ALBOTAT: wool and buttons and ribbons.. Oh my!!

I often drive through Thundersley - an area of Benfleet where I live - but don't often stop (not needed to) but I've been thinking about trying crochet again and remembered there might be a wool shop in area.  When I drove through last week there was a parking space and so I stopped - and I'm soooooo glad I did!

Bodkins is packed full of loveliness!!

On one wall there are buttons and ribbons (be still my button loving heart!!):

The shop is L shaped and this is only 2 of the 3 walls storing wool!!  It makes me wish my knitting and crochet skills are better than they are (but thats fixable because the shop runs classes!)

It really is a lovely shop - complete with vintage shop fittings (swoon), and the owner was really helpful and encouraging... 

I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area - you can find the shop in Hart Road, Thundersley, Benfleet... there are more photos and information on their website www.bodkins71.co.uk

x

Tidy it. Finish it

Today I decided to blitz my workroom... mainly because I couldn't see the wood for the proverbial trees or to be more specific the desk top for the inkpads, stamps, paper, bottles of inks & sprays etc etc etc - if you've ever seen my desk on WOYWW you'll know exactly the sort of things that are on my desk (&sometimes there's even a cat!)
While I was tidying up I kept seeing a project that is 90% finished - just tweaking needed..... in my head I could hear my little inner critic shouting "just finish it, for the love of all thinks inky FINISH IT!! Move on - its not permanent if you don't like it 6 months take it apart, change it - JUST FINISH IT"
so here it is:

(nb - I don't like the butterfly - wrong paper its days are numbered .... & I didn't need my inner critic to tell me that! lol)

and the workroom is still needs tidying! lol

Tag-a-liscious 2/too...

As promised here is the other tag I made with the lovely embossing folders that the Postie delivered in a snow 'storm'...

All the embossing folders are Cuttlebug, tags cut with Tim Holtz tag die (big fave of mine!), inks are Distress (pitch black, peeled paint).

I like how the flame of the chandelier candles are deeper embossed than other bits (?) and so colour doesn't settle into them making them look bright.  Nice.

Bit of crochet, some vintage buttons, gems and a length of bobble trim - lush!

Hope you're all warm and safe.

Roll up, Roll up - Its Blog Hop Day!!!

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to us

Happy Birthday dear Banana Frog

Happy Birthday to youuuuu!

Mornin'
please excuse the quality of the singing - I'm a bit croaky this time in the morning.... croaky:..  frog ?! get it. ... oh nevermind, lets get on with the fun of the blog hop which this month has a BIRTHDAY theme.
So follow the links around and don't forget to leave comments wherever you go 'cos there are prizes/pressies to be received... each of the Froglets (thats us on the design team!) will each be giving  a prize to one frog fan (thats you!) who comments on our blogs... which is very nice don't you think!  lol
So don't forget to comment - you've got to be in it to win it as they say!  Also leave a comment on the Banana Frog blog as there's more prizes to win over there...

So here's what I made:
I was going to make cards but then I thought of something more practical - how about a book to hold all the dates of peoples birthdays so no-one gets forgotton? - because no-one likes to forget someones birthday do they?!  I've also included anniversaries in my little book - 'cos they're quite important too aren't they?! - all dates that should be remembered!

To decorate this book I've used the stamps sets Journaling, Super Dreamy, and Pharmacy - some of my all time favourite BF sets....  These are such great versatile stamp sets.

The book is fairly small - 10x20cm.  I used 3 colours to stamp on the white and Kraft cardstock pages - tumbled glass  & pumice stone distress inks and archival black - I like to keep the colour schemes simple and then embellish on top which I've done here with stickles, gems, and fabric embellishments - again some of my favourite elements.

I stamped circles to add the dates and names into, and when it was an anniversary I added a heart to identify it.  The little lined journaling squares are for notes and other dates. 

Right that's me done - I hope you enjoyed your visit, now 'hop' on over to see what Michelle's bringing to the Banana Frog birthday bash (I love a bit of aliteration!)... don't forget to comment!  You can find Michelle here!

Suze Weinberg, Claudine Hellmuth and Tim Holtz....

I finally finished it - my sampler frame from Saturday's workshop... well there's only so many times you can move tiles around until they look just right! lol  I added a few elements of my own in place of a couple of those created - but only because they were outside the finished colour palette.. I created a cute little canvas resist panel (one of Claudine's elements) that was too close to the background colour so I'll use that on something else further down the line 'cos I really liked how she achieved the resist.  I added the silver buckle - bottom right, the clock face and of course some buttons (well how could I not!)
(and I'm sure you've realised but just in case - the centre bit of cardboard is just to cover the mirror while I photographed).
Colours on the frame itself are stronger in reality.

Round up...

I'm sorting out my home studio and so its time to tidy up! and I keep coming across projects that I've completed but don't seem to have posted about - such a lot going on and a lot of it I can't share because its going to be published, used for classes etc etc etc ..... So here are some pictures (apologies if I have shown them before - I did do a quick check back through the blog - which has made me realise I must start tagging things....)
(btw:I'm not supposed to have a 'home' studio because I have studio space that I rent and therefore all my creative bits and bobs should be there but over the past month or so a lot has made its way back home (in my defense the studio can be quite cold)

Firstly here are some of the spreads from a mini-book I made of a day trip M & I took to go and see Seth Lakeman perform at the open air theatre in London's Regents Park - fantastic day and a great concert. Its 6x4in (approx) & I love that the pages show around the front cover - not all the same size.. books like that make me want to look inside! lol (btw - the flowers on the last 2 spreads shown now have buttons or pearls in the centres)

Next is a card I've made for my new nephew. I'm loving using acetate for cards and minibooks but they can be challenge to photograph! Aaaanyway his name is Ethan and he's bundle of cuddly loveliness! - though I may be biased of course! lol