The Interval - Festive Candle Jar Set

Ok so my childhood favourites seems to have come to a standstill, not for want of trying. I did have some Moomins lined up but since i got no reply from the store at Etsy it leaves me with a missing week and since there seems to have been a distinct lack of things that grabbed me with this theme I'm gonna have to re-think things. So with Christmas in July looming i am sharing one of my creations for this week. This is my Festive Candle Jar made using a re-cycled jar, Lili of the Valley die cuts and lots of enthusiasm. I personally love this as i do the Wedding Belles set i did this week found over at my main blog Constellations. Hope you like them :)

Childhood Favourites...

Meet Stupid Cats, Michelle or rather Bagpuss created by Michelle. This month or three weeks possibly as we are now a week into this month is all about childhood favourites and i couldn't resist including Bagpuss in this showcase. As i child i loved to watch Bagpuss in the shop with Emily and Professor Yattle and i have a Bagpuss clock in the bedroom that my son loved to play with until we took the batteries out. It was so loud when Bagpuss yawned lol.

So here is a little about Michelle and her work. Btw Michelle I'm thrilled to read that you write, i love to write too :)

I've had a passion for drawing since I was small, but it wasn't until I was living in Iceland in the 1990s that I got involved with a group of creative folk who suggested I tried selling some of my work in a local gallery. I was quite stunned when people actually started buying my pictures! I drew the first stupidcat in 2001 after a fellow artist introduced me to the crayon/ink technique that quickly became my preferred medium, and sold quite a few locally. I've been back in the UK for some years now, and it's only recently that I've started drawing again - mainly due to being made redundant and suddenly having a bit of time on my hands. I came across Etsy by accident one day, and thought "Hmmm, well it's worth a try!" so started popping out a few stupidcats. I've been delighted with the wonderful feedback I've had from fellow Etsy folk, and also with the lovely comments people leave for me on the stupidcats Facebook page, and on Twitter - it's given me the confidence to pluck up the courage to book a stall at my first ever craft fair in early June, which I'm very excited about. I've also been bouncing off the walls for the last few days after logging into my email account to find that I'd had my first sale on Etsy - hurrah!
When I'm not drawing (or working - I've managed to find a new full time job at last), I write stories for children under my pen-name of Rose Appleby. I was extremely lucky recently to actually secure an excellent literary agent after only sending out three manuscripts - I can't quite believe that myself yet!
In a nutshell, I'm just someone who loves words and pictures, and likes to make people smile. Oh yes, and I love cats of course. The stupider the better!

Thanks Michelle for letting me share your work.Please stop by Michelle's Blog and Etsy Store linked at the top of the post.

I just had to include this Vampire cat my son would just love to see this lol :)

For those that have never seen Bagpuss here is a snippet :)

All behind like the you know what

Sorry folks, I'm a bit behind with posts on Ivys Attic. I intended to have April off and seemed to have spilled over into May. I will be back. Once we are in June i will be back with more exciting things to feed your minds :)

Is there anything in particular you might like to see theme wise. July will be a festive theme, Christmas in July, it's a good time to start thinking about ideas of which i have lots already.Let me know what you think :)

Double Trouble

Meet Linda, i know you can phone a friend if you wish but i'm sure you can see from the featured pieces why i asked to feature Linda's work on Ivy's Attic, i think this actually covers the theme of Celestial and my love of owls.

Here is a bit of information about Linda and her work.

Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by sailors, the indigenous art form of the
American Whaleman, who, in his idle hours of cruising for whale, devoted himself to fashioning articles and jewelry of whale ivory.

"The American Whaling Fleet ceased to exist in the last century, however, this art is being carried on by modern American artisans on materials that do not endanger any species.

Linda Layden has been a full time professional scrimshander for over 30 years. Her work is sold in fine gift shops, galleries and museums and found in many private collections. Her Etsy shop, www.lindalayden.etsy.com makes her work available directly to you and she welcomes custom orders."

Please take the time to stop by and check out Linda's other lovely pieces.Thanks for sharing Linda :)

By the light :)

Check this out, isn't it beautiful, can you tell what it is yet?

The temptation would be not to use it but just admire it but wouldn't it just look great, in the bathroom or bedroom!

Meet Bubbletub, maker of all things pampering and beautiful. Couldn't help but ask if she minded me including her in my month of all things celestial. This is what she had to say.

Hi Fairy thank you that is so sweet of you. I have no idea what to tell you I have been tinkering with soaps and toiletries for 25 years. My mom got me interested by introducing me to different herbs and what I can use them for.
I love my job and wouldn't do anything else in the world :o)
I love to garden and I am passionate about keeping things natural and holistic. Our mascot at Bubble Tub is my grumpy cat called Frosty Pawz he rules the roost making sure everyone is doing their jobs and stops to pet him lol.

Oops i forgot to include Frosty Pawz but had to include this ode to the Goddess of the Sea Amphitrite. Please stop by Bubble Tub and check out her gorgeous goodies :)

Celestial Delights

Continuing my theme of Celestial Delights please meet ShadowMoon. I think these beautiful pieces of jewellery pretty much speak for themselves. I know they caught my eye the minute i saw them

This is a little about ShadowMoon. I work full-time in an office where I sit and stare at a computer all day. I'm constantly being threatened with layoffs in order to make the company I work for very lean and unfortunately, mean. It has created an environment where the survivors of two previous layoffs are jumping through hoops and cannibalizing others work responsibilities in order to stay in the game Soooo, in dire need of an escape from all this, I turned to crystals and semi-precious gemstones. It was my salvation and an escape to something I loved. They brought me much needed peace, brought out my creative side and introduced me to Wicca. In an effort to keep my new love for the metaphysical properties and beauty of crystals and gemstones close to me (for protection against negativity) I started putting these items into jewelry. Then through word of mouth I discovered Etsy! A way to do what I loved AND make some money? What a concept! Although I do not make enough from Etsy to support me

or my family, it does support my habit, which is the joy of finding the things that I love and loving what I create with them. Add to that the thrill of getting a sale is just the cherry on top! :)

I think it's interesting what attracts you to the craft of another, of course i couldn't help to be grabbed by this beautiful jewellery but have also had an interest in crystals and their use for quite some time. My biggest problem is remembering what I've bought and what attracted me to it in the first place lol. Thanks to ShadowMoon for letting me share with you and thanks also for your comments about this blog, it has a 'very good aura about it' what more could i wish for truly :)

Please stop by ShadowMoons Etsy store found here.

Starlight

Meet Starlight, you can find her here and the best bit is she is in the sale over at the Dreamy Giraffe :)

Those of you that stop by regularly will know i am a big fan of Kathy's work so this is my second post here at Ivy's Attic featuring her work. This month, and I'm a bit late posting is my Celestial themed month so you can appreciate my reasons for choosing to include this piece.Thanks to Kathy for letting me include it, you can read more about Kathy and her work here. Please stop by and take a look at Kathy's other wonderful art.

Thought i would include her 'Finding Wonderland' piece too, seems only fair while some of the world is going mad in wonderland lol.