HomeAbout MeMy EtsyTutorialsContact Me

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Morning Dew Mushroom Pincushions ...


Hello my dear friends,

just to let you all know that I have just relisted the last three of my "Morning Dew Mushroom" pincushions in my Etsy shop.




Still love these so much and had so much fun making them too last year.
Why not pop over and take a look if you are interested?!

I hope you are well and life is treating you kind.

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

A New Butter Dish To Work With ...


Hello my dear friends,

I really try to not buy too much these days but when I see a really neat piece, I just can't resist.

I was very fortunate again when I was out and about a few days ago and I found this lovely treasure. I seem to be on a lucky streak right now when it comes to finding unusual things.

It is a antique F B Rogers butter dish with roll top lid and it was made between 1910 and 1940.


Isn't it just the neatest?!

 




It is tarnished so nicely but also has a little rust here and there but that doesn't take away from it's charm, not one little bit. I love how it stands on three lion's feet legs and on top of each of the legs rests a lions head. It is such a different piece and I just had to work with it. Actually I have a few more really neat pieces sitting in my studio just waiting for me to finally pick them up and give them a new life. I should make it my thing for the next week or so to try and work on one piece every other day or so. So ... where was I? ... Oh yes, my newest creation!


Unbleached drop cloth, seam binding and a piece from a vintage doily were the bits and piece I had chosen for this creation. I just had to work on it right away and I finished it the same day which was yesterday but didn't get around to writing this post until this morning. I am so buzzed to share my newest making with all of you and here it is!

Nothing has changed on the outside at all ...


... because my daughters both told me that anything added would just take away from the beauty of this lovely antique piece. On the in side it's a different story though ... all you have to do is just roll the lid back and this is what it looks like now!


I have named it ... "A Hidden Treasure".





 
 
 



I am so happy with the way this piece has turned out!

 I love that I have created a little hidden treasure and on top of it a useful one inside a beautiful tarnished antique. If any of you should be interested my newest creation is now listed for sale in my Etsy shop.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today and visit me here at Todolwen. Do come back soon again and see what I might have been up too.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Almost Forgot To List This ...


Hello my dear friends,

I for sure have way too much on my mind these days because I almost ... I did forget to list this little pincushion of mine but now it's done!


If any of you are interested, just pop over the my Etsy shop (on the right side bar) and take a look.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Hiding In An Old Tin ...


Hello my dear friends,

I am sure this has happened to all of you at least once ... you look into a box, drawer or tin that you haven't looked into for some time and find something you had totally forgotten about.

That is what happened to me two days ago. I was looking for something and came across an old tin that was just sitting there in a shelf and found this inside it ...


... some of my sari silk nests and the flowers I had made to go with them.
 Ha! ... I had totally forgotten that I had put them in there and not finished them.





 I made my first sari silk ribbon nests about two years ago and these must have been waiting patiently in that tin for me to return to them but I didn't until now. Well, that needs to be fixed of course. It will be nice to work on these again. So in between making some Fall home decor pieces, I will be working on completing these silk nests. Once done they will be listed in my Etsy shop right away if any of you might be interested in one of them.

Talking about flowers ...

 ... another thing I wanted to share with all of you today is my little new mum "plant".
(It has just become a plant about five days ago actually.) My daughter Ashleigh had picked up this little branch of a mum plant that had be snapped off and dropped on the ground at our local Walmart and gave it to me. Me, having a soft spot and trying to make things grow was very happy. At home it went into a glass of water and placed on the kitchen windowsill.


 After three weeks in water my little branch finally grew roots and now it is ready to be potted and moved to my studio which will become it's new home. My studio already looks like a green house these days so one more occupant won't be a big deal. The next time I am going to share a picture of my little mum will be hopefully when it has grown larger, so fingers crossed it will work.

It is so nice that you have taken the time to visit me today, here at Todolwen and I hope you have enjoyed your little stay.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Monday, September 18, 2017

Last Year's "Harvest" ...


Hello my dear friends,

just to let you know that I have just relisted some of my little pumpkin pincushions that were leftover from last year's "harvest'. They are just so neat and filled with crushed walnut shells to keep your  needles and pins nice and sharp but they are also just pretty to sit somewhere as they are.







Each one of them is embellished with crinkled seam binding, some vintage crystals and two of my handmade velvet leaves. If any of you might be interested, why not pop over to my Etsy shop and take a look.

Right now amongst other things like gardening, I am busy working on a few new Falls creations and hopefully will be able to share the first one in a few days so if you have a few spare moments, why not visit me again here at Todolwen and see how I have been keeping busy.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Decorating For The Seasons ...


Hello my dear friends,

for the longest time I haven't been into decorating our home for the seasons other than for Christmas but that seems to be on the change these days.

All of the sudden I would like our house to look a bit different for each of the four seasons. Now I just need to think of what I would like to use. Of course I am all about making things rather than buying them (depending what it is) but I also like to keep an eye on the cost of things too. I am also all about less is more these days and I don't want the house to be filled to the brim with all sorts of seasonal items but rather have a few bits and pieces in every room to make it just right.

I am looking forward to bringing the seasons back into our home with ...


... a little something for Spring,


... something lovely for Summer,


... something pretty for Fall and ...


... something beautiful for Winter and Christmas.

I made a little list of items that I think would be perfect to decorate our house with for each season and that won't be an issue to store for the rest of the year or break the bank. I am sure most of you already have your little collection of seasonal bits and pieces together.

~1~
Throw pillows ...
... something quite easy to make. I love that they are flat to store and that they have such a visual impact to the eye.  All you need is one or two for your room to make it feel right. 

~2~
Wreaths ...
... is the second item that has a huge impact on a room. I prefer it where possible, that the decor of the wreath isn't glued to the actual wreath but either just stuck in or fastened with a piece of wire so one base wreath can reused for all four seasons.

~3~
Pictures ...
... another thing that has a big impact on a room is pictures. You can store several prints in one frame and just pull the appropriate one for the season to the front and on top of that you can move pictures from room to room for a different look too.

~4~
Table decor ...
... also a place you can show off the seasons of the year. From faux flowers, pine cones to pumpkins and so much more, each season has its "own thing" that can represent it.

~5~
Blankets/throws ...
... the last thing on my list is a throw blanket. A thinner cotton ones for the warmer seasons and thicker, fluffier ones for the colder seasons.

And that is my list.

Now all I have to do is get to work. I am hoping to share some decor for the Fall/Autumn season that I have chosen for our home with you very soon, so do come sometime soon and see what I have been up too.

Something I would like to share with you today is my beautiful Mums.


They live happily on our front porch next to my concrete pumpkin and bring me so much joy.
Again for the longest time I haven't bought flowers but this year I couldn't resist and I am so happy that I didn't because they just too pretty to not have.

Wishing you all a lovely Fall day.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Friday, September 15, 2017

A Beautiful Piece To Work With ...


Hello my dear friends,

 a little while ago I was very fortunate to come across a very beautiful tarnished treasure that had be become mine and it did! I normally don't often work with bigger pieces but this one was a must for me. In the past I have used old cookie cutters, butter dishes and lids and turned them into these lovely pincushions.





My newest treasure is a step up from these and I am so buzzed to be working with it hopefully soon.

And this is my newest treasure ...


... it is an antique silver plate biscuit tin/barrel. 
It is Victorian and it was made in the early 1900's "just down the road" in Toronto and is now over 100 years old. It is all tarnished and so beautiful!







From the moment I saw this neat piece, I knew exactly what I am going to turn it into!

 

Not only is the lid just right to become a pincushion but the jar itself is beyond perfect because of it's wide opening. You are able to place things inside it and take them easily back out again. Things like  scissors, measuring tape, thread and thimble would happily live in this neat tarnished treasure ... so it is a done deal for me ... a sewing caddy it will be! I just need to work out the "small print" ... which colors to use and which fabric and whatever else I want to do/make for it. Once done I will of course share it with all of  you.

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

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.