Plastic Bottle Flowers & A Card

There was a festival in my home village of Killala a fortnight ago and I just had to share these photos from it. There was an incredible plastic bottle flower garden exhibit beside the old round tower. I would love to make a ton of these for my own garden! The colours are so striking. Hard to believe that they are made from old rubbish!

 

They even made a big tree.

 

 

This is a quick wedding card I made for my cousin. The paper scraps and stickers are all from the "For The Record" paper pack by Echo Park.

 

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Furniture Upcycle Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

We've just recently moved house, and there were a few bits of furniture that came with it that weren't really to my taste. Structurally they were completely sound, just not too pretty. I am on a bright colours kick at the moment, so I decided to use some colour to bring these old fashioned pieces back to life.

After visiting The Gaiety Antique and Vintage Store in Westport, Mayo (they have another shop in Galway), I discovered they sold Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. You can use it on practically every surface and the best part is there is no prep work or priming necessary. The shades that this range has are just gorgeous. I bought the three colours below and I just adore them!

Antibes Green

 

Florence

 

English Yellow

This was the before picture. It was a looker I'm sure you'll agree!

And after 2 coats of Antibes Green, a coat of wax, and some new fabric!

So pleased with how it turned out!

Stand by for more posts of me painting random things around the house!

 

 

If you're ever in the Westport/Galway area, try and call in to the Gaiety. They're lovely ladies and have some real treasures for sale!

 

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Baby Cards Using PTI Background Stamps.

I'm loving this Ikat background stamp from PTI. There is such a great variety of uses for it, from backgrounds to simple, one image cards. I can't wait to explore its uses a bit more.

This second card uses a rainbow background. This one is very versatile as well, as you can go wild with the different colour combos. These have been my go-to stamps for quick cards for a while now.

I haven't really had much time to make cards lately, as life has gotten in the way.

I know my poor blog has been so neglected lately, but I hope to start posting again. There will probably be a bit more variety, and hopefully some tutorials in the pipeline. I've missed posting so will look forward to getting back into it.

 

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Shopping List Organiser

Well I have been seriously missing in action for a while! Our family is just coming out the other side of a really bad fortnight of flu. I've been kept busy with sick kiddies and then a sick husband and then little old me got sick too.

Today I thought I would make something for my own mum. One of my mum's favourite things to do is make lists, so I thought a little organiser would be perfect for her. The pattern was just guesswork mostly, but I'm happy enough with it. There are a few imperfections (see the top seam over the notebook and the left part of the pocket), but I know she won't mind them :)

I pieced together some scraps for the outside and quilted it in a free motion style.

I made a pocket for a notebook and a place for pens on the right. The left pocket would be handy for holding receipts or coupons. I added a piece of elastic to hold it closed. Hope she likes it!

Thanks for looking!

 

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Thinking of You

Here is a card I made in five minutes flat! I always have an array of flowers from The Sweet Life cut out and stamped. They are perfect for those times when you need a card very quickly. I pulled some patterned paper from my scrap box, drew a few stitches in white pen and stuck the flowers on at different heights with dimensional adhesive. Thanks for looking!

 

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Recycled Packaging & Using Up Stash

One thing I love about Prima products is the beautiful packaging it comes in, and I always keep the backing card from their flowers. This one was literally just stuck onto the card base as is. It has a lovely pearl finish on it and the greenish blue colour has a real mermaid vibe about it. It doesn't take ink too well, so the sentiment is a little faded, but it doesn't rub off or anything. I added some die cut flowers from PTI's The Sweet Life and there you have it. I really like the colours of this card. I wish I could buy paper like this, it takes the hard work out of making cards lol.

This was another quick card. My aunt ambushed me with an order for 5 cards, which were needed right away. (Is it just my family that does this?) I made this felt embellishment months ago and promptly forgot about it. I added a strip of PTI's heart border underneath the flower and stuck a tiny tag with it. All of these bits and pieces had been pre-made, stamped and cut ages ago, so on they went in no time at all. 

Thanks for looking!

Emily Peacock Tapestry- The Meeting Place.

I was sorting through some stuff today and came across this tapestry. It was my first attempt at needlework and was a HUGE undertaking for a beginner project. It took the guts of a year on and off and by the time I finished, I was sick of the sight of it! I must get it framed and onto the wall, as its so vibrant. It doesn't look that way in the photo, but we don't seem to be getting any natural light these days. So hard to get decent photos of anything.

The kit was bought from Emily Peacock and she has some fantastic designs available. I have always wanted to make the Hug and Kiss pillows. I think they were featured on that Kirstie Allsop crafting programme.

I love this new design as well.

And this older one too!

 

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