sea breezes

A Blast From The Past!

I was browsing through Facebook and followed a link to The Making Spot where I found some of my old projects from my days with Future magazines! It was really weird looking through them, I had forgotten about most of them, it all seems so long ago!

I spent Saturday down at Kate's shop, I was torn, it was so sunny outside but I loved playing with the new papers she had stocked. I made this layout for tomorrow's scrapbook design class, I think there are a couple of places left. I had a lot of photographs of our fireplace being built so there are a few in pockets, along with details of how we designed it and how much it cost. The papers are Prima Almanac.

This is the left page

and the right

I'm going to make the same layout for class but using different papers for myself, I just need to print out some photographs tonight. It's just a morning class so I'll ne done in plenty of time to enjoy the sun afterwards.

 

 

and for my next project...

I bought this old deck chair last autumn for £9, I thought it would be lovely to take to the beach or use in the garden. It's very tatty so I am going to revamp it.

I think I will paint the frame a chalky vintage white and maybe distress it a bit. I'll replace the fabric with something from Cath Kidston, I'm not sure if I should use a small pattern like one of these:

 

or a large pattern like this:

or something stripey

What do you think?

Of course, when it is finished I shall need this to wear when I sit on it

finishing off

I finally got round to finishing the WI layout I started a couple of weeks ago, I was poorly for nearly a week with a heavy cold and didn't really feel like doing much at all. I have been busy driving our school mini bus for school trips and prepping for classes.

I taught a class to decorate a cigar box at the weekend, I have made a couple before so changed the colours a little. The flower was a die cut dipped in UTEE a few times until it looked like china (actually, it looked more like shiny plastic but it was still better than plain paper)

I coloured the wood box sides with distress stain, it was a lot easier than painting it and a lot less mess

I added some photographs and pieces of doily to my pop up cupcake layout and finished the journaling

Friday's WI craft night is Make Do and Mend, we are making an apron from an old pair of jeans. It doesn't seem a month since the last night, time is flying and it will be spring sunshine soon, I can't wait.

demo day

Today was spent at Pickleberry, demonstrating new products, most were delivered this week so we had lots to play with. I had some silk kits to make necklaces and some undyed to colour and use for a collage.

This is one necklace, made from tubular ribbon and silk cocoons with silk rods opened and rolled up inside

This one is rolled silk rods threaded onto ribbon with bead spacers

I made a canvas with some driftwood and beachcombing finds using an undeyed silk kit, I dyed some pieces using spray inks and tied some rope to hang it up but forgot to take a photograph of the full piece.

It was a really busy day but great to see all of the customers who came to see what we were doing.

So much to do!

There have been lots of deliveries in at Kate's shop this week, we all went up to the trade show at the NEC to place some orders. Kate had already ordered a lot of scrapping supplies so we had more time to look at other crafts. It was fatal! We love papercrafts and altered art but most of us have other crafty interests too. We saw these silk kits and decided we had to have a go so Kate ordered them for the demo day this Saturday. I am making a couple of necklaces and colouring some coccoons and tubes for a canvas. Kate has kits for both and some mixed kits in white to dye.

  We were also bowled over by sewing kits, I loved the tapestries especially, I don't think I have the patience for cross stitching. We have decided to meet one evening and one morning a month to meet socially just to work on current projects, sewing, knitting, crochet or papercrafts. Our first will be 6pm to 10pm on Tuesday 13th March so I bought a tapestry for the occasion. I have done one before, of Durham cathedral but I have no idea where it went. Kate has stocked more from the same company, a few tapestries and cross stitch kits, four sold as we were unpacking the box! She even has the pink pom pom trim in stock so I bought a couple of metres just in case it sells out before I finish my cushion.

I have half a layout to share, I taught my monthly scrapbook class at Pickleberry on Tuesday, I have my usual ladies (and ocasional gentleman) so I try to do something different each time. This week I was scrapping some photographs of the WI cupcake decorating so I decided to make a pop up cupcake on the layout. I used one of my favourite Sizzix dies, the pop up ball designed by Karen, the pop up queen. I knew there were a couple of new ladies but when Kate said they were new I didn't realise that she meant they were NEW. They had never made a scrapbook page before!! Those poor ladies turned up and were so brave for staying, they hadn't used a trimmer, double sided tape or scoring tools before. They were brilliant, they managed to follow all of my instructions and didn't go wrong at all, they were marvellous and even booked up for the next class! Talk about being thrown in at the deep end!

I didn't finsih my layout, I had to go to work and haven't had time since, I have to stick photographs onto my ball and add some doilies to make it look like a cake. Here is is so far

This is the front of the flap

I dyed the ribbon rose and the strip with distress inks, I was quite pleased with the rose, it looked just like the topping on one of my cakes.

I'll try and get it finished soon then post more photographs.

The last time I used this die I made a pop up sock bunny for a layout, I think for Scrapbook Inspirations but they folded before it was used.