Disaster and a Sudden Frida

I mentioned that my Montreal trip was a bit of a disaster. The highlight of the trip should have been seeing the amazing light show at the Montreal Basilica, Aura.

Instead, we spent a lot of time getting lost and frustrated. I cracked my phone. There was stress. There were many, many, many deep breaths and counting to ten.

I kept saying to myself. "It's okay. We'll go to the basilica. It'll be great. It will make this ridiculous trip worthwhile."

But... we went to the basilica and could not get tickets. Disaster. It was the final straw in a long string of unfortunate events and I had a short but very ugly cry meltdown back at the car. I am not usually a big baby, but this trip was a big deal for us. Our first sort of grown up vacation as a family and so much seemed to go wrong.

In the end we wandered around a really cool area of Montreal, bought some drinks to take back to the hotel, and sat in the hottub for a bit. It wasn't the end of the world. How could it be with a hottub?!

Next month I'm heading to the UK and using the Montreal disaster as a lesson in pre-planning. I'm not filling every minute, I'm allowing for spontaneity, but I have a long list of possible things to see and do and plenty of maps and routes.

One of the things on my list is an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up. It's a collection of personal items belonging to Frida. This mixed media Frida piece sprouted suddenly in my excitement.

I've included a little mirror, a sort of nod to her theme of self portraiture.

Old odd bits and a butterfly.

I've included hummingbirds, a symbol used in her work.

I'd really love to make the exhibit, I'm planning on it, but this sudden Frida is also a reminder to not get so caught up in that 'to-do list' that I forget to enjoy the experience and miss everything else if things go tits up.

"Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away." ~ Frida Kahlo

Everything changes.

Plans change. 

This time I'll be ready to revolve too. I'll fly rather than fight against the changes.

Thanks for the lesson, Montreal.

Pretty Bird Matchboxes

Little boxes, fussy cutting, and pretty papers... swoon!

You can absolutely make your own matchboxes, but I totally cheated and bought a bunch from the dollar store. I covered them in papers from the glorousiously gorgeous Graphic 45's Floral Shoppe (seriously, I cannot get enough of those papers).

Inside are fussy cut flowers, birds and butterflies from Floral Shoppe and Seasons. 

(Disclaimer: a butterfly or flower might have snuck in from another collection. I was a flurry of paper and scissors and my memory is a total blur.)

I lined the inside of the boxes with vintage dictionary pages that have been given a wash of white acrylic paint.

Depth is created by using layers foam squares.

What is it about small things that make them precious? Holding these in your hand is like a little bit of magic.

Here's an even better look at these pretties.

Want to make your own? Here's what I used:

• matchboxes

• Graphic 45 Floral Shoppe

• Graphic 45 8" Seasons

• old papers (dictionary pages)

• acrylic wash

• glue

• foam squares

• self adhesive nail heads

Leftover Bindrune Earrings

I am not a jewelry maker. I am only just finding my jewelry wearing self to be honest.

But I had leftover bits from my AlphaStamps design kit and they demanded to be used. 

So I made these earrings from Patina Brass Narrow Feather Charms, Wide Feather Charms and
42mm Bronze Key Charms.

The top bit is a bindrune combining the runes Fehu and Perthro. A bindrune is a symbol which combines two or more runes and sort of joins their meaning. Here I'm mixing luck and new beginnings with magic, hidden knowledge and feminine power. I'm hoping these give me a little boost when I where them. (There's some debate about the meaning of Perthro but I like that particular interpretation.)

Simply connected all the bits together with jump rings and the attached the top bezel to an earring post. Easy peasy!

Here's my supply list for this unexpected extra project.

Patina Brass Narrow Feather Charms
Wide Feather Charm - Patina Brass
42mm Bronze Key Charm
14mm Round Glass Cabochons
14mm brass bezel

Earring posts
Jump Rings

A Little Big Fat Nature Journal

This month's AlphaStamps kit has sprouted an ATC sized nature themed junk journal.

I separated the panels from an ATC Ticket Journal as a base for many of the pages and used some Water Media ATC Cards for others.

Really I just made a whole bunch of ATC's and then stitched those suckers together. They make a lovely fat little book.

To bind the pages I simply poked three holes in one side, and tied them together with Bakers Twine which I've muddied up with a wash of brown paint.

The interior pages are a jumble of collage sheets and papers and fussy cut bits and bobs. Check the bottom for the complete list of supplies used.

I'm really pleased with how all of those wee ATC's came together to form a cohesive bookette. If you'd like to make your own, here's all the bits and pages and papers I used.

Bakers Twine - Black
Ornithology Collage Sheet
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Entomology Butterflies
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Herbs & Antique Wood
1 Inch Wide Paris Pocket Watch Pendant
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Ephemera
Bees, Birds and Butterflies Collage Sheet
Blue Birds Collage Sheet
Songbirds - ATCs & 4x4s Collage Sheet
M for the Magpie Collage Sheet
Aged Parchment Scrapbook Paper
Mixed Size Butterfly Dresden Scraps
ATC Ticket Journal
La Mode - Papillon Collage Sheet
Anthology Scrapbook Paper - Antiquity Note Cards
Water Media ATC Cards - Set of 20


And if you want to find them all in one place... TA DAHHH!