Missed Trug

Last summer I made quite a few (three actually) trugs and shown some but not all apparently...



This one was left behind and I've found out it just now! So here it is! I am not happy with pictures, but I can't make new ones, all thrugs are long gone...

It seems overly decorated but everyone might want to make something different occasionally!



And no single crackling, have you noticed?

Antique GlassHouse

Spring' got lost somewhere... We got snow yesterday and today! It's mid of March! Anyway, it will come eventually and I try to be prepared with all these watering cans, pot holders and the like. Here we are:

Watering Can "Yorkshire Coast"

I saw it in a shop in Moscow (very funny!) and could not help buying it - this decoupage paper with vintage posters of Yorkshire coastal resorts and GNR (Great Northern Railway)!



Because they are vintage images the style was obviously vintage and I've choosen various shades of bluish grey. I like it myself actually, a rare occasion...

Leftovers of festive times

Sorry for the long absence! And many thanks to those of you who sent me lovely letters of concern about my well-being! I am truly touched!

But back to business.



After hectic Christmas time I've found some wooden boards and hearts already primed and decided to finish them instead of just putting them in the loft.



They might be just ornamental pieces or some decorative hooks, like that:



I think you've noticed that I usually decorate back sides of my objects as well, not only fronts. I know some might consider it waste of time, but I saw many times customers turning objects upside down and looking at the bottom/back of them. What they were looking for? I've no idea, but at least there would be no disappointment - everything is nice and clean!

Do you have different opinion?

Mirror, diary and some tips

I thought, that I've done with Xmas pieces, but my son-in-law asked for a diary... I've made one and want to talk about some tips which you might find useful.



The first point is ageing. Everyone knows that I like vintage items so the matter of achieving ageing effect is very important to me. Usually I use bitumen and other patinations but sometimes they add blur to the image and overall effect could be too strong. Here I decided to age background of the item before I glue the picture. In this case the image stays very sharp but overall effect is vintage.

Another point is the inside of the covers. I get crackling using shellac/gomma arabic pair and I like to wash off the layer of gomma arabic with water. It means to be very cautious to avoid water getting inside. With this diary I've lost concentration for a moment and ended up with water stains inside the cover. To rectify it I use the napkin again. The best is to use a second layer. Here I use the same napkin.



And here is a different napkin completely to underline the opulent feel of this diary.



And this is a mirror. Nothing special, but I like this napkin! Here again I shaded the frame corners before gluing the napking.

I am famous!

It's a joke but not completely! In Wednesday's issue of local newspaper The Press there was an article about the beautiful shop which is run by lovely ladies and my good friends Anna and Jemma. This is Anna in the picture:



And in there they've mentioned my name specifically and presented me as one of their main suppliers, a very crafty person and so on! All very flattery! With a picture of one of my Xmas decorations! Isn't it great? This is a Link to the article. Of course publicity is a great power! The very next morning a lady came in the shop and asked about my works in particular and bought three(!!) of them! As you can imagine I am very happy with this!