I can't believe how quickly this necklace and earring set came together. My original idea for the Czech Glass seashell beads was a much more casual design but when I found the lapis lazuli and pyrite beads I could see something quite different. But the silver filigree dictated that this design would be much more structured than what I'd originally had in mind. It works really well with the very platinum coloured pyrite or fools gold as it is known - gold that is not quite gold and yet not quite silver! When I laid the lapis beads out on my bead mat around the filigree, I liked the way the eyepins were radiating out from the filigree but I wasn't sure that they'd sit at that angle once they were attached. But what I discovered was that because the holes in the filigree were a long way from the edges, gravity couldn't make the eyepins fall straight down but instead they sat at the angle I wanted. Dare I say it, but I've defied gravity! For the earrings though, gr...

Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to receive some goodies in the mail to create with and yesterday it was this little bundle of goodies courtesy of Auntie's Beads . Aren't they gorgeous? The seashell strand is Czech Glass and I fell in love with these the moment I saw them. Sometimes, a bead just talks to you and you know you have to have it. But this strand wasn't just talking; it was shouting at me! I couldn't get it into my cart fast enough. I think I was secretly worried that if I didn't, there'd be none left by the time I got to the checkout. But now that I've seen them in real life, I'm wishing I had put 2 strands into my cart! I really LOVE them! When I was looking for beads to pair them up with I had in mind a beach theme and I was thinking turquoise, sand, sea green.... you get the picture. I was looking for something a little shabby chic. But in wandering through the Auntie's Beads site, I came across these beautiful lapis lazuli ...

It's that time of the year when Brisbane City Council announces it's annual Art Bites Program and I'm really pleased to announce that my resin bangle workshop is part of the program this year. Art Bites is a series of arts workshops run through March and April each year which are designed to bring like minded people together to learn a new craft or art form. The workshops are free. Yes you read that right.... FREE! but are only open to residents of Brisbane City Council. They include a very diverse range of workshops from computer animation to singing, metal smithing, printmaking, photography, life drawing and of course, resin jewellery making to name just a few. The workshops are designed with beginners in mind so this is a great opportunity to get a taste for a craft or art form that you've always wanted to try to see if you like it. You can find out more about the workshops included in the program by visiting the Art Bites feature page on the Our Brisbane website. A...

I stopped by the AMACO booth at CHA and had a chance to watch Michelle Zimmerman in action with Cloud Clay - the wonderful air dry, light as a feather (or is that light as a cloud) clay that is non toxic, non greasy and has a pleasant smell. Michelle is well known for the wonderful, whimsical creatures she creates and she invited me to have some fun with this creature and tell her what I wanted him to look like. She already had him underway when I joined her so we had a good base to start with. As you can see, he started out looking like a snail. Michelle and I were throwing around some ideas about his features and between us we decided he should have purple eyes. No, actually, we decided on just one eye - he should be monocular. And so we named him "One Eyed Pete". Oh, we were having such fun with this imaginary creature! We thought he still needed a little something and we settled on a single purple horn, like a unicorn. And as quick as a flash, Michelle had modelled his ...

Ah, Valentine's Day! And romance is in the air! When I walked into the office this morning I was greeted with a beautiful bunch of roses in shades of pink and red, and then shortly after by a box of exquisite foil wrapped chocolates in a heart shaped box. How romantic! Before a minute had passed the cutest little kitten with a red bow tied around it's neck appeared. Romantic image after romantic image flashed across my computer screen - what a lovely start to the day. I bet you were thinking how spoiled I am? Well, perhaps I'm not quite that spoiled but my sweetheart and I did exchange boxes of chocolates this morning and we'll sit down quietly tonight to share them as we watch Sleepless in Seattle together - mushy stuff, I know, but very romantic! And that leads me on to today's post - Zentangle inspired Valentine's Cards. One of the wonderful things about Zentangle is that there really are no rules so there is nothing to say that your doodle has to fill a squ...

One of the booths I always make a beeline for at CHA is Blumenthal Lansing . Apart from having such cool buttons, they always come up with really great but simple make and takes. Here's one I did at their booth this year. We started with a really unique bangle base - a piece of plastic tubing held together with duct tape! The base is then simply wrapped with specialty yarns. And the pièce de résistance: their gorgeous resin floral buttons! We used a collection from the new Flower Garden range which are securely wired on to the bangle and embellished with some seed beads. I love this little treasure and have already worn it several times and had many admiring comments! But what keeps the fibre in place? Well I'm glad you asked! Blumenthal Lansing teamed up with Glue Arts who kindly provided their wonderful Extreme Tac adhesive squares for this make and take. And when they say extreme, they really mean EXTREME. These adhesive squares were perfect for attaching the lengths of f...

This past weekend, my local shopping centre put on a wonderful community program to coincide with the Chinese New Year. The aim was to introduce the local non-Chinese community to Chinese culture and traditions. It ran over several days with the main activities being on Saturday. I was keen to experience as much as I could and first stop was Chinese calligraphy. Dipping the brush in the ink and brushing out the excess was the first lesson I learned. Brush to paper: learning how much pressure to apply for each part of the stroke. With a master calligrapher to talk me through the strokes as I put brush to paper, the first few strokes were the easiest! Learning how to hold the brush was a task in itself - this was a really foreign concept for my westernized brain. I had to constantly remind myself to hold the brush upright instead of at an angle. A picture of concentration! I was completely engrossed in the task at hand and by this stage I'd been at it for about 30 minutes with m...

Whilst in LA for CHA I stayed at the most delightful hotel: The Figueroa. This charming, Moroccan themed hotel is a welcome oasis in the concrete, steel and glass skyline of downtown LA. With its exotic and unique decor it exudes charm and it has a relaxed ambience, made all the more soothing by the new age music which filters through the hotel lobby. It couldn't be a more perfect hotel for artists and crafters to stay in. Enjoy the snaps I took around the hotel. The lobby with it's distinctive yellow luminescence. It's difficult to photograph but it sets the tone for the whole hotel. Looking across the breakfast area An ornate mirror nestled above an extraordinary lantern Wherever you look, the light fittings are exquisite, whether they are floor lamps..... or ceiling lanterns. The spectacular filigree chandelier in the lobby Poolside - the bar area is draped in luxurious fabrics, canopied seating areas, and more exotic ceiling lanterns. The coloured window panes th...