Happy Easter!

Tattered Floral Cinderella Slipper

 

Hi bloggers, I am excited to finally reveal my entry for the Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge which is closing tomorrow. I wanted to create something really unique and tried to layer lots of different elements with grungepaper, fabric and acetate. I will show a few more close up pictures below with a few directions of how I created the different shapes. My love of Disney also inspired this piece, using a vintage shoe as Cinderella's slipper and sneaking a little clue in with an old vintage Cinderella playing card sticking out of the shoe! Love it!

 

To make the big flower there are five separate layers.

 

Start with covering some grungepaper with dictionary paper and then add a bit of distress ink and glimmer mists and then cut out the tattered floral shapes. Use the largest flower as the base.

 

I then used the large floral shape cut out from white textured fabric and curled up the edges, adding a little distress ink. The centre of this flower was also created using the same fabric and to create this look you need to roll the edges in on the medium sized flower (see below).

 

This flower will be the last to layer on top.

 

I also cut out some flowers from lace and then individually cut out three of the petals to use as layers.

 The acetate layer was created by using the large tattered floral shape and then stamping a design on the petals before cutting them out individually and layering them.

 

To make the medium sized flower, there are six separate layers which are shown below. They are all gathered together using the metal brad.

 

To make the white calico flower as seen above, 3rd from the right, follow the example picture below.

 

Take the large flower shape with the thin petals and fold each one in and glue in position. Do this for all the petals and once you have finished add a bit of distress ink.

 

The third smallest flower was created from three layers, grungepaper, fabric and lace layers with a small brad holding them altogether.

There are so many different ideas you can come up with to use this tattered floral die and if you haven't bought one yet, you definitely should as they are so versatile to the style you want to create.

All the ideas I have seen from the Tim Holtz challenge have been so inspiring and if you are ever stuck for ideas for how to use this die cut then just keep referring back to Tim's challenge page to view everyone's awesome ideas.

Let's hope this one's a winner!

Vintage Pocket Pillow

 

This beautiful vintage pocket pillow was created by the mother as a gift for a colleague at work and I think it will definitely be added to our portfolio of products that we may sell at future craft fairs, so watch this space for updates on latest craft fair events.

These pillows are a beautiful way to recycle old bits of lace and old petticoats and look amazing draped around the bottom of a pillow. I can imagine how pretty this would look on a vintage bedspread.

 

And don't forget to add a big of glamour, this piece was originally an earring from Primark so an absolute bargain and it looks amazing dangling down from the top of the pocket. Finishing touches of a vintage postcard make the pocket stand out.

Alongside the pocket pillow, mum also gave an alternative to a Birthday card, in the form of a Birthday heart decoration and wrapped up a lovely vintage necklace in a bit of tissue wrap, encased in a decorated matchbox, check them out below:

 

 

 

Well all thats left to say is Happy Birthday to Katie for last week and I hope you enjoy your pressies!

Mothering Sunday

 

Hi bloggers and Happy Mother's Day to any mummies out there and I hope you have been spoilt rotten. Me and the sis spoiled mum today with an afternoon tea and pampering session and I can tell you I am definitely feeling the weight of all those cakes now! I have put a few pictures below for you to take in the glory of the food and also have a look at the Mother's Day creations we made.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Spitalfields London

Hi bloggers, the sun is now shining on this Saturday afternoon in March and I am going to report back to you on a day filled with vintage inspiration. As you may have guessed from the title, we have been up to Spitalfields Market in London today, which is now becoming my favourite spot in London. Judy's Vintage Fair was at Spitalfields today and there is just so many stalls with lots of vintage goodies and charms. I will share with you some of the photos of the day and our bargains that we bought which are going to be the basis of two new projects we can't wait to get started on.

 

Some of my favourite shops on the way to the market

 If you love unique clothing, definitely check out Traffic People opposite the market, really nice clothes!

Now onto our vintage treasures

Vintage Shoes - £5

I have been looking for some really cheap old fashioned shoes for a project I've had in mind for ages and these were pulled out of a £5 junk trunk. Not sure when I will get round to altering them for my project but as soon as I do it will be posted.

Make-up compact - £5

Another great find was this old compact which again is going to come in handy for another project we have had in mind. The beautiful design on the front is still intact and all we need to do is scrape the make up out of it and a bit of a clean up. If you are looking for an old compact, definitely don't be put off if there is make-up still inside as it will scrape out easily and is a great way to bag a bargain.

 Glass container - £7.25

Now this container may not be exactly vintage but it does look very kitsch and was picked up at 'Source' featured at the top of the page. Very good shop for picking up a few unique bits and pieces for the home.

Brooches - 2 for £5

Perfect for adorning on a handmade cushion or other fabricated projects and a must buy at these vintage fairs.

Vintage Postcard - £1.00

I always use to get frustrated when mum spent ages looking over these vintage postcards but now I can see why, as you can find some really beautiful images and they are perfect to use on all types of vintage projects. And remember to photocopy the image so you can use it time and time again.

Even though we didn't buy from these vendors, I would highly recommend you visit these websites if you like vintage accessories:

 Craftkitten

Forage and Find

 After our relaxing meander around Spitalfields we hopped on a bus to Holborn to visit Blade Rubber Stamps and for anyone who hasn't visited it, it is definitely a must if your on the hunt for some crafting inspiration in London as it is filled with Stampington books that we just drool over. Between us we bought three new books and its been hard taking our eyes off them. If you've never bought a Stampington book before you are missing out and I would highly recommend them. They are a bit of an outlay at £13.99 per book but you can revisit these books time and time again to renew your inspiration. And there is not much out there in terms of magazines and books for vintage crafters so I can only suggest you go out and buy one. They are not easily available so I would suggest Blade Rubber Stamps or Stamp Attic to buy them. You can also preview what is in each issue on the Stampington & Company website.

Well that was our day and I now face the reality of being back in Crawley with a pile of university work calling my name but we will be back in London soon!