Item the 5th..SPCA*PATCHES

So here it is at last.. the 5th item in the series.. a comfy dogtooth cushion cover in mustard and purple with vintage braid trimming and felt silhouettes of DOGGIES!

Just so that you know.. It comes with handmade cushion stuffing stuffed by yours truly with foam scraps from cushions that had seen better days. Did someone say 'recycle'?

.. oh and there's so much left of the material.. I think I'll be making a cape!






And if you need anymore reminding.. please tune into our facebook pages, blogs and tumblrs for mre info about this initiative.

Sarah Micallef: blog and facebook page

Denise Scicluna: blog and facebook page

Carla Said: tumblr

and myself : blog and facebook page

Woof!

Item the 4th..SPCA*PATCHES

This 4th item from my SPCA*PATCHES contribution has taken the best of 7 hours .. and considering it took me a while to get going on my crafting today (I think I may have overdone it yesterday by staying up so late!) let's just say, that being this happy with the end result is always the best consolation.

Here's a lampshade frame.. scrubbed clean of all its glue and remaining tufts of material which once covered it.. and below is the same space consuming curtain (now thankfully much reduced in size) which I ranted about in one of yesterday's posts. I have indeed found another use for it today and I thank the elves in my dreams for it..

Scroll down to see for yourselves...

Every metal 'rib' is covered in colourful ribbons whilst the straw curtain strands are woven into, over and round about them... with an impromptu straw pompom at each of the 8 dips in the base of the frame.

I have a confession to make.. with this lampshade I couldn't respect the pet animal theme.. I was hoping the pretty dimly lit photos would help you forgive me... If this shade finds the loving home it deserves, one could always sit in its light, PET in lap, reading a book. (trying hard much?)

Item the third..SPCA*PATCHES

I have a feeling I've already told you all about how busy I've been keeping.. so I'll just cut to the chase and tell you a little something about the 3rd out of five items I'll be donating to the SPCA at the next Patches Market on the 27th of November.

I love how this bag has turned out.. in it I managed to bring together a found bag which, though in relatively good condition, felt flimsy, crumpled and yes, dare I say, neglected. However, what I did also source from the charity shop was a tangled straw curtain for which I have no space in my house - it spoke to me, so against better judgement I got it anyways. Which turned out to be a good thing since it presented me with a good challenge to adapt to these projects.. hopefully more of it will make it to the remaining 2 projects. This bag needed some daisy chain braid and subtle gold details.. but what it needed mostly was, I think, the mock-beribboned-ponytail keychain! It is now a happy bag!

BIRD's the word! .. let us all know what you think about this initiative via our blogs and facebook pages..

Sarah Micallef: blog and facebook page

Denise Scicluna: blog and facebook page

Carla Said: tumblr

and myself : blog and facebook page

.. tweeettttt

Item the second..SPCA*PATCHES

I have been keeping busy.. waking up early, getting most of the routine chores done first thing in the morning when the energy levels are at their highest and then collapsing in front of my work (wish I could call it a more respectable 'bench' but it is in fact a) desk and applying myself like there is no tomorrow. It's a possibility and we do not like to take chances.. especially since we love doing what we do and we now have all the time in the world to do it in.

ooo.. I hear distant thunder rumbling.. and what perfect meteorological timing..

For the second item in the SPCA*PATCHES series I've decided to transform this piece of faux (of course! and especially in this case..) fur into a short stole/furry furry scarf for the coming winter. By dyeing the lace motif an antique pale pink and adding pearl and bead details I was hoping that the stole would exude enough drama and decadence to see the wearer to the opera. Alas this year's will be taking place at the end of October.. so I decided to thread in some tassel action as a base for a cute pink upturned plastic flower and a felt CAT face; making the stole casual enough and therefore fit to see you through the whole of this winter before taking it to the opera next year!

yes.. this stole is dedicated to a personal favourite pet category.

Here's the fur after a thorough cleaning.. sitting quietly on my splintered spare chair and..

here's the finished result..

I was wondering.. would it be uncool to buy the items back myself from the SPCA stall? .. really looking forward to seeing what the others will be coming up with as well!

... miaooo

Item the first..SPCA*PATCHES

Here is the hat I selected from the Happy Paws warehouse .. a fine herringbone wool, still-in-good-condition hat.. all it needed was some minor fixing of the lining inside, some steaming back into shape, and of course, that extra something special.

In keeping with the pet-animal theme we girls decided upon, I've dedicated this hat to one of the fluffiest of the lot.. the bunny rabbit! SPThe four-leaved clover braid was something a good friend of mine unearthed from a jumble sale and (kindly, as always) passed on to me to use as I see fit.. the buckle also came with a lot of odd items passed on to me from one of my grandma's friends.. and I made sure that the felt ears matched exactly in colour with the thread I chose for the subtle blanket stitch round the brim.

Hope it looks as cosy from your side of the screen as it does from mine! Roll on Winter!

Happy Paws indeed - The SPCA*PATCHES saga begins!

I am back, with friends, on the cusp of a good thing!

We'll be applying our crafty hands to a cause close to our hearts.. stray cats and dogs and their general well-being.. but even more particularly, the cats and dogs that fall under the direct care of SPCA. Four of us, five items each.. to be exhibited and hopefully sold from a stall at the 9th edition of Patches Market (Sun, 27th Nov) minded by volunteers from the NGO.

Here's the lowdown: We rummage through the donated stuff at the Sliema outlet of the Happy Paws charity shop, choose some of the perhaps less attractive items as our raw material and transform/embellish as best we can in order to create desirable objects for the visitors at Patches.. all the profits go to the organisation and, hopefully, in the process, more people get to know about the workings of such a charitable establishment.

.. oh and all four of us will be documenting our crafty journey up till the said Sunday.. so keep tuned to our respective ports!

The Patches Market site and facebook page

My Babettopolis blog and facebook page

Sarah Micallef's Secret Rose blog and facebook page

Denise Scicluna's blog and facebook page

and Carla Said's Cholita tumblr

Here's what we selected.. and photos of the selection in process.. we did promise documentation didn't we!?

photo by Denise Scicluna

And here's me talking money and making some personal purchases. By the way.. do find some time to visit the charity shop; it houses a constant and healthy stream of good quality items!

photo by Sarah Micallef

I find hugging straw-covered bead curtains very fulfilling.

photo by Sarah Micallef

photo by Sarah Micallef


photo by Denise Scicluna

Here's my lot.. I've been justly accused of color scheming.. oh well!

I shall leave you with a picture of the 'Keeper of the Mighty Mess' .. all of the selected items I've duly washed, cleaned and disinfected.. The 'real' work will start as from tomorrow!