Tag Tuesday Challenge - The Deep

I really laughed out loud when I saw what the challenge was for this week - The Deep. You see, last week's challenge was Blue and Green, and I promptly went for an underwater scene. Perfect for this week, lol. I was sorely tempted to put the same tag up again, just for a laugh especially as I had only just managed to put my tag up on Monday, but in the end I thought that was too silly even for me, so I decided to make a companion piece instead.

Again, I knew exactly which graphics I wanted to use, although it took me a while to find it again. I combined the two gorgeous Art Nouveau images, filled the shell one mermaid was carrying with sea jewels, added shells to the bottom of the sea, and a few other embellishments.


I found a few of these thick abelone disks in a bag of mixed costume jewellery a couple of weeks ago, and I think combined with the pearls, they make a very nice dangly -


I loved working with the colour scheme last week and the brief for this week. Here are both sea themed tags side by side -


Thats all for now, but I might be back later on with a second post to tell you about a little experiment...........

Toodlepip xxx

Tag Tuesday's Blue and Green Challenge (late, of course )

I love this challenge, the combination of blues and green is probably my favourite one, and always makes me think of the sea straight away. Hmm, could that have something to do with being Pisces?

Of course it meant that my tag had to have a watery theme. I knew exactly which image I wanted to use, and which trims I wanted to use, and this tag came together surprisingly easily. Usually I take ages to decide what to do and what to use and then change everything once I start anyway, lol, but this tag almost made itself.

I painted a white tag with a beautiful shimmery bluey green paint, selected the image, and used a piece of my favourite tasselled trim for the bottom of the tag. A bit of blue lace for the side, a little bit of braid to simulate waves at the top, some very fine netting for, well nets, lol, and some real sea shells on the bottom of the sea. Of course, I had to add a few little sea jewels to the trim, a bit of sparkle is a good thing, right?

I am happy with this tag -


And now I am so looking forward to the next challenge, which is tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, I might actually get to make a Tag Tuesday Challenge tag on a Tuesday..........

YIKES, almost missed my inchie challenge! 2nd post of the day.

I am doing it again, aren't I, just managing to get my inchie in before the next challenge starts tomorrow. I suppose having been poorly is kind of an excuse. Even though, you would have thought a teeny little thing like this wouldn't present a problem. Ah well, I am keeping this really short, as it is my second post of the day, and it is almost bedtime.

So here it is, this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge - HEART -


I covered the little inch square with some torn mulberry paper, cut a heart shape out of tea stained paper, punched a little oval, and stuck on the little sentence, and aged all the bits slightly with fluid chalk ink. Had to put on a couple of sparklies, of course. Ta daaaa, done.

This has got to be my shortest post ever, lol. Toodlepip xxx

Nothing better than a boot fair on a Sunday morning

Usually during the summer months, we have two boot fairs on a Sunday morning, in fields, one which starts around 6am ( yaaawn, too early for me, we normally get there around 7ish ), and one which starts around 9am. Because we had a little bit of rain on Friday night, the early Sunday morning one was cancelled, boo hiss, but the later one was on, hurrah! My DS Nick kindly went with me, he doesn't particularly like it but bless him, he drives me anyway.

The first few rows were very disappointing, just clothes, toys, dvds, modern household stuff, and more clothes and toys. By the time I had worked my way through 3/4s of the boot sale, I had only bought two little stamps, a battered silver jug, a book and a bit of trim, which is modern, but quite country/cottagy, because of the jute used in it -

And then, I turned into the second from last row, and there it was, the sort of stall we all dream of! Fabrics, buttons, ribbons, trims, lace, my heart really skipped a beat, but I did just about stop myself from drooling, lol. I dove straight into a box with bits and pieces of lace, and sorted out a handful of lengths. Gorgeous, very vintage lace, a couple of antique lengths as well. Then I stopped for a minute and looked at all the other women at the stall and the expressions on their faces. I am sure my face went through exactly the same sort of emotions............. intense concentration, frowns, delight, secret little smiles, disappointment, huge joyful smiles.......... and then it was head back in the boxes looking for other stuff. This is what I came away with from that stall, having spent most of my money there -

Gorgeously soft chenille trim -


Ricrac in the sweetest shade of robin egg blue, gently faded in places -


A roll of vintage white seam binding and a cone of pink satin ribbon -

Then there is the LACE !!! I just pulled out some pieces to show you close ups -


I wasn't sure about this knotted cotton netting, but then I thought I would be great for pockets on fabric collages for example -


And the best thing about it, it is FRENCH LACE! The guy bought a whole bunch of stuff from a shop in France which had closed down. Sigh, why I don't ever see shops closing down in France? And why didn't I come across this guy earlier when he still had loads of stock instead of just this one box full of lacy bits, sigh?

I fell in love with these very vintage wooden spools of fine wool thread, beautiful vintage colours, and despite their age, the threads are still very strong -


The wooden spools are quite large, approx 15cm long. I wonder whether I will ever use up the thread to actually get to the wooden spool, lol. I doubt it. I do love them though -


I also adore big bold fringeing trims, they look fabulous on cushions and bags and even make great fringes on tags and cards, so these two had to come home with me as well -


The next one is probably my favourite trim ever, the colours are so gorgeous, shades of peach and salmon and golden wheat -



I have to use this one straight away on something, it is way too pretty to just leave lying around. Any ideas what I could use it on? Feel free to let me know, lol.

Well, that was just about it, I had spent most of my money at that stall, so I rushed through the last couple of rows and only stopped once when my radar bleeped! I just quickly homed in on this richly embellished tablecloth, -


and this beautifully embroidered mystery cloth, and then went home-

I am not entirely sure what it was used for. It is quite large, larger even than the usual antique French linen or cotton towels, but too small to be a sheet, unless it was a sheet for a crib ( hmm, possible ). It could even be used to cover a small window or glass in a door. The embroidery is first class and just look at the darling little cherub, so sweet.

Thats it, folks, I am off to try and catch up on all the posts I have missed during the last 10 days or so.

I am linking this post to Blue Creek's Treasure Hunt Party HERE. Have fun visiting all the other participants as well.

Have a lovely Sunday, especially if you are in Europe or the States or anywhere else where Mothering Sunday is celebrated today.

Toodlepip xxx

19th C. Victorian Flower Scraps

Before I do anything else, I really have to thank you gals for being such wonderful concerned friends. All your well wishes via emails and comments made me feel heaps better. THANK YOU!!!

You may remember that I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had managed to find some more Victorian scraps from my favourite stallholder. I finally got around to having a closer look at them yesterday and I spent a happy couple of hours oohing and aahing over them and sorting them by colour. Yes I know, sigh, I am a sad case, lol. But whilst I was doing that, I realised that I probably wouldn't use all those scraps myself and so I decided to put some in my blog shop. But of course, they have to be kept safe and sound, and I couldn't think of anything better than storing them in prettily embellished little envelopes.

Here are the little envelopes -


And a couple of the collections I put in the blog shop -



You can find these and a few other collections listed in the blog shop here.

I hope I will be well enough to visit a boot fair and have a little womble tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Toodlepip, xxx



Toodlepip

AWOL!

Yep, I am afraid that is me, AWOL for far too long. I have had this rotten cold for 2 1/2 weeks now and just when I thought I was getting better, I got a nasty sinus infection which laid me low with crazy pains in my head. I am slowly getting better, but I am still terribly bunged up and weak and can't do long session on the computer. BUMMER, grr, I even missed out on the boot fairs last weekend, and because of the bank holiday it was a long weekend with extra boot fairs! Makes ya cry, doesn't it? All those beautiful things I missed out on.............. you can probably imagine how relieved my poor long suffering husband was, lol.

But thats quite enough of that, I have had some mail which really cheered me up! I received two gorgeous tags from the fabulous Cindy Atkins! I am sure you all know her and her wonderfully quirky, bubbly, exuberant and very prolific work. The first tag she sent, just because. No special reason, just a wonderful little present from one blogger friend to another. And it is a typical Cindy tag, full of "joie de vivre" . The tag came in its own little holder, which was beautifully embellished as well -

The tag -


I hope you can see all the wonderful little details in the close ups, the glitter, the little lovely little touches like the pearls etc.

I also won in her week long Alice giveaway, and the gorgeous prize arrived this morning. It is fantastic, just look at it!


Such a prettily decorated peg with a tiny tag, and the beautiful Alice's Tea Party pocket, front -


and back -

The Tea Party tag -


Such a wonderful addition to my Bloggy Friends' Tags collection. Thank you so much, Cindy, they are just fabulous.

I missed last week's tag tuesday challenge, and of course I am way late for this week's tag tuesday and every inchie monday challenge. I'll try and catch up sometime this week.

I have also noticed that I have some new followers. Yoohooo and a big hello and welcome to you! Once my brain is working again and I feel a bit more human again, I'll organise a giveaway. About time I did, right?

I also have a few more boot fair finds to show you from Sunday before last, including a gorgeous old Victorian photo album. Another time though, I have to call it a day for now. Hugs to you all,

toodlepip, xxx