I also hit all 3 of Swaffhams charity shops today & managed to pick up… a huge hardback about costumes, another one which was a fully illustrated Enid Blyton book, the pics are gorgeous, so vibrant!  A mini book full of poems about the seasons which I will use for an altered art attempt… 4 vintage pattern packs, 3 tiny wall plates – German made China, featuring baskets of flowers, very sweet… an entire crockery set (6 plates, 6 side plates, 6 cups & saucers, 5 bowls, retro brown 70′s style) for £5!!!! & a small 3-piece photo frame for 75 pence. Bargains galore! Charity shops up here are sooooo much cheaper than Oxford. I also got a lovely pair of Wellingtons today that my mum bought me. Pics to follow I promise!!!

The lovely Lou is the winner of Rosie The Rockabilly Raindrop so keep an eye out for the post!!

Catch up with you soon xoxoxoxox

So… my July Giveaway is Rosie The Rockabilly Raindrop Plushie…

She is entirely handsewn and is stuffed with fabric scraps.  She is about 5″ tall and is pretty cute as far as raindrops go! As I was inspired by Operation NICE all you need to do is leave me a comment telling me something nice that you’ve done for somebody else recently. Make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you if you win… I’ll be drawing names out of a hat (literally!) on July 31st so the closing date is July 30th. Good luck!

I’ve given her another couple of coats of red for her hair…

I have added sequins to her dress for some sparkle…

And here’s a full shot…

I think i will be finishing it off tomorrow. I did quite a bit on it this morning to make up for not getting a chance yesterday. I went to meet a friend for lunch & got back to discover my kitchen flooding… the flat upstairs was totally flooded in the bathroom & it was seeping into ours. A contractor came out & sorted everything out thank goodness, apparently another hour or two & our ceiling would have caved in! By the time I had gotten that emergency diverted I was pretty exhausted so just curled up in front of the TV when Joal got in. Now I have to head off to work so the finishing touches will definitely be done tomorrow….

I added fabrics in white & pink to give her almost a train of material down the back of her dress.

I painted the background of the canvas in gold glitter. Its quite subtle but looks gorgeous when the sun hits it.

Skirt detail.

Decided she was a definite redhead. Used acrylic paints to colour her hair…

So now I’m just figuring out how to finish her. Acrylics to paint in her skin? Paper? Text might look interesting… Any other finishing touches? I was considering a tiara… diamante? Buttons? Metallic embroidery thread? Hhhhmmmm….

On a totally different note, I watched Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince y’day & thoroughly enjoyed it! My fella & my friend were both annoyed that it skipped parts of the book & (apparently) made other parts up but on the whole they enjoyed it too. I did find the storyline slightly disappointing (movie only, in the book it is apparently all perfectly clear) in so much as Harry has a potions book owned by the Half Blood prince which suddenly, halfway through the movie they all decide is dangerous & insist that Harry hides it, even from himself, but you have no idea why! I didn’t get it at all… the others did because they’d read the book! Anyhow, have borrowed the book to read & am quite looking forward to it.

Have to go, am off to meet a friend in town for lunch, will have a look at metallic embroidery thread whilst i’m there. *Dons Wellingtons, puts up umbrella & waves chirpily…..*

Whilst at work the other day I spotted this parked outside…

How cool??!! The Blues Brother’s show, Jake & Elwood, was on at the New Theatre next door. This car got loads of attention & apparently you can hire it out for weddings and so on!

One of my friends is actually getting married this coming weekend & I got to help her do her Table Plan which was quite good fun! The finished article..

It’s fairly basic but she is happy with it. It sparked off so many ideas for me & was so much fun to do, it’s definitely something that I could get into doing!

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And this one is very striking…

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Another friend of mine is having a baby in a few weeks, she’s having a little girl. A few friends from work & I went over to see her she lives in a village in Oxfordshire in the middle of nowhere in a cottage, it’s gorgeous! Her little boy Bruce thrives out there, he’s so smart & creative. He made ghost cards whilst we were there!

Kate spoiled us with a Jamie Oliver BBQ chicken recipe with new postatoes & salad that had grown in her garden. We took her a multitude of chocolate desserts (Minstrels, chocolate log, profiteroles, Belgian chocolate cheesecake) & yummy cider for ourselves! We had such a lovely night. when we got up in the morning she’d already laid the table & we all got boiled eggs & toast, it was like a mini holiday!  Her place really is beautiful though. Kate is a florist so the house was full of plants & there were fairy lights twinkling everywhere. Her garden backs out on to a field with horses & the view is breathtaking… Oh well, I can’t drive so for now Joaly & I will be staying where we are!

Yesterday I made a start on this..

It’s a pencil drawing on canvas of a woman in a long gown. I’m using curtain fabric as a base for her gown & I’m going to use all different fabrics & paint to create a collaged image. In fact now that I’ve gotten you all caught up, I’m off to do some more work on it now… Will update with more pics as I progress!

Thanks for dropping by… xoxoxox

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I adore the Red Arrows, they are absolutely fanastic, & undeniably some of the best pilots on the planet! To anyone lucky enough to have the 24/25th July off you may be able to catch them at the Sunderland International Airshow 2009.

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I am a bug fan. The camper vans are awesome & who can resist the charm of an old style VW Beetle?

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How gorgeous are these shoes??! They are awesome & I want them!

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I love Nascar… I’ve been to Ascar at Rockingham, Corby, but one day I want to go to the real thing… If we ever get to go on a US road trip that is definitely going to be on the agenda!

2. Just Like Camping Mrs Boo Radley’s (Not Her Real Name) blog is intriguing… she’s a foodie, a locavore, grow-your-own with a very satirical sense of humour. Have a peep…

3. Papillon Jewelry Tho Dinh’s very cute blog showcases various Etsy sellers/artists (including moi! Yay!) & her own gorgeous jewelry…

So… finally…. here is the embroidery piece that I did using the embroidery thread I won in Cymberrain‘s blog giveaway…

I love it! & now i’m hooked on her gorgeous hand dyed embroidery threads.

& a sneak peek at Laura’s gorgeous daughter, Holly…

… she seemed quite partial to her own feet, so here’s one for you!

Goodnight all…

(Laur, thank you!)