Sunday 27 November 2011

Mosaic Mushrooms


Turquoise & Green Mosaic Mushroom Garden Ornament



Blue & Grey Mosaic Mushroom Garden Ornament
 


These mosaic flat cap mushrooms are the latest garden ornaments to be added to my Folksy shop. These would be great for placing into a border, or on a patio, to give you colour. I got the idea when I was making one of my bird baths and the saucer was sitting upside-down next to an upside-down pot.

There two colour options at the moment - shades of Turquoise and Greens, and shades of Blues and Greys. The base 'stalks' are both finished in neutral cream, sand, brown and terracotta.

Friday 25 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Beach Lovers

 
This is the latest of my gift idea lists of items found on Folksy.com. I'm trying to create themed lists that you can use if you have someone you know who fits the theme, rather than just trawling through a random list of Female, or Male gifts (although I have done a couple of random lists in Men and Bootcamp Bounty).

So if you know any Vintage/Retro Lovers, Gardeners , or anyone who loves work (they do exist) and has an Office, or desk, check out their lists. (Don't forget the Christmas Decorations and Wrapping list for yourself.)



Fossil Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath
  
Beach Lovers -

This handmade gift idea list isn't for the people who like to just lie on the beach (you'll just have to get them a bottle of sun lotion), this is for anyone who loves all things to do with beaches, and being by the sea.   

I know it might seem like an odd theme to do at this time of year, but if you're a beach lover you love being on the beach any time of year, and you'll love things that remind you of the beach.


This time of year is great for beachcombing, when the rough weather kicks up the treasures of the sea. 


So all the items in this list are either inspired by things you'd find on or around the beach, or they are made out of the things you'd find on or around the beach -




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Wednesday 23 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Bootcamp Bounty


This was originally just a project for the Folksy Forum and people who are involved in the run-up-to-Xmas bootcamp to help prepare. I made up a Pinterest board of one item from each of the Bootcamp sellers who were involved in the Pinterest thread on the forum.

As it's turned out, the board has a colour theme, and there are some really great items on it, so I've decided to blog about it and add it to my Folksy Handmade Gift Idea series.

Check it out -


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Saturday 19 November 2011

Hidden Treasure



Hidden Treasure Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath
 



Hidden Treasure Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath
  
The idea for this Hidden Treasure Bird Bath followed on from making my Fossil one. I wanted to make one that showed finding treasure in rocks, like precious metals or gemstones. So this design is representing cracks in rock, and the treasure sparkling through. When the bird bath is full, it'll add to the 'hidden' effect as you get a glimpse of the iridescent stones sparkling underneath the water in between the lines of grey tiles which are like layers of slate.

Friday 18 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Vintage / Retro


I love retro, and vintage, so this was an easy list for me to put together. There's some fab things here, and lots of new shops.

Bit of a mare on Pinterest today, I couldn't set up a new board for this theme. So, I've added it onto the Men's gift idea board. Not a bad thing. It means the Men's gifts get a second wind.

I don't have anything vintage/retro to go on the list, so the pic to go with this blog is my closest look item which is my slate daisy ornament/letter rack, it has a slightly vintage look about it. The items on my gift list have a much more retro/vintage feel.

Have a look and see for yourself -



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Thursday 17 November 2011

The Jurrasic Coast In Your Garden


Fossil Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath


Fossil Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath

This Fossil bird bath has a mosaic design of an Ammonite Fossil  at the bottom, and I've surrounded it with grey tiles to respresent the rock it might have been encased in. When the bath is filled with water I think it will look like a rock pool from the Jurrasic Coast. Because the tiles have been cut very thinly they are laying at different heights to each other which gives the surface a slightly undulating effect which adds to the fossil's texture.

Sunday 13 November 2011

The Abstract Collection



Purple & Blue Abstract Mosaic Plant Pot
   


Purple & Blue Abstract Bird Bath Saucer and Pot Base
 

 I can call it a collection now because I've finished the pot. At 15cm it is the perfect size to use as a base for my Abstract bird bath. But even on it's own its a great way of adding colour to your garden. The colours used are exactly the same as the bird bath, including the ribbed rim which gives instant age.

Friday 11 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Gift Ideas - Pets



I Love Carrots Mosaic Garden Hanger
 

For my latest gift idea collection, I thought I'd try and find something for the furry members of the family. I've got a nice selection of items which I think could be used for allsorts of pets, not just cats and dogs. Nothing for goldfish though, unfortunately. But with their memory, they won't remember you didn't get them anything for Christmas anyway.


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Thursday 10 November 2011

I've Gone All Abstract





Purple & Blue Abstract Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath
  



Purple & Blue Abstract Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath
 

I have been experimenting with pattern and colour combination again, and I've created this Purple & Blue Abstract Mosaic Bird Bath. The colours of this bird bath came from the stone I was using being purple, and the iridescent tile I wanted to use having a purple iridescence on a blue background. So I decided on the colour pallete starting with shades of blue and purple and added turquoises and greys. I had the idea to make the design out of full square tiles, half tile rectangles, and quarter tile squares randomly placed. On the rim the tiles have grooves and the grout has collected in the grooves and gives a really nice effect and an instant aged look.

I am in the process of making a matching pot for this bird bath. So, depending on how they are received it might turn into another ongoing range. Watch this space.






Blue Rim Ripple Mosaic Garden Bird Water Bath



The other bird bath I've listed recently is another version of my Ripple design. This time I've added tiles to the rim of the bath. It's given yet another different feel to this design. It reminds me of a ceramic bowl that's got circles of glaze on it.

I bloomin' love mosaic. You can get so many different styles and feels using one material in different colour palettes, and patterns.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Christmas - All Wrapped Up


Red & Old Gold Christmas Gift Bow
 
Purple & Old Gold Christmas Gift Bow

This is going to be the final addition to my Folksy.com Christmas decoration collections because I'm going to concentrate on doing a few more themed Folksy Gift Ideas in the run up to Christmas. (I've previously blogged about Gardeners, Office, and Men gift ideas.)

So, for my final Christmas decoration theme, I thought I'd do a collection of wrapping, tags and bows, as a neat end. I've got a selection of cards in my other collections, so these are the finishing touch for your pressies.


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Friday 4 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Christmas - White


Wool and Bead Snowflake Christmas Hanging Decoration

Well, mostly white. There's a bit of cream, clear glass, and a tiny bit of red and green. All white would be a bit much, wouldn't it?

Clear seed beads give the effect of ice crystals
I've chosen the white theme to go with my (off-white) Wool and Bead Snowflake Hangers. I was originally trying out wool flower designs to maybe use on a cushion, but this type of looped flower immediately reminded me of stylised snowflakes. I've added some clear seed beads to the centres to give an ice crystal effect, and then strung them onto clear filament to make them look like they were floating. I've beaded both sides of the snowflakes, so they would make great window hanging decorations.

So, here are the rest of the lovely Folksy.com items I've found to give you a guaranteed White Christmas -


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Tuesday 1 November 2011

Folksy Handmade Christmas - Traditional





Stained Glass Look Mosaic Baubles

This is the latest in my Christmas decoration collections from Folksy.com. I've called the selection traditional. It kind of is because there's robins, candles, holly, an advent calender etc. But, the items are done in a contemporary way too.

There is a really good selection of crafts in this one as well - knitting, patchwork, paper quilling, sewing, modelling, florestry (I think you call working with foliage that too, don't you?), mosaic...  

See what you think -



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