Believe

I visited the Kuretake website  (crafty goodies manufacturer) a couple of days ago.  They’d updated their website and I couldn’t get into my account, so a quick call to their office sorted out the problem for me, and I got the new website address.  As the page loaded there was a handmade card on the site which caught my eye, and I thought I’d have a go at making my version of that card … and here it is.

The die cut word, ‘Believe’ was one of a choice of two different makes of dies that I have which say the same thing, but in different ways ….

I cut them both out so that I could actually see what each of them looked like on the front of the card.  I chose the Creative Expressions die – which I’ve had about a year and never, until this moment, used it!  (No idea why … it’s so pretty, and cuts really well).

You’ve heard me say before that I’m a crafter, not a photographer – and these photo’s prove that I’m telling the truth.  They do nothing to show you how pretty this card actually is.  So I’ve taken some close-ups to try to share some of the details...

Once I’d die cut the word, I used a fine nibbed glue pen and added some crystal glitter to the whole of the word.  I worried at first that it might look a little Christmassy, but I wanted something to ‘speak’ to the silvery painted feather – and this worked really well.

Painted in Gansia Tambi paints, in the  ‘Starry Colours’ selection.  These paints are all made by Kuretake.

Each feather is painted a different colour.  One silver (in the centre) and the remaining two feathers are painted in different colours of the Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints, ‘Starry Colours’.  The feathers were die cut using a set of Todo feathers dies.

I added gold sequins … and a string ‘bow’ (very fine string) ….

. . .  And that’s all there was to it!

I did share the link to the Kuretake a couple of weeks ago, but they’ve changed their website, so I offer the updated link just in case you can’t find it:—>  Kuretake.

I highly recommend this company.  Their products are second to none, and their customer service is the best.  I’ve been shopping with them for …  oh …  practically since dirt was invented, and I’ve visited the companies UK branch, when they used to have yearly sales there.  I’ve contacted them from time to time for information, help or advice and each time I was breathtakingly amazed at how truly wonderful all the members of staff are there.

Please know: …. I’m not employed by Kuretake, I’m not paid in any way and have not been given any products in order to recommend the products or the company. 

Everything I own is because I bought them in exactly the same way that you or anyone else can buy them.  I only recommend them as much as I do, because I’m SO impressed with the quality of all of the products I have (and I have a lot), and love the customer service I receive from this company.

I’ve been doing a bit of crafting this week and also trying to keep on top of all the blogs I follow.  I’m still having the odd problem with my reader — I’ll think I’m up to date and suddenly there appears a post from ‘A’ and another from ‘B’  in the middle of all the posts and blogs I’ve already visited!  eek!  So … if you’ve posted something and I’ve missed it and not commented when you know I normally would have, please give me a poke in the comments here and give me a link to the post so that I can catch up.

May I take this opportunity to say a warm  ‘Hello‘  to some new followers.  I won’t name you individually … but I welcome you in and sit you down at the table while I get you a coffee (or tea) and bring out the cakes and biscuits.  Please feel right at home to join in the conversations we have here.  We’re a noisy lot sometimes and we all like a bit of a giggle from time to time, but we love new people joining in.  Don’t be shy.  Just jump straight in and say hello … or comment on a post…  or include yourself in a conversation which is going on in the comments.  Please don’t be shy…  speak up and make new friends.  It’s how it works here.

Have a blessed rest of your day today, (Thursday).  Enjoy it – for it is the last day of August this year.  So make it a memorable day.  And … if you can at all ….  Make someone smile today.

Sending squidges your way ~

 

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Believe in the Magic . . .

In a comment on my last Fairy Dress bit of artwork (an A.T.C. – you can see it  HERE  –  it will open up in another window for you),  I received this message … or maybe it was a letter … 

Dearest Cobs,
I would like to place my order for a lovely fairy dress in my size. I would also like it to have a bit of magic in it so that it makes my size be about 5 sizes smaller. And if I’m going to ask for some magic I should also like the feathers to be completely functional so that I can lift my skirt and fly away whenever the mood strikes me!
Sending you the fluffiest of fluffy feathered blessings!
~ Tami

Well, this young lady didn’t discuss colours, she only mentioned feathers, and a magical dress which would make her look at least 5 sizes smaller.  But … I don’t think it would be small enough for a real Fairy Dress in Fairyland … so I’m going to have to wave a Magic Wand over Miss Tami and simply change her into Fairy Size.  However, I have made her a dress which has a feathered skirt, – the feathers of which have been kissed with colour by a Kingfisher as he flew past.  As Fairy Tami flies, the feathered skirt will simply brush away from her legs which will allow her to land easily.

The Fairy Wings are the most beautiful of feathers …. but they’ve been died, cut and tinted to make them look like a butterflies wings.

The Skirt …  has been adorned with Diamond like Crystals, which can also be found on the bodice, at the centre of each flower.  The Bodice was all hand painted.

Above the Fairy Dress is a crown of gold ….  again decorated with Diamond like Crystals, and placed at a slightly jaunty angle, as I feel that Miss Tami would wear her crown at a slightly jaunty angle to show the fun side of her character.  (And believe me, that gal has a MAHOOSIVE fun side!  lol).

Although the four photos might appear to be exactly the same, they actually aren’t.  I tried my best to show the little details of this card so had to use different lighting in the hope of drawing attention to things so that you got a full idea of the whole card.

The Fairy Dress and Wings are mounted on an 8″x8″ plain white card blank.  The Teal colour around the edge is actually called Aquamarine, and is made using one of my most favourite crafty products – Pinflair Buff-it.  I LOVE this stuff and have it in about 8 different colours.  You can buy it direct from  Pinflair HERE –  I’ve shopped with them for many years now and cannot fault their service.

After I’d applied the Buff-it and polished it to a shine,  I then applied wriggly lines of glue all over the card and added very fine glitter dust to that glue.

I fixed the Dress and Wings in place;  fixed the crown at a jaunty angle, and finally fixed the word ‘believe’ to the bottom right hand corner – which I’d printed onto some thin white cotton.

And that’s all there was to it!

I do hope Miss Tami likes it.  Of course… she’ll have to have a fitting to ensure that it fits OK, but personally .. I can’t see a problem.  I think it will fit like a glove.

All that’s left for me to say now is ….  I hope your week is going well and that it’s not too hot, nor too cold where ever you are right now.  Here … well it’s a little humid in my cottage, but I’m sure it’s like that for a reason …  and being England, the weather will change if you blink so I’m sure it won’t last for too long.  (Although it’s three days here in the South Coast, and I am getting just a little fed up of feeling like a wilted flower).

Have a wonderful day, whatever you’re doing.  And whatever you’re doing, be nice.  Smile.  A smile costs nothing, but it can change a person’s whole day.

Squidges, from me here in my corner to you there in yours.

If love is blind, then why is lingerie so popular?

If love is blind … then why is lingerie so popular?

I had so much fun making this card.  It’s a large 8″x8″ card, made on white cardstock.  The pink, rose and printed papers (at the two corners) are all papers which came free with magazines a while back;  and the gold mirror board and flat gold card (die cut into a rectangle doily) were from my scraps drawer!

I’m very much a thrifty crafter and won’t waste great papers if I can save them – so where I knew I wanted to curl back I simply used a large triangle of paper to cover the corners of the base white card.  ↑

The sentiment was stamped onto gold card and embossed in black.  I felt that it needed more importance, so choose to use one of a selection of light-weight wooden frames – this one is warmer to look at than the photo shows.

I stamped out the basque ↑ onto the same colour of pink paper as the backing paper, embossed it and then attached it to a little hand-made, wire coat hanger.  I punched a hole in the rectangular doily and ‘hung’ the basque from it.

If you look closely at the basque in the photo above ↑ you might be able to see that I used a white pen in places.  This was to place ‘light’ in the places that natural light would have fallen on parts of the basque in real life.  The ribbons, the seams, bits of the lace, etc etc.

I stamped peacock feathers ↑ over the paler of the pink backing pages, and embossed them with a pale pink, twinkly embossing powder.  In the photo above you can see the embossed feathers.  (I was checking the page for placement of the basque on the doily to make sure that it would look right.) ↑

Added roses in three shades, and some sprigs of a lilac type flower in white and pink. ↑

 

Close up photographs ↑ of the corners ↑ which were curled back so that you can see the patterned paper underneath and the two different colours of pink papers.

Although I’d  curled and glued corners I wasn’t entirely convinced that the glue would hold, so I chose a large, warm pink brad for each corner to pin the paper in place.

I attached the rectangle doily, which I’d die cut on my Ebosser, to a piece of gold mirror board, then cut around the doily so that the mirror board fitted the doily exactly.  Everything was then fixed in place, and voila!  One more card added to the pile for charity.

I had lots of fun making this card and loved the way it’s turned out.  Hope you like it too.

Have a truly lovely Sunday all!

Sending love out into the ethernet  –  so grab some as it flies by!

For those who believe – no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t, no explanation is possible.

A handmade card, but with a story behind the making of it.

Last weekend I had my  cauldron  Ranger Melt Pot out with the idea of making ‘something’ (I knew not what at that moment in time).  I didn’t have a plan.  I just knew I wanted to play with my Melt Pot.  Everything was on my desk, ready and waiting for me to conjure up something which I could make in my Ranger Melt Pot category here on my blog.  But what?  WHAT?

I sat back in my chair and had absolutely no ideas.  My mojo had gone out for drinks and not invited me.  

Ah well, I said to myself,  you’ve got the thing out now, so just mess around, and who knows, something might come from playing and making a mess.  I stamped out an image of some Angel Wings, embossed and then distressed them using denim ink and lavender ink.  Cut them out and then shaped them to given them some depth and ‘apparent’ movement.  I printed out some words onto some lightweight card – thinking that I’d put the wings in the Melt Pot and mount them  onto the card.  But .. I decided that I’d do it the other way round.  So I cut out the words into a big ’round’ –  using my EK circle cutter, – and then distressed around the edges of that circle with the same inks I’d used on the wings.

Turned on the melt pot and once my crystals had melted I began to move the large circle around in the molten liquid.  I advise CAUTION when using a melt pot – keep tools in each hand so that you’re not tempted to touch anything.   I use a pair of long-handled craft tweezers in one hand and a bamboo skewer in the other.  It doesn’t stop the urge to touch – but it makes you touch in a safe way, with the tools rather than your fingers.

Once I’d coated the front of the circle, I removed it from the liquid and just let it drip for a moment, then laid it flat to let it ‘set’ and go cold.  Unfortunately – the lightweight card was too lightweight and it curled all around the edges and curved in places.  It wasn’t what I wanted.  I cleaned up and left the coated surface on one side.

Then a couple of days ago I looked at it again and told myself to try using it and see what I’d come up with.  So here’s what I did:

Originally I chose a white 6×6″ card but changed my mind and used a 6×6 craft card instead; and some white feathers.  I placed the wings on the circle where I felt they looked best, but the circle still seemed like it was missing something.  So I chose a tiny glass bottle with a cork stopper, and put the tiniest of white feathers inside it, along with a teeny pinch of iridescent glitter, just to draw the eye to the feather, as I knew it would stick to the feather and the inside of the glass jar.  It looked really lovely – so I glued the jar to the disc, and fixed the wings in place.

I felt that the wings looked a little flat, so I used some Anita’s Gloss and carefully coated the wings then put everything to one side while I worked on the card.

Using brown and a shimmering gold (not mirror) card, I cut out circles so that I could mat and layer the wings/words/glass jar onto them.

I chose some blue ribbon in a shade which echoed the blues of the distressing around the edges of the wings and the disc, and using some permanent tape, I fixed the ribbon running it over the back and front of the card, exactly at the ‘half way’ mark.

I fixed the first layer of the cards onto the front of the card.

… then matted and layered the other discs in place, sometimes tucking a white Angel Feather into the layers.  Once the wings were dry and the glued bottle was fixed in place, I fixed some feathers onto the top layer then applied the disc topper which I’d made on top, adding just one smaller feather tucked under the outter edge of the wings.

Three close-ups of the teeny tiny white Angel Feather in the bottle.  It was really hard to capture the feather – so I chose the best three photos of a large bunch of rubbish ones that I took.

Of course – there HAD to be a surprise inside the card …  (you knew that, didn’t you! lol)

On the front page of the insert is a psalm from the bible, which speaks of Angels:  I stamped it onto some white paper, and distressed it a little, then fixed it to the craft paper insert

In case you can’t read it, it says:  He Shall Give His Angels Charge Over Thee, To Keep Thee In All Thy Ways.  (Psalm 91:11).

Then on the inside, middle of the insert . . . .

. . .  a pair of white feathered Angel Wings, and a stamped image of a feather, drifting freely.

Once finished, I really like this lovely card – which began with a disenchantment with the way the topper turned out, but I’m really glad that I made it into a card.  It looks a little flat in the photo’s, but to the naked eye it has a depth and a wonderful warmth and gentleness about it.  And to be quite honest – if someone sent me this card I’d be chuffed to bits.  Seriously chuffed to bits!

I hope you like the card too.

So anyway  …  enough of me and my crafting.  What have you been making or doing?  Leave me a message with a link to your blog and I’ll come and take a look and leave you a message too.

• You can leave messages on any post or article on my blog by  . . . 
• scrolling up to the title of that article which you want to comment on and …
• looking for the little grey speech bubble to the right of the title. (Hover your cursor over the title of a post then move it to the right and the speech bubble will turn from pale grey to a deep red colour.
• Click on that speech bubble and the comments for that article or post will open up for you to read (if there are any) and, if you’d like to,  make a comment.

Wishing you a totally fabulous weekend.  May your Angels surround you and protect you from any harm.

An Element of Fire ~ a handmade Wand, bejeweled with crystals and gems.

 

An Element of Fire Wand
made by Cobwebs

No matter how many photographs I took,  where I took the photographs or what backgrounds I tried it against, I couldn’t seem to capture the real essence of this beautiful wand at all.  So although the pictures are OK – they’re not the best that they could be. (apologies.  – I’m great at ‘making’, but I pose absolutely no threat to David Bailey).

Where I live I have some huuuuge pine trees in my garden which are protected (by law).  So it makes sense to use the wood which these trees gift to me by way of high winds etc. 

The base which this wand is made from is beautiful pine, which was seasoned naturally and turned from a small broken branch, into a fabulously straight length of  pine wood by a friend  – who doesn’t use machinery (wood lathes and such) – everything he does is done the good old-fashioned way – which I love.

Measuring  14½”  (or 37cm) from the tip to the heel of the wands handle.  But not heavy.  I know in the photographs it looks like it would be an arm breaker – but it really is very light – weighing just 60 grams – (or 2 ounces in good old-fashioned money).  Every time I pick it up it still surprises even me – and I worked with/on it for weeks!

I knew that I wanted to base the wands handle around the Element of Fire, so began working by choosing my colours of clay.  Obviously in shades of reds and yellows –  both to represent the heat and the colour of flames,  – and,  because I wanted fiery flames to lick up and along the wand, I had to blend the colours carefully so that they didn’t become muddy – but blended together just as real flames do.

I also added green oak leaves.  This was because I wanted to:

• To represent a new beginning; a fresh start;  new life; and the seasons;
• To honour the Green Man who’s wisdom is of the eternal truths, cycles and passages.  The cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth.  He teaches us the sacred truths of nature.  He is a magical bridge between nature and ourselves.  From the Green Man we learn the mysteries of all growing things, and he is present in all things green and growing.  His energy fills the trees which make the oxygen we breathe.
• To acknowledge the mystic energy of nature and vegetation;
• And also to give a nod to the Land of the Fae.  Since the colour green is a faerie colour, I believe they (the Fae) share an affinity with the Green Man, and here in the British Isles faeries are also known as ‘Greenies’ or ‘Greencoats’.

As I fashioned,  I became aware of a growing desire to include gems and crystals of significance, so had to ensure that I took care to place these in just the right places so that the stones didn’t interfere with the comfortable holding of the wand in the hand.

Once the wand and it’s handle had gone through its various own ‘fires‘ (of the making variety) – I polished the handle to a lovely smooth finish and added some very tiny glass beads and an assortment of crystals, fixing them along the curves and folds of the flames along the handle –  which helped to represent that ‘sparking, sparkling, crackling’ which a true fire has.

I then tipped the wand with gold leaf.  It doesn’t want to show up in the photographs – despite me trying a gazillion photographs [sigh] – so you’ll have to imagine that the very point of the wand is tipped in gold leaf which has a fabulous shine and depth.

Finally – I sat for a while and selected what I felt where the right gem stones to add to this wand. I wanted the colours I was choosing to have a specific meaning and also wanted the gem stones themselves to be chosen for the meaning they held, for the many and varied reasons from feng shui through celtic, wiccan, spiritual healing lore, philosophers and mystics all the way to a gentleman called George Frederick Kunz – (who wrote the book  The Curious Lore of Precious Stones published in 1913).  Kunz wasn’t a mystic crystal-gazer but rather the leading gemologists of his time and the resident gem expert at Tiffany & Co.

Finding the right mix of gemstones and colours was a balancing act – I wanted to get the mix just right.  When I was finally happy with my choice, I had:  Carnelian.  Yellow Jade,  Black Onyx,  milky green Malachite,  Amethyst and Citrine, sat on my work bench, waiting for me to begin work.

The colours symbolize:

• Yellow = Wisdom, Joy, Happiness
• Black = Self Control & Resilience.  Black stones have protective healing energies.
• Green = Life, nature, fertility,  self-respect & well-being.  Green contains the powerful energies of nature.
• Purple = Royalty, magic and mystery.  The colour of good judgement & of people seeking spiritual fulfilment.  Purple is a good colour to use in meditation.
• White =  White is purity and cleanliness and the complete energy of light.  It stands for wholeness and completion.

Carnelian was chosen because:  (amongst many reasons:) Carnelian is associated with the element of fire and it has a projective energy that balances all forces.  Carnelian holds a very special place in the Christian religion.  According to holy scriptures, carnelian was one of the twelve gemstones worn on the breastplate of Aaron, the first high priest of the Israelites and a prophet.

Yellow Jade was chosen because:  Jade is said to bless whatever it touches, serving mankind across the globe for nearly 6,000 years, and valued for its beauty and powers of healing and protection.  It is the ultimate “Dream Stone,” revered in ancient cultures, as well as today, to access the spiritual world, gain insight into ritualistic knowledge, encourage creativity, and dream-solve.  Jade signifies wisdom gathered in tranquility, dispelling the negative and is the stone of calm in the midst of storm.

Black Onyx was chosen because: it is said to have protective properties and to bring inner strength, self-confidence aid intuition and help with mental discipline,  It’s  believed to help to release negative emotions and alleviate fear and anxiety.  Some cultures believe it to be unlucky, however others consider it to be virtuous and to protect against black magic.

Malachite was chosen because:  it is a protection stone, absorbing negative energies, and shows what is blocking your spiritual growth, draws out deep feelings and psychosomatic causes, then allows you to break unwanted ties and outworn patterns.  It supports friendships and empathy for other people.  NB: Malachite is toxic and should be used only in its polished form. 

Amethyst was chosen because:  it is known as a stone of protection.  Amethyst is a gemstone often worn by healers, as it has the power to focus energy, and it has long been used to open the spiritual and psychic centers, making it one of the power stones.  It’s also known as the Bishop’s Stone and is still worn by Catholic Bishops. The amethyst symbolizes piety, humility, sincerity and spiritual wisdom.

Citrine was chosen because:  Citrine is a joyful stone with bright energy which lights up many aspects of lives of those who work with it. It has energies of good fortune and good luck, though these may appear in unexpected ways..  It’s known as the ‘success stone’, since it is believed to promote prosperity and abundance, and because citrine can clear negative energy and influences from the aura, it is useful for meditation, psychic awareness, and spiritual development.    Citrine is one of the most valuable and popular gemstones in the quartz group.  Citrine also does not absorb any negative energies from its surroundings, and thus never needs energetic clearing..

 

And that, ladies and gentlemen readers, is the Element of Fire Wand.  I hope you like it.

Have a truly blessed day all.

 

 

Angel Dust encased in glass, suspended from Angel Wings

Crafted by Cobwebs

All hand-made, in a particular mix of polymers which I like to use.  No moulds were used to make this pin/pendant.   All the feathers you see are all hand-made, no two are the same,  and each one applied individually by hand.  There is, however, one golden, metal feather nestled amongst all the other feathers.  Can you spot it?

Suspended beneath the Angel wings is a glass phial which holds a measured amount of Angel Dust.  The lid was applied and then sealed, never to be opened, so that the Angel Dust will be with you forever.   Finally, three more feathers were applied to the glass phial, each feather symbolizing Charity,  Hope  and  Faith.

I loved making this pin/pendant and now that it’s finished I love it even more.  Hope you like it too.

Thank you so much for coming to visit, and for taking the time to read.  While you’re here, please do have a look around.  There are many categories on my blog and you can find the links to those categories further up the column on the right hand side of this page.   →  →  →

Wishing you a really great rest of your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel Wings Brooch.

post 1 – in ‘Polymer Clay’

Made from Polymer Clay, each of those tiny little feathers you see, were individually made and attached to a heart shaped base which I built up in the middle in order to give it that plush, plumped up, heart shape which make the Angel Wings.

Before curing the clay I attached a brooch back to the under-side of the wings, so that the wearer could pin the wings to a coat or top.  But … I did wonder if I could make these wings into a pendant, so I threaded a couple of links on a chain onto the ‘spike’ of the brooch back and VOILA!  … it worked as a pendant too.

Size-wise, the brooch measures (approx) 5cm in length (top to bottom), which is just under 2″.

I liked this little brooch so much that I made a handful of them and gave them as little gifts to members of my family, and close friends.

The golden sheen you see to the feathers is Mica powder, which I gently brushed on before curing the clay.

Thanks for visiting and reading!