Iris’s Keyrings

I found this keyring set in Asda, I think it only cost £1.49 which was a real  bargain, and although it said “football keyrings” I immediately I had Iris lined up for a festive job.

The pack contained 6 plastic cases, six footballer templates (of which I made several more templates, just in case little one wasn’t happy with anything she’d done), plus six chains and rings to hold keys.

They were a resounding success, with Iris reproducing all the most important people in her life.  I love Granddad Ken, especially his beard, accompanied by Granny Denise above.

I left Iris to it,  she knew exactly what she was doing, and to be honest any “adult interference” from me would just have spoilt the innocence of each creation.

She even managed to captured Auntie Lu Lu’s propensity for a flowery top and glasses perfectly!

And as for Mummy and Daddy, what can I say?  Once everyone was done, they were all carefully wrapped by Iris in tissue paper and put in their own box with a special message (Nanny’s job) and have now been safely squirrelled away for Iris to give at Christmas. I doubt there will be a dry eye in the house, money just can’t buy presents like this.

Objects Of Desire

Lucy (my daughter) and I  often say we both need another house to put all the furniture that we see and love but which just wouldn’t fit or suit the flat/house we live in. It might also be an idea to turn a blind eye to all such delights and stop visiting charity shops and antiques centres all together, but I don’t think that will ever happen. 

So today I bring you a few objects of my desire …….

My jaw dropped when I saw this 60’s/70’s sideboard …… OMG did I want it!

……. as well as the cabinet above …… it would make the most fantastic cocktail cabinet.  I love anything from 50’s and 60’s and some 70’s, the more kitsch the better. My brother in law has a small bungalow back in Wolverhampton which is 60/70s in style and every time I go my mind has a terrible habit of wandering as to how I would furnish and decorate it to suit the period.

But then, I also like a bit of Gothic, this was the second time I’d gravitated towards this mirror at Bonds near Stratford Upon Avon ….. and then I saw and remembered the price tag of around £485 ….. dream on lady!

I also spotted this coat …… believe me, when I finally hit a size 12 by the summer it would at least get a try on, and then I would see Lucy’s nose wrinkle and  think perhaps I should leave it where it is ….. at least for a while!!!!!

And finally this dresser/dressing table in Forces Support shop in Evesham. I guess it’s probably Edwardian and sadly I had to make do with opening all the drawers and side cabinets and then just stroking it, sighing that it was never meant to be ……

It was a steal at only £145 but it would have to be in the right house to bring out all its quirky beauty.  Not everyone’s cup of tea I know, but definitely mine.  I am not sure about wanting one house to fill with my weird and wonderful desires, I think I need a whole terrace of them.

My Mums Monkey Christmas Cards for 2018

I hate to leave making these cards too late as they almost always prove to be more time consuming than I first anticipated, mainly due to my constant fiddle farting, adding more and more detail,  but this year they were relatively quick to put together, it was just coming up with a theme that first flummoxed me.

I wracked my brain for previous themes from years past but just drew a blank. Thank goodness for Pinterest which gave me the idea for sprouts and then my mind ran riot.

A photo shoot was then called including cocktail sprouts on sticks and a bottle of Chateau Neuf de Sprout – “Potent and Wind Inducing – traditionally trodden on ancient anthills by Les Bruxellois”!

Before ordering a whole set of the same picture from Bonus Print I added the text  in Publisher using SNF Felicity Font (The Silhouette Design Store) and then saved in jpeg form, hopefully to save time when making the cards.

Also to save time and use up existing materials I found a pack of printed blank cards I got from The Works last year. All the patterns seemed to go pretty well with the picture.

I began by matting and layering the picture. first on red and then silver mirror card.

Swiftly followed by a liberal sprinkling of  translucent micro glitter on the fur on the hats and round the edges of the cocktail glasses …….

…… and then, some Ranger Glossy Accents on the sprouts for even more texture …… so over the top!

So that’s The Boyz done for another year.  However, in my Pinterest search I found another idea which will be perfect for next year (if we are all still going), so I will get the pictures shot and in the bag while everyone is still in their festive garb and The Towers is looking suitably festive!  What am I like?

Snowman Chocolate Snowball Jar Favours.

This is what I finally did with the mini mason jar glasses I found in Home Bargains for 39p each.

I made them for Bertie’s nursery autumn fayre.

I started on the lids first ……..

…… using a blue, punched, card circle with a wooden snowflake which I coloured white with a flat back gem in the centre.

 

Next came a small matching tag and sticker to go on the bottom of the jar. The nursery has a wild area that they call “the meadow” where the children are taken to play and for stories etc. which seemed very apt.

The self adhesive snowmen (pack of 6 for 69p from Home Bargains) proved to be a little too tall for the tag I had in mind, but I think I just about got away with trimming the bottom off them to keep the tags more in proportion to the jar. 

A little faux stitching and doodling followed.

The two tags were then tied together with a length of red and white twine and then tied round the neck of the jar.

I filled each jar with one pack (90g) of Cadbury chocolate footballs that I also found in Home Bargains for just 39p, well within sell by date, the usual price is around 99p, so I got me a real festive bargain.

I reckon I put the jars together for just a little over 88p each, including the scraps of paper, twine and snowflakes which isn’t too shabby if you want to sell them for around £1.25 - £1.50.

Beer Bottle Reindeers

This is not my original idea – I found it on Pinterest and thought it was worth a go to add a little Fiddle Fart to an otherwise boring and difficult to wrap present for my son Tom.

They, I admit, look exceedingly shady characters.

The bobble hats were an after thought, using the fingers from gloves with a small pom pom glued on top.  The scarves were made from the wrist and band parts of the same gloves.  I admit they are a bit rough and ready and could have been finished with a lot more finesse, but they’re OK for that initial impact on Christmas morning.

The wooden crate came from B M Bargains and cost £2.99 and just finishes off the present off perfectly.

*Note to self – I know Poundland do a very similar crate in the summer in their barbeque range/summer garden, I really need to buy a couple to put away, which could then be painted/covered/embellished for a similar gift next year.  OMG am I talking about next Christmas already? Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!

My Festive Bedrooms

Marc and I have never been together so close to Christmas before so this year is going to be special and therefore all the more reason to make his room as festive as I can.

If money was no object II would have turned it into a unicorn palace just to see his little face screw up and turn green in horror  ……  but I am afraid as per last year it’s pretty much red and white Scandia.

I’ve changed the bits and pieces on the shelves though and will look back on this post next year as a record of how to do it all again. 

I always find it amazing how just changing the bedding can change the whole look and feel of a room.   All I need to do now is pop a few small presents in the stockings for Marc and then it’ll really be Christmas!

My own bedroom the last room to get titivated and to be honest what was left at the bottom of the decoration box wasn’t the least bit inspiring ……..

I’d been looking in all the shops for some larger Christmas type ornaments, a couple of years back they were everywhere but this year I pretty much drew a blank except for two wooden snowmen from The Range. (£3.49)

Then I went into one of my favourite charity shops and they had exactly what I was looking for ….. lots of ceramic type Santa’s. 

I’ll admit to being a bit anal because I wanted the shelves on either side of the bed to be more or less the identical, so finding Santa’s in pairs was more than I could have hoped for!

The large Santa candle lights were only £2 each and still had the Woolworth (????)  label on them.

I’ve put the smaller Santas are on the shelves in my kitchen area. They came to a total of £2.50.  It’s all rather kitsch but I hope in a tasteful sort of way.

So far I have resisted putting fairy lights over/round the beds (but there’s still time), however as the bedrooms are at the front of the flat I have put a curtain of stars in each of the windows in the hope of bringing just a little festivity to the rather characterless frontage …… perhaps my other neighbours will follow suit and jolly it along too, you never know.

Christmas Fairings For Bertie’s Nursery

These are what I put together for all the staff at Bertie’s Nursery as little Christmas fairing gifts as my mother-in–law Sheila used to say.

The little acetate boxes came from The Works, they were a bit of a fiddle to put together but there again I just get very impatient with boring tasks!

I alternated mint crisp chocolates with chocolate coins to add a little extra colour and then glued a matching ribbon with a large, self adhesive, gold glitter dot in the middle onto the box handle.

On each end of the box I put a Craftwork Card sentiment matted onto a scallop punched circle.

Not a lot of crafting to them I know, it feels a bit like cheating!