Mini fruits tart completed and unwrapping cat amigurumi crochet daiso kit

I was reluctant to do the felt mini fruits tart because wanted to do something else and left it for couple of days as I was busy organizing and decluttering my room. Still not finished as need shelves to display my handmade objects well the mini fruits tart is completed.

Each daiso kit does have instructions in both English and Japanese I fell geared towards the American market. Extra equipments are embroidery need I used size 10 and has wide eye, recommend using pva tacky glue as hold fast and does stick properly, dress making scissors plus little small kind used for cutting and fabric markers. The instructions says to make photocopies of pieces I suggest you make 2.

It doesn't look like on cover as I wasn't happy with the pastry base and was messy gluing the pieces together. I have been feeling tired for numbers of days this didn't help.

I can make this again as there some leftovers but the felt available tends to be a lot thicker.

Mean while I started opening this amigurumi cat charm kit. Amigurumi means knitted doll even though it is crochet as knitting involves 2 needles didn't technique all together. I prefer crochet so much easier but won't give up on the knitting.

Comes with wadding which is polyester not cotton as I thought, yarn, thread, eyes without the washer and ball chain. It says will take 6 hours and you need crochet hook-2.30 to 3, I used 2.50, yarn needle, marking pins, scissors, 2 pliers, glue, ruler and tweezers(if you have them).

Started this kit straight away unusual for me to buy amigurumi kit as I get my project recipes from the internet and print them out plus I have Japanese book on making similar mascot charms.

There is daiso needle felting kit on order and waiting for it arrive hopefully this cat with very short tail will be completed if not I'll add to stuff to do pile. Image editing program keeps dying on me so may have to get photoshop elements I use program for other things besides editing photos.

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Unwrapping Felt Sweet Kit- Mini fruit tart

I have completed the bear beadcraft daiso kit and took longer than I thought. There were some parts I found tricky but not impossible you have look closely at where the cord exit, if possible move the diagram so it faces right direction on the bead which crosses over the two cords. The instructions are in Japanese and English. However on Japanese text has metric measurements while the English version has imperial. I suspect it was translated to babelfish or google translate. 'Gut' is nylon monofilament or fishing line included in the pack, I missed out on important note that was able to deciper from other Japanese beading book. The kinks in plastic cord can be removed by dipping on boiling water or steam from boiling kettle. Please be careful and don't scald yourself.

There are plenty of beads leftover to include in your stash or bead soup.

Next kit I picked up is Felt Sweet kit- Mini fruit tart, this isn't ever popular needle felting kit but kind you sew. I have placed an order for Daiso cute animal needle felting kit after watching a youtube video. I never have done needle felting before and decide to give it as not completed as I thought. The finished items takes a long time but so does patchwork, embroidery and crochet. If I use mindfulness approach not as bad and be relaxing.

It comes with coloured stranded cotton, felt pieces and large ball of wadding. Suppose to take 2 to 2.5 hours. Additional materials you need scissor, dressmaking shears, needle, glue and fabric making pencil. I will make a start on this kit tonight. I am still working on patchwork quilt, sewing small pieces whenever I have free moment or while I have the time. About mindfulness you do think of the end result or other things but bring focus on what you can see and do right now by slowing crafting process down. It really helps to improve my concentration. If you want to buy daiso craft kit and like me can't alway reach store which sell daiso products best place so is etsy as has more variety

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Unwrapping the bear bead kit by Daiso

I picked up this bead kit by Daiso while shopping in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. In the past I used to do a lot of beading either from Japanese project books or Miyuki beading kits I love. But the problem is sourcing the beads themselves quite often have to buy them in small amounts or substituting for something else. I guess ebay and amazon are best places to look.

Brought this for $12 HKD which is bargain and comes with earjack plug as recent development with smart phones there is no place to attach mobile phone charm. I use them to dangle on bags or USB sticks.

On closer inspection it wasn't Daiso store I brought probally due to set jet lag. This is third day since my return to reality. Further research I believe it is Living Plaza by AEON, Mong Kok. 3/F Chong Hing Square, 601 Nathan Road, Kowloon. AEON is company who import Daiso products they are much nicer than Poundland, 99p, Pound World and other discount stores here in UK. Some Poundland papercraft products are okay but rather buy in Works.

This come with selection of plastic beads, Nylon monofilament and cotton wadding which is new. I never come across beading project which uses cotton as stuffing as normally large or small clear beads. It suppose to take 2-3 hours. I'll start this kit tonight, the instructions are very clear comes with diagrams and multiple languages and photograph the finished project.

Also I noticed an image of one my tatted motifs has been on Squidoo tatting website and not incited. I believe it is one created by 12# Flora white/purple with red beads. It would be polite to link where you take pictures from when searching on google. Even in pinterest they link back the source, I heard in flickr a person's zentangle drawing as uploaded to facebook without their permission. Yea it happens so makes sense to add watermark in everything I upload to flickr and my blogs. I may of been away for 3 years but doesn't mean I won't find out.

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An adventure using mixed media

In the past, I've made some panels stuck with 3d embellishments and collage this was my of mixed media. I was looking at some artwork and found something to rival the great Tim Holtz.
She goes by the name of finnabair- Anna Dabrowska and create such wonderful pieces of work. Subtle use of colour and careful playful elements. I wish I could something like that.
Here is a link to her flickr photostream it is breath taking.
Spent a long time analysing her work and figuring out the process only through watching youtube did I finally understand the process.

• First you build the base stick on pieces of paper
• Arrange and add embellishments
• Cover in white gesso
• apply modelling paste through stencil
• colour with ink sprays

Here is my attempt in finnabair mixed media piece, the base is often canvas since I don't have any instead used one of my past 'awful' collages and get it update

I used heated plastic because gives contorted almost organic forms. Gesso can be found any where not usually used by itself in the past I used this as a primer for painting.
Looking at other people's work I don't see much dry brushing with acrylic except for finnabair. I always painted with acrylic much easier to work with than watercolours.
To stick embellishments best to use gel medium popular one is Claudine hellmuth studio multi-medium matte same one Tim uses. I just use gloss as still an acrylic medium and same thing.
I only have a few colour sprays: Cosmic Shimmer Vintage mist-patina and 2 Color wash Adirondack dye sprays. With the Distress stains Tim shows how to remove the top and decant some of dye into mini mister.
The Stencil is grid from finnabair's sunset range.
Not bad for first attempt I need to work more on arrangement of elements and save room for stencils. Paper arty have wonderful Grunge paste which does the same thing. Wished someone showed me this style sooner well I never really attended craft classes and video streaming needs fast connection.
Here is the video which inspire me enjoy

Sadly ever since August I found it difficult to get back into crafting and don't enter the challenges any more. Well I do make ATCs and mailart. Thinking of using beeswax and UTEE my melting pot has been sitting in cupboard unused as normally use it for candle making. I have a project pans specifically for beeswax. If in doubt draw.

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My thought in SMASHing

It was actually through looking at some images on flickr did I discover some new. Ever heard of Smash book? From what I've been researching and watching youtube videos did I decided what it was. Basically it's form of scrapbooking which uses basic craft material no fancy album, pages, embellishments. The official folios are by K & Company have a look at this link but generally all it is grabbing all the ephemera, mementos you can't throw about and give them a home. I have been doing this stuff for years since when I was studying Foundation Art and Design by then it was Visual Diary and influence by Photojournalist Dan Eldon who died by being stoned to death by angry mob.
I keep sketch book/visual diary out of habit my idea needs some where to go. Here some sneak peek  of my scrapbook :

 This was want I was doing before basically stuck stuff without special arrangement or decorations

Samples of work, projects completed I add them here with some handwritten notes. GCSE Design and Technology we were told to annotations I thought they were pointless only at College did I realise they are important otherwise I'll forget the little details.

Paper ephemera, packaging I add them here. I love non Roman packaging: Chinese, Japanese as makes a change from see English words of every day living.

 I'm using a handmade paper journal brought from fair trading shop which is long gone. I have only a few pages left and will soon need to find new home from my treasures. This is not the only book I have 4 either in the garage or in my room some where. I'll show some pages once I've found the other scrapbooks.
I've tried scrapbooking and even brought a book on the subject but seems too formal and incompatible to the way I work as I prefer to experment and over collage.
You don't have to buy Smash folio in order to stick things I use this:

 I've found this the Arnofini and cost less than some fancy journals. I did use as diary until the frustrating of trying to write perfect lines of text. All is not lost. You just have to figure way to reuses stuff.

 Here are selections of pages there's not much as I only started Smashing early this month and then the crafting challenges and mandatory swaps got the way.

 As you see I love collage I remember in my altered book, spend a lot time making actually embellishments than actually sticking. I hope to use some of pages as a home for my tags of 2013.

 I have photos which are not yet catalogued some dating up to 2003, the time I was in Barcelona. Some sites have printable smash elements I find the links in Pinterest needs updates as some are either dead or have to plow through pages. I love to join Pinterest one day.

I ever dedicated a 2 pages to my favourite hamster Rafa. He's so sweet even thought I have Oscar I can't help missing Rafa though. I will make page for Oscar too in fact every week I try to take as many pictures as possible didn't get a chance with the Roborovski as usually active at night and very fast. Here is folio I brought from Amazon

 Red doodle book, inside all the pages are decorate to give you a head stand.

 I couldn't help buying some goodies at well. The grab books looks interest I prefer K and Co ephemera pack. In saying that I loads of scraps and paper stash, printed lots of Journalling elements and collected more flyers and leaflets. I'm a terrible hoarder.

Don't know if I'll ever get the chance to use this Red Folio because all the interested photos I've printed will ended up the Walls Journal. But life is one big journey, now I see that every day can be documented onto a page as well. Start with a month, week and day. Interesting events only happen once in a while. There's more to come on this intriguing subject in the mean time have a look this video you will hooked too.

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Catching the last train to Craftstamper's Take it, Make it challenge

I think I just made it as the deadline is tomorrow besides I'll be off hunting painted dog sculptures.
Craftstamper's challenge was to create something using layer embossing as shown in July's edition.
Problem was I thought it was plain heat set embossing but reading the entry again and looking at the entry confirmed my suspicions. The card below was created last night using free clear stamp which came with June's issue, Wings is from Rockstar set Inkadinkadoo and some freebies from card making in simple steps.
I actually went out and brought some a set of coloured embossing powder they were cheap and discounted further. A craft store is relocating so everything is 50% off such a shame as I love the store's own brand glue as it doesn't warp the card or paper that much.
There's some elements I'm not happy with in fact I wasn't satisfied with other card my made it's just my inner critic and needs to get things spot on. Well there's so much I can do as all the monthly challenge have closed.

For Craftstamper's Take it, Make it Challenge 3: Layered Embossing.

I have been trying to find some time to do some more Smash book journals. I do have Red Folio by K and Company plus a few smash items. I'm trying to keep all my scraps and mementoes in one place but ends up as large heavy bag not that much portable than the bag I carry with me.
Still can't craft in the daytime and my chance will run out next week as I'll be on work placement. I hate working late at night because of lack of time maybe I feel so stressed out plus my day is not complete without spending some playtime with my hamster.
I'll see how it goes

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My entry for July Challenges

This month is almost over and deadline for Challenges are around corner. I'll keep this short as I have a bit of headache and didn't get much sleep last night because an annoying person kept me up. I caught some sleep in the morning which didn't really help.
This card I kept things simple and used only 4 Distress Inks colours: Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, Dried Marigold and Tattered Rose. With a few dabs of Adirondack Color Spray: Terracotta and Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mist Patina.
Stamps I chose are Stampers' anonymous Mini Ornates and Fairytale Frenzy, Hampton Art Stamps Splatter, Stampingbella mesh and PaperArtsy Hot picks.
Other tools are Martha Steward Vintage Doily Edge punch and Distress Stickles Pumice stones
Embellishments: faux flat back pearls and Idea-ology Paper string stripes.
The paper flowers are all hand cut and stamped with floral from PaperArtsy Hot picks.

For Stamping Sensations July challenge Sketch and Summers colours and
Country View Crafts July Challenge Summer Sizzler
The choice was to use sketch or colours and I did both. Minimalism is not really my thing as I come from a Eclectic, sometimes Chaotic background and like it this way. Sketches are helpful in the layout but rarely do I follow them. I can't find any use for Paper strings other than tying up stuff, you can sew with them, pierce the hole and add a touch of glue to one of the end and use as needle. Metal needles will tear the card. The orange gives a zing to cool blues it feels intensive heatwave meets heavy rain which is what I'm experiencing right now. More to come that is if I can complete another project for another challenge.

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