Make a Smilebox slideshow

HAPPY CUPCAKE CHRISTMAS!

The garden looks so beautiful in the snow and when I ventured outside to take a look, I thought that the way the snow had fallen on one of the plant pots, made it look like a giant cupcake! So I quickly got to work to make a tea cup and saucer to go with it! Hope you like it! Who knows, if we have more snow, I may even get round to making a teapot!

I'm nearly famous!

Well. when I say famous I mean that I am mentioned in IndieSmiles.com feature on folksy!

http://indiesmiles.com

Wahoooo!

Sue Ryder / Folksy- recycling competition

Well the competition is now over - congratulations to all the winners! I LOVE the zip earrings... Take a look at the link below to see the other entries. http://blog.folksy.com/2009/12/7/upcycle-christmas-winners
They are now all for sale on Ebay to raise some money for Sue Ryder - so please visit ebay and type "sueryder" in the search button. There is some great stuff on here which would make excellent Christmas presents - all handmade, AND you would be helping a charity at the same time.
I am rubbish at adding links to blogs so I've linked to "Cuteables" site (who featured one of my items :-) BIG THANKS!) as they are soooooo much better at it than me!! http://www.cuteable.com/

HA, HA! FOUND THE POSTERISING BUTTON ON MY COMPUTER TODAY!

So here we all are me, hubby and baby Harry Grimwood.

Sunday treasures!

Boot salin' this morning - bought a lovely, chunky, farmers wifey basket, galvanised steel and bamboo watering can, Linda Barker "doing up junk" book, black and white fabric and a mohair shawl which I am going to felt.

French, Vintage and Gorgeous!

French, vintage, and gorgousness(!) - all things I love and all combined in some beautiful old Parisian Fashion Magazines from the 1930's, that i recently took possession of - soooooo elegant. No one does it quite like the French do.

I used some of the advertisements from the back pages to cover a pocket notebook - it's now in my Folksy shop if you cant live without it! http://www.folksy.com/shops/AnnieFloribunda

Folksy :: AnnieFloribunda

Folksy :: AnnieFloribunda: http://anniefloribunda.blogspot.com/

Inspired by a day in the garden - I decoupaged some small plain notebooks and made them into Gardeners pocket books. I used vintage seed packs on the top one and garden twine on the other. If you cant live without them, visit my Folksy shop where they are for sale.

Folksy :: AnnieFloribunda

Folksy :: AnnieFloribunda

Took possession of the FAB vintage sewing machine today! Had to drive 56miles to collect it but it was worth it... and we had to stop in Stamford for lunch (really worth it!). Beautiful market town where the BBC filmed Pride and Prejudice. Mmmmm loverrrrrrrly hand made truffles and the best Latte I have ever tasted! Then we had to stop for cream tea on the way home... it's a hard life!
Sooooooo... watch this space for wonderful, nonsensical,whimsical creations from the Seigfried the Singer sewing machine!

Sew naughty!

I have been very bad today. I have spent £25 on a vintage Singer sewing machine. £25 that I don't have!

But, I tell myself, once I take possession of it - I shall be sewing and sewing, selling and selling

- and it will more than pay for itself. That's alright then...

Reino de España

Yes, am feeling a bit of a Spanish theme going on in my head at the mo. Getting some Latin inspiration for a new project.

Probably due to a visit from an old friend yesterday and her new Cuban husband.

Oh...and also the fact that the weather has been wonderful lately and I have been playing Gypsy Kings constantly (much to the annoyance of my husband)!

Harry (the dog) has also been enjoying the good weather and joining in with the Gypsy theme!

Japanese - Matryoshka Dolls Fabric

OK, I gave in - and bought some from Folksy.com ! But only after I'd sold a few pieces from my own fabric stash to pay for it. Don't feel so bad splashing out on it now. Am going to make small lavender dolls and brooches from it when it arrives. Can't wait!

I LOVE free stuff!

As it was a bit gloomy earlier, I spent some time searching the web for some free craft stuff and found these great sites:

For free patterns/templates etc visit http://www.clothdollpatterns.com/

For vintage clip art, postcards, advertising etc go to http://vintageholidaycrafts.com/free-vintage-clipart

My latest makes are (more) brooches! See the pics... and if you really can't live without them - you can always buy one from my shop on folksy.com ( http://www.folksy.com/shops/anniefloribunda )

I am STILL buying buttons and am pretty peeved that one lovely lot seems to have dissapeared into the black hole that is within Royal Mail...hopefully they'll turn up eventually!

Found a use for those buttons!

Spent another glorious day in the garden today, with Harry, boiling his brains in the midday sun. (at least I sat in the shade and had sunscreen on!).

Had fun making button flower brooches (to see how to make your own design go to my folksy page at http://www.folksy.com/shops/anniefloribunda) - Oh, and I made clay and paper beads, (and some other things that I am not quite sure what they are yet)!

Wish I could STOP buying buttons!

OK - its been tough - but some of my vintage buttons, beads, etc just have to go - they are overtaking the house and I will never get around to using them all!

I am listing them on Folksy.com (a great new site I've found - if you like crafts - you will LOVE this!)

Hopefully then they can be recycled again and go towards making something beautiful.

This is Buttons! My first attempt at making something from a pattern I had created myself. I'm really pleased at how he came out - here's a picture of him enjoying the garden with me!

Loving the sunshine!

I have been enjoying making things in my garden lately and have just put them all onto Folksy.com - a great site that encourages individual crafters to share, sell, buy and chat. Take a look at my shop at http://www.folksy.com/shops/anniefloribunda

E A S T E R E G G S

I hand colored some easter eggs for the charity shop windows display and put them in a basket with large chiffon scarf inside. The yellow bow was from a bouquet that I had, containing the most beautiful velvet red roses!

Take a look at the photos - they really are beautiful and so velvety to the touch.

Fabric Flower Garland

I created some pretty flower garlands, using up crisp bright cotton fabric.

These look great in a children's room or outside in the garden - a lovely way to invite Spring into your home!

Really simple to make:You will need an assortment of scrap fabrics, a sheet of iron-on bonding fabric, few buttons/beads & embroidery cotton/twine for stringing.

1. Bond the fabric pieces together as per instructions. This way you will have a pattern on both sides of each flower.
2. Cut a flower template from stiff card and draw around it onto the bonded fabric.
3. Cut flower shapes out.
4. Lay the flowers out in desired order and pierce the centre of the first one with the threaded cotton/twine.
5. Add buttons and beads to either side of the flower and knot so that the flower does not slide along the twine.
6. Tie a loop at each end of the garland and hang!

Try some variations on this basic pattern - cut different shapes or sizes of flowers or experiement with different fabrcs and styles.

Gorgeous Sunny Daffodils

I love daffodils - maybe its the tiny bit of Welsh in me! They just epitomise Spring for me - so sunny and cheerful looking after all the gloomy grey days! Roll on Spring!

Bring on the Spring!

The florist across the road put out some daffodils today in aluminium buckets - wanted to buy a cart load and decorate the house with them - Spring MUST be on it's way now... Made some fabric flowers today to celebrate!

Well... OK ... maybe not - BUT the snow did make the garden look really magical!

What's AnnieFloribunda?

Well.. it's a kind of therapy...a way of getting back my creative side...a way of indulging myself in all things flowery and vintage!
Found this gorgeous antique lace in a charity shop today and need to find a project to use it in - so delicate - lovely.