Made of WIN!!!1

I really can't remember the last time I won anything, so imagine my amazement when my name was drawn out of the ceramic bowl in the Posh Yarns give away! It was really nice of Rebecca to include international entries and as you can see my beautiful prize made it's way safely to me here in the Czech Republic.

Beautifully wrapped - will reuse the ribbon and button :)

My key fob prize - guaranteed to bring a smile to your face

So dainty and beautifully stitched, too.

Rebecca sells these lovely key fobs along with other gorgeous things in her online shop. I will definitely be browsing next time I need a gift. After all, I can't make everything myself! This key fob has made me want to try machine embroidery, though. Just need to get the special foot and needle and have a go!

Fimo, coral and wooden bead necklace with charms

After a creative slump during the last week or so, I finally got myself into gear and made the long necklace I have been planning.

I found a really good bead shop in Brno and bought some charms which I customised with tassles for an ethnic vibe and also got a few coral and semi-precious stone beads.

. 

I also recycled some beads from old earrings and used up some wooden beads that I have had hanging around for at least 15 years in my bead box! The long tube beads I made myself out of Fimo. I followed the  faux bone technique in my polymer clay bead book that I got for Christmas. It took ages to make them and the polishing was hard work, but I like the final effect.

The necklace is just what I wanted to go with my jumper and a new brown top I got and better still it didn't cost me hardly anything :)

1980s nostalgia

Last year, I ordered some nice flowers for my Mum for Mother's Day, but I wanted to make something this year in keeping with my handmade drive. It has to be postable, so that limits my options. I was going to do a painting, as the one I did for my Dad went down really well, but in the end I plumped for a bracelet. I'm pleased with the final result.

Family memories - 1980.

I'm especially pleased that I finally got to use these "magnifying cabochons". I bought them back in 2007 and had all sorts of ideas of what I could do with them, but it never quite worked. I picked them up from my favourite French haberdasher's/bead shop, La Droguerie (if you are ever in a French city that has one - go there!) and they refer to them as loups. I decided to scan and print some photos of me and my Dad from 1980 and put them in the cabochons. I then added some charms and used some pearls recycled from a broken necklace. I think my Mum will like it.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there!

Craft room showcase

I have finally managed to start sorting out my crafting space now that I have almost all my craft things in one country. It wasn't easy - it involved a car journey, a lorry delivery and a flight! When we moved to the Czech Republic from France via the UK at the beginning of 2012 I knew that I definitely wanted a 2-bedroom flat again so that I could have somewhere to keep all my craft paraphernalia and also somewhere suitable to sit so I didn't keep losing beads and bits of Fimo down the side of the sofa all the time. I was really pleased that we were able to find a nice place that had a good sized second bedroom:

Blank canvas.

View from the window - a balloon floats by :)

Before investing in items of furniture, I decided to have a look around on the internet for inspiration. I came across a couple of fellow bloggers who had already posted about their craft rooms. Judi has an amazing craft studio in her garden with an array of storage and the best stock of craft supplies I have ever seen!

I want this! Photo courtesy of Judi Hodgkin

We don't all have the space for garden craft studios, but any space can be turned into a crafting zone. This time last year, Laura at Nimble Fingers and Steady Eyebrows blogged about her craft attic space:

Photo courtesy of Laura via: A corner of one's own   

I love the retro sewing machine and cute little personal touches used.

So, what about my craft space? What should I do with it? I have made a start as I really wanted at least a desk to sit at for the time being, but I want to do a lot more with it.

A tranquil corner

Trouble is, I have quite a lot of bits and bobs to accommodate as I am a somewhat eclectic crafter (cross stitch, sewing, Fimo modelling, jewellery making, paper crafting, candle making, mosaic, to name but a few!) so I need some nifty storage ideas and also some style inspiration.

This is where you, dear reader, come in! I have set up a linky thing at the bottom of this post (my first attempt, so hope it works!) and would love you to share links to your blog posts or online photos of your crafting space big or small, modern or shabby chic, professional or amateur. I'm also quite nosey, so it's a good excuse to peek into the inner sanctum of fellow crafters, ha ha! You will hopefully also pick up some ideas you can borrow ;)

Happy linking and don't forget to tweet about this post!