made = christmas wishing star

did someone dare to say christmas?
well, it is almost november after all, so it's allowed now, surely?
i'm hoping to have a christmas craft stall and i'm preparing some stock
this is one of my first makes - it's a clay base with gold leaf and stamped lettering

what do you think?

DIY = 'quote' tote

this is fabulous and easy
it's also infinitely customisable with your favourite saying or quote

you will need:
a plain tote
2 contrasting colours of fabric paint
pencil or dissolvable fabric marker
paintbrush (s)
newspaper
masking tape

layer the masking tape horizontally across the bag
you could measure and use less masking tape, but i'm lazy
remove alternate strips of tape to create a row that you can colour

with your pencil or dissolvable fabric marker, draw a speech bubble 
make the bubble large enough to contain your words

blend your fabric paint to the shade you like

place a sheet of paper or some newspaper inside in case your paint leaks through
paint the strips up to your  pencil lines and masking tape 
make sure you don't paint into your speech bubble

when you've done the lot, hold it up to the light to show weak spots that need a touch more paint
allow to dry

paint the outline of your speech bubble in black
go over any bits that don't 'take'
i stripped off the masking tape as i went
wait 'till that is dry before lettering otherwise you'll track the black paint EVERYWHERE

it should end up like this, waiting for your message

now it's time to letter
i did this free-hand but you could use a stencil
as you can see it may need a couple of coats to create bold lettering

once your words are painted
allow to dry fully (according to your paint recommendations)
use a hot iron to press/seal the paint after drying
don't rush the lettering if you are doing it free-hand or you could make a mistake
(i made a spelling mistake with this one - weep!)
so i'll show the final picture of one i made earlier

what will yours say?

what i'd wear = get me to the beach

As I'm giving up work soon, online window shopping is the best I'm going to do for a while.

Here's a cool and minty outfit I created on Polyvore today.

Get me to the beach by mintymontague featuring flat heels

Calypso St Barth long linen dress
$165 - calypsostbarth.com

Oasis flat heels
$30 - oasis-stores.com

Flora Bella woven bag
$155 - calypsostbarth.com

Leather bangle
€176 - nelly.com

Heidi Klein raffia hat
$130 - matchesfashion.com

Metal sunglasses
$577 - boutique1.com

Ocean Photography- Sea Green Home Decor- Soothing Beach Cottage Decor-...
$45 - etsy.com


Get your pic-nic, we're off!
Tinkety Tonk

what i'd wear = grey line

Ah, I do love a good old window shop.  

As I've jacked my job in it's all I'll be able to do soon anyway.

Polyvore is great for the financially challenged, like me.

You can live a vicarious life of a swanky socialite.

And then call your collection something really pretentious, like I have.

Mwaaaaahahaha

Grey Line by mintymontague featuring stuart weitzman pumps

 

Kick your Essex heels high!
Tinkety Tonk

paper + card = father's day card

i made my dad this father's day card.  

i had spent a fair bit of time making him a present too, so I wanted something quick but effective.

i always do him a card with a nautical theme as he was in the navy and we share a love of historical naval fiction. 

he loved it.

here is the process:

 

 

 

When I rubbed out the pencil I was, at first, annoyed that the pen ran 

(I clearly didn't wait long enough for the ink to dry - typical)

but then I realised it looks like mist and added to the effect.

And frankly, parents are the most forgiving when it comes to artistic errors, it's their job!

Tinkety Tonk

my weekend = spun silver

i always need to get outside and breath more deeply

look at things growing and changing

freshly ploughed and rolled soil of the fields lends a brown monotony to the countryside
but looking closer, you can still find small signs of beauty
tiny reminders of the manifestation of life
often reestablishing the balance after man's manipulation of nature

appreciate = anthony mccall

this piece of art is so lovely I wanted to share it
it is definitely the use of light
anthony mccall sixteenth minute
I don't know what it means to you, but light is precious to me
sometimes i look up into a moon beam or ray of sun and just wallow
this makes me think of that blissful moment

my weekend = geese in flight

this autumn isn't quite Keats' 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' on the island
the mists are here but so is a very bitter north wind
there is an upside: the geese are starting to arrive from their tundren wastes
making the the melancholy skies lift and beat with life

appreciate - john singer sargent

the title of these piece belies it's beauty:
female head in profile by john singer sargent 
i've been sketching most days this year to practise my skill
i can't say i've noticed much improvement, disappointingly
maybe i should just admore the greats insead

DIY craft = clay gift tag

i'm having a bit of a clay thing going on at the moment
i think i might be in love
it's such a forgiving medium
and you can produce something really chic in a very short time
which is always good in my book

you'll need:
air drying clay
a small shape for indenting a motif (mine was a small heart bead)
a pin for creating a thread hole
thread of your choice
optional extras:
glitter/gloss to enhance your pressed motif
rolling pin
small circular cutter (mine is a tiny pot)
you could shape the circle and flatten by hand 

roll out your clay to about 1 inch diametre 4mm thickness

press out your coin shape

press in your little motif

create a small hole for thread using a pin or wire

allow to dry and add a touch of glitter

Add your thread

 

 

 

 

Add it to your gift

i'm really pleased with how they turned out - a stylish outcome for little effort

my weekend = autumn berries

this weekend i picked some luscious haws, rosehips and elderberries
i popped most into a litre of port to make a winter tonic
i used some of the rose hips to infuse oil (i use it on my body)
last year I made elderberry cordial to stave off colds but i have plenty left to see me through this winter


the berries are so gorgeous
they have such a ripe voluptuousness, don't you think?
 

autumn has to be one of my favourite times of year

paper +card = abstract birthday card

my friend lives quite a way from me 

invariably her birthday present is via a third party

this year was la maison du chocolat who do amazing bouchee delicacies
the real love bit comes via a handmade card
as she has her own sense of style, i like to avoid the twee
so i came up with a stamped card with resin and gold stiches that is orginal but still pretty

 

made = eucalyptus decongestant rub

it's autumn
the leaves are turning gloden and bronze
the mist hugs the valleys
and we all get the bronchitis...

i love making things that will help my body and i also know absolutely what's in it
i always suffer with bronchial problems and sinusitis when i get the cold
so I get a couple of tubs of vick's vapour rub for the winter period
BUT NO LONGER
this is a much less chemically version of the famous brand
what's even better is that the lady along the road has a mature eucalyptus tree
i asked her if she'd give me some and she let me pick a load
it's also easy:
combine all the ingredient mentioned below (except the essential oil) in a covered bain marie

100g mature eucalyptus leaves

200g petroleum jelly (vasaline)

1/2 tsp ground pepper

10g ginger

20 drops peppermint oil

it should steam for 1 hour (so the eucalyptus gives up it's oil)
take it off the heat and strain - don't forget to collect the runny liquid!
stir in peppermint oil and pour straight into your pot(s)
you could use the vasaline tubs if you want to be fully eco friendly
from this:
 to this:

i TOLD you it was easy