Wall hanging message board - note book.

I spent the afternoon and evening making this - I had had it on my mind for a couple of days, and I just had to have a go. I should have waited until morning to take the photos as it was pitch black at 7pm and my studio shed is not very bright.


I cut out a large piece of mount board to back the main piece and covered it both sides with K&Co - Teal Taperstry. I like this paper as it looks rather vintagey I thought and it matched perfectly the colours in an image on a CD I have.


Whilst that was drying, I printed off the lovely lady, mounted it on thick cream card then decorated it with some of the lovely sequins that were amongst the seed beeds etc which Pat sent me. They picked up the colours of her dress and the backing paper exactly.

I coloured with alcohol inks a little lace flower which I recycled from a old project, and added some seed beads and another sequin in the centre - it looks lovely in real life!

I cut out about 50 sheets of cream paper - took rather a long time, then punched holes in them with my Bind It All machine.

Next I cut out another piece of mount board to make for the front cover of the note pad, covered it, and matted the lady image onto it.

I was so pleased with the way that I managed to cut out a piece of the patterned paper, so that it matched exactly the pattern behind it on the board. Believe me - it wasn't easy!

Using lace from Very Mary I sandwiched is all around the note pad between a lining page - so it gives a lovely feminine feel to the book - and makes it stand out more.

I ran some more lace along the bottom edge of the message board mount too.

I used rick rack for the hanger which matches the paper really well (having first punched holes and inserted silver rivets in the backing board)

I then, with the BIA punched the holes for the backing board and the notepad front page and assembled the book. Added more lace and satin ribbon to decorate the wires - to match the colours the lady is dressed in etc.


Then I finished it off by mounting the pencil.

I managed to make it just as I had envisage in my head - makes a change - it took longer than I thought but it was worth it.

The added bonus is that if I keep it for myself - I can always make more pages for the pad, as it is easy to remove the owires and put another wodge of pages in.

Heavenly Gift from an Angell

I could smell this before I could see it - it was the smell of flowers on a warm summer evening - at dusk when the perfume is strongest.




From out of the envelope I pulled out pansies - I just love pansies - and this paper I am going to keep too - and I think I will carefully iron it and see if I can scan it - then I can use it and keep the original.

The package measures 6"x9" and look what an Alladin's 'cave' of treasure it held.


I have spread it out on the piece of net curtain I got a couple of weeks ago from the lady in the village - and the Autumn sunshine is streaming through my studio window - and it is glowing!

Here are some close ups - as usual click on photos to enlarge



Samples of silks and satins, lace, threads, pictures,ribbons all colour co-ordinated.



Take a closer look! The pictures of the little girl with the butterfly - printed on material - happens to be my favourite image. I don't have that image - but I loved it as soon as I saw it on a card that my friend Paula had on her blog. There are more little images, hand dyed ribbons, and look at that little bag crammed with seed beads, little leaves, flowers, and other glittering delights - I can't wait to examine them all one by one. But now I am so excited I just have to show you more.





Look at the lusciously rich brocade - looks like it is a piece from one of Queen Elizabeth I gowns - what a treasure. It positive gleams and glows in the sunlight.



Look at that little piece of hand painted trim - isn't it just amazing - and the painted portrait to the left of it - where did that come from - what a treasure!




This is a much covetted original work of art - one of 'her' very famous nest pendants - wow! The time and work that has gone into creating it!




My wondrous parcel has now been added to my stash drawer and I can't wait to get started. But first I am going to buy this book - it is a 'must have' for me! I was going to wait until Christmas but I need it NOW! Then I can start to make some of these well perhaps not some - but a crazy quilt little work of art(but obviously not as well as) this lady who is very famous - and just happened to have sent me such a wonderful gift to get me started.

It is going to be wonderful hobby for me to be able to do indoors in the winter, when the weather is bad, and it is too cold and wet and dark to be in my 'studio' (shed at the end of the garden.)

Thank you so very much Pat - I am going to get started as soon as I can - but first I need to buy a needle threader LOL my one broke and I am hopeless at threading needles.

It is pitch black outside - so best I go up the garden path and back indoors - and its not even 7pm yet!

P.S. you should Google Pat Winters - and see all the fantastic work she has done - visit her blog to see her very own Angell

A Very Mary

If you haven't found Very Mary yet you really must take a look. Take a look at her past posts - she makes so many things!

Have a look on her Etsy sites - the things she 'finds' are just amazing. All vintagey and or quirky - and just fabulous.

Very Mary had been reading my blog about my hunting for stash to get myself started on my new project - sewing.

I had browsed her Etsy shop and saw this wonderful vintage material - and thought it would be great for a bag.

I love the fact that it looks almost like Batik - and the pattern is so very cheerful.

Very Nary kindly offered to send me some of her vintage laces - and she was really poorly at the time with a fever and confined to bed!

I wasn't in a rush - but Very Mary somehow got them in the post to me - and what a surprise. They were wrapped in vintage clothes pattern paper - it is that wonderful shade of caramel that tissue paper goes over many years. I very carefully slid out the contents - as I want to use the paper in a future project. Not sure what yet - but it is such wonderful paper.

I am now building up a stash - so thought I would proudly show you how it looks now!



Very Mary had wrapped layers of pieces of lace onto card. What a surprise when I unwound a piece to find another underneath - and another.......

I have followed her lead, and spent a happy afternoon cutting up cardboard and wrapping hers - and my bits onto card and now look at my stash - doesn't it look good. I have added to it with pieces I have bought from charity shops these past few weeks, some Haruko, my lovely daughter in law found at a car boot sale. The maroon and grey on the top row, I found in another charity shop in a local little town. There is some that Haruko cut off an old dress, (the top right hand corner, with the silvery pieces) the latter her friend had cut off a top and was selling them at a boot sale - not all the pieces are long - some are just short lengths - but every last little bit I can find a use for.

Doesn't it look a wonderful collection. Before all the bits were just in a drawer - now it looks so much nicer all carded - and I can see at a glance the different sizes. It also looks like I have so much more too.

Thank you Very Mary for showing me how to store the laces properly, for the lovely selection you sent me - and for the material - I will put them all to good use!

Skinny Pages

I am doing my first alphabet skinny page swap - and I kinda jumped in the deep end without thinking. Gulp

I have to make 38 pages - and my letter is 'O'.

When I found out how many pages - my brain froze in panic!

I decided it was best to tackle it 'head on' rather than leaving it until nearer the deadline time and panic even more.

Here is a sample of some of them - don't want to put all the designs on here or it will spoil the surprise.



It is for a 'stamping' forum - so stamp I did - and distress!

I was limited by the little collection of stamps I have but here goes..............
(As usual click on the photo to enlarge)


O is for Owls - some of which are on sunset orange inked backgrounds - the colour is much richer than the photo shows. The other owls are supposed to look as though it is misty almost foggy and mysterious. The black distressing is to suggest night time.

I don't have many 'sentiment' or 'word' stamps - but this poem I just love - by Walter de la Mere

You should see the state of my fingers - all shades of ink. No two are the same - they make look it at first glace, but each page was inked and stamped individually so they are all slightly different.

O is also for Oriental



So I have stamped different Oriental ladies onto different coloured backgrounds and coloured them with distress inks and Promarker pens.

I took all the photos in sunlight on my work bench which has bleached the colours somewhat - they are all richer shades. I have yet to mount them all on a bigger piece of card. I have laid the Oriental lady onto pink card - its not Barbie doll pink as it looks here - but different shades of deeper pink - a bit deeper than the bottom of the backing card!

Edited to say

I have finally finished - this post is just a sneak peek at some of them there are more different orientals not shown here - and owls. I have embossed some too!

They have all been mounted on white card with the space at the top for where they are to be bound!

A better photo of some of the owls


All finished and ready to go - just got to buy some padded envelopes then they will be in the post next week.

Harvest Festival

For the first time is ages this morning was lovely and cloudy - perfect.

I slip, slapped, and slopped on the suncream, and covered up from top to toe to spend a wonderful time up the allotment until lunchtime and the sun came out.



Here is just a small sample of my harvest festival - my growing work of art!



Wonderful sunflowers now adorn my little home. I don't usually like picking flowers - but there are so many up the allotment that I decided to bring some home - they make me smile.

Pat dug up a carrier bag full of these gorgeous potatoes - just a tiny sample of them here

I picked double the amount of corgettes shown here - these have now been cooked with double the amount of tomatoes - roasted in the oven with other scrummy things!

I also roasted a big tray of tomatoes, in olive oil, herbs and black pepper - to freeze for the winter.

The butternut squash was a surprise - and I picked a carrier bag of mixed beans - probably the last for this year.

All these have been grown in drought conditions without any watering either. Just goes to show what well rotted manure will do!

My internet is 'flakey' to say the least, and I have got 38 skinny pages to make and mount, and 9 inches.

Tomorrow we are off to the seaside - if it is not too sunny.

Thanks for 'passing by' I will be back next week!

Have a good weekend

Latest Bag

As usual click to enlarge to see the detail



The image from Just Lilla I printed onto fabric and then went to town on her!

I made her dress which took hours - sewed on beads. Her necklace is tiny seed beads and as she is dancing a jig - it is bouncing about around her neck.


It has taken me a whole day so far! I really must buy a proper pattern! The bag took me hours - honestly - I just couldn't work out how I could achieve a bag without any seams visible inside! Lilla has one on her blog, but I just couldn't work out how to do it - I think you must need thin material and lots of it!

Here is how I made it - perhaps someone reading this might enlighten me!

I cut one long strip out of the thick fabric for the bag. One the same size for the cream lining material, and one piece of padding the same size!

I then made a 'sandwich' face down on the bench - padding cream bag material on top right side facing up, then the lining material.

Sewed them up on three sides, leaving one short side so that I could turn it inside out - which I did and pressed it.

I then folded it into three so that I had the body of the bag, and the front panel 'flap'.

What I would like to do is to have all the seams hidden but this way you get tiny seams inside the bag - which doesn't really matter - as they are neat baving been already sewn on the other side.




The material is very thick cream with an embossed pattern in it - almost like tapestry. I got it from a charity shop yesterday - £2.50 for a metre - I should have enough for another bag - maybe two!

When I go into town to college next week - I need to buy some cream cord for the shoulder straps.

I know I am on a BIG learning curve - but I am really enjoying the process - its rather relaxing sewing on beads and bits of material - you have to really concentrate!

Lilla's paper lady Tute

On Lilla's blog there is a tute on how to 'jazz up' a printed paper image into a Christmas paper doll

Here is my attempt

(Click to enlarge to see a close up of the netting skirt)
I cut her into sections. Next I cut out a hat shape, and glued a tiny peice of glittery red material and added a big red stickle. I used some cream netting for her skirt, enhanced some colours using promarkers, and as I didn't have any beads, I used stickles glue as beads, even on her dainty satin shoes. Finally I glued her back together onto thick card to make into a hanger or a tag not sure which. Lilla made hers a different way, but I didn't any craft sticks so had to improvise. I just love the elegance of times gone by - and those gorgeous evening gloves. I think she looks rather Regency don't you?

Lilla has this image and a Marie Antoinnette image too. Thanks for your wonderful inspiration Lilla

I loved this image so much that I have printed her onto material and am busy sewing on 'things' with the intention of using her on a bag - which I have yet to make!