Aughra's Lair Crafts

The Green Lady, and Elf and the Russian Doll Pin

2009-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent Art Doll. She is the Green Lady. The Green Lady is a beautiful and protective spirit native to the British Isles. She is a 'good spirit'. She can be mischievous and play small practical jokes. She is known as the Green Lady because of her long green gown which touches the ground.

She has shown up dripping wet at cottage doors. She asks to come in to warm herself and dry her clothing. If she feels welcome in the home, she may stay a while and protect that particular house as well as the family that lives in it. If the family moves from the home, she stays behind to protect the next family. It is said that she is also very helpful to farmers. She has been known to protect cattle by herding them into the barn to protect them from a storm or other enemies.

She has protected many castles throughout the British Isles.

This vintage apple preserve pot is really quirky. I love the little elf that sits on the lid. I found it in a charity shop.

Ramona the Russian doll pin badge was a recent felt creation of mine. She has been sent off to her new home in Australia.

Hand made cabinets and felted animals

2009-05-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

It's half term so I'm off from work, waiting in for a beautiful hand made glass fronted cabinet to be delivered from the charity shop which is literally two minutes around the corner, but could arrive anytime between 8.30 and 1pm which means I'm stuck indoors until it arrives(It's nearly 10am now). It's so frustrating - if only I had huge muscles I could carry it here. To add to it the neighbours have decided I might enjoy listening to the heavy base of the metal they're listening to upstairs....
Oh cabinet just arrived - and it's fab, and the delivery guys were lovely! I'm so excited, can't wait to put all my treasures in it. It's going in the bedroom as it's the only place it will fit, and it just does.
Above and below are pictures of my newest creation, an Indian Elephant made from hand stitched felt. Like most of my plush ornaments the pattern has been made up from scratch so it is very original. Elisha the Elephant is decorated with glass beads and sequins.
I have made a few more felt animals too. Here is Dolly the Deer, again completely hand stitched. She is very stylish with her pink and white polka dot neck tie.
And here's Henry the hare, a jointed plush with adjustable limbs:

A few more of my felted items are these cute flower hair clips and this tiny cup cake pin cushion:

These tiny birdie and heart pegs are great for displaying postcards on ribbon around the home.
Also, remember back in February I showed you the coffee set I had fallen in love with at a local charity shop, well I found an identical teapot again in one just down the road:

It was glorious weather last Sunday, a real summers day, unlike the rest of the week. I ended up taking the water ferry to Mount Edgecumbe. From there I took the beautiful woodland walk by the sea edge to Kingsand and Cawsand. It was well worth the rest on the beach there at the end and a paddle to cool down my feet. I took the water ferry back to the Barbican which picks you up from the beach. It's funny watching everyone queue on the beach!

Dublin, Guinness and a Mermaid

2009-05-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wow I didn't realize how long it was since I last posted! My apologies, and thanks to those who missed me :)

It has been a bit manic at work recently so I haven't had much time on the internet lately. I am still managing to do some arty stuff though although not as much as usual as I am making costumes at work at the moment and so my eyes have been feeling a little tired in the evening.

Anyway, here's my attempt to catch up with all that's been happening here....

Dublin was wonderful although a bit cold. The hostel we stayed in had a lovely coffee shop downstairs and some great art work on the walls:

We only had one full day in Dublin on the Saturday so we decided to do a bus tour of the city to fit in as much as possible. We sat on the open top bus and unfortunately were frozen as it turned bitterly cold. But I managed to get a few shots of the city.

We hopped off at the Guinness factory - of course! It was huge inside - and I am quite scared of heights so it was a bit daunting as it has several floors with a huge escalator and glass lift running through the centre. Even the stairs were the worst kind for people who suffer with acrophobia, because they had gaps in them. It's hard trying to explain my phobia to other people. They were saying just overcome it by facing your fears, but it's actually quite dangerous. It causes panic attacks and I react completely irrationally. My first instinct is to lay on the floor, because my legs feel like they will give way and I become really dizzy. Luckily I found a lift and managed to get to all levels except the bar at the very top which was surrounded by glass! I treated to myself to half a glass of Guinness at the (almost) top - I couldn't drink a whole pint.Mind you I don't want to if that's what its done to this poor soul!

It was a lovely city, I would love to visit again, perhaps when the pound is a bit stronger as it was quite expensive.

I have been making some dresses and skirts from my collection of fabrics. This is one of the skirts I recently made from recycled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles curtains.

And here's a felt monkey broach.

My most recent creation is a mermaid art doll named Elsbeth Sparkle Fin. Elsbeth Sparkle Fin is a beautiful mermaid of the Green Fin clan of mer folk who dwell off the Cornish coast of England.

She is from a line of greatly talented artists and carves the most magnificent shells some of which are washed up along the sea shore and picked up by lucky beach combers. Others of which she gives as gifts to her friends. She will bring creativity and inspiration to the lives of her companions.

A Pirates Day Out

2009-03-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

It was such beautiful weather last weekend, so on the Saturday my sister and I decided to visit Tavistock again. We do go there a lot but because neither of us can drive we are limited to using public transport and we do love Tavistock. I remembered my camera and got a shot of the ruins of the Gateway to the Abbey. This is also known as Betsy Grimble Tower after a lady who was said to have been murdered there by a jealous monk who threw her from the tower!

I have been very lucky to have some of my items featured in the etsy treasury this week. For some reason I can't add the photo's of the treasury pages to my blog so here are the links to see it on my flickr page. Beetle & Cup Cake. I'm so pleased!

Today my sister and I went to Exeter for a change. We had a great day hunting around the charity shops, vintage and retro stores and the wonderful Paperchase that we love and don't have in Plymouth. I found some lovely clothes, and Karen got me a lovely vintage style journal and some funky owl stickers. I also got some jewelry bits from the bead shop there as I am going to try making some jewelry soon.

I have been knitting alot this week, as I am trying to finish a cardigan that I started knitting last year and haven't picked up for a while. I am slowly getting there doing a bit each evening after work. I have been doing a bit of a spring clean in my work room too. It was much needed and I am making some progress! It also means I have been sorting through old patterns and inspiration and I have lots of ideas for new projects - there just never seems enough time. I am also off to Dublin for a long weekend in two weeks and I can't wait although I feel completely unprepared and I'm sure the time will fly. I shall get lots of photos while I'm there. I have never been before but I have heard lots of good things so I'm quite excited!

It was World Book Week last week and a few of us dressed up as characters from books at work. I was a pirate and there were pictures taken for the local paper! Here are a few more pirates images from the web arggggghhh!

The Seagull watches the waves roll by

2009-02-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Every evening this week I have been trying to do at least three hours of crafting which isn't always easy after a day of running around at work, but I have managed to be strict on myself and have achieved a lot. This large boat box is the result of a few nights work. It is made from layers of felt attached to a wooden hinged box. The cabin is hand stitched and stuffed with polyester stuffing. The seagull is also hand stitched with glass bead eyes.

I have also nearly finished a sock puppy I started last night, just his eyes and ears to sew on and he is complete.
I am so happy it is the weekend and I get to spend tomorrow with my sister. I'm sure we will take the bus or train somewhere nice and I'll try to remember to bring my camera along to take some pics! She has just bought a lovely vintage cabinet for displaying all her wonderful treasures - I am so jealous it was a real find. Check out her blog A Mermaids Purse for great pictures of it and her art and inspirations.

Box of Delights

2009-02-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling more inspired of late and have been putting my creativity to good use.
Starting with these little vintage inspired mitten clips. My sister and I discovered some vintage had made mitten clips very similar to these and we thought they were adorable. Mine are made from felt and trimmed with cotton lace for a touch of luxury. I have made six so far but have lots cut out ready to make up.
I have also been gathering up boxes to make some more pin cushion decorative boxes. I started making a house box with little details around each of the walls. I decided to machine embroider the windows and little details alongside some hand embroidery and then sew the sides together before stuffing with polyester filling and attaching to the box base. It is a lot larger than my usual pin cushion boxes and could be used to store craft items or for giving an extra special gift.

I have also created a Circus tent box which is a similar size. It has a flag pole with red flag flying and a hand embroidered Circus sign above the door.

I have also finished two more sock monkeys.
This is Howard the Intellectual sock monkey. He loves reading and in depth discussions, especially ones concerning Charlie Darwin's 'On the Origin of the Sock Species'. He is wearing blue rimmed spectacles.
And then there is Malcolm. Malcolm is a chirpy fellow who enjoys music, break dancing, bananas and hanging around.
On Saturday I had a wonderful day with my sister. We went to Tavistock again, we do love it there and looked around the market and charity shops, and finished with lunch in a lovely old tea shop. I was feeling quite down but there's nothing like a day out with my sister to lift my spirits. I managed to find some wooden boxes to make some more felted creations. I have already started the first which will be a boat. We finished with a night at the theatre to see Fairground, a musical with David Essex, which was a treat from our mum. I only recognized one of his songs, as I was quite young when he was charming all the girls with his blue eyes and long dark hair. It was good fun though, although quite a sad story.

I'll leave you with two shots of Tavistock. It looks a little grey although the weather wasn't to bad that day.

Coraline and Puppets

2009-02-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

There is a new film coming out which looks so cool, by the same director as The Nightmare before Christmas, and based on the award-winning childrens book by Neil Gaiman it is a scary fairytale:

I like the idea that all puppets are real. What is life like from their point of view:

Can't wait to see this film :)

A Lovely Valentine's

2009-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day on Saturday, wandering around the market town of Tavistock with my sister. I love Tavistock, there is something unspoiled about it, as it still has a country town feel, with its market and little shops. I found a wonderful 1950's coffee pot and cups in a lovely blue colour for a bargain in one of the charity shops there.

My sister bought me an elephant to add to my collection(I adore elephants). Our mum bought us some lovely little key shelves, in a shabby chic look which is a style my sister and I love. I have used mine on the wall in my bedroom to hang some of my jewelry from and I think it looks great.

When I got home I had a surprise Valentine's gift from my fiance. A wonderful bottle of perfume with a really funky bottle design. It's called Music by Gwen Steffani. I never spoil myself to things like perfume so I love it when I get it as a gift and it's a beautiful smell, exactly what I would have picked. Thanks so much Paul, I love you x

I also wanted to show you this adorable little sewing box my sister bought me for Christmas. Inside is all the tools, ribbons etc to make felt brooches. Its so cute!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, and got to share it with the ones you love.

Having the hump!

2009-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

I think it could be all the gloomy rainy cold weather, and lack of snow despite the rest of the country having heaps of the stuff, but I have got the real hump today. I just feel fed up and haven't been able to make anything. Anyway, I thought I'd show you all Edmund my new sock creation who also has the hump - literally. He has a little hump back and also looks a little down but he is also so cute. He was made from a pair of grey ribbed school socks. I think he just needs a big hug!

Cinders and a Frog Prince

2009-02-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

I finished my Cinders art doll about two weeks ago and here she is. She has a pinafore dress which is dirty despite her efforts to clean it. She has bare feet and her dress in now torn, dirty and frayed, her step mother and step sisters will not allow her new clothes. She sits and dreams of her Prince Charming.

I have also made another of my small jointed dolls. This time I made a frog. His name is Freddie and he has longer limbs for all that jumping.

Since the weekend I have been making lots of sock monkeys and a sock elephant. My front room is turning into a zoo! Here are the valentine love heart monkey couple I made first:

Happy New Year!

2009-01-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
I have been so busy with my new jobs and Christmas was a blur so my apologies for not posting sooner.
Here are a few of the item I have been crafting since November.
This is an elephant doll I created for my neice for Christmas. the elephant is appropriately named Ellie. She is a jointed doll with a polyester satin pyjama playsuit. The fabric used for it was some that I inherited from my nan's collection. I remember my nan made a dressing gown out of the same fabric for my mum when we were young.

Ellie also has a net skirt which ties on a ribbon.
This is another of my fairy mushroom house felt pin cushion boxes. My sister had been asking me to make her one for ages and she finally got one in her stocking at Christmas.

There is a little red post box on the side of this fairy mushroom house.
I started making some patterns up for tiny jointed animal dolls just before Christmas. here is a little felt elephant jointed doll I made. he is under 5 inches tall with moving joints and is completely hand stitched.

I knew my sister would like these too so I made her this little Christmas mouse complete with hat, scarf and ribbon wrapped parcel for her.

This is another white mouse I made. He has little stitched paws and fine whiskers.

I discovered these kitsch decorations in a local charity shop in December.

These are a selection of hand sewn felt decorations I made.

I have also finished my Cinders doll, who will feature in my next post.

Our House in the Middle of Our Street

2008-11-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well, where do I begin...
It's been a busy couple of months juggling jobs I have hardly had a minute spare to sew let alone keep up with my blog, so I'll show you a little of what I've managed to make recently in no particular order.
I have produced a range of felt magnet houses which I think make cute house warming gifts and just look really pretty on the fridge.

...and a mushroom house of course!

I like the little stitched details around the windows.
I have also managed to crochet a lightweight flower scarf:

I am also planning to finish my Cinders art doll when I have a spare minute. I must admit that I am not feeling as motivated in the evenings now the dark and cold has set in. It's hard to sew under layers of jumpers! But I am feeling very inspired by Christmas and can't wait to get making some decorations. It does feel like winter now.

Custom Bag and Skirts

2008-08-14T02:46:00.000-07:00

This is a bag I made as a custom order using some of my vintage fabrics. It has a detachable brooch detail made from matching fabrics, ribbon and a vintage button.

I have also finished some skirts which have been waiting to be finished for a while.

The first is an upcycled denim hipster skirt made from recycled jeans. I like all the fly zip, button and pocket details. I love the rough edges and fraying which adds a rock chick look to it.

The second skirt is made from a recycled Mario and Zelda duvet cover. It has a zipper fastener at the side. It looks great with boots or over trousers.

I am working on some felt brooches and magnets today.

Recycled Country Style Cushions

2008-08-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

After my partner painted my dark wooden dining chairs white I decided they needed some comfy cushions. I'd looked around and was surprised at the price of cushions, and also couldn't find any that were the right size for the chairs, so I decided to make my own.

I had a pair of Laura Ashley pillow cases which I cut up and have used in all six cushions. I combined that fabric with some of my stash of blue and red fabrics, stuffed them with cushions from the pound shop, added some buttons and red ribbon ties and 'hey presto' some country style cushions!

I used this lush blue and white polka dot fabric for the table cloth. Then I finished the table with a few cute ornaments. A gorgeous white china sugar bowl and jug I got from China Blue is Totnes last week, a white candle pot with red gingham ribbon I got in a charity shop a while back, two cup cake candles from my sister last Christmas and a a cute blue white and red patterned chicken(also from my sister).

I picked up 8 old copies of Country Living from the charity shop for 80p and browsing through them has given me some more ideas for my home. I am busy cutting out bunting as we speak.

Pants!

2008-07-29T02:46:00.001-07:00

Recycled T-shirt pants that is! Here are a selection of pants I have been making from my old T-shirts. I have bags and bags full of old T-shirts that aren't own for some reason or another but I can't bear to chuck away and now I have found the ideal solution. Depending o the fabric of the T-shirt some have turned out more like little shorts and fit slightly differently, but they are so cute and each one is unique. I love them. They are great as sleepwear too. I may even add some to my shop soon and it has given me loads more ideas for different styles and other articles of clothing.

I have also stumbled across some great vintage finds last week. This is a beautiful vintage face creme glass jar with lovely lid design. I have cleaned it but you can it still smells like my grandmas cosmetics which is really nice.
I also found a never worn mens vintage 1970's flared suit complete with jacket, waistcoat and flared trousers. It still has the label on the trousers. It is a very slim suit for a man over 6ft tall and it is in excellent condition.

There was also some great vintage furniture in my local charity shops this week. If only I had enough room in my flat!
I am working on some cushions for the flat this week and steadily knitting my cardigan. I also have a few items to finish for my shop. The weathers not looking great this week so at least I shouldn't get too distracted.

Front page of esty fame

2008-07-17T03:08:00.001-07:00

I logged on to etsy on the 15th to find that my fairy toadstool house pin cushion box was featured on the front page. Fame at last! well almost :)

After a long wait for royal mail to redeliver a package to my local post office i have finally received my apron from the vintage tea time apron swap on the Faerie Zine from Cyndi(frstyfrolk) on flickr. It's adorable, I was so pleased.

It was beautifully packaged in tissue paper with a beautiful chandelier card enclosed.

It is so delicate. Made from vintage fabrics.

There is a wonderful pocket detail with ribbons, a flower, and a handmade beaded charm with fairy pendant.

It dresses up any outfit! I love, love, love it! Thanks so much Cyndi.
I have also sold Meg the Sea Witch, one of my small soft sculpture art dolls. She is off to America this week.

I will leave you with her story:
Meg the Sea Witch, lives off the coasts of Cornwall in England. Her mother was a mermaid and her father was a sailor. Cast out from the mer people and always an outsider, Meg became a recluse, and hid away in caves. Only her beautiful purple tail held any clue to her biological links to the mermaidens. Despite her solitude she was not a bitter fish and loved to sing old sailors songs her mother had taught her. She took to casting spells to heal sick fish, and lead dolphins who had taken to strange waters, back to their families. Sometimes mer people were brave enough to visit her dim caves for cures for scaley arms and the like, and although she acted strangely with echoing laughter and crazy mutterings it was only because she was so excited to have company.

Mermaids, Retro Robots and My New Apron

2008-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

I went on a last minute holiday to Turkey for two weeks at the end of June, which was wonderful. It was just great to spend some time with my partner Paul, as we hardly get a full day together working different shifts. We stayed in the Marmaris area which has a beautiful harbour. The area is surrounded by mountains, with clear blue sea, but the beaches were a bit rocky with no sand. It was really hot whilst we were there so we didn't get on any of the boat trips they offer. It would be lovely to go back later in the year next time when the sun isn't quite as scorching.
On my return I discovered a small package from The Mermaid Seaside Pageant swap on The Faerie Zine:

This is the ATC I received from Patricia N. Stewart. It is a wonderful mixed media piece with buttons, shells, a leaf and sequins and a glittery card and net tail. Thanks so much Patricia :)

This is the ATC I received from Lisa Kettell. It's a really beautiful illustration. Thanks so much Lisa :)
While we were in Turkey it was Paul's birthday, so I brought his presents with me for him to open. I made him this retro skull T shirt that he's been pestering me to make for a while. The material used for the skull is a wonderful vintage print I found about a year ago. he was really pleased with it!

He also loves robots ad retro toys so I couldn't resist getting him these electronic chaps from Kitsch-U-Like, a really funky retro shop in Exeter. The smaller robot is a wind up one that dances. The larger one is waiting on some batteries to see if he still works. he has a tape deck built in to his stomach and it appears he asks and answers questions. He is missing a tape so I think some research needs to be done.

Whilst I was away I sold my Prince Charming art doll. He has been sent off to the U.S.A. I'm so pleased but also a little sad to see him go. He was one of my favorites. One of my Christmas fairies has gone to a new home in the U.K too.

Retro Aprons and Recyled T Shirts

2008-06-05T03:44:00.000-07:00

I have been having a clear out the last two weeks, sorting through bags of old clothes. I have managed to pass on some bits to the local charity shops but there are a few tops I like too much to part with even though they are too small, have holes in or have just seen better days so I have started to recycle them into pants, throws, cushions and restyled tops. My front room looks like the back room in a charity shop at the moment! There are tops and bits of tops everywhere! But I am having great fun reinventing all the items. I will show a few on here in my next post.

I was involved in a swap last month to produce a retro style tea time apron. I used one of my sisters tops that no longer fits her to produce the apron above. I love the candy stripe fabric. I added net underneath to give it a luxurious look and a bit of extra glamour. I added a pocket from a cotton skirt fabric and added some cute cake ribbon and polka dot buttons. I made a hand sewn felt cake brooch with added sequins and beads which can be worn on the apron or removed to be added to a cardigan or jacket.

I have found a couple of vintage items for my shop. A cute Holly Hobbie diary and this adorable cow coffee cup:

Well I'll be spending the rest of the day cutting up T Shirts...

Mary The Morris Dancer

2008-05-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a week away at the little island I grew up on, Mersea Island on the Essex coastline. It was beautiful weather the whole holiday which was fantastic - usually it rains on my days off! I stayed in a caravan which was fun. The last time I stayed in a caravan was when I was 15. I walked around the island alot, and it brought back lots of memories of growing up there. It was a happy childhood spent by the sea. Above is a photo of one of the many houseboats near the hard. This one was made even more amazing with the addition of its own garden and shed. It looks like its about to fall over with the weight!

I managed to finish Mary the Morris Dancing art doll before I left.

She was presented to the real life Mary from the Dartmoor Border Morris this weekend. I was pleased with the final result but I think I could have carried on forever with more details.

I was delighted to receive some ATC's from the Snow Queen swap organized by The Faerie Zine on Flickr. Aren't they fantastic!:

From Joanne-takeabreak

From Lisa Kettell

From Jan E. Williams

My sister also made me an ATC inspired by The Owl and the Pussy Cat. When we were children our mother used to take part in Puppet Shows and this was one of the stories that the puppets performed.

She also bought me a little book to put all my ATC's in. Thanks Karen x

Mermaidens and Tatters

2008-04-19T14:35:00.001-07:00

I've had a wonderful day in Tavistock today with my sister and niece. We love a look around the crafts market where there is a mix of hand crafted items along with vintage finds and we try not to spend too much money! My sister found me 2 Rowan magazines in the charity shop, packed full with knitting and crochet patterns for just 75p each, which I was thrilled about. We also found lovely Green Man inspired presents for my mum and her partner's anniversary in May.

My sister gave me the picture (above), of the art doll I made for her for Christmas. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of her before she got wrapped up. She is a Mermaiden, with a tail that can be moved and is wired to be posed. The art doll is made from fabric. Her hair is a mix of hand dyed wool fibres, her face is hand painted with artists acrylics and she wears a shell bikini.

I have been working on the Morris art doll(mentioned in previous posts). Here is a sneak preview of her stripy socks which were hand painted on, and her tatters(which is the name for the flowing tattered shirts the Dartmoor Border Morris wear).

The tatters are nearly finished now and I only have the details to finish, including a hat, shoes and accordion. Those are the pieces I am most looking forward to.

RECORD the Robot

2008-03-31T06:34:00.001-07:00

Here's RECORD the Robot Keepsake Box. I created him for the UK Etsy Street Team's Monthly Challenge. For March's Challenge the theme was Technology. RECORD the robot was made to record all kinds of data. In reality he can only store things in his box, but he has an aerial to pick up the radio, an R button on his chest for Record, and a felt red STOP button. ON his back he has felt ON/OFF buttons.

He has beaded w=eyes, mouth and ears and wired beaded arms and fingers which can be bend into different positions.

Check out the other entries on the UK Etsy Challenge page on Flickr. I have now put RECORD for sale in my shop.

I was also contacted from a talented friend of mine who has just started her own shop on Etsy named lightningstrike. She is selling really funky felt bags with bright, cool designs. Look at this really cool Tetris Clutch.

Lightningstrike also has some lovely brooches. I love this one:

I am going to work hard on the Morris doll this week.

Snow White ad Rose Red Fairy Tale Box

2008-03-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

My Snow White and Rose Red Fairy Tale box for The Faerie Zine's swap on Flickr is finished! I sent it off today, a little late, as I got carried away with telling the story around the edges. I hope my swap partner likes it.

On the top of the box have drawn Snow White and Rose Red. I used collage to create a wall and door behind them. I have used lace to decorate their dresses and felt for their hats. They also have beads on their hats, material roses as belts and tiny buttons on their dresses. Around the edges are the red and white rose bushes and they stand behind a white picket fence. Among the roses there are even little butterflies. The edges of the lid tell the story and are decorated with a band of heart patterned ribbon.

The story begins with the bear arriving at the maidens home. He is invited to keep warm by the hearth by their mother. The front room wallpaper and carpet is created with collage. The bear is made from felt with bead eyes and nose. Snow White and Rose Red play around him. They were created as before.

Next the children are out in the woods(created using collage) when they stumble upon a Dwarf fishing. He has his beard caught in the fishing line and the large fish he has caught is dragging him into the water. The Dwarf is hand drawn. His beard is made from wool. The fishing line from beads and gold thread. The fish is a transfer print from photos of fish I took recently at our local aquarium. The water is made from bubble wrap. Snow White and Rose Red save the Dwarf from certain drowning by cutting his beard with scissors. The Dwarf in very ungrateful calling them horrid names.

On an errand for their mother the sisters stumble across the Dwarf again in the clearing of the woods(created from collage). A great eagle swoops down to pluck the Dwarf from where he stands but the girls run to grab hold of the little fellow. They pull and pull and soon the bird gives up and flies away. The bird is created from felt and feathers. His claws are cut from paper. The Dwarf has felt hat, jacket, tights and boots. He has a ribbon and button belt and his hat is decorated with a bead. The Dwarf is rude to the girls accusing them of ripping his new jacket.

The Dwarf meets his end in the wood where he meets the bear, who is in fact a prince who was cursed to wander as a bear by the same man. The bear defeats the Dwarf with one single blow from his claw. I have sewn some gold thread onto the bears felt coat to represent a piece of the princes gold coat that Snow White saw in a hole in his fur.

Inside the box there are pictures of Snow White and Rose Red who married the Prince and his brother years later.

I was also tagged again by Machi of MagpieNest but I have already answered the questions in the London Bus Magnet post. But I was glad I was tagged as I got to take a look at Machi's blog and Etsy shop MagpieNest

This peg necklace is just one of the beautiful items of jewellery there I'd love to own.

Morris Dancers, Fairytale Boxes and ATC's

2008-03-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

'The Snow Queen Rides her Sleigh'

I posted my ATC's off this week for The Fairie Zines' The Snow Queen Swap. It was my first try at making ATC's and I was really pleased with the results. It was difficult to get lots of detail onto the cards which only measure 2.5x3.5inches. However, I managed to decorate them with pencils, buttons, ribbon, lace and sequins. I even incorporated bubble wrap into one of the designs.

'The Snow Queen casts a spell'

'Kai attempts to shape the word eternity from icicles whilst under the Snow Queen's Spell'

I am still finishing the Fairy Tale Box for a swap. I am trying to tell the story around the edges of the box which is taking longer than I thought, mainly waiting for the glue to dry. Here is a work in progress shot taken on monday:

As you can see the fairytale I have chosen is Snow White and Rose Red. I managed to get to Tavistock on Saturday where I picked up some lovely paper and fabric rose decorations to add to the box.

My mum is in the Dartmoor Border Morris team and they are planning to produce some postcards to sell when they are out and about morris dancing around Devon and Cornwall. My mum has asked me to get involved with taking the pictures which sounds like great fun. I think we are planning on doing some comedy postcards so we are busy thinking up ideas. I have also been asked to produce an art doll of one of the Morris team who has a birthday in May. She plays the accordion, so I will probably have to make that from paper mache. I am looking forward to making her outfit and 'tatters'.

Anyway, I had better get back to finishing my fairytale box.

Snow Queen ATC's

2008-03-11T16:03:00.001-07:00

I have been making some ATC's(artist trading cards) for the first time ever. I got in a real mess with glue and it took me the whole day to produce 3 cards but I had great fun. I am making the cards for a swap that one of the groups I belong to on Flickr(The Faerie Zine), has organized. The theme for the swap was the fairytale The Snow Queen, which I adore. I see the Snow Queen as very beautiful but dangerous and cold so I used lots of silver, blue and white in my designs. I scanned some vintage theatre postcards, I picked up ages ago, onto my computer and played around with the images on Photoshop to create ice cold scenes. I have used beads, lace, buttons, fabric, card, pens and pencils to decorate the cards. I have just a few more details to add and then they'll be ready to send off. I will post a picture of the final ATC's this week.
I am also working on a fairytale box for another swap. I am basing it on one of my favourite fairy tales, Snow White and Rose Red. My sister and I loved that story when we were young because we imagined the two sisters in the story were ourselves. I plan to tell the story through images around the side of the box. This is the book we used to have.

I also sent off the Beetle magnet(see previous post) yesterday. I found some brilliant camper van wrapping paper to gift wrap it in.

Custom Beetle Convertible Magnet

2008-03-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a weekend of clearing up and sorting out the flat so not a lot of crafting has been taking place. I did manage to do a custom order for scarywhitegirl. She wanted me to make up a light blue Beetle convertible magnet with a white roof for her mum(above). I love scareywhitegirl's shop. Funnily enough I bought a few items from her last year and one of them(a lovely purple velvet bag) was for my mum to keep her runes in. I got a lovely pair of forest green hand knitted arm warmers. They are so lovely and soft and warm. I used them loads this winter. She has lots of other knitted and crocheted items too.
I have been sketching some templates for minis and camper vans to make into badges and magnets.
Last week I sold a couple of items, one of which was one of my fairy mushroom pin cushion boxes. So hopefully I will feel a bit more motivated to create this week.

London Bus Magnet

2008-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

I have just added this red London bus magnet to my shop. It is the 159 service to Marble Arch. It was a bit tricky to sew the numbers and letters by hand but it worked out ok. I am starting a custom order for a convertible Beetle magnet and will then make some mini's too.

I have also been tagged by another talented Uk Etsy blogger TomatoTea.

The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My 7 facts are:
1.I am a non identical twin(we developed from two separate eggs).
2.I have very flexible legs(my foot can fit under my armpit and I could bite my toenails if I wanted...but don't).
3.I am terrified of man made heights and hate escalators, ladders and glass lifts.
4.The only pets I had as a kid were a rescued fox cub called Basil and a pigeon called Walter who thought he was human, and wasn't really a pet-he just never left the garden.
5.I love the smell of books.
6.I can't walk past a charity shop without a peek inside.
7.I am hopelessly addicted to chocolate and crisp sandwiches.

And the people I'm tagging are:

Babylonglegs
MadameBogg
Displaced Moose!
artmixter
Secret me
alabamawhirly
GUGAW
It was a bit difficult finding people who haven't already been tagged.
Phew I hope I've done ok. That's the first time I've added links:)

Vroom Vroom Beetle Magnets

2008-03-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to make some beetle magnets for our fridge for a while. Me and Paul are beetle vans and have our own(though it's always in the garage!). I was so pleased with how these magnets turned out that I have started selling them in my shop. Today I finished off a London Bus magnet. It was a bit trickier as I added the number and where it was going in hand embroidery. I didn't get a picture of it today so I will have to post it another day.

I had a lovely weekend with my mum, sister and niece. We all went to the beach which was great. I always feel like a kid again as soon as I'm by the sea. Me and my sister were chasing each other with sea weed and skimming stones whilst mum was busy trying to stop little Sophia eating all the pebbles.

I am still buy working on my Alice in Wonderland draft excluder, although I won't get much done tomorrow as I am off to the dentists :( I think it's going to be a very expensive trip!

Chick Chick Chick Chick Chicken...

2008-02-20T04:35:00.002-08:00

I have gone chick and chicken crazy in preparation for easter. I've been making lots of easter themed pin cushion boxes and now I have a whole batch of easter chicken cards ready to put in my shop.

My friend Vinny and I are going to start some applique projects next week. We both need draught excluders as we live in old houses so thats our first mission and we've come up with some great ideas for others items too. I'm going to have a look through my material off cuts now for some inspiration.

Fairy Toadstool Houses

2008-01-29T02:41:00.000-08:00

I have been busy, busy, busy making more pin cushion boxes which I have been adding to my shop. My favourites are the fairy toadstool houses with their little toadstool chimney pots, little doors and windows. I think they would make lovely gifts and are a great alternative to tooth fairy pillows - just leave the tooth in the fairies house instead!

I have also been making some bunny and chick boxes for easter.

This week I plan to dig out some of the retro dress patterns I have been collecting for a while and make a nice dress and also some trousers.

Pin Cushion Boxes

2008-01-24T02:26:00.000-08:00

This week I have been working on some pin cushion keep sake boxes. I have made a fairy mushroom box, a bird in a tree box and two birds kissing in a tree(a great box for Valentines Day). I am also just finishing a fairy toadstool house, complete with toadstool chimney and fairy sized door and windows!

I have added a new link to "blogs I like" which takes you to the UK Featured Sellers Blog. There will be regular interviews with talented UK based Esty sellers there.

Pagan Wedding Custom Art Dolls

2008-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the fabric art dolls I was making of my mum and her partner Brian at their pagan wedding. Below are some pictures of their wedding. I have a few little details to finish like their staffs and and add some more leafs. The headdresses have been made from felt leafs. Each leaf was carefully cut out by hand and then hand sewn on - it took ages but the I hope the final effect was worth all the effort.

I was also featured on My Fairy Babies' blog yesterday. It shows some of my work and a small interview. Just click on 'My Fairy Babies' in the Blogs I Like menu on the right to read the interview. She also has interviews with other etsy artists and her own work is very adorable!
I am now working on some valentines and easter felt boxes which I hope to have finished this week.

A Real Hobbit Hole

2008-01-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

This is a picture taken near Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall. I went to see the caverns with my family in December as my sister had never been there before. There are also fairy gardens and a woodland walk there, and it was as we were walking through the woodland that we stumbled across a little house. I think it looks just like a little hobbit hole as described in The Hobbit. It was just as if we had disturbed the inhabitants as there were little drawings scattered across the table and floor along with other little objects. A lantern was still sitting on the table. Magical!

Back Again!!

2008-01-08T14:42:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!
I am finally back after forgetting my password and not being able to sign in for a while. Lots has happened in the past few months so I will have lots to add this month. I am currently working on a number of projects. I am knitting a cardigan for myself. My first knit on circular needles and the pattern also requires using an extra needle! I am also making a skirt from a vintage computer game themed duvet. I also have a number of Valentine themed items that I am getting ready to add to my etsy shop.

I am also finishing some art dolls of my mum and her husband when they had a pagan wedding near Bodmin 2 years ago. They are very nearly finished and were a present for my parents for Christmas. They have detailed costumes and head dresses so the finishing touches have taken a little longer than I'd planned.

Cinderella(from the earlier posts) has a Prince Charming(pictured above). He has a very fancy lace frock coat. I am working on a Cinders doll and I plan to make some Ugly Sisters in the future.

As you can see I've been pretty busy and will be adding some pictures of finished pictures very soon.

Lady Bug Bootees

2007-08-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well I had a week off work and managed to get to a few places last week. I have never been to St Ives so I decided to go for the day on the train. It was the start of the summer holidays so the train was packed but I managed to get a seat. I traveled alone but an old man sat next to me for most of the journey, and he was Cornish so he was pointing out all the towns and we had a really interesting chat. He'd worked on the trains all of his life and now he is retired he gets to travel all over Cornwall. He worked on the steam trains originally and wasn't allowed to join the army during the war because his job was too important. I enjoyed our chat and thought what a shame it is we don't feel safe enough to talk to people any more.

I had to change trains at St Erth to pick up the train to St Ives. This was the best part of the journey as the train travels along the coast and you can see all the white sand beaches and the beautiful blue sea. St Ives is an adorable place. Because lots of artists love it there it is alive with art and crafts. There are cute little cottages with hanging flower baskets every where and it has several beaches with wonderful white sands, and a lovely harbour which was alive with sea gulls trying to steal ice cream from all the holiday makers.

The first place I wanted to visit was the Tate Gallery, which is a beautiful white building with a glass front which looks straight out across the sea. There was an exhibition on about Brian Wilson and the art movement at the time of the Beach Boys called 'If Everbody had an Ocean'. St Ives was the perfect place to have it but it was a shame they didn't play any of their songs. I met my old English teacher from my high school in Essex, who worked there. It's a small world.

I tried to find the Barbara Hepworth gardens with her wonderful sculptures in but after getting lost a few times I gave up. St Ives isn't even a very big place! I had a lovely time looking around the little gift shops and strolling along the beach in the sunshine. If you've never been it's definitely worth a visit.

I also managed to get to Totnes on saturday. It's such a lovely place with a wonderfully magic energy about it. I have been there many times but I've never been up to the castle so I decided to take a look. I ended up climbing to the top and because I'm scared of heights I was clinging to the edges of the wall. I think everyone thought I was mad. It had superb views across Totnes though, I just wish I could have let go of the edges for long enough to take more pictures.

I managed to make some bags with my time off. I also entered the UK Etsy Street Team July Challenge to make something related to Medicine. I came up with DR McDermott who I am planning to make into a puppet.

My Lady Bug Bootees made it into a treasury this week(see the link)along with Mildred Spiderleg one of my witch art dolls which made me smile. I also sold my felted lolly bag and an ice cream badge. Yay! :)

Belle Blue Fin and The Sprites

2007-07-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest fairy sprite to be added to Esty. Her name is Belle Blue Fin and she is part fairy and part mermaid. She loves to sit in the moonlight and tell stories of the past when the world was full of mystery and magic. She is made from calico, and her face is hand painted with acrylics. She has a silk rod tail and wired net wings. I have made several more in a similar style.

I am also working on a knitted cardigan for my niece. It is her birthday in October so I want to make a few items for her in advance. The pattern for the cardigan is quite complicated and is taking a while to knit up as it requires lots of concentration. I will post it here when it's finished.

Leg Warmers in July!

2007-07-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I have just finished knitting the leg warmers I started on International Knit in Public Day I attended at Freedom Fields Park. Everyone must have thought I was mad making leg warmers on a hot June day, but the way the weather has turned out I must have had a premonition. I used 3 shades of blue wool in dk, white wool and an oatmeal shade. I am pleased with how they turned out. I think knitting irregular widths of stripe in each colour works well, so they don't look too uniform. These will be added to my Etsy shop later on today.

I am working on my Prince Charming dolls' torso. I had to alter my doll pattern to suit a male shape. I have just finished stuffing his body and joined his head and he is looking good so far. I think he will be more challenging than Cinderella because his jacket will be very tailored and he will need his trousers to be made separately.

Cinderella will go to the Ball!

2007-07-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got my Cinderella Art Doll finished and listed on Etsy today. I am pleased as punch with her. She was a lot of hard work and took a lot of hand sewing but I think she was worth it. She even has little earrings and a broach, as well as a tiara.

I think I will try making Prince Charming next.

Cinderella Style Art Doll in Progress

2007-06-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am half way through creating an art doll for my shop on Etsy. I have to keep stopping and starting as I am on holiday this week with my partner.

As you can see she is in pieces and I haven't painted her face yet, which is when the dolls really take on their character. I think I will name her Cinderella as I think the period of costume I am creating really suits that fairy tale. I think I will also create a Prince Charming too, and a Cinders. I have tried to make her costume accurate to the mid eighteenth century period, so she will have a wonderful full skirt in matching fabric to the corset and full frilled sleeves from the elbow in the same fabric and white lace. I have sewn her corset to the body and made it in the shape of a 1750's corset. I have made legs from white satin fabric with a healed shoes joined to the pattern, which I will decorate later. I have used a variety of gorgeous natural dyed wool fibers to create her wig which is pinned up in curls at the back.

I am really enjoying the challenge of creating this doll to period. I will post a picture of her finished as soon as she is complete.

I also found a wonderful kaftan in the charity shop with a tie dye effect pattern. It has inspired me to make some more mermaidens, as the fabric would work wonderfully for their tails. It also has a beautiful embroidered neckline which would be great for Prince Charming's jacket.

I am going to start on Cinders' skirt tonight.

Rain, Rain Go Away...

2007-06-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's the first week of my holiday and I was hoping to get out with my partner in our beetle and explore some Cornish beaches that I haven't been to yet. We didn't get to Glastonbury so we were going to make the most of our time off and maybe go camping, but the weather has been awful. We got about 2 miles down the road today when the sky opened and the rain fell hard. The car started leaking(it's asoft top and doesn't cope well in wet weather) and we gave up.
So I've been trying to get some crafting done instead, but I'm feeling really unmotivated. I want to upcycle some old clothing (I have bags of clothing to do things with). I am a total hoarder. I see uses in everything, which is bad for my study which ends up looking like a big wardrobe. But I just can't get motivated at all today. I have a cute denim skirt that I working on which is nearly finished, and some knitted arm warmers to finish off, one leg warmer knitted but the other to start, an art doll with no arms and legs, felt baby booties cut out but not sewn together, and loads more that needs finishing. I just keep getting drawn to the internet. I must have checked my Etsy shop about 20 times today.
It's now 7.30pm and I have to get something done today. At least I got Beastly Bertie listed.
If the weather hadn't been so rubbish I wouldn't be feeling so guilty about getting nothing done. I knew we should have booked a week in Greece :(

Attack of the Snails!

2007-06-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today it rained a lot here! There was a massive down pour and when it finally stopped and I ventured out of the house the snails were going mad. From out of nowhere there were suddenly at least 50 snails making their way up our front lawn. It made me giggle. I don't know where they had all been hiding. They obviously love the rain.

Any how this week I've been making custom baby bootees for a lady in the US. They are a pair of goth monster bootees and this pair of red ones with rabbits on (shown above).
I am also trying to finish some mobile phone pouches in black oriental style material.

Last Saturday it was national knit in public day so I joined up with Vinny(TakeBackTheKnit) and some other keen knitters in Freedom Fields Cafe for some knitting and gossip. It was a gorgeous day and everyone enjoyed themselves. We even got some young boys knitting for a little while. I think Vinny got some photo's which will be on the Take Back The Knit blog soon.

On Sunday me and my partner took a trip out in our VW Beetle. The weather was brilliant, and we managed to get to the seaside twice. First we went to Whitsands but it was packed(we didn't even have enough room on the beach to lay down) so we ended up at Seaton which was slightly less busy. We had an icecream and enjoyed chilling out together.

I can't wait until next weekend as my two week holiday begins...

Mermaids & Faeries Trades

2007-05-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

I have had a busy couple of weeks...

I have been making some clothing and doing lots of trades on Etsy. I have received some beautiful items. I traded two of my art dolls, Winnie Wish Tail above, and Shell the Sand Fairy, below. Shell was quite hard to part with as she was one of my favorite creations. However, it was worth it as I traded with Faerie Spell Creations, who makes wonderful soft sculpture bags and polymer clay and material faeries and mermaids. I received a wonderful butterfly faerie bag, and two faeries Puck and Serena, who are totally in love sitting on my shelf. They are beautifully detailed and their arms move which is a lovely touch:

I have added a link to her websites as she has some truly beautiful creations.

I have also received some wonderful earrings in other trades.

I am busy recycling and reconstructing clothing. I just can't throw good clothes away so I am reinventing items to keep for myself and sell in my shop. It's amazing how a bit of ribbon can really add new life to a skirt or top. I am doing over time at work this week so I am not sure I will get much made this week, so I am doing as much as I can today.

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny!

2007-04-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

Well its been a slow week for crafts!

I have had about 5 projects on the go all week and hardly any progress. Some weeks just seem to go like that. I have high hopes for all the wonderful things I am going to create and then 'bang!' the weeks flashed by and I haven't added anything new to my etsy shop but have watched about 30 episodes of Charmed on the TV. Oh well! Hopefully next week will be more productive.

I have been working on the knitted bikini. I have finished all the knitting now and crocheted the pieces together, but I still have to attach the elastic which will be the final test as to whether it fits. At the moment I don't think its going to be covering very much of my top half and I'm worried it will be baggy around the bottom, but we shall see....

I am waiting for a package today from an Etsy seller in the highlands of Scotland. I had to get it redelivered as no matter what time I get up in the morning the postman always rings when I'm in the shower, half dressed, or half a sleep. I am up bright and early to catch him today, so he probably wont turn up! I have bought some wool fibers and I got a free sock monkey and teddy clay sculpture. I can't wait to get it.

I have been finishing some colourful flags to hang on a banner in a child's room. The flags have hand stitched elephants on them. They are edged with bias binding which has had to be hand stitched on, so they have been quite time consuming, but they should be finished this weekend.

I am also working on some crocheted projects this week. It's been really nice, as my mum's been teaching me different styles. She has taught me to crochet which she learnt from her aunt and my nan taught me to knit and its something I want to pass on to my children one day.

The package has just arrived and I'm really pleased. The little sculptures are so cute and the fibers are wonderful colours. Just what I needed to inspire me to make more today :)

Scarlet The Goth Fairy

2007-04-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Scarlet the Goth Fairy who has flown off to her new owner is the US.

I have been busy crocheting and knitting this week. I'll probably be suffering by the weekend after typing at work too. I am making my first knitted bikini. It has taken longer than I thought, and I still have to add elastic at the end and crochet the strings on. I hope it fits, I have horrible images of baggy bottoms and teeny weeny tops. Any advice any one can give would be gratefully received.

I also have to make some more bootees as I've sold a few pairs last month. I am surprised none of the character bootees have sold yet. I will have to make more plain pairs. I am also planning on knitting some bootees and felting some too. I can then carry the knitting with me to the beach or park and not be stuck in doors when the weather is so beautiful.

I had a wonderful easter weekend. Me and my partner went to Mount Edgecombe on the ferry and walked to a pretty seaside village called Cawsands. The weather was beautiful and I always get inspired being near the sea. We had icecreams on the beach.

Mini Etsy and Mermaidens!

2007-03-13T04:29:00.000-07:00

As you can see I have now added a mini etsy at the top of my blog, showing a gallery of my creations which are on sale in my etsy shop. If you are not familiar with etsy you should check it out. It is a marketplace for handmade crafts. It has a huge range of sellers selling everything from the every day and practical to the weird and wonderful, including clothing,accessories,bags,toys,geekery and more! If you are looking for individual well made and lovingly created items then etsy is the place for you! I discovered it last year and now I do all my shopping there. If you make items and want to sell them it's easy to set up a shop there, and everyone is so friendly and helpful!

I am so pleased that two of my mermaidens have found a home in the US. Sophia Silver Tail(below) and Melinda Startail have both been sold. I am so pleased, and they were excited to be making such a big journey.

I have found a supplier of the silk rods I use to make some of the mermaids tails so I am in the process of making about 20 more! The lady who supplies the silk rods hand dyes them herself. They are great to work with on all kinds of textile projects. They can be ironed, stretched out so you can work with the fibres. I am going to experiment with the ones that are too small to turn into mermaids tails.

I have received some great items this week. I have met my postman nearly every day this week! It's my mums birthday next week so I have been busy finding items for her for her birthday and mothers day. I have a lovely bag for storing her rune stones, a beautiful amber necklace and earrings, and some lovely cards.

I am going to attempt making some vintage dresses today and this week. I will be adding some basic sewing and working with patterns workshops on the Take Back the Knit site for anyone that's interested.:

http://takebacktheknit.blogspot.com/

Vinny has also posted some details of a knitting workshop that is taking place in Devon for any one who is interested in knitting the Elizabeth Zimmerman way.

My sister has also been posting a lot recently. For all things magical check out her blog at kazzytextiles.blogspot.com.

Elephants are Packing their Trunks!

2007-02-22T04:40:00.000-08:00

Just after finishing my post yesterday I checked my Etsy Store and discovered to my delight I'd sold two of my retro elephant keychain/bag charms. Enid and Ernest will be heading off to their new owner in Canada! Ernest is shown above.

I still have this horrible cold today. I tried to stay in bed but got bored after an hour. I am dosing myself up on painkillers and using tons of tissues! I hate miserable colds. I think I caught this one when I went up to London on the megabus two weeks ago. It was when they had 4 inches of snow in London, and the megabus broke down and we had to change bus 3 times, so we kept going from warm to freezing cold! I'm considering investing in a train ticket next time I go.

I was in London visiting my grandad. I brought back a stack of vintage patterns that were my nans. I am really excited about getting started on making some of the dresses up, when I'm feeling better. Looking through them I was surprised how much dress sizes have changed since the '50's and '60's. Itsy bitsy waists!! I will have to alter them in places.

I am in the middle of making a cute jumper from the first Stitch 'N Bitch book. It's the Pin Up Queen jumper for those of you who have the book. I'm making it out of Sidar Eternity(wool and Alpaca) in a gorgeous snowy blue colour. Its lovely and soft, but I have made the back and am finishing the front and only have one ball left. I got the wool on a BOGOF offer so I'm worried I wont find any more locally! When it's finished-if it gets finished, I'll post it.

My friend Lisa from work has been getting inspired. She really wants to do jewellery design but she's been making some lovely scarfs and purses to sell on Etsy. Check them out at Aughraslair@etsy.com.

I'm gonna make some more elephants now...

Happy 2007!!! Better Late than Never!

2007-02-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

Well. It's been a long time since I've put a post here or at Take Back The Knit on blogger. That's not to say I haven't been making things but we've finally got the internet at home which will make it a lot easier to post regularly! -Although saying that there is still a fight between me and my partner about who gets to go on. I have made loads since I last posted. In January I got my paints out and started making some cards. Here's one of my favourites:

I am making some easter ones at the moment with colourful eggs on. I came up with some wired heart card designs around valentines day. I will add a workshop on card designing on the Take Back The Knit site soon.
I also did some heart mobile sculptures for valentines day in my Etsy shop. While making those I was inspired to make a mermaid sculpture from metal and beads. Here she is:

She is very large, over 1 foot tall! I like her delicate quality. The beaded strands that hang from her tail have a lot of movement in the breeze. A red beaded heart hangs inside her chest frame. Her fabric face adds a quirky quality to her.
I recently got some of the mermaids I made from wool and silk pods back from a shop at the Barbican here. The shop wasn't doing well with its crafts and wanted to specialize in crystals instead. I ended up sending one of the mermaids to my dad as he found her quite funny.

I was pleased to hear back from the lady I made the tiny rabbit and bear outfits for. She was really pleased. I didn't hear from her for a while and was a bit worried, so I was really happy to know she liked the outfits. I had a busy time near christmas selling things on Etsy, but it's been unbearably slow since then. Since they created the new version there have been several hiccups on the site too which is frustrating. I was also involved in some xmas swaps on the site, but didn't receive one item until well after xmas and the other was to spend money in someone elses shop. The idea was to spend around $15 in a shop chosen for you by the organizer. I spent more than that in my chosen shop, but someone only spent $3 in mine. I was really disheartened by it, but I couldn't do much about it. It put me off joining in on any more. But I think I was just unlucky!
My sister has been adding to her blog (kazzytextile.blogspot.com). It amazing, full of inspiring pictures she has drawn or found! She's been a mother for six months nearly and she's brilliant at it. Her daughter Sophia is a very lucky little girl.
Here's one of Kazzy's beautiful fairy pictures:

I will be back again tommorow to add some more to my blog. I have a bad cold this week and must get some rest....

Christmas Spirit!

2006-12-05T04:30:00.000-08:00

As its december, and I haven't added anything to my blog for a while, I thought I'd share some of my christmas creations. Here's one of the google eyed fairies I have been working on, and the others are now in my Etsy shop.

I have just moved house, and finally almost unpacked everything! It's been chaos for a few weeks but at last I have a studio to work in. At the moment it keeps getting used as a dumping ground but we'll have to change that.

I was busy making some time rabbit and bear outfits during the move for a lady in Hong Kong. She wanted little outfits for her keyring pals, but it was a lot harder than I thought. I only had the measurements for the keyrings, so it was pretty much making the outfits up from scratch. It took weeks, between moving to complete them. I was really pleased with the hardwork. They are both lined with pink and red shades of tartan.

The bear suit is being modelled by a tiny lamb toy. The outfit is only about 6 inches tall, so it was very tricky to sew. A ribbon attachment had to be added to the back of the suit so that it could still be used as a keyring.

An old Sylvester keyring is modelling the rabbit suit. This was the most difficult to make as it neede to be ompletely lined inside. I think the tartan worked really well with the fur, and gives them a christmas feel.

I have also been involved in some christmas swaps on Etsy. I got a really cool pair of hand knitted Khaki legwarmers in one of them. Perfect for the horrible weather, as my legs always get cold! I was really pleased. I am in the middle of making a bag for another xmas swap.

I'm going to put my xmas tree up at the weekend, now we finally have a front room that doesn't resemble a warehouse! Yay!!

Goth and Monster Bootees

2006-09-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

These are some cute little goth cat bootees and monster bootees that I created yesterday. I also have a pair on my other blog at Take Back The Knit, along with a retro harvest mouse toy. I met a lady on Etsy who wanted me to create some bootees using her fabric, so I was busy doing that on friday and that got me inspired to make some more bootees to put in Aughras Lair. I probably made over 8 pairs in total over the weekend which was really satisfying. There is such lovely stuff on Etsy, but I'm not gonna buy anything until I sell something...I hope! However, I do have my eye on a few items, and I think I'll definately be doing my christmas shopping on there.

I also met a lovely lady on there yesterday who has a stall where I used to sell my stuff in the market in Totnes. Spookily she used to live near me in London too! She's just started up and is interested in my creations which is fab!

I feel a creative week coming on. I can't wait to get my trusty sewing machine out and start making things.

Shell - A Whitsands Fairy

2006-09-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is a jointed art doll I created this week. Her name is Shell, and she lives on Whitsands Bay. She stands over 18inches tall, but can transform herself to no biger than a shell, if she is startled or needs to hide. Since there is such an expanse of beach at Whitsands in Cornwall, she can remain at her full height for most of the year.

Her body is made from calico. She has moveable joints. Her skirt is made from golden voile and her bikini top is made from golden satin. She has hand sewn sequins on her front, and a pearl bead in her navel. Her sandals are made from string and have a pearl bead detail at the toe. Her hair is made from greeny blue mohair and sandy wool and she wears a pearl hair decoration. She wears a lucky shell necklace and mother of pearl style bracelet. Her wings are made from wire and yellow net with a sequin cluster at the centre. She also has a shell design tatooed on the base of her back.

I have just put her in my shop on Etsy.

Red-A Cute Goth Doll

2006-09-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy, flat hunting the past couple of weeks and started my new job, so it's been hectic, but I did manage to create another doll - well finish her off, as Red has been sitting around in her underwear for ages. I always find the finishing off the hardest to get around to doing, but once I start it's quite quick, I just need a jump start sometimes. So I finished her on thursday morning before I started work and I really like her. She definately has attitude! I've shown the back view too to show the corset lace up on her back. On her left arm I've designed a barcode tatoo, and hand painted her face makeup. She has net stocking and arm uffs with lacey detail around the hands. Her skirt is made up of gathered red and black net which I have beaded around the edges.
I have already started my next doll, which I will have to do alongside the bunny outfit I am knitting for my sisters baby. I have adapted a pattern I found for a baby's puppy babygrow, so it is now a pink bunny babygrow. The main outfit is nearly complete, I am working on the hood, but it involves picking up stitches which I don't like very much. I can't wait to do the bunny ears and bunny bootees. I will post it as soon as it's done.

Mildred Spiderleg

2006-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here's another witch who goes by the name of Mildred Spiderleg. I've just put her in Aughra's Lair on Etsy too. She is made like my other witch, Edna Greensocks, except for the colours used and her dress which is made from velvet, ribbon and black netting fabric. She comes with a broomstick, and wears a bead spider broach, which I also hand crafted. Although she was made in a very similar fashion to Edna she definately has a different personality and look. I really like the individual look all my dolls turn out with. It's something that's hard to control when you're making them, like their personality is deciding itself. There's is something magical about the creation of these figures.

Lady Guinevere

2006-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is Lady Guinevere who I have just put in my shop on Etsy. I made her in a similar way to my witches, using a wire frame and building up foam around it to create the body shape. Like the witches she also has wired fingers so she can hold onto objects. She was a labour of love as she was mostly handsewn, but I love how delicate she is. Her dress is made from gorgeous silk and satin fabrics, which I have sewn felt around the edges to create the illusion of fur cuffs. She is quite a tall doll, over 30 cm in height. I am also working on King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, so I will soon have a collection. Maybe I will make all the knights of the round table which may take some research. Check out my shop Aughras's Lair on Etsy for more details.

I love charity shops!

2006-08-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Anyway, it's a sunday and I'm bored. Paul, my other half's gone off for a nap, so I thought I'd have a rant about how great charity shops are.
I went to Exeter on friday, to meet up with an old mate, and I had some hours to waste before I met her after work, and conveniently there were a row of charity shops on the way to town from the bus station. I couldn't resist a gander, although I'm completely strapped for cash at the moment. However, there were bargains galore and I was in heaven. I couldn't believe how cheap it was too, especially compared to Plymouth where prices just seem to be creeping up all the time. Some prices are higher than the price of the top brand new(especially since places like TKMaxx, and H&M have amazing sales). I found a wicked black sleeveless blouse for £1! A pair of brand new, tan heeled shoes originally from Topshop for £3! I don't even really wear heeled shoes but they have a retro quality I like which convinced me I should wear heels at some point in the future. A pair of flares set me back £1.50, and a cute pair of baby dungaries for my sisters baby were 75p. I was so pleased with my purchases, but then had to carry them around all night coz Lindsay was meeting up with work friends in the pub straight away. Still it was worth the muscle ache in my arms! Has anyone else got some amazing bargains from the charity shop lately? What was the best bargain?
I got some amazing multicoloured wool for 10p a ball 2 weeks ago. That was pretty neat!

Pixie Cardi

2006-08-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the knitted cardigan I was making for my sisters baby, when she's born! It's so cute and very pixie like. I was really pleased when I had sewn it all together. The hood looked really huge when I was knitting it and seemed to take forever, but it looks good now. I love the little pockets too. I gave the cardigan to Karen on friday and she looked really pleased. I didn't manage to finish the bootees. They were more complicated than I thought but they've taught me how to do eyelets and a cool pattern. If anyone wants any details about the patterns just let me know, and I'll be happy to post instructions.
I'm also really happy about the Etsy shop as lots of people have been looking at my bootees, bags and witches. A lady called Aimie wants me to make fabric bootees out of fabric she sells in her shop, so that's really cool, and another lady wants me to make bigger size bootees, as they're only for babies 0-6months at the moment. I think I will be busy experimenting with bootees this week. I can't wait to get some more things on there and hopefully I might sell something soon.
I'm gonna go and try to finish the bootees for my sister, while I've got a few hours to myself.

Featured Seller on Etsy!

2006-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

My day has just brightened up! Here I was all alone feeling a little sorry for myself when I checked on the progress my felted bootees were doing on Etsy and there they were on the Etsy home page under featured sellers! Yay! Here's the bootees they put up.

Bags on Etsy!

2006-08-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, I finally put some bags in my shop on Etsy. I'm very excited. My shop is called Aughras Lair (can you tell I'm a fan of The Dark Crystal). I have only just put them on there and already there's been loads of people looking. To give you an idea of what's on there they are all clutch bags with wooden beaded handles made from original vintage 1970's and famous textile designer Raoul Duffy fabrics. They are very funky and retro! Here's a photo of one of my favourite bags.

Mersea Island

2006-08-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

I was sorting through some photo's on my camera yesterday and came across some pictures taken back in january when I was visiting my dad on Mersea Island in Essex, where I grew up. I think this picture is beautiful, it shows the view walking down to the hard ( where the boats are docked) looking out across the muddy estuary. It brings back lots of wonderful childhood memories of crabbing, and the wonderful haunting sound the strings on the mast would make when the wind whistled around them at night. Like muffled bells.

Doll Workshops

2006-08-15T02:38:00.000-07:00

Back in June/July this year, I did a doll workshop with some A-level students at Lipson Community College, and I thought it was about time I put the photo's up. Considering they were all given the same pattern to follow, I think the students came up with some really imaginative dolls to suit their individual tastes and to fit with their projects. They were just finishing their exams so I was amazed how focussed they were on the project and devoted. I was only teaching a morning session but they all really wanted to get the dolls finished so I stayed with them most of the day, and popped in the follwing day to get another look at their finished creations. Take a look at the work in progress shots. I think they look fab!

This doll was loosely based on a certain lady singer from Hole. I love her bleached blonde hair, pvc corset and lacey skirt. She even gave her a beaded necklace. She does look very rock and roll!

The dolls can look very different depending on how tightly they are stuffed. The dark hair also changes the look of the doll. This one looks more like a geisha. The breasts were a bit tricky to sew by hand, as they are attached to the stuffed body once it is put together. Some of the breasts were looking a little flat, and there were some hilarious conversations going around the group!

This student had been studying burlesque in her textile work and you can see here how she tied that in when she was making up her doll. The sequins took time to sew on but they were really effective. By adapting the pattern slightly she has given her doll long stockings.

Another student added a bony fish tail to her doll instead of legs, which looked quite creepy, but worked well in the bone colured calico we were using. It was a great day, and I hope to get some excellent finished photo's from the college soon.

Continued to Craft...

2006-08-11T02:32:00.000-07:00

It's been such a busy week!
I'm in between moving house, and feel like the Littlest Hobo as I'm living at my mums, sisters and boyfriends parents, and on top of that I've had job interviews(one of which I had to learn to touch type for!) it's a nightmare, but I've still continued to craft...

I have been knitting a cute pixie hooded cardigan for my sisters baby, who is still a 'bump' but will be born very soon. I am doing that at my boyfriends mums, she's showing me how to do all the difficult stuff like button holes as I'm not a very confident knitter. Coz I'm all over the place at the moment it's coming along slowly, but I've completed the front and back and have the arms and hood to complete. I'm using double knit, baby wool and 4mm's. I shall put some photo's on when it's complete.

I haven't told you much about my sister. Her name is Karen or Kazzy as she's affectionately known and she's my twin. She is also very creative, and very talented. She draws the most amazing pictures, so if you love all things mystical check out her blog. She studied textile design at uni where she made some beautiful fabrics. She's very bored at the moment as she's about to pop and she finds it hard getting out, so she often posts on her blog. She has suffered quite badly with the pregnancy, she was really sick through most of it. I think she can't wait til Sophia Alexandra is born. Very pleased she has used my name :)

I've noticed that my link to Take Back The Knit wasn't working properly. At one point it was leading people to a Bible Studies site, which isn't really mine! But the links are working now so I'd really love people to check out the site, where my friend Vinny and I have lots of our current crafting projects. Take Back The Knit is the name of the community Interest Company of which Vinny and I are directors, aiming to bring crafting to the community. We have lots of photo's there, and Vinny's is an amazing knitter. She only started less than a year ago and now there's no stopping her. I hope you like the site.

At the moment Vinny and I are making lots of things for our stall and workshops at The Summer Fun Event at Brickfields Recreation fields in Devonport, Plymouth. It starts at 2pm and runs until 10pm on Sunday 13th August, with salsa dancing, stalls and will have lots of exciting things going on. We are selling bags and purses we've made from recycled materials. We get alot of out materials from The Scrapstore in Plymouth. I'm also making lots of baby booties and funky dolls, fairies and puppets. We will also be doing knitting and puppet workshops. If any ones in the area pop along and see us. We'd love to meet more people who craft or want to start.

Edna Greensocks (Green Witch)

2006-08-03T00:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo's of Edna Greensocks, a witch I finished a couple of months back. She looks a little scarey when she's flying around, but really she's quite friendly, and only casts spells when absolutely neccessary.

She has a cat called Soot, a spellbook(complete with spells, including How to get rid of Warts, and How to ride a Broomstick-essential for every witch) attached to her belt. She also carries a bag of potions.

I made Edna Greensocks head and body from wire and foam that I sculpted to create her face, and body shape. This makes her very soft and bendable, so she can sit in many different positions. Her hands can also be moved to hold things as each individual finger is wired. She is completely hand sewn so she took a long time to make. She even has satin bloomers on under her dress.

I hope you like her.

Fairy folk

2006-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Found some fairy folk hiding in my local park, and thought I'd take some pictures to show you.
I made Bluebell and Tinks a few months ago using pipe cleaners(for arms and legs), stuffing, some tights(for skin), wire and net(for the wings), wool, beads and feathers. I love how delicate they turned out. They were a prototype for other dolls I've made, but I like the simplicity of them.