After several weeks of attending Hyrotherapy sessions on a Wednesday I am finally home so am able to take part in What's on your workdesk wednesday (WOYWW)!

I have not done any proper crafting for some weeks due to work, but I have received my order for some Christmas pressies I plan to make...here are the latest batch of dyed wool that I plan to turn into scarfs

There isnt really room in the craft room...so I have now spread to the dining room table!!! (only until they are made as I need to spread out 1 1/2 metre pieces and sew them, so I need to space-HONEST)!!

I will post a piccy when I have made them.
If you get a chance I recommend checking out some of other desks over on WOYWW, there's always something interesting.

Happy Crafting
Li'l Pidge x

LTD Challenge

Oh it's been far too long since I last blogged. Time seems to have increased speed over the past few weeks-what with being away for a week with work and working some silly long hours recently, crafting time, let alone crafting time has been sparse.

This weeks LTD Challenge is friends....well, this card is one I made for my fellow Craft Coven member, Jill, to welcome her to her new home. The bird and cage are chip board shapes that I painted, stamped and glazed with glossy accents, the padlock is made from friendly plastic and I added a wooden heart button in the top left of the card.


My crafting mojo has taken a slight step back, but I picked up my copy of the latest Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine...so a glass of red wine and a leisurely read through will I am sure bring it all back!

Happy crafting
Li'l Pidge x

Vegan and Zombies

This is my Halloween make for the LTD Challenge....egg cosys!

Only in Bristol would you spend a Saturday like this....a few hours at a free Vegan fair. 3 course meal for free, vegan tombola, free talks and films.....followed by the Bristol Zombie Walk! Over 2,000 zombies walking around the city centre ending up at an outdoor impromptu gig (and a couple of beers and some strange looks on the bus home).

Here are a few photos of some of the Zombies....

And the zombies kept coming...

Happy Halloween.

Li'l Pidge x

Lots to Do Challenge

Another quick post....I made this for the LTD challenge, my first easel card! I needed a quick card so used peel-offs and I already had some angelina fibres ironed into a sheet so I punched a moon from it for a bit of shimmer, echoing this with some holographic card for matting and layering on the base.

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

WOYWW

A late post as I have only just got in.......I am in the middle of making a couple of halloween cards and the big white roll on the right hand side of my desk is 4 rolls of double sided tape from the DIY section of Poundland-all that for a quid!! Its made for sticking down carpet tiles etc at home, so its fine with the forever tricky glitter card etc.

Only a short post as its way past my bed time...

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Alterd threads box

Hurrah, the weekend is finally here......its been a long week....I missed WOYWW as I was working late so haven't been able to craft. But I was able to finish altering the red box I was given by a friend (the photo was on an earlier post)....

I gesso'd it, then I applied various layers of acrylic, adding distress inks to add depth. I distressed the Scrabble tiles spelling out the word thread (which the box contains). I decoupaged some sewing pictures from a paper bag then used the hot glue gun to adhere buttons, some Tim Holtz embellishments, some grunge hinges and finally a few stamps were added (I especially liked the paperartsy stamped ruler).

I added a couple of layers of varnish..and hey presto, a new thread box.

This accompanied me on my weekend residential course last week at Urchfont Manor-2 and a bit days of machine embroidery-no cooking or cleaning, just sewing and eating! Heaven!

We didn't work on any sample pieces, learning new stitches instead, so I haven't got any photos I can post....but given time I will experiment at home and of course share with you all my experiences-good and bad!!

Any way.....as its the weekend...QI and a glass of wine beckons.....rock and roll!!!

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

This is my entry for this weeks LTD Challenge. The challenge is plain and simple. I made this for an engagement card for my cousin who has a bird of prey centre, Southwest falconry, nice and neutral with a simple design



If you get a chance please pop over and have a look on the challenge blog
happy crafting
Li'l Pidge

Playing with fibres

Well, after having bought 5 different packs of Angelina Fibres at the Exeter Craft show and some new stamps, I thought I should justify buying them (well, apart from they were sooo pretty, and called to me...so I really needed to buy them!)-so decided to try something new.

I stamped the bird, sentiment and dill weed from my new Paper Artsy stamp set and layered over some pale angelina fibres to make the background, I then free machine embroidered over the words, filling them all in, outlining some of the seed heads and then switched to an invisible thread to stitch down the angelina fibres.

I then stitched around the edges to include it as a page in the sample book I am making.

Then I went a bit colour crazy and covered 2 pages made from black felt with bondaweb and used random pieces of foil I also bought at the show, adding lots of fibres. I free machine embroidered all over to attach the pieces, adding the wording.

I edged the pages the same as before and added these to my sample book also.

Machine embroidery is new to me, but I think it will be a great outlet to add to my altered art...and I am having so much fun experimenting.

So, go on....have ago, I thoroughly recommend it.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

WOYWW and LTD Challenge

So, another week of coming clean and showing the state my desk gets into! (its like a perverse sort of voyeurism....hang on, that makes it sound like there are non-peverse sorts.....best not get into this...). So, whats on my workdesk this wednesday?

Well, this is a box my friend gave me to alter. It was a very red stained wooden box, I took its handle off (I'll put that back on later once the painting has been done) and gave it a base coat of white gesso and here I have added a coat of rangers acrylic dabber in Lake Mist.

I was thinking this box would make a good place to store my stash of embroidery threads as its deep enough for the slightly bigger spools. Not sure what else to do with it yet....I'll have another bash at it after supper, probably some distressing, maybe a touch of crackle paint and definatley some stamping!

This card is for the LTD Challenge, this weeks theme is Oriental. Not your usual colour scheme, but I stamped the background distressing the edges. I used a peel off on some leaf patterened paper, adding a stamped sentiment and a lantern embellishment.

Hope you like it....off to blog hop a bit.

Happy Crafting

Li'l pidge x

ali pali and a odd bus journey

Well, as promised here are a few snaps from this weeks trip to London. We went to Alexandra Palace for the stitch and knitting show-but I had no idea how big it was-I really needed 2 days to go round properly.


This is the almost edible felt stall

Inside...an amazing window

outside....a bus stop ali pali style!

and my stash....

Yes, a few more pro markers (and carry case)-now I didn't buy this at the show as a shop in London was doing SUCH a good deal I bought them before I even go to Ali Pali!!

I did buy some Jacquard textile paint, a couple of wonderful Indian hard wood stamp blocks, a DVD on creating textile landscapes (I have an idea for most of the products I purchase...watch this space), some material, lots of wonderful Staff Francis dyed products, a book wrap kit and a card made by Iona MacKenzie Laycock-I was totally blown away by her work (www.iona-art.com) she was an amazing inspiration-so I bought one of her original cards it mixes fabric, paint and rare breed fleece, I recommend you check her out-you wont be sorry.

I also bought some brads and ink jet printing paper to transfer onto fabric (again-I have an idea for a project, but cant say until I have at least started making it!) and LOTS of threads ready for my next machine embroidery course I am due to attend soon....

Whilst we were staying in London we did a few of the sights....

This is the Ghost Bus tour-if you are looking for a great tongue in cheek laugh from start to finish then I recommend this....I laughed for one and a half hours straight!

And this is where we stayed-not the London Eye (ooh...can you imagine waking up inside the glass pod....a bit exposed!) but the Premier Travel Inn next door-central and clean...just what we needed.

So, I have so much new stash (what with Exeter the other week also) that I need some serious play time tomorrow...looks like I am going back to work with ink stained fingers again!!!

Happy Crafting

Li'l pidge x

What have I missed?

Well, I missed WOYWW-but this was because we were in London for the week (just got back-shattered but happy). I managed to got to Blade stamps (no surprise) but the main reason I went to London was to go to Alexandra Palace for the Stitching and Knitting show! Boy, I had NO idea how large it was going to be.....bought lots!!
I will take a picture when I have unpacked and had a play.....

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

LTD Challenge - vintage

This weeks LTD Challenge is vintage.

I know for many it may victoriana etc. but for me, its definately 1940's and 50's-I love the glamour (not that I have the time to look like that) and beautiful clothes-so I decided to make my vintage a 1950 pin-up complete with a shrinkie dink one!

Enjoy have a blog hop around all the others too.

Happy Crafting

No longer a lurker

No, this isn't me pouring my heart out and coming out as a stalker (having said that...!) but, rather than every Wednesday sneaking over to stamping-ground.blogspot.com (a link is over on the right) to spy on their Whats on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) and sometimes feeling very guilty by the organised desk space, sometimes feeling guilty at the pleasure when I spy a desk as messy as mine (I like to think its a creative process!!), but ALWAYS being delighted to see products being used and sometimes a great make in the making!

So, I gird my loins and decided to come out and publish mine...

So, not making much at the moment (got a stinking cold and its effecting my crafting mojo), but as I have family in New Zealand I need to be super organised, so I am making tags for the Christmas presents-which is wierd as its only September, but at least it means SOME of my Christmas shopping is done!

Anyway, thats my messy desk, I'm off to have a look at some other crafters WOYWW links.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Lots to Do Challenge - Alter

So, after entering last weeks monochrome challenge over on the Lots To Do Challenge blog I decided to entrer this weeks challenge-Alter.

So, on Saturday I scoured the charity shops and found this very boring and plain letter rack for £2.49

and turned it into this:

First I sanded the blank rack and applied a layer of white gesso to give an even base. Then I painted it with ranger paint dabbers in lake mist and pearl and distressed the edges with distress inks. Next I stamped some old text, earth post stamp and post marks onto tissue paper with green and black stayz on, adhering them with modge podge. I added a vitage postcard sticker and a postage stamp and gave the whole thing a coat of modge podge.

I then got out the hot glue gun, adding scrabble letter tiles and then a coating of varnish to protect....once its dry it sit proudly by my telephone.

I hope you like it and enjoy checking out the other posts on the LTD challenge site

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

As promised, these are a couple of pictures of my new craft haul from the Exeter show yesterday.

I couldnt resist-2 Martha Stewart punches, the vine and bird corner-I love using my other punch, they are so beautifully made that I couldn't stop myself!

I bought 2 great new sets of PaperArtsy stamps (lovely distressed stamps) a great sheet of phrases and some amazing bird and plant stamps. Now I need to spend an evening mounting and cutting them out.....what to cut them out with?

Ah, now I could cut them out with my new Tim Holtz non stick scissors!! I also bought some bobbins and foil to try out on some stitched fabric altering I am planning, some great brads that are black ants! Yes, ants! As well as lots of angelina fibres, tape, chip board shapes, wooden buttons and a new craft mat that I will TRY not to get glue over this time (place your bets as to how long it takes me to wreck this one!!).

So as you can see, a great day out. Now I need to find a home for it all....

Happy crafting (and tidying!!)

Li'l pidge x

The M5, more cash than I should and some cake

So, what do you reckon I have been up to this weekend? I have just arrived back home from our crafting coven outing.

We piled into one car and headed off down the M5 to the Exeter craft fair-purses heavy, with long shopping lists and empty bags (or a trolly in my case!!)-boy did we spend.

I watched some great demo's, and a brilliant talk by textile artist Isobel Hall (what that lady can do with homemade fabric and crackle paint is brilliant) and bought some amazing products.

I'll take a photo tomorrow, but I managed to get a couple of great Martha Stewart border punches, Tim Holtz scissors (which I need for the workshop with him next year) and some great Paper Artsy stamps-I'm going to enjoy testing the new products....

Anyway, a glass of red and a curl up on the sofa is well and truely earned (and looking through my hubbies photos from Saturdays Killing Joke gig) so, until later....

Happy crafting

li'l pidge x

154 days until...

So, what is 154 days away?

Christmas? No, that's MUCH sooner (too soon, I have not started making anything for it yet)

When Spring starts? Good lord, it's only the Autumn equinoxe today.....don't wish your life away!

No, it is 154 days until I attend a workshop with Tim Holtz!!! Yep, you read that right........I cant believe that he will be coming to the UK, but the amazing team over at paperartsy (great stamps etc and an amazing angel plus policy....check them out) have managed to secure a workshop with him and I was lucky enough to be able to buy a ticket (they all sold out in 40 mins!)......I even did a happy dance around the kitchen when I found out!


But, back to craft.... this tin was 50p from a charity shop, I coloured it with alcohol inks, stamping on tissue paper, adding words and a metal bird house I made from a paperartsy stamp and ten second studio drawing tools, adding a little lace for a femine touch.


I then made a little book with a shaker window and glittered a little pencil....perfect for slipping in my pocket when out walking in the autumn days and I get an idea I dont want to forget.

All for 50p! Now, that's a bargain.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Crafting x

not got a necklace to go with an outfit-no problem

So, all dressed up with somewhere to go...disaster, no adornment for the old neck, what is a girl to do......I have spent too much on craft goodies (well, they are a necessity, a bit like food-food for the soul that is) so I turn to the craft room and.....voila!



I used a couple of microscope slides and a memory frame from Rangers. I cut pages from an old dictionary, coloured them with distress inks adding stamped images, a little bit of lace, some stickles for a small amount of bling (on one side only so I could wear a non blinged side when feel a little more sedately, well it may happen one day) and a touch of glossy accents. I then added words from the dictionary.


I have been waiting for a good reason to use this bird stamp from Paper Artsy, what better time for 'a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush'.

So, quickly added my trusty black suede lacing and then I was ready for the off.....

Now, where was I meant to be going.....
and why did I come upstairs.......

age is a wonderful (but often wondering) thing!!
Happy crafting
li'l Pidge x

A quick challenge

So, I have entered a challenge on a great blog, called 'lotstodochallenges.blogspot.com

The theme is monochrome so I have added this green card with a domino affixed.

Its a great blog, pop over and check it out if you have a chance.

Happy crafting

li'l pidge x

Is there such a thing as too nice a day to craft?

Basically YES! As we are now in Autumn (my favourite season, crunching through leaves, picking blackberries, sloes (for sloe gin-a great Christmas favourite in our house) and sweet chestnuts.

We don't get as many sunny crisp days when it is still warm enough to get out and about without piling on the layers...so we decided to head off down to the coast and spent a day by the sea in Sidmouth in Devon.

Its a great old fashioned holiday resort, nice beach, lovely promenade and some great independent shops (I even found a small craft fair the village hall!).

But most impressive was my hubby spotted some guerrilla knitting (the last time we saw this was in Whitstable)...

Itsnt it great?

Happy crafting
li'l pidge x

Alcohol Inks and charity shop finds

Searching through my SD card, I came across this photo which I can't remember if I shared with you.

The cutlery was picked up for next to nothing from a charity shop and the box frame was a cheap Ikea frame (other soul-sucking, impossible to find assitance shops are no doubt also available) and decorated them with alcohol inks, vintage words, wire and beads...it now hangs in my kitchen...a little bit of craft when I am burning water for my morning boiled egg.

Charity shops, bins and skips are now all open terrority for me and my quest for altered art!!! (my hubby is not going to be impressed, he lost his music/computer room-now a craft room and the dining room table looks like a jumble sale some days!!

oh well, I'm sure he must be used to it by now, after all, he married me knowing I was an obsessive crafter (is there any other sort?)

Happy crafting

li'l pidge x

ooh new camera and some coasters

First of all, sorry its been so long between posts, I have not been very well but am slowly getting my craft mojo back (and downloading the photos). I am still looking for a free programme to resize, crop etc my photos ready for the web, so if anyone can recommend one then please post a comment.

So, what's been going on? Well, I have finally bought myself a new camera, a Panasonic Lumix and I am loving it, its so easy to use and takes wonderfully crisp pictures. It was getting a bit of a pain setting the SLR up for my art shots, so this should be so much easier and hopefully encourage me to upload lots more photos.

Whilst going through my photo's I came across quite a few craft ones that I don't think I have shared with the wider world...

These are the next lot of coasters I have made (hopefully for the present box I keep for Christmas and celebrations)

These 2 are plain MDF blanks that I distressed with distress inks, masking and stamping, adding various layers of colour and then adding depth by lifting some of the colour off with an alcohol free baby wipe.



I then made up my own spray bottle with some water and mica powder, spraying the coaster to add a little sparkle.

Then on one I added some vintage text from a book, distressing the edges with ink and over staming with a bumble bee (this is probably my favourite stamp at the moment). I then added a little stickles glitter in the corners just for a touch of bling!

I painted the undersides with 2 coats of black acrylic paint to make everything look nice and presentable then finished with 3 coats of yacht varnish to ensure that no hot mugs will stand any chance of damaging these little beauties (it takes an age for the varnish to dry, then lightly sand between layers, this part of the process can take 3 days, but its worth it as the coaster on my work desk has hot mugs standing on it all day every day for weeks now and there isn't one blemish on it).

Anyway, best crack on...

happy crafting

Li'l pidge x

What have a barrister and a pirate got in common?

The answer to the question? Well, they are both cards I have made recently!

This is a stamped image which I coloured with pro-markers, distressed and inked the backing paper (which is plain cream card, stamped with YO HO HO and a map stamp) with some craftworks card candy in the corners and some ribbon wrapped around.

I must admit, I quite like him...

This is a card I was asked to make for a lady whose son has just become a barrister, again I am using my favourite courdory distress ink and card candy in the corners again.

Then finally, a moving home card. The key and padlock are made from friendly plastic melted and pressed into a mould,the bird cage is layered and slightly domed to give the effect of depth and patterened background paper is over stamped with the word Home and some trailing leaves.

Best get back to crafting,

li'l pidge x

What else now?!

Sorry, but I have not been in the right frame of mind to blog recently, after a reasonably wet weeks holiday after all those lovely hot and sunny weeks we had I thought my luck must be up for a change of direction.

Oh how wrong I was!
lady luck is a fickle mare and seems to be in a bit of a hissy fit with me at the moment! Driving home from work, I noticed smoke coming out of my boot!!! I had to look twice as I couldn't believe what was happening, actual smoke from the boot of the car! Now, I don't smoke, so I quickly pulled over, fearful that my craft bag may be in the boot still!!! But it was ok, it was only work stuff! Phew!

Well, finally I have the car back and its as good as new (easily fixed, but something I could really do without!), so I took a days leave and spent the day crafting!

A day spent applying gesso to MDF coaster blanks, altering stuff, inking (boy, how do you get distress ink off your fingers-they're great products, but good god they stain!), filing down brass watch parts (more of that later) and playing with hot glue guns-finally it feels like I am a bit more human again!!

So, remember those brass parts I was filing down? Well, the microscope slide necklaces that I have been making are now stocked in a art/craft gallery, so fingers crossed that the discerning public realise style and individuality when they see them!

I still have to download the photos of them, but as soon as I have I'll post them on here for you all to see.

Now, after my day crafting I have LOTS of UFO's (unFinished objects), so I'd best get on and finish some of them!!

Happy crafting
Li'l Pidge x

Ooh look what the postie brought me

One of the Crafting Coven, the lovely Becky, posted me this fab gift! A wonderful Tim Holtz paper and a couple of great quality stamps! what a lovely surprise.



I couldn't wait to experiment.
Becky bought me this stamp as my cousin is a tattoo artists and specialises in Japanese tattoo's, so the koi ties in nicely. I coloured in the image with pro markers, distressed the edge with my ever useful distress inks, matted and layered on a couple of pieces of card and added a ribbon and message.

I coloured in with promarkers and added a bit of glitter on the wings with my sakura pens. Distressed the edge of the design and mat and layered it. I punched ferns from green vellum that I stamped with bits of bown ink to add depth, layering up some angelina fibres that I ironed into a sheet and separated into smaller pieces by tearing it, adding a fabric brad for a bit of dimension.

Finally adding some gems for that little bit of sparkle.

I am looking forward to experimenting with these.

Happy crafting

li'l pidge x

So, fine weather and a day free...what to do, what to do?

Off to Dorset to the Tolpuddle Martyrs festival.

What's that then? Well, on 24th Feb 1834, six farm labourers from Tolpuddle were arrested on a charge of taking part in an illegal oath ceremony. The real offence was that they had dared to form a trade union to defend their livelihoods. For this they were sentenced to seven years' transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. The sentences provoked an outcry, leading to the first great mass trade union protest. The campaign won free pardons and the Martyrs returned to England.

Considering the political situation in the UK at the moment this is ever more important, the festival was a great day, marches of all different trade unions, marching bands, Tony Benn did a rousing speech and many great bands.

Great weather, great company, for a great cause.



Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds

The fabulous Mr Billy Bragg

Folk royalty Eliza Carthy

For me, this was the best banner of the day

and just a few of the TU's present....