A few days away, lots of galleries and in print!

After the UK had wet weather predicted for our weeks summer holiday (bleeding typical) we decided to head for the capital and enjoy a few days in London seeing the galleries and museums (if your going to be indoors because of the weather you might as well get a bit of culture). So after a bit of research on Trip Advisor we booked a B&B and headed off. What a great find, the B&B was spotless, friendly staff and a great breakfast (so much so, we changed our original plans and stayed on longer than we first anticipated!). We saw the Chapman Brothers exhibition (they guys that depicted Hell that sadly was burnt when the Satchii colelction went up in smoke a few years ago) at the Tate, the new Telling tales at the V&A (the cross-over between art and craft) and saw Mick Jones' new band (him who used to be in the Clash) supporting Billy Bragg at a local pub. They were supporting his charity where Billy raises funds for instruments/musical tuition in prison (called JailGuitarDoors). What a great few days! (and I found a few bead shops along the way!).

So, returned and refreshed (apart from sick hubby, not swine flu I am pleased to say, but a rotten headcold) I pounced into the craft room with renewed vigor...This is a background I made, by applying distressed inks all over then spraying with a gold mica powder mixed with water, it gives a lovely sheen. I then used this as a basis to create this card:

I am loving these new inchie stamps by inkadoo, they are so cute. I even used them to make this necklace by stamping over a coloured background, layering it into a heavy metal pendant blank, using 3D Gel by Judikins to add a resin effect, with some glitter and mico beads. It takes about a week to make, layering it overtime and waiting for the resin to set (it gets harder over time, so its worth putting it to one side for a couple of days, before adding ther final layer).
Then I embarked on a massive card making session, using some of the fabulous holographic card I bought
Then a couple of golden wedding cards:



and some more general cards:
Then I decided to 'alter' a jigsaw piece, double embossing and attaching it to the front of a blue/white pearlescent card:
Then, just for change I decided to make a small felt stuffed heart brooch:


and a brooch made from a large button I bought in Liberty (wow, that shop has the most amazing haberdashery department, with all the lovely Amy Butler fabrics.

Then, finally I have had a chance to do a couple more scrap pages:

I bought Crafts Beautiful magazine agains this month, and there are some more great paper toppers (always great value for money), so I made this soccer card. I also noticed that my Secret Garden card I made a few weeks ago with the Peter Rabbit toppers was pulished in this months magazine, wow! I'm in print, so a big thank-you to the CB team for publishing my picture!

Off to craft, so happy crafting,

Li'l Pidge

Inspired, but thwarted!

Inspired by last weeks make, I went to John Lewis (what a great fabric department) and bought some Amy Butler fabric. This morning, I set up the table, sewing machine and bits and bobs ready to make another skirt.

But, totally forgot I needed to pre-wash the fabric so it doesnt shrink after spending many hours making it! Boo! So, have just washed it, so cant really make it today, so off to finish a few more UFO's that I have hanging around.

Have fun and happy crafting
Li'l Pidge

A story of the struggle between bird and machine

As some of you know, the 'sewing machine killer' aka me doesnt have a particularly great relationship with these machines from hell. That was, until I paid a bit more and bought a 2nd hand Jamone XC 33 and now, slowly, I am gaining a bit more respect for them! So, having bought the Amy Butler Barcelona skirt pattern I thought I would give it a go.

So, I laid out all the bit on the table (o dear, I seen to have now spread to the dining room with my stash!!)Cut and pinned the pattern, then made my first cut-no going back now!
Now it was time to tackle my first zip. I read the machines instructions, changed to the zipper foot, lined it all up.....then...ping! Oh b*gger, forgot to change the stitch so down came the needle and promptly snapped in two! Luckily, the machine came with a couple of spares (I think I will need a few of these!) so, back out with the instruction book on how to change the needle, then, 2nd time around-hurrah! Not,perfect, but I am well chuffed, my first ever zip.
Now, it was fast becoming a long day and I was seriously considering not doing a lining, especially the muslin lining as it wasnt cutting even and was a bit of a mare all round, but then I thought, I had come this far so best push on...Then, as the sun was over the yard arm, I finally finish! Hurrah, my very own proper, shaped skirt.I also managed to complete another UFO, my first knitted hat (displayed on my up-turned scrumpy flagon!)
And a few more cards, including a commission for twin girls.
The card on the left used a few more of the Crafts Beautiful Beatrix Potter toppers, which is not my usualy style, but they bring back so many memories of my childhood that I am loving using them.

Well, I am off to look at my lovely new skirt again, which including the pattern, thread etc only cost £20, so when I make the next one, it will be cheaper as I already have the pattern!

Have fun playing outside before the drudgery of Monday is on us all too quick!

Li'l Pidge

UFO's galore

Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
No - it's a UFO! An Un Finished Object!

Having cleaned up the craft room (or 'the tip' as we have started referring to it!) I discovered many UFO's, so I decided to finish some off.

This is one of the vast collection of Christmas choccy tins that friends collected for me way back in January!!I had already sprayed it white and decided to stick black and white patterened paper around the tin, adding ribbon around the rim and a piece of embossed card on the lid. The idea is that I can use it as posh and useable wrapping for birthday cakes or cookies that I intend to make at some point (another UFO?). Now, only 6 other tins to decorate!!

Next, I have had some paper roses for a couple of months and haven't used them for anything, so I decided to make a romatic styled card using torn vellum, card and some gold threaded purple fibre paper.I also bought some wired ribbon, so made this corsage and box-I have no idea what to do with it, I may try to sell it for charity, its really pretty and I think it would look great also on a bag or at the waist on a prom dress
Next up, some beads I bought with the sole purpose of making some ear-rings as a gift for my nan who lives in New Zealand (I don't think she is online often, so am probably safe putting a picture on here-but Nan, if you are, you go girl-silver surfers rule!)Then next up, a re-purposed hardwood pencil box I bought to put a necklace and earing set in. I lined it with velevt paper and made the necklace with a large glass pendant strung with leather cording and organza ribbon. The ear-rings are a new thing, as I haven't tried hooped ones before, but I am please with the results, so will definately try these again.And finally, a piece for me. The pendant I bought at a craft show, collaged a butterfly, glitter and micro beads and covered it with Judikins 3D gel. Expensive (much more than diamond glaze) but a great result. I wouldlove to have a go at resin pieces, but too many H&S issues etc, so this is the next best thing for me. Now I need to scour the net for some more pendants I can mount things in!
Also, I noticed (blushing) that on the latest Crafts Beautiful e-newsletter they kindly chose my secret garden/peter rabbit card for one of the members projects! Wow, how nice, thats 2 items now on the e-newsletter and one actually in print! Such a buzz-thanks.

Well, thats it for now, happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

Ramblings from a shop weary bird

Well, after a fab weekend in the sun with my family (and a bit of craft shopping...well, when I say a bit.... obviously the definition is a little foggy!

Some of these were from a couple of craft shops. but then in the local flea market I found a mantle clock for 30p!! So I prised off the glass dome (any ideas what I can use this for, please email me, it was just to good to get rid of) and the face and handles. I will use the face as a stencil to create my own backing papers, then this just left an old wooden box, not really good enough to alter, but I got chatting to a lady on the bench I was sat on whilst dismantling the clock and asked if she could use it, and YES, she could use it as a nesting box for wild birs in her garden, not bad, all that for 30p!
I also took the plunge and bought a couple of Amy Butler patterns....

so now I am on the look out for fabric (and to learn how to use the zipper foot on my new machine)!

Once I got home, the house smelt of elderflower, so it was time to bottle up the elderflower cordial I have been making

the elderflower season is not very long, so I have to work quickly to make enough to last the year (and possibly as Christmas pressies also).

Finally, I had 5 minutes to myself and managed to make 4 cards.


The card on the top right (not a very good shot as its taken on my mobile phone as my camera battery is dead) is actually a fishing fly embedding into a pice of leather, similar to the keyring I made my father for Fathers day.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge

Woo-hoo crafting weekend

Hurrah, the sun is shining and I managed to get a bit of crafting done this weekend (and tidy up the old nest a wee bit!). Between getting my dose of vitamin D and getting more loads of washing dry on the line than I have managed for AGES (but good god, the ironing mountain now has wee mountain goats leaping from blouse to trousers, and I am sure I spotted a climber tackling the north face!).

As we are approaching Fathers Day, and in my attempt to raise some cash for charity I have made lots of male oriented cards that I hope to sell at work.


The card on both the left and right has my own handmade backing paper, where I coloured plain paper with Tim Holtz distressed ink in tea dye applying it with foam,then I made a mask using a rugby ball peel-off and over spraying with a mist ink. The green circle is fake grass made with flock-loving the flock at the moment!!


Next up, more backing homemade backing paper. The card on the left has a large peel-off oriental stork and I have backed this onto silver oriental writing embossed card. The card on the right, I used a pack of cards stamp in ink called London Fog (what a great name!), then addedd retro star stamps to a piece of textured card with silver leaf around the edge then mounted 3 miniture playing cards with a polka dot brad.


Then a dandelion card, double mounted and distressed and tucked behind vellum, but the best has to be my own fathers card- handmade backing paper again (this time using the watch necklace as a mask), but the origami shirt on the front looks like a generous £20, but it is a fake £40 note that is actually an advert for a local furniture shop that I have had put to one side for several months waiting for fathers day. I cant wait to see his face!!This card was designed by my very clever OH for his brothers 40th birthday. The crumpled and dyed green part represents a mod parka jacket, the pink check and button a Ben Sherman shirt and the fake badges have been glazed with judi-kins art gel for that high shine.

This card uses this months free Crafts Beautiful Beatrix Potter toppers and I have over dyed some papermania secret garden paper stacks then mounted the toppers with foam pads for a bit of dimension.These cards have a bit of bling on each, in the form of jewels, stickles glitter and mirri card, not my usual style, but I think they are still pretty.

This is a box I made for my fathers day gift and I stamped uo the white card before cutting it out and assembling, complete with a scalloped topper.


Open it up and it reveals its gift...A keyring I made with some silver leafed edged leather which I embedded a fishing fly into and then wrapped blue wire around. I hope dad likes it.

This week has also seen me making LOTS of elderflower cordial. So far I have made 2 lots of plain, 1 lot with added root ginger and 1 lot of mixed citrus. Its a race against time to make enough to not only last us the year, but to use as pressies also!

Anyhoo-CSI Miami beckons so I must fly,
have fun playing and happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

Platered of a different kind

So much for blogging regular-the last 5 weeks or so have been totally crazy. The house has been turned upside down as we have had walls and ceilings plastered and painted-it looks great now, but packing the entire ground floor of the house and moving into just our bedroom (meaning NO craft room for all that time-I cant tell you how patient my OH has been, I have been a 'mare not being able to craft-serious withdrawl) and the dust! Oh, the dust! Never in my life did I ever think I would see a day when I wanted, nay, looked foreward to dusting the house and cleaning!! But I am ok now, and that dark time of my life (when I wanted to clean and not be able to craft) has passed and the general dishevelled chaos of my home life has been restored! Hurrah!!

So, whats been happening in the 'Lil Pidge nest? Well, apart from all the plastering, painting and general hell of it all-we bought a couple of folding bikes!! Easier to store and can be chucked in the back of the car-its been great, we have been slowly getting out each week whizzing around the cycle lanes of the south west, we even cycled to our closest town at the weekend to get the shopping and cycled back with our rucksacks bulging-only 7 miles but its a start (the old wings are getting tired so a bike sounded easier).

And finally a bit of crafting (but nowhere near as much as I would have liked). I managed to use some the new stamps I bought from the 3D Jean website for a girlfriends birthday card this week
I used the rollagraph hibiscus stamp to create the background and hand coloured and glittered the 50's pip-up adding a little animal print ribbon and a polka dot brad.

Next up, a few Fathers day cards. Once again I have made my own backing paper by randomly colouring a piece of paper with a Distressed Ink Pad in tea dye then over spraying with an ink mist in diet cola colour, spraying over a cheap (£2) ASDA necklace of a fob watch. I then stamped a deckled edged piece horizontally with a script stamp and distressed the edges, adding a stamped clock face which I glazed.

All of this is mounted with eyelets onto a piece of textured wallpaper!.


The card at the front also has textured wallpaper-the black is fake stitched leather wallpaper, with an embossed piece of contrasting card, a ribbon and a holographic peeloff shirt mounted onto acetate and folded in a way to give depth to the card.

Finally, I made a baby girl card for an order at work, hopefully it will fit the bill.


and that is about it for now. Hopefully I will be able to get lots more crafting done over the coming weeks

Happy crafting

Lil Pidge