My work table is awash with Kashmiri beads at the moment. Take a look at these strands of colour! For some reason I can't quite explain, I am really drawn to Kashmiri beads. They are everything I dislike in a bead and yet at the same time I love them: They are big and chunky, but I like small and delicate. They are gaudy, whereas I prefer tasteful and understated. They are imperfect and yet beautiful at the same time. I find them such a contradiction! Like I said, it makes no sense that I would like them so much and yet I couldn't wait to start creating with them. Looking at these beads individually, they are so extravagantly over the top but teamed up with crystals and silver, they look fantastic! In no time I had whipped up a dozen pieces of jewellery. Here's a bit of a peek: No detailed pics yet because they will all be available for purchase exclusively at the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo this weekend. You'll find them on display at the Stamp Antics stand. But he......

This weekend the annual Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo is on at the Brisbane Convention Centre and you'll be able to catch me demonstrating how to work with Friendly Plastic each day at the Stamp Antics stand (Saturday and Sunday from 12pm - 2pm and all day Monday). Not sure how to use Friendly Plastic? Then stop by to see all the basic techniques being demonstrated and pick up some tips that will have you working with Friendly Plastic like a pro in no time. One of the things I enjoy doing most with Friendly Plastic is making jewellery, but Friendly Plastic is also a great product to incorporate into your scrapbooking and cardmaking projects. Check out the album of samples at the stand for some fun ideas. And of course, it's your chance to ask questions, so please do... I'll be happy to answer them. I hope you'll stop by and say hello and maybe start your new adventure with an old crafting favourite. See you there! If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want......

Hmmm............. make more jewellery of course! So here's today's eye candy - a bracelet, a necklace and a cuff. Making simple, strung bracelets is one of my favourite ways to make up twisted beads. It only takes the addition of a few glass and metal beads to turn the Friendly Plastic beads into something special. This one is called Spicy Tango. Daisy Chain was a little more difficult to create. The colours I'd marbled together were so different to my usual colour palette that it was challenging to find suitable findings to work with it. In the end I chose a daisy shaped filigree stamping which complemented the flower shape perfectly. The Swarovski crystal in the centre is a headpin which is threaded firstly through a bead cap, then the daisy filigree and finally, the Friendly Plastic flower. It's sandwiched between the front and back layers and then it becomes the bail. I'm very pleased with the way it came together. And the last piece for today is pretty gold, p......

Now the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo is done and dusted I've begun to turn some of those demo samples into finished pieces so it's eye candy time! All the pieces below are made using the marbling technique and are cut out with cookie cutters. All pieces (except for the first piece) have been covered in resin for durability. The first is a simple marbled piece which I cut into a triangle shape using a cookie cutter. I've folded a long brass filigree flourish around the front and back and secured it firmly in place. The folded section of the filigree acts as a bail and the addition of a couple of sparkly Swarovski crystals adds a nice touch of glamour. Triangle Scroll Pendant Here's a silver version using a filigree bail attached to the front of the triangle. The necklace is made up of twisted silver tubes threaded on tiger tail and finished and with a crystal teardrop. Triangle Teardrop This heart shaped piece is assembled using a Swarovski crystal headpin to secure the......

Day 2 of the Scrapbook Expo has already been and gone and I've been kept very busy teaching Friendly Plastic workshops and demoing on the Stamp Antics stand. Even though Friendly Plastic has been around since the '80s, lots of paper crafters are seeing it for the first time and are really excited by this "new" medium. It has been a huge hit with the crafters who have stopped by the stand and Stamp Antics have almost sold out of all the stock they had. But rest assured, there is more on the way. I thought I'd share with you samples of the simple techniques I've been demoing to whet your appetite. Firstly, impress your friends with this gorgeous texture - stamped with rubber stamps or impressed with Krafty Lady Texture Mats and using a frypan as the heat source - gorgeous! These pieces will probably be turned into "Tile Jewellery" so watch out for what I do with them in later posts. Next, marbling with the marbling comb. This is such a fun technique a......

My blogging has been a little bit sparse over the last month as I've been preparing for the Scrapbook Expo this coming weekend at the Convention Centre in Brisbane. If you'd like to see what I've been up to, then stop by the Stamp Antics to catch a demo. I know many of you are unfamiliar with Friendly Plastic as it had all but disappeared from the crafting scene until very recently but it is now making a resurgence with some very talented designers discovering all sorts of new ways to use this very versatile product. You can incorporate Friendly Plastic into your scrapbook pages, cards, off-the-page projects and, my personal favourite, jewellery making! Magenta Ribbons (à la Jana Ewy ) You'll be able to check out my Friendly Plastic pens in person at the stand too (PLUG: Book into the Friendly Plastic Pen class for the weekend following the show if you want to learn my how-to secrets!). Lollipop And whilst you'll be able to see me demonstrating several techniques on......

Butterfly Fantasy Australia's biggest papercraft-dedicated craft show is on at the Southbank Convention Centre in less than two weeks. There are almost 50 exhibitors to whet your papercrafting appetite with their wares. All you lucky crafters in Brisbane, it's right on your doorstep! I'll be demoing on the Stamp Antics stand over the weekend and I'm also teaching three workshops using Friendly Plastic. So if you're interested in learning how to work with this unique material, there are still a couple of places available in the Sunday workshop wh ere you'll learn how to mould with Friendly Plastic. You can book online until June 2nd or call 02 9452 7575 to make a phone booking. Or if you miss the deadline, you can book a t the show if there are any places still available. Tropical Fish Stamp Antics are sponsoring my classes and they have generously supplied all the materials in the kits - you even get to keep the Tim Holtz Tonic scissors in the Tropical Fish w......

What a fantastic weekend it was at the Scrapbook Expo....... It was great to meet so many of you at the Stamp Antics stand and be able to demo the Bow-Easy first hand for you. I bet you never thought tying perfect bows could be so simple! Remember, if you get stumped with the instructions that come in the package, then head over to my website and go to the Tutorials page where you can download and print some really clear, easy to follow instructions with step-by-step photos. The Core'dinations card stock was another popular demo. I happily sanded, scrunched, inked and tore away at the card stock and produced lots of bits which will be great additions to cards later on. Here's a bunch of the cardstock I was working on. I'll make them up into cards later on and post those also. As you can see, I really enjoy working with the Black Magic collection..... I just love the contrast between the black and the core colour when you sand it back..... it's definitely my favourite!...

This weekend Brisbane plays host to the annual Australasian Scrapbook and Papercraft Convention. Brisbane is the only city this show comes to which is so exciting for all us Brissie girls. I really look forward to it because of it's unique mix of retailers with scrapbooking, cardmaking and jewellery supplies all happily residing under the one roof and the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. I'll be demonstrating for Jenny at Stamp Antics using some of the newest Krafty Lady Art Moulds including that gorgeous frangipani which has been so popular. I know Jenny's stocks are already dwindling so you'll want to be early to get one of these. I'll also be playing with the Core'dinations cardstock range and as I mentioned last month, I'll be demonstrating how to tie bows using the Bow-Easy tool. You won't believe how easy it is once you know how! I hope you'll stop by (stand 18-19) and say hello - I'd love to meet you! So to whet your appetite with a sampli......