Paper Hearts and Discruntled Hens.

I'm taking a break from hexagons.
I've been having a play around instead. Something we all need to do now and again.

Inspired by Dottie Angel's stitched paper I sewed fabric hearts onto some old printed pages and cut them out.

I particularly like the the ones with a bit of map on the back.

So they are now dangling in my porch which is open to the elements, so it will be interesting to see how long they last before looking a bit sad and past themselves. I think the term will definitely be 'weathered'.

Till next time

fi x

Lolloping Along

Things here in the MarmaladeRose household are lolloping along at a rare old speed. Well for some of us they are! Others like to take things easy. Can you believe that after 3 unsuccessful attempts at getting on the sofa (she's not allowed) Sneaky Dog winged to go out of the room. I thought she need to go out for a wee but no, she took me over to the furry bean bag in the kitchen and rested her chin on it, meaning 'I want to lay on this!'

So here she is on what is now HER furry beanbag in prime location in front of the fire in the sitting room! Anything for a quiet life.Back to lolloping.
In 3 days time I'm taking part in my first ever craft fair, well actually it's a Vintage and Collectors Fair. By the way, you are all more than welcome. Hence the amount of frantic crafting and lack of blogging of late. (v. sorry)
Yes Friday is D day, and Saturday too as it's over 2 days.
This is a new fair and monthly booking have been made throughout the rest of the year.

So these are my little vintage style brooches; see everything I'm making has a vintage vibe as I don't have anything collectible to sell only my vintage embroidered linens. Is it all slotting into place now?

Good.

This one is my favourite.

Lots of hand stitching.

But back to lolloping...

Hmmmm can you smell it?

I've been making my own bread for the last 2 or 3 months the old fashioned way by hand.

Needless to say I've been eating most of it too.

With lots of real butter.

Well it would be a crime to put anything else on homemade bread wouldn't it!

Back to life lolloping along...

Sneaky dog knows when we're out on a walk she's not allowed through the squeeze gates before me but she just can't help herself. If only you could watch her trying back out of the tiny opening, turn on that narrow top step and then squeeze back past me coming up the steps, it's soooo funny.


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Back to life-a-lolloping

Special events have taken place.
Where does the time go?

#2 decorated the cake, would you believe her first time with the piping bag!
We think she did an excellent job. Hmmm...who's birthday is it next?

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loll op, loll op,

much stitching of... bunny ears
hoppity lollop.

More Springtime bags...

still with a vintage vibe.

limp, limp, lollop.

And lastly...

Hens... getting a bit to daring for their own good.

They've decided to wait in the porch at the back door for us now.

Luckily I spotted them just before I let Sneaky out!

Sneaky would like a hen!

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Yep, life's lolloping along at a rare old speed.

till next time.

fi x

Cold Turkey!

Hello, how are you doing?

Have you finally finished all of the turkey?

Is the dustbin full and the bottle bank overflowing?

Yes, same here, lol.

We've reached those funny few floating days between Christmas Day and New Years Eve. I've found myself floating aimlessly too, unable to settle. I know exactly why; I get like this if I haven't done anything creative and crafty for a couple of days. So there was nothing for it but to set up a make-shift work station up in the attic. You see my usual big sewing table has travelled down 2 flights of stairs to join the dining table as we had guest for Christmas. In it's place 2 single mattresses were laid ready for my nieces to sleep on. Well needs must and all that, I stood the mattresses up against the wall (I can't put them away as we have more guests arriving on New Years Eve.) and put together a tiny kitchen table that we no longer use.

Ahhhh...that's much better, just enough room for my lovely, lovely, scrummy sewing machine (oh how I've missed you! stroke, stroke.) and a small cutting mat.

And what did I make?

Well I've had this scrappy little drawing in my sketch book for months, so I thought I'd see what I could do with it.

Do you want to see?

I had a good old rummage and chose a suitable piece of embroidered linen.

Another rummage for pretty cotton lace, which wasn't easy as everything had been stuffed out of sight in cupboards and under beds ready for my guests. (How I'll ever find anything again I really don't know!)

A piece of the reddest gingham fabric

and hey presto!

A little Spring time shopping bag was made.

Ohhhhhh...I feel sooooo much better now that I've had my fix! lol.
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I'll be back soon with all my Christmas craft makes now they are no longer secrets and some pictures of frozen waterfalls.

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Happy Inbetween Time.

fi x

A New Bag for Me, Yipee!

I'm feeling the need to back-track a little today.

I'm really going to have to post much more frequently if I'm going to keep up with all the photos I've taken for you. Take todays post, this project was finished a month ago! That's very bad blog house keeping isn't it? Tut, tut!

This is my new bag!

Yes, MY new bag!

Not for anyone else.

Not to be gifted.

But one for little old me, Yippee!

As you know I'm a kinda pink, flowery sort of girl.

after all, I chose the name MarmaladeRose.
(I like the way it forms in your mouth when you say it.)

Mar-ma-lade-rose

You can't help but end with a pout!

You just tried it didn't you? LOL!

I've made several of this style bag now and I have to say it's my favourite.

Very roomy!

Well a girl needs room for her blog camera and spare batteries, and a ball of wool and a crochet hook is a must at all times!

This little pocket that I've embellished was once a pair of my daughters corduroy jeans. Hence the need to crochet a cover for the metal Tesco's Cherokee button.

Ta-daa!

Big, flowery, pink, girly, soft, squishy and MINE!

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Love Fi x

Arm Candy!

Hello there.

Not one but two new bags to share with you today!

I had such fun designing and making these two beauties.
And yes, I do feel justified calling them 'beauties' lol.

Lovely fabrics

Pretty vintage buttons

Special stitches

Pretty trims

Lots of machine embroidery (this is the back, isn't it wonderful! It's a secret that only you and I have seen, safely hidden behind the pretty lining fabric now)

Here's the front.

And the front of the second bag.

I do like to hand finish. It makes all the difference, much neater, a way of adding a little bit of love and care to each project.

I nearly forgot to show you the inside! I'm quite a practical girl, I like pockets and a long ribbon tape to secure my keys. (long enough to unlock my door with out removing the keys.)

Here's the back of one of the bags.

And the back detail of the other one.

Hmmm...floral goodness.

A bit of recycling, a bit of vintage, some re-purposing and a lot of pleasure (for me making)

Ta-daa!

One front, one back

Ta-daa! again,

both fronts.

Thank you for letting me share my art.

Love Fi x