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Jolicious
Rated 100% from 58 users
Name:
Jo
Age:
40
Forum Posts:
Website:
Location:
Kingston Upon Thames-UK
I finally made it to a Cup Cake Decorating Class at The Make Lounge and enjoyed an expert session in piping and decorating from Cake Maker Janine Rose.
Cake Making is another pleasure of mine but unfortunately I don't get to do it as often as I'd like - as much as I'd like to eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
In the class we learnt how to pipe and make sprinkles. I also made a rose out of marzipan!
Attending a class is a great way to pick up lots of useful tips they don't tell you in books!
I also learnt the many applications of edible glitter! Be warned though - it gets everywhere and sticks to your skin for days!
That was nice!
We also got Janine's recipe to take home and now I know the secret of getting my cakes nice and flat without having to cut the peaks off!
(You'll have to go to a class to find out!!!)
A fellow classmate's wonderful creations!
I decided that for father's day I would make my Husband some Cufflinks with our three Son's Fingerprints on. Now fitting three prints onto a small square piece of Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is no easy task! I could only fit partial prints but at least it looks like each Cufflink has been touched in some way by each of our little ones! These cufflinks were also a test of my newly acquired Soldering skills!
I have also been painting Leaves from our garden with PMC Paste and absolutely love the result. After a little experimentation (ok - disasters!!) I did manage to produce a few pieces I really love. I discovered that the best result came from a really thick, well veined Leaf.
This Leaf (above) was an early attempt. It looks ok but is quite sharp at the edges and I probably didn't make it thick enough.
I have also been painting Leaves from our garden with PMC Paste and absolutely love the result. After a little experimentation (ok - disasters!!) I did manage to produce a few pieces I really love. I discovered that the best result came from a really thick, well veined Leaf.
This Leaf (above) was an early attempt. It looks ok but is quite sharp at the edges and I probably didn't make it thick enough.
I was really pleased with this one (above). The detail is great and I managed to smooth the edges nicely. It is a perfect replica of the original Leaf - only in Silver!
I have been on a couple of Teri's Courses before to learn how to Crochet with Wire - so when I heard Teri was doing a French Knitting Class I was in!
(Photo above Courtesy of Teri Howes)
My only previous experience of French Knitting was one of those Child's Learn to Knit (with Wool) Kits many years ago now!
But even if you haven't had any experience at all this class is fine for a complete beginner.
But even if you haven't had any experience at all this class is fine for a complete beginner.
The class covered all aspects of French-Knitting with Pure Silver for the purpose of jewellery making!
We learnt how to use the wooden spool and a Crochet Hook to work the stitches. It only took a few rows to get the hang of the technique.
We were then confident enough to add beads to our knit - this was achieved by placing them in the middle of the spool or by threading them onto our wire and working them in.
The shape of the knit can also be manipulated by stretching it as with Viking Weave.
Below is my finished Bracelet!
Better still - if you pop along to one of the Cockpit Arts Open Studios this summer, you can meet Teri in person along with lots of other Designer-Makers and get to see behind the scenes.
You can also buy stuff directly from the designers themselves!!
Congratulations
to
Your name was first out of the hat.
Thank you to everyone else who entered. I really appreciate your visit to my blog!
I have been fiddling about with the layout of my blog. I managed to add a third column after consulting several tutorials. Finally after numerous failures and much frustration I found one that worked for me at Simple Blogger Tutorials. I have also picked up useful tips from Craft Blog Uk. So if you are looking to improve the look of your own blog please check out these sites.
It's a slow process for me though - I am not educated in the mysterious language of HTML! I'll just have to keep picking away at it until I get the result I was looking for!
Well the Viking Weave Bracelet in Brass is finally finished and I thought I would have a giveaway!
If you would like to win the above Bracelet then just leave a comment below and I'll enter you into the draw - closing date Tuesday 11th May. The only qualification is that you are a follower of my blog - so if you're not already please click the Follow button now! x
I'm a big fan of Moo Cards and was excited to receive a new batch of Mini Cards to go with my Viking Weave Jewellery:
I chose one image for my cards but you can have up to a 100 different ones I think!
I look forward to reading your comments!
I was hoping to bring you my Cup Cake decorating exploits in this post but unfortunately the Volcanic Ash Cloud has thrown a spanner in the works and I never made it to the class!
Well all the Easter Chocolate is nearly gone. I was lucky enough to receive some beautiful handmade eggs from Fortnum's (I have a great Hubby!!). This little number on the left was one of three in dark, white and milk chocolate. At the time of taking this photo only the milk one remained intact enough to pose for a photo!
The weather has been beautiful this week! I think I feel a competition coming on!
Wait and see!
Making a Silver Box
I have just completed a weeks worth of Silversmithing at Central Saint Martins College under the guidance of Linda Robertson who is a practicing Silversmith.
Our project was to make a silver box. Here are some pictures to show you how the box developed from sheet silver to fully functioning box!
After lots of cutting pieces of silver to size the first step was to form the shape of the box on a mandrel.
The back is soldered to the form
After each Soldering the piece is put into a 'Pickle Bath' to clean it up
The base is soldered in place. A hole is pierced in the side before soldering the lid to the top and then another trip to the Pickle Bath.
Then the really scary part - the cutting of the lid!!!
Of course all these steps also required a lot of preparation such as measuring, marking, filing and preparing the silver for soldering.
Next the bezel which holds the lid in place was made using the same method as the box and soldered in place
Now the really labourious part! Lots of piercing with a saw blade! I lost count of the amount of blades I broke! Some time later I managed to get rid of all the excess silver
all the edges of the box had to be smoothed and blended so that they appeared seemless.
Files, emery and sanding papers and lots of elbow grease later, my box started to emerge as something half decent! I still have a tiny bit of sanding and finishing left to do but I'm very pleased with what I produced!
Now I think my arms need a good rest!
I hope all you Mothers out there were treated well this Mother's Day! I had a lovely relaxing day with my boys and I also was pleased to be the recipient of these gorgeous Earrings from Beadypool.
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I was the lucky Winner of Beadypool's Mothering Sunday Competition. I have always admired Beadypool's work - she only uses Artisan Lampwork Beads and her work is very classy and beautiful. Thank you Beadypool!All you Jewellery Makers out there should start quaking in your boots as there are two new designers in town! My 5 Year Old Twin Boys made me these lovely necklaces at School for Mother's Day!
I am still happily beavering away at my own little projects. I have recently made some Copper Viking Weave Choker Necklaces to go with the Bracelets.
Coming Soon....
My first taste of Silversmithing!
&
My favourite thing : CUPCAKES!!!!
I forgot to mention in the title that I have also revisited Wire Crochet too! The Silver Corsage was made for a wedding and eventually was attached to a hair band. The Purple Flower added an extra special finishing touch to a 40th Birthday Cake I made. The Stone is Amethyst - the Birthday Girl's Birthstone. This could also be used as a hair decoration or put in a pretty spill vase as decoration.I'm still unsure about PMC (Precious Metal Clay). It's possibilities are endless but I find having to work with something so quickly before it dries out a bit of a pain! I did however have another go at Fingerprint Jewellery. First was a Silver Hanging Heart Pendant with three childrens' prints
I used the same prints to make three smaller charms to be attached to a Bracelet
I went on a Polymer Clay Course quite a while ago now and as with most things I shelved it for a later date!
One rainy day the Children discovered my stash and were particularly impressed with having to put the Clay through the Pasta Machine to condition it and roll it out. I ended up playing with a few scraps of clay too and made myself a pretty bracelet. I left the beads with a matt finish but did try out varnishing a few to see what they looked like. The kids' Mood Sand proved very useful for holding the cocktail sticks with the Beads on ready for Varnishing! I have to say I prefer the Beads unvarnished with a bit of Sanding and a polish with a cloth.
