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