Category Archives: Stationery

New Prints Are In My Etsy Shop!

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At last- at long last- I had enough time together to add my New Baby Personalised Prints to my Etsy shop. There are two listings: one for a Bluetit/Chickadee:

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and one for a Chaffinch (there are two different types of chaffinches):

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When a customer orders a print, the New Baby’s details (name, weight, date of birth) are painted **beautifully!!** on the bunting, creating an heirloom gift for that child forever. They make wonderful New Baby/Nursery gifts.

They are printed on beautiful white linen card, 28cm x 28cm (11″ x 11″) The original was painted in water colour and acrylic, by moi, and each print is replicated to capture the hand painted quality of the original painting (printed by Data Print)

Each print will be wrapped in cellophane and a presentation card envelope with handmade collaged tag.

I am so pleased with these, I’d be delighted if you would check them out in my Etsy shop and pass the word around :-)

New Prints Unveiled!

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These have been a long time coming… I had problems getting the photographs right, and put it on the long finger; and then tried to do some post-photographic, pre-printing rescue job (the colours were all over the place), and put it back on the long finger… In short, these took a while! But thanks to my wonderful father (photographs), my incredibly patient sister, Blaithin, (print and tweaking and counselling service) and all at Data Print, these arrived for me today. Yay!!

I took quick pictures with the iPad, hence they are nowhere near as vibrant as in person, but it will give you an idea for the purposes of this blogpost. I will do a better job later when I am listing them in my Etsy shop…! (the “real” computer has been commandeered by my children and I doubt I will get near it for a while yet…)

(Oh, and the little rainbows that appeared when I was cropping them… They are from our crystal hanging in the window. When the sun shines the room is sprinkled with little rainbows… They can be my trademark for today :-) )

Each print is printed on beautiful linen card, are of a limited print run and will be personalised with name, date, and birth weight. I am so pleased with these!!

Blue Tit, or as the Americans say: Chickadee! (I think I prefer that name…)

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Chaffinch 1:

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Chaffinch 2:

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Swans: (I was thinking of these as a wedding gift idea)

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For the one you love :-) :

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Heart and Angel

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Here are some photos of what’s being created around here…all with a purpose I might add!

(the three hearts in the middle are mine, the one to the right and one to the left are Liams)

A couple of months ago (how did those few weeks become months?!) I started a new website, Heart and Angel, with a blog and a wee shop for my paintings, journals and cards.

(More angel art dolls… these are taking a life of their own :) )

The whole conception of it is documented here on that blog, and now at last it is starting to come into sight… I have two journals in the shop, and due to technical difficulties with the photographing the paintings, I haven’t been able to send them to print. But my brother is coming up here this weekend and is going to help me (thank you, grovel, grovel)

(All the children in the house join in!!!! (Note to self: put the painting box AWAY!!) )

Please do check out Heart and Angel here, and if you are on Facebook, please come over and “like” it: Heart and Angel has only one “like” so far… Me!… (pathetic, I know)

World Domination (mark 2)

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I’ve been writing blogposts in my head for several weeks now… none of them quite managing to get from (addled) brain to here… Much work going on, painting and more painting; all part of a Grand Plan.

Almost a year ago (eeekk) I was planning world domination (with plenty of evil cackles): “a nest of handmade loveliness, delightful goodies, art and other objects of gorgeousness. It will be small. It will be perfect. It will be like the most perfectly stocked Craft-Fair table imaginable” Well, that is still the plan, albeit several months later, and despite many forks along the road that I had not forseen, I am in the process of making a little website and shop and (yet another) blog (blog-building: it’s an Obsessive-Compulsive thing)

I am not quite ready to share it just yet; but here are some photos of happenings around here the past few weeks:

(I frequently paint with plenty of company… an exercise in paint-supplies boundaries)

Decorated Collaged Journals

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I have spent the past few days trying to finish these decorated collaged journals for my (sadly neglected) Etsy shop. I had most of them done, just needed to do all the finishing touches to make them *perfect*

I have several journal/sketchbooks on the go at all times; in fact, I have journals from when I was eleven still, and all the way til now (I really need to do a major clear out)

I L O V E journals, and I love looking back through mine (a combination of drawings, collage, diary entries, list and inspiring ideas in each one) and always come away with some new direction that I want to travel, inspired by something  would have put in my journal often years previously.

And I especially love a beautiful journal :-)

(every blog post needs a baby picture, whether relevant or not…)

I’ll link back here once I have the journals added to my shop (must add those notelets too while I’m at it)

TTFN

(ta ta for now, in the words of Tigger)

********** ~Edited to add: have them up at last. See them here **********

Craft♥Advent, Day 19: Decorated Gift Box

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Gosh, the 19th already…! Today I’m making/decorating giftboxes.

I am a a hoarder (“what?!”, my family and friends cry, “it cannot be true!!“) so I have all manner of lovely boxes just waiting to be made into something lovely and useful again. This box was a box of aftershave that my wonderful mother (knowing my penchant for such things) saved from my (delightfully-smelling) brothers’ bins.

I covered it in old vintage book-pages, covering any sign of its former life (note the bottom outside half had lovely deep green sides unblemished by logos, so I left that unpapered in contrast)

Then I started adding papers, laces, old maps, buttons and ephemera on top; here is a series of photographs I took as I made the decorative top:

Before I added the buttons, butterfly anything else 3-D, I covered the whole thing with PVA/mod podge to seal it all (this also makes to “sit” down together.

I scripted “Keepsake Box” on the coffee-stained card and it’s ready for gifting!

 

Craft♥Advent, Day 12: Christmas Cards

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Ah, my Christmas cards. Yes. These have become a reality, almost 2 months later than planned.

This year, it would be really nice to actually post some Christmas cards rather than write them a couple of days before Christmas and see them into the New Year languishing on the dresser (I did consider changing the date before you ask)

Anyway. A year later and I am now starting my Christmas-card-making far too late to send out of Ireland, but terminally late I shall have to remain yet again.

I believe, the only way to make any sort of cards for an occasion is in bulk. That means being prepared, having your stacks of materials ready, and having a production-line process going on.

The materials I used here were those useful old book-pages (feature heavily in all I do!!), beautiful paper napkins, green tissue paper, buttons and stars I cut from old Irish books (with Gaelic script)

I lay out my cards and with a glue stick stuck down the book-pages, tissue, napkin, star and two buttons on top.

I had my little helper making and creating at her end of the table

(I just LOVE the cards she made for her brothers)

Craft♥Advent, Day 10: Decorated Journal

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I love making decorated journals… you can indulge all your whimsical, girly (or other!) fancies into something that is practical and beautiful.

I start with my box of old books, ribbons, lace, buttons and glue. I cover the journal, in this case with plain paper.

I then try a few different ideas:

Everything is glued down:

The back is also decorated: I glue down some labels I had printed with our ‘The Nest’ name:

I covered these, glued on some small paper hearts then painted over the whole lot:

This was covered in fabric, and then decorated like above:

When the front is done, I tidy up the inside cover with a sheet of paper or the first page of the journal (sometimes the first page is suitable to paste down and this makes a lovely, neat finish)

If you can bear to give these away, you can be sure they will be gladly and joyfully received!

Craft♥Advent, Day 5: Rosette Gift Tags

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Even the simplest present is made a little bit spectacular with a fantastic tag!

These are so simple to make, and use up all those tiny scraps of paper you have been stashing away for a project like this (you do have a stash of tiny scraps, don’t you?)

In any case, printed paper (old books work so well and tear beautifully!), old maps, even pretty fabric with a small pattern are what you need here.

Cut or tear three circles, each one bigger than the next (don’t be too particular- slightly wonky shapes look best) I usually lightly glue them with a dab from a glue stick especially if the fabric is very light and liable to float away with any breeze.

Lying one or two buttons on top, thread a needle with some string (I used linen string, you could also use embroidery floss) and sew from the front through the buttons to the back and out to the front again, leaving enough string to tie into a bow.

On a tag (I made these easily by coffee-dying a few sheets of card, cutting into rectangular shapes, then punching a hole in the centre of one end; you could also buy them :-) ) glue the rosette on centrally. I scribed the word “Love” in a nice script along the bottom. You could print out whatever sentiment you want and stick it on either.

And there you have it! Be warned though, these could become seriously addictive…!

Craft Fair Photos & Plans of World Domination

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Thanks to Susan, my craft-fair-comrade-in-arms, who had the wit to take photos rather than just bring a camera and leave it in her bag!!

My plan, if not acted upon before Christmas (probably not), then after, is to resurrect our little shop “TheNest.ie” as a nest of handmade loveliness, delightful goodies, art and other objects of gorgeousness. It will be small. It will be perfect. It will be like the most perfectly stocked Craft-Fair table imaginable (cue: evil sounding cackle and some Gone with the Wind music erupts into the air)

I also have the most brilliant plan for the Advent season… I’m just putting it together now, and will be back soon to divulge my latest hair-brained act of genius ;-)