and postage..woohoo! - once I decide on a project I NEED to get on with it!
So I spent yesterday cutting out symbols in the circular lino. It is almost rubbery and it is very difficult to get pencil or pen to draw on it, so accuracy with design can be a problem... even Sharpies didn't work!

Despite that, and working virtually freehand, I managed to get close enough to what I wanted... well, these things are supposed to be "irregular and personal" aren't they? If they were precision cut I may as well have bought them...

So here they are, my first 10.... I have more to do, and you can buy it in a sheet so I can get some bigger designs cut too, which will help for my calendar for next year.

Even with the drawing issue, they were quite nice to work with, and alot easier to carve than tradition hessian lino, so I would recommend them.

I've just tested them out on my Valentine ATC envelopes and they print ok too, if you use a brayer rather than an acrylic block (like normal rubber stamps)

The one thing I didn't think of though, doh!, was reversal... so my 2012 stamp is only good for embossing.... and with my new Bigshot I'm putting it to good use already- they emboss beautifully too. These little gems will be doing alot of work in the near future.

xx

Aquarius bead block for BJP 2012

Well, I finally buckled down to beading my first block for the Bead Journal Project this year. I'd designed my wall hanging earlier, but not begun designing the beaded elements...

Once I got going it didn't take long to come up with a set of designs which I thought would be blocky enough to work in beads... but I'm sad to say my first attempt looked awful, no definition and with all the bling there was just not enough contrast between object and background. So I had to retry, this is the second attempt (the 1st attempt is over on my BJP-2012 page )

Aquarius second attempt

 I used delicas, bugles, hex, teardrops and huge seedbeads on felt. I'm still not happy with this- I thought the design might have worked better, so I'm looking at redesigning all 12- or only beading a section of it, but having seen some of the entrants on BJP already I'd feel lazy if it wasn't fairly well covered in beads rather than silks. Best get my thinking cap on before the end of February when I'll need to post my Feb effort on the BJP 2012 Blogsite

Little faces....

Or should that be the small faces? Blast from the past there...

In preparation for my Bead Journal Project I've been playing with ideas...zodiac seems to be the recurring idea, but I rather fancy creating a hanging of  a zodiac wheel that also incorporates the pagan festivals and crystals etc associated with each sign/moon phase...  I quite liked the idea of little faces in the centre of the beadwork, which will be my uptake on each sign...so I've been playing with fimo- not had that out in a while. Luckily I had some stashed away....

So here are todays endeavours

heart faces, glass bead eyes

round face, glass bead eyes

round face, sleeping

Oval face, glass bead eyes

Not bad for first attempts...it's so difficult getting it smooth this small- the biggest is the oval, 1 3/4" high- I will have to give them a light sand later to buff the rough bits off. I don't like drawing or painting faces, I'm not that good at them, seems I have a similar issue with cabs too. These were all supposed to be femine, ethereal and serene, not jesters and Benny Hill. Still, I have time to improve, and decide if they will be centres or not- if I can't get them prettier I might have to rethink the plan.

The beginning of expression....

Bead Journal Project 2012

Hooray! 

I've just got my link to this years Bead Journal Project .

I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I think it will be a felted zodiac/wiccan based hanging with beaded segments incorporated as they are completed. Just need to come up with a workable design now...then chill for xmas, and add it to my list of "must-do" art over 2012.

Fun and games!

xxx