Country roads

This card is like the song Country Roads. The road is very American but still something every one can relate to who has ever driven or walked down a dirt track as we Australians say. It has been a long time since I've walked a country road. Longer again since I've rode a bicycle. I suppose it is never too late to try both again.

The papers are a mix from my stash - kaiser craft and a freebie pack from an old magazine. The post card image and tiny scrap flowers are from a book called Transport by Instant Memories. The bicycle is a free digi-stamp from Tidbitstrinkets . I printed it out, added it to some card and then cut around it. After that I inked the edges up in a red to match the poppies in the background. The country road image is a feebie image from Old Photo Album Once again I printed it out, added the image to some light weight card and inked the edges. The 'Time is a companion' is a stamp from Tim Holtz stamps. I did the same for the stamped images as for the bicycle digi-stamp.

Lastly for a vintage touch I used some old lace trim and inked it up in a green to match the photoimage. I also added some blue hand dye silk ribbon. Then some white paper flowers were inked up in yellow to match the flowers in the picture.

I think it might be nice to take some photographs of my own and see if I can do the same as I did with this card.

B is for book and birdcage

My swaps for the crafting passionz birdcage and junk journal swap. The journal is for my partner Jude. I used lace I brought from the thrift store to cover the front, it is the same lace I tea dyed in a previous post. The inside of the book has quite a few mixed up elements with no real theme in keeping with the junk journal idea and all the pages are bound by hand. I used lace binding technique by Cynthialoowho to bind all the pages. To be honest, it may be a fragile binding for the journal but hopefully will stand up to wear and tear of use.

The birdcage tag I used Marianne Creatable die for the birdcage. The stamp is by Flonz, which I colored by hand, using a watercolor technique. Each one colored is the same coloring but of course slightly different as it is done by hand. The chain for the birdcage is a thrift store broken necklace. I added flowers and feathers to finish the tag off.

Tea party

Coloring fabric and lace with tea is easy as, well, making a cup of tea. You need your fabric. White is best. A container for your tea brew. And tea bags. Make your tea as you would do, though of course, do not add milk if you like milk. Add your fabric to your tea and let it soak. The longer the soaking the stronger the tea stain dye color. Then, take out your fabric and iron dry.

The difference in coloring is startling and if you use herbal tea the color is more different. Coffee also has a competely different look.

The card above was made from a free cover gift on a magazine which included stamps and paper set called Nitwit. I made flowers from the tea stained lace. And added the fabric at the top. The measuring tape and paper are from the paper collection. Inside I've used my favourite things sewing die and stamp set for the thimble and thread bobbin. To finish the card I added lace. The stamped image was colored using coloring in pencils. Lastly I added some faux stitching using a white gel pen and black ink pen.

Now, I am off for a cup  of tea.

Have a nice day.

Are we there yet?

My mother's face says it all in this picture. We had gone on a beach trip and she was not happy to find the mode of transport to the beach from the hotel, (in her words) was a cattle truck. I think she would have been happy if she had one of those motor hair nets as advertised in the vintage advertisment.

This is a 12 x 12 scrapbook layout. I used Tim Holtz stamps. Tattered florals die to make the roses and blue flowers. Most of the paper is  Up, Up, Away by KaiserCraft. All the other images are vintage imagery I have saved on my computer. I added a few new items like the two cent coin that we no longer have but was still in mint when we did the trip. The enjoy the journey part has a pull out tag where I've journalled - I ended up dangling a sea horse charm off the punched hole end of the pocket where the tag is.

The advertisment for the hair net inspired the colorway.

Third Wednesday

The third Wednesday of each month the local church just around the corner of our house has a jumble sale. I went and brought a sweet deer statue and a lime green cartidgan. Then it was off to look at the local thrift stores. There was lace to be brought and lots of items to ooh over. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I couldn't bring the whole thrift store home, so I brought the lace and some applique lace to do me.

Before that, the day was cold and crisp, with leaves strewen over the ground. The last days of Autumn is leaving and Winter is arriving.

Cherish all things

Everything needs a place, or at least I think so. And things you cherish the most should have a special place to put them. This is the idea of the hand bound book, a place for little things I like and can't bear to throw away, a nice way to 'make do' with the scraps you have.

The cover uses the fabric from a recent thrift haul. The blue fabric I made flowers from if you recall a previous post. The red fabric is from the same haul, as is the lace. There's still so much left of both fabrics, so expect more pretties to come. The cross stitch is from one I did a long time ago, not sure who designed the chart, perhaps Jo Verso? It looks like her little designs. No doubt then it came from an old magazine called Quick and Easy Cross stitch. I no longer have my stash of magazines they went to the thrift store and I have moved on from cross stitching ---for now.

The label and the bird is cut out from my making memories slice. I used the Vintage Findings cartridge. To make the label is really easy, just find three papers you like ...these are Grace Taylor papers. Cut your first label at 3 1/2 inches. Then 3 inches. Then 2 1/2 inches. To give the stacking look. The word cherish was cut at 2 inches.

Finally the back was covered in paper and the spine I used calico, which then was inked in the matching colors of the front and back covers. I added a little had made stick pin and ribbon with a charm for a finishing touch.

Now to find pretty things to fill my book with.

garden party

Simple cards using the same stamp in two different color ways. The lace is vintage thrift store find and was originally cream. I used the inks I stamped the images with to dye them the same colors. The buttons are mother of pearl ones found at, of course, a thrift store. The stamp is a grant archive stamp set (I think ). Inside the cards I used some of the same paper on the out side and gold tone sentiment stickers to finish up. I have some envelopes, I could line those with the same paper too. For now these cards will do.

I'm currently really liking the lemon and mustard colors not colors I tend to use unless they are deeper yellows found in Autumn, which is my favourite time of year next to Winter.

Choko's and Chutney

The Choko vine is laden and yielding a bumper crop. So my mother makes chutney for everyone before the vine dies off in winter. You can also make a maralade from them too. They can be baked as well. Boiled/steamed is rather plain, but goes nice with other vegetables.  If you add some cinnamon and sugar to Choko's you can make a mock type apple struddle.

The mock apple struddle is on our 'to do' list.

We like our Choko Chutney with corned meat.

Flowers for mother - flower spray tutorial

To begin gather your materials. Include beads. Some leaf beads and or leaf sequins. Faux flowers of your choice, you can use paper ones too if they have the stem on them.

If your flowers have the bottoms on them use a pin to poke a hole through the plastic stem part to help thread your wire. Flowers with out any stem can have beads or buttons threaded through the wire then add to the centre (see purple flower).

Take your wire and thread it through all the materials you want to use in your spray.

Once everything is threaded with the wire, arrange them into a nice bouquet, use the wire stems by wrapping around each other to hold everything into place.

When you are done, cover the wire stems with tissue tape, florist tape, or masking tape (which can be colored later).

The sprays can be as full or sparse as you like and can be added to cards, crazy quilts and scrapbook layouts. You could of course add a pin back to make a brooch.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial.

Happy Mothers day.

Away with the fairies.

Do you play with the Fairies? I do; it doesn’t matter if they are paper fairies. The paper doll fairies were from the thrift store found in a book about flower fairies. The book is not vintage but the artist who originally painted the flower fairies is. Two of the fairies were missing and the rest were still in the book ready to play with.

The Cosmos, they are from my dad’s garden. The flowers are native to Mexico and like the heat, as I like all things Mexican – but not the heat - it comes as no surprise these bright cheery flowers are one of my favourites too. I’ll press them in the envelope for later. 

After all that, a flower fairy tag had to be made. I used Tim Holtz tag die. I wanted a birds nest so found some of my dyed threads and made a mock one, complete with eggs. The stamp is Kaiser Craft. The music paper is from Grace Taylor's Vintage paper stack.  Glossy accents was used after on the flowers to give a dew look.

Are you enjoying life’s moments too, I hope so.

Stash Enhancing

I always find ways to build up my fabric stash. These pieces are no exception, from the thrift store bundled up in a bag with some lace and zippers. The little cross stitch apple is my stitchery, I have a project in mind for this.

With some beads and lace, my day was spent making fabric flowers for other items from the bundle of thrift store goodness. The chic bead centres are very simple to make and if you pop over to: Jennings644 youtube channel she’ll show you how to make the shabby chic pearl sweetness for your flower centres. Mine are a little less fancy, but that’s how I roll.

This week too, from my letterbox came some swap loveliness from the craftingpassionz Australia and New Zealand scrapbook group. I recieved yummy easter themed flower and pin swaps to cheer up a dull autumn day, and unashamedly girly charm from the dress form swap group. I can’t wait to use these. Then again, I might hoard them too.