Blogs 1-50
Blogs 51-100
Blogs 101-150
Blogs 151-200
Blog 151 - Making Tassels From Wool
"I have a life-long love relationship with all things fringe and tassels fall smack in the center of this. I recently showed you how to turn fringe into tassels to be used as earrings, but today I will show you how to take plain wool to make your own tassels. I will show you a couple of cool ideas for using tassels in upcoming blogs that you may not have thought of before. But first, we have to learn to make our own tassels, so that we can personalize the upcoming projects to look exactly the way we want it to look, without being delivered unto what is available in the local shops."
"When we learned to make tassels in the previous blog, I promised that I would share some creative ideas with you for putting these tassels to use. One of the ideas I had been brooding over, was for decorating the Christmas tree with. I use the tassel I made in the previous blog and turn it into an adorable angel, complete with wings and a halo in today's blog. These are very quick and easy to make and truly affordable. They also add a personal DIY touch to the tree, making it just a little bit more special than when all the ornaments are store-bought."
"Charms have fascinated old and young alike for many decades. I show you how to make a very quick and cheap version of this ever popular piece of jewelry in today's blog. I also walk you through the steps of making a couple of matching earrings. Mine is to be included in a gift for a little girl turning 5, but you can adjust your own version for any age, by simply swapping out the 'charms' to be more age appropriate."
Blog 154 - Packaging Your Home-Made Jewelry Elegantly
"I have shared a number of blogs with you where I introduced you to the art of jewelry-making. However, the presentation of jewelry is as important as the appearance of the jewelry itself. Recall for yourself the grand boxes and containers that your own jewelry came packaged in when you bought it. I share a couple of inexpensive packaging ideas with you in today's blog, that will make your already pretty home-made jewelry sparkle even brighter. Am I still in time for your Christmas gifting ideas?"
Blog 155 - Making Bath Bombs & Bath Salts
"The hustle and bustle of the season is behind us and we are stretching towards a new year laden with its own ups and downs. We have a little bit of time left before we have to get back in the swing of things. Why not make the most of this time, by mixing yourself some bath bombs with which to relax? I show you how easy it is to make these little luxuries in today's blog. Fact is, you should have enough to be able to spoil a couple of friends as well."
Blog 156 - Making Shower Melts
"In the last blog I shared a recipe with you for making bath bombs and bath salts. Yet, if you are anything like me, you love a shower as much as a bath. The good news is that the aroma therapy of the bath bomb has now come to the shower in the shape of shower melts. These little cakes are placed in the corner of the shower where they will slowly dissolve, releasing their therapeutic aromas in the shower. This, coupled with the steam, will have a wonderful soothing effect on the body and soul. I share a recipe for making shower melts in today's blog."
Blog 157 - Making Hanging Storage Boards For A Boy's Room
"I have a little boy in my life who enjoys his tools as much he enjoys his art equipment. When my mom gave me some remnants from a pair of old pants that had been cut up for rags, I realized that I could make him lovely storage space for his beloved tools of the craft. This blog combines a range of crafts, including sewing, painting, decoupage, and entry level woodwork. The result is storage space that is decorative, fun, and doesn't require shelf space. This sounds intricate, but it is actually very easy to do."
Blog 158 - Turning Tatty Jeans Into Hanging Storage
"I had this old pair of jeans that was covered in paint and had holes in all the wrong places. It was time to turn this old jean into rags, but not before I recovered all of the distinctive bits that jeans are known for. I show you how to give your beloved jeans a whole new lease on life by turning them into hanging storage space. This time, no sewing is required!"
Blog 159 - Sewing A Rag Doll Part 1
"Back when I was in standard 7, nowadays called Grade 9, we made a rag doll in our Home Economics class. Rummaging through old patterns, saw me stumbling across the pattern for the rag doll. It had always been at the back of my mind to try this again someday and it would seem that someday had arrived! Over the course of the next two blogs, you can help me make sense of this very badly copied pattern and very poor pattern instructions as we make a rag doll together."
Blog 160 - Sewing A Rag Doll Part 2
"In the previous blog, we started work on a rag doll that I had last made back when I was still at school. We stumbled through the pattern and made the doll. Now it is time to clothe her and put some pretty hair upon her head. I show you how to do this in today's blog."
Blog 161 - Decorating A Jewelry Box
"I was given a small wooden jewelry box to decorate for a little girl's room. This meant a preparation of the surface, paint, decoupage and all sorts of fun things to add before the project was done. You may have your own ideas for colour choices, or paper motifs, when decorating your own boxes, but following these steps will get the job done in next to no time."
Blog 162 - Paint A Potted Tree Using Blackboard Paint
"I am hard at work making Christmas gifts for the loved ones in my life. These include two little girls. I decided to paint a fun picture to decorate one of their rooms and as I was getting my material together, decided that I may as well do this in Blackboard Paint, as this would give it both decorative value, as well as being useful for drawing on. I show you a borrowed, but neat trick, for effortlessly painting those flowers in the blog."
Blog 163 - Make A Charm & Bead Bracelet With Matching Earrings
"I have shared a blog with you in which I made a charm bracelet. Today's blog can be seen as a continuation on that one. We take it one step further in today's blog, when we 'weave' beads onto the charm bracelet, although I do start a new charm bracelet from scratch. To top it off, I then make a cute pair of matching earrings for the bracelet."
Blog 164 - Jewelry Making: Make A Corded Necklace With A Charm
"Time to plan your outfit for the New Year's bash? How about taking some fun time out of the day to make yourself a pretty new necklace, complete with a contemporary and unexpected charm? This necklace may appear to be intricate at first glance, but I will show you how easy it is to do in reality. Prepare to dazzle your friends and family!"
Blog 165 - Transferring Images To Fabric For Painting
"Today I want to show you how to quickly transfer three images to fabric, from paper. Once they are transferred I show you how to paint the designs step by step, before we will turn them into a pretty little item in the next blog."
Blog 166 - Sew A Quilted Book Bag
"In the previous blog I showed you how to transfer images to fabric. We then painted these images. In today's blog, I am going to walk you through the steps of quilting those designs on your machine, before we sew them onto a book bag. I love to hang these above the beds in the place of head boards. That way the books are always ready at hand in a child's room. Or in mine, for that matter!"
Blog 167 - Giving An Old Cupboard A Chalk Paint Makeover
"Over the past couple of blogs I have been telling you about getting things ready for my for my friend's cottage in Hondeklipbaai. While I was sewing pillowcases, etc, the handyman on the grounds, Les, was giving an old kitchen cupboard a much-needed make-over with chalk paint. I asked his permission to take photos of the process and he readily agreed. I share his makeover story with you in today's blog."
Blog 168 - Sign Writing - Die Rooi Container
"During my stay here in Hondeklipbaai, I came across a project that has touched a chord with me. My hosts have made a red shipping container available free of charge to be used as a charity shop for the community. Visitors can donate clothes and other household items to the Rooi Container, as it is called, which would then be sold very cheaply to the community. This creates an opportunity for the person running the shop to generate an income, as she gets to keep 50% of all sales. The remainder of the money is collected and at the end it is donated to a worthy cause in the community. The community of Hondeklipbaai is very poor and unemployment is rife. With the closest shops roughly 100 km away, this project is a true god-sent. When it was mentioned that the Rooi Container needed a sign for its name, I volunteered my services. In today's blog, I show you how this sign was painted with collaboration from two partners."
Blog 169 - Sign Writing - Hout/Wood
"I have blogged about painting the sign for the local charity shop here in Hondeklipbaai, Die Rooi Container, in a previous blog. This shop has also obtained a contract with a local supplier to sell its wood from the shop. Wood is very scarce in Hondeklipbaai as there are precious few trees around, and ulitmately has to be brought in from distant locations. It is therefore a very prized commodity for both locals, as well as visitors. At R35 per bag, it is still very reasonably priced and the contract ensures a steady supply. However, it needed to be brought to people's attention that the wood was available from the Rooi Container. I once again volunteered to write the sign. I show you how I did it in today's blog."
Blog 170 - Painting Two Turtle Shells
"If there is one thing that is great about spending time in Namaqualand, it is the plethora of new and strange things I encounter. The other day I was walking through the veld when I came upon a number of turtle shells upon my route. Not all of them were in good condition, but I managed to find two that were near perfect. I brought these home with me and today I share some ideas on painting these as garden ornaments.
Blog 171 - Making A Pottery Mug
"What great fun I had when I recently went to Hondeklipbaai in Namaqualand on the West Coast of South Africa. I was thrilled to find a large number of independently-minded women here with the ability to shape their own lives. More than that. They had unpacked themselves from the box so much that they had taken on their own shape again and was happily living their lives in these comfortable shapes. Two of the women I met, who epitomize this description, are Elize Kruger and Ninette Hough from the K9 Pottery Studio in town. They allowed me into their private creative world, where I took photos of the drawn out process of throwing on the potter's wheel. I share this process with you in this blog. Prepare to be enthralled."
"I am temporarily sharing a house with someone who enjoys sewing bags as much as I do. It is an absolute thrill to finally meet up with someone who shares at least one of my passions with me, after sewing in isolation for so long. When I realized that we had this hobby in common, I promptly fetched my sewing machine and partial fabric stash from home so that we could sew together. I decided to design a brand new pattern to kick start our sewing together. I show you how to copy this pattern yourself in today's blog. In the following two blog I will show you how to construct the bag and how to sew the flowers."
Blog 173 - Sewing A Flower Bag: The Flowers (Part 2 of 3)
"I am celebrating the opportunity to sew a bag with someone who shares my passion for doing so with me. I decided to draw up a brand new pattern to do so and showed you how to copy the pattern for yourself in the previous blog. In this blog I show you how to make the flowers. In the next blog, which is the last of this series, I will show you how to construct the bag."
Blog 174 - Sewing A Flower Bag: The Construction Of The Bag (Part 3 of 3)
"Over the past two blogs, I have shown you how to draw up a pattern for this bag, as well as how to make the flowers which give the bags its flair. In this blog we finally get to put the bag together. We start by sewing the pockets, followed by the flap. We then construct the body of the bag and bring everything together by hand."
Blog 175 - Sewing A Sleepover Pillowcase
"My nieces and nephew are regularly coming over for sleepovers. They always insist on bringing their own pillows, along with pj's, a book or two, and the older one carts the cellphone and charger along as well. This makes for a very uncomfortable parcel to bring to my place. With this in mind, I decided to make them each a sleepover pillowcase. On the one side, it is simply a plain pillowcase, but on the other side, it has pockets for all of those trivia which is always carried over by an irate adult. I then added a handy handle to the top of the pillowcase, making it a very neat parcel that can be carried in one hand. I show you how to make this handy pillowcase in today's blog."
Blog 176 - Sew A Tissue Box
"I tend to stay away from home for long periods on end. I have lovely tissue boxes at home that I have made with decoupage or mosaics, but when I travel I am forced to live with ugly tissue boxes. Today, I finally decided to put this to an end. I have sewn myself a tissue box from fabric. This way it is lightweight and can be as compact as I need it to be. This turned out so nice, I may actually use it at home as well! I show you how to do it yourself in today's blog."
"Moving into a new house inevitably presents one with a whole new array of hick-ups. One of these was the height of the windows in my new abode. No ready-made curtains would fit these tall windows. I was forced to pack away all of my perfectly good curtains and set off to the fabric store to buy fabric to make curtains of the required length. In today's blog I show you how simple it is to sew taped curtains for yourself."
Blog 178 - Square Bag With A Sling: Drawing Up A Pattern & Cutting Out Part 1 of 4
"I love making handbags and every so often I bring out a new exclusive range. It became time again for a new range, and even though I was doing some relief teaching at the time, I decided to devote some of my time to this project. In this blog I show you how I went to draw up the pattern for the bag and then I show you how to cut out the fabric. In the following blogs I'll show you how to sew the bags, but also how to paint the funky designs that went onto the bags."
"In the previous blog I showed you how to draw up the pattern for these cute bags, as well as how to go about cutting the patterns out on fabric. In today's blog I will show you how to construct the bag by sewing the different pieces together. In the last two blogs I will show you how to paint the cute patterns used in two of the bags."
Blog 180 - Square Bag With A Sling: Painting The Shopping Ladies Part 3 of 4
"For the past two blogs we have been looking at how to go about making the Square Art Bags with their slings. In this blog we look at how to paint the designs for those shopping ladies on one of the bags. I show you how to draw both of the pictures before we paint them."
Blog 181 - Square Bag With A Sling: Painting The Dancers Part 4 of 4
"For the past three blogs we have been looking at how to go about making the Square Art Bags with their slings. In the last blog we looked at how to paint the designs for those shopping ladies on one of the bags. In this blog I will show you how to draw and paint the dancers on the last of these bags."
"For the past three blogs we have been looking at how to go about making the Square Art Bags with their slings. In the last blog we looked at how to paint the designs for those shopping ladies on one of the bags. In this blog I will show you how to draw and paint the dancers on the last of these bags."
"Two of my great loves in life are painting and sewing. I can hardly be happier than when these two hobbies cross paths and join together to make for an even happier project. This is exactly what happens in today's project when we make a handbag with a sling. What makes this project great fun is the fact that we paint the centre panels of the bag with cute figures and pictures. In this first blog in the series I show you how I went about to draw up the pattern for the bag. I also show you how to cut the pattern pieces from fabric when we are done. In the following blog I will show you how to construct the bag."
"This is the second blog in a series of blogs on how to construct a bag with an arty centre panel. In the previous blog I showed you how to draw up the pattern to make this bag and we then proceeded to cut the pattern from fabric. In this blog I will show you step by step how to construct the bag by sewing the panels together. In the following blogs I will walk you through the steps for drawing and painting the various art panels."
"In the past two blogs I have shared tips with you for creating an Art Bag with a sling. What makes these bags fascinating is the art panels that are the focal points on the bags. In today's blog I will show you how to paint the two fashion models in blue, as they appear on one of the bags."
"I am busy with a range of bags where the focal point is the art pieces in the centre panels of the bag. In the first two blogs I shared tips on how to construct the pattern and how to sew the bag. In the third blog I showed you how to paint some fashion models in blue. I continue with this idea in today's blog, but this time we add some maroon to our fashion range."
"We are still busy with a range of bags in which the centre pieces are paintings. In the first two blogs of the series, I have shared tips for the pattern and construction of the bag. This was followed by blogs on how to paint some fashion models for the centre panels. Today we are moving slightly off the fashion pages and focusing on some dancing African ladies, sticking to the elongated silhouettes we've been working with."
"We have finally reached the last blog in a series on how to construct 'Art Bags.' These are bags where the focal point are the centre panels, which are hand painted with elongated figures. The first two blogs in the series dealt with the pattern and construction of the bag. This was followed by three blogs in which I shared step by step tips on painting the figures on the bags. Today I share the last of these painting blogs, when I show you how to paint some fashionable African ladies."
Blog 188 - Decoupage A Utility Box
"While I stayed in a rented room for four months earlier this year, my art supplies had all been packed up and put in storage. However, I found it impossible to go four months without doing any art and soon purchased new supplies to help pass the time till I could be reunited with my stash. One of the items I purchased, was a huge wooden utility box. I used this to keep my paints and brushes in, but I also used it as a surface to paint smaller canvasses, as well as to use the lid as a palette on which to mix my colours. I knew I would be able to recover the box again when I no longer needed it for these purposes. I figured that I would then use it to keep some of my 12" x 12" craft papers in. In today's blog I show you how to paint and decoupage a utility box so that it is good as new."
Blog 189 - Decoupage A Carry Case
"My mom's birthday is coming up and she has had her eye on a set of pencils for a while now, always putting off buying it, because something else enjoyed preference. I figured her birthday was the ideal time to surprise her with the longed-for pencils. However, I wanted to give her something nice to keep them in. I had this old wooden carry case lying around the house, which would be ideal for this purpose. The problem was that it had become very ugly through long years of use. A fresh coat of paint and some decoupage would do just the trick. I show you I went about it in today's blog."
Blog 190 - Chicken Love - A Mixed Media Project
"I bought these two large round canvasses a couple of months ago and I could hardly wait to get started on them. Then, quite unexpectedly, my life took a strange turn as the relief post I was teaching in became more fixed. I also had to move house and settle in the town I was now working in, rather than stay in the temporary accommodations I had been occupying. The canvasses took a back seat to all of this. However, things have finally calmed down enough for me to throw myself back into that which I love to do - art. I had a lot of fun with this project. A little bit of decoupage, a bit of drawing and a tidbit of paint; it all makes for fun and relaxation. I show you step by step how to go about creating these canvasses yourself, in today's blog."
Blog 191 - Decorating a Book Cover with Paint & Decoupage
"I recently bought a drawing book with black pages to doodle in. However, when I removed the plastic film around the book, I discovered to my horror that the ugly green paper with the manufacturer's name on it, was in fact a sticker! Try as I would, I could not remove it. I decidedly did not want such an ugly cover for my book, even though I only intended to doodle in it. I figured I could do better than to simply cover it. The result was a cover that was decoupaged and then painted with a cute motif I found on Pinterest. I show you how to do this in today's blog, so you can do the same with your own books."
Blog 192 - Acrylic Sheep on Decoupage Background
"A colleague was having a baby girl and we planned to throw her a baby shower. I wanted to give her something that I had made myself that fitted in with her colour scheme and theme, which was grey and sheep. It seemed a good idea to paint a grey sheep for the little lady's room as part of the decor. I decoupaged the background before painting the sheep in acrylics. I show you how to do this yourself in today's blog."
Blog 193 - Product Review: Gelatos by Faber-Castell
"My crafty friends have been telling me for a while now that I really need to get my hands on some Gelatos by Faber-Castell. I remained adament that I already had other products that served the same purpose. They would not budge. So, when I recently received a gift voucher for PNA, I set off to buy myself some Gelatos. In all honesty, I had to pay in a little, but I would never be satisfied with anything less than the twelve colours I got. In today's blog, I put Gelatos to the test to find out what can be done with them and how effective they are. I also compare them to the other products I already had in my stash, to see how they measure up."
Blog 194 - Using Gelatos to Create a Painting
"Not too long ago, I did a product review of Faber-Castell's Gelatos. Even though I found that I already had other products in my stash that compared well with Gelatos, I still enjoyed working with these and they passed the rigorous testing with flying colours. Even though this blog follows a while after the testing, the truth is that I sat down the very next day to paint a watercolour painting with my set of Gelatos. I show you how I did this in today's blog."
"In today's blog I make four quick and easy projects, using Dala Blackboard Paint. I use a variety of surfaces to paint on, including glass, wood and cardboard. I also use a variety of techniques, making this an interesting blog to read if you are interested in old-fashioned blackboards. However, I also introduce chalk pens to write on, rather than the dusty old chalks. Be sure to find out more if this is unfamiliar territory to you."
"A while ago, I sent emails to two local paint and art product manufacturers, here in South Africa. I complained to them that the Clear Gesso available on the market, did not fulfill the need of its users. I sent them an explanation of what I was talking about, and being a blogger, I fortunately had a selection of photos to support my claims. I asked them if they would be willing to look into the possibility of putting a product on the market that would meet the needs I had specified. Both manufacturers were quick to respond to my emails and both were eager to look into the development of the product, used largely for journaling, namely, Clear Gesso. Then one of the manufacturers contacted me to ask if they could send me two samples to test. I jumped at the idea. In the following couple of blogs, I will share the results of these tests with you. Hopefully, by the time this blog publishes, the product is already available on the market and in your hands, as I am working a couple of months ahead of schedule. In the photo below you can see the samples that were sent to me for testing. In this first blog in the series, I test paints and similar mediums on the samples."
Blog 197 - Product Test - Clear Gesso Trial Sample: Test 2 - Markers, Pens, etc.
"In the previous blog I told you about being sent two sample products of Clear Gesso, by one of our local manufacturers, to test. I started the testing on paints and similar mediums and proceed the process in today's blog with markers, pens and other similar products."
"I have started a series of blogs in which I share my findings with you after having tested two trial samples of Clear Gesso, produced by a local manufacturer. One of the main problems I experienced with the Clear Gesso available on the market, was that it was so excessively rough, making it virtually impossible to use my colouring pencils on a surface treated with it. The samples I had been given, did not have this problem. However, other mediums that I have tested, resisted the colouring pencils, making it very hard to work with. I wondered how my pencils would fare on these two sample products. In today's blog, I continue my testing, this time on pencils, etc."
"One of the things I sometimes do in my journaling, is to decoupage, especially with serviettes. I wondered if I would be able to do this with the two sample products I had been given to test. Both were rather sticky in the drying phase and I suspected I might be able to do so. I put this theory to the test in today's blog. If this worked, it would open new worlds in terms of craft painting and art, for I sometimes use a combination of decoupage and paint on my mixed media works, but have found the regular decoupage mediums to be slightly resistant to other mediums. This gesso has proven itself very willing to accept other mediums and may very well open new doors in areas other than journaling."
"I have been testing two sample products of Clear Gesso, sent to me by a local manufacturer. In the past couple of blogs, I have been telling you about the various tests I had put the products through. In today's blog, it is time to start applying the products. I wish to be able to use these in my journaling Bible, but I will test it on another page, before risking its use in my Bible. I decide to prepare some colouring pages with the sample gesso to test the products. I share the results of this exercise with you in today's blog."
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment