Sunday 18 September 2011

I'm back!

Now I know why I'd given up blogging...I still can't upload pictures from Picasa by email and it was so easy! Ah well, it has made me find how to upload from web albums instead.
Here is the stand I had at Top Drawer. It was TINY!"!! 3m x 1m but I did get a good few orders AND an agent for the South East so I am very happy. I'm waiting for my print run to arrive then I can fill all the boxes with cards and send them off.....

We were out walking Rosie and Claire's puppy Tizzy one Sunday morning and I stumbled on a tree root and ricked my ankle. Yowch!! Anyway...I bruise very easily so I decided to just lie there with my foot in the air while Tony went to get the car. I thought I'd share this view of my foot up a tree for 20 minutes! It worked. No bruise at all althouh it does still swell where I tore some part!

I LOVE being a granny and having Hope and Grace round for Breakfast Club or for supper and play. Grace was on her own here last week so I taught her how to make a button necklace using narrow ribbon. It is really good fun and very easy....a great craft to do with children of all ages.


 I can't show her face, but this is the necklace, designed and made by 6 year old Grace.

Method
  1. Lay out the beads on a tray in the order you want them to appear. (Grace's was a symetrical design using some of the buttons Harriet gave me last year. LOVE them.) She started with a large button in the centre and then chose buttons to go either side.
  2. The necklace is double sided and occasionally will roll when it is worn so it is worth paying attention to the buttons underneath. Grace chose red buttons for the back and laid them out in the same way
  3. Take some very narrow satin ribbon and thread it with a needle that has an eye big enough to take the ribbon and small enough to go through the eye of the buttons. Cut it about 3 times longer than the length of the necklace you want to make
  4. Thread in and out of the centre button from the back, pulling it to the centre of the ribbon. Here, the button has two holes. If it has four holes, go back through the other two. We decided it looks better to have the ribbon going through all the holes! (Trial and error) It is a good idea to make the middle buttons slightly larger and heavier than the others so the necklace hangs better
  5. Next, take an 'underneath' button from the left side of the button collection and repeat, pulling the ribbon tight as you go. You can turn it so it fits back to back with the first button.
  6. Continue threading a top then a bottom button until you reach the end
  7. Re-thread the other end of the ribbon and sew the other side of the necklace in the same way.
  8. Tie a tiny knot to secure the buttons in place on either end. The necklace can be tied around your neck, or, if you are clever, you can use jewellery findings to secure both ends. Tra-la...job done!



 I went to the Hatfield bead fair a couple of weeks ago with Liz and Helen and was temped to buy some glorious beads! I was so thrilled to be shown how to add the findings at both ends to make them look professional. This is the first of three necklaces I made in the morning
My necklace collection. The stars in the centre necklace are lovley big ceramic beads. I'm not so keen on the rt hand necklace but the beauty is that I can cut it up and start again.

LOVE it. It is such fun to find a new 'play'!

That is all for now. i'm exhausted at having spent so long trying to get the pictures on here and re-size them. It used to be such a simple job but I guess uploading from web albums is actually a better method? We'll see

I've really missed recording my day to day life....blogging is such a great way of keeping a record and keeping in touch with so many talented people. I'm off to see what you have all been up to!

8 comments:

Zue said...

Your button necklace is wonderful and my favourite bead necklace is the one on the left. But they are all fab!

I am not blogging publicly at the moment but stilll have the same email address.

In the midle of a big clear-out and tidy.....hope to get creative when it's all done.
Lovely to see that you are blogging again. I have missed you.
Best wishes
Sue Allan xxx

dandelion dreamer said...

thanks Sue...I've missed you too!

suzanna leigh said...

Lovely to see you again!

The idea of a Breakfast Club with your grandchildren sounds so charming! I would love to hear more about that.

Sandie said...

Welcome back! I've missed your posts and it is good to see your stand. It might be small but size itsn't everything - it's what you do with it that counts. And it did look very appealing I must say, the colours and layout draw you in so I am glad you got some good orders and an agent. You are moving on with your business, congratulations!
Love the button and bead necklaces.

JGG said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I would never know you had problems with photos - I think the pictures in your blog are fabulous. They all tell such a story.

dandelion dreamer said...

thank you Judy. At least I have cracked it now!Susanna....Breakfast Club for my grandchildren means getting up and dressed really fast, then coming over here (they live across the road) having a quick breakfast and then we have an hour to play before they go to school. It is such fun!

jacqueline said...

Dearest sweet Moira, welcome back! You inspire me with such a wonderful welcome post!! I am loving your stand at Top Drawer and ohhh i just love seeing the fun crafty time you have with your granddaughters, Hope and grace. The necklaces are just beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing! Have a lovely merry happy monday and a beautiful week! Love to you!

Arts of Amy said...

Moira I'm loving the picture of your stand, displaying all your goodies! An inspiration to me.

I see your blog has had a bit of a revamp since I last checked in, looks great! I am in the process of giving my blog spot a bit of a makeover also! However still getting to grips with how to work the blog!! It's all quite new to me, however really wanting to push forward with my little venture of home interior crafts.

Would be great to chat and hear your advice on how to turn creative wishes into a business venture, you seem to be doing very well ...... Amy x