Sunday 20 July 2014

Merci and Vielen Dank


A little bit of bead crochet. 

So it was time this week for fond farewells to colleagues and friends who are moving on to various new ventures.  I wanted to give them a little special 'Thank you' from me so I made a few of these lovely beaded crochet necklaces based on Fiber Flux's Coral Blossom necklace. Fiber Flux is just such a wonderful blog-it has completely re-inspired my love of crochet-there are some fantastic tutorials on You Tube as well.  I had never used beads in crochet before and couldn't wait to try the design out with some of the gorgeous Japanese Toho beads I've been loving lately. Toho are top quality seed beads which come in an amazing array of colours and styles and have a large hole which makes threading easy-they are a pleasure to work with!

With this one I had a colleague in mind who loves blues and turquoise.

Tiny gift envelopes.

I made little gift envelopes from some pretty scrapbook papers using a Bigz L Sizzix mini envelope die. This die makes a cute little envelope ideal for small presents such as necklaces, earrings etc.


I added a glue dot to close the envelope.

A new art pen!

I have recently treated myself to a new Rotring art pen . I used to write with these a lot -they are the unparalleled kings of German fountain pen engineering! Such a lovely smooth write; I have been using cheaper italic markers for so long but with false economy-for normal writing you need the fine tip and the nibs always 'go' on them far too soon. Can you see the little stuck on label below which reads 'Mum's art pen'? Now why would there be a need for that-well because my pens have always either disappear without trace or I find them been used to scratch something on the family calendar-does this sound familiar? Well I am not having my new Rotring used for that, Vielen Dank!   


I practised my writing by making some little labels.

I popped one on each necklace with some natural jute twine.

A la cards...

For colleagues with whom I had taught languages I decided to make a Paris themed card. I gathered together some papers with French vintage themes, keeping to a palette of mostly deep red, black, vintage creams with silver accents.



Then I played around with different layouts-I love these Eiffel Tower shapes-I cut them from deep silver grey card. 

I'm a little bit in love with Graphic 45's 'Couture' collection at the moment! Gorgeous fashions from the Gatsby era in reds, black and vintage creams with plenty of Français going on as well.


I hand stamped some greetings and came up with a design which I mounted on a 5 x 5 in cream card...voilà!


I love my art altered these days and am also enamoured of the gorgeous designs from 7 Gypsies. The backing paper to the left of card above and backing the one below is from the 'Lille' collection- 
The lovely lady from 1922 is printed with a rubber stamp.


With this one I couldn't resist adding a bit of bling to the tower-after all it's always lit up at night! 


Au revoir...not Farewell.


So,  goodbyes and a little something for lovely friends to keep. Luckily I shall remain in touch with these wonderful friends and colleagues as most of them will be staying in the county. For those moving 'up country' as they say down here, there's always social media to keep in touch. I do like that of course, but how I miss the joys of letter-writing, when I could use my italic pen to my heart's content!  



Summer ends of terms are often a time for showing gratitude or saying goodbye to those moving on ...have you had to say goodbye or thank you to a friend lately? 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend...warm but with a nice breeze I hope!

Alison xx 





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12 comments:

  1. Oooh Alison what beautiful crafts you have shared!! Loved reading about and seeing them all. I love good quality pens.... I'll have to look out for the one you recommend! I'm off to have a look at some of the links you have shared too. Its lovely and warm here!! Enjoy the rest of the weekend xx

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    1. Thank you Christine-I am delighted your enjoyed them! There are so many beautiful art and craft materials around I'm always spending my pocket money! Glad you are enjoying the sunshine xx

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  2. Absolutely lovely crafts, you have been so busy, loved this post and thanks for the links, i peeked into Fiber Flux and shall enjoy browsing again, off to have a look at the others xcx

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    1. Thank you Chrissie-I am so glad the links are useful! I have started crochet again inspired by my new friends here like you as well! xx

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  3. Gosh you have been busy, your crochet necklaces are lovely especially the blue and turquoise one. Your cards are very elegant too
    Jackie x

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  4. Thank you Jackie-I have just made another of the blue and turquoise one! Have a good week xx

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  5. Hello Lovely Alison, sorry I have been away for a while - just catching up with your fabulous blog. I love the gifts you have to your friends, it is so sad to see people leave and how thoughtful of you as they will always remember you with these gorgeous gifts. I hope you are well and happy Alison, always such a treat to come and visit you. Sending you big hugs and loves
    Dorothyxxxxxxxxxxx

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    1. Hello Dorothy thank you for popping in lovely to see your message. I did enjoy making the gifts, like you I love to create something special friends can keep. Hope you are having a holiday soon and can do some of your beautiful crafts and projects in the sunshine. Love Alison xx

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  6. Your blog posts don't seem to be appearing on my dashboard, at the moment. Who knows why, the vagary of the internet.Just catching up with your goings on. Your friends are so lucky to receive those beautiful gifts. as you say, 'aurevoir but not farewell'! Jacqui xx

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  7. Oh thank you for catching up with me Jacqui and for your kind comment. They did like their gifts and already are planning another get-together so definitely 'Au revoir' xx

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  8. Such lovely creations Alison - I bet they were very well received!
    Maria x

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    1. Thank you for coming over Maria! Yes it was lovely to see how much they liked them-well worth the effort to give something handmade. Hope you're having a lovely weekend, Alison xx

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