Archive for the ‘Be Creative’ Category

  Here are a couple of  lovely little crafty idea for Easter. Thse ideas could also be used for other occasions. Handmade gifts can be put together by anyone especially when you have step by step instructions. Once you create one gift, then another, you’ll eventually get the hang of it & will begin to add your own creative flair to it. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you can do.

Here is an Easter Egg Diorama you can try. Instructions are included with pics step by step ….. don’t use it just for Easter though as you could easily adapt this idea for other occasions too. Take it to any stage you wish – keep it simple, make it ornate or craft a fine collectable piece – it’s all up to you.

Or how about a Free Download for a Pretty Post-It Gift from This n’That, stuff, stories, art Photos, my life … This is such a gorgeous idea I’ll have to try out myself. You can’t go wrong with this idea – we all love Post-It notes.

Enjoy your gift making – let me know if you try them out and if possible post a pic on your blog so I can have a peek

Are you the creative type? Here is a great way to enjoy some creativeactivity online. Take a look at Assential Scrapbooking - a fully equipped scrapbooking outlet on the north side of Brisbane, in a quite country atmosphere with monthly crops and classes.

Women interested in scrapbooking are given an opportunity to come together online and in-real-life. They have an online store with a fantastic variety of products at very competitive prices. Visit their blog where techniques are discussed, industry news provided, challenges presented with product profiles, and general scrapbooking chatter….. Enjoy!

I know that Valentine’s Day has passed but here is a challenge you might still be able to work on. I’m sure Jenny at Assential Scrapbooking would love to see your work. The details for the challege are listed here. 

Ciao for now

My ceartive work has been sidelined for some time now, so I’m setting myself a challenge. I’m throwing myself in the deep end but after a year of ill health & mishaps I feel I’m almost ready to put my hand back into recreating old items into new treasures. I say almost because it’s a little scary ….. but, Ineed to give myself a push now to get going with it.

I have a huge collection of items with great ‘recreating’ potential. There are so many I had to stop my trips to recycling yards & op shops. I absolutely love fossicking around these places because there so many items which can be given a ‘new life’.  A home can easily be filled with lots of gorgeous decorative pieces of furniture, artworks etc.

I’m actually getting excited as I type out this post … this must be a good sign of my recovery because I haven’t been able to do any of my creative work for quite some time … too long.

Here are some of my past recreations …

A Simple Teapot ….

….. and it becomes a vase for blooms.

An Old Brass Planter ….

….. becomes a decorative planter or trinket bowl.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sorting through my old and renewed pieces …. and if you like that sort of thing I’ll be happy to show you what I’ve got.

Ciao for now

Flavour of Summer by Annette Piper
© Annette Piper. Photo used with permission.

Annette Piper is at it again with her fabulous jewellery designs. And she is now showcasing and selling directly from her new web site  Annette Piper Dip. Gem. Handcrafted Jewellery Understandably,

Annette is sooo excited – Congratulations to her - Go and have a peek at her wonderful designs. I love this gorgeous necklace made from massive jade rondelles and sterling silver balls. But you won’t find it for sale on her web site - apparently it didn’t stay around for long. You have to be quick to snap up gorgeous work like this. And take note they are one-of-a-kind designs. Generations of ladies after you can continue to enjoy wearing them as they would make great heirlooms.Enjoy browsing!

Ciao for now,

Elena

I posted my very first Pay It Forward on 30th September and by the end of that day I had my 3 participants ….. but as the last two came in so close with their posts I included a 4th.

I’m happy to  let them all know that today I posted off their gifts. So, Korina from Koliv, Olivia from Piktorize, Melissa from Business Mums Network and Louisa from Tonic Gifts will be receiving their gifts within the next day or two.

I enjoyed creating and preparing these gifts and it was a great feeling heading off to the PO - I do hope you like them ladies

Ciao for now,

Elena

Here’s a cute idea for those who would like to add some colourful canvas prints to your walls. This is especially nice if you have young children …. and it’s a fabulous way to create keepsakes too. At My New Shiny Shoes there are always a range of products sourced out to help you with gift shopping ideas and Little Critters Canvas Print is one of those wonderful ideas.

It is well worth paying a visit to these sites, My New Shiny Shoes has a whole range of finds from  Accessories, beauty, competitions, jewellry, children, Friday finds and lots more. And don’t forget Little Critters Canvas Print with it’s colourful keepsake ideas.

Ciao for now, Elena :)

I couldn’t resist posting these photos of some amazing pavement art. I didn’t want to flood my EP’s Treasures blog with them so I’ve added some here to share with my EP designs’ friends. Take a look at these creations – great talent, great imaginations, entertaining and a fabulous photo opportunity….. how could you resist.

…… white water rafting …. I hope he’s a friendly croc…

…. someone should clean up this mess…..

… it’s a long way down…

…. artist’s reflection

…. just adding the finishing touch?……..

… nice way to cool off…..

…. soar high on eagles wings….

…… the big catch that got away?…..

…… watch where you step…..

This is not a new concept I know – they’ve been doing them for years but I find myself marvelling at them every time these photos come my way. If you enjoyed these pavement artworks then take a look at my EP’s Treasures Blog for more amazing works by Julian Beever or go directly to his web site.

Ciao for now,

Elena

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I find Recreating items for an entirely different use very rewarding. Not only am I recycling but also creating a new decorative showpiece, and one that is useful too. I have bought an assortement of drinkware over the years, most of which were once shiny silver pieces. Recreating these into pin & brooch cushions was one popular idea I worked with, and creating pairs of candleholders was another.

These small drink goblets were finished in a motley mix of soft colour and highlighted with pale gold detail. The candle in each holder is held firmly in place by filling the goblet with rice. Each pair recreated was a one-of-a-kind design.

Ciao for now,

Elena

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I had quite a collection of silver drinkware (& still do). Some of them were given a painted finish & others retained their original look if the silver was good polished up. Here is another of the silver pin cushion designs in my past work.

This little liquer goblet was a plain desgin without any decorative features so the embellishments made up for it; and put together with remnant pieces. Gorgeous tassel fringing, a rossette, and a tiny swathe of beads lend this item an elegant touch.

Like the previous pin/brooch cushion cup, this one also reminds me of 1920′s stylish elegance.

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Brooch and pin cushions were a popular little item at my past EP Designs Exhibition & Sales. This little ornate silver casing would have had a glass insert as part of its original design & use. When I found a couple of them at an opp shop the glass insert was missing but I already knew what I would do with them once I got them home. I kept them silver (so painted finish was not required), & polished the casing as best I could.

Then all that was needed for this item was the embellishing - Beads, a mini rosette, colour & a petite feather to decorate the cushion and cup.

A Recreated Treasure – A rather elegant piece – it reminds me of the 1920′s era.

Not many of these were photogrphed but another stylish pin & brooch cushion can be viewed at my EP’s Treasures blog.

At SewDelish another competition has been posted. Although I think I’m too late for this one I’ll still post it here anyhow. It’s titled Stepping Out Challenge  and the idea behind it was to to create a post with something you have made that is different to what you would normally do. We all have our own tastes & preferences in colour, style etc that we use when being creative. I know that I’m the same, and sometimes I do experiment or try something totally different to how I usually create a decor piece. I’m posting this in my EP Designs blog, instead of EP’s Treasures , because of the previous post here on Decorative tablecloths.

Here is a decorative tablecloth that was designed using a colour that I would not normally use; the material being black chiffon is something I hadn’t, at that point in time, used for designing decor tablecloths; also gold edging with fabric fabric paint instead of braid; and finally, each corner has been gathered & embellished differently. 

At the time of taking the photo I didn’t have different coloured tablecloths to team up with the topper – I would love to see a deep rich red or purple under the black chiffon, or even white for a more modern feel.

I was surprised when this design sold to a buyer in the U.S …. would love to see a photo of it in their home.

During my ‘hobby business’ days EP Designs produced a variety of decor items in addition to the recreated treasures of the painted kind.  Decorative tablecloths, tabletoppers & table runners were among the popular items. Most of the designs were one or two-of-a-kind as they were made from remnant pieces – even the tassels & embellishments were created from remnant pieces which were only ever bought at stock take sales or selected from the remnant bins in craft/haberdashery/home furnishing stores. Colour matching & creative design was always a challenge when materials were limited but interesting pieces usually resulted.

* This tablecloth draped over an old chair was designed using a curtain lace titled ‘Tuscany’  & combined with sheer voile edging.

* I loved using sheers, voiles & even chiffons for decorative tablecloths like this one, which has removeable, hand made tassels on each corner. These flowing tablecloths look equally decorative as a throw.

* Very simple but effective, white lace & ivory fringing – very elegant.

* Soft flowing sheers & rayon fringing are Oh so elegant …..

* I got into the habit of taking no notice of what materials ‘should’ have been used for. In my work room, chiffons were used for decor tablecloths, curtain sheers were used for shawls, fine knits were used for throws.  Ideas kept flowing freely once the creative process kicked in. This shawl was made using a gorgeous printed cutain sheer which had an organza look & feel to it, with hand dyed lace fringing trimming each end.

I guess you could also call these items ‘recreated treasures’ too.