On my online workbook this week: A Very Merry Naked Tree and Woodland Woodsy and Oversized Flowers Trendy Christmas Cheer

Dear

This week's inspiration is... it's Christmas time, of course!

My tip for you this week is about using one type of beaded garland to craft the bowl… but creating both a matte and shiny surface to give it a frosted look.

Oh yes… you need two kinds of glue to make the beaded bowl.

The hot glue dries so quickly making it ideal to get the beads into position while you coil them but it is the wood glue and snow that will ultimately give the bowl its shape… and enhance the colour.

The wood glue not only sets the snow to dry hard but it also seeps into the string used to create the beaded garland, setting it firmly into a bowl shape. But remember once you start to add the glue and snow to swipe off some of the wet glue every here and there to keep the shine of some of the beads. Do not wipe as this removes too much glue. Simply swipe or brush with the edge of a paper towel to clean the outer curve of the beads. The wood glue dries matte and will otherwise dull the all beads. The shine will reflect the light and the matte bits are muted giving the bowl more visual interest…

Worth remembering next time you have something super shiny that you want to tone down just a bit… dip it in a layer of thinned wood glue.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine

ps: Phew! As a Christmas surprise there will be a lot more for you to look at each week from now to just after New Year's Eve. This week's design has no less than four new Tutorials. Make sure to scroll down and have a look at Rudolf with his shiny beaded nose and the new Tutorials for the three versions of the needle trees (on a stand, on a wire and a tiny pyramid tree)