tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42589990324349357562024-03-12T17:54:19.183-07:00MargiesBlueHouseMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-28978266779623145902014-08-19T08:00:00.001-07:002014-08-19T08:00:42.849-07:00Thank you Pinterest and Kristen MooreHello again! Running short of time (as usual) and needing to make an anniversary card, I turned to Pinterest and was surprised to see so many lovely cards there for inspiration. One in particular struck me and I visited Kristen's site for a closer look <a href="http://sunshinesmilesstamps.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/love-birds.html">here</a><br />
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This was her lovely card designed in 2009 and I realised I had both the birdie punch and a heart die - woo hoo!<br />
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It took no time at all to make my card and no stamping or ink drying time needed! Here's mine:<br />
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Thank you so much Pinterest and especially Kristen - you saved my day and I'm your new follower! Margie x<br />
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Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-47816102292830562892014-08-14T15:04:00.003-07:002014-08-14T15:04:40.831-07:00Sew pretty - a little album for a friendHello friends. I've just finished off a little album for a friend's 70th birthday this weekend. She's a quilter so I thought a sewing theme would be appropriate. Now I wish I could remember where I saw this idea for the binding but it was on the internet recently and I've lost the place! Anyway, you will see from the cover here that I just wrapped twine round and round and then tied it together at the top and threaded the ends through a flower and a button to secure.<br />
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The pages are then just folded and slipped through the twine loops and it looks like this on the inside.<br />
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Very simple but effective. I've just got a couple of the inside pages to show you as there's obviously a lot but there is plenty of space for pics and lots of little tags in pockets for her to write notes.<br />
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And of course, it needed a box and I had the perfect flower to top it! I knew it would find a home soon.<br />
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Hope you're having better weather than we are at the minute - lots of really heavy rain and a definite cooling in the air. Feels very autumnal. Thanks for popping in. Margie x<br />
<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-58071496009088262922014-08-06T10:00:00.001-07:002014-08-06T10:00:42.017-07:00Magazine page flowers anyone?Hello again - I've been playing today making some flowers from cut up magazine pages. I love the vibrant effects you can achieve just by selecting some lovely coloured pages (my John Lewis magazine was just perfect). I then cut some squares, folded these in quarters and cut some four-petalled shapes. The longer pointy petals were done by folding the squares one more time and cutting a long pointy shape! The trick is to remember where the centre of your shape is going to be and making sure you don't cut through that otherwise you'll be left with a pile of separate petals - not what you wanted!<br />
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Anyway - here's the picture of my finished flowers<br />
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I've used about 5 or 6 different layers for each flower and I love them both although the blue one has turned out really elegantly with that gorgeous button in the middle. Once my layers were selected, I doodled each petal with black and white pens, curled the edges with a pair of scissors then formed the flower shapes by snipping down into the centre between two petals and sticking those two petals together - I'm sure you've all seen the Tim Holtz method of making flowers....... <br />
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Once the layers were all stuck together, I cut a circle of paper and fringed the edge to make the centre and stuck a button with the shank removed in the middle - job done!<br />
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I think these will look great on gift boxes and I might even give them a coat of Mod Podge to make them extra sturdy but they aren't flimsy by any means. Check out your old magazines for lovely coloured pages and rip away - you'll be hooked. Thanks for taking the time to pop in. Margie x<br />
<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-89991515644319412872014-08-04T15:01:00.000-07:002014-08-04T15:07:52.376-07:00Meet Marianna ......Hello friends. You may have seen a few videos on YouTube involving wrapping a doll in plastic wrap and creating a papier mache bodice for an art dress? Well, I looked at them and thought, hmmm, wonder if I could make a dress using the Tim Holtz dressform die for the base.<br />
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So let me introduce my very first art dress, she's very classy and I've called her Marianna,<br />
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I cut two of the dressforms from some mountboard then cut one of them in half lengthwise and attached these halves at right angles to the second dressform (does that make sense) so it was a 3D dressform which stood up nicely. I painted this white then I cut the bodice of the die several times from some nice shiny paper and folded these in half. After glittering the edges I fitted about 8 folded pieces to make a nice curved bodice and then curved the edges. Once that was done I set about making the underskirt with tulle - I used white but I think pale pink would have stood out better. I just gathered the tulle with a running stitch and glued it round the dressform leaving a gap at the front where the paper skirt will fit in.<br />
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A layer of gathered wide lace site on top of the tulle and then this was decorated with pearl trimmed narrow lace. The lovely folded bit at the front was done with music paper trimmed with pink lace and then glued in tiers into the space left by the other layers. Much easier to do than it sounds and there's a video here if you want to see it for yourselves. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVwBXujDz0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVwBXujDz0</a><br />
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After fixing some roses at the waist and a little heart locket, I wanted to do some more with the back. Here it is.<br />
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I fan folded a piece of cream paper and covered the back of the bodice with it before sticking in some pearl hatpins - it reminds me of the high Elizabethan collars. You can also see the stand on this picture which makes quite a sturdy base for the dress. Well I hope you like this - I really enjoyed making it and can't wait to make another one.<br />
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Thanks so much for popping over - I really appreciate your visit and any comments you might kindly leave me, they mean a lot. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-7553943385344873522014-07-29T14:51:00.003-07:002014-07-29T14:51:45.015-07:00Love is in the air ........Can't believe its almost August but I hope you've all been enjoying some fantastic weather lately. We've had family visiting so not much time for crafting but I did have a commission to make a pop-up wedding card in a box which I really enjoyed doing and I'm sure the happy couple won't mind me sharing with you. Here's the card standing up - I love all the layers you can achieve.<br />
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and here's a couple of pics where the card is flattened for posting - very clever whoever thought of it!<br />
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And while I'm on a romantic theme - here's my latest spreads for the altered book round robin. This book was entitled Once Upon A Time so I chose a fairy story as my theme. Here's the first spread,<br />
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I asked my hubby which fairy story he thought it was and he said Snow White! Where did I go wrong????<br />
Anyway, here's the second spread - it did actually click with him this time, think it was the glass slipper.........<br />
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Hope you've had some crafting time this month although with the weather being as warm as it has in the North East of England, its been BBQs and beaches for us! Hugs, Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-36741296238029936132014-07-01T04:26:00.001-07:002014-07-01T04:26:46.998-07:00Home is where the heart(h) is ...Hello again! Back with my latest altered book in the 12-month worldwide round robin I joined in January. Getting much more confident about working in other people's books now and this one, entitled "Home" was right up my street LOL. My first spread was inspired by a very lovely old reference book I picked up at a collectables fair for just £1. Its called Home Lover's Encyclopedia published in 1933 and has some wonderful illustrations, one of which I used for the background.<br />
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The words are cut from magazine pages and the stamps are from a lovely new Eclectica 3 set from Sara Naumann for PaperArtsy (ESN01) which I'm finding very useful for my book art.<br />
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My second spread in the book was a bit more complicated. I wanted to do a little folded house made from Tim Holtz Artful Dwellings die which worked brilliantly until I tried to close the book. Ooops - too thick, so I cut the house in half and divided it between the two pages and now it pulls out on both sides and I think it looks fine. See what you think.<br />
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The words are meant to signify the lengthy process of turning our old cottage into a home and we are now 37 years into a 10 year project so things don't move very fast round here! The brass pieces in the pics are from my hubby's collection in his den and I just grabbed what I could to support my book.<br />
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Really enjoyed working on this book and its now on its way to Australia for the next participant. Its costing a lot to send each book (over £11) so I'm thinking of setting up a UK-only based altered book round robin next year so if anyone would like to play along, please let me know and hopefully we'll get enough people to make it work. Thanks so much for stopping by and looking at my work. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-24397269847383143642014-06-28T12:51:00.000-07:002014-06-28T12:51:15.802-07:00Its been a while.....Hello dear friends and I have to ask "What happened to the month of June?" Here we are almost into July and its all passed in a blur - or is it just me......<br />
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Anyway, I've been very busy in the garden and crafting whenever possible, doing some workshops and learning some new things myself including silk art and glass fusing. My next experience will be into machine embroidery so for someone who is afraid of their sewing machine, that's going to be fun.<br />
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My very good friend had a birthday recently and has a thing about Paris so I got her a lovely china mug but it came without a box so what does a crafty friend do? Make a box that's what....<br />
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Love these stamps from the Oxford Impressions Dress Forms & Corsetry set! I can see me using them a lot in the future. Here's the box opened up<br />
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And of course her card had to be different too ....<br />
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I'm really enjoying making these pop up box cards - great fun and they fold flat for posting which is a bonus. <br />
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Thanks so much for popping over to see me and I hope you've all enjoyed some lovely sunny weather lately. Margie x<br />
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<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-65018628491738915592014-05-28T16:27:00.001-07:002014-05-28T16:27:53.629-07:00J'adore Marie AntoinetteHello dear friends. Those of you who visit often will know about my altered book round robin and the latest book to arrive with me was themed Marie Antoinette. The owner of the book asked for elegant, frilly and over the top so this is what I came up with. My first page was inspired by a quote said to be the response when a sympathiser told Marie Antoinette to "have courage" on the way to the guillotine.<br />
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"Courage! I have shown it for years. Think you I shall lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end?" <br />
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The background was made with Fresco chalk paints over a gesso'd surface with some ripped text paper, the main image and texture paste added through stencils. Some stamping and metallic wax came next and then the key fastened on with some wire. The pearl embellishment added a bit of bling at the side.<br />
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It was sad reading about the young girl married to the future king of France at age 14 especially when I read a little piece about her being credited with the invention of the handkerchief which inspired my second spread.<br />
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Click on the image to enlarge the writing so you can read the story. The book pages at the bottom are a prayer written for her soul at the time of her death. The beading along the bottom was a piece of upholstery trim which will hang nicely from the bottom of the book. I liked the way the piece of lace tucked into the side of the dress in this spread - here's a better picture.<br />
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and the little crown I made with tiny beads here<br />
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Really enjoyed working on these two pages and the book will soon be on its way to Australia. Thanks so much for popping in to see me. I do appreciate it. Margie x<br />
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<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-82846130396824371752014-05-07T11:55:00.000-07:002014-05-07T11:55:16.508-07:00Queen BeeHello again dear friends. I'm back with another tag using my favourite Julie Nutting doll stamp. This time it was for a swap with my craft club friends where we had to make use of a blue and white napkin. I peeled off the top layer of the napkin and stamped the doll stamp on it with white ink so it would show up easily then I cut the dress out and layered it onto my doll stamped onto the pre-printed tag and coloured with Distress markers.<br />
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These Prima tags are so lovely and they are printed on both sides. Once I'd got the dress wrinkle-free, I added a little flower at the waist and some lovely blue crochet lace at the hem. The bee and crown stamps were from a sheet of free stamps available with Issue 16 of Creative Stamping. (A gorgeous sheet of stamps if you haven't already seen it) The dark blue ribbon just finished it off, along with some word strips.<br />
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The box I got in return was amazing, decorated with lots of flowers made from the napkin. Other items in the swap included a napkin-wrapped candle, a coathanger, a pair of pixie shoes as well as cards. Its amazing how one napkin can spark off so many different ideas! <br />
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Hope your creativity is blooming, like the beautiful flowers in my garden enjoying the warmth and the gentle rain at the minute. Thanks for popping in to see me. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-6021512170103959172014-05-04T05:53:00.000-07:002014-05-04T05:53:06.204-07:00Springtime in ParisHello again - just back with a quick post to share a little album I've made for a friend. Here's the front cover:<br />
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I love making these little albums and finding loads of images to go with my theme. I used the Madame Payraud papers for the covers but sad to hear these have been discontinued so I won't be able to replenish my stash. I'll have to keep watch for them on sale anywhere as they are such lovely muted colours and great designs. I also used my new TH bow die here on the bouquet of flowers and pearl pins. Inside, I really went to town with 6 pages - I thought the first and last pictures could be the two of us having a refined afternoon tea and a good old gossip!<br />
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The album is tied with some lovely purple seam binding I've had in my stash for ages and just fitted the bill. Hope she likes my little Parisian themed book. Thanks so much for coming to see me and I hope you are enjoying some Bank Holiday sunshine. Margie x<br />
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I'm entering this in the <a href="http://thatscraftychallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/spring-is-in-air-challenge.html">Spring is in the Air</a> challenge over at That's Crafty.Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-65540185638142076612014-05-01T13:12:00.000-07:002014-05-01T13:12:12.359-07:00Life is a JourneyHello friends - it seems like absolutely ages since I posted anything but I've been really busy with workshops and WI groups and, of course, my altered books round robin. The latest book I received was entitled Life is a Journey and I decided to do one spread of a place I know very well (Japan) and another which would be just about an inspirational journey with some great quotes. Here's my first spread<br />
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The base layer was made with the wrapping from some tea towels sent by my Japanese DIL's Mum and the images were from a gorgeous Japanese art catalogue. The flowers came from a set of cards and the old pen nib was on a card of 9 nibs I bought at a recent collectables fair - really like those - and the broad washi tape was again a gift from my DIL, Norie. The little bow opens and the flap lifts up to reveal some journalling about my trips to Japan to meet Norie's family . I really enjoyed doing these pages - very soothing.<br />
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The second spread is a bit more lively.<br />
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I gesso'd the pages before painting on some Fresco Finish then stencilling leaves and dots. Lots of Tim Holtz clippings from his wonderful papers and some journalling using my beautiful glass pen (again a gift from Japan) that actually makes my writing legible! The piece of mesh came from hubby (something to do with tiling I think) and the quotes came from all over the place. There was one more I would have liked to include but couldn't find room for it. "Never look back! If Cinderella had gone back for her shoe, she never would have become a Princess!" Love it!<br />
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Just before I go, here's a tag I made with my lovely new Julie Nutting doll stamp. This is what we'll be making at my next little workshop - I'm sure the girls will have fun with this one. I know I did.<br />
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Hope everyone is well and looking forward to another long weekend (if you are in the UK). Thanks for stopping by - I always appreciate it. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-69521375390416436592014-03-30T09:54:00.000-07:002014-03-30T09:54:47.774-07:00Ancient Egypt Altered BookHello there friends, it seems like ages since I last posted but I've been busy working on my spreads for the altered book round robin. This book was entitled Ancient Egypt and the previous artists had done some amazing work leaving me wondering where to start. I was so pleased to borrow some stamps from a friend which got me going and it went really well after that. Here's the first spread<br />
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The pages of the book were quite flimsy and shiny so I decided to fold some to make a central pocket for my tag and then decorated both sides. I used Tim's new Latticework stencil on the left hand side and distressed the paper to look a bit like an old scroll. The right hand side was painted with Seedless Preserves Distress Stain which allowed the printing to show through and I sealed the edges with some washi tape. I loved the bit of upholstery trim I found in my stash and frayed the ends, dipping them into glue and gold glitter. My tag was embossed and then rubbed with several colours of metallic paste and polished to a shine and decorated with a bronze mummy.<br />
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Here's the second side of that pocket<br />
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This side of the pocket was painted with Broken China Distress Stain, dabbed with gold paint and trimmed with more washi tape and ribbon. I really liked the idea of a corrugated cardboard pyramid rubbed with gold paint and the sphynx in front. Someone else before me had used very fine sandpaper for their sand - great idea. My scarab beetle was actually finished off with a gold coin and some shiny beads but that was last minute after I'd taken these pics. I had to get it wrapped up to send to Australia in the morning for the next part of its journey.</div>
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Thanks for joining me today and if you've never altered a book before, I'd certainly recommend it. Especially joining in a round robin - its really inspiring to see other people's work. Hope everyone is having a great Sunday and better weather than we have here in NE England where its been thick fog all day. Nice and warm by the log fire though. Margie x</div>
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PS My son sent me a Mother's Day message from Kenya today where he's been taking part in a charity climb of Mt Kenya to help raise funds for a village his firm is supporting. I'm so proud of him I could burst.</div>
<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-11926989940123583042014-03-11T17:27:00.003-07:002014-03-11T17:27:41.325-07:00And finally, the Steampunk folds......I know its late but I had to share these photos of my star pupil's amazing Steampunk theme book now she's completed it. This was Jan's first try at folding books and I think she has really embraced the idea of making a real talking point of her creation. See what you think.<br />
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I love the chain with the watch round the middle and all the items she's managed to attach with wire so that they stand away from the pages. Here's some of the detail.<br />
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And a close-up of her very neat folds<br />
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I'm so proud (like a mother hen!) and pleased that they all enjoyed the workshop and will hopefully come back for more crafting fun. Thanks for popping over - I do appreciate every visit and comment that you leave. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-40094970739754559082014-03-09T12:43:00.001-07:002014-03-10T02:25:45.932-07:00Vintage ladies domino bookWelcome dear friends on an evening when we've had the most glorious sunshine and I've actually been out working in the garden for a change! Roll on the summer but in the meantime, here's a tiny domino book I've made for my partner in this swap. It really strained the old eyes but I do like working in miniature.<br />
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First of all, here's the book closed up:<br />
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I finished off the front with a little frame holding a tiny portrait which I covered with Glossy Accents to look like glass - really pleased with the way that turned out.<br />
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This picture shows the lovely vintage ladies inside:<br />
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and the next one is the back of those pages:<br />
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and the last picture is the tiny box I made for the book with a little window to show the front of the book inside:<br />
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This book is now on its way to Canada - hope my partner likes it! Oh, by the way we have the first lambs in the field behind our house today, so sweet. Hope you're all enjoying some better weather at last. Margie x<br />
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Entering this into the Inspired by Stamping "Anything but a Card" challenge <a href="http://joannamunster.com/2014/03/10/anything-but-a-card-challenge/">here</a>. Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-81791103285250180572014-03-01T15:02:00.000-08:002014-03-01T15:02:19.332-08:00Having fun with folded books What a great time I had today running the second part of my book folding workshop at our local gallery. Last week, all the books were folded and this Saturday the decorating began. As you can see here, there was plenty going on (it looks a bit like my table when I'm crafting!)<br />
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This is Alan, Jan and Sally looking very intent on their decorating!<br />
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Then these are Mary, Katie and another Mary having a fit of the giggles over theirs! As you can see, its a lovely, light and airy room to work in with a nice fire and we were kept supplied with coffee and cakes too.<br />
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Two hours went by very quickly and here are some of the finished books. The others were taken off to be finished and pictures promised when they are done.<br />
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This is Sally's "sewing theme" book. I love the ribbon at the front and her great choice of embellishments.<br />
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This is Alan''s "medical oddities" theme. My pic is a bit dark but it was a very interesting theme made in an old medical book full of the strangest photographs!<br />
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Mary's "Russian travel" theme included a great collection of memorabilia from a recent trip there and was actually created in a book all about Russia. Love the doll bookmarks!<br />
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And this is Katie's "travel" theme book and she did the printing of the old steam train on a book page - it looked great. I'll let you see the other two when I get the pics but I hope you've enjoyed seeing these. Amazing how they all turned out so differently. Hope you are enjoying the weekend and manage to get some time to craft yourselves. Thanks so much for popping in to see me. Margie x<br /><br />
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<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-71302316386272241792014-02-24T10:29:00.001-08:002014-02-24T10:29:42.366-08:00Cowboys and Indians!Hello there dear friends. I'm here with another couple of spreads made for the altered book round robin I joined and this book was entitled American South West which really had me thinking. Anyway, when I saw what had already been done and the kind inclusion of some images from the book's owner, I got stuck in - literally.......<br />
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Here's the first spread which is for the cowboys:<br />
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I really liked that the words on the right hand page had already been provided - that gave me a feel for this spread and I enjoyed adding the textured ferns and the stencilled big stars. The cactii picture was printed on tissue paper which was mod podged onto the already gesso'd page which I coloured with some Stormy Sky and Bundled Sage DIs. The bird is probably totally out of place for the desert but I liked it anyway.<br />
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The next spread for the indians is my favourite:<br />
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I started off with this fabulous picture of a Hopi indian and wanted it to look dark and ghostly so again I printed it off onto tissue paper and then mod podged it onto dark brown paper - I loved the effect but it needed brightening with the gold feathers and stars. On the left hand page, this very colourful Kachina doll was an eye-catching image and I discovered that the colours they used all had meanings which I included on the page. </div>
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A really interesting book and theme to work on and tomorrow this will be winging its way to Australia and my next book will be with me soon. I hope its a girly or flowery theme this time! </div>
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Thanks for popping in to see me - I love to read any comments you are kind enough to leave for me. Its been a gorgeous day here in the North East of England and I'm hoping that's a sign that Spring is on its way!</div>
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Margie x</div>
<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-31652063353581676972014-02-16T14:52:00.000-08:002014-02-17T09:38:14.033-08:00My 50p bargain box - altered, of course!Hi there my blogging friends and I hope the weather is treating you a bit more kindly. I went to a Collectables Fair recently and was very pleased to come away with a nice haul of old books, vintage keys, dominoes, boxed games and a battered old round box which was a mere 50p!<br />
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I just wish I'd taken a pic of it before I started but I forgot so you'll just have to imagine the horrible red colour and the peeling paper. But I knew it had potential and wanted to make a lovely gift box for my friend's 65th birthday present. So here it is.<br />
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I covered the box with some beautiful K&Co Blue Awning papers (another bargain from ages ago) then decorated the edges with lace and white flower trimming. The focal image is from a sheet called Waterhouse Flowers from Alpha Stamps digital images - a really lovely sheet. The frame around it was an old green hessian one which I've dabbed some cream acrylic paint over to lighten it. In this next picture, you can see the labels I've cut from the Madame Payraud papers - fast becoming a favourite of mine and the beautiful silk flowers given to me by a friend who used to do flower arranging. <br />
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Thanks so much for calling to to see me and I love to read any comments you have. Enjoy the break in the weather while it lasts, I hear the UK is in for more storms next week but our friends over in some parts of the US are having even tougher times. Margie x<br />
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Thank you to Neet for the suggestion - I'm entering this into the Artful Times Challenge Blog <a href="http://artfultimes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/challenge-49-boxing-clever.html">here </a>Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-56670060781147307142014-01-27T03:22:00.000-08:002014-01-28T02:22:00.013-08:00At last, another folded book......Hello there friends - its lovely to be back with another folded book. Its been a while but I've got a little workshop coming up at our local art gallery and we are making these books so I thought I'd better make another example. So pleased with this one and I think the ladies will like it too.<br />
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The folding bit is what takes the time but then its so much fun thinking of a theme and searching through all the stamp sets to find a selection that will fit and then cutting out the images and placing them. I think this example will sit really nicely in the gallery as they have a little antiques corner amongst all the lovely work from our local artists. I'm really looking forward to this workshop now.<br />
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Hope you are having better weather where you are - its been rain, wind and even a little bit of snow here yesterday but at least we aren't flooded out like some people. My heart goes out to them, especially when its happening so often. Hope things improve soon for them. Margie x.<br />
<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-39754653492877231272014-01-19T06:21:00.000-08:002014-01-19T06:21:25.214-08:00Love is all you need.....Hi there friends - I'm back with my Altered Book round robin pages for Kristen's book entitled "Love". What a brilliant theme for this time of the year and I've really enjoyed playing in this lovely book. Here's Kristen's cover - beautiful isn't it?<br />
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She had very kindly gesso'd all the inside pages so it was easy to get started with my spreads. Here's the first one.<br />
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Its a bit difficult trying to get a good photo but I've tried holding back the pages with a couple of clips. The left side was sponged with some Milled Lavender DI before stamping round the edges with a TH swirl stamp to provide a background for the lovely Cherish stamp which I stamped in gold ink then embossed - it looks a lot more sparkly in real life! The paper pieced couple are from a Flonz stamp which I love and the words are from a Glitz stamp set. The right hand page was painted with Dusty Concord before adding a torn piece of embossed paper rubbed with Treasure gold. The little pocket and tag are meant to suggest a love note sent between the lovely couple - ahh,sweet!<br />
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For my second spread, I went a bit more to town on the background.<br />
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I stamped on the gesso then went over it with Vintage Lace Fresco chalk paint, mixed with a bit of Snowflake and wiped in places with a babywipe to show up the stamps. Although you can't see it all on this pic, I then added some embossing paste details to give some texture and rubbed more Treasure Gold for shine before adding the image, words and a scrap of lace. I like the romantic feel of these pages.<br />
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Well, Kristen's book will soon be winging its way to Australia and I should be receiving my next one to play with. The theme of this one will be American South West, hmmmm - going to have to give that one some thought.<br />
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Thanks so much for popping by - its so nice to read your lovely comments. Hope everyone is enjoying some crafting time over the weekend - its far too wet and cold to be outside where we are. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-1515764131224031742014-01-04T13:41:00.001-08:002014-01-04T13:41:13.960-08:00New beginnings.....Well, its been a very long time since I've been on this blog but life has been so busy. Now its 2014 and I'm ready to start heading in a new direction. I've recently signed up to an Altered Books round robin which will see two groups of 12 crafters from the UK, USA and Australia circulating our books and adding art to each as they pass through our hands!<br />
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I'm so excited to be part of this venture and have sent my book off today to its first new home in Australia. Each of us has a theme - mine is An English Garden and here's a few pics of my work. Unfortunately, they are just scanned images as my camera decided not to play - just when I needed it!<br />
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This is the front cover done with Fresco chalk paints, some embossing paste, a bit of serviette, a TH rub-on and a lovely old image for the centre. The hardware findings on the front were die-cut (TH again) then embossed and rubbed with chrome metallic gilding wax and fastened with tiny brads - I really like how they turned out.<br />
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On the back cover, I went for a softer look.<br />
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Again the embossing paste through a couple of stencils gave it texture which I brought out with some gilding wax. My favourite Jane Austen stamp for the lady and then a little bird flying from its cage, helping this book to wing its way around the world! I was a bit nervous that my book would get rather grubby over the months, so I gave it a good coating of Liquitex matte medium which went on really well. I covered the spine with some washi tape to give added protection too.<br />
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Now inside, we were to add 2 two-page spreads to our own and everyone else's book to match in with the theme so here are mine.<br />
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I've really enjoyed working on this and am so grateful to Shelly Recicar for setting up the whole thing. Bon voyage, little book - I'll see you again in a year's time!<br />
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Thanks so much for calling in to see me. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and wish you all a wonderful and creative 2014. I'd love to hear what you think of this idea and any comments would be much appreciated, as always. Margie x<br />
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<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-22004912784252727492013-11-15T11:10:00.000-08:002013-11-15T11:10:03.617-08:00My little Christmas villageHello there my blogging friends - hope you are starting to enjoy the preparations for Christmas. I am definitely in the mood now and started making just one little house for a swap, then I got carried away and I can see this collection growing over the next few weeks - they are so addictive!<br />
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Just the right size to tuck a few little treats in too. Think I'll have to get started on the cards soon though they won't be as much fun as these have been. Thanks for stopping by to see me. Margie x<br /><br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-80631360901195438492013-11-06T12:15:00.000-08:002013-11-06T12:15:13.916-08:00A double dose of craftiness .....Things may have been quiet around here but I certainly haven't! I've had two crafting workshop weekends in a row and learned soooooo much in the process, my head hurts (in a good way!)<br />
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The first was at Art From The Heart in Harrogate with Kaz Hall where we learned some amazing techniques, getting very inky and painty in the process and finished off the session making a fantastic album. <br />
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Here's mine and you can see just how many different techniques we were shown which I'm really looking forward to trying again at home.<br />
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Next came my 3 day textile art workshop at Oxford, courtesy of a WI bursary I won which included the residential course as well as my travelling costs. This was with the wonderful Marilyn Pike who does classes as Rainbow Silks and her enthusiasm was inspiring. We worked late into the evening and between the 9 participants, produced a grand total of 29 books - each a keepsake in its own right. We even hand-dyed the pages inside and, with a bit of help, I conquered my fear of the dreaded sewing machine - yay!<br />
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Here are my books and I'm so proud of them, I can't wait to show my WI ladies next Monday.<br />
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The book cover at the back is made from crumpled magazine pages glooped (technical term) and waxed so they are as pliable as material and the button fastening covered in the same way. The material cover on the left of the pic is made from tiny strips of fabric bonded and stitched onto a piece of denim (from an old pair of jeans) and the cover on the right is made from the leg of the same pair of jeans folded over and covered with torn strips of fabric and shiny magazine pages. I love that one which has a pocket at the front as well as the pages stitched inside. <br />
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I feel so priviledged to have had these two weekends of crafting heaven with such great tutors and to have made some new friends along the way. Hope you are all well and enjoying some wonderful crafting time yourselves. Thanks so much for popping in to see me. Margie xMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-88633945202329046042013-10-12T06:34:00.000-07:002013-10-12T06:34:16.508-07:00Another Index Card for a friend...Hello fellow crafters - hope you are enjoying your weekend so far. Its much too cold in the North East of the UK to be outside so I am playing in my craft room this afternoon. Here's another Index Card or Skinny I made recently for a friend. So pleased to be introduced to these by <a href="http://astridsartisticefforts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/who-has-heard-of-icads.html">Astrid</a> and really enjoyed making the cover for it too.<br />
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My favourite "Jane" stamp again from Oxford Impressions together with a French script stamp and a bullrush stencil with some texture paste pressed through. I sprayed the whole thing with the gorgeous Walnut Gold glimmer mist although the sheen doesn't show up too well on the pic. I then added the butterfly, the handmade flower and the very appropriate sentiment for my friend. She doesn't exactly have a library but does love her books and plants!<br />
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The cover was done with the lovely Prima Romance papers and finished with some peachy seam binding to tie the whole thing together.<br />
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This is the folded holder all fastened up and ready to send<br />
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Thanks for calling in to see me today. Hope you manage to get some crafty time in yourselves over the weekend. Margie xx<br /><br />
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<br />Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-18492664806150307302013-10-03T04:07:00.000-07:002013-10-03T04:07:17.110-07:00Woo hoo - I'm in Craft Stamper!Hello dear friends and I'm absolutely thrilled to tell you my news today! I submitted a little dolly I made using that gorgeous free Elizabeth Bennet stamp with the September issue of Craft Stamper and they've chosen it to feature in their Over to You section on page 61. I'm absolutely delighted as I've been a bit down lately and this has really lifted my spirits. Here's my dolly...<br />
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and I won a gorgeous Crafty Inidividuals stamp too - even better!<br />
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I made my dolly using a TH dress form and the stamp as the face - it fitted perfectly and it was a joy to dress her up with some lace, flowers and butterflies and then give her some wings. I wondered how to display her then found some packaging I'd kept (as you do) which made a perfect little stand for her. Just shows - its always worth hanging on to these bits - that's my excuse anyway.<br />
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Hope you are all enjoying the Autumn colours - the weather forecast for the weekend looks good. Thanks for popping by. Margie x<br />
Margiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4258999032434935756.post-8561022951985966242013-09-10T15:08:00.000-07:002013-09-10T15:08:00.551-07:00In the pink, (ICADs sent and received ...)Hello again dear friends - how nice to see you again. As part of Astrid's ICAD swap, I received my first package today from the lovely Maryanne in the US and was delighted with the contents. Hope you'll pop over to see it <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/astrids-icad-swap-part-1.html?showComment=1378848828506#c6564331704851746468">here </a>on her blog and give her a quick hello while you're there.<br />
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Meanwhile, my second card and holder was received in Germany - so pleased it got there by the deadline of 11th September requested by Astrid. Here are a few pics. This is the front of the holder and you can see I managed to get the front fastening on the wrong side (again!) What am I like?<br />
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I've been using up some of my stash of gorgeous papers on these holders in a serious bid to create some space but really have hardly made a dint in them. Does everyone else have loads of papers they hold onto for ages? Anyway, here's the back of my folder,<br />
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I do like those JOFY stamps so much (thanks to my very kind friend Anne!) <br />
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And lastly, my card inside the folder. The background was done with Fresco paints then the texture added with Grungepaste through some stencils then rubbed with treasure gold - I'm getting a little more adventurous with this now. The pink flower was decoupaged on top of the blue one I did first and didn't like but I was happy how it turned out.<br />
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Thank you so much for taking a look and thanks again to Astrid for organising the swap. Love, Margie xxMargiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827068369381399387noreply@blogger.com11