Feeling like a sloth, on a rainy day in July?

So the fuzzies went on a walking with bio-father, and mummy was left with all the baby sitting. Mary left instructions for specific toys, Matty texted to ask if hers were ok, and when I looked at Daisy's collection of favourites I saw that her newest toy had a note for me and Mike ...

I love him so much I desided to ask daisy if we could collaborate on a little project. She thought that was a fabulous idea so on a wet Saturday I had my paints out. Some of the paints pre date all my children. 

Eventually, layering paint and chalk, tracing and collating and embellishing just a little, a new sloth was born.

I'm going to varnish him tomorrow when the PVA is really dry and then I'll hang him up. I can't wait for daisy to see him! But then, I shouldn't try to hurry things. After all, a sloth knows how to chill...

A Picture For Oscar ....

A friend shared this pic with me. Her friend had spotted it during a visit to Cornwall and they would have bought it to remember their son but the shop was closed.

My friend asked me if I could help get something like this in the Mum's hands and I said, buy some canvas! 

Measuring the canvas by drawing around it, i sketched out the elements of the composition ...

I used my sketch to cut pieces of fabric out ... 

When all the pieces were cut out it was time to iron them all flat and make them adhesive shapes using iron on interfacing. — at The Raggy Rat.

All the fabric got fixed in place with careful ironing and I threaded my machine with navy thread. I thought that it would be nicer than black. 

I used the thread to draw just inside each shape and draw in some of the details like posts and the lighthouse window. 

Mike helped me staple the back. Then I tucked inside some of my cards and added my label too

Here it is finished. I really enjoyed the sewing part, and also hunting for just the right fabrics too. My friend loves it and the mum who received it was over the moon! — at The Raggy Rat.

Don't be board .....

Found a superb chopping board in a charity shop and snapped it up for collaging ....

It already had red sides, so I covered each side in pages of prayer book, and overlapped the edges, sanding them once dry. I covered both sides and then scumbled white paint over the top. 

Now for some fun, cutting lettering from pretty paper using a sketch as a guide. All the letters were drawn on the back of the paper in reverse. 

After gluing them to the heart, I rubbed in some pastel colours and fixed them before varnishing the piece ...

Here is the other side of this truly double sided art! 

An Up-Cycle ... Dressing Table

I bought a dressing table for £30 which had been given a shabby-chique effect. Sadly though the paint was peeling, so Mike has been giving it some TLC out in the garage ...

Underneath was a varnished dressing table, that's why the paint peeled off. Mike stripped the lose paint with blades then sanded the piece to ready to paint it once again ... Paint does not want to stick to a varnished surface!

The dressing table will be a joint project too. Here are the drawer fronts painted with undercoat and ready for me to collage! I will have fun doing that. 

The top has a nice piece of glass. I recon I could do something nice under the glass too before installing this in our bedroom!

Steam punk wedding plans steam ahead!

Well just under 2 weeks until the wedding of the year. Haha. So I've been busy making other things as well as goggles! 

This lovely flower is for mike to wear on his coat ... A rather awesome coat I must say! 

Here is a shoulder bag for my bits and bobs. I wanted it to look like a lense or telescope case but pretty of course. Made from card and fabric with buttons and recycled trim. 

Next, a plain wooden box from a Dorchester charity shop was collaged with my usual flair. I need a ring box for children to handle at the wedding, and to hide the two very special rings. Michael asked me to keep his a surprise until I slip it on his finger!

That interesting tissue paper is the one that my special ring came wrapped in, one special day in Shaftesbury! I applied some inside the lid, and hid both rings inside it for this picture!

Pieces of cerial box, covered in lush green velvet line the box to complete it!

Now to make costumes for the three little girls!

Hooked on collage?

Time to paint the porch which has always been original bricks. But now that the house is painted, demanded a makeover too! 

An inexpensive set of hooks has been used for children's coats, but I couldn't bring myself to put it back on the wall without a makeover of its own, so I covered it in cute paper. 

A wash of gold guache adds a special something and looks aged. 

The edges of the paper have been sanded. Difficult to photograph but looks superb! Try it next time to are altering furnature and so on ...

The plated hooks are gently worn from use but that's fine for my purposes and I screw them all back on with glee!

Finally back on the wall! Hooks that make me happy and suit all the little coats that get hung here ...

Mirror mirror ...

My friend Jenny wanted me to makeover a mirror for her and I found this shabby chique number at the brewers quay ...

I took the shelf off, and neatly covered the mirror in vintage cotton fabric, by soaking it in PVA. 

A sharp blade cut the edges nearly, and also freed the centre to reflect again! I covered the top of the shelf with fabric too. 

After the shelf was screwed on, gold paint was added, giving an ageing effect and helping the fabric sit well, sort of visually embedding it. 

I hope Jenny likes it, do you?

House Work - IKEA Hack

I like those simple magnetic boards from IKEA. I had planned to cover some in cotton fabric and put up in the girls room but instead I covered three in papers and two have ended up here so we can all have some fun!

House Work - The Throne Room!

My toilet floor was 1950s tiles which I had painted with off-white floor paint to hide the dirty brown colour. But the paint was soon chipped by the step-dragging activity of a handful of preschoolers, and it was time for a makeover ...

Here you can see another collage floor, Work In Progress ... There is a good layer of PVA showing in this photograph as The Beezer has been thoroughly soaked before applying ...

Finally covered with three coats of floor varnish, my children are allowed back in! Now I just have to stop them reading the comics instead of washing their hands for dinner!

Steampunk texture...

I found some old collages on artist board and decided to work back into them ...

I don't even remember when I first made them, but painting them was good fun!

I wonder can you guess how some of these textures were made?

The metallic effect is made using bronze acrylic paint ...

My Amazing floor ...

My living room floor has featured a few times in this blog, including some repairs to some of these old tiles. But i came up with a good plan to say goodbye  to the random pieces of carpet and expensive alternatives ... so i started with a room empty and a thorough deep clean ...

Next Michael got down on his knees and did a sterling job filling and smoothing cracks and gaps, and then the floor was sanded and washed and hoovered!

You know those old family bibles with the covers falling off and the amazing illustrations? Michael and I both have one of those and instead of being a tatty King-James-Version tome that no one bothered to read any more, this one was given a new lease of life with a ton of PVA and a sessions of careful placing of The New Testament ...

I love collage. Working with big pages was a challenge when they were wet, as they have to be wet both sides with a solution of the glue and smoothed in place to dry - with the door closed to keep curious kittens and little girls out!

Once dry I gently hoovered the floor with the brushes out, to remove any dust and fluff before applying three coats of varnish.

The finished floor is alive with stories, and a gentle cream colour. Also very good for car games and perfect for sliding with no slippers on ... 

The children were pleased, and many visitors are impressed. But does it disturb you? Is it ok to physically 'stand on the word of god' as well as spiritually? 

I clearly love patchwork and collage, cant wait to have the new budget home made curtains too!

Upcycling a glass box for Love!

Time for a bit of collage fun, after spotting this sweet glass box in a charity shop. It was filled with potpourri and purple silk, but all I saw was potential despite the strong smell!

I cut some squares of thick card to fit each section - all different - then covered each piece with a page of a bible before getting busy with stickers, beads, threads and my neatest writing ...

The lid is secured with small pieces of creative memories tape and matching embroidery thread too!

Happy Christmas!

The fuzzies and I send you our LOVE!

This is a little gift we made together for our dear friend ....