and the winner is....

Early this year I announced the winner of the "365 days of craft competition" to a lucky lady named Sue Maher. Sue submitted a great poem inspired by my crafty works. The prize was a gift voucher to Lincraft and a super brand new Brother sewing machine. 

This weekend I made the trip down to Sue's house at Mt Martha to hand deliver her prize.

My husband and I were greeted by a very friendly faced Sue and invited into her house for coffee and homemade cake. Sue was also keen to share some of her own crafty creations called "Junk journalling".

So what are "Junk Journals"?.... well its basically scrapbooking's more creative and environmentally friendly cousin. Sue was kind enough to let me take a few snapshots of her work to share with you all (see the pics below). 

I was really thrilled that the prize was going to another passionate crafter and left Sue's house also feeling very inspired to pull out my boxes of magazines, old cards and wrapping papers and to have a go at this Junk Journalling myself!

           

 Below is one of Sue's handmade notebook's. The cover is made from painted and textured cardboard, the internal pages are attached by binding them together in the centre fold. All the internal pages are different shapes and sizes and made up of old cards, maps, wrapping paper and magazines. She has cleverly decorated the outside edge with fabric cuttings, beads and ribbon.

 Sue has also created travel memorabilia junk journals. She explained that she actually takes these with her on the trip (along with some glue, a few pens and some paint). These were filled with ticket stubs, chocolate wrappings, newspaper clippings and postcards from her journey's (as well as notes and thoughts about the places she visited).

 another of the "travel" junk journals

 and then some of the journals were made by using old books (THESE I REALLY LOVVVVEEED!!!)

"up cycling old books!!!" what a super idea! Basically you purchase hard cover books from the op shop,

then recover each page with paint, pictures, fabric, photographs, cards, stamps.... the possibilities are endless. These books become quite large and overflowing (almost bursting open with inspiring images and thoughts). You can do these as a "visual diary" with themed pages if you want ("your dream home", "dream garden", "dream wedding" anything really). You can also do these as a form of "art therapy" things that make you happy, things that make you calm, favourite quotes etc....

See an example below...

It was truly lovely to meet you Sue, I am glad the prize went to such a lovely lady and I hope to hear more from your creative journey's in the future.

Keep crafting, 

Much love and inspiration

Bronwyn

Sunday afternoon bedroom DIY

Hello crafty friends,

I haven't been on here for awhile! but I thought I would share with you this sunday afternoon's DIY creation....

I have been thinking about creating a "jewellery wall" in our bedroom for awhile now,

somewhere I could display all of my jewellery creatively but at the same time get it out of my drawers and off the dresser where it just ends up tangled and in a big mess.

 I wanted to use this stunning art deco inspired mosaic mirror as the centrepiece (my lovely dad made this for me as a wedding present, I LOVE IT!)

 I also had a few pieces I have collected from my various travels around the world that I wanted to add to the wall, such as this 3 panelled mirror (below) which closes up like a book, which I bought in Paris at an antique market in Saint Oven (if you ever get a chance to go to Paris and you like second hand and antique markets then you should check it out!)

 I carried this in my backpack very carefully all around europe!!

 this is the front, once it is closed and the clasp is done up

 I used a large piece of butchers paper (the size of the wall) to work out the position of the pictures, next i traced around them in texture and then stuck the piece of paper up onto the wall with masking tape.

 Here it is on the wall (ignore the drawing on the back of the paper, that was from my "amy craft house afternoon"). When it comes to drilling the holes I actually leave the paper in place and drill thru it, that way the position is perfect when it comes to hanging.

 Voila! mirror/picture/jewellery wall complete!

I also added a handmade mask I bought in Venice and jewellery I purchased in nepal, india, thailand, greece and  new york.

None of it is worth much money, but to me it is priceless treasure! memories that will last a lifetime!

Then in the frame's in between I have put up a few of our recent wedding snaps!

What a special wall of love a treasures....

keep making, keep creating

craft out

xxoo

Front page of "Take Five" magazine!! in stores today (7th March)

Wow!! I am super excited to be featured in this weeks "Take Five" magazine!!

I am not sure I am actually "Australia's craftiest woman"... but I'll take that as a super complement!!

Thanks Take Five!

"THE DRESS" my most craftastic feat to date!

Okay, enough of the "step by step" process... we all just want to see the final result don't we...

(well at 11pm and work tomorrow I am going with that option, he he he)

Is your wedding coming up? 

Have you always dreamed of an alternative, quirky and individual gown... 

a unique outfit designed just for you...

I'd love to design it for you and bring your dream dress to life.

Contact me at craftdays365@hotmail.com

or call me, Bronwyn on 0428114748

craft out...

from the newly "Mrs Napiorkowski"

Can you help?

THE COMPETITION WINNER IS....

Congrats to Sue Maher from Mt Martha Victoria who submitted this poem as her entry to the competition.

Great work and happy crafting with your new Brother sewing machine!!!

With a Brother machine

I would sew like a dream

Buttonholes - fancy stitches, and such beautiful seams!

For 365 days – we're sure

Bronywn’s Blog ideas would just soar

There were projects galore

I could make more and more

Brownyn's ideas all rock

Especially all the upcycle workshops

But my favourite for sure

Was on day two twenty four

I made T-Shirts into bags

Never any sag

And so easy to do

That I made quite a few

They were under the tree

And admired by all in the Family!

Month by Month 2011

CRAFT COMPETITION-your chance to win a brand new sewing machine!

To celebrate the end to this 365 day craft marathon my kind sponsors are throwing some presents your way!! for your chance to win a brand new "Brother" sewing machine and a "Lincraft" voucher email me your name, address and answer to the question on the flyer above to

craftdays365@hotmail.com

(Please note, this competition is only open to Australian residents and will be drawn on the 24th of January 2012. Winners will be notified by phone and email).

HAPPY CRAFTING

XXOO

Day 365-The Last Hurrah! Craft Crown for the Craft Queen

I can't believe it... it still doesn't seem real, I don't know whether to laugh or cry, I couldn't sleep last night, so many thoughts of the year past and the new year to come racing thru my mind. 

I wasn't sure what to put up for my final craft, I would love to show you all my wedding dress as this is certainly my most extravagant creation to date... but alas I cannot, it would spoil the surprise of the big day (in 28 short sleeps to come). 

So my thoughts returned to a fitting final Hurrah! I decided that this "Craft Queen" really deserves a "Craft Crown"... so here goes...  

My initial sketch is slightly wanting...

 I know what your thinking... this is going to end up like a hungry jacks happy meal crown (but have faith my craft friends! I am going to pull this off!)

 Returning to the "industrial strength" craft I decided to use some left over high gloss furniture paint and 3 layers of cardboard.

 bring on the useful box/boxes

 Voila

 the miniature cards are from one of the mini match-box collections from day 361 

 with all the hairspray and varnish on the shoes from yesterday's project and the furniture paint from today's I better hope nobody lights a sparkler or cigarette near my outfit otherwise my outfit may become a live firecracker!

 

This is not goodbye forever, just for now. This Craft Queen needs a well deserved "craft sabbatical" 

although I will certainly be kept busy with wedding prep all of january! and I promise to update the blog to share with you all my wedding dress extravaganza design post wedding date.

for now...

Craft out

xxoo

Day 364-The icing on the cake and the glitter on my shoes!

wow! what a great day, it started with a sleep in, a coffee, and a group email to remind friends, family and blog fans to check out tomorrow's Melbourne Age newspaper for an article about "365 days of craft".

About 20 seconds after I hit send another friend messaged me on Facebook to congratulate me on the article in TODAY'S paper, what?, my dressing gown was quickly discarded for some type of outer wear and I was out the door. First stop the milk bar at the end of our street where I was met by "sorry no more paper's", what?, next stop newsagent at the local shop's. I jumped out of the car and was stuck behind a senior lady shuffling into the newsagent with her walking frame (I had visions of me having to fight her for the last paper...) luckily she was shuffling in eager for a pack of "winnie blues" and I purchased the last 4 copies of "The Age", everybody was happy.

For those of you who have not read the said article see the link below and a snapshot of the "full page article" (thanks Liza power from the age its the icing on the cake and the glitter on my shoes... speaking of glitter on shoes, today's craft creation follows below).

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/give-us-this-day-our-daily-thread-20111229-1pdtz.html

second last craft to go... (not for life, just for this year)

cover an old pair of shoes with PVA glue (I say old pair or op shop pair because no amount of scrubbing is going to bring these babies back if you don't like the finished product)

 sprinkle with glitter

Note to self; glitter is a bitch! I personally haven't used glitter since like... pre-school, and I am pretty sure I wasn't cleaning up afterwards at the time, but seriously, like a drag queen dancing to a kylie song it was outta control. 

 I decided to use red glitter on the bow, so waited for the silver layer to dry slightly before attempting the bow. I covered the surrounding area with paper before adding more PVA and sprinkling with red glitter.

 see how there is all that "excess" glitter on the paper surrounding the bow below? don't try "blowing" it away as I did, covering the floor, all surrounding wedding projects from last night and my face.

 sparkle fan dan go!

now how to stop all the glitter from continually falling off the shoes?

 first step I tried hair spray (it didn't seem to help) so next stop "industrial strength"

I am pretty sure that the "Cabot's-oil based clear polyurethane- for all interior woodwork and veneers" was not initially intended for glitter shoe projects... but its all I had.

VOILA!

"eat your heart out dorethy"

(wow this post is finished by 7.30pm! had I not had to work everyday this year my posts could have been done by this time everyday... instead the midnight photoshoot's have left me with some "designer bags" (under my eyes) of which I doubt are reversible...)

craft out

xxoo