Too little time

I am resisting the urge to have a moan! How I detest the lack of light, that this time of year offers. It has made me think of times down the ages when all that lit the evening was a candle, if you were lucky.
Well for me in 2008, so much to do, so little light! Hey, I did moan after all, well that makes a change!!!
This week I have been mostly papier mache...ing! Like a demon. I thought that my items for sale at the flair Designer/Maker Fair, Saturday 6th December, would look so much better presented in boxes covered in old paper. An awful amount of work but worth it I think. Rather than the items all loose on the table, they can now be contained.

I have also made these papier mache brooches. Remarkably robust and I have really enjoyed making them.... rubbish photos, but I think you can get the idea.

Change of subject.......I found this little cup and saucer in a charity shop in the week, I wanted to show you. The make is Arabia, Made in Finland. I adore it, I think it may be 1960's, not sure but the illustrations are so inspiring.

So sweet.

And finally, here is my very expensive 1940's coat that I purchased from the Vintage Clothes Shop at Bridgnorth last week. I impulsively rang up when I got home and said I would have it but then had an attack of the guilts all week and really spoilt the joy of finding such a wonderful coat. Anyway, as gigibird mentioned in one of her blogs, something in, something out, so I will just have to flog a few things off on Ebay, if I can!

I'm going down to London for a night in a couple of weeks, to see my daughter. We are heading for Camden and Portobello Road, so I shall ponce around in my new/old coat, feeling like I belong their in my vintage attire!

Once again, I want to thank everyone for leaving such lovely comments. I get such great feedback and lovely e mails from complete strangers saying such kind, uplifting things. I apologise if I don't get back to you but what with day job and all, I'm finding time tight! Thanks once again and for stopping by.x

Bird love

Well...... here is my take on Julie Arkell's work. I have lots and lots of cotton reels and wondered what the hell to do with them and so here is a solution. I wanted to make something that has been influenced by Julie but not a complete copy, so here we are.
I've worked on these since Friday evening, (not solidly)! These two birdies do not serve a purpose other than look pretty and I am very pleased with how they have turned out. But boy what a fiddle faddle....paper mache, fabric, wire and hot glue gun. As my daughter pointed out "Mom, the clue is in the name", boy is that glue hot!!!

In the week, I also managed to make a few needlecases, which are destined for Etsy.

Yesterday we visited Bridgnorth, Shropshire. It is such a great little town. Consisting of a low and high town.

We always head straight to The Looking Glass www.thelookingglass.co.uk An incredible mix of vintage clothes, designer hats, jewellery, gifts and designer handbags. WOW, what a shop. The owners Lizzy, Emma and Arlene are the most friendliest of girlies and always happy to help.

Beautiful vintage clothing.

I fell in love with a 1940's tweed cost and have got to have it....fatal, should not have gone in there.

If you ever need vintage fancy costume to purchase, or looking for something specific, give them a ring, they have the most incredible collection.

As I mentioned the town is high and low and is famous for it's Cliff Railway. How sweet is that carriage?

Entrance to Cliff Railway.

Bridgnorth Market.

I am always drawn to taking pictures of fruit and veg stalls. Maybe it's the colour and placement.

A good old decent Iron Monger's Shop, don't see many of those these days.

Thank you all once again for leaving your great comments about my excitable Julie Arkell post. So good of you to take the trouble to leave kind words and I thoroughly enjoy receiving each one. Thanks for stopping by.x

Meet Julie Arkell

Well........ where do I begin!!!!! What a wonderful weekend Workshop I have just attended ~ organised by http://www.stroudinternationaltextiles.org.uk/ with the wonderful Julie Arkell.

There are quite a few photos here, as I wanted to share with you the complete creative process Julie took us on. I was a little shy to take a picture of her as soon as she started to talk, so this one is from a little later in the day ....... I just wanted to introduce her. She is dressed exquisitely, quirky and feminine. She dresses how I would love to dress but have'nt the nerve and I am also too fat....I would look a real fright but Julie, her style looks just right. She is a reflection of her beautiful art, all merging into a sweet, happy, patient, intelligent, romantic, quirky and interesting form.

So here we go ~ first for a human type creature, a ball for the head made from of scrunched newspaper, then another large ball for the body, held together with masking tape. Arms and limbs, lengths of scrunched paper held onto body with masking tape.

Coffee break.... some of Julie's beautiful work.

Brooches for sale £45 each.

The darlings....

Postcards for sale 50p each.

Back to creature ~ very crude shape.

Oh this is another I made, a bunny creature....

Oh yes and another...... a little disturbing maybe, with the arms and legs of foreign dolls.

More of Julie's precious work.....

I took this sneaky pic of her Jacket and scarf, the details of embroidery and little added handmade accessories are so lovely. I just wanted to stare!

Pile of newspapers and making tape.

Demonstration of how to layer the coat of newpaper strips and wall paper paste.

And here we go....

All of my pieces covered in one layer of strips of newspaper and paste (crumpy hands). There was 25 of us! Julie must have been exhausted.

That was basically it for the first day. Four creatures made and covered. I took some paste with me to the Hotel room and spent an hour or so, giving them a second layer but this time we were to use very old pages taken from paper backs, preferrably pre 1950's, which have that lovely foxing and

brown edges. I managed to do this and they dried over night on the radiator.
Sue...sitting next to me, went down the path of dolls heads on bird shapes!

Sunday was all about finishing off the second layer and thinking about how to decorate. When the pieces have dried (after the second layer) they are remarkably robust.

Julie takes a piece of paper and embroideres the eyes and mouth etc. and then applies this with paste. Tricky, very tricky!

Of course, you can't make clothes and decorate the pieces whilst they are wet, so alot of knitting went on and oooohhs and aaaaghs were to be heard, as ladies pulled out lovely vintage fabrics, wools, buttons etc. to dress their work.

Anyway the day came to an end and we had a 'show and tell'. Julie graciously picked every single piece up and made some lovely comment about it's creative path and how wonderful each and every one had turned out.

These pieces were made by Emily who is 16 years old.


A few other pieces, some nearly completed, some not.

I added this because the lady who made these left her knitting with her display, which was very apt.

Here is Julie commenting on each creature.

Here are three that I made, took the photo this evening, so please excuse picture quality. I used embroidery transfer as a layer on all three of these. I crocheted the ear hat and the other hat is a Innocent Smoothie Hat, just a perfect fit. The bunny has a very old doll's underskirt, stained and vintagy looking, so that matched perfectly too.

I will post more photos as I complete and rework these babies.

So happy with the weekend (as you can probably tell)!!!! It has given me lots of ideas of how I could incorporate this kind of medium into my own work. Julie's teaching methods are very genteel and encouraging and really you can't ask for more than that. Well I hope I have'nt gone on too much....thanks for stopping by.x

ps I made a mess of the link to the Light House Festive Flair Designer/Maker Fair on 6th December next, where one will have a stand! Here is the link (thanks Monda)x

http://www.light-house.co.uk/