Stamps Ahead

Over the past couple of days I have been making paper 'snippet' rolls.  What are they I hear you ask? Firstly, let me show you what I have made with my 'snippets; Here is a definition I found on the web " A snippet roll is a  long strip of paper or fabric that is decorated with bits and pieces of paper, fabric and findings . The person making the snippet roll determines the length and width of the roll. There are no rules as to how long or wide a snippet roll must be."  I was fascinated as I searched further and further on the web.  So I had a go using paper scraps!  My thing then became what would I do with them?    There is a market/fair coming up in September.  My sister saw the larger Tyvek pencil cases (4) on special at Typo and I found the smaller pencil cases at Kmart.  Perfect to place the my snippets on.   I also showed my sister how to make them and she has made hers for the front of art/faith journals that will also be so...

Here is a little something I have made this morning.  What is it? It is an envelope pocket I have made - suitable for junk journals, art journals, scrapbooking, gift giving.  This morning I was awake at 5am and could not get back to sleep, so I opened my tablet and began looking at videos on creating using book pages.   I came across a video by Treasure Books and I was fascinated with the creation of these little works of art that start with 4 old book pages.   Here is the pocket open.  You can probably guess that the old book I used was an old Dressmaking book.  On the front l put part of a 'snippet roll'  I created earlier in the week - again a first for me - and it will not be the last.  Both great ways to use up the bits and pieces and scraps leftover from my scrapbooking and cardmaking projects.    Below, is the rest of the 'snippet roll' I created. On both projects you an see that I have used lace,  torn paper, die c...

 Here are two more photos of slow stitching project I completed for my sister.  She had two very small leather journals and she wanted decorated.    She had a small charm from her favourite city, in the world, Paris that she wanted to apply. This one I finished with a raw edge, instead of my usual blanket stitch.  I wonder if she has not turned that edge under!  Adding the dark spotted remnant of fabric really bought this one to life. Thank you for looking, Margaret Happiness is handmade.

Making the scrap fabric cards the other day, really got my fabric on..... here are some mini projects I made last night and this morning. I started knitting and needlework from an early age. For many years I was a patchwork and embroidery teacher, also completing several commission works and selling at markets.  The call of new car and a holiday beckoned me back to the corporate world.  After 10 years I left to care for my father, teach English overseas and become a lover of papercraft and mixed media. Recently my friend was given a card for her birthday by her aunt (I cannot post that image here) that was embellished with a small, 2" or thereabouts, of stitching.   This got my fingers itching to do some embroidery again.   So, off to the internet I went.  I found references to 'slow stitching', sashiko, and boro stitching that inspired me to get out the needles, embroidery threads, scraps of fabric, lace, beads, etc and get started. The following desc...

Day 3 assignment is to take a photo in the same spot for a week.  I have decided location, being encouraged to stay home during the pandemic proved interesting, as I would normally chose the beach at end of my street. Stay tuned for end of 7 days. Day 4 is to make a flower out of everyday materials: newspaper, packaging, wrapping paper etc. Here is the flower I created: Now I can hear you say Margaret has made these before!  Yes, I have however this time there is a difference.  Let me tell you how I went about it: First, I started with something completely different to make when I saw a flower made with book paper made by Cynthia Shaffer on Pinterest from 2011. I selected papers from an old Mrs Beeton's Cookbook. And following instructions coated both sides of paper with Mod Podge, instructions said matt but I only had clear.  This made the paper feel leathery....I liked it! The next step was to create Cynthia's flower.....a terrible result....straight i...

I wanted to share with you some cards I have designed recently for a card class I lead each Friday for a local community group. These two cards were made using handmade paper, distress inks (run across a clear block and then spritzed and applied to the paper) and a mixture of stamps I found in my stash.  I love them - the way that the distress ink reacted with the paper is 'magic'. This card uses a Darkroom Door stamp of the lady. Other embellishments were from my stash. This reminds of the old Ladies Home Journals that my mother, a dressmaker/tailor,  collected - they contained pattern paper of some of the clothes in the magazine.  I remember as a child being mesmerized by the images of film stars and their stories, the clothes.  Background paper was old pattern paper that I have collected over the years. In a recent post I share how I made a scrapbook layout using the technique of what I am calling faux watercolouring - I just new it would work on a ca...

An urgent call out was given for craft goodies for a street stall this Thursday, to raise funds for a school in Kenya.   Here are some decorative bottles I put together this morning.  My sister had the bottles (they are about 2.5" in height and width), maybe old ink bottles that we got from a recycled place here on The Coast.  I have used wooden buttons, papers, lace and ribbon from my stash with some distress ink to age the edges.   Close up - there is six of each design. The bottles are a green colour. Aren't they cute!!!  Thanks for looking,  Margaret.

I have never bungy jumped or jumped out of a plane but that is not the theme of the monthly challenge over at Jennibellie Journal Workshops.  The challenge given was and I quote "What have you never created with? What techniques have you never tested? What thing have you never got around to creating that you want to?"   I have never created my own paper buttons. Here are my jewels I created...... I recently started on Jennibellie's  Inspirational Station series. One of the first inspirational videos on how to create your own buttons from material that you would normally throw away - in my case it was corrugated paper from a box I received some goodies in and also scrap cardstock.  Some silver tissue paper that I had in the cupboard, inks, masks and some very old Mod Podge (It took ages to open that sucker of a lid) and even older Dimensional Magic. I played around with different types of inks.   It seems that most of the work I did with m...