A few more makes

Finally have gotten around to uploading some photos (does anyone know of some free software that will rezise photos for blogging-an automated function would be so much easier?) of some of my recent makes....



This one is using white dreamweaver paste

These are vintage adverts with embossed paper, handtinted flowers, punched leaves that I spritzed with a little colour and some holographic fibres



and this stamp I love-it reminds me of the great poem by Jenny Joseph:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.


You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.


But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children
We must have friends for dinner and read the papers.


But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Jospeph




I love it-so, my previous post was the beer mat, being a crafter I have LOTS of pens and pencils and bits and bobs in boxes and to top it all I bought a purple dress last Saturday!!



Now...off to learn to spit.......

A cruddy time...

Boo-having a bit of a cruddy time at work, but hey, I still have a job when loads of people don't. The bigger cruddy news is on the health front, not life threatening, but I am on lots of tablets (so not liking the steroids, don't feel like I can fly much at the moment) and in pain and not sleeping-thank god for crafting!

And when I hit a crafting block, a quick scout around the web for some inspiration is always great (and clearing through my old magazine and creating an inspirations book with ideas and techniques-though I do wonder how I can spend quite as much on magazine!! Think of all the crafting stash I could buy!).

So, whilst clearing out my bits and pieces I came across a Fentimans beer mat that I have been keeping-classic!

I haven't taken a photo with my finger curled round (see the furtling picture) but you can guess what it looks like!! and Fentimens make the best ginger beer around-totally natural and very strong.

I have been trying to use up some of my stash as I am going to a craft show soon (need to make some space for more stash!!) so I made a coaster for my desk at work, from an MDF blank coaster, which I applied a layer of gesso, I stamped some of the ornate ironwork stamps from PaperArtsy around the edges, over stamping at the corners with a floral flourish, adding a touch of stickles glitter for a subtle bit of office bling I then edged the coaster with a variety of distressed inks, adding a vintage page and a bee stamp. I then gave it 2 coats of yatch varnish
to protect it from the hot mugs.

Now I have a lovely coaster at work to remind me of the creative of my life (I just hope the smell of yatch varnish disappears soon!!!)

Li'l Pidge x

theres no business like 'sew' business....

Night in-nest is free of all distractions so apart from a bit of blogging, I have decided to get out the sewing machine and use up some lavender, filling and fabric and make some hanging lavender hearts that I can distress/decorate at a later date.

I have made a few so far and they are great fillers for presents or even over the neck of a bottle of wine if you are visiting as an extra little bit of handcrafted love!

So, in order to be organised, I thought, make a few....put to one side, then i have a haul ready to go....now, just need to not get distracted by blogland or BBC6 music or ashes to ashes!!!



Ooh, also, I have been a bit busy this week and altered an old christmas choccy tin and turned it into a vegan hamper for a friends birthday

There is a lavender heart in the middle.

Happy Crafting weekend allx

Li'l Pidge x

Happy Easter everyone

Happy Easter-its cold and grey, so must be a bank holiday!

My lovely hubby bought me my favourite chocolate (made in Dorset and utterly devine) and now there is barely room in my belly for a end of holiday glass of red wine-oooh, there.....there in the corner, just enough space...yes!


Some of you may have noticed that my blogging is not as sporadic as usual, this is because I bought a netbook and we got wi-fi, so I dont need to share the PC or sit downstairs to type, I can now craft and upload the photos all in one room-so much easier.

So, what have I been up to?

Well I have bought some wonderful products from torbay textiles and hand made myself a scarft, and made one for my mum for an easter surprise.


You start with what looks like black knitted netting....


You then weave through some wonderful dyed fibres, cloth, whatever you feel works really.

Then you use a sewing machine and sew up, down and along at various points to secure the thread, then you end up with a wonderful, individual scarf


I love it! Depending on the fibres you use and the order you use them in, I imagine the effect will be different every time.



I have also been making some cards with a beach penguin theme! I made one for a good friends birthday, loved it so much I decided to use up all the paper making a batch of them!

I also managed to send another cheque to charity this week, this time £50 to SENSE who work with the deafblind, a worthy cause.

Anyhoo-need to crack on with making a birthday present, so happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

1 thing i love and 1 thing I don't

There is no stopping me now. I have made a union jack cusion with pink tweed, lace and some chintzy fabric....

I love it and as you can see, its taking pride of place in MY chair! I'm loving my sewing machine, if only I had known all those years ago that cheap was not neccessarily best!

So, onto the 1 thing I don't love.

The new Tim Burton film, Alice in Wonderland. Now, I am a big Tim Burton fan, but this has none of dark sub plot that we have come to love in Mr Burton's films, such a shame really as the orginal story is fantastic but you dont feel as though you attach to the characters and as for the Mad Hatter, the only think I could see as mad was speaking in 2 accents, eccentric maybe, mad, no.

If you love the earlier dark humour of Tim Burtons films then I can recommend Jean-Pierre Jeunet, we went to see Micmacs the other week, a great french comedy with amazing cinematography and plots.

Anyway, that's enough non-craft blathering from me, back off to craft a bit more.

Happy Crafting

li'l pidge x

ooh just a quick blog

Just a quickie to say thanks to crafterga on the CB forum who sent me a booklet of delicious vegan cakes....ooh, I feel a baking session coming on! And the lovely lady included some crafting goodies.wow, thanks. All I can say is look out for your postie!!

Hubby is playing a gig tonight so I can craft all night whilst listening to Radcliffe and Machonie on Radio 2......hurrah! so cant stop and chat as there is crafting to be done......

happy crafting
lil pidge x

A few more makes

Hurrah! Spring looks like it has finally sprung-boy it was a long time coming. I was starting to think we would never see the other side of all the snow and miserable weather, but the snow drops are out and the crocus are blooming-hurrah!! So I decided to make a few spring inspired makes.

I also finally got round to mounting the new stamp I bought, I love this 'time flies' stamp that I coloured in and added some glaze to the watch face...very alice in wonderland I thought!

mmmnnnn, Alice in Wonderland....really looking forward to seeing it......just to star at Mr Depp!!

need to go and have a lie down for a bit......

lil pidge x

Finally a few new makes

So, you must be thinking that I havent been crafting AT ALL! Well, I have, but I havent got my sh*t together to photograph it. So, a big thanks to my dad who took some photos (with his v. posh nikon slr and light room box) so i can finally share my goodies.

This is a hair slide I made. The flower is made from wired ribbon, with small beads in the centre. I have needle felted 2 leaves and on the left, you can just see i hid a bumble bee!

This is my valentines gift I made for my long suffering crafting widow-husband! Its made from grunge paper, which I cut out, distressed with inks, stamped, glittered, punched holes and added eyelets.
I added a hear pin, some black trim and used a glaze to highlight the 'with love' stamp so it was glossy.

I also decorated the back, adding grunge board wings (glittered, then wiped off to distress them), a grunge board crown that i used a gold leaf pen to add a bit of colour and some more black trim.
At the bottom of the heart I added a chain, shrink plastic winged heart and a skull key to finish it off......1,2,3........aaahhhhhh.....

Happy crafting

l'il pidge xx

Charity Donation

Oops forgot to say that I made my next donation to charity, the profits that I make go to a different charity each time. This time it was £75 for lifecycleuk, a local charity that takes out blind and partially sighted people out on tandems-cycle at speed, wind through hair, blind! What a great idea. You find out more about their work here:

http://www.lifecycleuk.org.uk/about

A big thanks to everyone who buys my handmade goods-it wouldnt be possible without you.
x

busy, busy

The last couple of weeks have seen me really busy at work (boo-what cant I craft for a living) so not much time for crafting. I have managed to go to the Exeter craft show, so have a few goodies to play with when time allows, and I have managed to make a few birthday pressies, but thought it best not to post any pictures on here until I have given them the gifts!

Meant to working now, but sat here doing ANYTHING to aviod it, hell, I even took up a pair of trousers and am contemplating ironing, that's how much I dont want to do the work!!

Li'l pidge