Wear those pretty flowers.

I have really enjoyed making these felt flowers.

I space dyed the felt before before making up the individual flowers, then I made the centres and stitched on the seed beads.

The velvet leaves I have been selling for a couple of years and have used them alot in other flower pieces.

Heres a closer look I made a few different designs in different colours. These are velvet delphinium millinery flowers from my collection combined with felt balls stitched with yellow seed beads, I love this antique blue. This is such a rich shade of purple, I cut out some organza flowers with my soldering iron to give them more texture then added centres made with space dyed cotton velvet.

I learnt this technique to make these fab flowers at a workshop I did a couple of weeks ago, although they are felt they feel like ceramic, I can't stop making them. I've made necklaces bracelets and a brooch.

All this industry has to stop as I am off to London for a few days. My grandson is going to a Street Dance Summer school at Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden. We have booked some economy rooms in University Halls.

He will be dancing for 5 hours a day and I'm going to see loads of Exhibitions and Museums. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Grace Kelly's Clothes at the V&A.

Writng this post has been great as I have a new internet provider, Its so fast, what a treat, I'll be posting more often now I can do it In 30 minutes instead an hour and a half.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Sweet Devon Violets Keepsake Journal.

I just love an afternoon creating. When I'm feeling stressed it's a sure way to move into the calm.

I've been thinking for sometime about using Violets as a theme for a Keepsake Journal. They are so beautiful and smell so lovely. I often see them on my walks in early spring although before I see them I can smell that delicious perfume. I've heard that if you eat a sweet violet,(they are a herb) they taste of those little parma violet sweets

I embroidered over this velvet leaf and flowers sometime ago so decided to put the piece to work as part of the front cover. I made the book cover using heavy vintage french linen which I bought from Lizzie and Linda at CowslipInside the pages have all got a pocket and are trimmed with space dyed Vintage Lace. I have included some little quotes and sayings.
I have also included a tag to go in the green pocket.
This page has a small pocket for a pen and pencil.

and on the last two pages are a needle case for those little emergencies and a jotter for keeping lists.

At last the back cover, a little piece of really pretty vintage lace and all about me.

I'm hoping to open my Etsy shop soon, just need to make a couple more things. I'm going to a workshop on Wednesday making a very pretty flower necklace so watch this space!

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Meet Jumble, new to the Mouse House.

Sadly my grandsons hamster 'Jimmy' died recently after 3 long years, very good for a hamster.

We decided to replace him as Joe really missed him. So, meet ' Jumble', a blue rat.

He's a bit camera shy!

I guess its tough being the new kid and the house already has resident guardians, my trusty mice.

He is feeling more at home and starting to explore his 'Home Sweet Home'.

What a handsome chap he is.

In between buying Rats, trying to ignore the football, going to fairs and walking in this lovely weather we're having this summer I have been working on my Crazy Patchwork so I'm giving you a progress report.

I am trying to use the same colours throughout, keeping to the red, cream and faded browns that are in the fabrics.

I've more to do on this block,I'm looking for interesting threads. If you have any ideas on what I should add next please tell me.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer!

Have a great weekend,

Creating in the Mouse House

These little fellows are guardians of the Mouse House. They watch over me during my creative outbursts.
Oh, how I long for an organised space, I look at some fab -u -lous studios on so many blogs and can only dream of being so sorted!

I bought this Arts and Crafts dresser a couple of years ago for £100, it is far too big for my room but I love it. The top holds my collection of china but hidden away in the cupboards and drawers are my creative bits and pieces, paints, beads, threads, all those little things. Can you spot those darling mice?

My Dining table is my workspace, I fold fabric for workshops and fairs.

It is my main creative space and can get rather busy.

The chairs belonged to my Great grandmother, I remember them being in her bedroom they were made by her husband. The pencil drawings on the wall were done by my grandad in the 1950's.

Those ladies are so elegant.

It's so nice to be surrounded by my families creative efforts.

I love making patchwork quilts and have recently been machine quilting.

When I am using my glue gun I settle down on my sofa and really make a mess.

Every New Year I resolve to be more organised and less messy.

I honestly do keep trying, I manage to create in all this mess which is a miracle.

Those mice must really be my guardian angels!

When I finish my work I can walk by the beach and gets lots more inspiration or go on a blog hop and dream of a tidy workspace.

I'm actually having a good time in my tiny messy creative space. I'm full of ideas so if you don't hear from me for a while I'm buried in a muddle making beautiful things.

Gifts for a special friend.

Its my second post this weekend as I wanted to show you the goodies I made for my friend in Winchester who I am going to visit on Tuesday.

My friend is a Quilter who has been so busy with house renovation and work that she hasn't done any stitching. I put together a little book with the hope of inspiring her.

I've put a few goodies inside that I think will be useful. A tape measure, a pack of quilting needles, a notebook for jotting down ideas and instructions for the clam shell piecing she liked so much at the exhibition at the V&A in London.

Finally a couple of piece of fabric to stitch!

My friends Mum has been under the weather since being stuck in her car for several hours in

last winters snow, she has been not feeling herself for a long time. She is a talented embroiderer so I made her a book too,

I hope these little books will cheer them up, I spent a couple of pleasant

hours making them and I'm really looking forward to my day out!!

A taste of Italy.

A little taste of Italy has come to Babbacombe Festival with an Italian Market in St Marychurch shopping precinct. Lots of lovely stalls selling all things Italian, fabulous cheeses and salamis, parma ham and olives, delicious wines and wonderful olive oils.

Along with breads and cakes there were scrumptious soft nougats and gorgeous chocolate.

What a great time I had shopping for supper. A bottle of smooth red wine, some creamy gorgonzola, parma ham, salami and olives. What a treat!

Finished off with some dark Italian chocolate.

I am not a World cup fan so I enjoyed my Italian supper watching an English film about gardeners.

Enjoy your weekend my bloggy friends,

xox Angela.

French General goes Crazy.

I bought these beautiful fabrics last Christmas. They are Rounneries by French General for Moda. I love the soft reds and faded browns. They have been sitting in there bag with a bar of French soap and every time I get them out to look at they smell divine.

I have been looking at them regularly since January waiting for inspiration. I want to use them in my sitting room which is also my studio. ( remember this apartment is a Mouse House so has tiny proportions, every room is dual purpose.)

Following Pats progress on her crazy quilting http://patwintergatherings/ gave me the idea of Crazy Quilting .

I love to have some hand stitching with me when I sit on the beach and usually get lots more done during my summer expeditions than in the winter. Outdoor light is so good to stitch in.

So out came the fabrics once again and this time I have made the first of my cushions.

Here's the pieced fabrics, I have kept the pieces quite large so that I can enjoy the fabric designs.

Having collected some threads and trims I'm ready to start stitching.

I haven't done much Crazy patchwork before but it combines my love of hand stitching with a passion for fabrics so here goes. I need to get these done to give my room a makeover for next winter. These lovely colours will warm up a dreary English winter. I've started on the first seams keeping to the colour theme. I'm of for a long walk today and my stitching is coming with me so that I can sit on the beach and sew for an hour, I think I am suited to 'Crazy' quilting, I'll update you on my progress.