I do mixed media work using upcycled newspapers with my lino cuts and here you can see the base sheets hanging outside my window to dry. When there is a breeze up I keep my fingers tightly crossed that they don’t all end up in the canal directly beneath the window!! When these sheets dry,…
I may have mentioned that for a number of reasons we have been downscaling our home. One reason was the need (albeit theoretical) to pack our 30 years of marriage into a barge. A more immediate reason has been my daughter’s 99% move away from home. By my calculation, the remaining 1% can be put…
This most divine book dropped onto my doorstep yesterday and has me drooling. I have mentioned that recently I fell in love with felt, but if I thought that was love, I just hadn’t been prepared for this new surge of passion that this book has brought through the door. If anyone is interested, I…
JesS and I have been doing quite a few things, though she tends to limit herself to flashes of inspiration for earrings. I’m the one who pulls out the sewing machine, and this is what I was up to last month… I call them travel buddies to take along with you during your short breaks…
is what I said. There are all sorts of occasions for wanting to take a cup of hot tea or cocoa to someone outside – maybe it’s for the lads working under the car bonnet – or for the gang around the bonfire letting off fireworks – or even for the snowball fights when there’s…
Tough going for the felt hearts I am sewing right now. Not quite a drill job, but I do have a pair of pliers to hand to pull the needle through at almost every stitch! The problem is probably down to the fact that I am having to use a hefty cotton and a needle…
So I have moved one step further with my note book production and have done some larger ones (21.50 x 15.00 cms), still using the gorgeous designer papers. These are all one-of-a-kind, with both back and front covers in super paper, with a block of 40 coloured sheets (80 sides) inside, bound with spirals. I…
Been doing these little note block holders. I have a feeling that with the current economic crisis people are going to be looking more for useful gifts rather than ornamental ones, so this is my answer to that need: a little covered cardboard note block holder with closeable flap and linen covered ‘hinges’. When the…
Greetings with a difference and they don’t come much more different than this one! Your seasonal wishes will certainly stand out with this cute (ouch!) washing line full of Santa’s smalls – and larges too! These will be custom made as and when they are requested, but that shouldn’t affect the delivery times so within…
Well it’s just about that time again, and we are getting ourselves ready for the Craft Market to be held in Via Garibaldi here in Venice at the end of this month. We have a fairly good stock of bits and pieces, but were surprised at the last market by just how many earrings went,…
Probably a slight exagerration as far as titles go as I really am just dipping my feet back in here to let friends know that I’m still alive and kicking! So briefly, arty stuff has been keeping me incredibly busy for the past 3 or so months…you can see some of what I have been…
I know that I am not alone in my desire to recycle/upcycle etc. as much as possible. In and around the home we have become pretty nifty at finding acceptable alternatives to substitute a lot of our less eco-friendly cleaning agents and so on – one of my favourites is my spray bottle filled with…
Taking a look around the various crafters’ (and not only) blogs, I see that one of the biggest problems a lot of us face is the storage. I am no different – having a small home with no built in storage such as cupboards and so on, I have had to invent ways to store…
Just in the process of doing some more Christmas cards and have used some of my lovely pure cotton prints for die-cut baubles. These cottons are all gorgeous Tyrolean type micro-patterns which I manage to pick up locally. Just love them. They bring to mind mountain chalets and big log fires – maybe even a…
So here is my wallet card. Now I have to find some stuff suitable for card making to tuck inside the two pockets on the front before swapping this with some good soul in the challenge group!! This handmade paper is very attractive, but not very easy to work with when you need precision cuts….
