Happy New Year

Well I can’t believe another year has passed zip zap!

So many things not finished… sigh

hey, a new year.. so many things to start LOL

but for now Happy New Year and do look back at my last (first!) blog year if you like.

I’m not making resolutions but I am going to try to blog more frequently- or at least more regularly; the long gaps mean things get passed by as something else happens!

FOR EXAMPLE “here is one I prepared earlier” THAT NEVER GOT FINISHED AND POSTED UP. I would like to use it as it is a good way for me to remember a start of a project. ( so, sorry, but I’m going to inflict it on you too)!

This is the first publisher template I made for the matchbox accordion booklets. I’ve adapted it a few times now but at the time I felt very pleased with myself! It has made new ones much quicker.

It also shows me how much I can prevaricate and get sidetracked! ( cue; sidetrack)

My favourite author Terry Pratchett has a bit in one of his books where he describes ideas as sleeting through the universe- sometimes the best idea “hits” the wrong brain and is wasted; other times there is a lightbulb moment for some bright spark!

This idea so resonates with me; I often feel like I am standing ( or to be honest, more probably sitting) under a veritable rainstorm of ideas- sorting them out and getting a proper solid hit to work with has always been a problem. I like the metaphor of all the randomly crashing, sleeting, rain better than butterflies fluttering. It feels much more like what happens to me at times. It stops me actually finishing so many things- I prove concept and then get distracted by the next thing.

Of course sometimes I just can’t be inspired, or bothered, (impatient and lazy?) Know thyself! 🙂

Anyhow here is a sequence taken which to me shows how I work things out ; or how i should not to do it if i ever want to finish it!
!Idea! This well known rhyme “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire your children are flown”.

Firstly a 3D paper house using my bag/box/house fold. I wanted it all as one piece but the flames are added separately on these rather scruffy tryouts. [idea 1]

Then messing about with a little paper doll [idea2]

Then I think it would go well in a matchbox (at this point I had done only the doll and beetles in them) so made a rough working out of layout of the text…

…and decided to try out Publisher.

Much gnashing of teeth ( Publisher was, is a learning curve all by myself!)
but started messing about with seductive clip art [ ideas3 and 4] Oooo, great fun.

Covered a matchbox with fortuitous tiny scrap from friend quilting leftovers and thought about maybe using my nice vintage ladybird or house buttons. [idea5]

Which led to the idea to use even- more- tiny scraps as individual ladybird children (as can’t bear to waste such an apt bounty) glued onto card with threads so they can dangle..! [no.6]

Then had idea to make mini fabric ladybird ( like Agatha beetles ).[idea7]
Tried it but at about an inch long a bit frustratingly fiddly- so not really happy with it and left that.

I also made up some individual booklets for my cousins’ children, with their names in the text and the – second verse ( more clip art fun and games)[no 8]

Abandoned whole boxful to do other rhymes.!!!

I did actually finish baa baa black sheep ( but there is a similar abandoned boxful of other ideas for that too!).

Hmm.

But today I feel like doing the ladybird one again- can’t find the energy to start anything completely new- even if it is New Years day!

Watch this space- I may actually finish one.

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Little Owl and others

At last I have finished (one of at least) the little owl matchbox zigzag accordions.

The idea was to have a little character that can be moved from page to page as you read the story ( or poem ).

This one is my own, but I have ideas for some other texts too. I have previously spent ages ( in small doses ) typing in Publisher to get the text formatted. It’s not Shakespeare – nor even a haiku, but I wanted 8 sentences so it neatly fits two booklets on an A4 sized sheet.

Sixteen pages are about the limit to fit inside the matchbox in lightweight card. I like to use this as it gives a crisp action to the accordion- but sometimes I have to use paper to fit more in ( as in the dark dark book , blogged here ).

Sometimes there is an object in the bottom ( a mini owl stuffie is planned for the next one ) but this time I made a fold out nest to pop little owl in.

I still have lots of ideas; so there is a production line of sorts making a mess as it expands from the storage box, but it is under some sort control now. Here are some pictures of it all as a work in progress today.

I found a remnant of brocade woven as a colour test piece; perfect, as there are several strips just wide enough for a matchbox in just the right “bark looking” colours. I have forced myself to cover a handful so they will be ready when I do the next accordions (see- production economies of scale!)

With this one I have gone for embellishing “print variation A”- (there are lots!) which has some line drawings done directly in Publisher, with pencil and wax crayon. I used some old ‘texture plates’ (children’s’ plastic ones) to get some interesting surface finishes along with the lovely soft Lyra pencils.

The owl is one printed from one of several stamps I made out of some recycled scrap foam stuff. It is actually a little bigger, as it was originally made for the illusion rollers (for a movie workshop, and the owl funpack). I printed some with ink in the normal way, then I scanned them to resize and print them onto the zig zag.

The little owl was made in the same way, then cut out and backed with some teeny scraps of a vintage “it-looks-like-an-owl” fabric left over from the owl sew a softie kits! You can just see it in the photo with the pencils.

Phew! After typing and reading through all that I can’t believe I bothered! Completely time wasting, but it was actually fun to do. The next ones will be quicker!
Ha!
At least this one can go in the shop now.

Looks a bit worried about that doesn’t he?

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Birthday Books

Just another thought; birthday books… in a box of course!
Instead of a card.

I enjoy making these little accordion books fitted into matchboxes. I have beaten “publisher” into submission (on this at least- it still smirks from its lair) so I have a template the right size to work on. It makes it easy now, when I have a new idea to get it done straight away. It is actually quite good to be restricted by the page size when planning out the placement of words or stanzas (that focus thing again). I’ve been working on making nursery rhymes and stories and a little owl ; but recently did some “special birthday” ones and I thought they may be good for the shop, as custom options…

Here are some I prepared earlier… 21years…of shoes

and lots of ducks!

(it was a long story!)
Any thoughts welcome…

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Beetles and Matchboxes.

Met a nice lady on Folksy – we swapped lantern ideas, her illustrated calico ones are one of those “simple-but-oh-so-effective-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that-before” ideas.

http://folksy.com/items/519253-tealight-jar-cover

It made me think of making my paper lace lantern with stiffened fabric – hmmm watch this space.
And
I’ve sold another fabric beetle.

And a Beetle Matchbox too.

I have always loved A. A. Milne’s poem “Forgiven” about a little boy who has a pet beetle which his nursemaid accidentally liberates from its matchbox. I did a workshop with this poem and bug in a box idea and I enjoyed it so much I went on to make my own version (slightly more refined LOL). This is what the children made:-

And this is what I made:-

I was pleased with the nice quiver on the beetle when the box is opened.

Making the Beetle Matchbox was a bit of a side trip from the matchbox accordion I am working on now, a Dark-Dark-Story.

Yes I know Mary-Mary etc still unfinished but I was inspired by Halloween…

Yes I know that has past… but I was on a roll, and it is nearly finished. Anyhow it is a story book “not just for Halloween but for life”.

My Nan told it to me; and everyone goes “oh – yes…” when I mention it. So I think it’s fairly well known. I will try to get it listed today Here it is. . Then maybe I will have time to get on and finish the other two.

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Butterfly Days

I’ve been working on lots of things – at the same time as usual. It’s a wonder I ever finish anything. I was reading on another blog about limiting the creative theme to focus the creativity; but when I have a theme my brain immediately zips about with lots of different variations or uses for it. I can’t help it; and it makes finishing things so hard. As fast as I start something and prove concept, I have another idea; and then it is tedious to work on one thing when I’m itching to see what I can do with something else. Especially as, like most of us, I usually have to put it down in mid flow, to “do life”. This is why I am so often in a paper, wool and fabric chaos zone- one I have a definite love- hate relationship with. Sometimes I long for a nice normal uncluttered home- but a soon as I approach this holy grail… in starts to creep another muddle as I try to “just finish off this”.

For example yesterday- an “at home day”; having excavated my table the day before.
Started in the morning- over breakfast.
Decided to get on with the nursery rhyme boxes which I’ve been dying to do since I sold the Baa Baa Black Sheep one.

Got out “Mary had a little lamb”.
Remembered where I had got to.

Remembered the look I wanted for Mary – got out old needlecraft book to refresh my memory of the crinoline look.

Cut out Mary, roughly.

Realize she is totally out of scale with the lamb.
Remember him? He had a little side trip when I did the lamb jars.

So; also realized the crinoline Mary was for a “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” box!

The other style matchbox doll (here in my shop) had been my original thought – but I think her vintage pantaloon undies short circuited my memory to ‘crinoline effect’ and mixed it all up.

Bother.
So redid lamb smaller anyway, as quite liking the crinoline Mary and getting on well – end in sight.
Took some photos as I am trying to get on top of this blogging-as-you-go thing. ( Sorry, they’re a bit dim; dull day. )
Decided to photo the crochet from night before while I was at it – pumpkin cosies.

See how this distraction thing happens…?
Peep Po!

Waylaid by Mr. WG’s arrival and second breakfast cuppa!

Then, necessary housework. 😦

During tidying decided to prep evening ‘easy to do TV project’ while I was as it and the light was good enough in the “wool mine” (AKA spare room).

So sorted out some tiny balls of weird and wonderful marl boucle etc. that are lovely but only big enough crocheting for tiny objects (i.e. cosy, finally something to use them for!).

Daughter arrived for Tinkerbelle outfit and party planning.

Green dye session to dye purchased leotard from white to Tinkerbelle green ( win some; loose some. No need to cut out fitted underbody / need to have dye bath in kitchen sink for couple of hours).

Meanwhile… made some Peter Pan silhouettes to hang from party ceiling!

Fitted Tinkerbelle overdress dress toile in old net curtain ( handy in the hall in a designated “really do not need; to leave the premises” pile ) but it did come in useful after all.

– Fits. Yeah! Relief.

*worked out pompom for shoes- persuaded her old satin shoes better than new ditto for partying in. Or messing up with pompoms.

Dinner.

TV and bit of mindless crochet ( preparation paid off – yeah ) – some more cosies from bag of nice wool.

Made two!

Fell into bed!

This morning … Oh dear!

Tink stuff still in hall by big mirror (fitting remember)!

Mary the lamb, 3 pumpkin cosies and the two marley ones, all sitting on my table reproachfully!
One pumpkin at a jaunty angle on Shelly doll’s head – courtesy: tinkerbell!

Hmm; she looks a bit like I felt by the end of yesterday…

So I’ve typed this over breakfast. Badly.

Wonder when I’ll post it… 🙂

Anyone else have this sort of day?

It is fun though! Wonder what I’ll do today…

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Some Sales …

The shops have been busier lately – which is good…

Some pegbags and earbud cosies have sold. Bizarrely two things, almost at the same time on the same day to different ‘Suzanne’s – how weird! Especially as I was just off to visit a Suzanne too…

Curiouser and curiouser as Alice said.
Maybe there is a Suzanne asteroid whizzing over in transit to my second house… or something.

I also sold the Baa Baa Black Sheep matchbox accordion. I was very pleased, but a bit sad about that too.

It is all such a nice feeling when a bit of my ‘art’ stuff sells. However I have only made that one, sometimes I make two or three variations of an idea, and I now realise I didn’t actually show it to anyone here; oh well at least I have some pictures…

And the lady who bought it liked it…

Maybe I will get some time this week to finish some more matchboxes. Alice, Mary and the Ladybirds are all languishing together in one of my work boxes. Note, that was ‘one of my work boxes’. I am not telling you how many more than one I have; but the house is a veritable hub of UFOs and WIPs (unfinished-objects and work-in-progress, to those unfamiliar with these modern knitting abbreviations).

I almost forgot; I sold another Punch and Judy matchbox…

…and one of my Art Activity PDFs to a great fan of mine.

One of the really nice things about selling online is that you get to make contact with so many nice people.

So I am having a little celebration of my own…
But first I am off to help make a Tinkerbell outfit! As you do…

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Three Bags Full

Just catching up after the “Lamb Jars”, [ note to self; have to get on top of this blogging stuff].

Preparing artwork for the spinning event leaked over into the creative project I was working on at the time (and still am, mixed with new stuff 🙂 )

Nursery Rhyme Matchboxes.

Little accordions of nursery rhymes with extra bits!
Here is the baa-baa-black-sheep one.

I found a watercolour illustration in a vintage farmyard book. I loved the row of different breeds and just thought it would work so well as an image on the accordion book.

So I redrew a similar “usual suspects” line-up in ink, to go underneath the text, and just tinted it a bit with pencils.
The original thought was to pop in a mini plush lamb so I did still want to put some needle work into it. (I will still do one with the lambkin sometime, ‘cause he’s cute.)

I used some of the wool we had for spinning at the event to fill three bags and make a thread, and a ball of wool. The ball of wool has cocktail sticks and fimo “needles” in it. I accidentally slightly overcooked them – oops, but now I like it because they look more like bamboo ones.

It is probably a bit much to stuff in a matchbox; but it does fit, just, and opens out nicely- so I am pleased with it.
I made a group of matchboxes in scenic colours with my hand dyed scraps of cotton, so I’ve some more for variations when I get around to it.

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Last Minute Creations

Hijacked into making a ”1970’s” dress with a only a few days notice.

Luckily I remembered this pattern from my vintage stash…

…so sometimes the inability to throw away “useful stuff” is…well, useful!
Lovely Mum helped with the shopping, choosing and sewing up; I had (scary) cutting & fitting.

I had to use another pattern for the sleeves, which seemed to fit OK, but (according to exasperated, sewing, Mum) did not fit when seamed! She worked some magic and they looked great to me. They were in, and there was a seam – albeit a tiny one. She shoots, she (lucky rebound) scores!

Cross country delivery to me for hemming and headband making etc. Yes it did look like a bit like a blouse after this, but that was the specified length!

Followed by a cross country dash for the “Cinderella shall go to the disco party” bit.

And she looked F.A.B ..

And will possibly (if she notices) kill me for blogging this!
Not really.
The texted “thank-you” as we arrived home was an aawww moment.
Quite fun really… maybe I should start making clothes again?

Oh and also a bit of last minute fun, a “card box” for birthday Alice. Starting from my “Alice in Wonderland” story box, but using some blooming lucky, spot on, photos from facebook – I could not have staged a much better fit.

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