Cream it is then.

The votes are in and are as follows.

Green bag 4

Denim bag 5

Cream bag 6

This really suprised me as I thought you would all go for the green straw bag. I shall away now and do my craftiness on the cream bag for the March Artful Bag challenge. Once completed it will go here on my blog as a freebie give away so stayed tuned to be in it to win it.

Paris Themed Fan.

The swap challenge for the Art 'n' Soul flickr group this month is to make a fan (using the template provided) with the theme of
" Inspired by France". I was determined not to go down the pink route so this is my interpretation. A Paris themed fan.

The use of the turquoise ribbon was not intended but the lace I had in mind for triming each blade with was just 2" short. The feathers were from my local fabric store at 10p each. A bargain I thought.

This is the fan folded up .


Opened out showing each blade. (We had to use a minimum of 6).



A closer view showing the blades in more detail. The paper I have used is from the Chatsworth Vintage Collection by Papermania. Before cutting out the blades I stamped over the sheet using a French phrases stamp by Tim Holtz and using distressed ink. I cut the blades from card (empty biscuit boxes) and glued the paper over the top. The edging is 3 threads of crochet cotton fed throught my sewing machine and bound with contrasting cotton using a close up zigzag stitch. Ribbon was then glued to the back of each one and then another matching blade attached over the top using fancy cardboard (from a supermarket cake box) to neaten. The flowers (cut from a strip) each had a glass bead sewn into the centre and then glued to the front as decoration.


The blades were assembled by threading a ribbon through a punched hole in the bases and then tied together. I attached an assortment of feathers. fringing , beads and a fabric flower to the front.


The blades were then attached at the top of the fan by ribbon glued across the back. When the fan is folded up the ribbon pleats nice and neatly between the blades. You can just see the butterfly stamped on the back.
I'm pretty chuffed at the finished result.

There is still time if you havn't already voted to choose which bag you would like to see me make for the March Altered Bag Challenge. So far the green bag has 3 votes, cream 5 and demin 5 so I need a clear winner.
You can cast your votes here. up until tonight 22.00 (GMT).

Workdesk Wednesday 92

My workdesk at 5am this morning. Iv'e been attempting to make a Parisian fan for the Art 'n' Soul March group swap. I have cut the fan shapes from thin cardboard and now just playing with an assortment of bits and bobs to embellish with. I'm quite pleased with myself that I have managed to via away from using pink.

Also working on something else off to the side of my desk on my folding table.

The following were taken earlier this morning.

Is someone taking the monkey!!

If you want to see what over 100 other desks are looking like, then head on over to Julia's blog for a snoop around. Have fun.

Which bag? You choose!

I need your help fellow bloggers!

The March Artful Bag Challenge over at Frosted Petunias is to take an actual bag this time and Embellish it into something fabulous. Now not having any plain bags in my closet( me do plain!) I have toddled off to the local charity shop and come back with three bags. I have ideas for all the bags but am throwing it over to you all to chose which one I embellish. So come on let your fingers do the talking and leave a comment here on this post telling me which one . You have until Friday 11th March 23.00hrs(GMT) to cast your vote.
I will then be publishing which bag I am doing.
After I have entered the altered bag into the challenge it will then go up on this blog for grabs.

The choices are:
green/cream straw bag. (Has plastic liner which will be replaced with something much nicer)
Cream satin clutch bag. (Has 5 inner pockets. One with a fully working zipper)
Blue demin bag. (Has 1 inner fully working zipper pocket.) Embellished at the mo with sequins on the tab which are coming straight off.




Remember you are not voting for the one you like the most but the one you would like to see embellished the most.

Blast from the past!

The doc and I have sadly been going through my FIL's house but every so often we have come across some gems and pearls (figureatively speaking). This is one of them.

I made this evening bag for my then future mother in law in 1969!!

We found it carefully wrapped up in tissue paper and placed in a fancy hankerchief box (not the box I gave it in) wrapped inside a plastic bag in a chest of drawers. When I opened it up it still smelt of her perfume (another sad moment) as there was a cotton wool ball in the bottom of the bag which had been sprayed with it. The linning is made from cream crepe and though a little brown in places from age is still in very good condition.

I still have a little strip of that gold edging that I used (in my stash) and over the years have racked my brains trying to think what I had used the rest on. Now I Know!!! The bag is made from crimplene (a very fasionable material in the sixtys as it didn't crease) and is from a dress that was made shorter. Off cuts always came my way.

We have found various other bits and bobs some of which I will post up about at a later date.

Just don't mention plastic bags!!!!!!!!

Mini Fabric Collage.

At the beginning of the year I joined the Swap for all Seasons mini fabric collage swap.
The idea was to make a mini fabric collage 5" x 7" in a style and colour that you knew your partner would like from the information given to you . My partner was Angela from Pages by the Sea. I found that her favourite colours were blues and greens, sea colours being her favourites. Angela also liked lace, beads, ribbons buttons and has a love of birds and animals.
So armed with all this information I collected all the necessary from my stash.


I then set about playing with all the various bits and bobs until a layout I was happy with what evolved. This is the first one that I came up with but having loads of bits left over I started playing around with another blank canvas and made also made the one below.

Now I was in a dilema as I just didn't know which one Angela would like the most so in the end I sent them both off to her.Luckily both were liked but now Angela dosen't know which she likes the best!!

Backs of both collages showing the buterfly details. One from material and the other stamped on.

Workdesk Wednesday No 91.

So what is on your workdesk this Wednesday. This is mine taken at 3am this morning. The lighting is incredibly dim as the 100 watt overhead light bulb went and The Doc only had a spare 60 watt to replace it with.

I have been working on making some paper flowers, cutting round circles freehand with pinking scissors , using plain papers and white printer paper that I have used distressed inks on the edge and then cut into thin strips nearly to the centre of the circles. Once layered up I think they rather look like carnations.
Right in front are two hearts that I was experimenting making from shrink plastic. They will go on the next ATC playing cards.


In the middle is an hibiscus flower made from merino wool using the wet felting method. (I was not impressed with this way of felting the wool and much prefer the dry method.) So to the left is a pile of Bagpuss's fur (taken from where I have groomed her over several months) ready for me make the last self furred picture .You can see the other two on the right of my blog. These will eventually go onto frames that need to be painted in the dinning room colours and then hung.

If you want to see lots of other desks today then head on over to Julia's blog where you will be able to snoop around well over 100 desks.


P.s. The cardi (from last week) felted up really well. After putting through a hot wash I stuck it in the tumble dryer on a hot cycle for 40mins fro good measure. It is now half the size and twice as thick and perfect for the project in hand.