little things that caught my eye...craft share

Its been a while since I last done a craft share...never fear! I got another one here for you as I know how much you enjoy them!

There isn't a theme but just some beautiful little pieces out there that caught my eye and this time, they are from Folksy - I want to promote home grown talent that create and work here on the British shores!  Etsy has all the limelight and deservedly so, but i want to give it's crafty British cousin a shout out!

up-cycled dress

I'm in love with the beautiful dress and more so in love with designer Eleanor Bland's inspiration behind the creation of this lovely garment!

"After being assigned a presentation subject of "recycled fashion" at university, I decided that instead of just talking about the subject, I would try my hand at making something and the bed sheet dress was born. It was from this first project that my love of upcycling started and eventually grew into Re-fashioned!

I try to retain the original features of items I upcycle where I can, to allow the wearer to appreciate what their garments started life as. This design retains the corners of the fitted sheet it started life as, using them to create a cute hood and puffball skirt."

This is so beautiful in such a delicate and ethereal way and I cant believe its made from a bed sheet!

http://folksy.com/items/4254554-Plate-spinning-hula-hooping-ball-balancing-circus-rabbit-

This lovely little lady is just so very sweet but the little story written by creator, Fiona Sant goes one step better!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Miss Lily-Mae the Precarious Precision Plate-Spinning Hula-Hooper: a rabbit with balancing skills that are as extraordinary as they are unnecessary. She is most definitely one of a kind. Cool as a cucumber, poised as a petit-pois, she wields her stripey red and yellow poles & spotty red and yellow hoops as if they are mere extensions of her fluffy paws. Two white dinner plates (ok they're actually made of papier mache) spin as fast as you please on the tips (yes, they do actually spin with a little help from your fingers.) All this whilst balancing on a circus ball! "

I'm not always a sculpture or figurines person, but for Miss Lily-Mae....I could make an exception!

snowflake earrings

William White's beautifully created snowflake earrings are stunningly simple, clean and so delicately beautiful! They very much capture the ambiance of winter and its snowy flurries. I very much can't stop thinking of these little beauties!

porcelain epaulettes

"Inspired by Military decoration of costumes in the National Army Museum, Chelsea. The moulds are made from stitched fabric epaulettes and the buttons from my Grandma's collection from when she served in the Wrens."

OMG! I'm in love with these little babies!I never knew such a thing existed but damn, I need them!
Military smartness but with a delicateness and fragility to them...I like the contrast! I also very much like the way Katie Spragg captures the stitching detailing and uses button from her Grandma's collection...you're taking away a little part of her family history with you which is a beautiful touch.

moth brooch

The thing that stood out for me was Diane Butcher's choice of colours and fabrics for her brooch. the blue is just stunning and the ruffled edge just makes you want to reach out and touch it so bad! The design and embroidery of the moth is just a beautiful touch. Such a wonderfully tactile piece you can see staying in your jewellery box for years to come.

crayon skirt

"My girls are always colouring in and this handy skirt means that they always have all of the crayons they want within reaching distance."

I just look at this lovely skirt and wish I was a kid again! I could have total made use of this!  They say children have great imaginations but I think Caroline Oden who the creator of this fantastic piece has a great one of her own! ....If she ever designed a range for women, i'd love to see it!  After all, we all need to please the child in us  from time to time!

piggy bank

I cant stop a giggle when I see this cute little piggy's face...the wide eyed surprise and the puckered lips....

"The Piggy bank is made from stoneware buff clay, The body is hand thrown on my wheel and later the ears, legs, curly tail, slot and eyes are added. When dry, after about a week, the pig is fired in my electric kiln, cruel I hear you say...well yes, but necessary. The animal is then glazed before it's second firing to about 1240 degrees. A day later, when cool, a cork is added and then off to market! "


Excellent work Peter Walsh, and the fact that your piece of work are inspired by your new grandson is just a lovely and sweet touch! Enjoy every moment with your grandson!

fair isle blanket

I adore that shade of green and that lilac contrasts it like heather on the moors...such a wonderful, earth selection of tones that makes you want to snuggle into its warmth. And Rachel Collins who created this, couldn't have said it better...

"Nothing feels like Scottish Lambswool. I want to celebrate our British heritage and our home grown natural resources. It's better for the environment and better for the economy"

Well said! Come on Britain!

silver pencil necklace

My primary school class mates thought all HB pencils belonged to me as my initials were too, HB. Little did they actually know it stood for the grade of the pencil lead...not that I would correct them as my pencil case was forever full and I have some pretty cool pencils too! 
Because of this, this little pencil necklace made by Abi Watkins, it just endears to me very much. Isn't it the sweetest little thing?
I can't be the only one who think of school days when I see this little piece am I?



Please do check out these wonderful craftsters' work galleries for more examples of their talents and others on Folksy! There's some amazing talent on this little island and it all deserves a special shout out!
Nice work everyone and keep it up and keep that crafty flag flying for Britain!


As always, 
Birdie love to you all!
xxx

Craft share - Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco De Mayo is, for us Brits and Europeans, is Spanish for "fifth of may" where it is to celebrate the freedom of Mexican-Americans and today is a celebration of all things Mexican and the fabulous things that makes up the vibrant culture!

I will admit I haven't heard much of this mostly American celebration but it doesn't mean i appreciate it any the less! So this craft share rounds up the best of all things Mexican!

Catcus wearing sombrero

A catcus wearing sombrero! What's not to love?!
...This only gets better....

 

You can dress the little fella up!
Super Love!
And if you are not very green fingered or generally cursed with plants...he doesn't die!
Just looking at his little happy face cheers me right up!

bracelet

In wonderful colours that reflex all things mexican, I very much love this well put together bracelet! The silver infinity knot works so well as the central design, I could really see myself and many people wearing this!
There's a nice option of changing the colour choice for a more personal touch too!

Puggy Hat!

Awwwwww! I got many a pug loving friends who read this blog and this little pug and his wonderful outfit would go down a treat! How sweet is this little dude?!
I adore the petite sombrero and poncho and love the colours used! Why not get your doggy involved in your fiesta?  It is worth browsing the shop to look at the many cute little hats and gorgeous pug pictures....Jae, I love the pug!

pinatas

"This three dimensional plush soft sculpture is carefully designed to reflect the iconic burro shape of a traditional pinata, and uses rainbow-colored chevron fabric to allude to the traditional layers of fringed tissue."

What a beautiful plushie! One of the dilemmas I have when it comes to pinatas is they always look so lovely, vibrant and cute that I really don't want to smash them at all! So well created and the fabric choice is perfect to imitate the fringed tissue used in decoration!
I think the pom poms are a sweet touch and would love to give that baby pinata a squeezey hug!

needlepoint kit cushion

Beautifully inspired by Mexican Textiles, I adore the colours used and the design. The best thing about this?
This is actually a kit so you can make this lovely and claim it as your own crafted piece!
Such a stunning piece is it not?
I feel like i'm already under that warm Mexican sunshine just by looking at the warm colours!

collage necklace

Wow! I'm in love with this Frieda Kahlo collage necklace!
And I'm loving the concept of a "collage necklace"...how inspiring!
amazingly put together and I love that little picture and that parrot! I can see myself wearing that with a plain coloured vest top and jean and just let the necklace do the talking!
Do check out RagBabybyStorm's shop for more beautiful necklaces that really deserve a peek or three!

Fiesta Bouquet

The inspiration for this was...

"The bouquet was inspired by mexico, I went there on honeymoon and it was so bright and vivid. This bouquet has been in the works for ages and need a unique twist to finish it, that where the black came in."

A beautifully assembled and distinctively quirky bouquet..i love the ribbon roses in wonderful neon colours and the little bits of sparkles dotted around the piece...and that amazing touch of black just really lifts the piece!
A wedding bouquet with a difference!

Margarita cookies

There's nothing like taking a siesta with a Margarita!
The sweetest touch is the glasses have a sugared rim! How properly authentic! and they even come with little lime wedges! Sadly I wouldnt be able to afford having these sent over to the UK but the wonderful Hellobakery has some beautifully deocrated cookies that are worth a look, just to admire the skill (and a steady hand by the looks of it too!)

Dress

The slogan of this shop is "Mexican Embroidered Dresses....Wearable Art Pieces" and I completely agree!
This dress and the ones in the shop are so vibrant and beautiful!  There's so many pieces I love and some of the off the shoulder tops are immensely beautiful!
Really worth a look around if you are after a beautiful dress that you would treasure and keep forever!



There's so many wonderful things out there Mexcian that this post could go on forever! I been careful to avoid the day of the dead festival items as that's another celebration for later in the year!  I'm aware everyone's vision of Mexican culture is different and I could go on and on adding things so forgive me if I have left things off that you feel deserve a shout out!

Will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo? What will you be doing?


Birdie Love!
xxx

Allsorts shirt

Several weeks ago, my father in law called upon me to put to use my long neglected seamstress and pattern cutting skills to use and to make him a shirt for his upcoming holiday away with friends...
...the only catch was, he wanted one that was as garish as possible!

...he has strange tastes like that...after all this is the man who is happy with wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt with clashingly bright yellow sponge bob shorts, neon socks and sandals....yeah...!

Originally I wanted to make him a goth-tastic black printed shirt adorned with cartoon skulls and roses but the hubby decided his father would look far more...ehem...fetching in the below allsorts fabric....

 Cute isnt it?

 maybe not fitting for a man's shirt....

 

 I bought a Simplicity pattern in a standard men's business shirt as they sold out of all the other patterns (doh!) but this didnt put me off, I knew it would put to use my old pattern designing skills.
I simply altered the pattern to the look I wanted (loose fitting Hawaii five-O style I was thinking!) and began assembling it all...

It came together really nicely and quickly and I was so happy to see my skills come back to me and my confidence shot up, especially when I only had to unpick the collar once! I even for the first time managed to use the buttonhole foot for my machine and it came together beautifully!
I added the quirky touch of having different shapes, colours and sized buttons which worked well with the allsorted sweets print!

Ta-dah!
What you think?! Garish isnt it?!
Think he's happy?!

I'm so proud of how my altered pattern came together so well and the long forgotten seamstress years bygone came back to me and my hands were before long, pinning, tucking and pressing and where things were not looking right, I called upon my experiences to baste stitch, hem and tuck until all was right!

I now want to sew more clothes!

Think I can get away with making more shirts like these and selling them on Etsy?!

Have you made clothes? What have you made?

Birdie Love
xxx

of late...

...I enjoyed the early morning sunrise on the cobbled streets near my home...its spring but it is so very cold!

...was on the picket line, peacefully protesting for a brighter future for all!

...enjoyed coffee with a friend...just to have more friends turn up for a good old chinwag!

...walked home on the first sunny day of the year so far...did i mention its so cold?!

...put bets on and lost on the Grand National....

...read the latest Catwoman...she and Batman is back! yay!

...made toffee cupcakes topped with sticky salted caramel...delish!...

...wore these awesome pants for the first time! My superhero pants!...

...been sent a teasing picture from a craftster afeter featuring her work in a post...apparently its Totoro related! Cant wait...!

how are you?

Birdie love
xxx

Hobbycraft

Recently I had the rare pleasure of coming across a Hobbycraft in Bristol...now for those who don't know...Hobbycraft is basically a huge store dedicated to all things crafty and all the bits you would need to complete your various projects

 I have a small weakness for little railway people and trees..something about them being so small and off scale yet perfect in details just has me weak in the knees! I wnated these trees but didn't get them...I mean, there's not a lot i can do with small railway trees just yet!

 A lot of shiny stuff too for all the magpies out there! A nice selection of jewellery making stuff to get started with and build your collection.

 A shout out to those I know who love drawing comics...Hobbycraft now stocks a nice array of manga and comic pens and inks. Nice to see they are moving with the trends!

 

I love around the store, they show local artists' works to not only demonstrate the products and things you could do yourself but also, more importanly the local talents which is great! Loving the "superman vs the Hulk style painting!"

I picked up a few bits I have been either wanting for a while or was tempted by...like that t-rex cookie cutter! Can't wait to use it!
 Got some gloss medium gel for painting but its also an excellent transfer agent and I use it a lot to transfer magazine images and the likes onto fabrics.   A felting needle as the singular needle i had was lacking some oomph! This baby got three! A rather cool snap frame you can build to whatever size you like and stretch the fabric across to sew into...think of a lego-build-your-ownembroidery hoop! I seen this at the craft group I go to and wanted one for a while so I'm please to get this! And finally some various sized oval embroidery hoops for a project coming up I have in mind for my bedroom! Hopefully I shall share with you soon!

...plus there's nothing better than the rare chance to bring home a box of krispy kremes too....!


The great thing is Plymouth is getting a hobbycraft soon, which will be only 5 minutes from my house! yay! We use to have one in the city but at the start of the recession, It was forced to close so now an even bigger one is coming back....excellent! Can't wait!

Feel free to visit the hobbycraft website here


Where do you go for your art and craft supplies?

Birdie Love
xxx

early days of spring

A masssssssive chocolate bunny for my hubby which he had to find in Bruce's cage...who wasn't impressed!

The smashing of the giant 1KG family easter egg!..it actually did the hammer more damage than the egg!

The egg was so big, my brother could wear it on his head...and thus putting us off chocolate for the rest of the day...

first day back at work and chocolate bar was waiting for me from a friend! Awesome!

Daffodils out in the park, squirrels playing....what a lovely walk!

Hey! Hope you all had a great easter, stuffing yourself silly with chocolates and spending it with your loved ones!
My family this year gathered at my brother's place who lives a few cities away so we don't get to see him as often as we like. It was a great day with family, especially when I presented to everyone the giant easter egg! That thing lasted us for hours and gave us so much fun messing with it! Until my brother put it on his head to demonstrate how large it was....it kinda put us all off....dandruff chocolate anyone?!

Right now, our home is a mess...literally everything been pulled out so we can start tidying and going through all our crap...one corner of the spare room alone yielded 4 large bin bags o f crap...and that was just my hubby's stuff...I'm now going though my bits! It's amazing the amount of things we accumulate no?! Trouble is, the mess is making me feel all itchy, like I can't relax or switch off until its tidied....and I don't know where to start! Argh!

The great thing about tidying is the small bits of textiles I had lurking around without realising it...it's like rediscovering things all over again!

 We literally spent the whole day this week just going through bags and bags of stuff until so late in the evening that we wandered down to Chiquitos, a local Mexican resturant. Nice mexican food that hits the spot, it's not the best but when you have a craving for a coke float or some enchiladas...it will do!

The city is still so cold, even with the weak sun out, shining some light back into our lives, finally! Its slowly....really slowly getting warmer again, and the evenings are getting longer. I cant wait for long summer days, wearing skirts and feeling all warm again!


How is everyone?

Birdie love
xxx