Love 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.

and here's a couple of pics where the card is flattened for posting - very clever whoever thought of it!

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,

I asked my hubby which fairy story he thought it was and he said Snow White!  Where did I go wrong????
Anyway, here's the second spread - it did actually click with him this time, think it was the glass slipper.........

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 x

Home 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 x

Its 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......

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.

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....

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

And of course her card had to be different too ....

I'm really enjoying making these pop up box cards - great fun and they fold flat for posting which is a bonus. 

Thanks so much for popping over to see me and I hope you've all enjoyed some lovely sunny weather lately.  Margie x

J'adore Marie Antoinette

Hello 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.

"Courage!  I have shown it for years.  Think you I shall lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end?"

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.

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.

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.

and the little crown I made with tiny beads here

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

Queen Bee

Hello 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.

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.

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! 

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 x

Springtime in Paris

Hello again - just back with a quick post to share a little album I've made for a friend.  Here's the front cover:

 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!

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

I'm entering this in the Spring is in the Air challenge over at That's Crafty.

Life is a Journey

Hello 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

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.

The second spread is a bit more lively.

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!

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.

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 x