Monday 6 December 2021

Monkeys First Ever Christmas Decoration ........????

As you know I am right off making cards at the moment, even for The Monkeys, which is quite a tradition for many of their followers. I wanted to make something that could be bought out year after year, instead of being cast in the bin (recycling or otherwise) at the end of the festivities.

Monkey Christmas Tree Ornaments

To be completely honest I am not exactly 100% with them, but as I had ordered a certain number of photos in a specific size to fit a photo frame tree decoration, bought a couple of years ago, which I had fully intended to use …….. until I got waylaid and as time was ticking, I really didn't have any option other than to finish what I had started, otherwise I may have started all over again.

Square wooden Picture dominoes

What waylaid me were these rather unusual square wooden dominoes with gingham backing, something I’d never seen before and for £1 I wasn’t going to say no.  When I got home and tried the photos with them, I found that only a tiny bit of surplus needed to be trimmed off, so I decided to use them instead of the frames.

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I started by covering the edges of the dominoes with a thin, adhesive aluminium foil tape.

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Then I added, in my opinion, a little too much ultra fine translucent glitter, if I could go back now, I would have used Ranger Enamel Accents on just the hats and pom pom, with the tiniest, weeniest sprinkling of glitter and then left the sleeves on the jumpers well alone, but hey ho. When the glitter was dry, I put a tiny,silver screw eye hook in the bottom and top of the domino.

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Then, came the Dovecrafts 3D Pearl Effects around the picture, hmmm ……. but at least I resisted any more glitter, I was also tempted to fill in the space with Ranger Glossy Accents, but realised at this stage, if it didn’t work I would be truly scuppered.

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The double sided Merry Christmas charms came next ……….

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…….. followed by the greeting on the back ………. then I was lost again, the front was missing something, but a bow looked too twee, a snow flake charm on the top too much ……..

IMG_0005Monkey Christmas Tree Decoration Ornament

……. so I settled for the good old, double confetti holly leaf with three tiny red flat back pearls times two! Too much, overkill? And then ......... I couldn’t bear the Dovecrafts 3D Dovecrafts for a second longer so went over it with Ranger Enamel Effects instead!!!  Aghhhhhhh

Monkey Christmas Tree Decorations

I am not sure ……. however The Boyz, needless to say, were thrilled with them, and that’s all that matters, I, they told me, was being too critical, I had captured their inimitable joie de Christmas vivre and all that was over the top ………. and that was all that mattered! 

Note to self, next year order double the photos I actually need and allow my self more than enough time to play more, even if it means starting in January!