About Face

I have recently discovered a new fun thing to do - face painting! My youngest daughter went to a fun fair at one of out local elementary schools a few weeks ago, and came home with a beautiful butterfly painted on her face. I was so stunned when she walked through the door, the painting was gorgeous! I immediately decided that I had to learn how to do it - so I did!
I did a bit of research on face paint and ordered a beginner kit from a company called Diamondfx which sells quality non-toxic face paint and supplies. I checked out a few face painting videos on Youtube and voila, a face full of butterfly!
This is my first attempt at painting and I have to say that it is much, much easier to paint someone else's face than your own! The lines are a bit 'jiggily', but like anything, practice will improve my technique! I contacted our local hair styling school and they gave me an old hair stylying 'head' to practice on, so I can stop pestering my family and friends to sit still while I experiment on their faces! I have to recommend that if this is something you would like to try, it is worth investing in quality face paint, good quality brushes and facial sponges.This type of face paint takes very little water to moisten and has a smooth creamy texture that makes painting much easier, and it washes off very easliy so little faces won't be irritated by scrubbing with soap! As well, keep your brushes and sponges clean by washing them in warm soapy water and if you are painting more than one face, a little hand sanitizer between faces would be a good idea. Have fun :)

Happy Anniversary !

I made this anniversary card for my friends who are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss! It features a mutli-layer vellum flower. According to wikipedia, vellum comes from the latin word 'vitulinium' which means, 'comes from a calf'. Real vellum is made from animal skin that has been scraped smooth so as to let light passs through it. It's actually really thin parchment paper. Thankfully, modern vellum is made from plastic and cotton. I would feel terrible giving someone a card with a real calf skin flower on it!!
To make this flower, I stamped several five petal flowers onto vellum using Stampin' Up! White Craft Ink, then cut them out. The top layer has a touch of Diamond Stickles added for a bit of sparkle. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, by Stampin' Up!, stamped in black, then punched with the SU! Word Window punch. Sentiment backing is silver card stock which was punched with SU! Modern Label punch. The centre of the flower is also silver card stock and is dotted with Champagne Liquid Pearls. Happy Anniversay!

The Wednesday Night Weavers

I get together with a couple of friends every Wednesday (a.k.a. Humpday!) evening to basket weave. These natural ribbed melon baskets are the fruits of our labour so far. The basket rim, handle and ribs are made from Willow which I cut about two weeks ago.  When weaving with natural Willow, it is important to let it dry and shrink before you weave with it. If you use it too soon, it will shrink and your weaving will come loose. Ask me how I found this out!! My friend, a kindred crafting spirit, added lovely beading to the rim of her basket. This is the first basket she has ever made and I have to say she certainly has got the hang of it! It's a gorgeous piece of weaving!
I made the other basket shown along side the group to demonstrate the weaving technique. It's also made from Willow and I used #2 round reed, dyed black, as an accent. The one thing about this type of basketry that I really like is the 'God's Eye' that holds the rim and handle together. No nails, no glue needed! This type of basketry is hundreds of years old, and is still as pretty and useful as it was in the pioneer days!