Aren't these little Kokeshi style dolls adorable? Kokeshi dolls are originally from the northern region of Japan and were handmade from wood. They are instantly recognisable; their simplistic design includes a rounded trunk, enlarged head and a lack of arms and legs. They are also painted brightly with very simple detailing. Traditionally they were made by master craftsmen but these days they are mass produced as souvenirs for the tourist industry. I got these from Beads Online . And whilst they are not strictly traditional, they are really cute. Cute is not a style I work in very often so it will be a challenge to see how I can incorporate their quirkiness with my style. From time to time it's good to step out of your comfort zone and work with an unfamiliar product or style. That's exactly what I did this weekend with these Kokeshi pendants. I found them so very appealing, but I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them. And so there I was, confronted wit......

Are you looking for a quick but personalised and inexpensive gift for someone special? Perhaps this tutorial will give you some ideas. I'd like to show you how I make a Kimono pocket from an A4 sheet of paper. Place the paper in portrait position, pattern facing up. Fold in half taking, the top to the bottom. Find the centre point along the fold and then fold the right and left hand sides into the middle to form a roof shape. Open the page up again and turn it over. Re crease the diagonal folds so that they are mountain folds. Push the first fold (which is a valley fold) inwards so that the diagonal folds form a roof shape. Fold the right hand side (front only) across and crease. The distance away from the point will be decided by the item that will be placed in the finished pocket. Fold the left hand side across to the right and crease. You need the two folds to be equidistant from the point. If the left hand flap overhangs the right hand fold, then fold the excess behind it. Fold......

It was back to the kitchen this week to experiment a little more with Friendly Plastic. I seem to spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen these days but it never seems to be to cook (well except for family meals). I seem to craft more there than I cook and I really don't have a problem with that any more as my children are all old enough now to prepare a meal when I can't. But I emphasise prepare because they still don't clean up afterwards! But I do enjoy playing with my craft stuff in the kitchen: sometimes it's Opals, sometimes polymer clay, and at the moment it's Friendly Plastic. So, here's what I tried this week. I placed a square of Friendly Plastic over the mould and heated it with the heatgun until it began to soften and droop down into the mould cavity just slightly. With wet fingers, I carefully eased it down into the mould until I had worked my fingers across the entire mould cavity. This stuff gets very hot, so keep wetting your fingers. If you fe......

This array of oriental embellishments works really well with the Polished Pigments backgrounds I created earlier. They will make a great set of Asian themed ATCs. A finished ATC. The Asian face is a Krafty Lady Art Mould AM1002....