Just Married Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.
Something very less is more today, using my trusty old sewing machine, who decided to have a bit of a crisis when I was putting the card together …. all my fault …..
…. I put the background of the card together first, using a little glue to hold it in place to stop it slipping ….. but unbeknownst to me,  behind the card all sorts of shenanigans were going on …..
….. aghhhh, all down to some decidedly shonky threading up!!!
However, I decided to turn this negative as a positive, and rather than start again used the excess thread that had accumulated to add dimension to the card, no one need ever know, well only you!

You can get the button from Totally Buttons for 85p http://www.totallybuttons.com/proddetail.php?prod=W1313_Wooden_button

Simple Doodled Tag

The blank wooden tag that I used for this post measures approximately 8.5cm x 6cm.  I’ve had a few of them for quite a while now and thought that it was about time I finally used them, so you’ll probably be seeing them pop up regularly until they are all gone!

I think both sides of the tag took me no more than ten minutes to doodle and then colour in.  I have resisted the urge to add glitter, add flat backed gems and varnish, going for a simple less is more effect  …. perhaps all the fiddle fart will come with the next one!

Doodled Paperweight

I was mooching in the back of one of my cupboards when I found one of the Poundland paperweight photo frames I’ve had squirreled away for ages and fancied a bit of a doodle!

It’s easy to miss these paperweights in Poundland because until you really pick them up,  it’s not that obvious what they are, but it really is worth popping a few in your basket.

It’s all very simple and no skill needed whatsoever …. just a fine liner pen, five/ten minutes doodling …..

……. followed by a bit of therapeutic colouring in!

But then …..  me being me, I just couldn’t resist adding a sprinkling of Hunkydory Diamond Sparkles ……

…. and, as there is a slight hollow under the paperweight,  it was possible to add a few yellow flat backed gems in the centre of the daisies, which gave the finished paperweight an extra depth.

When the gems and glitter were dry,  I put a little Ranger Glossy Accents round the edge of the paperweight and stuck the doodle down, leaving to dry overnight.  Then I trimmed the paper/card round the edges and simply stuck down the self adhesive velvet underneath that comes with the weight, done and dusted!  If I was being critical …. I wish I’d made the doodle a lot smaller to look like millefiori …. but that’s just me.

Children would love making these to give as presents for Granny, Granddad, Teachers, etc. and it’s also a lovely and different way to preserve their drawings ….. and for just £1 it’s a no brainer!

Fimo Heart Shaped Gift Tag

I am not sure if this tag is too less is more, but nevertheless am rather chuffed with it!
I love the pearl beads/pendants from WholePort, they are really good quality, they feel substantial and there is nothing cheap about them, if you know what I mean.  I did a quick dollar/pound conversion and they work out at £1.28 for 5 pieces – although P & P costs need to be added, however to be honest I have never found post charges from China that expensive, if you are prepared to wait a couple of weeks for your order.
As soon as I saw them, especially as I am  into tags at the moment,  I had an inkling as to what to do with them, but,  wasn’t entirely sure if my idea would work ……

I got out my white Fimo and a cookie cutter.  I added a little Hunkydory Diamond Sparkles to the Fimo as I kneaded it for a very subtle glittery effect,  before rolling it out and cutting the heart shapes tags.

I stamped the hearts with my docrafts With Love stamp (MTY 906118), and then made a hole at the top and bottom of each heart,  before baking in the oven for 30 mins at 130C/265F

When the hearts were cold I attached the pearl bead/pendant to a 10mm gold jump ring through the bottom hole and another jump ring at the top for a 2mm piece of ribbon to hang.

As this was all a bit of trial and error, I am really pleased with the overall result, and there is still plenty of room for experiment as I have kept things very plain and simple. They were made with the intention of being used as gift tags,  but they can be easily adapted for Christmas tree decorations….. watch this space!

I am now on the look out for small, very simple sentiment stamps for different themes, so,  if you see any please give me a heads up!

http://www.wholeport.com/item/bpl_1-1-6cm-eggplant-shape-ivory-pearl-1-piece.html

Marc’s Wedding Party Bags

Marc asked if I could help him out with a few wedding “party bags” using the Kraft paper lunch bags from Home Bargains (99p for 10) that I had sent him a while ago.  He said that the main colours he had used on the invitations and other wedding bits and pieces were primarily “Cadbury”  purple, silver mirror and kraft card, but he said …. really the world was my lobster, I could go any which way I liked  ….. he trusted me!!!!  Oh Marc!!!

I loved Marc’s colour combination, and it was indeed very fortuitous that I also knew that The Lovely Laura had yards of “Cadbury”purple ribbon left over from making all her wedding flowers …. so tying and positioning the bow was the first step of putting the bags together.

The panel came next  ….. using lots of layers!  I used the 4 1/8 die from my Nestabilities Eyelets Square set (S4-305) as the base, after finding as near perfect a match of purple card to the ribbon as I could. I layered the two purple squares on silver mirror card and then came the hardest bit ….. trying to centre and balance my “fiddlefart” writing in the centre square,  free hand!! It took four attempts before I was happy, but now it’s done,  it will be easy for me to follow it by eye for the rest of the bags.

And then ..... when all twenty bags are done,  I will have the perfect excuse to deliver them to Marc, in person, for a spot of London Lounging and a few very cheeky pints of vodka and coke!!!!! 

Simple and Cheap Shabby Chic/Vintage Style Party Bags

A friend is having a shabby chic/vintage style christening party and had asked me for a cheap, quick and simple party bag idea that would go with the theme.

I immediately thought of candy stripe sweet bags and when we looked on e-bay we found a pack of 100 measuring 5ins x 7ins straight away,  costing just £1.89, they were in her shopping cart in a flash,  it was a no brainer.

When they arrived and I got my mits on them I simply folded over the top by approx. 2ins …..

….. punched two holes through all the layers …

….. and then threaded a 1cm wide ribbon through, tying a chocolate box bow, voila!!!!!

My first versions were very basic …. so I decided to fine tune them a tiny bit more by using pinking shears to cut along the bag top and then adding a wooden embellishment to the ribbon ….. simples!

Sour Cream Container – Party Bags

This idea follows my recent acquisition of 100 paper candy striped, sweet bags from e-bay (7ins x 5ins), it’s an idea I have used a few times over the years, but not using a “ready made” bag.

I trimmed about an 1 – 1.5ins from the top of the bag, only to make the finished carton smaller, I could have used the bag as it was.

Then, to make the jubbly carton type shape I squeezed the sides of the bag together ….

……. at this point you would fill the carton/bag with sweets etc. and then stick the edges together to seal the carton/bag, I just used a few dabs of pva glue…..

…. and when dry I just added a bow …. done and dusted and very simples!

Awwww, Our Last Wedding Craft Club Session Before The Big Day ….. And, The Appearance Of A Guest Crafter!!!

Last Thursday saw our last “Wedding Craft Club” session … awwww, it has just been so much fun, although some of us will be grateful not to see a punched flower or tiny flat backed gem for a while!
It is impossible to begin to express how brilliant it has all been for the “key” ladies of both families ….. Denise (the Lovely Laura’s Mum – Glowing Mother of The Bride), Sarah, the Duke’s Sister, who in the past year has been just too WONDERFUL for words in her help and support,  not only of Lucy and me, but to the Duke’s Dad and younger brother Iain, she really has been fantastic …..
…….. plus, Emily and Daisy, her daughters and my nieces, my Lucy and finally me,  (proud Mother of the Groom), to get together each week to form a strong friendship, with much laughter and salacious gossip, to make the lovely things that we hope will help towards making a truly magical day for the “betrothed couple”, Tom and Laura.

This week we had to finish the boxes to put the wedding bracelets in for all the ladies, which proved to be unbelievably fiddly, completely contradicting my …. “Ooooo they won’t take five minutes!” claim!

…. And then,  finally put together the cheese boxes (cut on my Silhouette) for all the rainbow mice The Equally Lovely Denise crocheted for the gentlemen.

The “unexpected need for and the subsequent appearance” of which lays squarely (or triangularly!),  at the feet of Mr Ken Veasey (Father of the Bride), who,  when he heard that the ladies were having a box for their gift,  declared that the gentlemen ought to have one too!!!!  …… But more of the aforementioned Ken Veasey anon!!!!!! 

Lucy and Emily volunteered for the “cheese hole” drawing amidst much giggling,  with them declaring that there was a “sinister” cheese hole face secreted amongst all other cheese holes on each box …… while Denise, Sarah and I put them together, which was a doddle compared to the ladies boxes!

And Mr. Veasey ? Well … today he has made it as my Guest Crafter,  after Denise was sent home with an empty pile of cheese boxes to fill ……after all, it was his idea …..

….. and it has to be said, he fulfilled his brief with great aplomb, finesse and a certain artistic style!

Happy Days!!!!!

Guest Crafter–My Daughter Lucy

In my daughter’s room at the moment is are two lines of the most beautiful rainbow of wool ….. Lucy has set herself a target of crocheting a blanket for her room between finishing university and her job with the council and before taking up her new job with a firm of accountants in Shrewsbury on 1st July …..

She has already put this cushion cover together. I am so jealous, I can knit but can’t crochet to save my life, I have tried to learn so may times but it’s all alien to me! 

I know I should ask her to try and teach me because crochet is sooooo on trend at the moment, and I would really like a crocheted bag  ……. and then perhaps I could start on a project like this ………!!!!!!

http://knithacker.com/2010/01/21/granny-square-rec-room-a-whole-crochetknit-hacked-room/

Fimo Tags

I love the idea of making simple clay tags, and I’ve got a bit bored of doing my usual altered wooden domino ones now, they are “sooooo last year” !!!!   I have found some lovely air dried/baked clay ones on Google when I haven’t been able to  sleep, but wondered just how simple they really are to make ……

So I got out the Fimo I have had at the back of a cupboard for more years than I care to remember, a heart shaped cooker cutter, a old ink roller, and a small docraft “Me to You” sentiment stamp.

OMG, I know this first effort is very basic,  but it was so simple and sooooo satisfying, and think I am about to become seriously addicted ….. I have already ordered some Das, as I prefer the clean cut, white effect and some bakers twine to go with it ….. with Christmas in mind ….. SORRY, I know, I know, but it’s all too exciting!!!!

Tag Party Invitations

A friend asked me about quick easy party invitations, a bit shabby chic, using perhaps a tag and to meet a tight budget …… and these are what I came up with.
I cut a strip of printed card stock 9ins by 3ins and then creased it in the middle

Doubling the invitation up,  I then cut the corners to make the tag shape and punched holes for the ribbon, so they were the same on both sides.  I also suggested that she added the party details on another strip of paper stuck inside the tag, either by hand, which would be easier or on computer which would take a little extra fiddle farting to get it to fit on the paper. All that was needed then was a length of ribbon and a few embellishments if needed ….. nothing to them really.

I did several mock up examples for her, but once she’d got the basic template she could go anywhere with the rest of the design with regards to papers, theme and embellishment.

Birds On A Branch Card

This card measures 4ins x 4ins and is made using a hand cut Kraft card blank

I have had this ‘birds on a branch’ stamp for a couple of years (it came as a set of two costing £2.55 and they are tiny), but like so many of my stamps they have remained unused, until now.

All I have done is stamp the top design onto a scrap of text/printed paper from my Papermania Bookprint pad, mat and layering it on Kraft card and then gold mirror card to edge, simples!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/cArt-Us-Clear-Stamp-BRANCH-stamps/dp/B008CNZQZQ