Charity Shop ***p NOT - Italian Holy Water Font

Oh my goodness, definitely not Charity ***p, when I saw this beauty lying flat on the shelf in Evesham’s Extracare shop I wasn’t sure what it was, but when I picked it up I thought I would burst ……. as you know I love religious kitsch and this, well!??!!! I didn’t even notice the price but when I did, £1.99 …….. I would have paid an awful lot more. We were meant to be, I love it in all its naïve crudity.

I think it’s terracotta judging by the rough red material showing on the back and then, (but … what do I know) the front is covered with slip and then hand painted??? After a very quick Google search I am pretty sure it’s Italian, it’s a holy water font probably for domestic use.  It’s probably a holiday souvenir  with not much age to it, but it would have cost quite a bit more than £1.99.  I am thrilled and it has aroused my curiosity so I will be researching similar pieces some more.  I may also be going to Italy next year, so I I will definitely be keeping my eye out for another one or two, smaller versions perhaps.

When I got home I went all round the flat trying to find a apt place for my treasure, she’s now in the hall, on her own,  just to the side of the door into the lounge/dinner so she can’t be missed, but where there is room should I stumble upon any more (in Italy or possibly E-bay).  In the meantime I have put a very small tea light in the bottom (originally a floating wedding tea light from Home Bargains) in the bottom of the font bowl, so in the evening she looks, how shall I say, very atmospheric and very romantic!

Easter Matchbox Gifts

I made these little Easter fairing gifts for Iris and Bertie to give to their nursery/school staff  at the end of the spring term

I used small matchboxes I found in packs of 8 from The Works in various sales over the past year or so.  I simply covered them with scraps of spring design papers.

The glittery carrots came from Paperchase, they were a bit expensive at £2 for six.  Originally, I tried to put a brooch back on them but that didn’t work as the glitter layer just came away, it might have been the heat from the glue gun I used. Sorry, I can’t remember where the plain, fluffy carrots came from but they are rather nice and good quality.  I know Poundland have something similar but the leafy tops are quite plasticy and a lot less lush.

The rabbit stickers came from Paperchase which I reckon are versatile enough to use on more general cards when Easter is over. To be honest over the past couple of years, after being such a huge fan, I thought that the Paperchase sticker designs have not been as appealing as they have been, however the last time I was in I bought quite a few packets including flamingos, cat faces and lobsters which I hope to use in the coming months.

The little chocolate rabbits were from a tub of 25 from Lidl (they also do tubs of frogs and chicks).  I handwrote the sentiments with a black fine liner pen and as an after thought punched a hole in the top of the drawer to add a ribbon hanger, so the box could possibly be hung on an Easter egg tree or festive branch.

Easter Bunny Door Wreath

Crafting With Iris

A Saturday sleepover and the perfect opportunity to raid Nanny’s craft cupboard to make “stuff”

One look at the wooden animal head embellishments from The Works ........

......, and Iris was off, creating a series of characters that I just fell in love with. They were too lovely to just add to Iris’s box of creations,  so I decided to go the whole hog and get them framed using a Poundland shadowbox (£1).

Originally the frame contained a “washing line” and pegs on which to hang photos but, along with the original patterned backing , they didn’t quite work with Iris’s pictures ........

.... so instead I covered the original background with some sky and grass and dispensed with the washing line and pegs.

I really, really loved it and had rather wished Iris would leave it behind when she left but she was desperate to take it home for her room, but she has promised to do me another one for my shelves next time we crafted.

The second picture was made using mermaid erasers, again from The Works (pack of 4 for £1) might have also looked very lovely in my shower room ……

….. but alas, my wishes were overruled yet again it sadly had to go home too, bless her cotton socks.

Non Charity Shop Tut – I Don’t Think

I removed the coffee machine from my spare room as I think it put guests off from making themselves a drink as they weren’t familiar with it’s machinations replacing it with a small kettle instead.

I really,really want to give the bedroom a bohemian feel, but until I replace the blind for curtains and perhaps add some more colour/pattern behind the bed I am struggling to achieve the look I crave.  It’s all a little bit too neat and tidy and white at the moment.  I plan to ask Marc for inspiration next time he stays and then see where I go from there.

However, I did find this small Italian dish/planter for just £1.50 in the Salvation Army Shop in Evesham, it was filthy when I got it home but it scrubbed up well  and in some small way has helped me think about the more colourful, random look I want to achieve.

I bought it to put coffee, teabags and hot chocolate sachets in ……..

……… and it’s pattern and colour are just perfect.

The large mug was from Tesco, the pink lidded jar from Home Bargains ……. Now the question now is …….. dare I take my Sharpie pens to the kettle or, if I am not that brave, should I consider applying some sort of transfer to brighten it up and make it look that bit different?  Hmmmmmmm.

Advent Drawer Tuesday - Gingerbread Snowman

A gingerbread snowman for your delectation today ............

Hmmm ...... he's OK, but I am not sure about his buttons ..... I think they all need to be navy flat back pearls .... and the silver snowflakes, I think they may be too subtle, it's easy to miss them so they may get replaced. I think this is one drawer that I really need to go back to when the whole thing is ready to put together.  Even now as I continue to look at the picture I can also see that the number five needs a touch of Ranger Glossy accents and a little translucent micro glitter wouldn't go amiss on the white icing and trim on the snowman's hat.  What am I like?

A Real Cheat Of A Card

I don’t think this card really counts …… I needed a card quickly, but I didn’t really have time to make one completely from scratch, however, I did have some 5 for £1 cards from Card Factory ………..

Left as it was the card looked a little forlorn and a bit 20p-ish, so I decided that I had just about enough time to let some glue dry on a few iridescent flat back and tiny gold confetti stars ……. et voila!  It looks, I hope like I did make some sort of an effort.

Now ……. if I were to do it all again, with more time, I think I might photocopy the sentiment, cut it out and mat and layer it on silver mirror card and then stick it onto the card with a few foam pads for extra depth and dimension …… and then add the stars.  Perhaps a little iridescent micro glitter wouldn’t go a miss on the “especially” either.

I really don’t like to cheat, but I think I may have got away with it this time.

Charity Shop Bingo!!!!

You may remember me saying that I had joined a couple of Charity Shop pages on Facebook that never fail to bring a smile to my face every single day, well someone has come up with a Charity Shop Bingo challenge where you have try to find everything on the card when you are out and about mooching.

Now ………I have friends staying over at the end of the month and we are planning a mammoth trawl of the Charity Shops of Tewksbury, and well …… it would be rude not to partake ……… and what is more, delight of delights,  I hope to bring you pictures of everything we cross off . Happy Days!!!!!

Message for Pamela

Pamela could you send me your e-mail please ........ xxxxx Thinking of you

Advent Drawer Tuesday - Two Christmas Trees

I still find it strange as to how easy it was to move from my usual rigid less is more approach to crafting to the desperate need to fill every single space, no matter how tiny ,with frou frou on my Advent Calendar drawers. 

Today's drawer features two foam on cardboard stickers from Flying Tiger, set on a wooden frame that I coloured with a red Sharpie, two tiny green buttons, a wooden number 9 (from an Advent set from Hobbycraft) and a holly embellishment from The Works, all brought together with a little faux stitching and doodling using a white gel and black fine liner pen. 

Re-Vamped Bedroom Chandelier

I think by now you’ll have all realised I have a huge thing for lights, especially chandeliers, but my yearnings are much, much bigger than my purse will ever be!

BEFORE

The light (above) is in my bedroom.  It is one of the very few things I bought from my old house, it was only about £30 and for convenience sake it would have been easier to leave it behind and simply get another one, but on this my heart ruled.  When the Duke died my bedroom became a bit of a sanctuary and the changes I made in there, without sounding heartless, showed me that I could move on.

When I changed the way I decorated my Christmas tree  for Christmas 2018 I had quite a large collection of chandelier drops that I had taken off the various charity shop lamps I had bought,  but having said that, I had already decided to revamp the light with them, but had never got around to it …… until a huge spring clean in February made me get my finger out.

AFTER

First I made sure I had enough matching prism shaped drop sets (20 in all) to replace the old ones already on the candle “saucers” 

AFTER

I then went about lengthening the existing drops in the centre of the beaded chains between the saucers with the last of the prisms and faceted glass beads. The final touch was to take and lengthened the original oval drops from the saucers along with their beads to go either side of the prism drops on the chain, if that makes sense (?) making the light far more elaborate and fuller looking.  I am not sure if the pictures really do the finished result justice but I am sooooooo pleased with how it looks now you wouldn’t believe!

Off To London and Into Marc's Welcoming Bosom

Rick, Marc’s partner is away in China on business, so while the cat is away, them mice are going out to play, so as you read this I will probably be already well on the way to London.

It’s been ages since I’ve been to London (to visit the Queen!!!) to see Marc (same thing), it’s just easier to go to the cottage in Worcester these days, however on this occasion it’s London ….. wooooo wooooooo.   Now central London has it’s many pleasures but we have chosen to stay a little nearer to home, we’re off to do the charity shops of Hammersmith to see if we can find any suitable ***p to post on our favourite Facebook page, followed by a trip round Poundland, Flying Tiger and possibly Primark and anywhere else that takes our fancy.  If we are up to it, we may also do Shepherds Bush.  I know, I know, we really know how to live …… but I have never been there and why not!!!!!  Not sure if there’s anything on in Portobello Road on a Sunday, but as it’s only about five minutes away on foot we might go for a mooch and a pint perhaps.

If we strike charity shop or Poundland gold I promise to put our joint shopping haul together for a post. We might do a bit of crafting, but if we don’t you can bet there will be much exchange of ideas and inspiration.  We will probably sup a cheeky vodka and coke but we are both trying to be good to get into tip top bikini like shape for the summer, though we might share a box or two, or three  of Maltesers (Poundland £1!!!!!) while watching awful films on YouTube in the evenings.  Happy Days

Charity Shop Tut–A Very Dubious Cruet Set

Oooowwwwer matron, I don’t think this cruet set has any redeeming features apart from being complete and unchipped!  I think it’s meant to be a charming and romantic yellow rose bud confection, but to be honest it just makes me feel just a bit queasy!

It’s all rather crude and so, as you might already have guessed, a considered purchase was definitely not made ………..

…… especially with its over ambitious £2.50 price tag!

Advent Drawer Tuesday - Christmas Stockings

Just one drawer today ...... I think this may be the way I  continue for the next little while, as at the moment I  always seem to be short of one drawer out of two when it comes to posting for this regular Tuesday spot, hopefully by doing so I will give myself the time to catch up on the making.

This is the second drawer featuring Christmas stockings I have made for this particular calendar, except in a different colour way.  A bit of repetition doesn’t hurt now and again and with twenty five drawers on different five levels it’s easy to, if you’ll pardon the expression, slip an extra one in. The stocking card on foam stickers are from Flying Tiger and the gold glitter numbers Hobbycraft.

Simple Iris Card

This is the card I made for Laura’s birthday.  I forgot to measure it, but I think it’s something like 7ins x 5ins, using a hand cut, white linen effect card blank.

So far this year it looks like I have gone for a very simple, less is more, safe approach with my cards, partly due to the constraint of time and then to see how far I can take myself away from my usual format of mat and layering on white and then silver.   

I think the design is pretty OK. The scrap of background paper works perfectly with the irises which are the the very last of the huge bags of themed buttons I used to get from Create and Craft in the days of Alan and Barry ……goodness how long ago that was now.

World Book Week

Well ...... what can I say ...... last week I went back to school after being asked if I would like to read a story at Bertie's nursery for World Book Week.  I was thrilled to be asked, but as I replied I did wonder what I had done as its been around twenty years since I've actually read a real live story to a group of very young children.

Sadly, because of the windy weather the mini circus tent that had been put up especially for the week had to be taken down, but a small room in the school was transformed with cushions, rugs, fairy lights and a draped ceiling, so there was still a special feeling for the little ones as they entered.

I read the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and I think it was pretty well received. It was a story I knew the children were familiar with so they knew what was coming and could help me if I got stuck. Bertie didn’t volunteer to come in and listen, Nanny storytelling is rather lack lustre when compared to playing with “the cars”  ……. however Laura made him the most wonderful Hungry Caterpillar  outfit for dressing up day (sorry no pictures at the moment) when he certainly made the most of channelling his “inner hungry caterpillar” and looked so unbelievably cute. Happy Days.

Charity Shop Tut – Howard Holt Kitsch Kitty String Holder

I love a bit of kitsch and this particular cat head seems to have been following me over the past couple of weeks.  Originally I photographed on the shelves of a local Charity Shop as a potential contribution to one of the C**p Charity Shop Find Facebook pages I subscribed to …… then I saw it again in a shop in Exmouth during a recent visit ….. I remember picking it up, hmmmming and then putting it back thinking “….. I bet you wish you’d bought that when you get home madam!”

On getting home, would you believe it someone posted the same cat found in another shop …… I felt that the stars were truly conspiring against me, so it was inevitable that my fate was well and truly sealed when I found “Francoise” as I now like to call her  in yet another Evesham shop priced at just 99p …… it was a no brainer, she was duly purchased as I think she is rather cute.

I then decided to do a little research on said Francoise.  She dates back to the 60’s and was made by Howard Holt, Japan. She is in fact a string holder but there are quite a few variations on the cat theme from salt and pepper pots, jugs, spice jars, to teapots etc.. There are also many collectors of Howard Holt out there, mostly I note in the USA, where prices are interesting!  Back in the UK, on Ebay asking prices for my head vary from £19.99 to £39.99.  Who was to know?  This find has really turned out to be more treasure than tut!

I couldn’t help also noticing the 1960’s Howard Holt Christmas ceramics any of which I would love ........

…… now what are the chances of me finding one of them?

Advent Drawer Tuesday

Two gingerbread inspired drawers today.

I’ve been holding back from using these Flying Tiger stickers for a while, I don’t know why, I wasn’t sure if they’d fit into the Advent calendar drawers I am currently working on and then I thought ….. get over yourself ……. overthinking all the time ……it’s Christmas, anything goes ……. just get the them made ……..

I think they’re cute and worked out ok.  When I go back to them when I pull the whole set of drawers together I think the house just needs a few tiny weeny flat backed gems here and there and the little gingerbread girl and boy definitely need to have proper bows, little black dome stickers for eyes, red pearl gem noses and tiny buttons on their clothes….. which I may have to order.  I now need to do another three drawers in similar style so there is a “ginger”, as Bertie likes to call them, on each row.

Lighthouse Card

This card measures approximately 5.5ins x 5.5ins using a hand cut, white linen effect card blank.

I just cannot believe how this card came together!  The wave and small embellishments came from a pack of Jolees stickers sent to me so many years ago that I forget by my wonderful friend Dianne in Florida, but I knew one day I would use them.

The lighthouse came from a pack of cheap and cheerful metallic stickers I have also had squirrelled away for some time.  I wondered if the metallic effect would work, I was so thrilled when it did.

As for the paper, which came from  small paper pad from The Works, the sun ray effect couldn’t have been more perfect.  All I had to do was lightly colour over a tiny part with a Promarker pen to give the illusion that the lighthouse was on land.

I love the card so much, made for a gentleman for his eightieth birthday, I am going to try and recreate it again but put it in a shadow frame in my guest room. I am just praying I have another lighthouse somewhere ………