Did IMention I Love Days Off...

Hello!! I've had a busy day today! a big ol' group of us went to Cirencester today (a village local to Cheltenham. A friend had recommended it as there were quite a few gift shops which would probably take some flyer's for the craft fair.

Which look like this by the way...

El did them (she is a very talented young lady and i am very happy to be working with her!!)

Anyways...the trip went very well. lots of people took some flyer's (apart from one horrible lady who said no because 'if people go to your craft fair they wont come to my shop...'. Jo, the friend who tipped me off, recommended a great shop called MADE, a little shop which sells crafts from local people. They were very positive about the craft fair and best of all asked me and el to bring in some of our stuff as they may be interested in selling it!!! The day was finished off with some...

Great charity shop button finds...

Some interesting cake (Gluten Free Carrot and Walnut hmmmm not sure about it)

Coming home and making some button drawing pins...

Finding a much much much quicker way to make dust bunnies (YAY!! no knitting needle incidents)

And making a pin cushion for el...as a thank you for working so hard on the flyer's.

Phew!!! sorry if i overloaded on the pictures....I'm off to watch the recording of number one ladies detective agency. thank you to the tips for the pincushions. i made els from a lighter fabric and it works a ot better!

See you Soon!!

xxx

An Idea in the Making....

Hi everyone! i hope you are all well and happy. i met with some of the people who are doing stalls at the craft fair...i was a little bit nervous about it, but it went really well. I'm very happy that i decided to organise this craft fair. i hope this one goes well because if it does I'm going to try and do them every 2 months!!

i keep seeing these gorgeous pin cushions in vintage cups and saucers, and i have been thinking about making them for a few weeks now. anyway whilst having a browse in a charity shop the other day i came across a cute little bowl for 50p and thought it was a good opportunity to have a go at these pin cushions. i had a go before i met the lovely ladies of the craft fair. what do you think?

id say i would give it an 8 out of 10. i think the fabric i used is a bit too heavy so whenever i take a pin out it lifts out of the bowl. perhaps i could glue it in? or maybe use a thinner fabric so that the pins come out easier? any suggestions? (how cute is the little bowl!!) hehehehe i just realised that if this works i can buy more pretties form the charity shops and not have to worry about where i can put them!! GENIUS!!

Right then....I'm off. i need to go and find some info about buses to cirencester. the flyers are ready for the craft fair and Ive been told there are some crafty shops there that would probably take some! (also Ive been told the charity shops are good there too!!!)

Speak to you tommorow!!

xx

Second Tea Towel Wallet.

Hi everyone! we had a lovely evening last night. every year we always go the the same restaurant for our anniversary, it is normally a really relaxed place which serves lovely Thai food....except in between this anniversary and the last it must have changed owners because it was very different!! the food was still yummy and we had a good evening but the atmosphere was all different...a bit snobbier.ohhh well things change i guess.

i did some baking today but forgot to take a picture. i think if i had they would of looked quite pale anyway. i made lemon and white chocolate muffins...they taste yummy but they look real pale.

i also made another wallet....its a small one (i thought it was too small but Arthur reminded me that some people like small wallets) its made from the same tea towel as the one i made two or three posts ago...

I'm quite pleased with how the fabric looks in these pictures....nice and vintage. i also like the big flower on the back of it.

i was supposed to but this up yesterday but i forgot. a while back i did a swap with a friend at work. i would make him a monster and he would do a sketch for me. i have the sketch by my sewing table...i think it is just ink. anyway he said that he had coloured the sketch in on photoshop and that he would email it to me if i wanted....what do you think?....

His name is Chris Rixon, the work he does is soo incredibly detailed...i don't understand how he does it!! he said that i had to post a picture of it here and i have...so there you go Chris.

Right...that's all for now i think.

Take Care

xx

WOW!!! What a Great Spring Swap!!!

My Spring Swap Parcel from Claire over at dolly dollop.

I am one lucky lady!!! I'm sorry about the quality of photos but i had to take them in a rush because the battery light started to flash on the camera!!!

a super cute union jack heart brooch...this is going straight on my coat!!!

some lovely spring time bunting!! cant wait to put this around my sewing corner!!

A really cute spring chicken!!! i had seen these on Claire's blog and fell in love with them!! I'm soo pleased to have one of my own!!

Some yummy chocolates (which i most certainly have NOT eaten already!) and some la toile fabric (a very welcome addition to my stash!!)

a gorgeous union jack cushion with super cute fairy fabric!!!
And a BEAUTIFUL spring time plate!!! I'm very happy with all of the gifts but i love this plate!!!! i have another plate in a similar shape but different decoration.

Thank you soo much Claire, you've put the items i sent to you to shame!!! thank you!!

Also a big thank you to Fairienuff for organising the swap....i want to do another one now, i enjoyed this one soo much!anyone know of one going on??

Right, it looks like those pesky monsters, which break into the flat and leave little messy piles everywhere,have popped in for a visit!! and i have to wash my hair and pluck my eyebrows!!! me and arth are going out for dinner tonight for our anniversary!!

Take Care My lovely little chickens!

xx

Just a Little Scrappy Thing.

Hello! thank you very much to everyone who commented on my grumpy post yesterday...your comments really cheered me up!!!

I've done a bit of stuff for the craft fair today...trying to find places to advertise the craft fair....i registered it on a website i found which has listings of craft fair....but after that i kind of got stuck. any suggestions?

Whilst puffing out my cheeks and looking at my laptop with a very bored look on my face i made this....

My nan and grandad gave me about 5 metres of this strange fabric type stuff, apparently it is used to make hats stiffer. Jo mentioned what it could be called a few weeks ago but i cant remember what she said!! anyways i like it...it is a little bit scratchy but it will do for my coat. what do you reckon?

Right better be off now...got another one of those annoying 'stuck right in the middle of your day shifts!'

I'll be back soon

xx

First of the Tea Towel Wallets

afternoon everyone, i hope you are all well. i have a stupid headache today....I'm not too surprised, i went to bed a bit grumpy and stressed out, whenever i do this i always wake with a bad head? maybe it is because i sleep with a frown on my face?? hehehe.

i was grumpy yesterday night because my job at the cinema is really grinding me down at the moment. i know some of my friends from the cinema read this...so don't take offence. I'm just finding it hard to deal with the place at the moment. because it is quite a big chain there are lots of rules which suggest (to me) that they don't trust anyone who works for them. i know that there are some dishonest people which probably work for any of the cineworld cinemas but im not one of them. i kind of take it very personally when we have to follow 'silly rules'. oh dear...i really didn't mean to rant about the cinema. i know you shouldn't moan about your job as there are soo many people around which don't have one but it just got me a bit depressed yesterday.

Anyways, on a less depressing note. i made the first of the tea towel wallets for the craft fair today. I'm pretty happy with it but not 100% (Arthur always says that i am never 100% happy with anything i make!) i think the button goes quite well with the fabric.

i used some pelmet interfacing when i made this and it has given it such a better shape and is soo much sturdier then other interfacing Ive used before.

i was a bit worried that it would be a bit difficult to get any money or change out but i think it should be OK.

Well, there you have it...the first tea towel wallet. i can get a bit obsessed with making wallets once i start...i don't know why it just seems that once i make one i have to make a shed load more....so followers of this blog....i hope you like wallets!hehehehe

Right...I'm going to do some boring replying to emails and other such.

take care everyone

xx

Look What Came In The Post Today!!

i was perusing through ebay the other week, looking for some tea towels to make some wallets for the craft fair and found a collection of six which looked good. i put a bid in and won!! normally i just go for the buy it now option on ebay but not this time!!! i got all of the towels for just under five pounds!!!! and they came all nicely wrapped up...something i have never seen from the other stuff i have brought on ebay. look....

and here are the tea towels...I'm very happy with them and cant wait to get going on the wallets tomorrow!!!

The weekend in Bristol was great...i brought lots of glass jars and relaxed too!!

Right, i have a few things to finish up so I'll be back soon!!!

xx

Look who just checked in...

Morning all!!! firstly thank you for the lovely comments about the new hairdo...I'm used to it now and i like it!! (which is good i guess!!)

Ive been busy this morning sorting out the table plan for the craft fair! i think i managed to fit everyone in. if any of you are local please pop over and say hello...if you want. it would be lovely to meet the people who read the jumbled up words i type here!!

i just finished these two creations for the stuffednonsense stall...

This is Black'n'Blue. he is a retired bare knuckle fighter...but has left his violent past behind. he has decided that he would like to grow old gracefully and has found that he has a passion for visiting stately homes. he has lots of plasters on him because he still has a bit of healing left to do!

I'm not sure what this fella should be called....i hand sewed him and i think that makes his legs and arms look a bit lumpy!! what names do you think???

Right...I'm off to pack an over night bag!!(ikea today...bath tomorrow which means Ben's cookies tomorrow!!!)

Have a great weekend and mothers day to all you ma's out there!!

xx

Taaaa Daaaa!!

Soooo...this is me....what do you think? Ive got a bit of a dorky smile on here but it will do. i think i like the new hair its very different to what it was before. i guess that now would be a good time to do an award i got given a while back from Nicky at hollypops. i have to put down seven things i love, here goes....
1. i love Arthur ( four years next week)
2. i love sausage dogs.
3. i love buttons...especially unexpected jars of them..
4.i love my family and everything that they have taught me.
5. i love being creative and making things.
6. i love it when people buy the stuff i make
7. i love my friends.

i have to send this to seven more people :
Bonita at beakycrafts
Bethany at bethany allen.
Mel at country in the town.
Maranda at mandMstudio
Kirsty at CraftyFish
Sarah at the blueberry patch.
Louise at thirtyfive flowers.

o.k. your go now!!!!
oh, just wanted to post a picture of this little found i sniffed out today...
for ONE POUND! and it says Wedgwood on the bottom!! (not sure if its real though) i love the colour...it made me think of the 1920's...i think I'm going to use it drink hot chocolate from!!

Right...that's all for now...we are going to go to the flicks tonight...young Victoria or gran torino...

take care

xx

Fresh From the Button Bouquet Brooch Press...

i enjoyed making the button bouquet brooch for Claire that i decided i was going to make some for the sale...which is what i spent ,y time doing today....until i ran out of brooch backs grrrrrrr!!! What do you think...I'm not sure which one i like the most...i Will say that i am little bit wary of these as i have seen similar brooches on folksy, but i think mine are different enough as the ones i have seen are not on felt and are like buttons on top each other (maybe they are glues) I'm not sure. either way i think I'm safe with these ones.

thank you for you comments on the things i made for the swap. its my first swap and i was a bit worried that i hadn't done it 'right'.

The craft fair plans are going well. all of the stalls are now gone!!! now i just need to give myself a headache over the table plan!! arth has said he will help me, which i am very grateful for!! we are going to go to Bristol on Saturday to see his folks, Alison said she would take me to ikea!! which will hopefully mean that the button storage problem solved....but will probably lead to a fabric storage problem after i buy lots of pretty fabric from there!!!

Right...I'm off to make some lunch/tea both Arthur and i have work at 5!! day off tomorrow tho'.....and if it looks OK....I'm going to post a picture of my new hair....that's right I'm going to put a face all of these ramblings you have soo kindly been reading!!

Take Care

xx

Lovely Spring Time Makes...

NOTE: CLAIRE IF YOU ARE READING THIS....LOOK AWAY...

i finished making all the bits i wanted to send for the spring time swap which is organised my pixiedust. it was a spring time/Easter swap...i decided to go with the spring time theme. (inspiration was definitely not striking when i tried to think of things to do with Easter, i had eggs and rabbits...that was it.)

So with out further ado..

A spring time coin purse...i did a little patch work thing on the top with Amy butler and free spirit fabrics which have flowers on and/or are pale green and pink (from those great scraps bags from the eternal maker.)

you cant see it too well here but these are actually a very pale green and they are flowers...so i thought spring time.
a pretty pearl and pink bracelet...i hope this is spring time enough...

This is my favorite thing in the swap!!! i hope the colors on this one are spring timey enough...what do you think? I'm going to call them button bouquet brooches...expect to see lots of these at the craft fair!!!

Well....that's all for today. i have a stupid shift which starts at 2.30 and finished at 10.30!!! its right in the middle of every part of the day!!!! grrrrrrr!!!

xx

And The Winner Is.....

That's right!!! i picked the winner of my first ever give away today.....Here they all go into the owl jar i brought the other day(i knew i would find a use for it!)
Shake them up!!!
Pick them out...i had my eyes squeezed shut....that's right I'm a 22 year old acting like a five year old!!
And the winner is Nicky from Hollypops. Congratulation Nicky....if you could email your address to me (bexsbuttons@hotmail.com) i will send your bounty to you as soon as possible!!

Thank you to everyone who entered i really enjoyed doing this soo i may do another one soon...who knows

xxx

Just Checking In..

Afternoon!

just popping by to see how you all are....i had planned to have done a little bit of something but i lost my temper. i was all organised and cut out and sewed together 10 miniature dust bunnies.....then promptly stuck the end of my knitting needle through SIX of them and had to throw them in the bin!!!!.So i thought id finish a brooch i was making last night....but then promptly sewed the brooch back on the wrong side!! so i got stroppy and didn't do anymore!!! i went to meet Arthur from work and had a big old pork and stuffing baguette then came home and fell asleep on the sofa!!! the snooze was good but i have to go to work soon and i feel like the day has just flown away!!!

i thought i would post about a great giveaway on a lovely ladies blog, her name is Maranda and you can enter the give away here. she sells the most lovely looking fabric....and very often makes me jealous of the fabric goodness at her finger tips!!! Ive got a day off tomorrow and I'm going to try and solve the problem of turning the dust bunnies the right way round without ruining them...any suggestions? and I'm also going to draw the winner of my giveaway!!! hehehehehehe. right until then here's a picture of a chipmunk i took last week.....

xxx

Button Earrings Anyone???

phew!! Ive been busy... after i posted last night i went on to finish of a custom order of a batch of jewellery for girls. After Alison sold some of my jewellery at the school she teaches in, one of her friends asked her if i would make a batch of jewellery for girls as she wanted to use them as presents for when her little one goes to parties. i made 8 pairs of hair clips, 5 bracelets and 3 necklaces. i hope that that's enough and that the sizes are OK....turns out I'm no expert on the sizes of young children's wrists!!

I took a look in the drawer where i keep stock for the stuffednonsense/bexsbuttons stall, and decided it looked a little bit bare....soooo knuckled down to some button sorting and these are the outcomes....

i had hoped to do 5 pairs of droplet style earrings but i only had enough findings for 4 droplets so i made a pair of studs too...these have always been really popular at previous sales i have done. the buttons on the two top pairs are fabulously vintage....I'm not sure if they might be Bakelite or some such thing?? does anyone know how you tell what buttons are made of??

i like the packaging for these...the backing of sheet music makes the earrings look extra cute i think.

i was worried the other day that i was blogging too much, but then i figured that when i blog it kind of helps me switch of the crafty scatter brain side of my brain for a few minutes. its only going to get worse in the next month with the fair coming up...poor old arth, hes going to lose his girlfriend to buttons,table arrangements,fabric and thread.

I'll be back soon i imagine!! Oh, thanks to everyone who has entered the giveaway...there's still time to enter as I'm going to close the competition on Sunday...just comment on the post 2 or 3 posts below. Thanks for all of your comments about what you are likeing...im glad other people appreciate Richard Scarry!!

Take Care Pumpkin Pies.

xx

Things That I Like Alot At the Moment...

Afternoon all,

i met up with jo from ThingsHandmade today and we spent a lovely couple of hours talking about all things crafty. i had a great time, and Jo kindly offered to run the kids Arts and Crafts stall at the craft fair, which is very generous of her. thank you Jo.

When i got off the bus in Cheltenham i popped into the Oxfam bookshop and found a little pot of gold. Which brings me on to the post title of things i like at the moment....

RICHARD SCARRY BOOKS...(i know the manager of said bookshop and i think i might have scared him a bit when i screamed after he said 'yeah we have a Richard Scarry book'.) Ive been after one for agggggeeesss. the illustrations are incredible; which was one of the reasons why i wanted one, but i also wanted one because i have memories of going round to my grandmas and me ad my sister reading an old copy of the 'wonderful world of richard scarry.' which was my dads!!i am soo incredibly pleased to have this in my book collection. LOOK...

I also like....

JAM ON TOAST (we brought some posh jam the other day and i cant stop eating on toast.)

And i like this quite a bit at the moment

COFFEE (i used to be more of tea girl....and i still am in the morning....but during the day it has to be coffee for me.)

I especially like....

Finding bargains like this little fella for 50p!!! I'm not sure what i will put in him...but at 50p i couldn't leave him behind. i seem to be collecting owls at the moment....ohh well, i guess there are worse things to collect.

Righto, i reckon that about enough from me today. what about you guys? what are your favorite things at the moment??
Take Care
xx

Give Away!!!!

That's right this is post number 100!!!! which means a lovely give away!!! all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (with a way for me to get in touch sooo...if your commenting from your blog i can get in touch that way, or if you don't have a blog leave an email.) il leave entries open until Sunday 15th. there's going to be nice little collection so give it a go!!!

Right onto other things....this is me as a super hero!!! i found this on Rowans blog (http://kitschensinkuk.blogspot.com/) and thought i would have a go.Hehehehehe its funny no?

Also....drum roll please....

i made this lovely lady for the stuffednonsense stall in April...

this AUDREY ANTEATER, if you want to find out more of her story check out stuffednonsense (link on top left of this page)her tongue is amazing!!!

Right, only a quickie...soup time now!!!

(please enter the give away everyone...i was worried about doing this in case i got spurned but hey!!!)

I'll be back soon!!!

xx