Silver Stiletto Nails

I used 4 different sizes and shapes of iridescent glitter, some teeny silver glass beads and a bit of STAEDTLER's silver metal powder in these stiletto nails.

I't so hard to get the shimmer of the glitter in a photograph.I tried a few different light sources to see if I could catch some of it for you.

I dotted some silver polish onto the smile line for now. I'm planning some 3D flowers for these nails later.

You can see some of the holographic glitter in this shot but it still isn't even close to the real glitz.

They look all icy. I'm going to be adding a bit of spring to them soon enough.

Hope you're all keeping warm.

Simplicity 7048 With a Groovy Fabric

I really do enjoy a good retro or vintage pattern, and this one popped out of my pattern cupboard at me. I also remembered some 70's style cotton I had stashed away. I think the two are a perfect match.

I remember Mom wearing these dresses when I was little and I've been wanting to make a few of my own with handy pockets and a bit of a shorter hemline. 

I added a pocket to the left front bodice piece.

I also trimmed the generous 70's collar to a peter pan shape and removed some of the seam allowance  to thin it out a bit.

I'll probably wear the collar open but I think it will also be adorable closed with a pin.

I really love the shape of this dress. The waist and shoulder darts are perfectly placed. I did shorten the sleeves and may add a same fabric tie belt too. Not sure yet. I'm also still deciding on the button style. Might have to make some out of Fimo?

What's your favorite vintage/retro pattern?

Painting Pansies with Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo

I've really been hooked on painting with thinned out STAEDTLER Fimo these past few weeks. I've also been loving the hearts. I wanted to share how these pansies were done (thanks for the request) as well as the base heart for the project. So here goes..... 

Another Rose, Painting with Polymer Clay

I've been playing with many different ways to make flowers lately, and wanted to share this step by step pictorial tutorial. It's pretty much the same method I've covered in the video here, but the clay in this tutorial is a bit firmer. 

I love the translucent shimmer of the STAEDTLER Fimo Effect Rose Quartz colour #206

I also used # 505 Pastel mint, # 305 Pastel aqua, and #052 glitter white.

I filled my metal bezel with a dome of #305 pastel aqua and baked it in a preheated 230 degree oven for 20 minutes and allowed it to cool before I made the leaves and flower. I then used #505 pastel mint to make green flattened teardrop shapes and flatten them out with a soft but firm round paintbrush. A number 4 or 6 will work best and I like to use the Heinz Jordan Synthetic mongoose brushes. I used a toothpick to draw lines in the leaves and baked the piece again for another 15 minutes to set the leaves. Be sure to allow the piece to cool after baking.

Will the Real Toad in a Hole Stand Up Please?

Growing up in Canada with British, Scottish (and a dozen or so other nationalities thrown in for good measure) ancestry, I've had the good fortune to have some seriously good home cooks in our family. (Not to mention a few world class Chefs). I've always, always called an egg fried in the middle of a cut out piece of bread, a toad in a hole. I've recently been re-educated.... Informed by a very rightly informed informer, that a toad in a hole, is in fact..... This!

It's Yorkshire pudding with a halved sausage stuck in.

Soooooo Delicious!

I made a traditional Yorkshire pudding batter:

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of milk

2 eggs

dash of salt

I beat it up and let it rest.

Then I put a tsp of olive oil and 1/4 tsp of butter in each of twelve muffin holes in a muffin tin. 

I heated the oily muffin pan up for five minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven until it was bubbling.

Then I quickly poured in the batter half way up each muffin cup and sploched in a halved precooked sausage into each tin along with a cherry tomato. Do this very quickly. You don't want the fat to cool down or you'll lose the rise of the batter.

 I baked it at 400 for 35 minutes then turned it down to 350 and baked it for another 10 minutes.

Serve them right away. They are popovers and will deflate if left too long. But it's not terrible if they deflate. They're just as delicious. Just not as beautiful.

You soooooo have to make these!

They are in fact, the true toad in a hole.

I'll call the other ..... a bird in the nest form now on?

What do you call the eggy toast fry thing?

Heart of Gold... and Blue and Silver and White...

Here's a very simple Valentines set made using STAEDTLER push molds and STAEDTLER Fimo Effect clay. These are a mixture of Fimo Effect translucent and metallic gold swirled together to make a marbled effect. I used the push molds to make each halves of the heart beads, then I joined them together before baking and curing the pieces. 

I sanded the heart beads after they were hardened to make them super smooth.

I also made some super simple beads. Just balls of clay with holes. 

I made swirly beads by turning a worm of clay around a toothpick and baking it. 

This set are made using STAEDTLER Fimo Effect Translucent blue, sparkle white and metallic silver. 

I think I like the cool icy colours a bit more.

Hope you're having a cozy weekend in. 

We're getting hit again with another frosty dumping of the white stuff.

A good opportunity to play with my clay.

:D