Happy New Year 2017

(Photos taken of the London fireworks last night/this morning from the TV - I was pleased with how they came out as it almost looks like I was there!)
As has become somewhat traditional for me, today is the day I review my aims for 2016 and decide on aims for 2017.

• Make more felt - I made a grand total of two new pieces, one of which is not finished.  My other craft activities took over, including, of course, paper crafting.  So, not great progress by any means.  However, I have reserved a table at a craft event in November 2017, so that should give me the impetus I need to get making again.
• Read interesting books - Definite success here.  I read 84 books in 2016, many old friends which I enjoyed re-reading.  There were also some new ones including: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey; The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier; several Miss Marple stories by Agatha Christie (and three more waiting on my Kindle); several books containing accounts of children's past lives and the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard. I shall do my best to keep the eclectic mix going during 2017.
• Be Creative - I can safely say that I have continued my creative journey with kumihimo necklaces, stamping onto polymer clay, paper crafting (and making some Christmas cards).  I am hoping to use some of my Blockwallah stamps in lino printing, but felting has to come high on the list (see the first bullet point).
• Get rid of/donate things I do not want or need - I made a tiny bit of progress with this one, but if I had a report, it would be 'must try harder'.  I have far too much stuff and must really sort myself out.  Another aim for 2017.

No new aims again, as the ones above still stand for 2017, so lots for me to go at there.
Happy New Year to you all and I hope it is a healthy, prosperous and peaceful one.

More kumihimo necklaces - finally completed

 I have made a few of these kumihimo (Japanese braiding technique) necklaces now and have finally finished three which just needed the ends completing.  I chose colours that I wear at work in the winter.  The purple one above uses 6mm faceted and plain gemstones.

 The blue one uses 6mm faceted and plain gemstones too...

...whereas this blue/green one uses gemstone chips.  I wanted to use the Chartreuse S-Lon cord in a piece of jewellery, so decided to try it out here.

Here's a close up of the purple stones which include amethyst, fluorite, agate, lavender amethyst.

 The blue one has aquamarine, different agates, lapis lazuli and sodalite in it.

The blue/green one has peridot (which matched the Chartreuse cord beautifully), amazonite, apatite and aquamarine.
I really enjoy the repetitive aspect of kumihimo which does become a relaxing and meditative activity.

Update on the wall situation:  the wall man came to have a look at the damage and said that a fence would be cheaper, but a wall could be put back, although not with the old bricks.  However, this would involve foundations four bricks width each side, so would mean the raised border would have to go and I would need to save the plants I wanted and then start again.  We are waiting for the quote...

My first beaded Kumihimo jewellery - as seen on TV!

 You may remember that I started trying kumihimo ( a Japanese braiding technique) to use in my jewellery making.  I managed an eight strand braid in satin cord and was happy with that, but I really wanted to be able to add gemstones into the braid.

I bought this DVD from Jewellery Maker and watched it several times.  One of the projects featured was a Lariat style braided necklace, which you can see on the cover above and I knew I had to try it.  The thing I liked most was that it didn't use any findings (clasps, jump rings etc.).  

I gave myself a bit more of a challenge by using gemstone chips, which were a bit more tricky to thread on the the S-Lon thread I was using.  (This thread is my favourite at the moment).  I used clear nail varnish to create a 'needle' at the end of the threads and the chips went onto the thread much more easily. 

Braiding is a meditative process which I really enjoy and it can be picked up and put down as you wish.  So, having used some of my favourite colours and gemstones (sky blue apatite, neon blue apatite, amazonite and tanzanite), I decided to send a photo to Jewellery Maker Wall of Fame.  This is where JM features jewellery made by viewers from mainly JM supplies and they will show a selection on the morning shows. Everyone who enters (whether their photo is shown or not) is entered into a draw (which takes place on a Wednesday) to win £100 of credit or £50 of credit with JM.  That would be rather nice...

 I sent a photo in and forgot about it,  I was half watching the programme on Saturday when what should I see, but my necklace being featured! ( I managed to get the images from the JM bit on youtube - the shows are uploaded).  (I'm not being sponsored by JM - I am a customer and have been for at least four years).

 Here is my necklace's moment of fame!

 Here's a close up.  I was very excited, as you can imagine.  I am working on some more of these necklaces using 6mm gemstones.  I think I may be getting obsessed...

Learning something new - Kumihimo

This year, one of the things I really wanted to do was to learn kumihimo, which is a Japanese braiding technique.  I have taken the plunge and found a basic eight strand braid to be remarkably easy to learn.  A disc is vital, as is a kumihimo weight which helps with the tension of the braid,  

 This pink and purple satin cord braid was my first attempt and I was really delighted with how it took shape.  It is a meditative process - top right to bottom right, bottom left to top left and turn - but this is only the beginning and there is a lot more that can be made.

 I used organza ribbon for the blue braid, but it wasn't as smooth a finish as the satin cord and was a bit scratchy.  However, it was a good experiment.

This one used rainbow satin cord with black and worked really well.  However, as you can see, none of these have been made into jewellery.  This is because I am considering how to finish a braid off.  You can buy kumihimo ends, you can make your own using wire, you can use ribbon cord ends... A bit of experimentation and practise may be in order.
Of course, apart from all the patterns you can create using different colours, different numbers of cords and different disks, there is the excitement of being able to braid beads and gemstones into the braid as you go.  Now that is something I definitely would like to try!

Happy New Year 2015!

(photos from Daily Mail website)

 As seems to be a bit of a tradition, the first post of the year is one where I review last year and see how I got on with the things I wanted to achieve. I kept it pretty simple and did reasonably well (with the exception of the first one).
Make more felt - hmm, this wasn't achieved at all, so I must do better with that this year.
Read interesting books - achieved (total of 86, up from 63 in 2013) and will be continued.
Be creative - achieved but could do more! I'd like to learn a japanese braiding technique (kumihimo) to add to my jewellery making.
Get rid of/donate things I do not want or need - I am a hoarder, so this is one I struggle with. However, I am going to improve and for the last few weeks have been consciously removing at least two things a day from the house.  I just need to carry that on!
So, not bad, but will do better in 2015.

Happy New Year to you all and I hope it is a healthy and prosperous one.