Beaded Ear Rings

I can't believe it was Monday when I last posted - another week seems to have passed me by in a rush (time seems to travel even faster week by week).  I've not entirely been idle but haven't actually made a single card this week which is so unusual for me.  I have however been doing a bit of beading finishing off a couple of projects in between a bit of tidying up in the garden and other essential domestic 'stuff'.  I'm doing a beading demonstration in a couple of weeks time so have been trying to come up with a few items which I've not shown before because many of the same people visit each year and I do like to have something new to show. - also of course I have to try to use items which are available in the shop so I had to trawl around the shelves there too.  The idea for these ear rings (still have to add the ear wires) came from the latest issue of Bead magazine which arrived recently  and there are also a couple of interesting projects in the latest American magazine Bead and Button which I want to try. to  The weather today is absolutely gorgeous and really quite warm so it is a shame really to be indoors so I might get out into the garden and leave the beading until later.

Faux Leather

A couple of members of our local craft group showed the rest of us how to make a slip cover for a small notebook with an appearance similar to leather.  We used felt and tissue paper with Bondaweb - I didn't really like the colours I used at the workshop so made another piece when I came home using some black tissue paper and I do prefer this one.  This had just a basic decoration added of a few small flowers cut out from the surplus 'faux leather' after I'd measured the notebook and cut to size.  The braid along the edges was made on the sewing machine because I didn't really have anything suitable for the edging.  These would make handy small gifts or something to sell for fundraising maybe, especially if the local Pound Shop has any suitable little books available.