Ra Ra - Ta da

At the bottom end of our high street there is a fab little coffee shop, which has recently become my lifesaver!!

Hubs loathes shopping and I LOVE it - I love knick knack shopping - you know the sort where you amble from one place to another in search of spectacular finds....little bits and pieces of this and that, which may one day come in handy when the need to create hits. I'm not a fan of clothes shopping and food shopping is the bane of my life - but knick knack shopping - Oh!! I can never get enough of knick knack shopping :D
My Hubs loves his morning caffeine fix - and I love shopping - and that's where the coffee shop comes in handy - bribe the man with a decent cuppa (and if he's really lucky - a super sized blueberry muffin) and the world is your oyster - ahem!!!!!....well my favourite fabric store just happens to be a hop skip and a jump away from the coffee shop ;D ;D ;D

Of course he's a man and he doesn't understand - he thinks Im mad - barking mad - every time I step in to that fabric store, its another hour of my life gone - I could spend all day in there just touching and stroking all of the pretties....and he just doesn't get it!!!
However, time was short and the clock was ticking, (and his evil eye was giving me that look that says "quit filling our house with crafting junk"!!!!! ), so I whizzed around the rolls of fabric and managed to get everything I needed in 45 minutes - which has to be the shortest time I have ever spent there!!
Hubs and I dashed backed up the High St to meet up with one of my dearest pals - we have been mates since our boys were small and kinda drift in and out of one an other's lives - but that's how we like it - we can pick up where we left off - be it 6 days or 6 months since we last got together - we don't need to live in one an other's pockets to be friends, but we always know that we are there for each other whenever the sh*t hits the fan. Anyways, we went off to a local Italian for lots of catch up chatter and a spot of lunch - which was delish :D

With over filled tummies, we waddled home and I settled down to play with my fabric store finds and this is what I made .......Ra Ra - Ta Da!!!!:D











Silly me didn't think at the time to take step by step photos to share :(

However, it was really easy to make in just under a couple of hours - I'm a slow stitcher and I was watching a movie at the same time! LOL!

To make the basic apron.

* Take a piece of calico fabric and cut it to approx. 2 inches wider and 4 inches longer than you want your apron to be - mine measured 30 x 22 inches.
* Fold and pin fabric 1/2 inch all the way around outside edge - iron.
* Remove pins and fold and pin a further 1/2 inch all the way around outside edge - iron.
* Stitch around outside edge.
*Fold top of fabric over approx. 3 inches and stitch - leaving ends open.
* Cut two lengths of calico measuring approx. 5 x 24 inches.
* Fold and stitch to create two "ties" for your apron.
* Slip one end of each of the "ties" into the open sides, at the top of the apron, and stitch.

To decorate the apron.

*Cut 6 lengths of fabric measuring approx. 11 inches x the width of your apron + 1 inch - mine measured approx. 11 x 29 inches.
* Hem 1/2inch all the way around each fabric strip.
* Fold strips face to face in half length ways and stitch the two ends together - leaving the long side open.
* Turn the fabric the right way around.
* Pin your first strip to the bottom of the calico apron - pleating as you go - stitch in place.
* Layer next fabric strip so that bottom slightly overlaps the top of the first fabric strip.
* Pin, pleat and stitch in place.
* Repeat for the remaining strips of fabric until you reach the top of your apron.
* To tidy up the waistband I simply stitched a piece of gingham fabric so that it wrapped around the waistband.

To decorate even further, I hand stitched some canvas textile tags from GCD Studios Homespun collection by Melody Ross to the Ra Ra's of my apron - Ra Ra skirts - what a blast from the past!!!
I've spent more pennies today....on fabric so maybe I'll make another - with step by step photos next time!

Thanks for dropping by.
T.x.

Scraptastic!

Do you get satisfaction from wrapping up and ticking off jobs from your to do list??
I know I do, and today saw me completing the third of my classes which I will be teaching here in September - flights to Brussels are so cheap - why not treat yourself to a fab weekend away and come join in the fun?


With teachers from across the globe all joining together to share their passion for this wonderful hobby I just know its sure to be a great weekend away.

Have you seen the eye candy over on the Glitz blog today?


Hoopla has to be one of my favourite of the new releases coming out of CHA this week.
I love the colour combo and will be such a happy bunny when I get to play with all those Glitzy goodies.
Wanna win some goodies?
Then scoot on over to the Glitz blog and you too could be playing with a bunch of Glitz for yourself.

I'll leave you with my interpretation of this weeks Pencil Lines sketch -


I squished the sketch and pulled everything into the centre of the page - the photos are of my wee nephew who has a slight obsession with all things Fireman Sam at the moment!
He came to stay for a few days back in June and was as happy as can be when Hubs asked him to water our garden - with a hose pipe! YAY! How easily pleased can some children be???


All product used is from Nikki Sivils who is this month Pencil Lines sponsor - August 1st is fast approaching so dont forget to send over your layouts to Pencil Lines and maybe you'll be the lucky winner of a bundle of product from Nikki Sivils.

Have a great evening and thanks for calling by.
T.x.

Bloomin' Luverly

Sassafras have seriously out done themselves with these little beauties....






Skip on over to the Sassafras blog to see the complete collection and whilst you are there check out how you could win a bundle of these sweet delights all for yourself :D

Zipping through Facebook late last night I spotted a post by one of my fellow Glitzs Girlz, Leah, where she was swoooooning over reproduction vintage enamelled brooches made by Sassafras......what??? Oh my!! Where????, where?????, where????....I wanna, NO NEED to see them....and here they are...


Swooooon

Today Im busy playing with some of the new Indie Girl papers from Sassafras, as well as finishing of a few class projects - and Im also having a HUGE clear out of my stash......its taken over again and has to go!!!!

Thanks for popping by.
T.x.

Count me IN

Be still my beating heart.




The second of the new releases from Sassafras have been revealed - and its just as lush as the first.

Go check out the Sassafras blog to see the full collection of Count Me In - and whilst there check out how you may just be lucky enough to win some of these funky goodies for yourself.

Have fun and thanks for popping by.
T.x.

mIx & MeNd

*Swooooooooon*
Have you seen the new Mix and Mend collection from Sassafras?



How beautiful is that????
Hop over to the Sassafras blog to see the entire collection and you may just win some for yourself.

Good Luck and thanks for dropping by.
T.x.

Home Alone

Our guys have temporarily fled the nest and have disappeared up North to go stay on my Sis's farm for a while - they are having a blast driving the quads around the farm, as they check and feed the livestock.
So, with the boys gone its just Hubs, the hounds and I at home - tis' very quiet - too quiet actually.
I'm missing the hustle and bustle and the noise!!!
His Lordship and I have taken advantage of spending as much time together as possible - its nice to be able to hold a conversation without having to stop mid flow to deal with ringing telephones or squabbling teens.......we are missing them - honesty - we are! ;D


Our weekend consisted of hanging out with pals, trips to the pub and lots of long ambling walks down on the beach, where I picked up some bits and pieces to play with.....


I used glass beads from an old broken necklace to create the heart on this piece of drift wood....which is now hanging in our kitchen.

Shells from the beach and flowers from Prima Marketings Wildwood collection were used to decorate this piece of bark, which now hangs in our dinning room.......


and more shells and a glass bead (which I made myself using my hot head torch) were used to create this simple decorative piece for our family room.

I want to invest in a set of Chip Art tools so that I can add words to the pieces of driftwood I find.....ummmm wonders now if the Chip Art will leave imprints in wood?????? Anyone know?

I love beach finds and have collected a basket full of driftwood, which I plan to put to good use this week....how about you?
Do you repurpose items to create home decor or other items? If so, please leave me a link because I wanna see!!

Thanks for dropping by.
T.x.

Dahlia Love

A few weeks ago I attended the Scrapping Angels Retreat, where I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderfully talented lady called Kathy. She was wearing the most beautiful felt Dahlia brooch which she had made herself....and she very kindly shared with me how she had created it following the tutorial created by Megan Reardon

The last time I ventured in to my local fabric store I picked up a piece of dusty pink velvety/felty kinda material and thought it perfect to create a Dahlia brooch for myself.....but you know how life goes - you buy the fabric with the best intentions and suddenly life takes over and the fabric gets forgotten for a while.
Well......on Sunday night I picked up that fabric and started to make the brooch :D
I completed it last night and J asked if he could give it to his LSA as a thank you gift for all she has done for him during this last school year.


I didnt really want to part with it - but I did, as I have plenty more fabric here to make another - and make another I will...Im actually thinking that I may make a few for the girlies in my family.

Kathy shared the link with me where she found the online tutorial to make the Dahlias - here it is.
I scrolled through some of the comments on the link - the tutorial suggests that you use wet adhesive such as Fabri Tak to secure the petals - a blog comment suggested using a heat gun - I tried both and didnt like either - so I hand stitched mine, which I found time consuming but a hell of a lot less messy!!

Mr Postie paid me a visit this morning with a box filled with Sassafras....*happy dances* - so Im off to play :D

Thanks for dropping by.
T.x.

Hoppity Hop Hop

I love a little blog hop every now and then - its amazing what you can find out there in the land of blogdom.....so much inspiration at just the click of a mouse.....so little time *sigh*

I thought I'd share some of my recent finds....

The Beach Cottage has been one of my favourite blogs for a while now - love the home decor inspiration and have "borrowed" a few ideas from Sarah to decorate our own home.

From there I hopped over to Dottie Angels blog - where I feasted on a host of pretty things.


Whilst there, I randomly clicked on a blog link in the sidebar and came across the blog belonging to fellow Spaniel lover Emma Lamb - WOW! what a beautiful blog with so many links to other inspirational blogs that I kinda got lost there for an hour or so.

One of the blogs I really liked was Art Mind, where you will find loads of tutorials showing you how to make a range of crafty items....


like this paper bead necklace.

Have you found any interesting blogs that you care to share???
I'd love to see them.

Thanks for dropping by.
T.x.

Prairie Night

We had so much fun last night, as we took a little stroll back in time.


One of our friends and neighbours decided to celebrate his 40th birthday by holding a 19th Century Colonial Fancy Dress Party - complete with a Ceiligh band and Hog Roast.





The villagers all came to celebrate and a wonderful evening was had by all.

Sunday evening is fast approaching - I love Sunday evenings and always schedule some time to create a little something - tonight's session involves making a Thank You gift for J's learning support assistant....now where did I put that fabric???

Thanks for popping by.
T.x.

Mixing it Up

Don't you just love how some collections work so well with others?

I mixed things up a bit this month for one of my Glitz projects and used product from both the Vintage Love and Distressed Couture collections to create this easy to make Tag Book.


To begin creating the book, I simply covered both sides of 6 plain chipboard tags with coordinating papers from the Vintage Love collection - to add more of a vintage look I distressed inked and added faux stitching around the edges.


To add texture to the tags I couldnt resist raiding my lace box! I attached pieces of vintage lace across each of the tags, before then decorating using Glitzers, Accent Stickers and Rubons from both collections.


By first adhering the Rubons to cardstock I was able to attach the accents to the tags using 3d foam pads.....I LOVE Glitz Rubons - they do exactly what they are meant to do and rub on really well.

Product used -
Vintage Love patterned papers - Stripe (VL2341), Damask (VL2358), Letters (VL2389) and Polka (VL2853). Distressed Couture Accent Stickers (C2471), Rubons (RO2518), Glitzers (G2556), Cardstock Stickers (C2426). Garden Glitzers (G2336). Music Rubons (RO2600). Frosting (F2884). Clear Stamps Distressing ( S2693) Glitz 5x5 Acrylic Block (A2985). Teeny Alpha Red Block (C2822).


Are you lovin' the new releases from Glitz? I know I am, and I think Hoopla is my favourite as I'm looking forward to "mixing it up" a little with products from both the Hoopla and Maya collections.

I'll leave you with a simply layered Maya page. I hand cut the floral elements from the patterned paper and popped them on to the page using 3d foam pads.

Product used - Maya patterned papers - Patchwork (M2303), Floral (M2266) and Navy (M2877). Teeny Alpha Black Round (C2808).

Thanks for dropping by.

Tracie.x.
LiFe AnD tImEs Of A 12x12 aDdiCt

Indie Girl

Be still my beating heart!

I cant stop drooling and salivating over the new Indie Girl release from Sassafras.....isn't it divine?

Pop over to the Sassafras blog to see the entire release - I'm lovin' the paper designs - perfect for both the boys and girls in your life - what do you think?


Can you imagine these beauties adoring your summer pages? I love the Bunting Borders and have a so many ideas of how I wanna use them - how about you?

Would you like to win some of these yummie goodies for yourself?
Wanna know how? Then take a trip over to the Sassafras blog - but be quick because the draw will be taking place on Monday 19th July.

Good Luck !
T.x