Mini Christmas Cards – Using Hobbycraft 4ins x 4ins Card Blanks

Christmas Stash Busting......

This is an idea I first began way back in March, starting with just six mini cards but not, as is often my want, not following up until I finally decided the other weekend that I really ought to get cracking on the rest as the way time is flying, December will be upon us before we know it!

The original aim was to make enough cards for Iris and Bertie to send out to all their little friends at school ……..

…….. but those numbers have since doubled as I now listen to two classes of littlies read, twice a week in school, as well.

So, my aim, over a long weekend was to get 150 4ins x 4ins cards done with a few extra as spares.

The card blanks came from Hobbycraft and cost £5 for a pack of 50, which isn’t too bad a price, working out at 10p each.

They turned out to be pretty formulaic, mainly due to the numbers needed I.e.  a 2.5ins square of festive patterned paper, mat and layered on silver and then another plain matching colour, usually red and green ……..

……. which were then embellished with a whole assortment of Christmas stickers, toppers, wooden shapes, odds and ends etc. that I have gathered over the years but until now not used.

However, despite me thinking, by the end, that I must have got through 1,000’s of the things, it still doesn’t seem to have put the tiniest dent in my stash, aghhhhhhh!

I did think I might struggle a bit as I only tend to make a handful of cards in the year these days, it doesn’t take much for me to get rusty ……..

…… but using the formula, everything still seemed to fall into place.

I will admit to not being too precious in overthinking the colour/pattern matching or worrying about getting the dimensions just right which was a first for me! I also simply trimmed the matted layers with a  large pair of scissors, instead of my much more precise paper trimmer, it was just quicker.

As I went on however the fiddle-farter in me came out as I started to add more and more detail, faux stitching, clusters of three dots, flat back gems, various other tiny embellishments and of course a little Ranger Glossy Accents here and there.

I am really chuffed with how they have all turned out and perhaps, just maybe, it’s reignited my interest making a few more cards in the future ……..

……. because believe it or not birthdays always seem to creep up on me, having a small of stock of “ready mades” really would come in very handy.

Guest Crafters – Iris and Bertie Birthday Card Makers

It’s now a time honoured tradition that Iris and Bertie come over to make their beloved Auntie Lu Lu’s birthday cards.

It’s a time for Nanny to take a deep breath……..

……. and gird her loins, knowing that  every single sticker in her possession, even the Halloween ones and especially the numbers, will be scrutinized for their suitability ……..

…….. and when less is more  ……..

…….  proportion and balance ………

……. simply fly out of the window ……….

……. in favour of exuberant embellishment and a morning of unbridled love!

Hobbycraft Wooden, Halloween, Haunted House Decoration

I always like the idea of a wooden decoration, but they can be so disappointing, especially for children because, if you use the felt pens often supplied with them the ink almost always bleeds into the wood, which is why I tend to varnish all the pieces first before getting the Sharpies out.

This haunted house kit came from Hobbycraft (£3.00 - 2022 Halloween Range). I liked the design, so bought it thinking I could add some more MDF shapes that I already had to make it completely over the top.   

I started by varnishing all the house and cemetery pieces using Wilko Quick Drying, clear, satin varnish as they were the most tricky when it came to colouring with pen.

It then took two good coats of pen to give a deep coverage of colour.

Next came a layer of green Dovecrafts 3D Enamel Effects (£1- The Range) to slime the house, fences and ground.

I left everything to dry overnight before putting it all together.

It looked good, but I knew I could do better……… but in my excitement forgot to take many photos, doh!

I added MDF bats, ghosts, skeletons, a cat and headstones (all from e-bay from various shops), using white Ranger Enamel Accents on the ghosts and skeletons, black Sharpie on the bats and cat and grey and silver on the headstones, followed by a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents plus tiny  flat back gem eyes.

The pumpkins were table confetti bought long ago, which were again given the Glossy Accent treatment.

Extra lines for crumbing brickwork and to emphasis the various parts were added using a fine tipped, permanent black pen and a white acrylic pen, followed by another layer of the green Enamel Effects to add more dimension.

It’s safe to say I went mad with on the detail……..

……….. but, I think it works.

Then, just as I thought I’d finished, I suddenly remembered the bottle stopper lights Marc got me from Poundland (£1 a pack of two) a couple of years ago, when everyone was going mad for them and they were almost impossible to find  ………

OMG, they couldn’t have been more perfect, the stopper hidden between the back two panels ………

……. to add the final touch of magic and sparkle, ready for my annual Iris and Bertie Halloween sleepover ……… I’m sooooooooo dead chuffed!!!!!

Ghostly Pumpkin Pin Badges

These badges follow on from the skeleton and batty badges of last week, sometimes it’s nice to offer a choice to Iris and Bertie and anyone else I might offer one to during our traditional Halloween weekend, some people like ghosts others may prefer skelliebobs instead!

They are made exactly the same way as last week, painting the MDF pumpkins orange and then giving them a coat of Glossy Accents ……….

…… and colouring the ghosts with white Ranger Enamel Accents.

The spiders are table confetti that I have added two tiny, green, nail art gems to followed by a layer of Glossy Accents.  I also added Glossy Accents to the vintage Dymo Label Maker “boos” to help them blend into the overall shiny finish. 

Then came a scattering of tiny gold and green stars and clusters of three dots to fill in the empty spaces and bring the design together.

Before adding the bar brooch fitting I coloured the back of the ghosts white and doodled a rough pumpkin outline, to help make the badge look properly finished off.

I think they work …… this one’s mine!