Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts

Saturday, 21 April 2012

Miss Helena March: A doll story


Once there was a girl with hair the colour of sunsets and eyes that told stories if only you knew how to read them. Her name changes with the days and the months of the year. When last I knew her she went by the name of Miss Helena March. True names have power, but a nameless girl can call herself anything she likes. Names are turned as easily as coats, a twist of the tongue, a string of meaningless syllables. A stretch of letters scrawled in a hotel ledger.

She is a liar, a story teller, a traveller of the roads between time and reality. Her key opens doors to the past and to the almost was, and nearly is. Worlds in worlds.Earth but not our Earth.  Doors and keys and twisting realities.

 Her smile is sweet but wickedness and sorrow linger in her eyes. Her fingers twitch and she is ready to open another door. She is here one minute and gone on an adventure the next.

She collects clocks, and keys and funny little objects that each reality has discarded. Junk or trash, antiques or vintage. She travels the past and only she knows the things she will treasure most. She meets people and smiles that sweet sorrowful smile. She pours another cup of tea, lights another candle and plans another adventure, dreams of opening another door and sidestepping the world that is for one that isn't quite the same. Worlds within worlds and she has the key to slip between them all.

She is a girl with a key to worlds beyond our own. A little rusty key found in a puddle reflecting a perfect twinned sun sky that never was on this Earth. She takes the name of towns and cities, days and months, places she has been and we will never go. Where monsters roam, and magic lives and things aren't quite the way they are here. Today she is Miss Helena March. Yesterday she called herself Alene. She works in coffee shops, in diners, and in book shops. Small places. Unnoticed. A collection of name tags with the names of places she has been. Cities and towns. Universes and realities.
..............................................................................................................................................................

Miss Helena March was made for my very good friend Jaci. I finished the doll while we were away in the states. I could never quite pin down a name for Helena but I knew it had to be a city name and I was very nearly Roanoke or Alexandria, it could quite possibly be, the doll wouldn't tell me for certain, nor would she share her key with me. I left the doll unstained or grunged up and told Jaci she was free to stain her with coffee or tea if she wished a more aged look. I dare not make a mess of my parents kitchen like I do mine when I stain dolls at home.

 I have a few more dolls that I have been woefully neglectful in finding stories for but hopefully I shall attempt to fix that in the next few weeks. Like that poor steampunk Red Riding Hood that only has half a story written (the rest is in notes honest). If I can get the stories written I can list the dolls in my little etsy shop. Red really wants a new home to explore and she is pestering me to finish her tale and get her listed. Who am I to argue with dolls? Don't answer that!

Friday, 12 August 2011

I've packed my case

I have packed my case but not to run away. I have filled a small vintage case I thrifted a few summers ago with geeky badges and poison apples for a small display in the Book Boutique. It's a local book shop that opened not too long ago, family run and filled with very nice books. I may end up spending whatever money I get for any sold badges on new books.

I am ridiculously nervous about having my crafts on show so please come hold my hand and tell me it will all be alright and that people will love my lavender filled poison apples and bookish pin badges. I did have some jewellery on sale in another shop a few years ago but I wasn't nearly as nervous about that. Possibly because the bracelets I made were tucked away with a little card and my little suitcase of fairy tales is on display on the counter. Please if you are local to Ripley, Derbyshire pop into the Book Boutique, wander around, have a chat, buy a book and buy a badge too? Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll make you a coffee.
display
I dithered over what to take to the shop to display, and decided to take in some of the little poison apples I have been obsessed with making the last few days. I have made apples before but every time I have made them I have used a different pattern*. I think my little case display turned out OK, it is very me with bits of paper, poison apples and pin badges. I may bring in a small doll or the half finished fox plush I have hidden under my desk.

display

*When I say pattern what I really mean is what shape of scrap fabric I have and what I can do to fit it together. Mainly whatever if buzzing about my brain. I really don't do patterns so very well.

p.s. please can you like Meridian Ariel on Facebook ? And while you are at it will you like the Book Boutique too? *flutters lashes*

Saturday, 12 March 2011

Upcycled storybook badge

A little pin badge I made awhile ago and listed in my etsy shop the other day. Yes its a wee bit naughty but how many times have you thought that? Exactly. The badge is made with paper from a salvaged ladybird fairy tale book, vintage book paper,and old typewriter and ink. Made using a professional badge machine. The pin badge is presented on a coffee stained note card. The badge measures 1 ½ in (38mm).

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

a zombie, a key and a button

Key and button necklace

I haven't done much crafting so far this January, I have been working on a little zombie doll with a loose eyeball and made a few cards and a little necklace made with a vintage button and rusty key. I'm not sure if I'm keeping the necklace for myself, listing it on etsy or parceling it off to a friend, but it was fun to make and got me thinking creatively again.

<span class=
zombie in progress

The little zombie doll isn't quite finished yet, she needs a few more embellishments and staining with tea/coffee and possibly giving an arm or two as she is pretty much a skinny little brick shape. I shall have to think about what she needs doing to her, she is far too clean and neat to be a decent shambling zombie...it won't do at all. Little bits of creativity to keep me going.

My friend Selena has a fabulous idea for selling some fantastic vintage finds on a separate page of her blog called Little Shop. Each item is listed and the first to comment claims the item to be paid via paypal, which I think is a brilliant ideas. Selena said that the idea might work for my crafting as an alternative to my etsy shop. I do love etsy but it takes a lot of work and eats into your profits quite a bit if you are a small fry crafter like me. I haven't decided what to do yet but I do have a bunch of badges that I made that could do with finding new homes. and one or two dolls that need homes too. I don't know what I shall do but these thoughts are swirling round my head and I thought I would share them with my lovely readers.

Thursday, 23 September 2010

candy corn stamp and jam jar tealights

The worst candy corn hand carved stamp in the universe TM
Probably the Worst Candy Corn
Rubber Stamp in the World TM


I sat down last night and doodled a little candy corn and set to work carving an eraser into a stamp. Its not brilliant but it was fun to do an I think I will have another go at stamp carving later today. I found the eraser much easier to carve than previous fights with lino tiles, resulting in plaster/band-aid covered fingers.


Vintage scrap paper tea-light holders



This morning's crafting was making tea-light holders from various jars and scraps of vintage book paper and music sheets. I made some DIY Mod Podge glue (which is white craft glue mixed with a few spoons of warm water).



I'm off to play with my copy of Wreck This Journal .. I'm going to be brave and crack the spine... I may have to cry, as to me that's one of the worst things you can ever do to a book ... *ignores the various book paper related crafts i have made from damaged books*... ;o)

Saturday, 18 September 2010

Craft Challenge: Rubber Stamp Carving?

coffee cup coffee tumbler
a lino cut coffee cup in a coffee tumbler...
yeah I know what can I say we are coffee geeks

Vintage Violet and I were talking yesterday about printing after she took a one day printing class that wasn't her cup of tea/coffee/cider/buttons... I have done a bit of lino cutting before in High School and a few months back, and thought she should give that a go. But then I remembered that lino is tough to cut and I had heard that rubber stamps/eraser stamps are easier to cut. Cue me saying we should have a craft challenge and try to do a small stamp by the end of next week.

Is anyone else up for challenging themselves to carve their own rubber stamp?

Here are some tutorial links I have scavanged from the depths of a 5 minute google search ... and begged off of everyone I know... and I will probably annoy any stamp makers I have vaguely chatted to on flickr, etsy, or twitter.


Tutorial Links

Craft Pudding - has a fab post about tutorials and books.. I may have to order one...or two *hopes Matt isn't listening..or reading this for that matter*

Carve Your Own Rubber Stamp Tutorial by Alma Stoller - looks very nice

Two Cheese Please


Mushroommeadows (lessons 1 and 2 but I cant see a third one.. still very cute and simple)

Carina's Craftblog (5 step tutorial posts with lots of pictures)

Milliande (lots of videos to watch of carving techniques)


Looks like fun doesn't it?

Is anyone else up for challenging themselves to carve their own rubber stamp?

I think I will go look at some more stamp carving books now.

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy

A Crafty To Do list:

-tea stain blank note cards
-do something with the two vintage tea towels I have (possibly pincushions)
-make an apron (possibly from the fabric Amanda sent me)
-sew a primitive style doll (from random sketches in my notebook)
-organizes beads into the really useful box I bought for my beads
-make bunting (its been on one list or another for ages and I never get around to it)
-bake cupcakes ( :oP )
-order freezer paper
- zine zine zine zine... get help to figure out how to print a zine for my last two fairy tales
-work on The Poison Apple Tree story because I keep leaving it and never finishing it.
- make a terrarium with H out of an old candle jar.
-get the courage to make up some bits of stock and re-open my etsy shop (I'm not so sure about this one though)
-learn about resin jewellery making (which would mean annoying one of the very talented resin crafters I know) I don't want to make loads of things I just want to have a play to get it out of my system and move onto the next thing)

this probably isn't a quarter of the list(s) I have in my head and jotted down in notebooks but these are the first few things that came to mind and hopefully I will be able to get some of the crossed off my list in the near future.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Frank the Owl

Say hello to little Frank the Owl, short for Frankenstin for his wonky stitching (actually delibratly wonky), I started Frank months ago and had a complete crisis of crafting ability so he sat half stuffed in a tin on my desk. I had originally intended to make him for Jodie who sent me some lovely font-y fabric scraps (such as the scrap on Frank's bottom). The owl didn't go so well and i abandoned him because I doubted my ability and was afraid if I sent him he just wouldn't be good enough (especially as Jodie is so fantastically talented and deserved something equally fantastic in return for the card and scraps she sent me.)

Jodie I promise I will sent something soon...

Now that I actually feel like I can craft again, it was a very long winter and I finally feel like being creative again. Now if only the sewing machine fairy would come and turn my tinker toy into a real sewing machine. *looks pointedly at the calender and Matt humming Happy Birthday*

I have no idea why the photos are off to the left, they were for the previous post but I clicked on center and they are not remotely in the center of the blog post. I have burgers to make, and pasta salad too, so I best get going and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts!

p.s. Frank is in the little Magnolia tree in the garden next to the summer/play house.



Frank's bottom.

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Go Ask Alice...

everything I sent.. ignore the books.. they are everywhere

Things I made for the Alice in Wonderland Craft Swap...aka how I'm a totally crap photographer and have no skills with image editors and blogger hates me

Ok perhaps things aren't quite that bad but blogger isn't liking me this morning and my photography skills appear to be greatly lacking... next time I will have Matt take photos for me. He can be easily bribed with baked goods and chocolate.

I did really enjoy crafting for the Alice Swap, I felt really inspired to craft and create and just doodle things in my journal and sketchbook. I was really happy with the needle book, the bookmark (made with Anna's fabulous Alice Tape) and the primitive style Cheshire cat in fact a friend of mine asked me to make her one as well so that's not too bad for my lack of sewing skills. :o)

Say Cheese...er Cheshire Cat

Mad Hatter looks like a Mentat

bookmark made with lilla lotta Alice Tape tape


teacup needle book

Saturday, 22 August 2009

80's Fantasy Movie Craft Swap

I do not own the goblin King he owns me

Partners for the swap are as follows:

Amanda S and Kathryn
Amanda C and Apryl (starts to worry)
Vonnie and Christa
Amiee and Caroline
Megan (Vv) and Carmen
Becca and Kirsty

there are still a few people that I'm waiting to hear from... but its us for now.. I'll start emailing everyone and have started a flickr group too. I'll sort out blog links later....as I need my coffee now!