Drop Cloth And Roses ~ These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things ..

Hello my dear friends,

I knew that I couldn't stay away from my much loved drop cloth for too long, there is just something so special about it. I love the fact that something like plain drop cloth can be turned in something very pretty.  

 When I thought of my latest creation a few days ago. I just couldn't resist making more of my seam binding roses. Seriously, they are such a joy to make and I have to say it again, ... if you haven't ever made them, you should really try it least once. This time I made a little something pretty that can hang on the wall. I don't think, I have ever made a little wall hanging piece before or at least I can't remember if I have or not.

As many of times before,  my creations start on a scrap of paper ...

... and sooner or later they go from being a drawing on paper  to becoming the actual creation.

Just like my newest one that I am sharing with you today.

I named it ...

...' Drop Cloth And Roses',

... these are a few of my favorite things.

It makes me think of July Andrews singing 'Raindrops on Roses' and I am humming the melody as I am writing this and even though it is a very simple name and an obvious one too, I think the name is beyond perfect for this creation.

At first I wasn't very happy with it once it was done and I just couldn't put my finger on it, why that was how I felt about it but after a little while of sitting back and looking at it, I knew what was bothering me. I changed it (it was something not even worth mentioning really) and now I love it!

The roses in this creation are made from my favorite colored seam binding. I like it so much because it is almost the same shade of color as the drop cloth. The name of this seam binding is ' Coconut' if any of you might like to know. Each rose is made from over a yard of the seam binding and five little glass beads live in each rose's midst.

An antique little clip was the perfect piece to use one this creation
( I think this one came from France ) ...

... and of course some crinkled seam binding was a must.

I also did a little bit of quilting to give this little heart that little something extra and it really does make it look so much nicer.

Another one of my favorites is sari silk ribbon, I just love to work with it and 

I really like the color that I have chosen for the leaves. The color is actually called ... 'Rose Leaves' ... it just couldn't get better really!

I hope you have enjoyed my newest creation. 

I for sure have enjoyed making it and because I did, I am already working on the next one. I decided to make one more needle book with same look as this little hanging heart. It is almost finished and I will be sharing it with all you Lovelies very soon.

Thank you for taking the time to visit me today, here at Todolwen. It is always so nice when you do and I hope you will come back soon again.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.

A Little Piece Of Art Nouveau ..

Hello my dear friends,

you know when you see something and it just 'talks' to you and says 'take me home'?! ... I do!
This was one of those times. I just had to have this piece to work with.

I found it in an antique store a few weekends ago and couldn't leave without it. I was told that it is an Art Nouveau tulip vase for a single rose. It is just so lovely and very tarnished ... just the way I like it and it is different, also just the way I like it. I just hope I can do it justice with what I have in mind for it. Being someone that just loves to make neat pincushions, I am sure you all know where this is again going.

I am so excited and can hardly wait to start to work with this very neat piece. Hopefully that might be later on today after I have done all my chores that are on my to~do list. Then again, I also have to work on a few orders first before I can let my creativity take on this lovely treasure. So if not today, then very soon that's for sure. 

If you would like to see it once it is done, then do visit me some time soon again, here at Todolwen.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.

All About Todolwen And A Little About Me ...

Hello my dear friends,

I am sure that most of you know the very talented and lovely Michelle Palmer and her artwork.

She makes amazing drawings and also does watercolorings amongst other beautiful things and I am happy to say that I have a few small pieces of her artwork already.

Recently she started to make notepaper that is embellished with some of her lovely drawings and I was taken by how lovely it is. I was taken so much by it that I just had to contact Michelle about it. You see, when I sell any of my creations, I like to add a card with a few words thanking the person that bought my creation but seeing this notepaper, this is something I wanted from now on. I wanted something more personalized and that was all about Todolwen and a little about me and that is what I am now owning!

I now have my own very special and so lovey note paper made by Michelle. OK ... I don't actually have it just yet, it is in the mail as I am writing this post but the actual design is mine for ever. Once my neat note paper has arrived I will take a photo or two and share it with you upclose.

Here is a little preview of it and I am loving it so much already! 

This is the original and uncut design Michelle made for me.

I had asked her to incorporate things that are a part of Todolwen for the 'all year round' note paper and for a special little something for Christmas time with snowflakes and a little candle. (The snowflakes are the bit about me and my love for the snow.)

When I saw the design for the first time, tears came to my eyes. It was all about Todolwen and a little about me just like I had wanted it to be! It was beyond perfect and I am so happy. The all year round notes have a nest and ribbon, buttons and one of my strawberry pincushionsand  lace and pussy willow twigs. The Christmas one has many delicate snowflakes and a tiny burning candle that lives in a little tar tin which is resting on a pine tree branch. I couldn't have asked for more, it was like Michelle had looked inside my mind and saw what I was talking about. 

~

My dearest Michelle ...

 thank you so much for doing this for me and for making me very happy. 

You are such an amazing artist and such a lovely lady.

~

And now to you my dear friends, if you don't know Michelle Palmer, then it is about time that you get to know her. Why not pop over to her shop or blog and say 'hello' to her and see what beautiful things she creates.

Here is are the links so you can find her ...

Michelle Palmer's Etsy Shop

Michelle's blog

So off you go now and go and visit her for a little bit. I am sure you won't be dissapointed.

Thank you for stopping by today. It is always so nice when you do so.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.

More Roses Have 'Grown' ..

Hello my dear friends,

as so many times before, I couldn't stop at making only making one of my needle books with seam binding roses and I did say that I would maybe make more of them! So since I had so much fun making these roses ~ I did!

But I didn't just make anther one. I actually made two more needle books with roses 'growing' on them and I love the colors I picked. They have both turned out so pretty, just like the first one.

 I know that I am repeating myself  when I say this but I have to say it again ... it is so rewarding to have a simple piece of ribbon or in my case seam binding turn into a lovely little flower ... I love it!

And here are my newest creations ...

So many lovely roses!

I named this one ...

... 'Old English Roses'.

The roses were made from seam binding that is called ' rose beige'. It is such a lovely subtle color, a sort of old dusty pink. (On some of the photos the color is a little brighter due to the lighting.)

And this is my second needle book,

I  named it  ...

... 'Old Country Roses'.

For these roses I used three lovely colors of seam bindings ... rose beige, croquette beige and cruise beige ~ a lot of beige, I know but it looks so lovely don't you agree?! I am so happy with the way the colors just complement each other so nicely and I don't think anyone would have known that the colors are all from the beige family of seam binding if I wouldn't mentioned it because they certainly don't look it.

All three of my 'Rose' needle books will be for sale and available in my Etsy shop soon if any one might be interested in one of them. I will post here on Todolwen once the are listed.

Thank you for taking the time to visit me today and I hope you have enjoyed your little stay here at Todolwen.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Where My Seam Binding Roses Grow ..

Hello my dear friends,

I have been busy these past few very warm days and today I am going to share with you where my seam binding roses 'grow'.

Normally my first choice of fabric would always be drop cloth but this time it wasn't.
 I had bought some lovely thick woven cotton fabric in a ever so slight off-white a few weeks ago and really wanted to use it and that's where my seam binding roses came to mind. The pretty part of making something was solved, it was the practical part I needed to think about and luckily that turned out to be easier than I thought.

 I thought of something I had made before but then I used different bits and pieces for it. I decided to recreate this piece with a whole new look and I am happy to say that it turned out quite nicely. My newest creation is now done and I am so happy to share it with you today.

A little something I am proud of ... as so many times before, this creation is completely hand sewn, no sewing machine in sight anywhere.

And this is it, my newest needle book ...

... 'Old Cottage Roses'

This needle book is a bit thicker than the ones I have made before.

That's because I have added a layer for cotton batting to the inside of the book ...

... and to give it that extra little touch, I have quilted everything.

Each rose is made from over a yard of seam binding. The color I used for this creation is called ... croquette beige. It actually has a subtle yellow/gold look to it and such a lovely one too.

I just love how the roses 'grow' on the fabric and stand out so much.

I must say, that I do like my newest creation a lot. So much so, that I think I will have to see in which other colors I can make a few more roses grow.

Thank you for taking the time to visit me today here at Todolwen and I hope you come back some time again.

I hope you are well my dear friends and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.