Fairy fun

I've not been posting many things I have made lately because I have been keeping them a secret from Helen over at Moonstruck Creations as we were partners in the Midsummer Nights Dream Swap . One of the things I wanted to give Helen for our Midsummer Swap was a fairy. Fairies were so common a short while ago you couldn't find a shop without them. Now, when I needed one I couldn't find one anywhere, so I made one instead!

 First I got some shimmery fabric and some pipe cleaners

 Some wool for her head

Purple wool to cover her modesty

Then I gave her a jolly good stabbing, I promise you she didn't mind, if I didn't stab the wool to mesh the fibres she'd be all fallollopy-down

 I felted her shoes on and added a pink and purple gauzy skirt

No fairy is complete without her wings

 She was a bit scary without her hair!

Finally I added the finishing touches using my beloved hot glue gun

Voila - one felty fairy!

Dry felting is very easy - make sure you have a coarse wool like corriedale and some fresh felting needlees and then you just shape your wool to look as close to the thing you are making and gently stab the needles in and out until the fibres mesh together. Keep sculpting and shaping and do try not to jab your fingers, those barbed needles really hurt! I defy you to finish an entire project without at least one or two punctures and swear words!

I am Moonstruck today!

This afternoon I was busy beavering away making a new felt handbag, when my lovely young postie knocked on my door with a parcel 

Now I love getting parcels at the best of times, but this was an extra special parcel... my first ever blog swap! I was paired up with Helen over at Moonstruck Creations for the Midsummer Nights Dream Swap and boy has she spoiled me rotten, just look at all my lovely goodies...

A Yankee candle votive and tart,in one of my favourite scents. A felted lavender heart made by Helen; I adore lavender bags - it's in my wardrobe already, hanging where I can see it each time I open the door. Pretty buttons, sequinned ribbon and a divine piece of shimmery fabric that I can it wait to use in a new project, although truth be told I just want to wear the ribbon around my head like a 20's flapper girl! A crocheted brooch, again made by Helen, which will look fab on my jacket. A lovely welcome sign that fits in my kitchen perfectly. And a packet of my favourite Milka chocolate which I will not be sharing if I can help it! 

Last but not least something I really need - a clock! 

When I start getting my hands on my massage guinea pigs case studies I need to keep an eye on the time so that I get the hang of doing a massage in a set time. I have been hunting for a clock I like for ages now and really begrudge paying for something I need but don't quite fancy. And now Helen has sorted me out with a clock that couldn't be more perfect - it is sparkly and shiny and just the right size! Woohoo, happy me!

Can you see the card in the back there? That was made by Helen's friend Sue, I know this because it says suepops on the back! Isn't it beautiful? I did take a lot more photos but it's a new camera and I need to learn not attempt close-up shots as I now have  a load of very blurry useless pictures!

And the bag I'm making? Well that's a shade of blue too!

Do pop over to Helen and Sue and see their creations, tell them I sent you!

Bonjour!

Had a whizzy quick trip across to France for a long weekend to go to the wedding of some friends...

... recognise the dress? I was so proud she chose to wear it for her special day, it was her 'something borrowed' - she had broken her foot not long before and so needed a full length dress to cover her cast

 I love this shot with the bride's daughter - she had such a gorgeous outfit

 If you look closely the bride is also wearing the felt flowers I made for her 

 My twin nephews... butter wouldn't melt!

 Of course Daniel Craig turned up... in my dreams!

 Obligatory arty shot!

Me? A poser? Just look at the fab Oldsmobile... now that's a stylish wedding car. Dress courtesy of my smashing mum since mine was star of the show!

Just need to recover ready for one day back at work and then off to my first day of my massage course...  can't wait to get the first stint under my belt so I can get back to some crafting!

Rings on her fingers

Just a very short post today as the rest of June is about to get mega-busy for me as I have the first stint of my massage course

This weekend after the fiasco of sewing things all the wrong way round I decided to go back to a bit more felting

I had a few scraps of the purple felt from the purse that still needs work and I curled it into a rosette and sewed a few beads into it (you can't see the beads in the photo but trust me, they are there somewhere!)

Then as I have a good handful of turquoise wool from a recent trip to the Spinning Weal I made a beaded flower ring to go with my turquoise flower brooch/necklace

I really need to come up with a better name than brooch/necklace.. anyone got any suggestions please?

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If at first...

After my last little hiccup I thought I'd give the purse idea another whizz

I still had some of the lovely pansy fabric left and I had used up some leftover soft golden wool to make a small sheet of felt

This time I remembered to turn the outsides to the inside before I went near my sewing machine

After a more succeful purse that only needs a smidge more tweaking I treated myself and made a needle felted flower ring

 

Grrrr!

It all started so well, I had a nice scrap of felt I had made with some lefotver wool, a piece of pretty fabric and a plan

First I made a paper pattern

I pinned and snipped the felt and fabric

I carefully stitched around the shape

Then I came to turn it all inside out and that's when I began to  realise I might be in nitwit mode as I had barely left enough room to turn everything right side out

And then it dawned on me, I was clearly a complete nitwit

I had sewed the fabric together with the right sides facing out. Twit!

Aha thinks a small clever part of my brain... this can be retrieved by sewing round the outside edges using a wide zigzag 

Well it might have worked if I had enough thread to do that, but I didn't did I?

Ah well, at least I have another cunning plan... I'm going to edge the whole flipping thing with some nice bias binding. Please excuse me while I hop off to eBay for more supplies!

Hope you are all having a more successful start to your weekend!

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Flowers, organisation and fun

Well, it's a been a busy time this week. When mum popped round last Sunday we both agreed my crafting was causing a bit of a problem in my itsy bitsy teeny weeny flat...

Bags and boxes and bits and bobs cluttered up corners and littered surfaces

So, we chatted and dreamed of magical storage options from Ikea and then mum went home...

Not long after she left, I had a call... would I like the old shelving unit from her garage? Genius mother!

So on Monday we dismantled the unit, brushed off the cobwebs and dust and I remantled (is that a word? If not, it ought to be!) the shelves in the one unused and wasted corner of my bijou abode

As you can see it looks like it has always been there

Now my craft making collection had been organised I felt inspired and have made some felt flowers that are brooch/necklaces and I've been busy getting messy with papier-mâché

  

 

 

I still found time to kick my heels up with my lovely friend Jen on Friday night.... 

... it all started of so well... a ladylike glass of wine overlooking Wales....

... but later I really did kick my heels up! 

Sorry about the fogginess of the photo, the photographes was laughing too hard, plus it was very much later in the night!