More Christmas Map-ness

It's been too long with out a adult-sized map craft project, so I'll simply wish you...

Made with the only map I could find in my extensive hoard that didn't have NZ at the end of the earth paper!

                                       (My tacky-ed up version Emily Henderson's stylish number)

My Creative Space, and a question...

Been mucking around with bits of paper, making bunting mainly.

Two lots of the tri-colour for two Brit-birthdays

(The cabinet is also a work in progress. Two more drawers to repair and we'll be there)

Map bunting started, taken from a beautifully coloured, 1943 school geography text book.

Pretty, or horrific abuse of interesting old stuff?

All I thought was "ace colours for 20c".

I drew the line at using the map which showed the relative areas held by the Allies and the nazi forces at Nov 1942. Genocide and bunting don't mix.

Husband thought someone would probably collect these and it might be 'worth something'.

I read a blogger recently lamenting the wanton use of precious china cups for DIY candles, worried they'd crack with the heat. Just after I'd finished drilling my 'by royal appointment" china plate for a tiered cake stand.

Older lady at Sunday library craft group was horrified at my using sheet music to chop up, "some of that stuffs rare". Ditto mother-in-law at chopped up old doily bunting "it used to take us days to make one of those".

Do we have a duty as old-stuff aficionado's to research the stuff we buy before we smash it up for mosaics, or is it ok when it takes on a new life, recycled, loved, looked at all over again. Is the reason I can't find my dream 70's marimekko dress because it's been chopped up for a quilt?!

Do you draw the line anywhere when it comes to using old stuff for craft?

Me doing that creative space linky-thingy again

A box of butterflies

I've been meaning to show you the boxes of butterflies I've made, finished.

I'm really quite partial to maps.

I've loved them for as long as I remember. Making myself travel sick, every trip, my nose in the road atlas as we drove each summer to Skegness, Scarborough, or Blackpool. No "are we nearly there yet mum" for me, and the excitement was heightened as I thought I knew before anyone else just how close we were to getting there.

Butterflies. They wouldn't ordinarily have been my thing. But I love these. Not just because I'm so pleased with how well they have turned out, I think it's something to do with having a little girl, despite my best defenses some of the cute fluff seeps in to your taste mechanism!

The frame was op-shopped and 'up-cycled' with some old housepaint. 

I traced some butterflyshapes from a library book on butterfly classification.

Some outlines looked better than others.

I made a carboard template for each and then traced and cut out shapes from my map, 4 for each butterfly.

Sewn down the middle, stuck on with double sided sticky tape.

Pinned only because I had some blunt pins with pretty coloured bobbles on the end.

I got a white mount cut by a picture framer, only $5. Makes it look neater, finished.

It doesn't have to be maps. The second down on the right is a Claud painting.

Or even butterflies. Anything with a bit of body to show off the print would work.

An apple, a heart, a hand.

Japanese washi paper, in an op-shopped Japanese frame.

In Claudine's bedroom now.

The map of Paris from my honeymoon, with holes at the corners, biro scribblings and all.

Backed with some cool wallpaper I op-shopped.

 Also a keeper though I'm not too keen on this frame.

Yes, I've made three.

I'm a bit obsessed. Addicted!

I think it's because they look so good for so little effort and everyone loves them.

Which is good because at this rate this is what everyone is going to get for Christmas/Birthdays for some time to come.

I op-shopped another box frame on the weekend and then the hubby came home with a beautiful rimu one yesterday.

I can't wait to get stuck in!

This is me, doing the creative space thingy!