Birdcage Charm And Blossom Card

This card measures 6ins x 4ins and is made using a hand cut, white linen effect card.

Marc gave me a whole pile of these little bird cage charms and to my shame, until now, I haven’t really done much with them ….. they needed something else to set them off ….. and then I remembered the packs of blossom branch embellishments Dianne sent me from Michaels in the US ….. why didn’t I think of them before?

I coloured a scrap piece of Papermania book print paper with a powder blue Promarker for the background ……

…. and then simply added the two embellishments …. drawing a small thread  from which to hang the cage. Done and dusted!

Ahhhh

This picture of my friend Sarah with one of the many monkeys we have around school makes me smile and go ahhhhh every time I look at it!

FiddleFarting On A Mahooooosive Scale – My Decopatch Cupboards And Computer Work Area.

With two weeks off for Easter, and one week gone already,  I decided that yesterday I should really pull my thumb out and tackle one of the “big” jobs that I’ve had in my head since Christmas,  but as of yet not got round to ……

I’d had my craftroom papered and painted back in January  and I had rearranged the desks/worktops, but I hated it …. I felt very enclosed and never comfortable or “at home”  so last Friday I decided to rearrange it all again! ….. To be honest I could have cried ….. nothing went right ….. partly because the legs on my Ikea desks decided that they no longer wanted to stay screwed securely to the tops ……. and as I failed to clear the room properly …… it all became a terrible car crash …… if the Duke had been here he’d have sorted it all out for me …… but as he wasn’t,  I knew I HAD to sort it out come what may !!!!! 

After several hours I managed it …. and love the way it’s now set up…. the biggest change was moving my computer and printers into the corner, where my shelves used to be ….. the worktop was just an “empty” space, where I would pile things up when I couldn’t be bothered to put them away.

The cupboard doors were old and tired, and well past their best but I really don’t want to replace them just yet, as they now store all the boxes that used to be on the shelves …….

….. so I decided ….. aghhhh, to Decopatch them, I must have been out of my tiny mind! As you can see from the first couple of pictures the room was devoid of any colour other than magnolia  and it really didn’t look like anything creative ever went on in there, there was no personality … The die was cast and I started by dividing  the cupboard doors into sections for different colour combinations ….. trying, in a way,  to copy the Kars furniture I love so much.

Once both doors were covered, they needed something to define each section ….. and I remembered some old Letraset Letralines, that my sister gave me years ago …

…… which gave me just the definition I wanted. I am now wondering if I should add some faux gold handles to give the impression of drawers,  I probably will, when I see the right sort of thing.  Looking at it the whole effect looks rather Chinesey.

…. But I couldn’t leave it there could I? ……I then decided that the side of the cupboard needed the same treatment ……..

….. and now I am about to start the side of the wardrobe/computer area as it’s also in a pretty dire state ……. and then I am thinking that if I Decopatch the bottom 9ins of the wardrobe doors (stuffed with crafting stuff) it will not only hid all the scuff marks, it will also draw the eye across the room and balance it …….. and then I could just do something with the worktops and then, and then …. oh dear what have I started?? The next big job in the next few days really ought to be several good coats of varnish …………….. so watch this space!

Having A Shuffty Around And An Object Of Desire …..

Bored,  one lunch time, my mate Luci and I took the opportunity to go for a wander and visit the new luxury “Footballers” Show Home just up the drive from where we work, near the Wolves training ground …..

….. never have I seen so many en-suite facilities ….. or wet rooms, and concluded that when making decisions of a £730,000 commitment type nature it would have been very remiss of me not to try out one of the aforementioned wet rooms for its spaciousness, suitability of purpose, comfort and visibility!

Oh … and to check out what a woman living in a house such as this would have hanging in her walk-in wardrobe ……. all pretty beige and short I am afraid …… OH MY LIFE!!!

However, it is heartening to know, that amongst all the excess I do have the taste to become a “potential” Footballer’s Wife, because hanging in one of the guest rooms was exactly the same (Homebase) chandelier that I have in my newly fashioned boudoir!!!!!

The house was very lovely, but all the marble floors, glass wet room panels and shiny surfaces just spelt out housework to me …. something I prefer to be a stranger too …..

But my one “object of desire” was the light fitting coming down from the galleried landing ……. which I don’t think was from Homebase (but I could be wrong) …. it was stunning …… with the bonus that if/when I hypothetically got bored of it ….. I could easily cut it up and use the thousands of little glass droplets for something crafty instead!!!!!!!

Punched Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a teal coloured card from papermilldirect.co.uk

This card was a bit of an experiment, it started off with whole flower and leaf punch outs and no butterflies,  but it just didn’t come together…. so I halved the flowers and leaves and then layered them round bottom and sides of the card, adding a little doodling and a small clear flat backed gems.

I also ermed and ahhed over adding the Martha Stewart butterflies. punched in Kraft paper …. but in the end went for them as they added a weird sort of contrast that sort of went, if you know what I mean????  The final quirky touch was to have the top butterfly angled in such a way that, when unfolded, it stood proud over the top of the card.  It’s a look I think I would like to experiment more with and incorporates ALL my favourite colours at the moment.

I Don’t Think Van Gogh Need Worry ……

Taaaaa dahhhhhh …….

Oh my life …… last time your saw my “first ever” painting since I was about 14 at secondary school,  it looked like this (below)  ……. and then I wondered what the hell I had started!

When I asked Tom for a large canvas for Christmas  I imagined he would get me something measuring about 3ft x 2ft, not 4ft 9ins x 3ft 2ins!!!!

However, with two weeks of Easter holiday in front of me, I decided that,  after staring at what I started back in February for long enough,  ….. it was about time I tackled it some more …. although I am sure “tackled” is not a very artistic or creative term …..

…. I also decided to take photos along the way of my progress,  for the purposes of prosperity!

I admit that I was a very random in the way I “tackled” it …. flitting about all over the shop with the paint and then outlining and filling in the gaps with a black marker pen as the mood took me, hoping that I was on track with what I had in my head,  although to be honest that was pretty random too!

It was filling in the last few little gaps that seemed to take an age …. and seeing bits I hadn’t outlined or needed just to add an extra flourish or curl  to  ……

I was also mindful that I only had two sets of very small pots of Reeves acrylic paint to do it with, and didn’t want to “almost” finish it and then need to order another set … but having said that …….

…… I can’t believe how far the paint actually went with very little watering down, especially as I didn’t use any of the duller colours like the browns, beiges and mustards.

So there you have it, all done and dusted and now hanging on my dining room wall ready as a conversation piece for when I appear on Come Dine With Me!  Would I do it again ….. ask me this time next year ….. I think I went about the project as a “crafter” rather than an “artiste” if that makes sense ….. and am not really sure if I felt the “ebb and the flow”!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Objects Of Desire

There is a florist up the road from me that always has the most wonderful window displays ….. and when I saw these large bottles/jars with bulbs in …. it was love at first sight ….
However, as I am so rubbish with plants …. they will remain just as they are, as objects of desires.

But, I could have a go at making something similar to this …. who would think that just a little “fluffy” string round the top of a widen rimmed bottle could look so appealing and effective.

….. And the flower on this stubby glass bottle is made from metal, but could so easily made using die cut fabric, card or Tim Holtz Grunge Paper …..

….. and these hanging bottles …… I just adore ….. with a single gerbera, so simple ….. so less is more!

Happy Easter From Me and My Guest Crafter …… My Brother Stephen …….

I had wanted to used a delicate, bare, twiggy branch from which to hang the Decopatch/Poundland eggs I made the other week …… but when I actually went into the garden to look for something suitable there was nothing branchy or twiggy to be found….. but it still looks very pretty ….

….. And here is what is now becoming a very regular and much loved feature on Fiddle Fart,  the gift that my brother Stephen brought home for my mum from his care unit …….

….. some handmade chocolate eggs ….. some decorated with hundreds and thousand sprinkles ……

…… all very beautifully packaged,  the best Easter gift anyone could wish for.  A huge THANK YOU to all Stephen’s carers for all the thought and hard work they put into it and to those who helped put it all together for him,  because we know that all he probably did towards it was watch sitting at the table and hum!

HAPPY EASTER!

Guest Crafter - The Lovely Denise’s And Her Wedding Mice

Following on from yesterday’s bracelets …….

….. during our “Crafty Wedding Evenings” chez moi, we have been wondering what to make for the gentlemen as a small favours for Tom and The Lovely Laura’s much anticipated wedding …… then the Equally Lovely Denise had a brainwave ……. crocheted mice that can been used as noticeboard pins!

She bought the pattern from etsy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101505812/rainbow-mouse-pattern?ref=complementary_listings_text_link

The equally Lovely Denise then ordered a ball of every colour wool, which are all so beautiful, it’s been hard for her to choose which to use first!

The idea is a no brainer as we reckon that when the ladies see the mice sitting next to the gentlemen’s place cards they will go all ohhhhh and ahhhhhh and will want one too, and the gentlemen …..  being gentlemen, will then offer them to their “ladies” as random acts of wedding kindness!!!!!  What are we like?

Click on all rainbow mice pictures (except for my two) for links to etsy shop.