Oh My Goodness …….

It seems that I have robins nesting in my kitchen …….
…… and spring has already sprung amongst my festive baubled branches

A Blast Front The Past

When I saw this original Sizzix Machine, still in almost perfect box for just £4.99, I was almost tempted to buy it!

It bought back so many memories of Alan and Barry on Create and Craft when I first to take crafting seriously, and this was beyond my wildest dreams and budget!  Those were the days of Mendala stamps, peels offs and Pink Pig heat guns, oh my goodness me how times have changed!  I wonder if it’s regarded as an antique now?

Stickybeaking In My Festive Boudoir

When I first moved in, my boudoir had a huge mirrored wardrobe on the wall where the bed is now.  It was bloody ugly, and despite agreeing to buy it as a fixture/fitting, it just had to go! 

Again, the walls of the room were changed from white to calico, and the cream carpet ripped out in favour of a wooden oak floor.  I put a sheer blind on the inside of the window and a cream linen effect one over that on the outside of the window  frame. Both bedrooms are at the front of the flat so having sheer blinds fitted were a necessity for privacy. 

The chandelier was the only light fitting I bought with me.  I did bring my beloved, vintage bedframe, but again, as soon as it was put together it was obvious that it had seen better days and just wasn’t right, so it too, like so many other things, bit the dust! I then had a long wall to fill, I could have gone to Ikea, but my brain must have started to get ‘addled and it was too complicated for me to work out, so I called a local carpenter and he designed and built me my beautiful wardrobes and drawer unit. 

I knew I wanted shaker style, in matt white, and Pete Vale came up with exactly what I wanted.  I was so pleased he is now doing some compartment shelving in my spare/guest room in the New Year.  I have had to wait for both jobs but he is worth it!  The large mirror over the drawers was originally on the chimney breast in my lounge in Wolverhampton, it survived the cull, although I didn’t have a clue where it would go, but  when I saw how it “mirrored” the lines of the wardrobes perfectly, it was a keeper.

The bed is from the Ikea Hemnes range, as is bedside drawer unit.  Unfortunately there wasn’t enough room to have a set of drawers on both sides of the bed which is what I originally wanted, so I bided my time for a while, before deciding that an Ikea Billy bookcase would make an excellent substitute. I liked it because it was deep and taller than average, offering me even more storage, I don’t think you can ever have enough.

 

The room is cool, calming and very relaxing, nothing shouts at you, but I can then go OTT with a variety of  brightly coloured bedding and cushions that change the look and mood of the room completely. I think the festive Nordic style bedding has made it look another degree cooler.

I have changed the look of the open photo frame on the wall, usually it has photo’s and souvenirs of my visit to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, but for Christmas I have swopped them for glittery wooden snowflakes and reindeer heads.

I’ve also added a couple of reindeer and wooden tags to the bedhead, ceramic Christmas trees from Tiger on the window sill, red tealight glasses on the drawers, some little Santa’s on the bookcase shelves and some holly here and there, I love a theme!  And then, after Christmas it will look completely different again!

On the drawers I have some mirrored drawers and glass boxes, presents from Marc, and a charity shop find in the form of an Eiffel Tower, for, I think, hanging jewellry, found in the Salvation Army Shop for £1.99.

At the moment  it’s adorned with some of Marc’s decorative pins and a few mini picture frames I’ve made.  I not sure it will be a permanent fixture, it might find it’s way into the spare room yet, but for now I love it where it is.

Have a WONDERFUL Day

Guest Christmas Crafter – My Auntie Beth

There has been a video going round on Facebook demonstrating how to make a Christmas wreath using a pool noodle and my Auntie Beth had a go, with fantastic results …….

https://www.facebook.com/Hometalk/videos/1600223349995215/?pnref=story

……. only she didn’t have a pool noodle so used bubble wrap instead, ingenious! She rolled a length of bubble wrap to make the circle base, using string to tie it in sections to keep it all together. Next came more tying when she fastened an assortment of baubles and other festive ornaments to the ring. The final flourish and piece de résistance was created by wrapping a red feather boa and a length of green tinsel round and in between the baubles, hiding the bubble wrap in the process and pinning it in position.  Simples!

I didn’t have time to make one myself this year, however, I am considering having a go for Easter.  In the US they make door wreaths for every occasions, so I might even have a go at a Halloween one too, so watch this space …… my eyes are now firmly peeled for a cheap supply of pot pool noodles.

Two Snowmen Matchbox Christmas Tree Decorations

Two snowmen Christmas tree decoration today using matchboxes from a pack of 8 from The Works (£1) The matchbox measures 5cm x 3.5cm, just enough to put in a small chocolate or perhaps some Christmas money.

The snowman on the first box came from a set from from Hobbycraft, but I believe they are now out of stock online, originally they cosy £1.50 for a pack of 9.

The other larger snowman was from a box of small wooden tags/decorations from The Works (sorry no link)  The Christmas sentiment down the side of the box is cut from a roll of Washi tape from Dovecrafts North Pole range (bought from The Works £2).

The matchboxes are both lined with the same paper as on the outside.

 

I punched a hole in the top of the box and threaded through a hanger using striped red bakers twine and matching red wooden bead. A tiny amount of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen finishes off the box.

My Little Wooden Mice and Christmas Fairy Door.

I found these little wooden mice at the Wolverhampton Christmas market the last time I went “home”. They only cost £1.25 each, well, at that price it would have been rude not to have bought just a couple!

And I knew exactly what I was going to do with one of them at least ………

He was sent climbing up the wall next to the lounge, I though it would be something cute for Bertie and Iris to look for when they come over………..

…… like my fairy door, which is “hidden” behind my storytelling chair ….

….. and all dressed up for Christmas, I even have got a tiny cheese board ready for Santa when he visits on Christmas Eve!  I really do need to go out more!

The other mouse is currently sat sitting on the bedhead in the spare bedroom, but I think when the room is finally sorted out in the New Year ,he might just find a new home, if I can find a suitable “house” for him to live in!

Another Reindeer Matchbox Christmas Tree Decoration

Another reindeer Christmas tree decoration using a matchbox from a pack of 8 from The Works (£1) The matchbox measures 5cm x 3.5cm, just enough to put in a small chocolate or perhaps some Christmas money.

This time the reindeer head comes from Hobbycraft, and already came with the faux stitching would you believe.  All I have added was a red flat backed gem for his nose, two very small, black, domed stickers on the eyes, and a bit of a body in the background using a scrap of brown paper.  I have looked for a link on HobbyCraft, but can’t find them on their website, so they may no longer be available. They originally cost £2 for 6.

The Christmas sentiment down the side of the box is cut from a roll of Washi tape from Dovecrafts North Pole range (bought from The Works £2).

The matchbox is lined with the same paper as on the outside. 

I punched a hole in the top of the box and threaded through a hanger using striped red bakers twine and matching red wooden bead. A tiny amount of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen finishes off the box.

Santa’s Special Christmas Penny Mix Bags

I made a few Santa Penny Mix bags as little fairing gifts for friend’s children. When I was at work I made so many of these for all occasions and they always sold like hot cakes.

To be honest, there’s not an awful lot to them.  I just collected an assortment of chocolate santas, snowmen, coins, tokens and candy canes on my travels to put in the bags ……..

……… and then made tags using up odd scraps of Kraft card and decorating with little festive scene with Santa stickers found in Poundland.

The tag was then tied on to the bags and a green ribbon added, that’s it!

Since I started going to Slimming World, I have been eating a awful lot of satsumas and clementines and as a by product have also been saving the small wooden crates they come in.  Hopefully I will be selling a few of my bits and pieces in Moo Moos, my Evesham café of choice,  in the New Year and “tarted” up, I think the crates will be a cheap but effective storage and display unit to put them in.

Santa Tags For Iris’s Sweetie Bags.

Well, you can’t give a sweetie bag without a tag, can you?

I have to admit that I am not that keen on the wooden Santa’s, but as they were only 50p for a bag of about ten (I think) they owe me nothing.  Perhaps a little white or translucent glitter on their beards, hat and coat trimming could juzzz them up, and the parcel could be coloured in carefully with a Sharpie pen, but, on this occasion, time was of the essence!

The tags were cut from a scrap of Kraft card, I just added some snow and a dimensional snowflake sticker (Lidl 99p pack of 30 assorted sizes) and a bit of doodling, using a white gel pen and a black fine liner. I then got a little unnecessary and added a few tiny clear flat back gems on the doodled snowflakes!

Next it was Iris’s turn to put her name on the back of them, with slightly cakey fingers, bless her.

Then, I can’t believe it, I was so wrapped up in the moment I completely forgot to take any pictures of the finished sweetie bags, doh!

…… so, you’ll have to use your imaginations when I say that I simply tied the tag to the top of the bag and then tied a Christmas green bow over it to hid the thread.

A Few More Elizabeth Shaw Mint Favours For Iris’s Sweetie Bags

We wanted Iris to take a small Christmas fairing into nursery to say thank you to the staff, so it seemed a perfect excuse for me to experiment with some of Christmas stickers I have bought this year but not yet used on a few more Elizabeth Shaw Mint favours.

I decided to use a mixture of red, white and silver card as the backing for the stickers.  The chipboard stickers above came from The Range, sorry I don’t know the manufacturer. I have found from past experience that a black Sharpie pen is perfect when trying to doodle on silver or gold mirror card, it doesn’t smudge.  I have used a white gel pen for some of the faux stitching.

I went a bit glittery with these reindeer heads from Hobbycraft, (which I believe are now out of stock), on a burgundy and white spotty background, edged with a little faux sticking using a black fine liner pen.

And then, my favourites, using chipboard reindeer heads, again from Hobbycraft (and again sadly sold out). If I were going to fiddle fart even more on these, I might have used a red flat back gem on the nose and some tiny black domed stickers over the eyes, for extra dimension.  However, I have set a few stickers aside to use on a few cards later on, when I have more time.

Also, If I make Elizabeth Shaw Mint favours again next year (as I surely will), I think I will start putting a small, matching ribbon loop between the mint and the card base so that they can be hung on a tree or branch, that way they can be seen for a while before the eating of.