UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Those dragonflies are fantastic, Shaun!

Thanks, everyone. Really pleased you like the look of my first attempts. Metalwork was one of my favourite subjects at school (it was a lifetime ago!), and I decided to see if I could recapture my enjoyment of making things from scratch.

Very nice stuff.

Shaun wrote: "My first attempts at metal sculpture (hopefully I'll get better): https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group..."

They look great, Shaun! Well done.

It's ages since I last listed the free craft books for the day. I keep seeing repeats of books that have been free before. Here goes anyway...

Quilting
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Framing pictures
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Hair braiding
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Crochet
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

I've taken quite a long break from all those blankets that I am making. I have done a couple of scarves though for young friends. I finished a Hello Kitty scarf last week which I am pleased with, and now I am finishing off a teddy bear scarf.

Here's a couple of photos of the Kitty scarf.

Full scarf (I have embroidered a little pink nose on the kitty but it doesn't show up in the photo.)
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

Close up of face. I've sewn a little hello kitty bead into the flower (I bought the beads from Etsy)
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

Here's the pattern that I based it on.
http://madebyk-tutorials.blogspot.co....

Really cute scarf, Karen. I bet the teddy one will be good too

Karen (Kew) wrote: "I finished a Hello Kitty scarf last week which I am pleased with, a..."

Cute :)

Lovely Karen!

Made another one today: http://shaunjeffrey.blogspot.co.uk/20...

Wow! How long does each one take you?

Lexie wrote: "Wow! How long does each one take you?"

Ages at the moment. Todays Stag Beetle took me about 3 hours!

Given the finished product, that doesn't seem that long! Are you working from a pattern or your head? or have you got various insects pinned out before you?!!

For the Stag Beetle, I looked at various pictures on the internet, drew the basic design out, cut it out from the copper sheet and pipe, annealed it, cut it, shaped it, then brazed it (which is the hardest part, especially with all the legs), then cleaned and polished it.

I love them! What equipment do you use Shaun?

Thanks :) Aside from the actual copper used to make them, I've had to purchase a load of tools and kit, including a torch for brazing, a cylinder of propane, kiln bricks to do the annealing on, various hammers, files, a small bench and tin snips. I'm probably forgetting something but that's the gist of it. I had purchased a small butane torch too, but didn't realise that butane torches didn't get hot enough to braze with, so then I invested in a decent quality propane one.

They are gorgeous, Shaun. Hve seen similar at various garden shows, eg Tatton.
Just let us know when you're selling!!

Karen wrote: "They are gorgeous, Shaun. Hve seen similar at various garden shows, eg Tatton.
Just let us know when you're selling!!"

I will. I'll need to work out a cost eventually, which will be difficult as I have to take account of how much labour is involved and the cost of the materials, but I don't want to overprice or underprice them! Trying to look up similar items to see how much people charge but I'm not really finding much :/

I think that's always the problem with handcrafted stuff, Shaun - factoring in the hours it takes to make them. Which is why I gave up selling handmade cards!
But once you get the process streamlined, it should be quicker. I used to do various local craft sales - like the Wildlife Trust, and the Made in Shropshire days. Worth considering as it's good for people to actually see them - just depends on what the cost of a stall is for the day . And of course you won't be doing any 'productive' work while you're there.

Yes, I need to streamline and improve yet before I'm at a standard I'm happy to sell at.

Anyway, had my first commission today (from my son) for a rhino beetle. You can see it here: https://www.facebook.com/shaun.jeffre...

I'm loving your sculptures, Shawn.

Thanks, Patti.

I'll try to do better at spelling your name, too. Sorry Shaun. :(

No problem. I'm used to it. I saw the intro to the film of my book, and my name's spelt wrong on that too!!!! I have to laugh, otherwise I'd kill someone. Lol ;)

Love power tools but scared of gas Shaun so looks like I'll have to give it a miss.

Any developments with the film, will we be seeing it any time soon?

I don't know what's happening with the film I'm afraid. It's finished and the producer is trying to get a distribution deal. That's all I know :/

And this is my latest dragonfly. I think this is my most commercial one yet, in that the construction is the best out of those I have done so far. https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

I'm being overly ambitious, but here's the start of a dragon. Need to tidy it up and then sculpt a body!!! It's only taken me a full day to do the head. Lol

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

That is impressive Shaun

Thanks, Emma. I can see it'll take me a while to finish this one!

Looking good so far!!

Your sculptures get better and better Shaun!

Ahh, this thread may drive me mad before the end of the week. I'm never leaving my craft things at home again! I keep getting ideas. Although I have got some inktense pencils and have been doing some drawing but without my stamps I'm very limited by my drawing ability. Anyone else struggle when they are away from their craft things? I can't even work on my sewing because I need to finish the corset before doing the patterns for anything else because I won't know the waist measurement till it's done and I forgot to order a busk then managed to have it sent home instead of uni! Silly Emma.

I nearly went mad during my last year at university, because I had no money (had had to do voluntary work over the summer to get on to a particular postgrad course) and couldn't buy wool. In the end my friends clubbed together and bought pattern and wool for a sweater - I think they couldn't stand it any longer!

Makes you wonder how non-craft people function. How do they cope not having anything to make!

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Your sculptures get better and better Shaun!"

Thanks. This is more of a sampler to try different things on a larger scale, so it's a bit rough and ready, but it's a great learning aid. I go away for two weeks on Friday, so I'll have to order some more copper to complete it when I return.

I wouldn't even go away for an overnight without bringing some sort of crafting material with me Emma.
I believe there are still some mini X-stitch kits in the glove compartment of the car.
I have a craft holdall with papercraft equipment for longer breaks, and miniature sketching and watercolour folders just in case the mood takes me Lol!

I have two more days with only inktense pencils.

I haven't read all 34 pages, but is anyone else into decopatch?

I do it occasionally but I love it when I do - it's very therapeutic! I made a couple of birds as in Kirstie Allsop's craft book, and covered a hideous old tray, too.

It gets a bit addictive. I end up wanting to stick tissue paper to everything!

*note to self. Never follow Rosen into a public toilet*

I'm not very good with tissue paper. It gets all torn and sticks to my fingers if I try to use glue with it. I love the look of some of the decoupage though and I have a little box to do when I get around to it.

I want to cover a chair with old marvel comics, just waiting till I find the right chair.

Following Patti and Rosen's exchange, I had a sudden vision of what one might look like after sitting on it too soon!

Haven't visited this thread for ages again. We've had a really busy week with work, been sent further than we've ever been before on this job - Manchester, Falkirk and Forfar! Got home yesterday and am shattered now. We had lovely weather, especially in Scotland, which I expected to be cold! We'd love to travel back to the Dundee area (we stayed at a hotel there after we'd finished the job in Forfar). We never have time to look around when we are working so often make mental notes of places we'd like to go back to. In fact, we are having a week off this week - it's our tenth wedding anniversary on Thursday. We'll spend the first part of the week pottering around at home and catching up with ourselves, then for Thursday and Friday we are spending a couple of days in Bradford Upon Avon, which was one of those places that we drove through for work and thought looked lovely!

Today's free craft books

Crochet
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Knitting
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Soap making
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Here are some photos of the scarves that I finished making just before we went away. One is for a young friend who loves clocks, and the other is the teddy bear scarf that I mentioned earlier that I was working on. I'm particularly proud of the teddy bear one, as I worked out the pattern for myself. I'm thinking of making some to put in my online shop - any suggestions on pricing? I always find that very difficult.

Clock scarf
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

Teddy bear scarf
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

The scarves are lovely Karen!

Happy tenth anniversary for Thursday. Happy that the Scottish weather was kind. Haste ye Back!

I've posted a couple of photos of the butcher's bike we're renovating for the garden, they show in my profile photos. Sorry can't do the link.

Oh Karen! If you ever go back to Dundee let me know! Maybe I could pop down and meet you for a cup of tea :o)

Why not just come further north and see everyone in the North East? Scotland just gets better the further north you go! (sunshine and blue skies today!)