Blog 1051 - ICAD 2019 - Week 2
"We have entered week 2 of the Index Card A Day (ICAD) challenge for 2019. I needed to scratch my head to come up with new and inventive ways of doing this, as it still felt as if I was only just starting to find my feet in this endeavour. It is, and was, a most enjoyable challenge, as it allowed me to play with a whole host of mediums that I had not used in a while. This blog is therefore once again jam-packed with varied crafting ideas and tips. The inspiration for this week was collage, found or painted paper, old books or magazines."
Blog 1052 - ICAD 2019 - Week 3
"We have now entered the third week of ICAD 2019, the Index Card A Day challenge, which has been running for nine years. The inspiration for this week was mark-making, sketching, drawing, or portraiture. With this in mind, my index cards for this week, shows a whole lot more drawing than the previous weeks' had. Still, my time was limited and I opted to do very simple line drawings, rather than fully developed sketches. I show you how to do this in quick and easy steps in today's blog."
Blog 1053 - ICAD 2019 - Week 4
"It is Week 4 of ICAD 2019. ICAD is a global internet challenge open to all crafters to create a decorated Index Card A Day, for 60 consecutive days. It is not a competition with prizes, but merely a fun challenge to inspire each other to get creative and form creative habits. The inspiration for this week was patterns, wallpaper, grids and geometric shapes. I found that I concentrated on using inks in this week's challenges and therefore this blog is riddles with the different uses of ink in your projects."
Blog 1054 - A Summary with References of Blogs 1001-1050
"A number of people have mentioned that they find it difficult to find specific blogs among the growing list of published blogs. This gave me the idea of publishing a summary of previously published blogs, with links and photo references. This way you only need to save a handful of blogs which can easily be accessed to navigate to the blogs you are looking for. This is the twenty-first of these Index Blogs."
Blog 1055 - Card Making - Embossing a Red & Black Card
"I have bought a brand new embossing folder that is quite a bit thicker than the ones I normally use in my machine. In today's blog, I note how to make adjustments for this, while I make a very simple, yet elegant black and red card. I show you how to do this in the step by step instructions in today's blog. There is also a short video with the steps at the end of the blog."
Blog 1056 - School Holiday Project - Making a 3D Card
"It has been school holidays a couple of weeks ago and I spent a little time with my nieces and nephews when visiting the family. They always love doing crafts on these occassions and I was roped in to help. I did not have much with me, but we did manage to make some fun 3D cards. I show you how to do something similar with your own kids in today's blog."
Blog 1057 - School Holiday Project - Mosaic Words
"During the recent school holidays this aunt once again had the undoubted priviledge to look after my younger nieces and nephew. I love to do little arts and crafts projects with them at these times and this time I again opted for a small mosaic project. I bought three short words, consisting of three letters each and a selection of small tiles. I loved seeing how each child's unique personality shone through their individual projects. I show you how I did this with them so that you could do something similar with your own children."
Blog 1058 - ICAD 2019 Week 5 by Miekie Part 1
"ICAD is an international online challenge where crafters are to make an index card a day for 60 days. I decided to join this effort, in the ninth year of the ICAD challenge, after a friend invited me. In today's blog, I show you how I used my Gelli Plate to prepare the cards for Week 5. The Gelli Plate makes it a quick task to get 7 cards surface-ready for the finishing touches. In the following blog, I will show you how I put the finishing touches on these cards."
Blog 1059 - ICAD 2019 Week 5 by Miekie Part 2
"We have reached Week 5 of the ICAD 2019 challenge to create an Index Card A Day. I had lots of fun testing out my new gelli plate when preparing the surfaces for these cards. I showed you all about this in the previous blog. In today's blog, I take it one step further when I put the finishing touches on these prepared cards. The inspiration for Week 5 was natural elements, texture, rust, dye, fibre, jute, thread & organic shapes."
Blog 1060 - Embossing with Various Plates & Folders
"When you buy an embossing machine, it comes with rather clear instructions on which plates to use. These instructions normally covers only products by the same manufacturer. In today's blog, I am going to switch out plates so that I can use more folders and even other embossing plates. I even include embossing folders found in the cake decorating aisle."
Blog 1061 - ICAD 2019 Week 6 by Miekie Part 1
"It is week 6 of the ICAD 2019 challenge and the prompts for this week was colour, colour wheels and colour charts. I was still having a whole lot of fun testing out my newly purchased Gelli Plate and I decided to once again prepare the index cards for this week by printing them on the Gelli Plate. If you are unfamiliar with a Gelli Plate, this is a good introduction, although I am not yet putting it through its paces, the way it is meant to be, and I have a whole lot more tricks up my sleeve where the Gelli Plate is concerned. In the next blog, we will take on the daily prompts and finish these cards, but for now, we'll just get them started.
Blog 1062 - ICAD 2019 Week 6 by Miekie Part 2
"The inspiration for the ICAD 2019 challenge in week 6, was colour, colour wheels and colour charts. It was with this in mind, that I approached the cards that I had prepared on the Gelli Plate for this week. I deicded that I also wished to include some quotes and things found in books that I had received as gifts over the years. I show you how I incorporated all of these elements in the challenge, in today's blog."
Blog 1063 - Make Your Own Gelli Plate @ Home
"I love the gelli plate that I purchased through Loot.co.za thoroughly. However, the original Gelli Plate is very expensive to purchase, and the bigger they are, the more expensive they get. A number of people have posted videos on YouTube in which they show you how to make your own gelli plate at home. I decided to try my hand at this, swapping out products for South African counterparts. I share my experiment with you today and put my homemade gelli plate to the test, telling you how it measures up against the original, in my opinion. Firstly, it is well worth mentioning that one should not be deceived by the name of the Gelli Plate. I have no way of knowing what it is made of, but my guess wavers between silicone and the stuff Clear Gel stamps are made of. Still, I shall try the gelatine versions that others have come up with and swear works so well."
Blog 1064 - ICAD 2019 Week 7 by Miekie Part 1
"It is week 7 of the ICAD 2019 challenge and the prompts for this week was Landscapes, Maps, Cartography and Geography. In the past week, I have made my own homemade gelli plate and was keen to put this to the test to see how it fared against the expensive one that I had purchased. I therefore once again use a gelli plate to prepare the backgrounds for the challenge. In the next blog, we'll complete these index cards."
Blog 1065 - ICAD 2019 Week 7 by Miekie Part 2
"It is time to finalize the index cards for the seventh week of the ICAD 2019 challenge. The inspiration for this week was Landscapes, Maps, Cartography and Geography. In the previous blog I showed you how I used my homemade gelli plate to print backgrounds for the index cards. In today's blog, I finish these cards. I opted to restrict myself in the elements I may use. I am using cutouts from gift wrapping paper and I make my own 3D embellishments with my hot glue gun and fondant molds. I walk you through the steps with accompanying photos in this blog."
Blog 1066 - ICAD 2019 Week 8 by Miekie Part 1
"We have reached the penultimate week of the ICAD 2019 challenge and the end is in sight. The Index Card A Day challenge has been rather taxaing and there were times when I had been strained to fit it into the normal routine of my life, but I am glad that I have persisted. I once again use the Gelli Plate to prepare the backgrounds for Week 8's cards. The inspiration for this week was Mandalas and Circles."
Blog 1067 - ICAD 2019 Week 8 by Miekie Part 2
"Week 8 of the Index Card A Day (ICAD) 2019 challenge found its inspiration in Mandalas and Circles. I had already prepared the backgrounds for this week's index cards on my Gelli Plate, with the help of a friend who had been curious about how the Gelli Plate worked. It was fun sharing this experience with her, but it was time to finish what the two of us had started. I show you how I finished these cards in today's blog."
Blog 1068 - ICAD 2019 Week 9 by Miekie Part 1
"It is the final week of the ICAD 2019 challenge! We have been creating an Index Card A Day for the past eight weeks and the end is here at last. It is a short week, with only five cards in the challenge. This time the inspiration for the week is Printing, Stamping, Gelatin Printing and Hand-Carved Stamps. As I will be prepping the backgrounds on my Gelli Plate anyway, we are already halfway there."
Blog 1069 - ICAD 2019 Week 9 by Miekie Part 2
"Today I finally get to share the last blog for the ICAD 2019 challenge in which I had been making an Index Card A Day for the past 61 days. The inspiration for the last week of the challenge had been Printing, Stamping, Gelatin Printing and Hand-Carved Stamps. I prepped the index cards for this week on my Gelli Plate, and I shared the steps for doing this with you in the preceding blog. Today we put the finishing touches on these last five cards before putting the challenge to bed."
Blog 1070 - Gelli Plate Image Transfer
"I have been enjoying trying out the Gelli Plate that I have bought on Loot.co.za. Today I continue my experiments with this lovely tool when I pull some image prints off magazines and books. What a fun thing to do! I have not yet used these images and prints in other projects, but I will certainly be able to do so in the near future. For today though, I simply share one more fun thing to do with the Gelli Plate."
Blog 1071 - Card Making: Key to Happiness
"I have a stack of ICAD cards on my craft desk that I have zero purpose for. I looked them over and decided that they had real potential as cards. In due time I will be turning all of these into cards, but I start with this one that I recently turned into a card for a very dear friend of mine. This person incorporates joy in her being and wanted to present her with a card that showed I appreciated this value in her."
Blog 1072 - Card Making: Dreams
"Today I am going to show you how to make a delightfully happy card with great expectations and beautiful dreams incorporated into it. I managed to use a photo from an adevertisement in this card and it still came out quite spectacular, proving once again that anything can be used when making arts and crafts. My friends and family already know that I never throw anything away, and that eventually, all of that stash will be put to good use."
Blog 1073 - Card Making: Security in Love
"Most often times we take risks when we venture out into relationships with people. Yet, sometimes those risks are well worth taking. I wished to express this sentiment with today's card. In the background, I have a running figure, but on top of it, I paste a sentiment that tells us that there is security in love. It was time for one of my friends to stop running and to put her trust in love again. I made this card for her."
Blog 1074 - Card Making: Eternal Life
"There are times when we all need sympathy cards. These are not fun times and it is not the time to sit down and make a card. Therefore it is convenient to have a card for these occasions ready at hand. Today I show you how to make such a card for the loved ones who stay behind after someone has passed on."
Blog 1075 - Card Making: Living Life to the Full
"I love this series of cards that I am in the process of developing. They have at their heart the enjoyment of life. Today's card celebrates a life that is lived to capacity. It is intended for someone who has the ability to suck the marrow out of life. I use my Gelli Plate to prepare the surface of the card and then I make some molds with my hot glue gun to embellish the card. These are just some of the tricks I have up my sleeve."
Blog 1076 - Card Making: Living Life Spontaneously
"Today sees us making a very simple Thank You card. It is intended for someone who walks alongside us and who adds a bit of spontaneity and sparkle to our lives. The card is a very simple one and after creating the index card, we restrict ourselves to a little stamping fun to finalize the card."
Blog 1077 - Card Making: Passionate Life
"I am still working on my card series in which I celebrate life. Today's card celebrates a life lived with passion. I do this is shades of blue and white, which brings a sense of calmness to the card, but this is done on purpose, because a life that is lived with passion, is often more calming to the soul than one that simply waits for life to happen around it."
Blog 1078 - Paper Decoupage: 3 Stash Boxes
"My crafting stash is an ever growing mountain of fun tools and supplies. Having outgrown my current containers, I developed a need to organize the newly acquired items. I bought some decorative wooden crates to use for storage, but these were in need of some serious decorating despite their pretty designs. I show you how to decoupage these boxes with paper and a bit of paint in today's blog."
Blog 1079 - Paint & Paper Decoupage: Book Stash
"A while ago I was given a wooden box shaped like a book, by a friend. I have not gotten around to decorating it in all this time, but as I was busy with similar projects in the studio, I decided to include the book box as a project. I used a combination of paint and decoupage to decorate the box and I show you how I added some sparkle to the 'gilded pages' as well."
Blog 1080 - Fabric Decoupage: Tissue Box
"Ever since moving into the new studio, little over a year ago, I have been irritated by the fact that I had to put up with a plain tissue box while being surrounded by so many pretty things with which to create a beautiful tissue box. I finally bought myself a wooden box and decided to decoupage it with some fabric remnants that a friend had given me. I added some Washi Tape and buttons and ended up with a funky tissue box for my studio. I show you how to do this yourself in today's blog."
Blog 1081 - Card Making: Finding Love
"Today we are going to be making a card in which we celebrate the discovery of a new-found love. I start this product on an index card, design it on a Gelli Plate, impress an image onto it with cake decorating tools and then add the final touches. Let me show you how you can do something similar without much effort."
Blog 1082 - Card Making: Friendship
"Today, I am making a card with which to celebrate special friendships. I use a variety of techniques in this card, starting with the Gelli Plate and ending with stamping. Read on to see a step by step reveal of how I created this card and become inspired to create your own."
Blog 1083 - Card Making: Feast on Life
"Today I am making a birthday card for someone who has the ability to feast on life - to suck the marrow out of it, if you will. This card combines an interesting array of techniques, including layering, decoupage, drawing, inking, and more. The article has step by step instructions for creating your own card."
Blog 1084 - Sewing a Floral Skirt
"I recently walked into a fabric shop just a block away from where I live and was wonderfully surprised to discover that they were having a sale on a large selection of their fabrics. I overindulged myself in the sheer luxury on display and left the shop with two bulging bags of potential pleasure. I immediately set to work and cut this fun floral skirt from one of the lengths of fabric I had bought. I show you how to sew this simple pattern yourself in today's blog."
Blog 1085 - Card Making: Golden Anniversary
"My folks' golden anniversary is coming up towards the end of the year. With this in mind, I have started experimenting with cards for the occasion. To make today's card, I have used the Gelli Plate to pull a print to the card, I used my fondant cutters to create the image, and I used stamps to add some feint finishing touches at the end. I walk you through the steps for creating this card, in today's blog."
Blog 1086 - Card Making: Courage in God
"For today's blog, I decided to make an encouraging card. We all have friends who are loosing hope, or seem to have lost their faith, or direction. A card like this might be just what they need, to remind them that they are not alone, that someone has taken notice, and most importantly, that someone cares about them. I show you how I went about this in the hopes of sparking your own creativity with which to encourage your own friends."
Blog 1087 - Summary of Blogs on Card Making 101-150
"I have thought it a good idea to try and organize the blogs a little to make them more accessible to myself and my readers. With this in mind, I have started grouping blogs that have a common theme together in a summary blog. This blog is complete with links, headings, descriptions and photos. This is the third of these blogs on making cards."
Blog 1088 - Card Making: For the Love of Music
"We are making yet another card for today's blog, but this time I wish to celebrate life with a musician. I have settled on the theme that is closest to their heart and make use of a single stamp set to do both stamping, as well as printing on the Gelli Plate. This was a rather interesting process and I am happy to share it with you in today's blog.
Blog 1089 - Testing the Go Foil & Emboss Tool
"Today, I am putting one of my new tools to the test to see how it works, and if it delivers what it promises. The machine I am talking about, is the Go Foil & Emboss, which is used in conjunction with the Go Cut & Emboss. Both machines are from Couture Creations. Now, having conducted the tests and experiments, I have to admit that I am in love! The two machines, used together, delivers exactly what they promise: beautiful die-cuts that are both gilded and embossed. Let me show you why I fell in love with these machines."
Blog 1090 - Card Making: Celebrating New Ventures
"We are approaching the season of celebrations. We celebrate achievements, having made it through the year, Christmas, and starting off on new ventures, after completing others. Today's card is for celebrating those who have the courage to set off on new ventures and gather new memories. I show you how to stencil with impasto and so much more. Enjoy making this fun card with me!"
Blog 1091 - Card Making: Bloom at Life
"Today we are making a beautiful card for a lovely young lady who is blooming into life. We decoupage with serviettes on cardboard and use a number of other nifty tricks to create a stunning card to please any girl's heart."
Blog 1092 - Card Making: Exemplary Living
"We are making yet another card specifically aimed at teenagers today. This time it is one that is meant to inspire an already inspirational young soul. Many teens today are activists on bigger or smaller scale, sacrificing time and effort on behalf of others, or our planet. Today's card is in recognition of such actions, and to motivate them to continue their efforts - reinforcing the idea that it is not going unnoticed."
Blog 1093 - Sewing 2 Palazzos with Inserts
"It is time to do some sewing again. I make two pairs of pants from the same palazzo pattern today. Both pairs have a fabric insert to make it a tad more interesting. These funky, vibrant fabrics is what all of us need to get us in the right frame of mind for the coming festive season. Bring on summer!"
Blog 1094 - Jewelry Making: Maternal Necklace
"We have not made jewelry in a while here on A Pretty Talent. I was very excited to purchase a number of beads and findings on one of my recent shopping sprees. Actually, I found the shop owners very accommodating. I could not make my way there until the weekend, and they were happy to open their shop for a friend and myself, if we were willing to spend a minimum amount. This amount proved no challenge and, as a result, I get to show you how to make this cute necklace with its maternal pendant."
Blog 1095 - Card Making: Finding Peace
"In today's blog, we are going on a journey of inner healing when making this very special card for a friend. The purpose of this card is to support a friend who is temporarily struggling in dealing with life, to show that we are there to support them. We do a number of fun things when creating this card, chief of which is to decoupage with used teabags!"
Blog 1096 - Jewelry Making: Pink & Green Beads on a Hoop
"Today I am going to show you how to make a necklace, using memory wire. I decided to have some fun and added spokes to run out from the hoop. When I counted this afterwards, I realized that I now had eight of these and very appropriately dubbed it my spider necklace. I also made a pair of earrings to match it. This is a very quick and easy project that you can finish in no time."
Blog 1097 - Sewing a Black & White Top
"Today we are making a quick-sew pattern. The top we are making can be sewn in an hour or two and requires very little skill. It is not meant to the centerpiece of an outfit, but rather to compliment the other pieces in the outfit. I show you step by step how to go about sewing an uncomplicated top like this for yourself in today's blog."
Blog 1098 - Card Making: Focus on your Journey
"Today we are going to make a fun card that reminds us that we are all to focus on our own journey. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, some special reason for having created each individual, and that no one else can fill your space here on earth. Not all of us reach our full potential for God's purpose, and too often it is because we allow ourselves to be sidetracked by other people's journeys. This card is meant for a friend who have forgotten how special they are."
Blog 1099 - Card Making: Guidance
"It is time to make yet another card, and this time we do some coffee staining to make it a little more interesting. This card is one that we can give to someone in need of some encouragement, as a reminder that God is always there to show the way and provide the guidance we so desperately need in life. We finish this card with some lovely Washi Tape."
Blog 1100 - Sewing a Short-Sleeved Jacket
"Today we are going to sew a fun summer jacket with short sleeves. I used an older Simplicity pattern, from my pattern box to cut the jacket and then adjusted the sleeve length. I show you how to do this in today's blog.
Follow these links to previous Index Blogs:
Blogs 1-50
Blogs 51-100
Blogs 101-150
Blogs 151-200
Blogs 201-250
Blogs 251-300
Blogs 301-350
Blogs 351-400
Blogs 451-500
Blogs 501-550
Blogs 551-600
Blogs 601-650
Blogs 651-700
Blogs 701-750
Blogs 751-800
Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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.
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.
