Getting published!

Isn't this a lovely little note to get in the mail?

It is always a screamy moment when I see this on the cover of a magazine as it comes through the letterbox.
When it is attached to a copy of a magazine as lovely as the Stampington ones it it even screamier!

I have got a lovely double page spread in Stampers Sampler this month which has some of my mixed media art made with some of Paperartsy's Lynne Perrella stamps and all kinds of different techniques and materials.

Here is a little peek at one of the pages. They have done such a great job of photographing it. See if you can spot some of the techniques and materials. Buttons and sewing, stamping,watercolour, beading, sinnamay fibre, doodling, vintage book pages, and more...

The whole magazine is full of beautiful projects which all feature the best of stamping techniques with all kinds of other media. Rainbow Silks sell all the Stampington magazines and do a great mail order service.
www.rainbowsilks.co.uk

Rejoicing in the little things

I love tiny things!

Sometimes the best things aren't big and showy, they are little and have to be searched for. I love looking for the littlest prettiest shell on the beach, spotting a tiny wild violet in the grass or finding the cutest button in a tray of bric a brac.

So when I found an old torn piece of doily that I had space dyed I thought it would be the perfect thing for making a page for my stitched Nature Blanket Book.

I found some gorgeous vintage velvet ribbon and placed it across the middle of both pages. I attached it with cross stitches on one side and feather stitches on the other side and then stitched on velvet flowers and little pink beads.

It is backed with a piece of old blue blanket. Such a lovely surface to stitch on!

On the left page I couched on a piece of wool roving with silk thread and added dyed felt leaves and weensy glass flowers. The bird was cut from felt with a Sizzix die and sewn on with detached buttonhole stitches. Her beak is needle felted on.

The right page is stitched with buttonhole stitches and straight stitches in variegated silk threads and the words done in back stitch.

I think the whole book will be a celebration of tiny beautiful things. Things to make us rejoice about the tiny pieces of nature all around us!

Happy Easter!

Bunnies and Buttons

I sometimes crave a trip to London just to mooch around and look at beautiful things! I don't get to do it very often these days because I am so busy with teaching and making class samples but when I do do get one of those magical days I have to visit my favourite shops!

You can see from one of my previous posts that Liberty is very special but there is also another shop that is completely divine!

It has the most innovative displays of wonderous art made from recycled hardware, vintage type face blocks and crazy amazing things hanging from the ceilings. And those are just their shop displays!

It is just nectar for the creative soul!

Look at this little Easter bunny tray that I found at Anthropologie! So perfect for guarding my buttons.

 They have a really inspiring range of merchandise including clothing, household, jewellery, shoes and lots of  little gorgeous things! All really quirky and fun!

So although I do know that the true message of Easter isn't  about bunnies or chocolate eggs I do want to wish you all a happy and blessed and healthy Easter and I hope that Springtime and lots of sunshine will come very soon.

More ATCs

I have been looking through my zillions of ATCs.I wanted  to find some to show a very small selection of the different kinds of materials that can be used to make these addictive  little things. Below, starting from the top, opening and closing ones, fabric arches with lace that have opening doors, metal that has been embossed and coloured, knitting and crochet, fabric and card with mini tools, embossed hand made paper, recycled jeans, a mini fabric quilt, and sewing with tiny buttons. 
So....anything goes. Let your imagination lead you and play with tiny pieces of art that measure just 2.5"x3.5".