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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Just A Few More Spooky Ones ...


Hello my dear friends,

I was in the creative mood yesterday and with pumpkins still on my mind what better to do, then to create a few more little ones of them, right?!


I opened up my fabric drawer and the most beautiful colored cotton velvet looked back at me. I picked my colors to work with, a elegant grey, a posh purple and of course a neat orange and everything else I needed and off to work I went. I again made them with a spook night theme instead of a Autumn look. These will be the last ones that I make for this year and I have enjoyed creating so very much.

Late last night I finished the last one of the three and that is what I am sharing with all of you today. Each one is embellished with some of my singed edge black velvet leaves, a pieces a vintage sparkle and some bits of seam binding.

And here they are!

The first one I named ...

... "Purple Potion"




The second one I called ...

..."Dark Night" ...




And last but not least there is ...

... "All Hallows Eve'.






I hope you have enjoyed my newest making. They are now listed in my Etsy shop.

I am busy working on some new pieces but this time for the most wonderful time of the year ... Winter and Christmas and I am also working on a custom order of my pear ornaments. I am hoping to share something here on Todolwen very soon again, so when you have a few moments, why not take one of them and visit me here at Todolwen and see what I have been up too.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Beaded Beauty ~ Part 2 ...


Hello my dear friends,

... here is part 2 of my "A Beaded Beauty" post.

I am happy to share that little old beaded flapper handbag I had found with all of you toady that is now transformed. I worked very hard on repairing it and giving it a new meaning and life and I hope you will enjoy what I have created.

Like I said, my thoughts went with Autumn, oak leaves and acorns and in my eyes it was the perfect way to go with this piece. I made the leaves just like I make my singed edge pumpkin leaves.


This time I picked a vintage velvet in a lovely shade of brown to work with.

And this is what I found in one of my drawers, that made me choose the theme I went with. I had some brass acorn caps hiding away since I think a year now ...



... and it was finally their time to come out again and shine.



I hand stitched the actual acorns again from vintage velvet in a harmonizing color but that wasn't the end of it. I searched and found more neat bits and pieces that I thought would be just right for this creation and now you can see for yourself how everything looks!

And here it is ...

... my "A Beaded Beauty".


Hidden away is that nasty dark stain under one of the two velvet oak leaves that I have hand sewn to the bag.


The drawstrings now have little brass and velvet acorns as their decorative pieces ...


... and the little bag now also has a new lining sewn from satin in a harmonizing color.

But this is not all ... there is more!

Not only have I repaired this lovely piece but I have also given it a new meaning and life. This little flapper bag is now filled with lovely bits and pieces that makes it something really neat. It has now become a beautiful sewing kit ... just take a look!








There is a vintage compact lined with velvet, that can hold many needles and pins.

A little old thimble is also there to ensure fingers wont' be pricked.

A pincushion made from an antique pocket watch casing is there to help when sewing and another little acorn, this time stuff with crushed walnut shells will sharpen any dull and blunt needle or pins.

And last but not least there is a pair of vintage embroidery scissors, that live in a velvet pouch embellishes with a oak leaf, will lend a helping hand when needed.


All together they make my newest creation just right and ...


... I am so happy with the way it has turned out. It is just like I saw it in my mind.

My "A Beaded Beauty" sewing kit is now listed in my Etsy shop.

Thank you so much for visiting me again here today at Todolwen and I hope you have enjoyed your short stay.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

A Beaded Beauty ~ Part 1 ...


Hello my dear friends,

today I am sharing a new treasure that I found a few months ago. I had already share it on Instagram but didn't get around to sharing it here until today.

I was out and about not looking for anything really when I was very fortunate to come across a beautiful beaded flapper bag from the 1930's or 1940's. It was such a lovely piece, made with so very many beads and other neat parts but ...




...  I almost didn't buy it because when I first saw it, it was in a sorry state.





The lining, apart from a few torn and frayed little pieces, was none existent and some of the decorative strands of beads were also gone.

And  then there was this!


 A nasty and very visible dark stain but there was just something about this little beaded beauty. It just spoke to me and it had to come home with me and my rescue mission started.


First I had to tackle that stain. 


I tried all sorts of soaps and stain movers that would were safe enough for this vintage piece but nothing worked. All of my efforts trying to get the stain out were unfortunately unsuccessful. That stain was here to stay, so I had to come up with some way to hide it and I did.

I sat down and put a lot of thought into what to do with this lovely bag and then I had the idea I went with in the end. Thoughts of nature and Autumn came in my mind. The design had to be a "posh" enough but not then again not too over the top either. I chose vintage velvet to work with and then found something in one of my drawers that made me come up with the actual theme I was going to use which was oak leaves and acorns. That though is all I am going to tell you about it today. You will be able to see the finished piece in part 2 of my "A Beaded Beauty" post.

It was so nice of you to stop by here today and visit me here at Todolwen. Do come back some time again and see what I have been up too.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

A New Pocket Watch Pincushion ...


Hello my dear friends,

today's creation is something that I made after working on my "Last Minute Spook" pumpkin set.

I was asked a little while ago if I would make another pumpkin pocket watch pincushion by the lovely Joyce and at first I didn't think that I was going to but I changed my mind. And after enjoying myself working with all of the black bits and pieces so much, I decided to not just make a Autumn pumpkin but instead a Halloween one. It is finished now and I am so happy to share it with all of you. I might make another one like this if I have everything I need or maybe the next one will be a little purple or grey velvet spooky fruit again  with black velvet leaves but I am not quite sure just yet.

This little one has put a spell on me and here it is, my newest making, my Halloween Pumpkin pocket watch pincushion ...

..."A Little Spooky".









This little pumpkin is already spoken for and I might make another similar like this one if I have everything I need. Not sure if it will be orange again or maybe the next one will be a little purple velvet and black velvet leaves or a grey pumpkin but I am not quite sure just yet.

I hope you have enjoyed my newest creation and if you do have a few spare moments, do come back and visit me again, here at Todolwen and see what I have been up too.

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

Have a peaceful and creative day.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Another Pumpkin Re~Do "Last Minute Spook"...


Hello my dear friends,

today I am sharing another pumpkin redo!

After I had worked on my last past created pumpkins that I have already posted about, I still had one more set that I could change. In the past years I have almost always made Autumn pumpkins and I think only one or two Halloween pumpkins, so I thought to myself why not go with a little bit of a spooky theme with this redo!


Again off came the seam binding, the tattered lace and vintage bits and pieces of embellishment and on I went to making singed edge black velvet leaves and hand dying some seam binding black. Some beads, black glitter and wire were also a part of this spooky recipe and "Hocus Pocus" they were done!

And here it is ...

... my "Last Minute Spook" pumpkin set!








 All three pumpkins are now embellished ...


... with a bow made from hand dyed black seam binding. I made some of my singed edge pumpkin leaves for each one but this time from black velvet. Wire tendrils and black glittered beads complete their new spooky look.

This set and other pumpkins of mine are now listed for sale in my Etsy shop. If you have a few moments, why not pop over and take a look?!

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

Have peaceful and creative day.