The Christmas Stocking

I spend so much time making things for everyone else, that I tend to forget about me!

Don't get me wrong, I love creating things for everyone.

I love to see and hear how much they are appreciated.

 Just forget about me....that's all. "Me" meaning myself AND my family.

It's especially important around Christmas time to show my family a bit of love and decorate the house beautifully for them too. I was always big on that but as life has been somewhat busier lately it is easy to lose focus on the family....the most important people.

I still spend a lot of time with them but my head is often in a computer or other.

Anyway, had fun making this stocking in the studio today....well, it IS Sunday.

Hope you are all having a good one.

Bye,

Angela

Having fun!

 Playing with soaps, muslin, coffee dyed ribbon, mother of pearl buttons and old paper in a

 freshly painted studio (thanks Dad ).....a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

 Tomorrow will be a day spent on making charms. The orders are growing so it's time for this girl to get into action....not long till Christmas now and I don't want to disappoint anyone.

Sunday in the Studio

Where did that week go?

I missed last Sunday in the studio as I needed to work at the shop. But, after a VERY wonderful few days in the shop talking to the most lovely people and feeling very much appreciated : ), I'm back here today creating some more Christmas keepsakes. I hope to have these in store in the next couple of weeks....that is if I can pull together an idea I have for  a new design  for a Christmas tree. It will be a little hard to display my new things without it so wish me luck.....

happy days...

Angela.

Flowers, flowers and more flowers.

 This is how my day started...

 gathering flowers into pretty posies. Twelve in total.

 Bouquets for a friends' daughter's 21st.

 What a lovely way to start a day : )

Vintage Paper Keepsakes created in...my new studio!!!!!

I love Sundays.....a day when I get to do what I like : )

I have spent most of the day in my new studio room creating, among other things, vintage paper keepsakes. These go beautifully under cloches. I have had an order for these for a while now so it is SO good to get them done. In my new studio I have a very lovely large trestle table that John has just finished making me so I can spread everything out and create like a mad man!

 My roses have been flowering beautifully this season and I have decided that they are a must in the studio...in the right colours and tones of course. This is the very beautiful, girlie looking, soft pink Souvenir de la Malmaison 1843. It has a pure rose scent. 

I have been very inspired by this exquisite book that I received in the mail this week. "Timeless Shabby" by Sonja Bannick and Stefanie Rathjens is in German but none the less a wonderful book of inspiration and very worthwhile having. I have an extra one for $50 if anyone would like one and I will be ordering more if anyone would like to preorder on my shop blog. 

Now I'm off to put some washing on the line that should have been done ages ago. Oh well, you have to create when you get the urge...things go better that way. Stay tuned for some studio photos and some much awaited wedding photos.

Have a good week!

Smiles,

Down time...

 The busier life gets, the more I feel like some time to play with flowers and to do a little creating.

I do create things all the time but there comes a point where I need to stop and create something for me. Something that I have had in my mind for ages and, in the midst of all the chaos and creating for the shop, 

haven't been able to get to. So, that's just what I have been doing.

In the process.....I have discovered something. I have often created in the past with how something should be from what I see in my head instead of really looking at what I am working with. It was like this with my flower arrangements and now, suddenly, I am discovering that combining flowers is a lot like doing a painting. It's not what flowers you put in the bouquet, it's which ones you don't use. Sticking to a pallet of similar hues and gentle colours. I have to admit that I came to this conclusion after a great deal of studying the very exquisite bouquets within the beautiful pages of Jeanne d'Arc Living.

 I'm afraid the light in the room wasn't good enough to capture the sheer beauty of this bouquet with it's vintage yellow pinks and creams. Perhaps I will try again tomorrow...

Fabric flowers for a special occasion....that's approaching VERY fast!

 I can't believe it! It's just over three weeks until Isaac and Chiara's wedding!

I have at last started making some flowers out of organza, muslin and tulle.

 I had never tried this before but it sure was very enjoyable...especially seeing as there was a candle and melting fabric involved. I had a lovely day doing them. It was a beautiful sunny day so I took everything I needed outside to my little table and chairs in the garden in the sun and cut, burnt, assembled and stitched.

The little centres are glass beads in cream and dark grey. 

I must make some more over the coming days as I'm sure I'll have other things on my mind in the last week before the wedding!

Playing with Paper

 And so continues my obsession with old book pages...

I am SUPPOSE to be making book page wreaths but instead I started to experiment a little more with other possible uses. I know it's been done before but the old books and image selection allow for  individuality.

The little cut out butterflies will be added to some little paper creations for under cloches similar to the one I did the other day. I now have two of those on order : ) (NOTE to self: must get my wreaths done first!) Wish me luck...

The Vintage Suitcase

 Here is the leather suitcase that I did a makeover on for a shop display.

 I gave it a bit of a polish and painted the inside chalk USA.

 Then I coffee dyed some muslin for draping in it to soften the look, added a couple of handmade fabric flowers and a little paper flower made from torn book pages.

 This is where you will find some silver-plated, vintage cutlery and the travel charms that I have on the shop blog.

 I have also included some antique mother of pearl buttons.

 Amazing what you can do with an old suitcase!

A couple of projects...

 With the weather warming up and feeling a little "springy" I am feeling MOTIVATED again! That means that I will start to create again. There is something so thrilling to wake in the dark and hear the birds singing. They know when the day is going to be beautiful way before the first sunbeam has touched the sky. I'm not sure how and if I live to be 100 I'm not sure if I'll even know then. BUT all I know is that  they are the best weather forecasters around. Anyhow, it reminds me of Spring and that means longer days and endless possibilities.

I have been meaning to make a little decoration out of vintage book paper.....something that I'm OBSESSED with at the moment.....to place under a cloche and, TA-DAHHH....I actually got around to it. Everything is torn....it never feels right to cut the pages with scissors...it takes away from the time worn quality that makes them SO appealing.

And now, I have another project on the go that is nearing completion. Stay tuned and I'll post some photos soon.
Bye til next time,

Angela : )

Glimpses of Glass

There is definitely something magical about glass.

 I love pale blue glass.

 And I love glass that has that pale green tinge full of imperfection.

 BEAUTIFUL!