FiddleFarting For Two Special Ladies … On A Very Special Day!

Today my mum and sister are in London for the Order of British Empire Service of Dedication at St Paul’s Cathedral for people who have been awarded the MBE. My mum was awarded hers for her work in helping to found and establish Wolverhampton MultiCare

http://www.wolverhampton-multicare.org.uk/

My sister and I were with her when she received it from The Queen and it was a day none of us will EVER forget …….. it was just sooooo magical!

The service is only held once every four years and it has been one of my mums greatest wishes to attend, so my sister Janet has been checking the internet religiously waiting for the Service to be announced so that she could apply on my mothers behalf. Within minutes of this happening forms were filled in and fingers firmly crossed until a letter from Buckingham Palace arrived! Then trains and hotels were booked, and my mum bought a new hat and shoes…… and me? ……I did a bit of crafting!

I made them each a tag and my mum this card (using my Papermania Portobello Road paper pad) and then added a couple of my “royal” teabags for good measure  …..  these have all been secreted away in my sisters suitcase for when they get to their hotel and start to unpack ….

Xx How Kind xX

People are sooooooo kind, sometimes I come home and there is an parcel waiting for me …completely out of the blue, from one of my followers …. I am always totally overwhelmed that I have spookily popped up in someone’s mind and they have taken the time to send me something VERY special and funny,  as has happened this week ……

…… Like Sam who sent me this WONDERFUL pile of little trays, I am so thrilled …. and I know she really had to go ferreting to find them… I haven’t been able to part with the original shelves of curiosities I have  made, but now I can make a few more to give as presents …… and another one for myself to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Thank you Sam soooo much, they will all be treasured, I promise you.

…. And this letter and present made me howl …. it’s from Louise ….

….. it arrived yesterday ….. and made my heart sing …..

How special is this?  I wondered why Louise had asked about the font in the Chat Box!!! I love it.  Most of the Maltesers disappeared during two episodes of Coronation Street last night  (I think it was Michelle who did Frank in!!) A letter will be put in my Smashbook and the poster will be put next to my desk.  THANK YOU so much, I love them all dearly.

Cards Made Using Fizzy Moon Celebrations – 8ins x 8ins Pyramage Pad

I have a confession …….

I never ever thought I would have any pyramage on my blog, it’s just not my thing BUT …. I was browsing the reduced craft items at my local garden centre and picked up a Fizzy Moon Celebrations decoupage pad which had been reduced I ummmed and ahhhhed and then put it back.

Then as I wandered round I thought that for the price of the pad I’d get 24 toppers from it (for 24 cards) which worked out at 25p each …. and the designs would probably go down well in my box at work.

So the pad went into my basket …..

….. It was only when I got home and looked at the pad again that I realised I had picked the wrong one up, they looked so similar, but  had in fact bought the pyramage one!  Aggghhhh

So I shoved it in the back of my cupboard, very cross with myself …. for not having paid enough attention to what I was doing.

Then the pad started niggling at me because I knew if I left it there it would stay there forever and I would have wasted my money ……. so I took a deep breath and made them all up, and now time will tell if they go!

I’ve used Creative Paper Strips in Gingham and Dots from Handy Hippo for the backgrounds.

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/s253-1-paper-pads-and-packs.html

Fishing Card For A 21st Birthday

This card is a A5 in size and is made using white linen effect card.

A newspaper card today, nothing too fancy.  Sometimes, if I need to put quite a lot of text into the “headline” I mix and match the size of the font slightly to get it all to fit in and to add a bit of extra interest.

The fisherman came off a bought card, it was too good to waste and I knew one day it would come in useful, and for this card it was perfect. I love the clipart worms …. it’s amazing how just a pair of wibbly wobbly eyes can create such a cute little character!

Diamond Jubilee Crafts - Tags

These tags measure 2.75ins x 3.5ins

I did a batch of blank Union Flag tags using Emma Bridgewater gift wrap paper, because I knew as time went on I would have a few more ideas for different tags to go along with the Diamond Jubilee theme. 

For these I’ve used my old fashioned Dymo label maker for the wording and then added small silver star charms for extra bling.  So cute!

Ruby Wedding Anniversary Card

This card is A5 in size and is made using ivory linen effect card and I can’t believe how hard it was to get a decent photo of.

This is another version of a  card I have done several times before, this time to celebrate a Ruby Wedding Anniversary.  The font I have used is Papyrus, font size 16.

Although it doesn’t show in the pictures the matting and the main part of the punched flowers are made using a lovely shimmery, almost iridescent  wine coloured card. A few yellow and clear flat backed gems of various sizes finish off the design.

Tiny Weenie Shelves of Curiosity

I’ve made another little set of shelves full of tiny bits and pieces.

It’s a packing box for some crafty embellishments long since used up and  measures 7ins x 3ins, with each compartment measuring 1.5ins x 1in which I have lined with assorted scraps from my Papermania Portobello Road paper pad.

Filling each section was just heaven to do, going through all my boxes looking for lost treasures, to finally bring them to life.

I can remember where each tiny piece came from and/or who gave me them, so everything is special.

I think my favourite section is the one with the baking tray.

Closely followed by the fish bowl and tiny spider.

I found the more I got absorbed in the project, the more detail I wanted to put in, but too much and the whole effect would be spoiled. I now feel like the Duchess of Tiny Weenie Things!

Guest Crafter - Ellie

My little friend Ellie has been doing some more “making” and I promised she could be my Guest Crafter again …… this is her gorgeous sock owl …. and again I tried to persuade her that he would look brilliant sat permanently on my desk ….. but she was having none of it!!

Easter Rabbit Tags

The base of these tags have been made using children’s wooden dominoes with the holes being made using a PowerCraft hobby drill.

I bought these wooden rabbit embellishments last year and never used them, so I am determined that they will be used this year.  I think I will be putting the tags on bags of Easter sweets, but deliberately didn’t write Happy Easter on them, just in case they didn’t go and leaving me free to use them on something else instead.

Mini Easter Jars

Well … I though I had used up all but six of my mini kilner jars that I had stashed away, BUT when searching for something completely different I found another two boxes, one of ten and the other of six …. what am I like?

But with Easter approaching it was quite a fortuitous find!

I set about making some double sided punched tags, with a bit of doodling and using some metal chicken embellishments Marc had sent me on one side and  some felt flowers from Michaels sent to me from Dianne in Florida.

They didn’t take long at all and I attached the to the jars through the metal fixings.

I got the Ashleys Mini Mini eggs from The Range and Poundshop.  In The Range they were 79p a bag …. I leave you to work out how much they were in the Poundshop!!  There were enough eggs in each bag to fill two jars.

A Silly Good Luck Card

There is always an element of truth in my Monkey Blog otherwise it would be hard for me to keep a handle on the ins and outs and twists of their lives …. so yes, Sandra, their boss, has moved on to pastures new …..

….. which gave me the opportunity of making her a “Good Luck” card. I had taken a couple of pictures of the monkeys with the express intention of using them on cards, one with a cake, candles and birthday message and the other just sat sitting at the kitchen table.

All I did was cut out the background, just leaving the monkeys and then put it on a scrap of stripy paper and then mat and layering on silver. The finishing touches came with some bunting and the wording which I did on my ancient and so old fashioned Dymo tape.

Glassine Favours for Mothers Day

Isn’t it funny how after I “rediscovered” my glassine bags that had been languishing for too long at the back of one of my drawers during the half term holiday and finally do something with them that I find that they are “on trend” in some of the cute gifty shops I like to frequent on days out!  

I hold my hands up and admit that I have copied this packaging idea from East of India, the originals contained small wooden tokens, but the idea was so clean and simple I knew it would be perfect for  small  Mothers Day favour bags containing M & S chocolate hearts.  I used a font called @FangSong in size 18 for the tags, cut them out and then attached them to the folded down lip of the bags, hearts with a tiny heart shaped brad.

Very less is more.

My Maltesers Bag

Everyone knows that Maltesers are my absolute confectionary of choice, but just in case anyone doesn’t, I though I would make a bag proclaiming my undying love for the little beauties and to carry my weekly plunder supply home in!!

I’ve put a design on both sides of the bag, just in case my message was missed!

I’ve used a cotton bag from Hobbycraft costing 99p, they are O.K, but a little thin and I don’t really think they would stay looking good for too long.  So I am looking to find some better quality ones if anyone can point me in the right direction as I would like to make some more “Fiddle Fart Funny Bags” to put away for presents.

Altered Bookplate – Mark One

Well, I was determined to use parts from the necklaces that found their way into  my shopping bag the other week and this is what I have come up with …..

I think I may have overworked it a bit because the bookplate is hardly visible! I put an old fashioned Dymo label in the middle and then filled in the centre with Ranger Glossy Accents, but I overdid that too, so it’s gone over the frame a bit ….. doh! 

I plan to pin this version on my Kath Kidston bag, but I am going to try and fine tune the idea when I have five minutes. I was thinking that it would make a nice little plaque on a gift box or as an embellishment on a beer mat calendar perhaps?……..

Key To My Heart Memory Frame

The picture on the left is taken from Tim Holtz’s Compendium of Curiosities.

The one on the right is my second attempt of a version of Tim Holtz memory frame pendant, this time I have used a Ranger 1” x 3” antique copper Memory Frame and a 1” x 3” Memory Capsule, all by Ranger.

I wasn’t too sure about the bulldog clip (too red) and the heart (too fancy) ….. so in the end I took them both off and turned the Memory Frame around, which is much more me and easier to wear.

I am really, really trying to resist buying too much of Tim’s paraphernalia, though I love it all dearly, I know I would be heading for a very expensive diversion ….. so with just a few key elements, I am holding myself back by making use of my own found treasures that I have collected over the years and will improvise with them instead.

Glassine Favour Bags

I love glassine bags, just the feel of them makes me go all gooey (but each to his own!) and this was one of the ideas I had in mind when I was stockpiling heart shaped chocolates  from Valentines Day to use for other occasions.

This bags contain four hearts or four ladybirds and measure 9.5cm (plus a 1.5cm fold over) x 6.5cm. All I have done is punch two small holes to thread a ribbon through. and then added a few self adhesive foam flowers and paper lace and small stickers.

I am thinking that these would be lovely for Mother’s Day, or as a small Thank You gift, or even an end of term present for a child to give their teacher perhaps.

Driving Test Gift tags

Made using children’s wooden dominoes, assorted papers and self adhesive foam cars (99p from 99p Shop) plus some Learner Driver confetti, these didn’t take too long to make.

The message is handwritten by me……

….. and I have added a Learner Plate on the back. Done and dusted.