A Couple of Pastels and a Surprise

[smallhobbit]

As I said in my 'Goal' post I haven't been doing any craft recently, but I did purchase some items to attempt Christmas cards for the family this year:



I used my pastels to draw one of the trees I had sketched in the summer:



And I attempted an art contribution for fan_flashworks 



The Challenge was Green, so these are the Greenwoods where the outlaws are hiding.

In the summer one of the Art Card fortnightly emails including a free competition which I entered, not expecting to win anything, but I won a prize:



I have never used oil paints, so clearly I need to learn!

If only I could retire now, there's so much I want to do.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

Thank you for telling me. I used Ebay for the rest of the items. Do I go for clear or red - and what width would you suggest: 3mm/6mm/12mm/18mm?

I'm delighted you'll be posting pictures - I look forward to seeing them - although I still think you're mad to use 20 and 18 count!

[badly_knitted]

Ebay is the best, I get all my cross stitch fabric from there these days - not that I need any more (eyes big trunk full of various colours and counts*

I'd probably go mid range, 6, or maybe 12 for sealing down the edges of the card. 18mm is too wide for most projects. I think I mostly use 6 or 10mm, which is available if you look around. Clear is always the best option, it can be used on anything without showing through. I often fray the edges of my stitched piece and mount it on the front of a single fold card, clear tape is invisible through the holes. Try this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Double-Sided-Tape-Dovecraft-6mm-x-12m-adhesive-acid-free-easy-tear/222565935399?epid=19012064303&hash=item33d1f6a927:g:ZvgAAOSwvflZV3xx:rk:13:pf:0

Each roll lasts forever and can be used for lots of other craft things too.

To make big designs small enough for cards, the higher counts are essential. Plus I can stitch way faster with a single strand of thread than with two. The one I'm doing now is a long panel, 60 stitches by 110,so on 18 count it's 6.1 inches long instead of getting on for 8 inches using 14 count. I thin I've got some big enough card blanks...

[smallhobbit]

Thank you so much for that - I've ordered the tape. I'm slowly making a great collection of crafting materials. When I was doing my cross stitch I ran out of a couple of the colours - partly because of using 14 count instead of 16, also because of the way I was doing the pattern, so I ordered the colours I needed through Ebay - so easy just to get one colour (even if the temptation was to buy several!)

I can see why you'd want to make designs small enough for cards - still sounds very tricky to me :)

[badly_knitted]

I get my threads off ebay now too - it's cheaper than the shops and I can just get whichever colour I'm running short of. So convenient.

Crafting is addictive and there are so many fabulous things out there to use!

Good light - and reading glasses - help me see what I'm doing.