You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2009.
It always starts after a visit to Ikea doesn’t it?!
What begins as a handy cheap storage solution is never quite enough.
This snowballed into major art fun and I haven’t had so much fun sticking and gluing since Primary school!
Out came the old Book of Butterflies and the History of Costume (both purchases at Oxfam for dissection purposes) and the pack of stamps from W.H.Smith and my most recent find http://www.digitalcollagesheets.com/.
I believe the technical term is decoupage – French for “have fun cutting and sticking images onto anything you want to!”
Go on…
Left side
Front
Top
Right side.
Oh and bye the way, guess where I’m going for the next few days? Back soon with lots to show no doubt!
This is part two of yesterday’s post showcasing lovely friend’s lovely handmade birthday pressies!
This cute fleece hot water bottle cover was again made by re purposing clothing. The pattern is from the book Make by Cath Kidston.
Judging by the appalling weather again today, I may be needing this tonight!
This beautiful bag was a gorgeous birthday present I was given last week. My good friend (she of the ‘sewcial’s') has been toiling away at hand sewing – yes hand sewing! – every stitch of this bag for me. What’s more she has made this beautiful object totally from recycled fabrics (found in the local charity shops) and pieces of hand felting that we’ve done together. The pale green base fabric has not come out well enough in any of the photo’s; it doesn’t do it justice. It’s a pre-shrunk wool jumper (third time right apparently) and it’s so soft and cuddly that I could happily take this bag to bed with me! I think she should begin writing her Green Sewing book?!! Maybe…but she will definitely have to stop telling me that she can’t sew!!!!
And if it’s not enough to have such a lovely handmade bag for a present, it was one of two things she’s made me (more tomorrow on the other one!)
I’m a lucky 40 year old to have a friend like her.
You know it’s not good when the fan club say things like ” I like the colour’s” or “There are bits which are really nice.”
But actually they’re right this time! Too many interruptions, not enough time, flowers half dead to begin with…
Sometimes it just doesn’t come together.
A beautiful still life (what’s survived of one of the bunches of birthday flowers.)
Violet creams (what’s survived of the box of birthday choc’s.)
Listening to this weeks radio play’s on iplayer.
And time to draw and paint.
I spent many lovely hours stalking through this new blog that I discovered last week; http://www.geninne.com/
I love discovering a new blog full of inspiration and ideas, and this was right on the button! I happen to go to Hobbycraft the very next day and so could stock up on all the materials I needed and spend birthday money ( so no guilt!)
All of these for £20!! Bargain.
Gennine cuts the most beautiful and intricate stamps and makes it look really easy (which, I discovered yesterday, it isn’t!)
There is a really good video tutorial on the sidebar of her blog site.
So this is my first attempt in many long years to cut a stamper from an eraser and I based it on the line drawings from Sunday night.
Another guilt free purchase was this fantastic magnetic lettering set. It has different screw on bases which enable you to make single letter, one line or two line phrases.
That is also much trickier to use than it looks because of getting the pressure just right – too much and the straight edge prints, not enough and there are letters missing. The letters can also go wonky once printed, so it’s best to check them before each pressing.
They say ‘The thought counts’ so I’m sure that despite the lumpy, bumpy nature of this first attempt, that the message of thanks will override. And anyway they look authentically handmade!
I had such a fantastic day on Saturday. Being 40 is great! Thank you to all my family and friends because you are what made it special. I have a lot of birthday goodness to share with you (not all at once) so here is the first, beginning with the consumables…
I have two very talented (generous) and green fingered friends, who each brought me a beautiful bunch of their home grown flowers.
They are so inspiring that I want to do justice to them and capture their charm before they wilt and die…but I’ve got to go to work and can’t spend a chunk of time painting until Thursday.
So I’ve re-discovered my sketchbook having been inspired by http://www.geninne.com/ who draws from still life and uses pen and watercolour. And I’m hoping to capture something of them through simple line drawings and watercolour sketches.
Fingers crossed that they stay that beautiful until Thursday!
This is the other consumable that deserves a mention. My very talented Mum and Dad organised and designed this cake for me, to reflect some of the things I enjoy in life – painting, photography, sewing and cupcakes (sewn, knitted, baked or just eaten!)
Each corner had a minature on it. Cute eh?!
My dad made that easel out of balsa wood. And spot the likeness between our three generation of ladies! Thanks Mum and Dad – I think we can all see where I get my creativity from!
Yes, today is the big 4.0. day! Doesn’t look like I’ll be celebrating in the sunny garden like in this photo!
But still enjoying friends and family and Pimms!
This arrived today in a beautiful big star spangled box (Thanks N & L!! x)
Any guesses what the big event tomorrow will be?
This is the kind of house work that I like. Felted in one piece that folded into four. Embroidery on top with more felted squares stitched on for windows and a few beads and bits for good measure. The roof…well I felted it on too great a heat in the washing machine and it shrunk! I was going to re do it but…well it’s never happened and it’s kinda grown on me anyway now. Quirky i think is the word for that!
Anyway there is a BIG event here at the weekend so now I have to go and continue the real housework.
