The Introverted Crafter

I saw a funny card the other day, and wanted to do my own version. I used tim holtz crazy birds stamps and mischievous cats dies, and some basic feather stamps on the inside.  I've also been working on the stitch.  There's only three colours left to do. The white is 25000 stitches though, so still a while off completion.  Finally, here's a sneak peak of my Christmas cards for this year  Until next time Ems

I've tried to do some more polymer clay this week, using some bezels to make a beachy scene. I haven't got the sand quite right, but it's not bad for a first attempt. I've also found out the best thing for cutters is plastic wrap. I made them into keyrings, using shell beads. I've also been working on the stitch. 80% down now I love how the latest colour I'm using is transforming evelyns hair. Until next time Ems

I've made a necklace this week, using the totally beads christmas tutorials. It reminds me of a dragon eye, which reminded me of a kids tv show we watched at school called through the dragons eye, which freaked me out as a kid.  I've also been working on the stitch. Here's the latest update.  Until next time Ems

I've made a card for my nephew this week, inspired by a little video my brother sent of them at the aardman animation exhibition at lands end. I stamped wallace and gromit and a lot of pigs, then die cut grass from a paper in my stash. I used a happy birthday paper for the sky.  I've been working on the stitch. Here's the update.  Until next time Ems

Before I get onto my makes for this week, here's the update on the stitch.  Three quarters of the way there!  I wanted to do something similar to victoriana displays, without the pinning live animals onto boards. I've got a fair sized stash of resin pieces, mainly cos I overestimate how much resin I need when I'm pouring it, so make extra moulds. I dug through, and started to arrange displays on the back board of deep photo frames.  I then used tim holtz papers for the background, painted the items with black gesso and then used prima waxes to colour them.  I also added a tim holtz candle on the bottom one, and some phrasing on both.  Until next time Ems

Before i get onto my make this week, here is the update to the stitch. Again i will say, as I've said before, it's hard doing cards for guys. I decided to dig through my stash for ideas. I found some steampunk dies and decided to do a background using silver embossing powder and distress ink. I finished it off with a shadow box die.  I'm working on a mixed media project as well. Hopefully that'll be completed this coming week.  Off topic, if you are ever at newquay garden centre, pop into the restaurant!  Until next time Ems

I've made a plaque this week for the new house. It's my first time using watercolour paints on resin, so be gentle! The houses are the stamperia cozy houses moulds. I've also been working on the cross stitch. Here is the update.   Until next time Ems

One of the stamp sets I got in last years lawn fawn goody bag was 'carrot about you.' It was in danger of not being used, cos it's a bit of an unusual one, so i thought I'd bite the bullet (or the carrot) and use it. I used to live carrots as a young child, so much so that my grandad had to ask the vendor at a market stall for the carrot he had just peeled to showcase the veg peeler he was selling, because I was so upset I didn't have it.  All Lawn Fawn apart from birthday, which is tim holtz. The lawn fawn stitched rectangles make it a lot easier to get a neat background.  I've also been working on the stitch.  71% done now. I'm still trying to decide whether to do a small one or jump right into the labyrinth stitch after this  Until next time Ems

I've tried to alter something this week, using wax, moulds, and paint. I'm not wholly happy with it, but I was going to throw the whole thing away at one point, so I'm....happier than I was.  Here's the before.  I started off my adding bird moulds and covering the whole thing in white gesso. I then used stained wood wax, which made it look awful frankly. I much prefer the metallic waxes, and sorely need to replace my gold and silver ones.  So, back to the drawing board, I then used clear gesso, then crackle effect, then distress purple paint. I coated all the birds haphazardly in the purple paint, as I wanted it to look used, then I used copper wax.  It looks better in person.  Onto the stitch, I'm now on 70% At least this is still looking good. Until next time Ems

This week I've been mostly making bracelets. Sorry, that was my inner Jessie from the fast show there. Anyway, I've worked on day 6 of the kits I got over Christmas, making two bracelets with beads and lots of jump rings.  One thing you have to make sure of is that you use the right size jump ring for the beads.  I also used some of the items from day 7 (the wind chimes one) to make a necklace.  The hearts are large enough to make it a statement necklace, but not overly large.  I've also been working on the stitch. Here's the latest. Look you can actually see something appearing!  Until next time Ems

I've made a couple of cards this week. The first is a simple card, using clear embossing powder and a sea stamp.  The other is a platform pop up card, using cityscape, snowglobe and dinosaur dies from tim holtz. I used the t rex and stegosaurus dies to make a godzilla. I've been working on the stitch. Here's the latest update  Until next time Ems  

Now as I said last week, I've tried something new this week. I wanted to post my first attempt, both to hopefully show my progress as I learn to hone my techniques, and to show that you don't have to do thing perfectly to craft, what's more important is that you enjoy yourself when doing it.  So I've been trying my hand at polymer clay, in the hope to make jewellery in the future. This is obviously with cutters and moulds. I've already learned a few lessons from this first attempt. Firstly, make sure your baking paper doesn't cure in the oven, as that will curl your pieces. Secondly, the tiniest hole cutter is still too big (see the foxes) for a hole for findings to go through. I might put a stone or bead here to fix it. Thirdly, you can put findings in clay prior to baking. Anyway, here's my first attempt.  I've still got to figure out how to get the pieces off after I've cut them without squishing then a bit.  I've also been working on the stit...