Brother Glenn

I Don't Have A Camera...

So I haven't been posting my stuff of late because I can't take decent photo's. That's why. I'm still busy, of course. What I'll do is post rubbish phone shots...
I've just made a few more Hanky Boxes. Not that they're for hankies neccessarily. I found a load of chandelier crystal drops in a skip/dumpster some time back, so these newbies are terribly blingy. Lovely, over-the-top sparkles. For a cheap, easy to make craft, I've managed to add a whole lot of expense with the beading too, but I don't care. It could be done cheaper I'm sure (like if I dived into my vast stash for example?). In fact, they don't really need beads, it's just that this is what I like at the moment.
On that note (beads), I bought  a stack of cheap-shop containers and sorted out my beads. They are so gorgeous I feel quite inspired. A few beads are from my Grandma and Nanna (great-grandmother) and others my Mum. Mostly my excited purchases. You know, start a new craft to use up your stuff... then gets all excited and buy a ton of new stuff.

So, using more of the books I cut up for my Honey Bunch's Box, I've made another two boxes (extra to The One True's... The larger two are the same panels, only one uses 6 and the other 8. The smaller one is the same as Zoe's Hanky Box and a few Mill's & Boon boxes.

NOTE: Please follow the links and the labels at the end of this post for tutorials, patterns, etc.

I've Been Knitting And I Have No Camera

 

You can see everything over at my Ravelry page, and If you look at others' projects for each, you'll see better detail. These are crummy phone photo's.

It's cold here this winter and I'm keen to have many pairs of cuffs to wear, doubled up even. Plus, we have a few family birthdays (done now for ages).

As I write, I've just dyed enough Bendigo alpaca (green) to make a cardigan too. Plus spare to make something else...? Like cuffs?

 

 

Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets in Rowan Angora Haze and Schopelle Wolle Lace Ball



Into Trees in Morris & Son's Maya 8ply

Baby Alligator Scarf in Cleckheaton Angora/Silk/Merino 8 ply

My daughter and my grandson (her nephew)

Claire's Pillary Gauntlets in Morris & Son's Maya 12 ply

Claire's Gauntlets Again in Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica 10 ply

The One True's Standing Mat

'This here's the wattle
the emblem of our land
you can stick it in a bottle
or hold it in your hand'
(Monty Python's 'Bruce' sketch)

What you can't see from my crummy phone photo's is that the wattle blossoms are raised a bit (apart from the colour being terribly bad). He wanted me to leave the linen edge as it was. Approx. 50cm round.

My hubby has a lot of pets. Wild birds. They come and sing or chortle outside our bedroom window if they see us there. He's their friend. So when he said he wanted a pad to stand on while at his easel, painting, I thought, there you go.



The One True's Bits & Pieces Box

Which he'll never really use, but I wanted to make him one.

 

The images are from two old art books he was throwing out. The photo is awful (phone and flaring in the light), but the pics are gorgeous! I managed to get four things out of two books.
I think I accidently chose Swarovski crystal beads, being the perfect colour (and a bit extravagant for a fancy-work box you might think) (but I don't care).



I've cut out bits of another picture and pasted them over this beautiful girl, just for balance. Also , they're the One True's favourite type of painted trees.
For the inside, I used the score from a couple of old and well-worn piano scores (Op-Shop). They have the pianist's notations and comments, which is touching. I managed to get a theme going in the words and it's quite romantic (so I won't show you all of it, you'll have to pop into Morris & Son's when I get the display together, which will be a little while because I have great plans and great plans take time). 

This pattern is the same as this one. Please follow the tags below for more boxes and the Tutorial.

Words cut from various headings, ala Ransom Note.

I have a lot of (and then found more) chandelier baubles, so added them around to give the lid weight. I used to make the lid a bit bigger than the base, and now I remember why.

Fancy-Work Boxes Still. The Bunny Fur Bee Cushion Box.

Do you think I could build my own coffin? Just a thought. Again, apologies for the awful pictures.

This little box is made using my old cards (I have cards with pictures from my embroidery, but have run out of envelopes for the time being). So, it's a picture of my Rabbit-Fur Bee Cushion on the top, and a detail for each side panel.
The beads are from my Grandma's old stash, left-over from her lamp-shade making days. She made and sold them for years, just word-of-mouth (Oh and in my Mum's shop). I have her fringe too (just so's you know).
The crochet is done with some vintage War-Silk (rayon) I bought from the Op-Shop many moons ago (see! just do it!).

The picture on the card is up one way and then the other.

These are hand made papers I bought some time ago (also not in vain in the end). They are heavily textured and gorgeous and had to be bought.
For the pattern, go to Zoe's Hanky Box and for a tutorial, follow the label below

Been Busy, But No Camera...

So, you have to accept these lousy phone shots until I get one.

Sadie's Second Hanky Box. Or, Jewellery Box? You can't see because of the flaring (because of the plastic), but it's a gorgeous old kiddie's book illustration of a lamb. I've added cut out bits of flower (as used on the sides) to fill in some gaps and highlighted it with my coloured pencils.

Inside is a picture of myself with little Sadie, at my 50th in 2008. A couple of months before I lost my Mum (the photo reminds me of how little Sadie was then). The inside-lid illustration is the sometimes approach mothers and grandmothers have to their little's, especially when those little's are full of life and verve.

Mercedes (Saide). I made this removable so she can have a look at the picture more easily. Incidentally, the triangles created are just the size for hankies, pressed into quarters, triangularly.

Ane here is my little darling at the Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda, near us. The photo completely captures her lovely nature. A happy, interested child.

What's not well illustrated here are the really pretty pink glass tear-drops. I've been at Maria's Beads frequently of late (I've been knotting my old and newly collected pearls).

The floral paper is downloaded from one of pillpat (agence eureka)'s amazing sets of vintage book and game and everything images. Worth spending a few hours looking through. I've used heaps from there (not to mention the cut-out-and-assemble games the children have enjoyed). Sorry I can't remember where the flowers came from!
Follow the links below to see more boxes and to find the tutorial. I will be teaching this method at Morris & Son's in Melbourne, just as soon as I've built enough for a decent display.