Winter has apparently arrived. We had a couple of mild days but overall it's been chilly. We had snow the other day and a blizzard's on the way. Ugh. I'm still chipping away at a new cross stitch that is very tedius, and I needed a craft that I could do in order to get fast results. Decided to try the Alum Crystal Candles . I got the alum off of Amazon, not the food kind but a more 'industrial' kind cause I read that they formed better crystals. Everything came together pretty quickly and then I just had to wait overnight till it was done.
I used a can lid for my project. It was supposed to be able to be used as a tea light holder.
It came out pretty but the crystals are really crumbly. More than borax.
I was kind of underwhelmed with the results. It needs way more crystals grown inside the lid.
Crystals grew on the bottom which I didn't expect and it's very uneven.
The paper towel on which it was drained looked pretty.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it....the blue crystals are so pretty and sparkly so it's hard to part with it.
I'm making really great progress on the zenbroidery!
This is so much fun! If you embroider, I highly recommend getting one of their patterns. Even if you don't, it comes with an instruction sheet of different stitches.
Variegated floss is the best.
I'll be adding beads and sequins at the end, although it's tempting to do them now, but I am afraid they'd break if they get crushed by the hoop.
Sorry, I'm not impressed by the crystals, seems you wasted your time. I absolutely love your embroidery project. I envy your talent.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Actually the crystals didn't take all that much time. It was mostly waiting. I still have some alum left over. I'll try it one more time to use it up and see what I come up with.
DeleteThe crystal project looked pretty but messy. Your embroidery is lovely. Lots of detail. Wow. Good luck with blizzard. At least this time of year it should melt quicker. ??!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne! We got downgraded here on Cape Cod, but north of us is getting hammered.
DeleteNo, not really impressed with the crystals either. The embroidery is lovely. Used to embroider years ago, don't know why I stopped. My grandmother used to win prizes with hers. Good luck with the storm, hope they keep downgrading. We got quite a dollop of snow in the last 24 hours. Not deep but a good covering every where.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo! They really downgraded us here on the Cape. We went from predicted almost 2 feet of snow to a couple of inches and rain. We actually have less snow today than we did yesterday morning before it started. The rest of the state got hit bad.
DeleteThat's a lot of crystals for just overnight. I remember making rock candy and if I remember correctly it took a lot longer than just overnight.
ReplyDeleteYour zenbroidery is coming along splendidly. The multi-colored peace sign is so sweet!
Thanks Liz! I worked on the stitching most of yesterday afternoon....it's so much fun!
DeleteWow! Those are very ambitious projects!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's very time consuming. I'm working so fast on it though. I don't think it's going to take me as long as I first thought.
DeleteI love the zenbroidery. I used to cross stitch before I had kids, but then I stopped and never got into it again. I tried a few years ago but I'd stitch a few days then stop until I didn't pick it up again.
ReplyDeleteI love to stitch...as evidenced by the 25 projects I finished last year. lol My cross stitching has taken a hit lately cause of this project.
DeleteBoth projects are so beautiful...
ReplyDeleteThanks Krishna!
DeleteEvery time I see your Sagan I smile and wish I could give him a hug. He has such a sweet face and looks so huggable. :)
ReplyDeleteHe obviously felt bad about getting into the trash, but pork loin? you can't really blame him. lol
I love the name Zenbroidery! Did you come up with that? How appropriate! I love the sequins, the sparkle is so pretty and all the colors and design..wow!
sorry about your weather. wishing you warmer days. :)
hugs to your pup!
Marie
Thanks Marie! No, I didn't think of the name, I wish I did! It's a company that sells zentangle-like designs on fabric for stitching purposes. Colouring with threads instead of markers.
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