what katie did next...

Papercuts - What Katie did next may be venturing into new territory...

The main reason I called this business 'What Katie did next...' was because I am not only a Textile Artist, I also love to work in other mediums too, and I didn't want to restrict myself by a name such as Katie's Textiles.

One of the many things I get really excited about is papercuts, and as they have become uber popular over the last few years this has made it easier to find inspiration. I've had some beautiful, very old Chinese Papercuts in my possession for a number of years, made from tissue paper, and so delicate.

I decided to try my hand at it recently, so I started off with an envelope (the patterned inside) as I do try to recycle as much as I possibly can, and thought the pattern might add to the textural quality.

As you can see, I started off with a very simple one, I did it completely freehand, without any prior sketching or drawing, I just wanted to get the basic grasp of it.

I've learned a lot from doing this one, and haven't been put off. I think I might start to sketch some designs out, then develop them into papercuts.  Watch this space...

Have a great day!
 

 
  

Embracing technology... drawing with my new Graphics Tablet

I've had lots of ideas recently that involve drawing and sketching various items, but I couldn't work out how to translate these drawings onto my computer screen. I have always used a scanner to develop my artwork, but I want more clarity and the ability to adjust them more on screen than scanning would give me. So after a chat with some IT 'bods' I researched and bought a very simple Graphics Tablet last week, and although I've only touched the surface of what it can do, I'm really pleased with what I can do with it already.

I want to produce some flyers and brochures and thought it would work with the What Katie did next... brand to have personalised drawings that relate to what I produce, as the brand is all about creating personalised gifts and art work. So I set about drawing some of the items I use...

 
I know they don't look finished, but I've literally just spent an hour or so playing with it, so I know they'll get more polished as I spend more time on them. It's a bit strange getting used to the pen tool at first, it's extremely sensitive! I found it frustrating that I couldn't be as precise as I would when I draw with a pen, however, I quite like the illustrative feel it gives. I need to develop the ability to change the width of line and the various marks to create more depth.

I took the Graphics Tablet to school today and showed some students how it can be used, they were so impressed they said they were going to go home and ask their parents to buy them one (Amazon, if the sales go up this week you have me to thank - of course other retailers are available!).

If I know my students, they'll be teaching me how to use it properly within weeks, they seem to embrace new technology so much quicker! I'm really looking forward to seeing the results.

Have a great day!

What Katie did next... is Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous!

I have been holding off posting about this exciting new venture until I had something to 'show' you, and I think now it's time... please click on the link below:

http://www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk/index.htm 

I'm so pleased to have had my Textile Art on the front page!!

What Katie did next... has joined forces to become a Partner Company with Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous , a wonderful and very aptly named site, selling a whole host of fabulous products from a select group of Designers, and the lovely thing is all gifts are hand-made! It is run by Amanda and Alison, who have passion and energy, alongside creativity and professionalism, and I am extremely pleased to be working with them! I am going to be loading more products, and this will be ongoing, so please be sure to check in regularly!

*I am also deeply indebted to GWAG for being very patient with me when I have had teething problems uploading images and info onto the site - Thank you ladies!

Check out their beautifully designed site with an amazing range of goodies for all the people you buy gifts for, I've already planned my first order!

Have a great day!

 

An unusual place for a business card...

Last Friday evening I was very lucky to be invited to the Private View of the Art and Design end of year exhibitions at the UCA, in Epsom. A very lovely, very talented young lady called Lauren invited me, whom I was lucky to teach a few years ago.

Laurens work was a series of latex moulds taken from areas of a building, such as radiator brackets, ceiling joists and skirting boards.

Laurens idea comes from exchanges. She feels that as she has borrowed parts of the studio, they are not hers, but they can be exchanged, and therefore she wants people to exchange something of theirs with each piece.

 
Lauren asked me to be the first person to exchange something with one of the pieces (which is now in a frame in my hallway) and I rummaged in my bag for something to exchange it with.  The problem was that I had emptied my bag earlier (unheard of) and I had very little in it! Then an idea popped into my head...

Well, what do you think? Now, that wasn't in my marketing plan...

It's that Ole Devil called Love again! The Wedding present ...

So, Wedding season is upon us again. I do love a wedding! And so many times I have been stuck for what to buy the couple as I like to give gifts that are personal. Perhaps that's why these have proven so popular...

I am trying to vary the colour palettes to suit different tastes, and all can be personalised with names and dates.

Have a great day!

 

Fly, fly, butterfly...

I've not updated this blog for a few days because I've had a birthday and have been a bit busy in preparing to go back to work for my 'other job'. But, I have still been making, and I'm rather pleased with the direction 'what katie did next...' is taking. There are lots of exciting things happening, I will update you when I know more!

So, here's a sneak preview of some of the new art pieces I've been producing. As I said before, due to the popularity of the 'bright trees' work, I've been adding to them.  I'd like to introduce the butterfly to you...

I think you can tell I really enjoyed making this one, (actually I really love making them all). But I loved 'drawing' with my machine for this one, the freeness of being able to make a mark with thread. I also really enjoyed picking the colours and fabrics, as they each have a particular meaning and feel.

Watch out for the butterfly's friends, coming soon!

Have a great day!

Show me, show me, show me...

I've just heard that my application to show at The Festival of Crafts at Farnham Maltings has been accepted, so I will be showing and selling my work there on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th October 2010. http://www.farnhammaltings.com/news/festivals/547/447/145/festival_of_crafts.aspx

I did a little dance when I received the email, and I'm now planning the 'What Katie did next...' stand. Very excited!

Poetry in motion - a poetic and personal gift for a best friend

It was one of my best friends birthday yesterday, her (ssshhh) 40th! So I have been secretly making this piece for her birthday.

It's a poem she has always loved, and she had no idea I was making it. I used colours that remind me of her, and picked buttons that resemble her too. It was a very personal piece for me to make, and she was very choked when she opened it!

New Baby Boy Twins gift - another finished commission

I have finished a lovely commission for brand new baby twin boys, who arrived recently.  They were long awaited, and very much wanted, and I was asked to reflect this in the piece.

I've been trying some new ideas out on canvases, and I think this one has worked rather well. I like the clean lines and space around the piece.  I also think it works well because the pieces are so tactile.

I was asked to use neutral tones, but I wanted to use little elements of blue, so when I embroidered their names I used one layer of blue on top of the taupe.  
  And of course, who could forget the buttons... chosen very carefully to complement the colours and textures, and little hearts to tell them how much they are cherished.

Upcycle, Recycle, Reuse... making badges from magazines

I, like many of you, like to recycle. I like to feel I'm 'doing my bit'. However, I also have an accute addiction to magazines; some magazines I will not part with (my Living etc and Elle Deco's are displayed in chronological order in our sitting room). But I will browse many magazines (I don't care what anyone says, it's not the same reading them online), and often find it hard to dispose of them... until now!

 

Above is a small collection of re-cycled magazine and envelope badges I made.

I got the idea of recycling envelopes from a blog I was reading the other day, very sorry but I can't remember the author /link! The author was explaining how she re-uses the inside of envelopes to make badges as she was so upset about the amount of envelopes she was throwing away / waste produced.

I wanted to add my bit on, rather than blatantly copy her idea, so I decided to go through an old mag, looking for anything that might look a little bit interesting on top of the print.  Some worked, some didn't, but I had a good time making them.

I like them all together in a group like this; I recently saw a picture made up of button badges in the shape of a heart.  I think they would look great in box frames, or on canvases. Mmmm, more experimenting I think!!

To have and to hold - customer feedback

I received an email last night that made me feel extremely good!

Remember the 'To have and to hold' piece? It was the first piece I sold online as 'What Katie did next...'   Here's a little reminder

Well, I had this email Sunday (bearing in mind they were married on Saturday!)

"Dear Katie,

This weekend myself and my partner got married. Our dear friend Victoria gave us one of your amazing and wonderful frames "to have and to hold from this day forward"! and we wanted to express how much we LOVE your work. We liked it so much that on entering the house and unpacking the hire van, I got my tool box out and hammered a nail into the wall to hang it up....It takes pride of place in the main hallway for all to see.

 

We wanted to ask you if you would consider a commission? "

 

The email then specified the requirements for the commission, which all sound lovely and right up my street! As it is to be a first Anniversary gift I wrote back to suggest the use of paper, as this is the traditional gift for a first Anniversary.

 

"Thanks a million and thanks for your beautiful work..."

 

Wow!

 

I promise I won't do a post like this everytime I get some feedback, but as it was the first, and it was so lovely, I just wanted to share it.

 

Wishing you all a very happy day

 

Katie

 

Can you please spare a couple of minutes? I would really value your opinions...

You'll see below three gorgeous Logo designs (and how they might fit on a business card)  for What Katie did next... 

 Design 1:
  

Design 2:

Design 3:
 
The Flourish Design and Marketing team http://www.flourishstudios.co.uk/ sent them through to me today!  I have been working with Flourish for a couple of months, when I met Fiona Humberstone at a 'What's Stopping You?' Business Link event.  I was really impressed with the work Fiona and her team have done with others, and they have been helping me develop my marketing strategy and a 'brand', and they REALLY know their stuff.

I love them all for different reasons, but I think I have picked my favourite; I need it to appeal to a range of customers, from the people who commission bespoke items such as The Family Tree and the personalised artworks, to the 'off the shelf' pieces, to the badges and mirrors. 

So, I wondered if you would like to give me your opinions?  Please either leave a comment here, or let me know on Twitter or Facebook...

Sugar and Spice and all things nice...

Perfect for a little girls bedroom, if I say so myself!

After many (MANY) hours of trying to photograph my pictures, I have discovered the trick... (suggested by my huband) "have you tried taking the glass out of the frame?"

Erm, no, hadn't thought of it!  It works, it really works!

 
So, you can see far more detail can't you? and without the glare! 

 
When I take close up photographs like this one, I know that everyone will be able to see the imperfections. Hopefully, you'll also see the little elements that I add to each one, like the heart on the right (above). It looked too plain, so I used two different coloured threads, a lighter one on top and a dark one on the bottom, and stitched into the heart, to give it depth.

I spend a long time planning the balance of colours, making the felt in the background and picking the colours to go on top.  One of the things I really like to do is use at least two colours to stitch the writing, thus creating more harmony.  I don't want these pieces to look too rigid, they are made by hand and therefore I want them to look like that. They are crafted with care, and although I might use the same colours as another, or the same theme, no two will look the same.

When I choose the buttons, I choose them for their size, colour and how well they balance the whole piece. I always try to make the button holes go in different directions, why? I'm not sure, but it is something that I can be quite pedantic about (I have been known to take a button back off and re-sew it if it doesn't look right).

Obsessed... moi???
   

I'm forever making badges, pretty badges everywhere...

So, I've been adding to the designs.  It seems there is no point making just one badge at a time, you need to make a few.  So each time I select the fabrics, thread the machine up, decide what to applique, trim them and then make them into badges, I have a group of them.

I love seeing them like this, I think they look really cute.  They measure 25mm (about an inch), so they are very small in real life.

I need to thin k about how I'm going to present them for sale;

I shall have some cards printed for them to go on, once my Logo has been decided upon, which should be the end of this coming week.  The card needs to be able to be displayed clearly within a shop, perhaps they will 'hang'?

For a badge this small, the designs need to be very simple, due to the nature of applique.  I have got some larger sizes, so I can make more complicated designs on those.  I can't wait to try!

Have a great weekend, the weather looks excellent! 

Making appliqued fabric covered button badges

See how I made these Good Luck - Four Leaf Clover badges, below:

I've sussed it!  Actually, I make that sound like there's an enormous amount of skill involved, but really it's all about patience. 

I've  found that if I applique the designs first, although it's still fiddly, it's much less so!

Then cut them out, and trim around the appliques.

Hey presto! Make them into badges (using a badge machine)

 
 
I'm giving one of these to a very special friend who starts her new job on Monday, although she won't need good luck because she'll be fabulous!

Young at Heart - fabric applique button badges

My new badge making machine is my new best friend! I love it!

It's taken a while to get the hang of making them because they are really fiddly when using fabric, especially because they are only 2.5cm in diameter. 

 
I know hearts are obvious, but I wanted to start with something that would be relatively simple to sew, and I think they look quite cute!

I thought these would be great if you were getting married, but didn't want to get dressed up for your Hen night.  All of the Hen's could wear a badge, and they would get to keep it as a keepsake.

This is a great way of recycling fabrics that would otherwise be thrown away because they are too small.  I've bought a badge-making machine that makes various sizes, so I will be trialling a range of things over the forthcoming weeks.

 

Love is in the air...

 
So, the season of Weddings has begun! I love a good wedding, but it hasn't always been that way. I wasn't the type of little girl who planned what I might wear, in fact I didn't contemplate marriage seriously until I met my husband.  Before I began planning my our wedding, I didn't realise the emotion you pour into your planning, the hopes and dreams that are tied up in the colours, the flowers, the dress, the invitations...   

In the years that have followed I have often reflected on the promises we made, and one of my favourite parts of the service is this.

This is another of the smaller sized pictures, and again, I've used another piece of antique lace needle felted onto a cream felt background.  I've tried to create a balance between the pearls, the silk hearts and the buttons, and added a bit of glitz with the silver thread that I used to stitch the hearts.

 
Have a good day!   

Little Boy Blue

The little boys have been a bit left out over the last week with all the pink orders, so in an effort to readdress the balance I've made a blue one.

 
This is a more traditional boys picture than I've made previously, but I've had lots of people asking me about  'Baby' pictures. 

I've used a range of checks and ginghams, incorporating a number of different blues to avoid it looking flat.

 
This is the last in the series of pictures I'm putting up at The Chalet today!  I managed to finish them all just in time for my new best friend to arrive today - well in the form of a Badge Making Machine! I am so excited!   

On a gloriously sunny day, what could be better than 'Home sweet home"?

I had a really positive response from the 'Home is where the heart is' picture, so I decided to make a smaller version to put up at The Chalet.

It's another small one, the piece itself is about 9cm x 9cm (frame is 16cm x 16cm).  You would think that it would be a lot quicker to make these, but in fact it takes almost as long because they are really intricate.  That said, I love making them because it's a challenge - how can I fit it all in?

 
I picture this as a moving in gift for someone (that's what the last one was for), and initially I was going to write 'Home is where the heart is', but I realised quite quickly that I couldn't fit this on.  Luckily for me it fits perfectly!

 I'm really pleased with the little flowers down the side of the house, I had such fun making those.  Also, the tree, when I showed it to my son he said it had a face, but I like to think of the buttons as apples or another fruit.

Of course, no house would be a home without a heart, or is that a bit cheesy??? Do I care? We all know it's true!

Enjoy the sun!

A Christening commission...

Morning! What a lovely day!

Well, it's been a really busy week for me.   On the back of all the 'pink' pictures I've been posting, I've had lots of interest and enquiries, and I've been busily making commissions.  The first of which is this Christening picture...

The brief was simply "something pink and girly, with her name and the date of the Christening" - so I went for it!

 I think it's pink enough, don't you?? 

Have a lovely weekend, enjoy the sunshine!

It's not all Hearts and Flowers...

but it is for now! 

I've been busily making, so I have enough to put into The Chalet, the gorgeous local bakery / cafe who have agreed to have my work up, and still have enough stock to sell. 

As I enjoyed making the lovely girly pink ones for M and O, I wanted to make one in a similar vein to put up.  I decided not to put a letter up as that immediately narrows the customer, so I chose the good old heart. 

I used silk, some antique lace (that I've been hoarding for YEARS), buttons and pearl beads, creating a VERY girly piece.  
I think you can just about see where I've used three different colour threads, each of them picking out other elements within the piece.

When I put up the girls pictures yesterday, I had the highest number of hits ever, so lets see if this one has the same impact!

Pretty little things...

I have been promising to make some pink pictures for two very lovely twin girls I know, who love very girly things! 

     

 
 
 
I decided to try out letters!  It's something I've been thinking about for a while, and as this is a time for developing new ideas, I need to try out as many diff as I can. I REALLY liked making these, probably because they're so pink and different to anything I would make for my boys, it made a real change. 

 
I tried to make them similar, using a range of silks and natural fibres felted onto the background.  To avoid them looking too flat I used my usual selection of buttons, and also added some tiny pearl beads.

Hope they like them!!

Small, but perfectly formed - the beginning of a new range...

I've sourced some smaller frames, so I can make similar Textiles pieces, but on a smaller scale.  So, due to the popularity of the recent new baby picture, I've made this one to start off.

Due to it being smaller than the others, I couldn't fit 'little one' on, but I don't think it looks like it's missing out.  Again, I've used the antique lace which has been felted into the background with a lovely silk dupion. 

I used three colours of thread, silver laid over brown and white, to create depth.

And once again, I chose the buttons really carefully to pick out the accent colours in the rest of the piece.  Actually, it takes a long (but very enjoyable) time to pick out the buttons, it's one of the last things I do, but I always try to balance the size, shape, number of holes and colours.

This frame doesn't have a mount, so in actual fact the piece took nearly as long to make as some of the others!   Now I need to make some gender specific ones - especially a couple of pink ones, to please a lovely friend of mine!

The Family Tree - beginning to blossom

Ok, so it's still in a very rough state as I'm still experimenting.  I'm one of those people who can't plan - I prefer to do, then make adaptations. So one of the adaptations I will make when I make the 'real' one is to shorten the trunk of the tree, in order to fit more room for leaves and names, as I've had to squash them all in here (there are roots at the base of the trunk but for some reason I didn't photograph them).

I will continue to work on this piece, as I want to embellish it with stitching, beads, sequins and buttons to see what works best!

 
I hadn't actually planned it out, but I soon discovered that I need to for future reference.  I hadn't allowed enough room for all of the branches and leaves  needed for our family.  I also need to plan out where people will go in advance, thus to make sure I have adequate male and female fabrics / leaves.

So, it's a work in progress, but I'm getting there...

Growing the family tree...

My name is Katie, and I am a hoarder.  I've been hoarding all my life.  I stop for a while, then it gets a grip of me again, and I start hoarding anything, everything ...

I've been experimenting with my Family Tree idea.  I found some of the clothes I have been 'collecting'  from when I was little, that have just been sitting in a bag in the loft for years. I also rescued a shirt that my husband nearly threw out some time ago, he was wearing it the first time we went out together. I then found clothes of George and Oscars.

So, although it almost broke my heart to do it, I began chopping away at these garments! Actually, once I got into it I found it quite theraputic, and MANY memories resurfaced that I thought I'd forgotten.

I then used a needle felting method to attach the tree trunk and leaf shapes to the background fabric, as a base for the embroidery.

I tried to balance the colours and styles of fabric without it looking too contrived.  My intention is to put all of the names of our family members, using freehand embroidery.  I did toy with doing a traditional style family tree (but upside down), but I felt it would look too rigid, so I will try to put people into family groups.

I need to work out whether to put the embroidery on top or around the leaves. I also want to embroider and embellish the leaves and tree.

 
It looks a bit rough at the moment, and whilst a lot of that is intended, I want to make it look more finished.  I'm still really excited about this idea, and can't wait to put the children to bed tonight!

Boys Rock!!

It's really easy to make things for girls but as a mummy to two boys I have found it quite difficult to buy 'cool' (George's new word) things for the boys rooms.  All too often there are baby blue things, or beige, but my boys like colour!

George loves skull and crossbones, he loves anything about Pirates but skull and crossbones in particular.  I used bright colours because I know they appeal to lots of other boys too!

I used exactly the same processes, and all of the appliqued parts are made from recycled materials, so I'm feeling very virtuous about that! 

 Recently I've noticed lots of people's faces drop when they know I have two boys, and when I visited my osteopath recently he called himself a SFOG (smug father of girls!)

I want to formally stick up for the boys - I think they're great, so that's why I chose to call this one "Boys Rock!"    Of course I would have loved to have had a girl to dress up and play dolls with, but actually I have three beautiful nieces whom I can do that with when I see them.

I am really pleased because, as predicted, George asked if we could keep this one in his room as he thinks it's really 'cool'.  Also, a friend came round for coffee this morning and asked me to make two for her son's, so I've obviously pitched this one right!!  

All is revealed!

This is what I have been working on this week, but of course I had to keep it secret because...

My husband has three lovely triplet sisters, and it was their birthday yesterday.  So I made them each a brooch on a card.  I had to make them different, but kept them quite similar in the colours I used and the style. 

Once again, like the larger pieces I've been making, I used a limited palette of two or three colours, but tried to use a variety of shades within those.

I didn't have any idea which one should go to which sister, so I let my husband choose!

I finished the back of the brooches with one of my labels, and a brooch pin, I really wanted to put silver ones on but they didn't come in time, so I had to go to our local habidashery to get some.  It's not like you see the pin when you wear them anyway!

And of course, I had to take some obligatory shots for leaflets etc in the future!

 

I wish them all a very Happy Birthday - and look forward to seeing them next weekend! x

Exciting news!

I am nearly beside myself with excitement because a GORGEOUS local 'cafe' has said I can display my work in there for sale, and they won't charge commission! 

Le Chalet in Tadworth is such a lovely, family run bakery / cafe; the decor is very 'Living Etc', with Farrow and Ball colour schemes and a mixture of great design and funky, quirky details.  My friends and I like to enjoy some of their fantastic food and great coffee, probably more regularly than we should. The great thing is, so do lots of other 'mummy's', so the audience is already there!

The owner has asked me to keep the walls in tact, so this is the one problem... how can I hang the pictures without damaging the walls?  I'm sure someone very clever will come back to me with the answer to that one!

How exciting! Now I just need to make some more pieces to hang!  Watch this space...

Growing the family tree idea...

My idea of incorporating memorable fabrics into is growing into fruition; my plan is to use the same process as I have for the other pieces with the felted background, the contrasting fabrics and buttons, but forming the shape of a tree, using the special fabrics to create the branches and leaves. I will stitch the names and birthdays into the picture, so that they are completely bespoke.  See the little sketch below...

I am so excited about this, I am going to start making ours as soon as I can to use as an example.

Paperwork and tying up the loose ends...

I've just spent much of the morning (well during Oscar's nap) setting up a business bank account and making sure all of my paperwork is in order! Yuk, I would much rather make lovely pretty things.  The good news is "We'll be very happy to accept you" and we're off!!  Now to set up a website to trade from... 

I need to make a 'Business Mood Board' with images depicting how I see "What Katie did next..." with regard to customer profile and market place.  I think I'll spend time this afternoon finding images for that to make up for the nasty paperwork!!

Button obsession - is there a name for it???

When I said I love buttons, I mean I really LOVE buttons! I don't care whether they are old (in fact the older the better in this case), they can be battered and a little bit weathered and I'll still love them. The more unique they are the better, especially if they look like they can tell a story or two of where they've been.

 
I bought a HUGE bag of buttons the other day, all secondhand and muddled up with pieces of junk that George calls 'Treasure'.  George and I have been slowly sorting through them and putting them into coloured jars.  Child labour? I think not, he positively asked if we could do it!  So here's the result so far...

We started off with more variation in colours, but soon realised that we didn't have enough jars.  We've had such a good time talking about the buttons, and it's helped me sort them out so it's easier to work.

Mark doesn't quite understand my obsessiveness over buttons, but I'm sure there are others who do... aren't there???

I'm not sure whether to start on the other boxes yet or not...

My Mothers day gift for my lovely mum...

I have been thinking about expanding into brooches / corsages for some time, so I thought the ideal opportunity would be to make a gift for my lovely mum on mothers day.  I used the same techniques as I have been with the pictures, but of course the brooch was smaller and a lot more fiddly.  I used my mum's favourite colours, praying that she would be wearing them today (she was!)

It started off larger than this, but I trimmed it down, as I didn't want it to look like a rosette.

And I finished it all off with a little label - well there's nothing wrong with self-promotion is there?

Totally handcrafted, and made with lots of love!  Happy mothers day mum! x  

The Ladybug is finished!

I have really enjoyed making this ladybug, I think due to the fact I have used some of my favourite colours to help bring her to life. Here's how it looks on the wall...

I've grown quite fond of her, with her big smiling face and now I've embellished her with beads and sequins to 'glam' her up a bit.

 

I've purposely left some space at the top to enable me to personalise it if someone wants a name or a message there.  I felt there needed to be something else in the picture, so I grew a flower out of buttons, well, you know I have an obsession with buttons by now!! 

 The Ladybug is now looking for a new home...

Home sweet home

I have a friend who is about to buy a new home, and as she has everything she needs, and nearly everything she wants, I decided to make her one of my pictures as a moving in gift.

 I've used colours I know she's going to love, I always think of them as her colours.  I've purposely made the house look a bit rickety, but hope it still comes across as welcoming. I'm really pleased with the tree (George said it has a face), and the flower beds beside the house, I wish my flower beds looked like that!

A way to personalise this for someone / other people would be to place their names and the moving in day at the bottom.

I've really enjoyed making this, and I wish I could keep it as it would go really well in my hallway!