GIVE THANKS {Art by Miran Challenge 16}

{Guest DT Project for Art by Miran's Challenge 16}

  

Art by Miran is launching their 16th challenge today. All their challenges are always ANYTHING GOES as long as your project has a hand coloured image. So hop over here to have a look at their 16th challenge.

Also visit Mi Ran's Showcase blog {Art by Miran} here, for some more inspiration.

I have used this cute girl called MISS APPLE created by the talented Mi Ran.  She looks like she is on her way home from picking some lovely juicy apples. Do yourself a favour and hop over to Mi Ran's Etsy shop and check out her awesome digi creations, here. You can purchase MISS APPLE here.

The image has been coloured with Derwent H2O water colour pencils and a pencil blender. The sentiment is from Paulette {Create with TLC} and has been coloured with dry chalks and pencils. The design papers, flat pearls, photo turns and brads are from my stash.

I would love to enter this into the following challenges:

Just Keep on Creating - ATG

Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes with uplifting sentiment 

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

Sister Act - ATG (UL)

Creative Fingers - ATG

Through the Craft Room Door - ATG  (2/2)

Craft Girls - ATG 

Di's Digi Designs - Girly
Open Minded Crafting - Fall/Autumn (2/3)
Jellypark - Fall/Autumn (2/3)
Crafting from the Heart - ATG (3/3)
Crafters Cafe - Punches and/or Dies (used circle punches for the folded embellishments) (2/3)
Crafty Creations - Use Orange (2/2)
Inspiration Station - ATG
Whimsy Stamps - ATG (2/3)

Anything Goes with a Twist - Twist is ATG

Thank you so much to the wonderful loving comments you always leave for me.  Leaving you with a little mosaic project in the making.  Cant wait to get to the grouting and painting stage.

Crafty hugs

TRI-STEP CARD & MOSAIC PROJECT

- 13 December 2011

Another tri-step card I created for my dear friend Belinda's birthday. I used the same template posted in the previous post below. Such an easy card technique - it looks more complicated than it is. The hearts were stamped with Chiswick's acrylic stamps, cut out and scrunged. The sentiments were sourced from FB.

After finishing mosiacing my garden table and chairs a few months ago, Belinda's husband fancied it during a visit and commissioned Belinda to also mosaic a garden set for their balcony at home. I ordered the table and 3 chairs from the Seedpod Studion in Broadacres, Johannesburg. I helped Belinda select the colours for the mosaic tiles and we spent two full days mosaicing. We also mosaiced a terra cotta pot with the left over tiles. I planted a succulant in it for her. Can't wait to see the garden set on their balcony. We are visiting them on New Years.

Just finished putting up the Christmas Tree. Its the first time in 4 years we have put up the tree (... and yes Michelle, I have not opened your Xmas pressie yet, its nicely waiting for me under the tree ...), as we have been away for Christmas every year since we moved to Gauteng. Hubby was prompting me regularly on 'when is the tree going up'. Last night I mentioned that the tree would look quite nice in the corner of our TV room. This morning while I was still sleeping he silently moved the furniture around, to make space for the tree. I did not even noticed the furniture being moved when I came down from upstairs. Only noticed it when I decided later in the morning to put the tree up. Thats now true Xmas cheer dedication for you.

Hubby's mom and dad has been married for 53 years today. What an achievement and dedication to eternal love.

MOSAICING A MEMORY ALBUM BOX

Yours truly have been trying her hand at mosaicing once again. This is time I attempted to mosaic a box for Duane's 21st memory album. I have been scurrying around in a few local arts and craft shops, but could not find a suitably sized box for a scrapbook album. So I did what we all seem to be doing more and more, surfed the net and by poor chance surfed into the Pridia Arts & Crafts online shop. They specialised in wooden box blanks for the craft industry and had just the right album box with lid I was looking for. So I went ahead immediately placing my order online and the rest of the process was a breeze with such friendly and speedy service ... I was actually amazed.

Pridia are based in Jeffreys Bay, RSA and posting the items to me here in Johannesburg was no sweat and the boxes arrived nicely packed and all in tact. And an added bonus is that they are very reasonably priced.

Duane's Mom, Belinda wanted to keep his 21st album in a box which she could also use as a display item on a coffee table. Her colour schemes were oranges, browns and yellows so I am holding thumbs that my tile choices were the right ones.

If any of you also would like to create a mosaic album box like this, or even just to keep your 12x12 cardstock out of arms way, just contact Pridia Arts & Crafts Online and get your box now.

Thanks again for taking the time to pop in and for all your lovely comments. Will be visiting your space soon. Wishing you all a fantastic crafty week.

SAYING THANK YOU WITH MOSAIC FRAMES

I thought it best not to let too much time pass after my post below regarding my dear friends Michelle and Shelley who were forced to slave labour during their recent visit. So just in case some of you think that I am a rude host to my friends and taking all the recognition for myself, here are the fruits of our labour. Since Michelle and Shelley left last Sunday, I completed the 15 frames by filling in the remainder of the undone designs, grouting and finishing of with painting. I had some 6"x8" photo enlargements printed and cut them down to 15x15cm to fit into the frames. The frames are 26x26cm with a 15x15cm window for the photos. All the photos are of my in-laws, some of their wedding day nearly 50 years ago and some even before their wedding.

Its hard to believe that we came up with 10 different designs. Some designs were duplicated to complete the 15 frames. I trust that the guests at my in-laws' Golden Anniversary will like their mosaic frames which will be their thank you gifts. So here are the ten different designs:

So now, all that needs to be done is to bubble wrap each frame, pack them in a box or two and post them to Uitenhage where the anniversary celebration will take place. Hold thumbs that they will all arrive safe, sound and whole.

- Mosaiced out signing off

LADIES CLUB GOING MOSAIC

Another month has passed and Liesl got her ladies club off to try their hand at mosaicing. The venue was Craft Cottage in Fourways, Gauteng. Once again all the ladies enjoyed creating their master pieces and the enthusiasm was running high, whilst everyone was of course catching up on who has a boyfriend, who is looking for a boyfriend, who has been on date with a boyfriend and whose husbands are behaving or not.

I have to complement Craft Cottage's staff who has been soooo helpful and friendly, assisting each and everyone of us in chopping our tiles up to any sizes/shapes we requested. For those of you have done mosaicing would know that using the tile cutters to chop your required shapes is probably the hardest aspect of this craft. So here is a visual account of all the creativity that was buzzing around.

Liesl fighting with the cutters.

Louise fitting that perfect piece to the puzzle.

Michelle solving the Chinese Mystery.

And this is yours truly (below) hard at work ... see the smoke above my head ... that's all the concentration.

It has already filled a spot in Conroy's book cabinet in the study.

- All framed out signing off

A NEW CRAFT EXPERIENCE

I spent two days this week at the Seed Pod Studio in Broadacres, Johannesburg this week learning a new craft, namely Mosaic. We wanted a small table and chairs for our balcony leading off the bedrooms upstairs, where we could sip a sundowner during those hot summer evenings.

Well, if I knew that mosaicing is so taxing on the hands, I probably would not have been so adventurous in tackling a table top, first time round. Some of the tiles I used were seriously dense and very tough to clip/cut into smaller pieces, some pieces being smaller than 0.5cm. I had blisters on nearly every finger after the first day and improvised a bit more for my second day by putting a plaster round every finger to cushion the onslaught of those clipping tools.

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

STAGE 4

After Stage 4, the next step was the grouting.

But the blisters were all worthwhile in the end. I love the gecko crawling on my bistro tabletop and I am sure he will join us for every single sundowner. The next step is to do the two chair seats that goes with the table, but I am just giving my hands a good rest first.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

I just love this newly acquired craft and have already got a whole list of things lined up that I would like to mosaic. This could become a monthly 2-day stint at the Seed Pod. But, for now, I have to get on with my scrapping and BOM Challenge which is lagging.

- Finger battered signing off