Two's company.

Here are two of February's ATC's for the playing card challenge.
I had hopped to have all four suits to show you but sadly events overtook in the month.

Two of Clubs.
The idea for this card is very loosely based on 'Bill and Ben the flowerpot men. (Does anyone else remember the childrens tv programe.) Again the clubs are on boingy springy things so that they stand away from the flower pot.


Mr worm just popped out to say hello!


The back with butterfly.



The two of spades.


Do my Ears look big in these?


Random butterflies for the back.

Elevenses anyone!

Time I think for some cake (ok lemon meringuq pie on a chocolate biscuit base)

and a nice mug of char.

I made these as extras to go in with a mug rug swap I did a while ago. I was in such a hurry not to miss the deadline for the swap that though I took photos of the mug rug I completely forgot to do the pie and mug .Doh!. Fortunately my swap partner was kind enough to take photos her end and send them to me. They have been sitting in my photo album ever since waiting for the right moment to appear.

Entering this into the following challenge. (lets see if they notice.)

Cup Cake. Cake and / or icecream.

Snickerdoodle Bag

The theme this month over at Frosted Petunias February Artful Bag challenge is to take an object (any object) which clearly isn't a bag and make it into one whilst still retaining the original shape/concept.
My choice is this Snickerdoodle cardboard box which came to me courtesy of my lovely blogging friend Barbara at christmas time. Contents long been consumed (Thanks Barbara). I kept the box because of the straw weaving design and thought I could use it again.
Here you can see I have already cut the top down in preparation.

And this is the result.

I covered the front and back panels with cream cardstock and neatened round the top both inside and out with lavender satin ribbon. Attached organza lavender ribbon for the handles

and then went to town making up some flowers from yellow and mauve paper and some matching brads. I think they look rather like pansies.

I trimmed the back with my now customery butterfly made from mauve spotty paper.
All ready now for popping some Easter treats into.

Yep I know its not Easter yet but when I first thought of this idea it was going to be a Valentines bag with pink flowers and pink heart shaped cutouts but as it happened events at home delayed the project somewhat. As I was putting the pink stash away I spotted the cream card and mauve ribbons and this bag was born instead. ( You see thats why we need so much stash in order to accommodate such snitches and hiccups.)

Going to also entered into the following challenges.

The Creative Cottage: Fabulous florals.

Flutterby Wednesday: Anything goes theme along with a butterfly,angel or fairy.

Delightful challenge: Use your scraps. (Everything was from my stash).

All Sorts: Inspired by Nature (spring flowers and butterfly).

Penny Farthing.

Thought I would have a go this week on making an ATC.
The idea for this one came to mind when looking at a challenge that asked for a Bottle Cap on the card. I imediately thought Penny Farthing (as you do)!
This is actually the third try. First card couldn't fit all the lettering on. Der!
Second one, went to upload the pic and decided the back wheel was way way too big (looked more like a lopsided bicycle) so hopefully this one works (well not literally).
Used the bottle cap of course for the large front wheel.

As the penny farthing is an old design I tried to give the ATC an aged feel about it.
Used 'Spiced Marmalade' distress ink around the card and 'Jet Black ' StazOn on the edges.
Then painted the bottle cap and the penny farthing using Jo Sonja's paint.


On the back my standard butterfly using my new stamp!

Entering this into the following:

Fun with ATC'S. Use a bottle cap.
Anything Goes. Distressing.
Make It Monday Party.

Workdesks 89 and 90!

Two desks for the price of one. What a bargain!
This was my desk taken last Wednesday but not uploaded. Thought you might like to see it anyway.
Somebody broke my sewing machine bulb!!!!!!
Couldn't have been due to a certain little character using it as an unauthorised sun bed could it?



My desk taken at 2.30 am this morning.



No. That's not one of the cats but a strip of fur that I have just unstitched from my latest charity shop find. Namely a pure lambswool and angora cardigan which I'm hopping will felt up nicely on a boil wash. Watch this space to see what will become of it. The fur and hooks/eyes will go into my stash.(Waste not want not).

The snickerdoodle box pushed to one side is in the process of being turned into the February handbag challenge and the bottle top sat on my computer is going to be for an ATC challenge which requires you to use one on your entry.

If you'd like to snoop around lots of other desks then head on over to Julia's blog here.

Take Flight.

Firstly let me say a huge thankyou to everyone who sent thoughts and well wishes both here on my blog and also on Fluff's. I know that 'The Doc' has read all your messages. Your kindness has been over whelming and it is nice to know such lovely blogging friends.

Below is a Mini quilt swap that I did for the end of January. My partner Karin in Sweeden has received this now so I can show you all. The theme of the mini quilt (6" x 12") was 'Take Flight' to be interpereted how you liked but to be in colours that your partner would enjoy. A hot air balloon was the first thing that came into my mind and Karin told me that she liked the colours red and green in her quilts. The balloon has been padded with extra wadding to make it stand out slightly as it flies over the hills. Clouds and hills have been handstitched on to complete the effect.


This is the reverse with a large butterfly (my signature for this yr) appliqued to continue the Take Flight theme. The quilting was hand stitched from the back to the wadding only so that the two pictures had their own quilting design. I did butterflies in red and then random quilting inbetween to fill the gaps.
I was quite pleased with how this turned out and Karin loved it.



I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

A Spoonful of Sugar: Anything but a card.
Creative Belli: Use felt or fabric.
Fab 'n'Funky: Make your own embellishment ( Fluffy clouds and hot air balloon).
C.R.A.F.T. challenge: Not a card.
Pile it On: Childhood Dreams (to dream of going around the world in eighty days!)
One Stitch at a Time: Anything but square. (Oblong)

Backwards or Forwards.

In memory of my Father in law.
21/04/1925 - 11/02/2011.
Thankyou for everyones well wishes.
I can't help thinking that he chose this date.

Going off line now for a few days whilst we come to terms with our loss.

Pile of Hearts

This is what I decided to make my partner Lindsay for the Valentine Heart Swap being organised by  Lisa of NoodleBubble.
The material is some that has been in my stash for at least 25yrs. The red ribbon even longer as that dates back to when I used to make the costumes for the Dancing school productions that Faye was in. See if you keep it long enough you'll find a use for it.

This is a close up of the largest (bottom of the pile) heart. It is actually two hearts as the smaller was applied to the front material and stuffed and then the back material stiched on and the whole heart stuffed again to give a nice squiggy feel to it.

Three more hearts were added with different length ribbons and some heart shape buttons and beads for decoration.

They were all sewn together at the top around a small wooden curtain pole ring. Not having a butterfly on the material I made a heart shaped gift tag stamped with a butterfly which I enclosed in with parcel which I sent off last week. Hope Lindsay liked her pile of Hearts.

I am entering the hearts into the following challenges.

 By the Cute and Girly:Use red + any other colour.

 Creatalicious Challenges: Shows some ribbon. Make it a Love theme.

 Allsorts Challenge: It must be Love Love love.

 Cup Cake Craft: Seeing Red. Incorporate red in your project.

 A Spoonful of Sugar: Lets see some Love.

Craft your days away: Use the photo as inspiration.

Pile it On:   Bright and breezy.

Work Desk Wednesday 88

All at sixes and sevens this week as we had a phone call last Saturday that FIL had been taken into hospital seriously ill and as he lives a 100miles away this has meant that Hubby has needed to go up and down the motor way to visit. He has just gone back down today so I'm now trying to catch up on everything since the Weekend.

This is my workdesk this morning. I did manage to post off a swap parcel yesterday for my partner Angela in the Fabric Collage swap. Hope that she likes it as I'm very unsure about it. Forayed into unclear waters on the technique of shabby chic.
So on my desk today an empty box and some heart material that I need to magic into a handbag of some sorts. On the right a pile of material for another ScrappyMug Rug swap and in the middle Monkey sporting a sore nose cos he burnt it (last wednesday) using my sewing machine as a sun bed! Serves him right.
If you want to see what I made with the punch go back a post and forward a post to see the finished pile of hearts that are now with my swap partner.
Below is a glimpse of Wimpey hiding up the side of the washing machine.

He was hoodwinked into visiting the vets yesterday for his yearly jabs/mot. At first signs of the basket appearing again he will be back behind the washing machine which is where he normally resides.
If you want cheering up on this drab dreary Wednesday then go and see what the rest of the bunch are up to at Julia's blog.

Hats my last Ace!

The 4th and last Ace card for the Altered Playing Card Challenge.

Don't ask me where this came from! One minute I was looking at the flower punch on my desk struggling for ideas and the next a picture of a top hat with a wobbly flower sprang to mind. So striking while the iron was hot I set to making the 'Ace of Clubs'.

The material was cut and fused using Bonda Web and then glued to the ATC card. Ribbon added

for the top hat band. I used one punched flower with the extra leaves cut way to make the club/clover shape and then attached it to a bongy springy thing to make it wobble about.

Used distressed ink on the back layering up over cut outs masking the shape of the club and the butterfly. Fake brown stitching round the edge and a Stamped A. to finish off with.

Februarys cards will be all the 2's.

Workdesk Wednesday No 87.

Normal services have been resumed. This is my desk at 2am this morning so technically its Wedensday. I went downstairs to get a biscuit and when I came back I found Monkey using the lamp on my sewing machine as a sun bed!! The cheek of it.

The heart is for a valentine swap. I have made 4 altogether in different sizes and this is the last one waiting to be embellished. I had a small 2"piece of lace left over from the others and wait for it I've stitched my 1st piece of randomness. Yes! I sewed it on without rhyme nor reason and without turning in the raw edges across the gap where I put the stuffing in. I drew the line at leaving the threads hanging.(Sorry Sherry just couldn't do it).
The punch is out because I need to make my last ace card and I thought the shape vaugely resembled the club. Laid out to the right of the punch are some blues/greens ribbons and shot silk pieces that I will be using for a mini fabric collage. I have some ideas on what to do and am just playing around with layering and seeing how the colours gel.
If you'd like to have a snoop on other desks then head on over to Julia's blog Stampingground.
and see what everyone else is up to.

My First Tag Book.

The swap on the Art n Soul flickr group this month was to make a 4 page tag book. The only proviso was that each tag had to show at least one button on each side.
I have never tried to do tags before so this was my first foray (as with the ATC playing card challenge) into playing with paper.
The pictures are free downloads from a lovely blog owned by Jody of Home and heart.
Each Friday Jody hosts a selection of picture images that you can download to your computer and these are some that I spotted a while ago.
I matched up four flower prints and four images of girls and then delved into my stash of ribbons, lace and beads to embellish with. I really had fun making this and am pleased how the book has turned out. It has now been sent off in the post and I hope my partner will like it too.
I used thin satin ribbon and a pearl and glass bead trinket to attach the tags altogether at the top and of course each tag has a butterfly on it somewhere too.

Close up showing the tag fronts.


And the corresponding backs.

I am entering this into the following challenge

Anything Goes are asking for butterflies on your project.

I am also linking up to

Make it Monday Party

Me Making Do.