Halloween Frankenstein Mug

A bit of spooky fun today ……. this is the mug I shall mainly be drinking my poison from, at work, in the week leading up to Halloween!  It’s not meant to last forever ….. the week will do, just for a laugh!

I found a mug for 99p in perfect Frankenstein green and then drew hair, a mouth and a couple of scars (round the back) with a black Marabu Porcelain Painter pen and then baked it in the oven for 30mins (170 in electric oven).

I would have painted the eyes on ….. but I don’t have a white painter pen (doh)!!!  However the googly eyes just add a bit of extra fun.  I have stuck them on with E6000 glue, so there is no chance they will come off, but I won’t be putting it through the dishwasher just in case.

Tim Holtz Matchbox Die and Lindt Chocolate Bear Offer.

Following on from yesterday, I think the reason why I was so desperate to master my Stampin’ Up matchbox die (which I don’t believe was ever available in UK) was because Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations have also bought out a matchbox die and I was curious to find out what his tray looked like and if it was any easier to put together than mine, so YouTubed  it ….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdd8ORjP0lI

Tim/Sizzix’s die certainly looks simpler …. it has corner flaps that fold over, rather than the fiddly perforated corners of my Stampin’ Up one and it has a small flap on the bottom of each side that hold the folded sides in place, where the Stampin’ Up one only has one at each end.

http://www.sizzix.com/product/659447/sizzix-movers-shapers-l-die-matchbox

However, there is one big difference, it is an All Movers and Shapers base die which means that you can cut windows in it, but …………..

“Creative Note: All Movers & Shapers Base Dies are designed to work with Movers & Shapers Magnetic Dies to cut a window within a shape. However, when Movers & Shapers Base Dies are used without Magnetic Dies, special Magnetic Ejection Foam is needed to eject the die-cut shape. One piece of Magnetic Ejection Foam works on all Movers & Shapers Dies, no matter the design.

This special Magnetic Ejection Foam is available from Sizzix free of charge to owners of Movers & Shapers Dies. To get yours, please contact customer service.

Anyway, I have made a considered purchase (with foam mat requested via Sizzix), but as the die is hard to find in UK at the moment, I got mine from US via e-bay, being very, very careful about shipping costs ….. OMG!!! Mine might take a few weeks to arrive, but I am in no hurry as it isn’t for me, it’s a present …. but I certainly did not pay more on the postage than the actual item!!!!!

And so to the Lindtt Teddies ……..

Having decided that I wanted to make a lot of matchbox tree decorations this year, for my box in the staffroom, I set about looking for any special offers available on the 10g bears that I need, the cheapest I could find were at Tesco with a 50g pack of 5 bears for £3 or two packs for £4 http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=270966394 – working out at 40p each (80p per matchbox), but I still wondered if I could whittle the cost down a little bit more………

…… and that’s when I stumbled upon the Lindtt website and found 100 x 10g bears for £33 (£3.95 P & P, which I avoided by adding a few snowmen to my order as well).  Now, it may look like I’ve gone stark staring mad….. that’s an awful lot to spend on chocolate bears, with my order they worked out at 33p each, but they are a quality item ….. and I am going to share a few with Marc. but, as there is always a very good “use by date” on chocolate, I am already thinking ahead, and what I don’t use for Christmas will come in very useful for Valentines Day, birthdays, fairing gifts at the start of a new school term and inside crackers on my festive table this year or as a dinner party place setting, so lots and lots of other possibilities to get my monies worth.

 http://www.lindt-shop.co.uk/lindt-mini-bear-10g.html

Stampin Up Christmas Decoration/Favour Box

Marc and I LOVE the idea of the Stampin Up matchbox die that my son paid stupid money for a couple of Christmases ago …… but to be honest, we have never perfected putting the inside tray together. When Marc and I were making them for a friends wedding earlier this year the air became quite blue and several ended up binned in our frustration!Then…..  the other night I decided to You Tube it …… why didn’t I just do that at the start of my/our frustrations? Sometimes I can be so stupid I don’t even believe it  myself????

But finally I can put the tray together without swearing and fiddling for far too long! I was so determined this time because I had set my heart on making hanging Christmas tree decorations to put mini Lindtt bears in. So ….. now  there will be no stopping me!

My first attempt at a finished box is admittedly very plain ….. but I think the ideas will flow as I plan to treat the outside panels (above) as very small Christmas cards using some/all of the many, small Christmas embellishments I have had for far too long. 

To make the hanger, I set an eyelet using my Crop-O-Dile in the top of the matchbox die and threading a red ribbon through it.

I also lined the tray with a scrap of card from the box sleeve ……

……. and two Lindtt bears fit perfectly in the box. Dead chuffed. As I said now I can finally put the bones together I can run with designs!

Shopping in HobbyCraft And Other Shops With The Duchess

I am trying to keep to a tight budget ….. but sometimes things just slip into my basket!

Like this tin for keeping an emergency stash of chocolate digestives in, bought for the computer boffin at work as a thank you for always sorting out all my computer glitches  with a smile and a laugh.  When he said that chocolate digestives were the best biscuit in the world, this tin was a no brainer (£2 from HobbyCraft) and I filled it up for him!

Two packs of 12 wooden hearts (HobbyCraft reduced from £3 to £2.25), perfect for covering with Nordic Christmas patterned paper, a lick of varnish and a bow … as a quick Christmas tree fairing.

Still in HobbyCraft …… but this didn’t fall into my basket, priced at £15, I am praying that they will be included in a 3 for 2 offer nearer Christmas, then I might just pounce!

Packs of stickers for £1 each, no immediate plans for them, but I feel a couple of tags or cards are in the making.

Halloween stickers are of a premium this year, especially for someone like me who uses a lot of them for tags and boxes.  Love the spiders, but not so keen on the pack of ghosts that came with them.

The pack of 120 paper chains for £1 to use as an edging to a tag or card or as a band round a Halloween box also seemed like money well spent. The Halloween party bags (20 for £2) will also be useful for a very quick bit of  spooky nonsense …. I plan to fill them with sweets and then add an big orange ribbon and tag, perhaps also featuring a skeleton or two to keep with the theme.

You can’t have enough wiggly eyes at this time of year either and for a pack of this size for just 79p it’s a no brainer …..  from Home Bargains.

And finally …….. they have milk chocolate and butterscotch Elizabeth Shaw mints crisps in B M Bargains, I was reserved, I only got this one box ….. but these are always a staple for my Halloween and Christmas crafts (£1.99)

Silhouette Studio Crashing On Start Up

27th December 2018
I still get the occasional comments on this post, most recently a couple of days ago, unfortunately I solved this problem 4 years ago and it's now hazy in my mind .....  I believe I opted for the Manual Reset Option for Windows to delete the folder com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio.8.  To do this you do not need to open up Silhouette, - you need to locate your Silhouette Files in your Program Files on your computer (I found mine in Windows (C)) - I then deleted the above and then re-installed the files through via the Silhouette Site where I downloaded them from originally over the years.  I am afraid that is all the help I can give you ..... 

I have just recently been given a Scan n Cut by Marc so I am about to see if I can work out how/if I can transfer all my silhouette files to use on it ...... 

It’s been almost two weeks now since I discovered that I couldn’t open my Sihouette Studio programme.  I know I under use my Silhouette cutter, but it’s always there in the background, well so I thought.

I must have spent two hours a day trying to sort it out installing and uninstalling ……. and exchanging many e-mails with Silhouette  but my need for a quick answer wasn’t helped by the UK & US time difference  ….. but I have to admit I was dogged in my demand for a solution …… and yesterday I finally got it and my problem is now sorted …..  and I thought I would post it here just in case anyone else ever has the same problem…….

“Your comments would indicate there is a library corruption. To resolve this concern, please begin by attempting to Reindex the library by doing the following:

1. Go to the File menu (PC) or Silhouette Studio menu (Mac)
2. Select Preferences > Advanced
3. Select the Reindex My Library option

If continued concerns are met, the library can be reset in one of the following ways:

NOTE: This action will completely remove the entire library, including all user-created content that have been saved into the library and the library structure. You may wish to first back up any user-created images prior to deleting this folder by opening them and saving them as a STUDIO file on the computer or removable memory drive (such as a USB flash drive).

Preferences Option

1. Open the Silhouette Studio® software program
2. Go to the File menu (PC) or Silhouette Studio menu (Mac)
3. Go to Preferences > Advanced
4. Select the Reset Library option
5. Recover the library for download content as directed at http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/faq/solution/249

Manual Reset Option

1. Close the Silhouette Studio® software program
2. Navigate to the following location:

• Mac: Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio.8
• Windows XP: C: > Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio.8
• Windows Vista, 7, 8: C: > Program Data > com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio.8

NOTE: If the above folder cannot be found on Mac, you may press SHIFT + CMD + G which reveals a small window where you can type the name of a folder to locate it. If the above folder cannot be found on Windows XP, go to your Control Panel to select "Files & Folders" to select the View tab and select Show hidden folders. If the above folder cannot be found on a Windows Vista, 7, or 8, go to the Control Panel to search for the term "Hidden Folder" in order to select the option to Show hidden folders.

1. Delete the folder com.aspexsoftware.Silhouette_Studio.8 with all of its sub-content
2. Recover the library for download content as directed at http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/faq/solution/249

Phew!! And thank you Silhouette!

Halloween Trick Or Treat Boxes

These are my Halloween Trick or Treat Boxes for 2014 using my trusty old sizzix box die (656278 Sizzix Bigz XL Box No.3), made using an pearlescent orange card from Payper Box http://www.payperbox.co.uk/
I’ve also used Spellbinders labels for the topper, but I don’t have a clue what number die set they are.

I made the web bands using a border clipart, printing it in strips on A4 purple paper and then cutting each strip to size ….. and I think Dianne in Florida sent me the spiders from Michaels last year, all I had to add were the wiggly eyes and a little doodling on the boxes.

The completed boxes were then filled with an assortment of Scooby Doo candy sticks, voodoo beads, lollipop rings and skull lollies from Poundland (most come in bags of 10 ….if not more, in the case of the skulls).

http://www.ellison.com/product/656278/sizzix-bigz-xl-die-box-3?locale=en-UK

Bargain Charity Shop Find

I saw this Ikea dolls cot in a charity shop window in town a few weeks ago, but at the time I was heavily laden with shopping and there was no way I could get the shopping and bed back home on the bus …… so I left it.

On subsequent passings it was still there, despite the silly £4 price tag, but then I started erming and ahhhing, thinking that it might be a little while yet (at least eighteen months) before Iris would start playing with it …..

But yesterday….. it was still there ….. I really was meant to have it and at an aforementioned £4 what was I thinking about???

The temptation to fiddle-fart it is there, but as it’s in such good condition I think I will just pass it on to Great Granddad Colin to see if he could sand it down and give it a coat of varnish just to freshen it up ….. and then perhaps if Granny Denise sees this she might, just might, crochet a blanket or two…. and I with my limited sewing ability could make a couple of sheets and a pillow.

Halloween Dangling Spiders Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut plain purple card blank.

Another Halloween card today using five confetti spiders from an assorted pack of confetti sprinkles I found in Wilkos the other week (99p). All I have done is give the spiders a pair of tiny googly eyes each. 

A scattering of tiny silver stars, a handwritten sentiment, some threads to dangle from drawn using a fine black liner pen and a few white dots here and there using a white gel pen finish the whole effect.

Memory Box  - MB98187 WOODLAND BRANCH DIE  Code: MB98187

Halloween Boo Brew

It seems ages since I have made any Boo Brew (a Halloween version of Snowman Soup), but this year I thought I would “resurrect” it!

My first hurdle was the art work ….. I lost all my Halloween digi sets when my computer died a couple of years ago and I chose no to replace them, I didn’t fancy doodling my own, and as I have said before there is a right dearth of Halloween theme stickers in the Pound and cheapie shops this year!  In the end I found this free background sheet on Pinterest, which was perfect

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoqAp3IInvERk6IVF2i_wxxmk83OrFWAy_roKHTG1mJD31LubToGuHMo1Uf0gP7Gmn770t4KluI33QNKj6TosjHLKZUa5CKTQoBDMax3seCDJpiyKjUtD91iLbhwdjWeHo6wybA9CGLk/s1600/Halloween+Freebie+01.jpg

And then with a bit of jiggery pokery using Publisher I added the Boo Brew poem …. which I have evolved over the years to suit the contents of my packs, which you are free to us as I don’t think anyone can lay any claims to it!!!

This year I have managed to find Halloween mallow poles in B M Bargains (69p for 10) and Witches Broomsticks in Poundland (15 in a pack) to replace the mini marshmallow packs I used to make.  I was always a little iffy about handling loose sweets, even though I always wore plastic gloves, so as these are already singly wrapped they solved my problem.

I decided to use the broomsticks for this years brew as they were the shorter of the two for the 6.25cms x 6.25cm cello bags I was using, although I still had to turn the ends over using double sided tape to make them fit, (but I “think” I have an idea for the poles for another post).

I attached a plastic spider and bat ring to each pole from an assorted Halloween novelty pack I had already bought from Pound World, to add a little something extra.

Also included in the packs is a sachet of hot chocolate (box of five Malteser or Galaxy from Pound World), a suckie skull lolly (pack of at least 12 from Pound World) plus a chocolate lolly and pumpkin chocolates available in most supermarkets at the moment and another two plastic spiders for good measure.

Please note :- *If I was selling this sort of thing at a school fayre etc. I would make sure that they were clearly labelled saying  that they were not suitable for young children under 3 (at least) because of the nature of the contents.

Halloween Hand Painted Spider Glass.

What am I like? ….. I was in a discount shop in Wolverhampton and they had a range of really cute, hand painted Halloween glasses, some stemmed, some tumblers, mostly featuring spiders and they were only £1 ….. it was, to pardon the pun at this time of year a “wicked” price to pay because at craft fairs something similar would have easily been quadruple the price …….. but I resisted buying one ….. because, inspired,  I came home and made my own erm…… “unique” version ……… which was much cruder and lacking in the finesse of the shop version, but there again, I did do mine at 6.30 in the morning, when I should have been getting ready for work, and the mood and the inspiration was compelling me to do it there and then ….. next time I would be much more careful and refined with my pen strokes!

I used a black Marabu Porcelain Painter pen to draw the spiders and the web …. I then had to leave it to dry for 4 hours, so, I left it and went to work and then banged it into an non preheated oven at 170c for 30 minutes when I came home, voila!

And then, me being me, just couldn’t resist adding googly eyes to all the spiders using E6000 glue, which sticks everything.

Plus, some very small, flat backed gems on the web and on some of the dots round the top of the glass!

Like I said, not a lot of finesse and it wasn’t really made to particularly last that long ……. just a bit of fun for when I toast all the ghosts and ghoulies in my life as I sip my hemlock on October 31st!

Safe …. Mini Halloween Pumpkin Lanterns

I don’t know about you but though I love candles, I am very wary of Halloween, candles and children …… but it’s so lovely to create a little awe, wonder and magic for them ….. so I got to thinking ……

………. what if I married some mini pumpkin pots (6 for £1 from some Poundshops and DiscountUK stores) with Poundland battery operated flickering tea lights?

I wasn’t sure if the tea lights would fit or the light would be strong enough to shine through, but they did, on both counts!

….. and looked so cute all lit up. DiscountUK also had packs of skull and Frankenstein pots too.

So for £3 you could have six little decorations that children could safely carry around or have in their rooms without any worry (well, except for perhaps the odd nightmare!)

I was also thinking that you could take the handles off the skull pots, put a tea light in each one and then stack them on top of each other in threes or a six to make a spooky tower of skulls!  Watch this space!!!

Halloween Hanging Bat Card.

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut plain purple card blank.

I haven't used this Memory Box branch die before and was thrilled to see how delicate it actually was ….. I can think of so many cards I can make with different things hanging from the branches for all themes and occasions so watch this space.

For this card I used three mulberry paper bats that I’ve had for years and just given them a set of tiny googly eyes each.  A scattering of tiny silver stars and a handwritten sentiment and a few white dots here and there using a white gel pen finish the whole effect.

Memory Box  - MB98187 WOODLAND BRANCH DIE  Code: MB98187