A little vintage musing

Today while helping my mother sort through her collection of boxes I came across a little round wooden box with a slightly damaged label on the lid.  She didn't say how old it was when she gave it to me to treasure but as it is for No 4 BOOT BUTTONS I think it must belong to the beginning of the last century.  It is such a lovely little thing, I really seem to be developing a taste for vintage items.  She recently gave me several old wooden cotton reels and some other haberdashery items (not to use but to photograph so I can use the images).
I was a little stunned the other day when I realised that my carefully chosen collection of buttons quite likely counts as vintage - these are things that I purchased brand new, not that many years ago.  Surely I am not that old yet.  Does this mean that dressmaking patterns that I got in my early twenties are vintage? At that time I was using a little semi-antique shop (most of the things for sale were antique but not everything) to buy mother of pearl buttons, hat pins and diamante costume jewellery - when I could afford it. The things I was buying there I would have called vintage then.  Many of my Mother's fantastic collection of goodies could be classed as vintage.  Can anyone tell me how old things have to be before a vintage tag should be put on them?

I am also now the owner of a beautiful old fashioned glass jelly mould that I purchased today for the vast sum of one pound sterling.  At some point over the weekend I will be making a jelly.  

Just put the finishing touches to my first fimo "gingerbread fairings" and true to tradition I have gilded my gingerbread - with glitter and faux gemstones.  The glass mirrors have been cleaned and glued into place and the ribbon hangers have been threaded through the hole cut for them.  They are so gloriously glitzy.

Very sad news in the papers yesterday about the death of a man who had reopened on of my favourite childhood places in Canterbury. Mr Charles Lambie had the vision and drive to re-open the Westgate Towers and make them a popular tourist attraction again and I have heard very good things about the cafe/restaurant that is based at the towers.

http://medievalnews.blogspot.com/2010/06/westgate-tower-museum-in-canterbury-is.html
ent.co.uk/Westgate-Towers-set-summer-opening/story-11997044-detail/story.html

I am sorry to hear of his death and now worried about what will happen to the Westgate now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-UmCyT_-m0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tvdhw4Ju4M&feature=related

As children we often went to Canterbury and when we went there were several regular ports of call :- the Cathedral, the museum in Canterbury library and the Westgate Tower with its gardens.

BAGS,FIMO HEARTS AND LADY GAGA (in praise of)

My first paper mache bag is now nearly finished.

I have now worked out a kind of production line for the bags so as one reaches the finishing stage I have one off the mould having the final layers put on and another one on the mould in the begin stages.  I am not sure how long the mould will last for a while I hope because I am having so much fun making these bags.  My only problem at the now is how to do the linings for the bags - I know I want some kind of fastening to make the contents a little more secure but I am undecided on the finish.  So I have a perfectly good bag that I am unable to decorate because I just cannot make up my mind,  I even have a lining cut out and pinned together.  I need to get this sorted because I am going out on Saturday night and could take a finished bag with me to show people.

The last time I did anything with paper mache was about twenty years ago when I made a Romanesque style breast plate for a fancy dress party I was going to.  I don't know why I have ignored it as a craft for so long, it is such a useful medium.

Inspired by THE GOOD MASTER by Kate Seredy I have made these little fimo hearts.  I loved the book as a child, often reading it.  There is one part of the story where Kate and her cousin get taken to a travelling fair and are looking at GINGERBREAD FAIRINGS - shapes made out of gingerbread, hearts with mirrors in them in this case.  I always thought how pretty and wanting to go further after my yummy gingerbread at Christmas I decided to make some fairings.  From there the idea of fimo hearts developed.



Today on my TWITTER feed there was a tweet and a link to LADY GAGA.  I have never heard any of her music and much in the spirit of cannot criticise Barbara Cartland without reading her I thought I ought to see why Lady Gaga is so popular.   I am so glad I did.
The first track I listened to was Marry the Night - liked that  
Born this Way - liked that.  Then I watched a couple of interviews - end result I am very glad to have found her. 

PAPER MACHE BAGS

I have spent the day switching between giving the kitchen a much needed deep clean and making Paper Mache Bags/Purses for my Etsy shop.  The house work isn't as bad as I thought it would be and making the bags is great fun.  It has worked quite well as a duel task -  Put on a layer of paper mache and go and do some cleaning while that layer drys.  Now I have one bag ready to put the lining into and one ready for the handles.

By the end of today should be able to decorate the first one.  I am really looking forward to doing this part, yesterday morning I knew how I wanted to decorate it and have been waiting to do it ever since.  The handles have worked out well.  I can see me being very pleased with the result.  There will be pictures.

This was a milestone week for me as I made my first sale on Etsy.  It has taken a long time.  I have just printed some tips on improving my Etsy shop - my bedtime reading tonight. 

Back to work

It was back to work today after a week off.  A week in January with mild sunny days.  Whenever I talk about my time off and holidays I always go on about the beautiful places we have been to etc etc.  But there is one place we go to every time we have a break - the local recycling centre/rubbish dump.  It really is every time without fail I am beginning to feel that it wouldn't be a holiday if we didn't go.

I was rather busy yesterday so I didn't get to do anymore on the decopatch cat, Apart from choosing the eyes - I found a pair of blue eyes and a cat nose which were the right size in my box of assorted eyes etc for teddy bears and other soft toys.  I cut the backs off the eyes and the nose so they are ready to use.

This evening I made a couple more lavendar sachets - empty ones so there would be no issues with export.  Because they need to be filled later I have put a fastener on the back and a button for decoration.

 This is a link to a treasury I have made on Etsy.  I love making treasuries mostly because I really like looking a beautiful things.  It is very inspiring looking at the work other people are doing.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTUzMTc1OTV8MTgyOTAwMTYzMA/secret-delight?ref=pr_treasury

A couple of days ago we went to the City of Canterbury and took a walk in Westgate Gardens, as it is winter the shapes of the trees can be seen - I like trees.
http://www.canterbury.co.uk/Canterbury-Westgate-Gardens/details/?dms=13&feature=1&venue=3030588


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westgate,_Canterbury

As a child I was often taken to the Westgate Museum (which is now open again) and to the gardens by the river Stour.

A Happy crafting day

The decopatch cat was completely covered really quickly and this morning when the glue was properly dry I could have a proper look at it.  There is one little bit on the front of the face where the paper has folded over that needs to have another small piece of paper put over it and a couple of places where the paper is lifting slightly - a dab of glue will sort that out.  Then I have to decide how to do the eyes, I am leaning towards cutting the backs off some soft toy cats eyes and gluing them on.  I am very impressed with how the leopard print paper looks - as though it is all one piece.

OK I am now hooked on decopatch and want to do more.

I put another couple of layers on the paper mache bag.  I have chosen the ribbons for the handle and the overall design is now firmly fixed in  my head.  I will put another layer of paper on the bag before work tomorrow.  Then I can start the handles tomorrow evening.

 

 I got two nearly finished items completed today and listed them on Etsy.

This is the first one - a decorated bar of soap.

I can remember being given these as a child by two Aunts.  Not very safe things to give a child as the decorations were held on by pins.  I have stayed true to my childhood memories and done the same. 

Decorated soaps must have been quite in vogue in the early sixties and late fifties because I also had a moulded soap in the shape of a spaniel. I had it for many years until it got chipped durring a move.

thttp://www.etsy.com/listing/90593140/retro-decorated-soap 

The other item is a glass bottle pendant.  With its braided ribbons lace and beads and the teeny shells and pebble in the bottle it evokes seashore memories. http://www.etsy.com/listing/90593140/retro-decorated-soaphttp://www.etsy.com/listing/90626551/sea-foam-a-glass-charm-pendant

Craft Robo, Decopatch and Me

Have spent a couple of hours fighting with the Craft Robo.  I know that from the UK Scrappers forum I can download pretty much any design I want.  But that really isn't the point.  I want to be able to do it.  I do not think that I am particularly stupid and I think that I can usually find my way around crafting software programs reasonably well.  But this is driving me nuts.  Nuts that I will crack and produce things I am proud of that are my work.

lets just call it a step in the right direction

I managed to get the butterfly shape how I wanted it and copied it to make a smaller one to go inside so I can cut out a shell.  The lattice work is a nightmare.  My partner ( who brought the thing for me) thinks there has to be a repeat tool somewhere in the program - I haven't found it yet.  At the moment it is a case of putting each hole of the lattice in individually and then welding it together.

I still think that it will be the most versatile and flexible cutting system as you are not limited to preset cartridges it is just the learning curve.  I do not remember ever being this proud of something that I have made that is such utter rubbish
       
the only way from here is up and I will win.

so much fun to do

To reward myself for perseveringly with the Craft Robo I have begun the decopatch cat that I was given for Christmas. http://www.cardinspirations.co.uk/section.php/1001/1/decopatch_project_ideas___using_decopatch     
a link to clear instructions on how to do decopatch ( its a shop as well)

The decopatch is so enjoyable that I don't know why I have never tried it before.

 This reminded me that I wanted to make little paper mache bags/purses.
So I have begun one.
First layer of paper put on.  I think I have worked out a way of attaching the handles into the paper mache which will give the whole thing strength - nothing worse than your handles coming off.