Celtic Carvings at Kinnagoe Bay

 

Just in front of where we camped at the weekend there were some celtic carvings on some rocks, not unlike those on the stones at the neolithic Newgrange passage tomb in County Meath. Most of us there agreed that the chisel marks looked a bit fresh to be have been made by ancient man, but in a way it doesn't matter to me whether they're 'real' or not. It shows that the celtic spirit lives on in Ireland. And Kinnagoe Bay is one special place. Remote, beautiful, wild.

 

 

We found a charcoal stick just asking to be drawn with, so I drew what I always draw - the triple spiral I had tattooed on my foot recently.

 

 

Danny and I made a trip to the car for supplies and the tide was so high on the way back that we had to climb over some rocks instead of going round them, and that path revealed another spiral carving, more like a labyrinth. And the next time I looked for it I spotted yet another spiral, this one exactly the same as my tattoo (inspired by the Newgrange chamber carving). When I went back to photograph it, it had rained and it couldn't be seen as clearly. Have a look to see if you can spot it just below the crack in the photo below.

 

The long trek we took to our camping spot on the second beach meant that we saw not one stranger on our beach during the four days we were there.

 

Magic.

With this ring......

 

 

So you may have gathered that I like getting my craft on, but I've always been a bit useless when it comes to fabric crafts. My seamstress granny taught me to sew (ish) but to my shame I've never learned to crochet, knit or make clothes.

 

So I made my fabric crafts debut with this little ring cushion. My sister was recently bridesmaid for her lovely friend Angharad's winter wedding in Cambridge and I undertook to make this for her. The burgundy felt went with the colours of the wedding and as she was a Northern Irish girl marrying an American in England, we chose to use the vintage Irish lace doilies to reflect her roots.

It turned out quite cute I think, just don't look too closely at the stitiching!

 

(I took these photos before posting the ring cushion so that's my beautious engagement ring that Danny chose all on his own-io. Clever boy!)

shine a light

 

Following on from my last post, here are three more styles of handmade lampshade which are available to buy from lost & found.

 

Prices range from £10 - £25 plus any postage charges.

 

email maevep22@hotmail.com for more details.

 

Handmade map lampshade

 

Here's a little sneak peek of the lampshades I'm going to be making to (hopefully) sell in the Christmas markets this year.

 

a paper globe lampshade

+

circles of pretty paper

+

double sided tape

=

a really nice present for someone.

 

 

Lampshades are available to buy. To find out more just drop me a line at - maevep22@hotmail.com 

 

- small £10

- medium £15

- large £20

 

wedding brooch bouquet

 

This summer past was all about weddings for me - either attending them, photographing them or making things for them. And so here are some pictures of a brooch bouquet I made for a friend from my hometown who got married in very the same chapel that Danny and I did.

 

She gave me some brooches to include that had belonged to her mother and mother-in-law and some pendants that were hers from childhood including a celtic cross and a hurley stick. A really sweet touch was to put photos from the two parent's weddings into a little locket hanging from the handle of the bouquet. I think I'll steal that idea for again.

 

 

I also made the beaded headpiece you can see here which had three strands in front and three at the back. Again this was Jane's idea and she gave me the brooches to incorporate, but it's something I'd love to try again and was surprisingly easy to make, especially considering the exorbitant prices they charge for these things in bridal shops.

 

The only problem with working in the wedding industry though is that it always makes me wish I could get married all over again!

 

 

Wedding chandeliers

 

A few weeks back I photographed the wedding of an old school friend (more of which later) and I was also asked to make some decorations for the venue. We came up with these huge coloured tissue-paper-and-drinking-straw chandeliers, inspired by the ridiculously intricate polish 'pajaki' and in colours based on the crazy-amazing cake below.

 

 

 

Here they are in the Portstewart golf club on the big day. I tried to make them all slightly different, adding strings of pearls and tassels to some, and they hung above the dancefloor, narrowly avoiding being ripped to shreds when the nearby pinata was attacked with a broom at the end of the night.

 

 

 

If you would like me to make some of these for your own wedding or event just drop me a line at maevep22@hotmail.com

pretty garland goodness

I was racking my brains for a new papercraft activity to do at Sunday's class and then I remembered these streamer garlands that have popped up all over the blogosphere in recent months. And they really are the quickest, easiest and sweetest way to decorate a party. In fact I'd have this bit of girly fluffiness  up year-round.

(p.s. the picture is a charity shop find and is of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. I love it because it goes the with beautiful wooden figurines of those two dudes that my mum brought back from her first trip to Spain in the 70s, and which I've now appropriated.)

All you need for the garlands is some string, some tissue paper and scissors. And that's it! Cut lengths of tissue paper, gather some together and twist a 3 inch section in the centre. Then fold it in half over the string and twist the two halves together. You can add a little glue if you want to keep it in place but I didn't bother.

Et voila! I'll be making this again for sure.

I brought it down to my sister in law's awesome salon where I have a little cabinet full of lost & found wares like wedding bouquets and record bowls. My 'shop' drastically needs a make-over so hanging the garlands in the cabinet is the start of the beautifying process. Now to drag myself off the sofa and make some signage and price tags. 

Polish paper chandelier

Since my job at the university finished for the summer I've finally had some time to devote to attacking all the amazing craft ideas I've come across so here's what I've been working on recently - it's based on the Polish paper chandeliers, or 'pajaki' that I saw in Krakow back in January (below), though much simplified!

All you need to make these are drinking straws, some thickish wire, tissue paper and wool or cord of some type. They are pretty time-consuming but I reckon it's worth the effort and I'm looking forward to having another go at making a bigger and better one. Just let me know if you'd like a full tutorial.

Et voila! These would look amazing hung above tables at a wedding or party. Contact me if you'd like me to make one for you - prices from £20.

DIY lampshades

Here are a couple of ideas for upcycling those cheap paper globe lampshades you find everywhere, and they each only cost a few pounds to make!

 

I decided that I would put the lost & found exhibition space to good use and get my craft on there. So armed with just some lampshades, paint, tissue paper and glue I came up with these two designs, and I have a whole load more ideas I still want to try out.

The star lampshade is simply a matter of cutting shapes from tissue paper and sticking them on using PVA glue. Simples.

For the paint drip lampshade you just mix some coloured paints with a little water and then use a plastic cup to drip them all over the shade. Then let it dry before then turning it upside down and repeat!

Here they are lit up:

How would you decorate yours?

Selling our wares at St.George's market

For the last couple of months I've been working with a charity called the NOW project who work with adults with learning difficulties, helping them get into employment. We've been doing weekly craft workshops and today we had a go at selling the fruits of our labour at the Friday variety market.

Joanne and trainees Marie and Jacqueline behind our stall.

We made a reasonable profit for the charity and had a great time meeting some of the other traders at St.George's, a covered market which has been trading since 1896. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the 6 O'Clock start.

We're selling button hearts, jewellery, vinage teacup plants and cake stands. If you happen to be in Belfast we'll be there for the next couple of Fridays.

And I'll leave you with a picture of this amazing old lady I spotted at the market. Everything was pink even down to her scarf, earrings, ring and lipstick. Class.