Calorie-Free Cupcake - Sample

In August, Rose City Quilters are holding their bi-annual quilt show over 3 days. As well as showing quilts, there is a small challenge, plus we have another fun challenge which the public will vote on. This is the calorie-free cupcake challenge. Members can make a cupcake in any style - so it can be stitched, felted, knitted - whatever takes their fancy! The public will vote with coins and the winner will be the entrant with the most $$$. All the money used in voting will be donated to a charity selected by committee.
Here is something I've been working on - a felted ball, fabric 'case', french knitted icing (wool dyed with saffron) and beads as sprinkles. This is a zesty lemon cupcake:

I'm treating this as a sample, because it doesn't sit very well and I'm not happy with the 'case'. Fun though, and a pincushion as well!

Restoring the Oak Buffet

After making such a good job of the oak cabinet, which I now use for wine glasses and some special antique crockery, I was requested to start on the dining room buffet. This is the before photo - oops, it's got a bottom drawer stained, which is not how we bought it. As you can see it is a blond oak and it is far too light to go with the other oak furniture living in the dining room.
4 weeks after starting the project it is now ready for unveiling. It has been stripped of all the old varnish, sanded, stained, varnished, new felt, cleaned handles and new locks.



Doesn't it look fantastic with the blue felt? The product I used for sealing was Woodoc 10 Indoor Velvet Polywax Sealer. It is so easy to use, in fact, I put it on with a cloth, so there were no problems with brush marks, it doesn't smell strongly and with the wax in it, the woods just soaks it up! It's ideal for furniture where you want a low gloss or matt finish - necessary I reckon, for antique furniture. I also bought the Woodoc Deep Penetrating Furniture Wax which will help nourish the wood for heaps more years.
As you can see in the photo on the right, even the silver has been cleaned!

A Collaborative Art Journal

I have gathered together a few arty friends and we are starting on a journey making a collaborative art journal for each other. We have chosen a colour or theme and mine is brown.

Here is the front cover with embossing on velvet.










Inside the front cover:

Title page (so to speak):

Inside back cover with needle felting on handmade wet felt:








And the back cover. I so loved the magnolia leaf I found, the colour was absolutely perfect.
I am really looking forward to the challenge of trying something new in everyone's journal. Whether it's working with paper or textiles, there are so many ideas and tools to work with.
Bring it on!