Folksy Friday #5

"Sum-fin Fishy..."


If I could live on seafood I would... I come from a small seaside town on the North Antrim Coast, it used to be a thriving fishing town, but now sadly its more tourist orientated... so there will be hoards of people poundin' her wee streets this bank holiday weekend...the air will be filled with the sweet smell of candy floss, an escaped helium balloon or 2 & the screams of delight from Barry's Big Dipper. 


My favourite restaurant down home is the Harbour Bar, they do great fresh fish.... I love nothing better than sitting on the wee bench out the front, over looking the harbour, with a cold pint of Guinness in my hand or braving the elements on a stormy day, eating a fish supper on the harbour wall....this is home to me  :)


and so to my fishy folksy friday  (remember pinks the link!)  Hope you enjoy my choices this week.....I know my favourite, been on my 'wish list' a long time!

Fish & Chips by Woolly Duck

'Dad, this is the friend I told you about' by Hide n Seek

Funky Fish Cufflinks by Buff Cuffs

Pocket pal fish and starfish friend by MiaDesign

Original lino cut print "Fishing boats and hut on Faro"  by A. Deegan

greetings card louis and meep fishing art by Simple Kid Industries

give us a kiss fish by Two by Two

Fish Pop-up Birthday Card by Pop-Up Zoo

Happiness

...lots of things have made me happy this week  :)

• I have recieved lots of lovely feedback
• Had my Vintage Domino Brooch listed on Folksy's featured items home page
• Sold a good few items this week
• Found out some lovely news.......laters!
• Bought this great wee book Waldo the Worm from thenosuchdisco
• Had this featured on Nofkants Curios Blog
• Had my blog featured and a big thank you from Adrianne Illustration
• Got a great 1970's Elvis jigsaw & Adam Ant 7" at the carboot sale
• Bought some lovely vintage doilies from a charity shop....and fell in love with an old Singer sewing machine to boot!
• Guessed the person behind the Supply the Folks shop....and recieved these cute wee bugs as a reward from Diomo  :)
• Going on a picnic on Saturday to Roe Valley for my Niece, Cobh's, 1st Birthday
• It's Bank Holiday Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Folksy Friday #4

"Mister Bluebirds on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actch'll
Ev'rything is satisfactch'll...."

The birds are singing, the trees are blossoming.......and it's a Friday!!!

I love 'Song of the South'  ....so why not sing along to 'Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah'? :) go on!



lots of gorgeous wee blue birds on Folksy...have a peek, let me know your fave!! (remember: pinks the link)

Bella A4 Print by Adrianne Illustration

Mr Blue Bird original screen print by Lil Sonny Sky

 Bird Song by Blackoutwell

Lovebird bowl by Prince Design UK

Little Bird Love Notes by Little Bird Too

Tweet Needle Felted Blue Tit by The Felt Menagerie

...It's been a good week!

you may remember me mentioning here that i was experimenting with oxides and matt translucent glaze .........well, the results: a little too much oxide me thinks, but i do love the pattern and the colour!  Im going to try a few more samples next week if the kiln holds out.....Ive also mentioned that she is about to cave in on me and in desperate need of her annual service, but it will have to wait until the AS and A2 exams are over!

the whole internal ceiling of the kiln is about  to collapse, it shifts quite a bit everytime I open and close the door and makes a horrible wee cry for help........fingers crossed she stays with me until the end of June :/

       

A few other things Ive been working on recently have involved me making friends with Mod Podge, Bottle Caps & Dominos again...  Its been a long time but Ive finally come back to them.  Ive got whole jars full of magnets and brooch findings...so hopefully Ill get some finished soon and listed in my Folksy Shop.

My good news this week is that I had my Secret Garden Necklace featured on the Cuteable website, had 4 sales within an hour on Folksy last night, have set up a shopping cart for my Facebook Fanpage, which should hopefully go live early next week and Ive also agreed to Guest blog a few tutorials...ill give you the link when Im done!   ....this has indeed been a good week  :)

Folksy Friday #3

Vintage Lace

Not feeling so hot today, i feel like my heads full of custard...have a sinus infection :(  cant wait until 4.30pm tomorrow to finish work for the weekend, been a loooooooooong week!!  Im posting this at midnight on a Thursday because things are mental at the minute and ill not get a chance tomorrow.  The GCSE art exhibiton is due to be mounted on Wednesday so things are buzzing in our department, trying to get everything finished and have been loading, firing, unloading, glazing, firing ... my wee kilns in serious need of some TLC too, theres a huge crack in the interior ceiling which gets repinned and cemented every summer by the lovely Billy @ Ulster Ceramics...but it's not looking like it's not gonna make it until the end of June. 

We recently got a phone call from Homebase offering the school some old paint and wallpaper they were chucking, said it was all awful looking stuff but someone might be able to use it... so we swiftly filled a trolley full of some great old flocked wallpaper and that other raised stuff thats got foam in it??? dunno the name, but some gorgeous patterns... anyway, ive been experimenting rolling it onto slabs of clay, the same way you would do with lace.  I have then used some oxides and matt transluscent glaze.  I put them in for a firing on Wednesday morning and the kiln had just come down to 230oC before I finished today, couldn't resist, opened the kiln anyway and had a quick peak... looks interesting! Ill take some photos tomorrow when they have cooled properly and stick them on here over the weekend... im thinking, buttons, hangings, pendants... la de dadada  ****skips off merrily in her mind***

back to Folksy Friday and Im going with lovely vintage finds and lace!
hope you like the picks this week :)

(pink links back to shops)

Ginger and Lace 12x8 matte print by Gingerlillytea

Vintage style lace capelet by Belledujour

Brooch by Pantsandpaper

Cream Rose Hair Comb & Cream Boddy Pins Set by Josephines

Artist Card - 1895 by Pavlova's Art Loft

Vintage sewing supplies from H J D Crafts

"Brown paper packages, tied up with string..."

Well, my first few items from the Craft Swap have arrived... so exciting getting home to little parcels with no idea who they're from or whats inside, its like Christmas has come early! 

First I recieved this gorgeous knitted cupcake from CupcakeJoJo, the box was wrapped in brown paper, tied with twine and inside the little cupcake was wrapped in pink tissue and ribbon... so sweet and now he takes pride of place on my desk :)  thank you Jo x

Jo's Folksy shop - http://www.folksy.com/shops/cupcakejojo

My second item was from Katie Holland, she made a beautiful passport cover for me in Amy Butler fabric, awww its lovely, really, I couldn't be happier!!  Again this was beautifully packaged with tissue and ribbon and a little card.  Im so glad I took part in this swap, its great to see other peoples crafts and their attention to detail has blown me away, right down to the personal touches and packaging.... its like belonging to one big happy crafting family :)

thank you everyone!!

Katies blog - www.kateepie-stitchintime.blogspot.com

the third little package I recieved today was from the wonderfully talented Elli Moody!

Her illustrations are just gorgeous, I got 3 of her chickens, they are such quirky little guys and I cant wait to get them framed....I know just the spot!!

Elli Moody - http://www.folksy.com/shops/Elli

so what me mammy said is true....good things do come in small packages, and in three's :)

Sunday Surgery

What a cracker weekend, the sun was out in full effect here in Norn Iron!!  The only downside being that the Open Surf Championships held in Portrush, had to be postponed as there was NO SURF!! :(   ....click the pink link for rescheduled details.

So I took myself off to these 2 events on Sunday afternoon...

FATC Vintage Sundays

@ The Empire      

 &      

The Fashion Souk

        @ The Ulster Hall         

Bought a few wee bits and bobs, mostly ribbons & buttons, had to restrain myself at FATC as there was so much gorgeous Vintage Jewellery on sale, and I fell a little in love with an Art Deco pillbox.

Would also like to thank LYNWOOD for featuring my sewing accessories set in her blog this week :

Also need to mention BLONDE DESIGN as I won a gorgeous tissue case cover in her Facebook Giveaway!  exciting, never won a giveaway before :)  I shall, of course, post the pictures when I recieve it.

Last... but in no means least....VALENTINO ROSSI aka 'THE DOCTOR', little gem, he won the first race of the 2010 MotoGP at Qatar last night, this was indeed what the doctor ordered to finish off my Sunday night on a high :)

Folksy Friday #2

Magic Mushroom Soup!


Personally, I switch from loving Heston to loathing him, he can get a tad annoying for my liking, but the latest 'Chocolate Factory' inspired feast was a winner... this is what I love about him, the tiny details that look like works of art.

A few years ago I watched his Perfect Christmas Dinner (because Richard E. Grant was on it and I have a weird thing about him...but we'll say no more about that) I was blown away and jealous of the diners, its looked like they'd just stepped into Narnia!

So, the new series started with a 60's theme, with Mr Blumenthal living out his Willy Wonka fantasy, for me the best bit was the mushroom soup, he created a bowl of floating toadstools, complete with woodland aroma, dry ice and voice altering inhalers (i NEED that gas!!)

and this leads me to this weeks FOLKSY FRIDAY theme.... Toadstools :)

again I hope you like my personal choices and do let me know which is your favourite, thanks

(the pink text links back to the Folksy shop named)

Hand Painted ToadStool Necklace by Paisley Chainsaw

Toadstool Fairy Door by Salt of the Earth

Spotty Toadstool - Hand carved rubber stamp by skullandcrossbuns

Fantastic Fantasy Necklace and Earring Set by The Crafty Frog

Mushroom Bobbles ~ Hairclips by Gingy Snapz Felt Creations

Dolly Mini Tote Bag by Whizzy Woo

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

Hmmm, heading to get my hair cut tomorrow, I hate the hairdressers, I hate having to look in that big mirror for an hour... one of my sisters is my hairdresser, she shouts at me for fidgetting and i get the odd whack round the lug hole with the scissors to tell me to straighten my head... apparently Im worse than a child :/  can't decide whether to have my fringe cut back in or not, always the same dilemma, get it cut, spend months growing it out and think I want it back, then grow it out again... fringes are hard to manage, they need almost daily washing (especially if you footer with your hair as much as me) I'll prob make the decision whilst it's being washed...another thing i hate but wont dwell on!

Right,  finished my craft swap item yesterday and also made a few new gift tags...

First, the Item for the swap

and my latest little trio of gift tags now available in my Folksy shop... I have a few more little pieces on the go, but they will have to be finished on Saturday when I return, should hopefully get them listed on Sunday!

"Drip drip drop ...."

....RainRainRainRainRainRainRainRainRainRainRainRainRain....

I started several little appliques a few weeks ago and was reminded about this wee fella when I looked out the windy this morning, let's just say  'April showers'  is an understatement!!  There's a small lake forming in our front garden and a river on the road outside, I feel like going fishing :) ...might catch a drowned bumblebee.

Update on the Craft Swap - I have now found my 6 participants and would like to say thank-you!! 

I've decided not to send one of my ready made items but to make a new one for my recipient... inspired by Ballypatrick Forest.  It's a place that's very dear to me as many a Sunday in my childhood was spent there, especially at Easter.  On our birthdays we always got to choose where we wanted to spend the day, my sister's birthday is mid April so she would always pick Ballypatrick for a picnic...  marzipan bunnies on a cake, praying our car would make it through the fjord, taking our shoes off for a paddle, and sitting on Daddy's knee steering as we went on the lovely drive through the forest... the sun always seemed to shine when we were wee :) 

So, hopefully I'll get my item finished today or early tomorrow, ready to be passed on...I am excited!

Another idea I've had came from an overnight visit to my sister, watching my niece drawing in the morning, I asked her to do a few for me in my journal... I have since scanned them in and hope to make them into appliqued drawings in the not so distant future
.....they're cute heh??