Fimo button necklace

I recently made these buttons in an attempt to use up my old Fimo -or polymer clay if you're not familiar with the brand- which has gone hard and nasty. So after much kneading I produced enough to make this necklace.

Colourful!

I threaded the buttons on two long strands of shiny thread, in no particular colour order, and separated them with a knot. Simples.

My Model Room: #9 Ottoman

To make the ottoman for my room I used a toothpaste box (Sensodyne toothpaste to be precise, though I'm more of a Colgate gal myself) and a bit of foam for the padded seat which I covered in pink fabric.

For the details on the upholstery I used matching seed beads as the buttons.

Charlie's still hanging around, but now he has somewhere to sit.

I've also started adding small details to the room, like this plug socket.

Lighten up, it's just fashion

I recently had a little spree in Hobbycraft using the vouchers I got for my birthday and I picked up this piece of awesome.

A Project Runway fashion postcard set! It even comes with colouring pencils.

It's like a colouring book for the older gal. Each postcard has a blank outfit to colour in with a New York related background. 

Here's my first one. Snazzy.

This reminded me of a fashion set I used when I was younger, and blogging about it gave me an excuse to get it out again and have a play.

You mix and match the fashion plates...

...then go over them with the black crayon...

...and then colour in your creation. Fashion fun or what!

Here are some beauts I came up with back in the day. Anyone else think the one on the right looks like Rihanna?

Then I looked in the instruction manual and discovered these fashion suggestions. Whoah.

I couldn't find a date on the product but something tells me it might have been made a while ago.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I think cool kids, I don't immediately think turn-ups and a short short hairstyle. But that might just be me.

Pine cone people

Here's how to make pine cone people:

The two main things I used are pine cones, which I picked up from a local woods, and pipe cleaners.

I had wanted to use a wooden ball or something similar for the head, but I didn't have any, so I made a loop with a pipe cleaner and twisted it round the end of the pine cone instead.

For a simpler pine cone person I painted the cone with acrylic paint and attached a pine cleaner head.

I twisted a pipe cleaner around the middle of the pine cone and added beads for the hands...

...and did then same for the legs and used beads for the feet.

And then it's done!

My Model Room: #8 Bedding

The project continues with the bedding. I got the sewing machine out and whipped up a duvet and pillows.

My top bunk is where we store spare pillows so I made a few extra to copy this. This part isn't finished yet as my actual top bunk is covered in a blanket with a hexagonal patchwork pattern, but I haven't figured out how to replicate this yet.

The duvet and top pillow on my bed are double sided and I went for plain pink for one side and a pink patterned fabric for the other, which is the actual fabric of my duvet set and curtains. My Mum re-hemmed my curtains, cutting off the extra so I could use it for my model room. 

I've got a lot of the extra curtain fabric leftover so I made a hair bow with it. Now I can match my room!

Lisa Kokin

I love buttons and I'm pretty fond of portraiture too, so imagine my delight when I came across the work of Californian artist Lisa Kokin who uses buttons and other found objects to create portraits. Awesome. 

Passage
Buttons and mixed media, imitation sinew, waxed linen, chicken wire
41 X 29-1/2, 2004

Leotard
Buttons, thread, rug canvas, 33 x 13, 2003

Detail of Nineteen Sixty
Buttons and mixed media, thread, imitation sinew, 81 x 50, 2005

She also creates work by sewing together found photographs which I am very much down with.

Trophy
Sewn found photographs, found text, 9 x 9 x 4-1/2, 2000

Check out the rest of her inspiring work on her website www.lisakokin.com/

Off site crafting

I'm back from my holiday, but don't worry, I kept up the craftyness while I was away.

This is my cousin and I making necklaces. Fiddly stuff.

We had an assortment of beads and used invisible thread, securing the ends with silver crimps.

And here are the results.

And now to return to my usual blogging schedule.

I do prefer sandy beaches...

This past weekend I went to see my sister perform in a musical in Budleigh Salterton. While we were there we hung out on the beach.

We made a face out of the pebbles.

And some more faces.

Then I tried some stone balancing.

Still feeling beachy, I painted this when we got home on a small canvas that I bought in Budleigh from a little art shop where everything was reduced. Awesome.

I'm taking a blog break for the next week so I'll see y'all when I get back!

My Model Room: #7 Locker

I'd always wanted an American style full size locker in my bedroom -for no reason other than it would be awesome- and for my 15th birthday my Dad managed to get one for me.

This is me a few days after that birthday fitting inside the locker.

And here's my miniature cardboard version of my locker.

Complete with scaled down versions of the posters and pictures I have on it.

This miniature room is really starting to look like my actual room. This is the view in from the window.

More bows

After the success of my first handmade bow I wanted to make some more. And this time, because I'm at home now, I had access to my Mum's sewing machine. And we all know what that means = mass production.

This one and the next are attached to hair bands, and the other three are on hair elastics.

Fun fact; my Mum screen printed this fabric when she was at art college.  

If I put these on Etsy do you think people would buy them?