I had a lovely day yesterday with Sarah and everyone at The Craft Patch! What a wonderful group of crafters you all are...
...and so talented too!
Thank you all for making me feel so welcome... and what yummy homemade cakes - such talented bakers as well as crafters... is there no end to your talents! You certainly all took to the Efcolor enamelling like ducks to water. I'm really looking forward to seeing all your wonderful creations so do please send in photos of your work to gallery@projects4crafters.com.
Congratulations to Sidonie from Kent for being April's Prize Draw Winner. There's a selection of Efcolor powders and Collage blanks winging their way to you as I type!
Also, there's good news on the back front - at last, it's business as usual, and I've got some great new projects lined up. I'll be getting them produced and online as soon as possible.
I'm sorry to have to say that a badly strained back has meant that I've been unable to get the project sheets finished for April's Product of the Month feature. I'm definitely suffering withdrawal symptoms from not being able to sit and craft! Hopefully normal service will resume shortly. So April's Product of the Month will become May's instead. I've got loads of crafty ideas buzzing around in my head so watch out for some innovative projects coming soon...
With my jewellery demo at Colman's Craft Warehouse this coming Saturday I thought I'd share a top tip with you all...
This homemade
beading tray not only makes working with beads easier as they can't run
away but also makes storing your work whilst in the middle of a project
easier too as you can leave everything on the tray, move it to a safe
place and cover it with a cloth if necessary. It is also very easy to
make and cheap too!
Take an old frame and remove the glass and backing. Discard the glass as it is no longer needed (or better still give it to a glass painter to decorate!). Cover the backing with an offcut of velvet, dralon, velour or similar fabric. Fold the fabric over the edges, pulling it taut. Staple it on the reverse to fix it and trim the excess. Then replace the backing in the frame and secure in position. (You will find that it is a tight fit with the fabric.)
If you use a tray like this you will find that you spend less time crawling around on your knees looking for stray beads as they will not roll away as easily on the fabric and the frame will stop anything falling off the edge!
I look forward to seeing whoever manages to make it to the Big Demo Day at Colman's on the 31st!
Anyone who lives in the Northampton/Wellingborough area might be interested to know that Colemans Craft Warehouse is running one of their fabulous Big Demo Days on 31st March. There is always so much going on and the staff are really helpful if you have any crafting queries. Suzie Candlin will be stamping her heart out demonstrating the latest range of stamps for mens cards from Little Claire and Neil Burley will be running ceramic make'n'takes using Martha Stewart Acrylics for the bargain price of £5. I will also be there demonstrating Jewellery Making with Efco's gorgeous range of beads and jewellery bits etc so do pop down if you get the chance.
Just a quick entry to say congratulations to Isabel for being March's Prize Draw Winner. Your crafty goodies will be winging their way to you just as soon as you let me have your address!
Stitches 2012 - What a great show! Such lovely people and such wonderful enthusiasm for the new Efcolor Collage range of aluminium blanks which mean you can now make beautiful enamelled mini books, off-the-page scrapbook items, decorations and collages.
It was absolutely crazy Sunday and Monday, but luckily it took a little while to get going on the Tuesday which meant that Sue and Nick had a chance to have a go with the fabulous new Efcolor techniques. There will be project sheets showing you how to create the new effects and the many possibilities now available with the new aluminium blanks soon! Why not ask your local retailer if they were one of the many new customers who decided to order the Efcolor range at the show - you may be pleasantly surprised!
Here's a top tip for anyone who uses Alcohol Inks:
If you find that the felt pad doesn't appear to be adhering to the Ink Applicator it is probably because you have used it a lot and fibres from the felt, over time, have built up in the hook Velcro. Take a pair of scissors and carefully run one arm through the Velcro, lifting out the fluff. Repeat this action in every direction until there are no more fibres. You should then find the applicator grips your felt pads tightly again!
This is just a quick Congratulations to Jean for being January's Prize Draw Winner! What with Christmas, the New Year and the trade show coming up I'm a bit behind this month. Hope you like your prize of Jo Sonja Artist Colours and Efco Papp Art bits and pieces and if you need any help with inspiration just check out the Painting page!
I hope your New Year has started better than mine! So far just about everyone I know (including me) has been ill with one thing or another.
On a brighter note January's Product of the Month Project Sheets are available to download. We're featuring Jo Sonja's Textile Medium this month and using it in conjunction with napkins is a great way to impress your friends - I decorated a Poppy tote bag (pictured in Project Sheet F/0007M) with some of the Ideal Home Range napkins about a year ago and I still get people commenting on it, assuming that I've hand painted the poppies! It's so easy to do and it's a great way to create some unique, personalised gifts - and you don't just have to decorate a tote bag as you could use the same technique on an apron or cosmetic bag instead.
One useful tip when working with paint and mixing colours etc is to make sure you mix up enough. If you have any paint left over you can store it for a little while by covering it with a folded baby wipe and wrapping it in cling film! (The cling film stops the baby wipe drying out and the baby wipe keeps the paint fresh for a while.)
I hope you have as much fun as I had playing Jo Sonja's Textile Medium!
What a show! It was great meeting so many lovely crafters and such a talented bunch too! Under the Crafters' Studio tab you'll find a gallery of photos from the show. (I'm sad I didn't get a chance to get photos of everyone as everyone was so friendly.) Yet again we were booked solid for the whole show and with all who managed to book onto the workshops enjoying themselves, the days flew by - there are just never enough hours in the day! It was so much fun I'm looking forward to next year already!
A Time To Sow almost sold out of the Efcolor Tealight Ovens which can only mean that many crafters must have discovered, like me, how much fun cool enamelling can be. There are so many different uses for the enamelled pieces eg jewellery making, scrapbooking, card making etc. And because the powders are baked at such a low temperature they can also be used on other surfaces such as glass, ceramic, chipboard, mdf, wood etc. You can also combine them with other materials such as Jo Sonja Artist Colours, mica powders and Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks. (I'll be adding project sheets for these soon.)
And hello to all the lovely people I met at the NEC the last few days - what a great show this year's Hobbycraft Show turned out to be!
Just like last year we were booked out each day almost before we started the first workshop. If only there were more hours in the day... either that or I need to find a way to clone myself so that I can teach two workshops at the same time! Needless to say after 4 days of raising my voice to be heard above the hubbub of the NEC I've lost it! Still, at least I don't need it to continue crafting and working on the website.
I will be uploading some of the photos I took at the show for everyone to see just as soon as I've figured out how to get them off the new camera. And as soon as my voice returns I'll be setting to work on some craft videos for those of you who would like to see techniques in action!
If you are in Christmas mode already then check out November's Product of the Month. Sorry it's a couple of days late but the internet connect at the hotel was so poor I wasn't able to access the website. I think the beaded wire stars make great decorations for your tree or as festive window dressing. They also make excellent little pressies for friends as they are something that will be used year after year and, being handmade, each time they get them out it will remind them of your friendship.
Don't forget the Anniversary Competition - there's still plenty of time to get your Carol themed card done and sent in - there's a bumper prize for the best card so it's well worth a try! I look forward to seeing your entries!
Congratulations to Paula, our October winner - your Crafty Prize will be winging its way to you very soon!
Don't forget about the Anniversary Competition - see the home page for details if you haven't already spotted it! The prize fund is increasing each week so it's well worth having a go and it's so easy to make an extra card when you're busy making your Christmas cards anyway. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's wonderful entries!
Just wanted to let you all know that the Efcolor Enamelling Workshops at this year's Hobbycraft Show have been confirmed. Sue from Sinotex UK Ltd and I will be running six fun workshops every day 3-6 November at the NEC, Birmingham.
I would advise anyone interested in attending them to come to our stand J03 as soon as they arrive at the show. They were so popular last year that we were booked up each day almost before we started our first workshop. So book early to avoid disappointment!
Time to Sow on stand C21 will have a special show offer on the Efcolor Oven and Starter sets - perfect for Christmas presents, whether for yourself or someone else!
Sorry for the lack of blog updates this last month but a lot has been happening - and it's all good! (Well, apart from the summer cold that is!)
Firstly, congratulations to Lillian for being September's Prize Draw winner - as soon as I have your contact details I'll get the Quick Colour Dye Selection and Arty's Silk Scarf sent off to you. (They should prove useful for any unique handcrafted Christmas presents you fancy making.)
Secondly, I've been talking with a couple of manufacturers who have agreed to sponsor the website for the next six months - which is fabulous news as it will allow me to bring you lots more exciting project ideas and techniques.
And last, but not least, I've been busy working on Projects4Crafters' sister website TheCraftLibrary.com where, shortly, you will be able to download FREE Craft Technique Guides and pick up loads of hints and tips on a variety of crafting topics and products. This will leave more space on Projects4Crafters.com for card and craft project ideas! (Can't be bad eh?!)
Now that the Summer's over and with Christmas around the corner, I'm sure you'll all be getting back into crafting, creating some fabulous Christmas cards and presents for all your nearest and dearest. Don't forget to send in photos of your masterpieces to put on The Crafters' Gallery - you never know, you just might inspire others or they, you!
What a hectic couple of weeks! I've been so busy upgrading the studio computer and internet connection that I'm suffering from creative withdrawal symptoms. However it's all over now and hopefully the new system will make it easier and quicker to upload some inspirational projects for you all.
I hope you like August's Product of the Month project sheets - FIMO Soft really is a fabulous product which can be incorporated into so many crafting activities. The Fan Cane Buttons are quick and easy to make whilst The Sumptuous Casket, although relatively easy, is more time consuming.
I used a lovely wooden chest from Efco as a base for the Casket but there's nothing to stop you using an old tin like the one above.
Hope you are enjoying the summer hols although if you're stopping at home in the UK it must be said that the weather could be a little more consistent with the sunshine - I don't know if the hailstorm last Friday was countrywide but... wow... who'd have thought it, especially 5th August! At least as crafters we can always find something creative to do whilst waiting for the sun to show it's face.
Congratulations to Lauren for being August's Prize draw winner! Your parcel of crafty goodies will be winging its way to you shortly.
Just a quick note to say that Trish is our lucky winner from the Kent County Show Prize Draw! I hope you enjoy creating some fabulous enamelled pieces with your parcel of Efco Efcolor crafting goodies!
I just got back from the Kent County Show and what a great show it was - despite the horrendous weather! I met lots of lovely people and introduced many to the wonders of enamelling with Efco's Efcolor powders. Check out the Crafters' Gallery to see some of the creations of the visitors who made it to the Kent Pavilion. I think it's safe to say that fun was had by all inspite of the thunderstorms and downpours.
And for those of you who are based in the Rochester area, Francis Iles have asked me to teach an Efcolor Enamelling workshop later this year - I will let you know the date as soon as one has been arranged.
One very interesting development that came out of the show was when the lovely lady pictured above asked if you could combine mica powders with the Efcolor powders. It's something I'd not tried myself but didn't see why they shouldn't work - so, in between trying to catch up on emails etc, I just had to give it a go. And here are the results...
The octagonal pendant was coated with black Efcolor powder and baked. Then mica powders were dropped on. A cocktail stick was used to create a spirograph-like pattern before it was covered with a layer clear transparent Efcolor powder and rebaked. Where there were small mounds of mica powder the clear transparent Efcolor seemed to have 'rolled' back and off the powder, leaving it exposed. Applying more transparent Efcolor powder didn't make much difference until the mica powder was spread around a little with a cocktail stick.
The butterfly pendant was coated with black Efcolor powder and baked. Then mica powders were brushed on making sure there were no lumps. A cocktail stick was used to create a pattern in the powder before a thin layer of clear transparent Efcolor powder was applied and it was rebaked.
The dragonfly pendant was coated with black Efcolor powder and baked. Mica powders were mixed with clear transparent Efcolor powder and then a spatula was used to pick up the mixes and drop them on the blank, covering the black layer. It was then rebaked.
As you can see you can create some spectacular results - so thank you lovely lady for your suggestion!
Having tried the mica powders I thought it would be worth just checking whether the Jo Sonja Iridescent Colours would work with the Efcolor powders as well as they do with polymer clay, and guess what...
Like the other samples this one was enamelled with black Efcolor powder. Then a thin coat of Jo Sonja Iridescent acrylics was applied to the surface and allowed to dry. It was covered with a thin layer of clear transparent Efcolor powder and rebaked.
The photos don't really do all the samples justice so if you have the JS Iridescents or mica powders then have a go at combining them with the Efcolor powders yourselves. If you send in photos of your creations I'll add them to the Crafters' Gallery.
Me again! I forgot to say that July's Prize Draw winner is Sheila. I will be contacting her soon for a postal address so that I can send the prize of a Pébéo Vitrea Workbox to her.
Just wanted to let you know that the studio will be closed from Wednesday 13th to Monday 18th July as I'm off to the Kent County Show. I will be demonstrating Efco's Efcolor Enamelling on behalf of Francis Iles in the Kent Pavilion. If you're planning on attending the event do drop by and make yourself known. There will be show deals on the Efcolor Oven and Starter Set which make great birthday, Christmas or 'just because' pressies and if you've not yet discovered the delights of enamelling why not treat yourself!
If you didn't know about it but would like to attend the show you can purchase tickets at the gate. To find out how to get there check out the Kent County Show website. There will be lots to see and do for all the family!
If you've never tried Pébéo's Vitrea 160 Glass Paints then it's worth checking them out. They are great for decorating a variety of surfaces including cards, ceramics and, of course, glass. You can use them in conjunction with the outliners to keep the colours separate and give a traditional stained glass effect or mix it up a little as in the Vitrea Fusion Card. If painting a heat-resistant surface you can bake the decorated item, once dry, to make it dishwasher proof.
Don't forget, if you've got photos of any glass painted project, do send them in to our Crafters' Gallery (gallery@projects4crafters.com) as I'm sure everyone would like to see them!
I have been amazed at the number of crafters I have met over the last few months who seem to be finishing off their headpins and eyepins the hard way! So many of you appear to have been taught to cut the wire short before curling it round at the top of your beads. I don't know about you, but I generally find that the shorter the wire, the harder it is to curl it around at all, let alone neatly and consistently which is exactly what you want when creating earrings!
So, I have just uploaded a Technique Guide to show you all the easiest way I find to not only curl the wire around into a ring but also to make the rings consistently the same size and shape. By leaving the wire long and only cutting once you have curled it around gives you more leverage and control. If you're into beading please do give it a go and let me know what you think! Alternatively, if you have discovered an even better way then add a comment to this blog entry to share it with everyone else.
Please don't forget to send in photos of all your wonderful creations as we need them for the Crafter's Gallery. We'll also be setting up a Crafter's Forum so that you can chat with like-minded people and may be even help each other out with any crafty conundrums!
We're going to be starting a crafter's gallery on 1 September 2011!
So, if anyone has pictures of a project they have completed please send them in. It doesn't just have to be one of our projects either. If we've inspired you to go on and create something else we'd like to see photos of that too! Just let us know which project it was that inspired you. We've got manufacturers interested in supporting the website so, if we're lucky, we might even manage to wangle a prize for the best one!
Send them to: fiona@projects4crafters.com (jpg format only please). Please also tell us your name, age (if under 20 - I stopped counting after that!) and address (in case you are a prize winner - it always pays to be positive!).
Hope you all had a Happy Easter and haven't made yourselves too sick on all the yummy chocolate!
May's product of the month is the Jo Sonja Iridescent Acrylics which are absolutely fabulous! Do check out the project sheets to see their versatility. Did you know that you can use them to decorate Fimo? And the foam technique is so easy to do and a lot of fun no matter what your age!
Eleonora posed a very good question via our contact form and I thought I'd share it with everyone as, chances are, there are more of you out there wondering the same thing!
"I would like to know what is the main difference between Efcolor and the high temperature firing enamels, apart from the temperature that is. I guess my main concern is the quality of the final product because if they were exactly the same nobody would bother with a kiln."
Efcolor powders are resin based whereas traditional enamelling uses glass powders, hence the need for a kiln and high temperature firing. As such, Efcolor enamelled objects will not be quite as hard wearing as glass enamelled ones. I have some traditionally enamelled pieces I created over 20 years ago that are still fine although, that said, they can still 'chip' and loose embedded items (one of mine has).
I have found that Efcolor powders work perfectly well for jewellery and embellishments etc. If you have something that is likely to get a lot of hard wear you will find that some Efcolor powders are stronger than others. For example, I have a phone charm (Project Sht EN/0005) that has seen a lot of daily wear over the last six months or so. The copper glitter heart is still as perfect as the day I made it but the red transparent heart is showing some wear at the edges as well as a couple of fine cracks on close inspection. Whether traditional or Efcolor powders are used enamel, when cool, is brittle by nature and so needs a strong backing to protect it. Copper metal blanks are perfect for this purpose as they also conduct heat well.
The Efcolor range makes it possible for many more people including youngsters to try their hand at enamelling without having to make a huge financial investment. With the tealight oven it also means you can do it anywhere. However, I would recommend that anyone who wants to get seriously involved in enamelling should consider investing in the traditional glass enamel powders and a kiln. Efco also do a small range of kilns as well as the glass powders, tools etc. so contact your local Efco stockist if you are interested as they should be able to order them for you.
If you're not sure what system to invest in then it's worth starting with the Efcolor powders to see how you get on. This way you won't have a huge financial outlay at the start. The principles of enamelling are the same whether you are using Efcolor powders or traditional enamel powders. The only difference when working with them is that the glass powders need firing at the higher temperature and the glass chips and rods melt properly when embedded in the powders. When using glass chips and rods with Efcolor powders they don't melt but get 'locked' into the enamel in the same way that the metal jewellery does. You don't even need to invest in the tealight oven as an ordinary domestic oven will do when using Efcolor powders although I definitely think it's worth its less than £20 price tag if you want to give enamelling a real go. If you then find that you are getting more serious about enamelling, you can invest in the traditional powders and kiln etc. knowing you will not be wasting money.
I hope this helps anyone who is still unsure of the difference between Efcolor Enamelling and Traditional Enamelling. If you have any questions don't hesitate to drop me a line via our contact form.
Just wanted to apologise again for the delay in getting April's Product of the Month up and running.
First I took a couple of days off to attend my cousin's wedding which was fabulous! The bride looked stunning! In fact, her sister is the bride in this month's Easy Embellishment Project Sheet. (I'm hoping to have some great photos to scrapbook soon!)
Having recovered from the festivities we then had a gastric bug that swept through the studio. (Rather frustrating as I could have done with loosing a couple of pounds before the wedding rather than after!) This meant that preparing the page was left to the last minute.
The final straw came when we tried to upload the photos and pdf downloads. Our server said there was no more room despite not reaching the maximum upload limit!
Fortunately, everything has been sorted and we have now managed to get the page uploaded. I hope you feel it's worth the wait as I think that Color-Dekor 180°C is a great craft product. It is also ideal for crafty projects with children as it's easy to use and they can get such a professional finish to their work!
This month's prize is a selection of Color-Dekor 180°C kindly donated by Sinotex UK Ltd. And the winner is... Eileen (who I'll be emailing for delivery details shortly).
Hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine we've been experiencing in the UK during the last week. I've had my niece off school with a nasty bug which she very kindly passed onto me so I'm a little behind and desperately trying to catch up before I head off to my cousin's wedding!
That said I had a great day at Flutterby Crafts teaching a lovely bunch of ladies how to make a Fimo bullseye cane and decorate beads as well as another session on the fabulous Efcolor enamelling. If you're interested in Fimo jewellery then I've recently uploaded a few projects and technique guides to get you started... and there'll be more to come soon!
One very good question that I've received via the 'contact us' page came from Debbie who asked if it was possible to use a stone polisher for polishing Fimo beads. As there may be more of you out there who are wondering the same thing I thought it worth mentioning here in the blog. And the answer is yes, you can use a stone polishing tumbler to polish and buff up your Fimo beads! Instead of using grit as you would to polish stones you need to use either wet and dry sandpaper or small, rounded, smooth but not polished, river rocks. If purchasing from a garden centre or builder's merchant here in the UK you need to be looking for pebbles or gravel from which you can pick out smooth pebbles that are no larger than 10mm and that are not jagged or cracked. If using wet and dry sandpaper either line your tumbler with it or cut it up into small pieces and don't forget to put some water in. If you want to buff your beads further then cut up small pieces of white denim or acrylic fleece and tumble that with your beads - this time without any water. If using a rubber barrel (not plastic) you may need to line it with a double thickness of denim to prevent discolouration of your beads.
I have always hand sanded my Fimo with wet and dry sandpaper as I don't own a stone tumbler and it is accepted as the best way to achieve the finest finish. (Always use it wet as that way the fine polymer clay dust is trapped in the water and you don't breath it in.) However, it does take quite a lot of time to achieve a superb shine - I tend to do it whilst watching tv as not only is it is time consuming but also thoroughly boring! I generally tend to start with a 360 micron and end with an 800 micron. For extra gloss you can then coat it with a layer of Staedtler's Gloss Lacquer - if sanded smooth before application I find you can't tell that it is coated in lacquer, all you see is an extra sheen. Also if you are happy using the lacquer you don't need to be quite so fussy with the sanding.
However, if you don't want to waste any time on sanding and polishing then a stone tumbler is the way to go - just leave it working for a few hours and let it do the work for you. Do bear in mind that it can be anything up to 6 hours for the first stage after which you will need to remove the rougher stones leaving only the really smooth ones for another 4-5 hours to achieve a truly polished look.
What a busy month February was! As usual the NEC hosted Stitches, the UK's largest craft trade show. I spent a couple days going around the entire show and there are some love new products and ranges coming out this year. I caught up with a friend from Scotland who has recently launched an Art business up there and we're hoping to collaborate on a few crafty ideas soon! I've also been busy talking with various manufacturers about their new product ranges. So watch this space... we hope to get some of those lovely products onto the website over the coming months!
March's Product of the Month project sheets are now available, and if you've never used Colourcraft's Brusho® Sprays and Crystal Colours before, I strongly advise you to download them to give you inspiration on where to start. They are such highly pigmented colours you can create some truly lovely effects with them. Whether you're a card maker or scrapbooker I'm sure you'll find a use for them.
I've been having such fun with Colourcraft's Brusho® range I thought you might like to see some extra pics of what you can do with them.
These scrapbook pages have had sprays and powders applied and then left to dry.
Some of them have been cut up and used as decorative backgrounds for some quick and easy photo cards.
I use kitchen roll to blot pages or mop up excess colour. I leave it on one side to dry and then lay it on a piece of old cloth with parchment paper over the top to iron it flat. This I also use as backgrounds on cards because you can get some really amazing effects!
I also love working with Colourcraft's Brusho® on Tyvek - you can create some wonderful pieces whether you heat them or just leave them as they are.
You can also cut out shapes before you heat it, as I've done here. Alternatively you can leave it as a basic shape such as a square for a card background.
If you do decide to have a go, don't forget you need to protect your work surface and hands etc with plastic and gloves as they are such intense colours they can even dye wood! (Which is handy if you are interested in making children's wooden toys!) If you are concerned about any colour coming off your work when finished don't forget you can spray with fixative (as you would when using chalks) or alternatively use varnish. For scrapbooking projects make sure you use a varnish from an acid-free range such as Chroma's Jo Sonja range.
I hope, whatever you do, you have fun being creative!
Sorry I haven't been on here for a couple of weeks but a lot has been going on in the studio.
Firstly, I have to say that sadly I never heard from our January Prize winner so I had to pick a new name from the mailing list. And our winner is... Sharon from Reading. I just heard from her this morning and her parcel of painting goodies has arrived - she said it was just like Christmas!
Secondly, our February Prize winner is Dawn from Norway! Her prize of crafting goodies will be winging it's way to her shortly.
Also worth noting is that there has been a change of date for the Flutterby Crafts Fimo and Efcolor workshops - I'm just waiting on confirmation but I believe that instead of the 26th March it will now be 12th March.
We're busy in the studio getting ready for the annual Stitches Trade Fair so I apologise now for not getting more project sheets onto the website. However, there is some very exciting news which I think you'll all be very pleased about and that is that all our project sheets are now free. Anyone can download them anywhere, anytime for free! So please tell all your crafting friends about the website and get them to join our mailing list as not only will they be entered into the monthly prize draw but we will also be emailing exclusive project sheets to all those on our mailing list throughout the year! Also, please check out our new Terms and Conditions.
Last weekend I was busy helping my niece with a school History project and she wanted to create a mini book that looked old. So out came the Jo Sonja paints and some mountboard and tissue and voila!
I'm developing some great new easy paint technique sheets that can be used for all sorts of projects. There will be a selection of decorative backgrounds which can be used in scrapbooking or card making. There will also be the Antique Leather look (see left) which could be used for all manor of items from home decor to scrapbook embellishments. If you've been crafting a while and are a little wary of 'all things paint' then I suggest you have a go on an old cereal box first - you'll be amazed at how much it will expand your creativity!
I hope you are all enjoying the latest Product of the Month project sheets. The StampOsaurus range of stamps is really great - I must admit I just love the little Ellie Elephant Collection. I have got a couple more projects to add but I managed to burn my hand last weekend (filling a hot water bottle of all things - totally missed the bottle, got my hand instead - not very clever!) so I haven't managed to finish them yet. As soon as I can lay off the Hypercal cream I'll get them done and onto the web - so watch this space!
And a special hello to everyone who attended the Flutterby Enamelling Workshop on Saturday - what a clever bunch you all are! I had a lovely time meeting you all (some for a second time having already met you at the demo before Christmas). I think just about all those who didn't already have a little Efco Tealight oven ended up buying one to take home. It's such a fun and creative craft and the possibilities of what you can do with it are just endless. I was very impressed with what everyone created in the workshop - well done all of you!
Hello too, to those who attended the Fimo demonstration in the afternoon. I hope I managed to inspire you to great and glorious things. As you saw it is so simple to make perfect beads every time with the Fimo Bead Roller. Covering cabochons with Millefiori is easy too, and you don't have to be a Fimo whizz to make simple but very effective canes!
As the day went so well and because we were over subscribed for the enamelling workshop I have agreed with Flutterby Crafts to run another Efcolor workshop in the morning on 26th March with a Fimo workshop in the afternoon. If you're in the area and are interested in having a go I suggest you book early as the morning's class is already half booked. For more information or to book a place email lynn@flutterbycrafts.co.uk
Just thought I'd share a couple more ideas with you! You don't have to be into scrapbooking to find the technique taught in the Scrapbook Cover project useful as you can see...
In fact many of our project sheets show you techniques which can be applied in a variety of ways to any number of objects. A card project technique could be used on a scrapbook page, just as a scrapbook technique could be used on a card or household object. The possibilities are endless!
So have fun...
Fee x
P.S. As I haven't yet heard from Jeanne (our January Prize Draw Winner) could I request that all who have joined the mailing list make sure that they add mail@projects4crafters.com to their contact list to safeguard against emails from projects4crafters.com ending up in their junk mail folders. I would hate anyone missing out on receiving their prize just because we can't contact them!
We have a winner for our January Prize Draw and I'll be contacting Jeanne to confirm delivery details shortly.
I hope that you are all enjoying the projects on our Product of the Month page. You don't have to be into painting in a big way or be a competent artist to use or combine paints and mediums with other crafting techniques in your creative projects. If you are unsure about anything it is always a good idea to test out a colour or technique first on an old cereal packet until you are happy with it.
For those of you who prefer having someone experienced at your side I've heard from Liz Black who runs painting workshops at her Applejack Crafts studio near St Albans, Hertfordshire. Liz has arranged a Texture Paste workshop on the 2nd and 9th March 2011 covering various techniques. If you're interested in attending check out her website as there are still one or two places left.
If anyone knows of any other workshops in their area that they'd be happy to recommend do drop me a line and I'll put them on our new workshop links page!
I'm also pleased to announce that projects4crafters is now on Facebook where you can see photos of the latest projects and I'm hoping to include top crafting tips and technique videos as soon as possible.
Hope you all had a very Happy Christmas and managed to avoid the usual winter bugs that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment.
If you are a card maker or scrapbooker you may not have heard of this month's featured product. I would strongly advise anyone who is looking for something a little different or new to check out the Jo Sonja Texture Paste. It's a great product which can be used on card or 'beyond the page' projects.
A few tips for working with texture paste are:
1. You can thicken it by just adding a little baby powder.
2. If using a tube with a nozzle rather than a tub it is a good idea to either pop it in a glass of hot water or roll it between your hands to warm and soften it slightly. This will make it easier to pipe.
3. You can use a wet paint brush to shape and mould it for 3-D effects.
4. To make life easier when mixing paint and texture paste, rather than using a traditional paint palette, you can use old cat/dog food trays or, if you don't have a pet but drink coffee you can use the individual coffee filter lids because then you can just throw them away when you're done.
Hopefully Tracy from Suffolk will have received her crafty goodies from the December Mailing List Prize Draw by now.
December Prize Draw
Don't forget, if you want to be in with a chance to win our January Prize (a pot of Texture Paste as well as a set of Jo Sonja Paints) and haven't already joined our mailing list you have until 10 January to do so.
All that's left to say is I wish you all a very Happy Crafty New Year!
Sorry for the delay in updating the blog but I've been a little under the weather of late... and what weather! Feeling much better now though and desperately trying to catch up on everything!
Norway was fab, a real winter wonderland! And if you think it's cold here, think again... it was -16º at midday (yes it's not a typo that's day not night). Definite thermal long johns weather!
It was lovely to meet everyone who managed to make it to Flutterby Crafts on Saturday - I hope all of you who purchased some of the Efcolor Enamelling Kits have managed to find some time to have a play! As you will have discovered it's a lot of fun and there are so many possibilities to create something unique! To see some photos of the demo check out Flutterby Craft's Blog.
We've got a winner for the December prize draw and I'll be emailing Tracy to confirm delivery details for her box of crafty goodies. (Sadly due to the weather conditions I doubt it will reach her before Christmas.) For those that didn't win this time - don't give up hope as you are all entered into the January prize draw!
The Creative Craftworks studio will be closed for the festive season from Wednesday 22 December 2010 until Monday 10 January 2011. We've got lots of exciting new project sheets etc planned for the New Year so watch this space for the latest news!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a fun packed crafty New Year!
Just to let you know that the Creative Craftworks Studio will be closed for a week as I'm off to Norway for a few days. I'm hoping to get some wonderful snowy photos for a scrapbook project I have planned - so fingers crossed for sunshine and snow!
For those who didn't manage to get to the NEC but can get to Flutterby Crafts in Thatcham on Saturday 11 December I will be there demonstrating the Efcolor Enamelling. (For details for where they are check out www.flutterbycrafts.co.uk) So do pop along, if you have the time, as the starter sets make excellent Christmas presents and you never know, you might even be able to have a go yourself!
Just thought I'd let you see what my eleven year old niece and I did at the weekend. She wanted to make some Christmas presents for her school friends and as she had never done enameling before I thought it might be fun.
Well, she took to it like a duck to water as you can see. So if you've got an arty young one in need of a birthday or Christmas present then I can highly recommend the Efco Efcolor Tealight Oven and Starter Set. It will give them hours of fun and make you very popular!
As I didn't want to worry about my Efcolor powders getting contaminated with mixed colours I got my niece to pour the excess powder onto another sheet of paper. (See below)
The colours looked so amazing that I decided to have a play with them on some extra copper blanks, (in fact, even my mum who hasn't enameled before decided she fancied having a go!) as you can see...
If you use your spatula like a shovel and pick up some of the powder on the end you can tap the spatula over the blank to distribute the powder. And these are all the pieces we ended up with...
Most of the colours are very subtle but it does give you an idea of what you can do by mixing the Efcolor powders. So never throw out old mixed powders as they could be used create some unusual effects or at least as a base coat before applying the colours of your choice!
Hope you are all managing to stay warm in the awful winds and rain we are experiencing in the UK at the moment. For those of you on the other side of the globe... don't forget to slap on the sun screen... and for those who are in more wintry climes than us... much sympathy and don't forget to wrap up warm!
Thank goodness the tech guys have waved their magic wand at last and sorted the website glitches which I discovered on my return from the NEC. If anyone experiences any problems with the site please do contact me and I'll get onto it straight away.
Now that that's all sorted I've been doing a little experimenting due to a question I was asked at the Hobbycrafts Show which was: Can you use ordinary glitter with the Efcolor Enamelling system? The conclusion I've come to is yes and no. Sorry folks, typically there isn't a straight forward answer. Basically, yes you can use other glitters - some work better than others (in fact some are a definite no no) - but none of them look or feel as good as Efco's Efcolor Glitter powders.
When you enamel with the glitter powders you end up with a beautifully smooth and glittery finish. However, the range is limited. (I shall have to have words with them and see if they can add more to the range, especially irridescent which is my all time favourite glitter.) That said I have tried with various makes and have come to the conclusion that all the glitters work best if you mix them with clear transparent powder before applying them to your blank. Art Institute and Jones Tones glitters which I absolutely love and use in lots of other ways don't appear to be able to cope with the heat as well as some others and can give patchy results. Impex micro fine glitters so far seem to come out tops but again tend to leave a somewhat rough finish.
The first sample is Art Institute black glitter with clear transparent powder over the top which you can see has started to pull back in places. It is glossy in some areas and looks as if it has started to melt in others.
The second sample is Jones Tones Rainbow-Lites glitter mixed with white and clear transparent which again is ok in places but in others looks as though it has started to melt.
The last sample is Impex Fuschia Micro Fine glitter mixed with clear transparent which gives the most even finish although it is definitely rough compared with the Efcolor Glitter Powders.
Hope that helps anyone who has wondered about using glitters!
As I said in my last blog the HobbyCraft Show went really well with our workshops being one of the most popular. Everyone had a really enjoyable time so do check out the Hobbycraft page as we've uploaded some pics from the show!
Now that the nights are starting to draw in here in the UK all of us at the Creative Craftworks Studio are digging out our crafting bits and pieces of an evening and getting creative whilst staying nice and cosy indoors. Hope you all manage to do the same and don't forget to drop us a line if you have any crafting queries especially to do with Efco's Efcolor Enamelling range.
Wow, what a fab HobbyCraft show! Firstly, I'd like to say how lovely it was to meet all the wonderful crafters who attended the workshops at the NEC Show. All the workshops were booked out each day within the first half hour - amazing! I didn't realise how popular the Efcolor Enamelling would be. I think Sue
managed to get some great photos at the show which we will be uploading
to the site shortly. I'm sure that all of you who decided to treat yourselves and bought the powders and/or tealight oven are in for many happy hours of creating!
Imagine my horror when I returned to find that a gremlin had worked it's way into the website. The company who host the website for us have been doing a little updating and improving (ha!) over the last week or so and I have a feeling that the website has suffered because of it. It is only the shop pages that have been affected. You will find that the first page under each section will not display but comes up with an error. Each subsequent page in each section will display the title of the previous page - don't ask me why, I'm as perplexed as you! Please do bear with us though as we are trying to get them to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Just a quick note to say that the studio will be closed for the rest of the week as we're off to the NEC for the HobbyCrafts Show. There have been loads of last minute "panic stations!" but I think we're just about there now.
So hope to see as many of you there as possible! Do come and join us on stand J03 for a little taste of enamelling.
If you're based in the UK I hope you haven't been letting the weather get you down but instead taken the opportunity to dig out your crafting stuff in preparation for winter and the festive season.
I'm afraid it is total chaos in the studio here with preparations in full swing for the Efco workshops at the Hobbycrafts Show at the NEC next week. I think it's going to be a good one - so do try and get there if you can!
With that in mind we have decided to upload next month's Product of the Month page a couple of days early so we can check to make sure all's well before we head off into the sunset. If you fancy having a go at enamelling and can't make it to the show then check this out as you'll find some great Efcolor projects to get you started!
Well, I better sign off now and get my nose back to the grindstone before the design team think I've deserted them!
Just a quick apology to anyone who has tried to download the free project sheets on the Product of the Month page. It has been drawn to our attention that some of them haven't been downloading - yikes! We hope we have rectified the problem but if you do have any trouble please drop us a line and we'll try to sort it out.
If you have any other problems with the site or, indeed, have any crafting queries either in relation to our project sheets or just generally, again drop us a line and we'll see what we can do.
We hope we've solved all the teething troubles but please bear with us if we've missed any.
Firstly, we'd like to say a big thank you to all of you who have been in contact complimenting the site. We're looking forward to sharing all our creative ideas with you all! We know the site is still pretty bare at the moment but we are trying to get more projects on asap.
Hope you are all managing to avoid the bugs doing the rounds in the UK at the moment. The 11 year old managed to make it back to school for the last week before half term (but very kindly left her virus behind - the youth of today are so sharing!). Despite that though we have managed to upload the first five rubber stamping technique guides this week - hope those of you who have never rubber stamped before find them useful! We've got loads more projects to come (so do please bear with us). Next week we are going to have to concentrate on preparations for the NEC though so with any luck we'll be getting some really exciting enamelling projects prepared for the website as well as the exclusive Hobbycraft one. If you are planning on attending the Hobbycraft show do pop by and say hello, and, if you have the time, stop and have a go at enamelling too - we promise you won't be disappointed!
Well, we didn't quite make our launch date... in fact we missed it by 2 hours! (So close, so close!) But that's what happens when you're a guardian to an 11 year old who has just started boarding school and who, like all her friends, has come down with a nasty virus! Life really knows how to make things interesting - as if launching a new website wasn't stressful enough! Anyway, the 11 year old is on the road to recovery and hopefully the website is on the right road too! We apologise for the lack of projects at the moment - something we hope to rectify as soon as poss! Please bear with us... at least we hope you can see the vision we have for projects4crafters.com. Fingers crossed you like what we have to offer now and in the weeks to come!
Well, we're almost there! Not long to go now... four days and the site will be live. We've had just about every delay you could imagine, from technical glitches to family crises & nasty flu bugs, but we've decided to take a leap of faith and hope that you won't mind too much that we haven't got everything uploaded before launching the site. We promise to do our best to get the huge range of project ideas we have for you available as soon as possible. So do please bear with us.
Hi everyone!
