Kumihimo

With all the recent biz I haven't had a lot of time to play around with new crafts. So it was a great pleasure to find some time this week to try kumihimo. I started out using the instructions and printable template from Friendship-Bracelets.net and followed up with the information on Weir Crafts' web site. I found that it was super easy to produce beautiful cords, both round and flat. In fact, it's so simple an amoeba could do it - if it had fingers.



My first kumohimo disk was made using the printable template stuck to corrugated card and stood me in good stead for my first attempts. However, after an evening of making cords it became a bit dog eared. So I ordered a proper one and have been making cords whenever I have five minutes to myself. Being a bit of a fibre freak, I dug around in my stash and found yarns in acrylic and wool, rat tail plus some cotton perle and hand dyed silks. All of them worked beautifully. I didn't even have a problem keeping the tension to form even cords. However, you can use a small weight (e.g. a keyring or heavy bead) hung from the bottom of the cord to keep it hanging straight if you have difficulty forming an even cord.



Now, what to do with the cord? No doubt some will be used on cards but I made a cute little bracelet from a thin spiral cord using silver plated findings. I have also ordered some larger findings so I can make the other cords into jewellery too. My new favourite craft? Definitely. How long will that last? Probably until I find the next new craft.

Opportunities, rabbits and zombie lambs

OK, I know, I am shamefully late in posting anything to my blog. Due to being hyper busy, and a few other personal issues that are highly boring, finding inspiration for blogging took a back seat. I can't promise that I will be posting any more regularly but I will be trying to. My aim is to post once a week - but much like everything else in my life right now that's open to being challenged.

I do have a couple of exciting announcements but I can't give details about them right now. One involves some of my art work being published in a book - possibly. I'm still waiting to hear what's going on with that. The other involves my craft work being on TV. Again, I don't know a huge amount just now but I hope to be sharing details with you at a later date. But talk about exciting! At the start of the year I was scared things were not going to go well this year. Certainly I've had my problems. But figuring I had nothing to loose I decided to try some positive thinking and see if I could shift that feeling. Since then sales of paintings and beads have been very healthy and I've been getting new opportunities. Here's to thinking positive thoughts.

The summer exhibition has once again arrived and as usual I was rushing around trying to get work ready. One of these exhibitions I will be organised before the hand in. But below you can find two of the entries. Both are watercolour over graphite.


The lamb started off as a pencil drawing. However, I decided that I didn't like it. The original was drawn on Arches hot pressed watercolour paper but the graphite showed the checkered surface of the paper. The lamb also had a look of a zombie lamb - staring eyes, looking like it was looming out of the picture to try and grab your liver. Again, I had nothing to loose and threw some watercolour on it. A serious improvement. But you can't help but wonder if it's thinking about a nice bit of liver for lunch.

And now we wait and see if I get any sales.

By the way, although my blog has been 'resting' I can always be found on Facebook. You can find my art page here my bead page here or my personal page here. Links to my Twitter and Pinterest accounts can be found at the top of the page.