Saki box

My children are really good at saving bits and pieces that they think might come in hand for my 'recycling' sort of life.

The above is made out of thick ribbed card - which came from a Japanese Saki box. They drank the contents - but I got the best bit I think as I don't drink!

The card started off cream with just the big black calligraphy printed on the bottom and the little red block with little calligraphy next to it.

I stained the board with coloured inks, stamped on the top half - the Geisha head and flowers and Japanese calligraphy, then 'tied' it all together by linking it all with gold embossing from top to bottom - giving the allusion of the 'head' now wearing a Kimono.

With the naked eye - you can see lots of gold embossing - on the hair pins, the calligraphy, the flowers, the edging, and between the colours - almost like a gold version of a stained glass window. It looks lovely and golden and bright and the ridges on the box make it look like slatted strips of wood.

Just a bit of fun and experimentation

Vintage bathing beauty gothic arch

I am struggling to make craft work - but I really wanted to join in some swaps this month.

This is my effort for Mandy's swap on Zuzu's forum

I painted some white card with wishy washy inks and gave it several coats - adding layers and shading as each coat dried.

I cut out the bathing beauties, and added more shading for the lady under the parasol

I stamped the seals, masking the ladies first - the seals make me laugh they look like they are smiling.

I stamped the life-saving ring for the lady to hold - that see looks a bit choppy so she might need it - and stamped the others last. Then to finish it off, I threaded a seashell onto some golden cord, to finish it all off

Mixed Media Monday

The challenge this week is to try something new - so I have.

A 'house' shape, painted with shades of yellow (I don't usually use yellow) and maroon shimmer spray.

Acetate printed image, over the background and torn dictionary page (inked) with wording relating to beauty. Painted and embossed gold swirl with a mirror image cut out. Gold Krylon edging and gold embossed through scrap plastic. It looks a whole lot better in real life.

My first Mixed Media entry - I am just getting back into crafting, so need the practice!

Zutter - my new toy. My first project

I treated myself to a toy - a Zutter - a little binding machine




Here are the binding wires. And together with some papers I cut out, I made simple little book for my 7 year old granddaughter's birthday.

This is not meant to be 'arty' but just a little book for a little girl to draw in, write in, stick photos, in - just a bit of fun.


The front and rear pages I cut using thick card and stamped and embossed and inserted a favourite photo of her. The pages all line up but as I was taking photos - in a rush - some will look a bit askew.

I cut a 4" x 4" piece of plastic to protect the front cover as it has the photo on it.





For the internal pages I cut quite a number of plain card - coloured one side only, so that my little granddaughter can write or draw on them.

This is a photo of her chicken Lucy who lives with me. She can write or draw on the plain page opposite telling a bit about her chicken.




Interspersed between the plain pages I have insert a few decorated ones - just as a surprise, and flowery sheets.



Little touches to make it look a bit pretty, but still with room for her pictures.




More pages



Some printed pages to mount things on or to leave as they are.



I made a page with a little pocket - this has some tags inside which can be used, then other little 'treasures' can be put in there.



Pages in between - then a fancy little page at the end.




The rear page of the book. The inside cover of which has been embossed with a little message from me.

Once I had cut, decorated and assembled the pages, I put them in the Zutter machine to punch out the holes, then inserted a length of the binding wire which I had previously cut to size. inserted it through the pages in one go, then put them in the machine to squeeze it together.

I finished it off with lots of fluffy wools and ribbons in her favourite colours which I fluffed up after taking the photos - to hide the wires

Asian Gothic Arch - Japanese

This backing paper came from a bit of Japanese shopping wrapping paper which my daughter in law saved from me.

Asian Arch

At last I am back crafting again.

There is an Asian Arch swap on Zuzu's forum which I am going to join in.

The backing for the above arch is genuine Indian material - I bought a very old skirt from a Charity Shop with a view to using the material - sometime!

I am fascinated with the different patterns you can get for henna hands. You can now buy patterns in 'prints' to go on your hand - not that I would of course.

The edging of the material had a faded gold pattern which I painted over with gold paint to bring it back to life.

I then painted the flowers on the backing material to mirror the flowers featured on the hands - and I painted the pattern at the point on the backing material to mirror the one on the arm, and the pattern of squiggles underneath

The little hanging glass squares came from a broken ballroom glitter ball, these I painted with alcohol ink and added the gold patterns - little mirrors are used a lot in Asian art.


It looks much brighter in real life and the gold glistens which is quite nice.