pretty projects

A few pretty projects I've been working on lately, which are all looking very summery and fresh.

Some vintage lace brooches that I'm just starting to stitch beads and pearls on to. I love making these, each one is always different depending on what beads and vintage bits I have at the time. 

A vintage plate full of mother of pearl buttons which are looking lovely on my work desk at the moment.

A new batch of handmade business cards. I need to get some others printed too, but I like the fact that these ones are handmade using snippets of fabrics that I've been working with.

When ever I go to London I always visit Liberty, it's compulsory! I spend ages in the haberdashery department looking through patterns and fabrics. I came home with a pattern for this lovely blouse and some Liberty cotton fabric. I can't wait to get started. I might practice on some old cotton first, just in case it all goes wrong.

Finally one of my favourite things about selling my work online is making pretty packages to send them in. 
Here are a couple of my vintage lace brooches wrapped up in pink tissue paper and tied with silver string. 

I hope your week is going well. What have you been up to lately?

summer sunshine

I was up early this morning with the sun streaming in through the curtains, so I thought I would make a cup of tea and finish off these lavender bags, before heading off to our local farmers market. We came home with pretty looking berries, yellow Patty pan courgettes and delicious cinnamon Danish buns ( which did not make it home)



Another early start tomorrow, as we are off to Newbury Flea Market first thing to snap up all those bargains... I haven't been bric a brac shopping for a while, so I'm really excited as this one is always full of great stuff. I'll let you know what I find.

oh so pretty

 

I'm going to be spending the next few days (and weeks) happily sewing away, as I have loads to do before my open studio exhibition starts on the 18th May. For details of my show click here, It would be lovely if you could make it! There are lots of other artists and craft people exhibiting in Oxfordshire Artweeks throughout the month of May, it's really inspiring to see what other people have been creating and their studio spaces.

 

I'm so pleased that you all liked my little vintage collage pictures, thanks for your lovely comments  x

 

 

treasure

I've been sat at my desk, radio on, making a few more pieces for my next show at West Ox Arts Gallery in Bampton. I will be exhibiting along side other members of the Oxfordshire crafts guild.

 Hidden in this mess are some little lace brooches I have been working on. Can you spot them?

and this mess resulted in some cards being made.

enjoy the rest of your week..

 

nice and tidy

My work room doesn't actually look this tidy now, this was taken before I started work on a new design, now the jars of lace have been emptied out, sketch books open and buttons everywhere. It's hard to keep the space tidy when you are in the middle of making, but I hate to start work in a mess. I find the best way is to have jars, boxes and tins to pack it all neatly away afterwards. 

I bought some great fabrics yesterday, I really love the red flower piece, very 1940's, I'm going to make some little lace and fabric lavender bags with them later.

chocolate box

I've had a lovely time away in the beautiful Welsh countryside attending a friends wedding. They were so lucky with the weather, very cold with clear blue skies and sunshine. All the guests stayed in a beautiful manor house hotel, which was a real treat.

 

 

Now I'm back home, I thought I would share with you this vintage chocolate box, don't you love the big ribbon on top. It would be nice it it was full of delicious chocolates, cherry creams to be precise, instead I keep zips, cottons, buttons and pearls inside. It would make a great jewellery box too!

colourful cottons

How's your week going so far? Feeling very autumnal here with grey skies and the wind blowing the leaves off the trees already.  Just thought I would show you this sewing basket I bought from a charity shop a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure weather to buy it, but I'm glad I did as it's really useful to see what colour cottons you have or need to buy.

precious purses

I love making these little purses, I only need a small amount of fabric, so I can choose something really special. I like to add an antique button or a vintage piece of lace. There is also something lovely about their size, you can only keep your very precious things inside.

I'm off to Paris tomorrow to visit my sister, who is moving apartments, so I had better get packing. hopefully I will take some nice photos to share with you when I get back.....

the sewing box

When I open up my sewing box, I'm never quite sure what I will find. Buttons and cottons I've forgotten about, sparkling beads and broken necklaces, zips faded pink, cream and grey, tins with all sorts of little treasures in, all waiting to be stitched on to a piece of fabric which will become a bag or purse.

close up

 Corsages are by definition decorative flowers, which can be pinned to clothes or tied around your wrist, so with this in mind I have been looking at seasonal flowers for inspiration. I took the petal shape of the yellow flowers below, and used this new peach coloured felt with soft lace to create a similar effect. 

 I love the way these pale purple Lilac flowers cluster together, and I aimed to design a similar feel on the clutch bag below, where i've used lace flowers mixed with seed beads, buttons and pearls. 

my favourite find

When I last visited my sister in Paris, we went to the 'Porte de Vanves' flea market in the south of the city.

As you can imagine I wanted to buy almost everything. Stalls stretched out along a quiet avenue, lined with trees selling all sorts from 60's and 70's furniture to linens, paintings and ceramics.

I fell in love with some beautiful fabric swatches, stitched on to paper with penciled notes written on them.

I didn't buy any, but now I wish I had! Instead I bought this cigar box full of old sewing bits and pieces which someone had carefully collected. Since then I've added a few bits of my own.  

flea market finds

I visit my local flea market almost every week. It's a great place to find the vintage fabrics, cottons and beads that I use in my work.

There are so many different stalls selling all sorts from china and vintage clothes to stamps and jewellery. I can never resist a visit.
I picked up this old dress pattern - I love the packet design.

The wooden cotton reels are so cheap and are a lot nicer than the plastic ones.

I made this small envelope purse with vintage cluster detail.Perfect to take out or keep your trinkets and treasures in.