Goodmorning

Hello there. I never got around to showing you all the other jewellery boxes I made the other week.

As usual, it's been pretty busy around here.

As you can see, I had a lot of fun making pretty jewellery with shrink plastic with this range of dies and punches.

You can find out more details on Blog Tonic.
I also made a plaque for a dear friend who is having a baby very soon.

Today, I am whizzing around - or I will be shortly, getting the place ready for my little 8 year old daughter's birthday party. How the time flies! I'd better get busy, there is much to do! BTW, she was very impressed with the pop up butterflies inside her birthday card!

Have a lovely day

Doda
xxxx

Beautiful itty bitty butterflies

The new Tonic Studios Intrica large butterfly punch cuts through shrink plastic with ease - and doesn't it make the cutest little butterflies ! I took advantage of the new pastel colours of shrink plastic that are now available and made this cute little bracelet.
Of course, it then needed a gift box. I used one of the dies in the gorgeous new Romantic Vine oval die set to cut into the lid of this box and then further embellished it with layers of paper butterflies and a few jewels.

I made a similar box for another piece of jewellery. I'll show you what's inside next time!

Jodie Johnson will be on Create and Craft TV, Tuesdsay at 9pm with the launch of the new products.

Yey...the sun is shining here....must get out in the fresh air! Bye for now

Doda
xxx

More with the new Tonic Studio dies...

I've made quite a few things with the latest Tonic Studios dies and their new Frames so far. I found a mirror coaster that was exactly the right size so I made this mirror frame. The frames are card and you fold them and glue them yourself, and then decorate in the manner of your choosing. I made a woodgrain effect here with acrylic paints. The rose corner dies were cut from tomato paste tube.

I have used the lovely butterfly latering dies to decorate little jewellery boxes, and then made some earrings from shrink plastic to go in them all.

Each pair of earrings coordinates with the butterflies on the lid of the boxes.

Wouldn't the white ones be pretty for a wedding !

I really enjoyed making these...you know how much I love making boxes!!!

There has also been other glass etching. I made this candle vase.

Here it is filled with sweeties...I didn't eat all these myself ! I promise !

There are still a few more things to show you, but I'll save that for another post. Hope you feel inspired to go make something now.
Have a lovely day

Doda
x

Folksy Shop Update

I've just been listing some jewellery in my Folksy shop. I decided that it would be better to have them listed than have them sitting doing nothing in their box.

If you're looking for some little gifts, then please pop by my shop and see what's there. Hopefully a few more items will be going in over the next few days.

Time to do some housework now ! Fun, fun, fun!

It's giveaway time at Doda's

I wanted to share a little giveaway to thank you all for visiting my blog. Your comments always make my day, and I love to make new bloggy friends and visit your blogs too.

If you would like to enter with a chance of winning you can...

1. Leave a comment on this post for one entry to the giveaway. Let me know what country you are from.
2. If you would like a second entry, then if you are already a follower or you become one, post again letting me know.
3. If you post about the giveaway on your blog, then come back and let me know, you can have a third entry.

What you will win is these hand rolled pure Scottish beeswax candles - two pairs of pillars. The aroma of these is so delicious! I made them this afternoon and the scent has pervaded the house! Mmm !
You will also win this charming Alice necklace made from polymer clay. It comes on a silver plated chain in a handmade little gift box.
You will also win this crazy brooch which is perfect for loose weave woolens. Use it to fasten a scarf or a cardi. It is a reminder for you to eat your five fruit and veg a day!
It has a tiny little pea pod, a carrot, an aubergine/eggplant an orange and a tomato. It will certainly be a talking point. This also comes in a handmade little giftbox - one of my matchboxes.

I look forward to reading your posts and checking out where you are all from.

( I will choose a winner on the 24th December, so that gives plenty time for entering.)

Ebony and ivory...

Hi there! I thought I'd fill you in on my crazy creative life this week.

On Thursday I am going to a fashion show run by a friend of mine. She is the manageress of a posh clothes shop. Thing is, I am supposed to be playing the piano for the show.

It's in a really lovely setting and it will be a beautiful piano - same as the one in the picture- such a treat to play- but I am busy trying to rack my brains to think of enough tunes that I know and can play to fill two 1 hour slots. I am mostly an ear player so I don't use music much. I hope she isn't too disappointed with me - at least I came cheap (free). My friend also asked me if I would like to have a table with my jewellery on it, and I can't possibly turn down an offer like that, so I have been busy making one or two new pieces and sorting out all that I have and thinking of ways to display it and price it etc.

Also, in keeping with the ebony ivory topic, I have been trying out a bottle of photomagic that a friend gave me about 15 years ago. It still works! This is going to be a cushion. I bought the linen a little while ago and have been wanting to try it out and see how it sews up. Does anyone have any tips for ironing linen? It seems like once you have washed it, it is virtually impossible to get it crease free. Maybe that's just the look of linen? Any opinions ?

new butterfly brooch

I recently finished this butterfly brooch. Wouldn't like to admit to you how long ago I started it!

It is hand drawn onto vintage cotton and then bonded onto felt and stitched. I used copper wire for the body, and little seed beads for his eyes.

Do you like this interesting fabric he is sitting on? I just bought it. It is in fact a cheap dust sheet from Lidls. I can't wait to make something out of it. It is backed with a soft plastic, so not sure yet what I am going to make, but the colours in it are just sumptious! There is even an occasional glittery thread in there.

Orange tip butterfly brooch will be in my Etsy store soon.

Three little elephants...

Three little elephant pendants, off to explore the world. A wise old elephant named Emerald, and two young and inexperienced little girls, Ella and Elsie. I wonder where they will end up. The last two ended up in America - one of them went to Honolulu ! I wonder if he learnt how to play the ukulele? With his trunk !

New brooches

Here are some of my newest brooches. I'll be getting round to putting them in the shop sometime soon. I may even list them on Artfire. I feel encouraged - I just made my first sale with them yesterday. It is Free to list items there, so that's always a good thing!
The windows of the quirky little house glow in the dark!

Rain - something we get rather a lot of in Bonny Scotland!

Hmmm...

I was playing around with the polymer clay and these pendants kind of happened, but I am not so sure about them...what do you think? My family just gave me that kind of response that doesn't do much for the vote of confidence. The response was "Hmmm!" I think the fact the pendant above has an unintentional scary face makes it a no no for selling, and the one below is just too weird. Ah well...back to the drawing board!

I haven't shown you this yet, so I thought I would. It's the first in a series of polymer clay teapot brooches that I started on a while ago. The black and white design I drew on paper first and then printed it out on my laser printer and applied it to the clay. That is my three year olds hand showing it off (complete with grubby fingernails), so it actually not that big.

I have always loved to collect smooth beach pebbles and have painted on them for years. At one point, when we lived in Belize, I was painting local wildlife on them and selling them as souvenirs to tourists for a bit of extra cash.

I had intended painting all the garden birds on these rocks for Gabriella to play with, but I only ever got as far as drawing the outlines. I wonder if I will ever get around to painting them?
This is a tiny pebble I painted with a peacock butterfly. It was kind of fiddly to do at that size. In reality it is only about just under an inch long.

More necklaces...

Some more of my experiments with texture.

And if you were wandering about the weird background,

it's this cushion that I made ages ago.

It is drawn with permanent pen, and then quilted.