Gardening Christmas Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a hand cut white linen card blank.

This was a really quick card that I made for a couple who are helping me sort the bottom of my garden out after I decided it was just too big a task for me.  What they have done in a couple of weeks would have taken me years, and years and years!

I’d been joking that their van should have a big illuminated snail on the top …… well,  the husband loved the idea ….. but I think the wife nearly hit me, so I thought this card would be an excellent compromise!!!

Snowman Sticker Christmas Cards

These cards each measure 4ins x 4ins and are made using hand cut white linen effect card blanks.

Nothing really special today.  I was just determined to use up all the 99p Store snowman stickers  from last year and all every last scrap of the snowy Payper Box card I had left.
In the end I did a bit more mat and layering than I had intended, I always think one lot will do and then I start adding another couple more!
I particularly like the snowmen because the silver dotted embellishment on them adds an extra bit of dimension. 
However, I am not so keen on my use of corner peel-offs ….. I don’t do peels offs for goodness sake!!!  I think the Spirit of Christmas Peel –Offs Past must have decided to take demonic possession of me ……..
….. for me,  less is definitely more (as above)!

A Wonderful Gift From Barbara–Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013

With writing two blogs I don’t often have time to blog hop, but occasionally I do like to mooch around the blogs of people who stop by and leave me a much appreciated comment, and that’s how I stumbled on Barbara and her blog and saw her Tim Holtz inspired Christmas tag from his 12 Tags of 2013…..

http://barbarascraftroom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/tims-tag-for-november.html

OMD ……. well,  I had to comment, it would have been rude not to, and said just how much I loved it  …… and then guess what? Barbara only sent me a set of her tags.  They are gorgeous.  I adore a “chalked effect”, in fact when I used to do mahooosive school displays it was very much my trade mark ….. except I used a compressed charcoal, but I digress …..

Barbara’s tags are exquisite and I am so envious of what she has created, which has made me think that next year I really should learn some new techniques …… I have just got too complacent and boring with my plonking of stickers, and I really need to start doing some online classes etc.

Anyway, the tags now have pride of place on my festive shelves, originally I was going to put them each in a single black frame (I will do this after Christmas now), but then I remembered some miniature easles I had stashed away …. which turned out perfect for displaying them.

 

I think my favoutite is the snowman one

It’s a stamp that Marc and I have muted over a couple of times, as well as Tim’s snowman die ….. perhaps after Christmas I will give it some considered consideration, when I come to brush up my techniques!

http://timholtz.com/category/12-tags-of-2013/

In the meantime a HUGE thank you to Barbara ….. I love each and every one of them and will always treasure them, and I promise they will always be a part of my Christmas decorations for years to come.

Small Christmas Robin Wreath

This is me messing about on a Saturday morning when I really should have been cleaning!!!

I am not sure where the chunky pink wooden bird came from (part of a set), but I decided to try colouring it with Promaker pens to make it look like a robin.  When the colours didn’t bleed I was really chuffed  so then went on to add a good coating of Glossy Accents as a varnish and a wibbly wobbly eye.

I dug out an old flat bracelet I got from a cheap shop in Wolverhampton ages ago,  I think they cost about a pound for six.  I attached some soft garden twine for a hanger and then stuck mulberry paper holly leaves all the way around. I then went round the holly leaves very roughly with a white gel pen to add a little definition, and small red flat backed gems in sets of three at intervals round the inside edge of the “wreath” and then finally the robin took his position along with a red gingham ribbon, nothing spectacular or fiddly diddly ….. just very quick and simple.

Looking at it now I may just add the teensiest tiniest sprinkle of translucent micro fine glitter to add a little bling, but not too much. Seeing how well this one has turned out,  I think I will make a few more to put on everyone’s bedroom door handle on Christmas Eve as an extra festive touch.

Christmas 2013 - Elizabeth Shaw Mints

Now,  you didn’t actually think that I wasn’t going to feature any Elizabeth Shaw mints this Christmas did you??
This year I decided to put them in boxes with the intention of people scattering them on their festive table as after dinner mints.

I’ve made up my Sizzix Bigz XL Box No. 3 in plain white linen card.  It’s a very simple box to put together and as you can see it’s also quite a substantial size.  http://www.sizzix.com/product/656278/sizzix-bigz-xl-die-box-3.  I wish, perhaps, I’d used a coloured or fancier card ….. but I will confess that I’ve had a whole stack of these boxes cut out for over two years now and thought I’d best use a few of them before cutting up new stuff!  The tag is a leftover from last year -  http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/snowman-tags.html

As per usual I have used my Stampin’ Up scallop and plain (1 3/8)  circle punches ……

…… and put silver foil Christmas stickers from this years Hobbycraft Christmas range on one side …

….. and silver sentiment circles from CraftWork Cards, backed on red on the other side   (Product Code: 03 006 000 23)
http://craftworkcards.co.uk/products/1585/in-circles-christmas-gold-silver.html
So that’s Elizabeth Shaw mints done for another year ….. all I can say is look out Valentines Day, here I come!!

I have found that the best price to get these mints is BM Bargains as I prefer the milk ones.  A box there usually costs £1.99. Finding them in the supermarket is generally a bit hit and miss but they usually cost about £3.69 a box, unless they are on BOGOF.  When I see them in BM Bargains I always check the best before date first (these were August 2014) and then stock up!

Snowflake Seals

I am sooooooo into seals at the moment ……  as this is a craft blog naturally I mean the letter/parcel ones, as opposed to the cute, big eyed, swimming, fish eating variety!!!

So I decided to treat myself to seal set which consists of a handle and three interchangeable seals, a daisy, a leaf and a snowflake, with lots of other designs available for all occasions, there is a holly and a snowman one that I also have my eye on. It cost me £8.99 on e-Bay with free P & P, but I think prices vary.

It took a couple of attempts to pour just about the right amount of white Utee out and then try and get the seal roughly in the middle, but that’s the beauty of seals, they are not meant to be perfect. From one small pan of utee you can see (above) how many seals I got. 

I tried to colour a few with blue micra powder, but am not that enamoured with how they have come our, I quite fancied just a hint of blue round the edges, but I think I was a bit heavy handed.

These I think are destined for tags ….. I am thinking white or grey, with a pale blue snowflake background, silver eyelet and blue and white bakers twine ….. so off to the drawing board I go …….

Snowman No.2

This is the second snowman doodle I found in one of my craftroom drawers gathering dust ….. which you are most welcome to download if you would like too.https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ujnew2alyb60vg/snowman%202.jpg

As I said before, a snowman is a snowman in many shapes and forms and as far as I am concerned as I drew “Harold” with my own fair hand using a Stabilo black point 88, fine 0,4  on a sheet of white scrap card, way back when, the design is mine and I am free to give it away to whoever I like!!!

Bubble Sticker Christmas Tags

I think these tags will end up being used on my Christmas sweetie bags which I will take to work as Christmas approaches. I’ve used 3D bubble stickers that I found in The 99p Store last year and I am determined that they will all be used up this year, I don’t want them hanging round for another year! (although I have seen them in some shops this year too).

Each little bubble scene contains either two snowmen or two Santas, but I decided to open up a few bubbles and use the snowmen/santas to further embellish the tags.

I have also used small scraps of holly paper which I mat and layered on silver mirror card, quite a bit of faux stitching and a handwritten “Let It Snow”, also mat and layered on silver.  The red and white butchers/bakers twine just adds the final touch that brings the whole tag together.  Done and fairy dusted!!!

A Fiddle Fart Painting For My “New Sister” The Equally Lovely Denise

Back in October http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/whats-on-my-wall-wednesday.html  I started a new painting after e-mailing the Equally Lovely Denise to see if she would like to do a crafty swop, as I had a hankering for six crocheted cushion covers for my Wolverhampton lounging, but as I can’t crochet for toffee I was a stymied. Fortunately Denise said yes ….. and we had a win win situation! My start back in October boded well, the canvas which measures approx. 48ins x 36ins was almost half way done, and then I just got very busy with other things, and the promising progress drew to a grinding halt, aghhhh!!!!!

But, all last week I kept telling myself that I WOULD finish it this weekend, as there was no way I wanted to be painting it on Christmas Eve, which is what I  was in danger of doing.

But as there are things going on in my craft room, like an open loft hatch, I had to work in my dining room on the table, not my angle of choice, as I far prefer to work up against a wall ….if you pardon the expression!!!!

All the time I was working I was not at all sure how it was going to turn out.  I wanted the flowers to be brighter and less detailed than my last two efforts , and I wasn’t too sure about the birds.

Once most of the space was filled in, I got out a thick, black marker pen to add the detail and fill in the fiddly gaps ….. it was only then I relaxed and thought, it’s going to look ok!

I did however find it very hard to know when to stop adding a squiggle or a line here and there and just walk away, and say that’s it, it’s done.

I tried to do it a couple of times and then couldn’t resist going back with a white Posca pen to add a few more fiddles and diddles!

I just hope the aforementioned Equally Lovely Denise thinks it’s a fair swop!

It may be a while before I dabble again, I think I paint like a crafter, not an artist. I don’t find it as relaxing as I think I should, mind you the size can’t help!!!   However I don’t think I will say never ever again!!! 

I got my inspiration was from an artist called Heather Galler, I just love all of here stuff, especially the houses and the dogs, and I am not really a doggy person

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Heather+Galler+artist&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=J75kUq3kJ-Lz0gX_2YGACw&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=923

Hobby Craft Wooden Christmas Card

I have Marc to thank for my renewed enthusiasm for using glitter, until a week or so ago all I possessed was my beloved diamond/fairy dust translucent glitter, used for the odd titivation, anything I may have had in the past had been sent to the local charity shop a while back.  But seeing Marc’s vast array of glitter and playing with it again ….. made me see the possibilities.

Which was probably why I bought three of these wooden Christmas cards from Hobbycraft
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbycraft-wooden-christmas-card-and-envelope-bird-and-bauble-natural/586246-1000
In fact I found all the glittering very relaxing and therapeutic!

The only think I added to all the glitter was a few flat backed pearls for the mistletoe berries to add a little dimension and a different texture.

The only thing I am not too keen on is the “Happy Holidays” sentiment …. it’s a little too “American” for me ….. I would have much preferred a Happy/Merry Christmas.  I admit I didn’t notice it until I got home, had I, I probably wouldn’t have bought them ….. but I daresay nobody else will notice, it’s just a me thing!

Another Bejewelled Dunelm Illuminated Christmas Tree Cone

After the success of my first decorated Dunelm Christmas Tree cone, I just couldn’t resist experimenting some more ….. wondering what one would look like decorated with a couple of boxes of very small multi-coloured baubles I got in Poundland …… (25 baubles per box)

Well ….. I think I like this one even more than my first one in a gaudy, not so tasteful kind of a way ……. again my fingers are raw because I am c**p with pliers and jump rings, but it was worth it!

To add even more bling I also stuck hologram snowflakes in the gaps to help reflect the light and colours.

I am tempted to put another couple of cones away …. for more experimentation …. but then again my craft room is fit to bursting point already.  However ……  if I saw any of them in a sale after Christmas ……..!!!!!