Make and Takes are a fun part of CHA - after all, who doesn't want to play with new products! Sometimes it's the great project which attracts you to a booth and sometimes it's a new product that gets you in but it's always enticing to come and play. First up it's the DCWV booth which was offering a woven stretch bracelet made from Blue Moon Beads . This was one of the quickest make and takes at the show: the bracelet was already made so all you had to do was attach the two charms by simply opening the jump rings, hooking them onto the elastic and closing them again. Nice and simple! Whilst we're on bracelets, I want to show you the really fun slap bracelets they were making over at Leisure Arts.   This would be a fun activity for teenagers and I think the hardest part about this MITI was choosing which duct tape you wanted to work with! All you do is cut the duct tape to the length of your bracelet and then lay the bracelet down the centre of the tape. Fold over......

It's Saturday and the first day of CHA. It's always so exciting to walk through the doors not knowing what you're going to find on the show floor. My first stop for the day was at Viva Decor's booth where Michael Strong had designed a very pretty and softly coloured valentine's card using Paper Soft Color . Whilst this is not a new product, it is the first opportunity I've had to use it and I was really impressed by how easily it blended on the paper. The colour is very soft just as its name implies. To add some elegant pearls to the flourishes we used a Pearl Pen which was also a dream to use. The stamped images are from Michael's own stamp line, Strong Stamps. Beautiful card, isn't it Sorry about the poor photography - there is very limited lighting in the hotel room so I won't mention where this photo was taken, although the towel background might give you some idea! Viva Decor has a theme for their booth this year: A White Wedding and this card ......

It's time to get the recipe book out again today and use a tried and tested recipe - Let's revisit "How to turn modern into Vintaj". This resin piece was a contradiction in styles - classical cameo cast in modern lime green - beautiful, yet ugly! But, add a few choice ingredients - a beautiful filigree stamping and some coordinating glass beads - and well, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. And that brings me to today's piece - a glitzy, faceted cabochon. This piece definitely doesn't fit into the classical category either but it is a lovely shape and it's faceted so it catches the light as it moves. I think it will definitely benefit from the "How to turn modern into Vintaj" recipe. So let's begin with the cabochon and wrap it snugly in the filigree. Add some coordinating beads and chain ........and voilà - How to Turn Modern into Vintaj - Take 2! And like it's counterpart, it looks just as good from the back! Delish!...

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to spend the day wandering the floor of the Brisbane Quilt and Craft show and I spent a good deal of time in the dedicated bead area. I was on a mission to find beads to use with some of my resin casts and this is what I came up with for a cameo I had cast in lime green. Ingredients: One rather hideous (but definitely modern) lime green cameo...... one beautiful filigree brass stamping..... and a few strands of Czech glass beads in earthen tones...... Method: Place the cast on the brass stamping and carefully wrap the sides around it. Thread the crystals on tiger tail and thread through the back of the stamping. Secure ends with a clasp. And here's one I prepared earlier! Mmmm....... yummy! Look at the back view which is quite lovely too! Check back later to see what else I cook up with my craft show finds....