Hobbies and Crafts

Jean, I have just coloured two of the foil embossed pieces you sent me with peel off markers and they worked really well.

Tell me again what you use the greaseproof paper for, I know it is something to do with die cutting but can't remember. :-)

3 cards on the blog from Jean

Nudged this up in case anyone else is interested in the posting dates.

Thanks Ann, Love jean xx

Last posting dates for Christmas mail

UK
Thursday 13 December Standard and Mail Order Return Parcels
Tuesday 18 December Second Class and Recorded Signed For
Thursday 20 December First Class and Recorded Signed For

International Surface Mail
Friday 28 September Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central America, New Zealand and South America
Tuesday 2 October Far East (except Hong Kong and Singapore), Middle East
Tuesday 16 October Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and USA
Tuesday 6 November Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta and Turkey
Tuesday 20 November Western Europe

International Airmail
Wednesday 5 December Asia, Australia, Far East (including Japan), New Zealand
Friday 7 December Africa, Caribbean, Central America, Middle East and South America
Monday 10 December Canada, Eastern Europe and USA
Wednesday 12 December Western Europe

British Forces Post Office (BFPO)
Friday 30 November Airmail to Operational BFPOs
Friday 14 December Airmail to Static BFPOs

I've sent you an e mail as I tried to send you photos Jean but the email with photos was rejected. Not sure why.

Just had a look Ann, they are lovely and the colours are perfact, I have tried 4 times to add a comment and it was refused every time same on the card one too, so dont know why as i have always added without any problem....
thanks for showing them....
love Jean xx

Some westonbirt photos on the photo blog.

I thought maybe you'd had a go at it sometime Jude, never done it myself but trawling the internet brought up those ideas.

Sounds like you have all the idea's there Ann:))
Libby good luck:))
If l think of any other ways l'll add it here.

jude :-)

How old is she Libby? Maybe you could pre-prepare some of it and let her help with the messy bits.

Thanks v ery much Ann.

Lots of ideas there. Not sure if granddaughter will have the patience for this but I am looking forward to it ;-)

And how to make a bowl with leaves.

How to Make a Papier Mache Bowl With Leaves
Cover the back of a bowl with newspaper strips and spackle, and use paint and leaves to create a decorative piece.


bowl (for a mould)
petroleum jelly
flour
mixing bowl
wire whisk
newspapers
sandpaper
tack cloth
scissors
acrylic paint
oil pastels
metallic paints: gold and copper
paintbrushes
water
spackle
palette knife
spray sealant
glue gun and hot glue
leaves
screwdriver
Steps:
1. Tear newspaper into 1 1/2- to 2-inch strips.
2. Mix equal parts flour and water to make a paste using a mixing bowl and wire whisk.
3. Smear the back of the mold bowl with petroleum jelly.
4. Dip a newspaper strip into the paste. Run the strip through your fingers to remove some of the paste. Place the strip across the back of the bowl near one edge.
5. Dip another strip of newspaper in the paste, remove the excess paste and place the strip next to the first in the same direction and slightly overlapping. Continue this process until the entire bowl is covered with the paper strips. Let dry.
6. For the next layer, repeat the process placing the paper strips in the opposite direction. Let dry.
7. Repeat the process until a total of six layers are formed, alternating the direction of each layer.
8. Let the papier mache form dry completely.
9. Remove the papier mache form from the mold. If necessary, insert a screwdriver between the bowl and the papier mache to pry the two apart.
10. Trim the excess paper off the edges of the papier mache bowl using scissors.
11. Sand the inside of the papier mache bowl and make any repairs.
12. Spread a layer of Spackle with a palette knife on the outside of the bowl to add texture and strength. Let dry.
13. Paint the inside of the bowl with acrylic paints. Dot the inside with various colors and spread them on the inside of the bowl with a paintbrush. Let dry.
14. Apply color over the acrylic paint by rubbing on different colors of oil pastels.
15. Brush on gold and copper metallic paints over the raised areas of the inside of the bowl. Let dry.
16. Paint the outside of the bowl in the same method as the bowl's inside. Let dry.
17. Seal the papier mache bowl by spraying with a sealer. Allow it to dry.
18. Paint and seal four leaves.
19. Hot glue the leaves to the inside of the papier mache bowl to embellish.

A how to preserve leaves.
Microwave ovens are a great, quick way to preserve almost everything. You can use the microwave alone, or speed up the process with silica gel, as mentioned on the next page.
1. Choose leaves that are still fresh and supple. Avoid dry fallen leaves.
2. Sandwich individual leaves or small, flat sprays of leaves between 2 paper towels.
3. Place the sandwich on a microwavable dish and place in the oven.
4. Microwave for 30 seconds and check the leaves. The thicker and/or moister the leave, the longer it will take.
5. If the leave(s) is not yet dry, keep running the microwave at 30 second intervals and checking, until the leaf feels dry.
CAUTION: The leaves could catch fire, just like anything else left in the microwave too long. So keep checking. Don’t wait until the leaves are crisp or scortched. They will keep heating and drying for a few seconds outside the microwave and you don’t want to over do it.



Silica gel is that white powder that looks like salt, that comes in tiny containers in everything from sneakers to vitamins. Silica gel is great at absorbing moisture and it speeds up the drying process considerably. You can find boxes of silica gel in any craft store or you can save and combine all those tiny containers of silica gel that come your way.

1. Select leaves that are still somewhat moist and supple. Silica gel will allow you to dry slightly thicker leaves, too.
2. Place about a 1 inch layer of silica gel in the bottom of a microwaveable dish.
3. Place the leaves flat on top of the silica gel, leaving space between the leaves and the sides of the dish.
4. Completely cover the leaves with another inch of silica gel.
5. Place the uncovered dish in the mirowave oven and microwave at medium for about 2 minutes. It’s hard to give exact times for this, because it depends on the size of the dish, how many leaves you have in the dish, how much silica gel is used and the power of your microwave. As with straight microwaving above, it is safer to check the status of the leaves in short intervals than to wait until the leaves scorch.
In my experience, 3-4 leaves in a 8 x 8 pan with 3-4 cups silica gel takes about 2 minutes on medium.
6. Let cool and remove the leaves.
Tip: The leaves will last longer if you seal them with an acrylic spray.
Decorating Ideas: These leaves are similar to pressed leaves, above, and can be strewn or massed for seasonal decorations.

Using wax paper

1
Gather the leaves you'll need for the wax paper pressing. The more varied the colors and the types of leaves, the better. The result when finished will be more visually interesting.
o 2
Cut the wax paper into small squares to make the project more manageable. Good sizes to start with are standard frame sizes like 4 by 6 inches or 8 by 10 inches. These sizes make it easier for you to frame your leaves in picture frames if you intend to use them as part of your artwork.
o
o 3
Place your leaves between two pieces of wax paper. Arrange the formation so that the composition is pleasing to the eye.
o 4
Lay a piece of paper or a paper towel on top of the wax paper.
o 5
Heat the iron to a cool setting.
o 6
Press the iron lightly over the towel, wax paper and leaves, keeping the iron moving at all times.
o 7
Turn the wax paper over, lay the paper back on top and repeat the process.
2. Glycerin
o 8
Make a water/glycerin mix that consists of 1 part glycerin, 2 parts water. It doesn't have to be very deep --- maybe a cup or cup and half at most.
o 9
Pour the mix into the flat pan.
o 10
Add the leaves--again a variety of leaves gives you more visual options from which to choose.
o 11
Place a fitted piece of Styrofoam on top of the leaf and glycerin mixture. Use a thicker piece of Styrofoam; it'll provide a better base for the paperweight, which will hold the glycerin and leaf mixture down.
o 12
Lay the paperweight on top of the Styrofoam and leave it for about a week. Make sure the paperweight stays on the Styrofoam; you need to keep a slight pressure on the leaf mixture so that all the leaves remain submerged.
Tips & Warnings
• With the wax paper method, it's possible to gently peel the wax paper off the leaves once the paper cools. A thin layer of wax should be left behind, which will protect the leaves. This option allows you to use the leaves for dried flower arrangements and other fall leaf crafts.
• Don't take the leaves out of the glycerin mixture prematurely. You need enough time for the glycerin and water mixture to soak into the leaves. Eventually, the glycerin and water mixture will replace the natural moisture in the leaves, which will preserve them for many years in a soft, flexible state.

Thanks Ann, that's what I was thinking of doing but using the pva glue rather than varnish .... only because that is what they use on "Art Attack" LOL.

Obviously, if the leaves are too dry they will crumble but I wondered if they were not dry enough they may grow mould.

You can tell I haven't done anything like this for years ;-)

Hi Libby, sounds a nice idea but I really don't know. I wonder if, when the papier mache is dry you attach the leaves then varnish the bowl over the leaves but I don't know. Maybe Von or Jude will know if they come on so I'll try and keep this nudged up.

Hello folks. I would appreciate some help and advice.

My 4 year old grandaughter and I collected autumn leaves at the weekend, they are now. They are all being pressed in books now.

My grandaughter has been making paper mache bowls in school and would like to make one at home. As it is half term I thought we could make one at home this week. I have loads of newspaper and pva glue etc. My question is "can I use the dried leaves to decorate the finished article?"

Thought it would make a nice Christmas presednt for her Mum.

Hello folks. I would appreciate some help and advice.

My 4 year old grandaughter and I collected autumn leaves at the weekend. They are all being pressed in books now.

My grandaughter has been making paper mache bowls in school and would like to make one at home. As it is half term I thought we could make one at home this week. I have loads of newspaper and pva glue etc. My question is "can I use the dried leaves to decorate the finished article?"

Thought it would make a nice Christmas presednt for her Mum.

Thanks for that info Von. I know the Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia, so I will look for the Happy Flane one, when in the nursery in the spring.

Many Thanks

Julia in Derbyshire

Thanks Von...will do:)

jude :)