Friday 6 December 2013

Some crafty stuff I've been keeping myself very busy with...

Hi, it's been some time since my last post. Had a craft market that I had to prepare for. I still have some weird and wonderful request from brides 2 be for centerpieces for their weddings, small bags to put confetti in and also some bridal jewellery to work on.

Just wanted to showcase some of my handmade products here and will hopefully also add a new post in the near future about a nice wedding centerpiece I'm currently procrastinating about... ;).

My stall for the craft market
For the craft market I was pretty busy making felt brooches, beaded jewellery, etc. So here's a few pics:
                                
Some wooden bead necklaces
I also made some other beaded necklaces...

 

These felt brooches takes quite some time to make, but love them!


If you'd like to see a tutorial on the making of any of these products, please feel free to let me know. Would love to write about something that I know you would be interested in and enjoy.

I also recently taught myself (thanks to YouTube) to crochet! Go check out my first little crochet heart on my facebook page, www.facebook.com/BeadsBloomsAndSparkles. Oh, how I enjoyed it, crocheting is utterly addictive...

Enjoy the rest of your day and weekend :)
 

Thursday 10 October 2013

Pretty coral and yellow wedding stationery

Recently I had the privilege to work with a great group of people to put together some very pretty things for a styled wedding shoot. The colour pallet was coral and yellow, with a very feminine, fresh feel.

I was a bit nervous about this project, as it was the first of it's kind for me (and hopefully not the last!).

At first I really had a bit of a creative block, maybe because I knew the things I had to make really had to look good. The success of this photo shoot depended on everyone's individual work which had to fit into each other like a puzzle. So the pressure was on to produce something unique and beautiful.

My briefing was to make the table number, invitation and a decoration for the table. The invitation was the least of my worries as I've been making cards (handmade with stamps and stuff) from primary school. I must admit that the printing on the inside made me a bit nervous, as I'm not a graphic designer and don't have much experience with designing the printed parts of the stationery ;)  (hehe, to tell you the truth, I don't even have design tools on my computer like Coral Draw and the rest...). So, armed with my craft supplies, an old laptop I found in our archives (as my pc which I usually use has some kind of problem that has to get fixed) and the mood board I received from the photographer I started my first "real" stationery design project.

In the end (just to make sure that they had something they could use) I made 3 sets of stationery... I was so scared that they wouldn't like it or would think it wasn't good enough. Needless to say that I sat in my craft room many very late nights to finish it.

I told myself, after receiving the beautiful pictures from the photo shoot, that I should really stop doubting myself and my abilities with regards to designing and creating beautiful things...

I would really love to hear from you if you ever went through something similar, and please feel free to post pics of your projects on my Facebook Page.












I would like to thank Alicia S Photography for the opportunity to be a part of this project and also all the other service providers (Tanique Echardt: Model, Cupcakes and Candy: Cake decorations, Chantelle Nel: Make-up, Rene Nune: Hair, Alicia Smit: Photographer and stylist).

Wednesday 25 September 2013

How to decorate a door with mosaic tiles and chalkboard paint

I'm introducing you to a good friend, Alida Venter, today who doesn't even realize how much this guest post is helping me at this stage. She's not a regular blogger, but I think she should really consider it. Hopefully this won't be the last contribution from this fellow crafter. 

This is her beautifully completed project:



I must admit that I shamelessly copied this idea from a friend. She has a square of black chalk board paint on her kitchen wall, surrounded by beautiful mosaic tiles. I wanted to do something similar in my kitchen, but as it is quite small I didn’t really have a good spot on the wall for it. Luckily the back door was perfect for this. At first I only did the top half, but after my (almost) two-year old son discovered that he can draw on there, I just had to do the bottom, too. Now the top half is mine and the bottom is his.

How to: this is really easy! 

All you need is:
  •           Medium grain sandpaper
  •          Chalk board paint, 500 ml is more than enough. Mine was from Plascon, about R100 for 500 ml at Builder’s Warehouse. (I really wanted to try one of the new funky colours, but in the end I chickened out and stuck with black.)
  •          Paint brush or small roller (I used a brush, but in retrospect I think a roller will give a neater finish.)
  •           Masking tape to mark off the area you want to paint
  •           Mosaic tiles in colours of your choice
  •           Glue to stick the tiles onto the door. I used No more Nails, it worked really well.
  •      Plastic or old cloth to protect the floor.


Start by sanding the area of the door that you want to paint very lightly. All you really need is to remove the very top layer of varnish so that the paint will stick to the wood properly. I suppose you can then treat the area with a wood primer or something, but I didn’t bother with that. After sanding, wipe the area clean with a damp cloth to remove all the dust. 

Apply as many layers of paint as necessary, waiting the appropriate time between layers (see product specifications). I did three layers, but only because I still had a lot of paint. I think two layers will be fine.

After the paint is done and completely dry, you can start gluing the tiles onto the door. Put them in a random pattern or follow a sequence, whatever you feel like doing. Note – I found it easier to lay out the tiles I wanted to use for one side of each rectangle, and to start sticking the row from both corners, working towards the middle. Otherwise you might end up with the row ending with a space still left at the end, that is too big and noticeable but too small to fit another tile. Also, the No More Nails glue is wonderful, as it holds strong enough to be able to stick a tile and then remove your hand after about a second, but still remaining soft enough to be able to move a tile a few minutes later if necessary.


And, voila, you’re done! Start scribbling away – use the space for shopping lists, inspirational quotes, toddler drawings, reminders… the possibilities are endless.

Monday 26 August 2013

How to make washi tape cupcake toppers

I couldn't stay away from the new collection of washi tape and started playing around with it.

People often ask me what washi tape can be used for. I did a bit 'research' and came to the conclusion that you can use it in a million ways... Use it any way you use paint, so stick it onto anything instead of painting. Use it to make cards, tags, jewellery, mark your guests' glasses, make cake bunting, cupcake toppers, do any kids' craft imaginable. The list is endless.

I invite you to check out some the ideas on my Pinterest page as well, just by searching for Beads Blooms & Sparkles.

These cupcake topper flags I made took me 5 minutes and you won't need more than a roll a washi tape of your choice, some toothpicks (or other craft sticks) and scissors.

Measure the same lenghth of washi tape as the lenghth of the toothpick (more or less 6.5cm). Place the toothpick in the middle of the tape and fold the tape in half, sticking it together. Cut a v-shape on the end, and voila!

 


I used the cute yellow, pink, teal and white striped tape (will soon be available in the online store on the code below the pic).


   

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Breaking the silence

Hi, I must apologise for my silence the past two weeks. I've been working very hard to get things ready for my online store! YES, it's not a secret anymore...

I'm not completely sure when it will be launching, but I'm so excited I can't live with myself...

My wonderful new photographer just came to drop off the first batch of product photo's and they are absolutely gorgeous! I'll be loading them onto the website during the course of the week. It's beginning to feel as if everything's coming together at last. I also received my first batch of washi tape and baker's twine yesterday and just can't stop looking at all the cute little rolls of colourful tape and twine. I'm like a kid in a candy store at the moment and can't even decide which of the products is my favourite...

I'm also expecting my range of lovely crocheted products to arrive early next week, and yes, you guessed it, I can't wait!

Will keep you posted on everything that's happening and when the store will be officially open :).

Enjoy the rest of the week. I'll be continuing with the next sector of the "How to choose colours for special occasions" soon, so keep an eye open for that!

  

Monday 5 August 2013

How to choose colour for special occasions - Segment 1


It's a bright in sunny day in Cape Town with a feeling of spring in the air. Sunny days like this makes me dream about colour and different colour combinations.

A question this morning about which colours to choose for a wedding, on a Facebook page I quite like, tickled my curiosity about which colour combinations are "in" at the moment for special occasions. With a quick Google I found the most amazing websites and blogs discussing just this topic. This post will be a bit of an overview on the topic and will be discussed in segments (bear with me, as I haven't decided how many yet, so just keep watching this space... :) ).

It seems that some of the first things to consider when making the colour choice is the venue. It is thus quite important to visit the place where you intend to host your wedding, party, etc. The décor at the venue is usually set and will help to give some direction to your choice of colour. For example, if the venue you've chosen for your wedding has brown curtains, it is advisable to pick a colour scheme that won't clash with that. Although these days pretty much anything goes...

The fact that it's YOUR wedding or party means that it reflects your personality in one way or another. An interesting thought is that the colours you choose may have a certain meaning. The image below is from the website My Own Bridal Show and gives you an idea of what I mean.

  

Some of the sites advise that you pick your favourite colour (visit Photodream for more info) as it will make you feel happier and less stressed on the day... Whichever way you choose to go, I've added some colours that are predicted for spring 2013 from Bait by Kiya Frazier. I personally love the turquoise and gray (maybe with a hint of yellow) combinations at the moment. To read a little more on what to keep in mind in which season, visit Bridal Guide for a few extra tips. 


A good thing to also keep in mind when choosing colour combo's for a special occasion is to consider which flowers are in season at the time and if there are flowers available to match your scheme. That said, you don't really get grey or turquoise-coloured flowers... What to do then? When faced with a dilemma like this, considering adding something else to your flower arrangements or center pieces is advised. A great variety of quirky, and colourful, options exist (which will be explored on another day and I will not go into detail for now...).  

DO keep in mind that colours for morning and evening weddings would also be chosen differently as you want to create a different atmosphere.

Some ideas for brunch or early morning weddings (so beautiful and fresh):
{Click on the caption at the bottom of the pictures to visit the websites}
Yellow and grey

Sage and mint

Citrus hues

A few ideas for evening weddings (beautifully bold):

Black and white

Navy
Eggplant and olive


I leave you with these ideas for now. Keep your eyes peeled for the next segment where I will continue on the topic of colours... Also visit The Perfect Palette for more extremely interesting colour combo ideas.

To be continued...




Thursday 1 August 2013

Scarfs, scarfs, scarfs...

I added this post on request of a friend of mine :). Very creative and just adds some spice to a dull winter wardrobe or an old scarf when you find a new way to wear something.

Enjoy!


{Click on the link to visit the site where I found it}

Saturday 20 July 2013

Stamping on ribbon

This is a very quick and easy way to personalize ribbon for presents. This technique can also be used to stamp onto other items such as clothes, etc.

All you need is ribbon (I used plain red satin ribbon), stamps of your choice (I used rose stamps from Hero Arts) and an ink pad (I used the Brilliance archival ink pad in graphite black, but there are also other brands available).

It must say "archival ink" on the cover, otherwise it will wash out or fade over time.



Thursday 18 July 2013

Peg project with my kids

With both my kids and myself feeling a bit under the weather, we did a little project to brighten the day.

We painted clothes pegs with craft paint and stuck some felt shapes on it with a glue gun and added some embellishments to make it look like animals... I was a bit of a rebel and made a heart :)

My eldest son made a Springbok (his interpretation of it anyway) and my youngest made a giraffe.

*I forgot to mention that we also glued pieces of magnetic tape to the back of the pegs, so now they function as fridge magnets. The kids are very proud of their work being displayed in our kitchen :).

Thursday 11 July 2013

DIY button earrings

These are so cute and easy to make! I found this photo on www.countryliving.com. They have such a wide variety of craft ideas. 

I will definitely try to make these earrings myself...


The earring parts are available from most craft and bead stores, but I also have some in stock if you struggle to find them. The button sets are available at fabric and haberdashery shops. 

If you don't want the material button-look, you can also use normal buttons. I would recommend using epoxy glue (it's the glue that you mix 2 tubes together). The glue can be found at hardware stores, some supermarkets even stock it these days. Mix and apply the glue with a toothpick.

Enjoy!


Friday 5 July 2013

Flowery Friday

Sharing some beautiful crafty flowers with you today. Hope you have a wonderful Friday and that you enjoy your weekend! 

Click on the captions to go to the sites where I got these pretty pics from. Enjoy!

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Winners of competitions

The winners for the craft competition and Facebook competition were drawn on Friday and Monday respectively.

Congrats to Adélle Visser-Roux who won the craft competition and Linda Bosman, Elizna Venter and Alida Venter who won the spot prizes. The Facebook competition was won by Landi Dreis.

The winner should please contact me via email or Facebook to arrange for delivery of prizes.

Thanks to all the wonderful participants!!! I really appreciate everyone's support!

Have a great day!

Saturday 29 June 2013

Recycling project advice needed

We have collected a number of empty plastic milk bottles (white, but see-through) and some glass wine bottles (mostly green). I'm looking for some interesting ideas for craft projects in which I can incorporate the bottles.

If you have any ideas or advice, please comment on this post or send me an email with your suggestions. Even if it's an idea you saw somewhere, post or send a picture or the link to a site.

Would really appreciate your input!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Thursday 20 June 2013

*Competion time*

Big giveaway of a set of 2x50ml Isabella Garcia perfume (value over R500)!

Send us your a picture of your latest craft project by posting it on our Facebook page or sending it via email. Most innovative project wins!

Draw will take place on 29 June 2013.

There is no limit to the amount of pics you may enter.

Spot prizes also up for grabs.

"Like" our Facebook page and "share" it with your friends. Just by doing this you will also stand a chance to win a R100 Beads, Blooms and Sparkles jewellery voucher.

So excited and looking forward to see all your amazing entries!
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Bookmarked!

This is a very simple beading project for anyone that ever considered making something out of beads, or who bought some beautiful beads and don't know what to do with it...


What you need:

You don't need a lot. The only tool you'll need is fine flat-front pliers [Figure 1].


You will need a bookmark shaped like a shepherd's hook [Figure 2].


Secondly, you will need a piece of tigertail [Figure 3a] or fishing line [Figure 3b] (the tigertail will last longer as the fishing line tend to wear out and break after some use).



Get together some beads of your choice (you can add bead caps, spacers, etc.) [Figure 4a] and some crimps (also called crimp beads) [Figure 4b].





Add a charm [Figure 5] of your choice, if you wish to do so.


Lastly, a jump ring [Figure 6] to attach the piece with the beads to the bookmark (this is optional, but improves maneuverability of the beaded part when used in a book).
Putting it all together:

1. Put one crimp bead onto the piece of tigertail and put the one end of the tigertail through a jump ring and back into the crimp bead (forming a loop) [Figure 7]. Close the crimp with the pliers.

2. Arrange spacers, beads and bead caps onto the tigertail [Figure 8].


3. End off with a crimp bead, forming a loop like in figure 7 and close the crimp with the pliers. Cut excess piece of tigertail off.

4. Open a jump ring and insert into the loop [Figure 9]. Insert the charm into the jump ring and close jump ring [Figure 10].



&. Open first jump ring and attach to the bookmark, closing the jump ring [Figure 11]. 

&. Admire your finished product [Figure 12]...


I hope you found this project enjoyable! Email me a picture of your project and I will post it on our Facebook Page.

Leave a comment to let me know if the found the steps easy to follow or if I should alter or add something to make it more helpful.

Hurry and bookmark a page near you!!!

PS: Looking for any of the products shown? Email me for prices, we have all the products in stock. We can also put together a kit for you to make it even easier! 

Monday 10 June 2013

Colourful weekend project

This weekend I attempted to start working on removing some of the chaos from my kids' room... 

I still have a far way to go, but at least I'm starting somewhere.

I kept some of the 1,8kg tins from when they were still drinking Nido 1+, thinking that it could come in handy. Well, it did! 

Using various colours A3-size cardboard paper I cut to fit over the tins, I glued it onto the tins with the very thin double-sided tape. I had some sponge letters and shapes in one of my (many) craft drawers which I used on some of the tins to help identify what's inside. 

On some of the other tins I used left-over pieces of cardboard to build letters for this purpose. I also bought some wooden decorative cars at PNA and built my own blocks and animals from the sponge shapes.







The finished product is so colourful and easy for the boys to handle and open. They will look nice when arranged next to each other on their bookcase (that still needs to be painted)...



  

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Autumn in our garden

Who said autumn has to be a boring time in the garden? 

I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the beautiful flowering plants in my garden. Just as I thought everything was going into hibernation for the cold winter months ahead, a colour display of note greets me  each time I  venture into the garden.    


 I would love to see some of your pics from your autumn/winter gardens, feel free to post them on the Facebook page or in the comments section.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Keep warm!










Monday 3 June 2013

Check...

This is just a post to check if it works to write a blog post on my phone and posting it per email. If this works there will not be a drought of posts on this blog again... ;)

Regards
Lene
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

At last!

Hi everyone,

I'm back at last! Sorry for my absence, but had internet connection problems and then, when I thought everything was back to normal, my computer crashed... 

I'll be posting a few interesting stuff in the next week, so keep your eyes peeled!!!


Thursday 16 May 2013

Any suggestion?

We "inherited" these gates when we moved into our house almost two years ago. They were at the entrance of a very "shaky" old pergola that we removed not long after we moved in.


I kept them for "one day" when I had an idea for what to do with them, but I haven't had a "light bulb moment" for them yet... 

I invite you to give me any suggestions for anything creative I can do with them...

Please share it either in the "comments" section or send me an email. You can also leave a comment on Facebook.

Looking forward to all your suggestions!!! (Maybe we can have a little giveaway for the best suggestions... :))

Enjoy the rest of your day. 

I just have to brag!

During the week, my hubby built me a new table for my plants. He's the best of the best! Dankie my Oukie!


Wednesday 15 May 2013

Update: Succulents nursery

Just wanted to share with you how my little succulent nursery is getting along... Doing very good at the moment and still expanding on the range of plants available.
Some of them will soon be available for sale. Leave a comment or drop me an email if you're interested and I'll send you some more pictures and prices. :)













Monday 13 May 2013

Sweets for my sweet...

Today I want to share a recipe that I saw in the Ideas Magazine (page 58 in the Afrikaans edition)  last week. I had to alter it a bit as I couldn't find all the ingredients at our local supermarket...


Me and my 3,5-year-old son went about this recipe as follows:

We made two separate batches, one red (or pink) batch with caramel flavour and one yellow batch with pineapple flavour. I couldn't find the peppermint flavour they refer to in the original recipe. At the end we also added some edible glitter (just for some sparkle... :))


One batch is made of 480ml icing sugar sifted into a bowl with 35ml cream added (maybe add a little more if the mixture seems to dry) and 5ml flavouring of your choice. Kneed the mixture until nice and soft and add the colour you want (we used gel colouring that is usually used with fondant). Mix until evenly distributed. Roll the 'dough' into small balls and place onto a lined baking tray, leave to dry.

Easiest sweeties we've ever made (as we don't like spending to many hours in the kitchen while the weather is so nice outside...). 

On the right is my son, Jaco who helped me make these sweets. He insisted that his cars should also feature in the picture as they are the same colours as the sweets... :)