{week 24} ceramic painting

Today I did something very indulgent – I took the day off work to spend it with a friend and we did lots of lovely things. We went to the gym – and sat drinking coffee followed by the jacuzzi and the sauna (so we didn’t actually step foot in the gym bit). Then we went for a lovely lunch (carrot and coriander soup with cornbread for me) followed by a very restful afternoon of ceramic painting in a ceramics cafe. (I just need to apologise at this point for the photo quality – I forgot my camera!)

The beauty of a ceramics cafe is that you can choose anything from a eggcup to a huge vase to decorate – and you don’t need any experience. The simplest designs are usually the most effective – polka dots for example.

I picked a pretty little plate – and my friend a spoon rest – and got painting. I drew a simple flower design on the plain plate and chose pretty pink, lilac and grey to paint it.

When I pick up the finished piece – they have to fire it – I promise to come back and update this post with a decent photo!

{week 23} kanzashi flowers

I do rather love all things crafty and Japanese so I’ve picked a craft inspired by the East this week.

Kanzashi flowers – or tsunami kanzashi – are used in Japan in decorative hair pieces. Tsumami kanzashi is worn by the young girls who are training to become a geisha. They are seasonal and customised based on the month such as plum blossoms in February and cherry blossoms in April and is also worn for celebrating the new year, weddings, and performing classical Japanese dance.

I used 12 3.5″ squares of pretty fabric to make mine following the directions on Instructables. I found some pretty pearls for the centre. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with mine yet. I could attach a brooch pin, a hairclip, or attach it to a top or bag.

What do you think I should do with it? Have you made kanzashi?

{week 22} leaf printing

Sometimes it’s good to do something simple. I loved the purse I made last week but it was pretty fiddly so I’m taking a breather this week with a very basic technique: leaf printing.

I gathered some leaves from the garden (in the rain, I am dedicated to crafting) and mixed up some acrylic paint. The only other bits and pieces you need are scrap paper, a sponge, a brayer and something to print on. It was a good idea to practice a bit on sketchbook paper as I discovered you get a better print on the second run.

1) Apply the paint to the leaf with a sponge.
2) Carefully lay the leaf on your card, paper or whatever else you’re printing on. Cover it with a piece of scrap paper.
3) Run the brayer over a couple of times. Carefully peel back the paper. Repeat as often as you like.

I printed a pretty set of cards and a simple canvas which I’m going to display in my craft room to remind me of summer when we’re in the depths of cold winter.