Little Lavender Pillow

Hi, it's the weekend!!!  I always think that Friday is the best night of the week as we have the whole of weekend to look forward to :-).

I'd like to share a couple of simple lavender pillows with you which I've made - I bought a big bag of dried lavender flowers about a month ago with the intention of making some pillows, but only got around to making a start on them last week, however there are more in the making as we speak (to be shared at a later date!)!

These remind me of what my Nanna and Grandma used to have in their drawers/wardrobe years ago!  For both of these pillows, I've recycled some left over good quality curtain lining - I've stamped the Stampendous image and the TH background (Papillion) with Versacraft Ink (this becomes permanent once heat set with an iron) and added a glittery white lace trim.  The pillow was then sewn together apart from a little part of the seam, filled with lavender then stitched up completely.  I've attached a little bow and a charm for decoration.  The flowers on the image have been lightly tinted with an Inktense pencil, although I don't think this is very visible from the photo.  I really wish you could smell this as it smells so beautiful!

I'd like to enter my creation into The Fashionable Stamping Challenge, as they have a theme of Anything Floral or Handmade Flowers at the moment.

Here's a little mini one that I made with an offcut of fabric:

This mini pillow has also been stamped in Versacraft Ink and tinted with Inktense pencils, but a little tab made from seam binding has been added to the top right corner so that it can be slipped over a clothes hanger.

Other challenges I'd like to enter are:

Everybody Art - Anything Goes
Stamp and Create - Stitch It Up
That Craft Place - Vintage

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Maria xxxxx

More Classy & Fabulous

Hi, I hope you've all enjoyed your bank holiday weekend, despite the wet weather!  I've finally managed to get some crafting time over the weekend (miraculously!), as my other half and my daughter were both out most of Sunday - there were sparks coming off the soles of my shoes running up the stairs to my craft room!  I've made a few things which I will share over the next couple of weeks.

The first of these is for The Stampsmith Challenge - I missed the last challenge, what with moving house and my daughter in and out of hospital during her pregnancy, but really didn't want to miss this one as well so here is my entry for their challenge of Anything Goes (using at least one Stampsmith image).

My creation was inspired by an old hairdresser who used to always wear a cross body bag to keep her scissors and combs in, so they were to hand while she was cutting etc.  As my daughter qualified as a hairdresser a couple of months ago, I decided to make her a little pouch/bag for the same purpose:

I've made the bag from washed canvas, stamped two images from the Pin Ups sheet (using Archival Ink in Coffee) onto Transfer Artist Paper, and transferred them onto the canvas.  Some SU flourishes were stamped directly onto the canvas, top and bottom, along with the Kanban sentiment (I thought this was quite fitting for a hairdressing bag!).  I've then sewn the lace across the bottom part of the bag, and then sewn the whole thing up.  Some twill tape (stamped with "Fabulous") was sewn across the top of the bag and a wine coloured bow and handmade ribbon rose, with a flower charm handstitched on, were attached with a glue gun.  I've added some SU diamantes with a little fabric glue to finish.  For the purpose of showing the bag in the photos, I've added some twill tape as the strap but need to source some cream webbing to attach instead.

In Action!

I hope you're enjoying your week, and don't forget the the Craft-Room have a current challenge of Pins and/or Charms this fortnight!
Maria xxxxx

Sweet Memories - Charms and/or Pins for Craft-Room Challenge

Hello, I can't believe how quickly have the last two weeks gone!  Over at the Craft-Room Challenge, your Fashion entries over the last fortnight were stunning - it's so lovely to see your different styles.  It's now time for a new challenge , and this time it's Nikki's turn to choose the theme (please check out her blog to see her fantastic creations).  Nikki would like to see us use:

Charms and/or Pins

I decided to alter/decorate a double wooden arch in some lovely pastel colour acrylic paints which I recently picked up:

The bare arch had two coats of gesso and a light sanding, then was painted (two coats again) of Docrafts acrylic paint in Linen, with a little Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Shell Pink, with more sanding in between coats for a nice, smooth stamping surface.  I stamped the two images in Coffee Archival Ink, masked them, then stamped the background (TH Papillion) in Archival Ink in Pale Ochre.  Some more acrylics in green & pink were diluted down to make a bit of a translucent wash, then used to colour the images.  When these were dry I applied crackle medium to just parts of the images, and seed beads in copper for the centres of the sunflowers.

 

Two silver butterfly charms were embossed -  the left one with Aged Ivory embossing enamel and the right one with Shabby Green embossing enamel.  Aged Ivory embossing enamel was also added around the edges of the arches, some lace dyed with distress stain added along the bottom, and a few flowers with little pearls and a couple of hat pins to finish.

The stamps I've used for the two main images are Crafty Individuals CI-188 on the right, and Chapel Road Artstamps (Artishapes) on the left.  

This is quite a colourful piece for me, lol!

Our challenge this fortnight is sponsored by:

(click on the pic to visit their online store - they have the most gorgeous stamps and goodies!)

The rest of the Design Team have made absolutely stunning creations to inspire you - please pop over to the challenge blog and have a look!

Some challenges I would like to enter this into are:

Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Summer Ice Cream Colours (just think Raspberry Ripple and Mint   

                                                    Chocolate Chip, with some sprinkles!)

Creative Inspirations Paint  - Anything But A Card

Moving Along With The Times - Shape Up With Anything But Square

Ruby's Rainbow - Butterflies

Enjoy your week, and I look forward to seeing how you use your charms and pins!

Maria x

Fashion - Craft-Room Challenge DT

Hi, what a busy week it's been!  My daughter and new grandson came home from hospital on Saturday afternoon and it's been manic ever since, lol, but what an adorable little guy he is.  I'm going to so love being a Nanna :-).  Over at the Craft-Room Challenge it's time for a new theme (your Buttons & Bows were stunning, by the way), which has been chosen by Hazel (please pop over and take a look at her stunning creations):

Fashion

We have a brand new sponsor for this challenge 

 who are offering a fabulous prize to one randon draw winner (please check out the Craft-Room Challenge  blog for full details)

For my DT piece I used a slide mailer to alter, which I split in two to make a double hanging, attaching the two halves together with some ribbon.

I painted the slide mailer with some blue acrylic paint mixed with some gesso as a base.  I covered the top part with some printed tissue paper from Crafty Individuals, then coloured over it with Pan Pastel tints in blue and pink.  I used a couple of TH stamps and a SU flourish.  The frame around the sentiment is metal so I covered it with Versamark and embossed with Shabby Pink and Shabby Blue embossing enamels - I love how this has turned out.  The hat in the bottom right corner has been cut from a stamped image by Flonz Stamps.  A bulldog clip covered in TH tissue tape, a Laura Ashley badge, some pink velvet trim. and a little Inka Gold in Platinum to highlight the creases in the tissue.

For the bottom part I have stamped a SU background with Versamark then coloured over it using  pink and blue Pan Pastel tints - this technique really picks up the colour on the stamped area.  I've then used the same SU flourish as on the top, just around the bottom corners.  I have painted a wooden dress frame with acrylic then used a crackle glaze over the top and highlighted with some distress ink and edged in gilding pen, then added a ribbon to the waist to finish.    The three images to the left of the dress form are by Flonz stamps (one image separated into 3).

I do hope you will find some time to share your Fashion creations with us this fortnight.

I'd like to enter this into some challenges:

The Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes (it's their 1st Birthday!!!)
Sarah Hurley Challenge - Alter Something
Ruby's Rainbow - Anything But A Card

 Have fun and have a great week!

Maria x

Meet My Grandson!

Hi, just a very quick post - I am so happy to let you know that my grandson arrived this morning at 9.48am, weighing in at 7lb, 7.5oz.  Both mum and baby are doing really well: 

Isn't he just gorgeous?

I am the proudest Nanna ever!

Maria xxxxx