Inside The Artist's Studio: Rose Collage, vol. 2

Hurrah! It is finished! In case you're new to this, my recent project has been to make a unique 30th birthday present for my sister. I decided on a small, A5 sized, textile collage of a rose. Although it was a step into the uknown because, although I've done a couple of collages before, working with the intricate detail of a rose design is always going to be fraught with difficulties!
However, I think it's fared well for a first attempt. There are things I might do slightly differently next time, such as make a few more parts for it to appear slightly more intricate, and measure out my leaves better, as well as not sitch the inner leaf material so closely to the edge, as you can see it was prone to fraying. The problem with the leaves really came as I stitched her name onto the lower left leaf, and this created a difficulty when getting the rose to appear aligned properly, as I did not want to cover the name.

The complete project actually took me far less time than I had originally envisaged. All in all I'd say it took about 10 hours from start to finish, including the design/templating process. Once again, to bring it a little more to life you can see I've gone down my favourite path of sequins! Not only does this fill out the blank canvas, while retaining its simplicity, it also highlights the softer petals. And to finish, I've bound the edges of the canvas with pink polka dot ribbon from my local crafts shop, which makes it look beautiful and homely! A real Spring treat for a kitchen or entranceway; the simple pink and white colour scheme, along with the floral prints, cleanse any room of negativity!

To conclude: a success!

Fun In The Sun!

It's officially Summer! Well, maybe not quite..we've just had the Vernal Equinox and tonight for us Brits the clocks go forward, but with this unseasonably warm weather we've been having you could mistake it for late May. It's that time when we realise we're actually quite a way into the not-so-new year: resolutions have been forgotten, diet's gone AWOL, and we all feel the pull to be more active, get on with those to-do lists and make the most of life.
So, what am I doing procrastinating?! Well it's that damned hazy sunshine! And I know, I know, I'm supposed to be working on my sister's present, not making more designs for me! However, sometimes I feel it's nice to take a break away from one project before you get tired of working on it and end up hating the thing! Though I must admit I have never been this addicted to crafting before! And I think addiction is the right word here... I think this blog has been useful in that it is getting me to persevere with my crafting but my hobby has turned into an obsession!
Anyway, as I was sorting out some materials for use in the aforementioned present I went rummaging around through bags and bags of material I inherited when my nana passed away. I've had these fabrics lying around for years and always meant to put them to a good use...well now I am doing.
Vintage is a big hit at the moment and these fabrics have that definite vintage edge. However, what is so versatile about them, and makes them great for brooches and decorations etc, is that their designs and prints are still so appealing to the eye. I don't know if it's the simple floral prints or the retro colours, but so long as you team them up with a fun design they're always going to look trendy and modern.
So, I just felt like making myself a little brooch to wear and couldn't wait to get stuck into these fabulous fabrics. I love gingerbread men (as you might be able to tell) and have been wanting to design a gingerbread man brooch for a while. It was pure experimentation but I think it's worked!

My first step was using this light blue, polka dot, ribbed material because it instantly makes me feel summery! Added with some lemon yellow stitching and bow tie, as well as bright pink star sequins for buttons and eyes, this is the perfect spring/summer accessory. Since having made it I can't stop looking at it; the colours make me want to go walking along the beach now that we're having some exceptionally glorious weather! And on that note, you know what, I think I might... In the meantime while I'm enjoying the beautiful north-west coast, you can take a sneak peak at my latest creations below...

More Card Ideas...

Here is a card I have designed for my sister's 30th. As you can see I've kept the acutal card part quite simple, because I wanted it to play host only to the part of the card in the middle, that is the cupcake 'dangly'. I know not everyone likes to keep hold of these things, so I haven't wasted any fancy fabrics and materials on the card itself, but have made a dangly which is affixed inside with a piece of sticky pad and hangs over the front. This way she can dispose of the card after her birthday but keep the cupcake and use it as a car dangly, a handbag charm or any other home decoration! Nifty!

Inside The Artist's Studio: Rose Collage, vol.1

I thought I'd write a snippet about my currect project. My sister turns 30 next week and as part of her present I thought I'd make a little textile collage of a rose, which, as well as being simply gorgeous, is also personal because it relates to her name.
I started it this morning, first drawing out a template of a rose and then replicating that, cutting out the major 'parts' and tracing them onto an assortment of pink and red fabrics. This is potentially a very tricky project to attempt, as roses are obviously very complex flowers with all their subtleness of folds. It's very possible that layering materials to create texture and definition could just look like a mess of fabrics! (This is typical of the way I create new items, I start off with an idea and just delve right in; making mistakes is a large part of the creative process for me!)
You will see that I've created the middle part of the rose using pink satin, which I had some scraps left over of. I cut out a rough square, folded over the two top most corners and sewed them in place with invisible thread, to create a 'soft' arrow point. then I twisted the material around to the left, tucking in any loose edges and stitched the bud in place with more invisible thread. Now that I have all the pieces ready in a number of different materials (hessian, printed cotton, satin and my beloved felt) I am ready to assemble them all onto the canvas. I'm planning to use metallic embroidery thread to give definition as well as sequins to add a special sparkle and depth to the image. I've also yet to make some leaves, down which I will stitch her name in sparkly thread as the 'stem'..

It's proving to be an exciting project for me as I've never created such a complex design giving only the 'insinuation' of definition using layered fabrics. I've also never stitched directly onto an unbacked canvas, whihc is what I will be doing here... However, this is where I am with it at the present moment. Please check back to see the second installment over the coming days, and see whether I have managed to make a success of it or whether it's consigned to the scrap materials bag!

Ghosts Are For Life, Not Just For Hallowe'en

When she saw that I was working on a ghostie chain my mum replied "I see you're getting ready for Hallowe'en early...". There are several reasons for this. Firstly, since doing this blog I've realised that I have rather neglected the 'witchier kitschier' side of my creations. Secondly, it is my firm belief that ghosts are not just for Hallowe'en!
Every autumn when those crisp October evenings are drawing in, and I'm pulling out the skeletons from the Hallowe'en drawer, I think to myself that I should not neglect such a fun holiday all the other eleven months of the year.
There is something about Hallowe'en which lends itself to the ghoulish, yes, but those characters are mischievous and as we all know, the mysterious and the mischievous are what make life fun! That is why you will often see my spooky designs with chirpy faces, or in bright and bold colours, because this is a time of year when our homes and clothes should reflect the childish joy that exists in all of us (even if we haven't seen it for a while)!
I've taken to making 'chains' lately because they are simple to do and can spruce up a bland wall or make a room look inviting. This ghostie chain probably only took me about 10 hours in total and as you can see I've used many of my favourite materials! That is: felt, star sequins and metallic thread. I don't often use white or pale colours so it's refreshing to have this hanging up in my room at present as it brings its own character and enables the other colours which I have used to come into their own. You can see if you look closely that I have used different coloured stars for each ghost and matched it up with the same colour thread, which lends itself to the simply stitched smiles and each ghost's outline. I have also created two stars on the end, using yellow and purple felt, which is in part due to an oversight during the finishing off period, but that in hindsight gives the chain that extra bit of uniqueness. Into the stars I've fixed some pink, gold and purple metallic cord from which the ghosts hang and which I feel helps to emphasise the colours of the faces amidst the pale, white bulk of the item.
Adding some sparkle and colour gives this decoration a childish loveliness which is what the holiday is all about. However, I think it's this touch of mystery which makes us so much more able to appreciate the finer things in life and deal with the negative when it crosses our path. Therefore, I hope to make more of these over the coming months and hope they will find a place in your home or heart and enable you to celebrate ghosts all year round!

Flight of Fancy!

This afternoon I had some spare time so I thought, instead of making gifts for everyone else (as I have been doing of late) I'd make something for me to enjoy.. Presenting: The Pigeon Brooch!
You might have noticed that pigeons feature a lot in my designs, I think it's because they are such a big part of living in Blackpool! (and well indeed any town or city..) I like to watch them move around, I think they're fun characters. Contrary to popular opinion, I think pigeons are cute and I love their iridescent colouing. It makes for an interesting design: matt grey with a variety of bold colours. You might have guessed that this is a feature of my crafting! As is felt (and stuffing), which is what this little fellow is made out of.
If you look at my slideshow you will also see that I've made a pigeon dangly before for a friend who is also a fan of these feathery town centre familiars. But now I wanted one for myself! They make for interesting, simple designs because you can keep the original piece quite basic but introduce bright colours on, say, a piece of ribbon or cord, to bring him to life. He didn't take me long to make, about an hour and a half, but now that I've experimented with him I might make a few more to list on Folksy. So if you too are a pigeon fancier then keep your eyes peeled for more pigeon-related gifts!

Mothers' Day on a Budget!

Owing to the fact that I am completely broke these days I've learnt to do occasions on a budget, so to speak. Mothers' Day is this coming Sunday and I decided to make a sweet card using odd bits of craft supplies I had hanging around.

I think my simple daffodil design is quite effective. Layering felt in bold colours is an excellent way to make complicated designs effortlessly achievable. And although I could have gone all out and stitched on some thread for the flower outline, sometimes it's just quicker and easier to use something like glittery fabric paint, like I have here, to attain the definition (especially when you have several other irons in the fire).
Anyway, I hope this has given you some ideas if you are contemplating making your own Mothers' Day or other greetings card. They're incredibly simple, cheap and can be quick to do. This only took me about an hour to make. Not to mention the satisfaction achieved when you have made something which looks so much better than anything you could buy at over-inflated prices! Always a bonus!
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A Sparkling G&ft!

This January I spent a long weekend enjoying the delights of the capital with a university friend. I, being my idling self, was particularly low on funds and this expedition was my modest last hurrah of the new year! And so (yes I know a lot of time has passed since then..) I decided to repay the hospitality of my friend by creating a unique and personal gift, which would mean so much more to her than anything I could buy. 

I have been tinkering around with ideas for textile collages for a while and thought I'd have a go, making her a small wall hanging. And what do we both have in common? A slightlyworrying fixation with that nectar of the gods, gin!

I used a cream tablecloth kind of material for the background and stitched onto it some pink satin, creating the glass out of blue felt, chenile tartan and overlaid with a silver guaze. For extra effect I stitched a rim with silver embroidery thread, created some depth with felt ice cubes and added a pipe cleaner straw and felt/material lemon slice for thatspecial touch! The lettering was created using silver embroidery thread and star sequins.

Although I'm not great at embroidery I love using the thread because it makes crafts look that bit more delicate and magically sparkling. Obviously the effect I'm always striving for! It's not big in size, affixed onto an A5 canvas, and has a pink glittery ribbon around the edging to make it appear smooth and to frame it beautifully. I particularly enjoy the colour scheme which I think will lighten any room it is placed in.

Though it's not quite as neat as I would have hoped, I can see where I will improve a similar collage in future. But I'm happy giving it as a gift knowing that I wouldn't have been able to find anything quite as fitting in a shop!

View My Items

Just a quick note to say I've been working developing the other pages on my blog now so you should be able to find items much more easily. There are gifts for friends, family, and anyone who enjoys the finer, sparkly, exciting things in life. There are brooches and danglys, as well as decorations to make your home as welcoming as you always wanted it to be.. So take a look around!

Magical Memories

I will admit that I have rather neglected my Folksy creations recently, but only because I have been working on several other creative pieces. My best friend, who has actually already moved to London, is set to lose her family home here in Blackpool when her parents move down south too.. So, to remind her of the wonderful and insane place that will always be her true home I decided to create a mounted 'scrapbook' of sorts.

I used a variety of materials: a free map I skanked from Tourist Information; photographs; buttons; felt; material; ribbon; sew on patches - and I mounted it all onto a cheap canvas I bought from The Works. I also made a few images myself from various bits of textiles and craft essentials I had lying around, to make the collage more unique. For example, if you look closely you can see a shuttlecock I made out of felt, hessian and ribbon (we used to 'play' a lot of awful badminton)!

For me this seemed like the ideal leaving gift as it was fun, colourful and extremely personalised. This is what crafting is all about for me: creating magical gifts which make everyone feel much better off to have around...

Although this is a gift I have made for a friend, I hope it gives you inspiration to make something similar, or even radically different...but if it gives you ideas then it was a job well done!

Welcome All Crafty Witches!

Welcome to Witchy Woo Crafts!

Here I will attempt to display some of the marvels I have been creating, for sale and for gifts, or just for myself! I hope to update this blog with some of the latest items off the 'production' line of handmade joy as well as some of the things which inspire me to create innovative pieces.
This is a relatively new experiment for me so please be patient. I'm not the most dilligent of crafty witches and as most creative people can testify, procrastination is one of our biggest burdens...