Variation On A Theme...

On Monday, during the StencilGirl / Lost Coast Designs blog hop I created a somewhat silly spread in my journal.  (BTW, it's not too late to get in on the fun or the prizes in that blog hop!)

Today I've decided to pull out a few other materials, namely this wonderful little coloured 'paper pocket' and a tag so that I could create a cute little variation yesterday's theme.  It's all really quick funny, since I've never been concerned about birthdays or my age, but I know some people are and so the idea was born.

I had this newsprint on which I had cleaned the dictionary stamp I used in the blog hop post while I was doing the background Gelli print.  I tore a couple of pieces from it to glue to the pocket and the tag.  Then using Inktense pencils, a stencil, the little black insert from doggie poo bags, and some acrylic paint I added some additional colour and texture.



Notice the drippage...drippage makes me happy!



Since all the additions resulted in the backgrounds not being totally flat, I stamped the two bird stamps on to deli paper, tore the images out, and adhered them using matte medium.


Add some magazine cut outs for the text, some fun tassels to the tag using yarns or whatever you have on hand and you've got a cute little birthday 'card' for that special friend who's celebrating the --th anniversary of their 29th birthday!

The message says, "A little bird told me it was your birthday...-but don't worry...I put an end the THAT!"

Here are the two pieces separate:

 

And what they look like with the tag tucked into the pocket ready to be presented to your friend!

What Do You Do When You Have No Pockets?

Although pockets tend to inform my shopping to some extent, a few of my clothes don't seem to have them. Although I can't be bothered carrying a lot around with me, I do need somewhere to keep my iPhone, a bit of cash and maybe my Visa card and my keys.

On Monday, I showed you a 6 inch square of my rust dyed fabric that I had embellished using Michelle Ward's stencil design and some hand stitching, and I promised to show you how I was going to use it.  Well, it has become a tiny little pocket/bag!

I created the bag using a simple pattern idea from Jane Davila, which I altered to suit my personal needs. The 6 inch hand stitched square was bound with the same fabric that creates the accents by the zipper and the inside lining.  This creates an open front pocket in addition to the one compartment within the bag.  I couldnt' find a strap that I was happy with, so I made my own by combining some Blue trim and a bit of copper coloured 'rope' trim.