I said I wouldn't ....... But I did!

I don't think I ever completely ruled out buying any more chandeliers, rather it was more a case of trying to reign in my compulsion to buy them, ruling that they would have to have something a little morespecial for me to make a considered purchase ......... so what's a girl to do when she spots this beauty in the British Heart Foundation shop in Malvern ..... for just £4.  

I am afraid, dear reader,  it came home with me ...... the chains of clear beads are always useful ...... but it was the other larger beads that really took my fancy .....

All the beads were (sadly) plastic, however, I could see the large purple shapes replacing some of the amber coloured ones on my Moroccan style light shade in the bathroom.  The clear drops just scream Christmas, and the turquoise ones I am thinking about, but may make an appearance on my ornate shower-room light shade ...... and the red ones, I am thinking might go on my spare bedroom chandelier.  There were also some brown coloured drops, these also need some thought, but have the potential to be decorated with gold 3D effect paint and a flat back gem or two to make fancy parcel charms or Christmas tree decorations.

I need to have an evening taking the shade apart and then doing the calculations as to where they could be added or what they can be used for. I think there are possibly eight of each shape .....plus goodness knows how many clear chains ....... happy days!

The World Is Your Lobster Card

This card measures 5.5ins x 5.5ins and is made using a hand cut, white linen effect card.

I loved these lobster stickers from Paperchase when I bought them, they have such cute faces, but what on earth to do with them? So I am afraid they have been languishing in my sticker box ever since I bought them. Then I got stuck for a card for Tom's birthday and I mean really stuck!  In a desperate search for inspiration in said sticker box I re-found them and got to thinking .... hmmmm "The world's your lobster"  I am pretty sure Arthur Daley said it in an episode of Minder, one of the Dukes very favourite programmes ......

...... Tom's card!  I took a silver frame (The Works £3 for 30 assorted silver, copper and gold) and backed it with a scrap of white card, adding two lobsters, some tiny weeny, cross eye making flat backed gems and hand wrote the phrase.  

I then mat and layered the filled frame first on red corrugated card followed by silver card, simples! I am so chuffed with how it turned out, now ...... what to do with the other twenty-eight or so lobsters! 

Baby Boy Shower Favour - Guest Crafter - My Ex Next Door Neighbour Sue.

This beautiful set of baby shower favours was made by my ex next door neighbour Sue in honour of  the safe arrival of my current, very lovely, next door neighbours Kata's little boy Kristzian.

Kristzian decided to arrive early, which is why the shower took place after the event rather than as more traditionally before!

Inside the card carrier type box was a whole host of lovely things, so beautifully put together, including a tea-light .......

...... some sunflower seeds ..........

....... a Wish braclet .......

...... and some blue sweeties.  

You know me, I just loved all the tiny details from the little charms to bows, bags and tags.  It was a gift to treasure ....... but I will use them all and remember a very lovely afternoon of Prossecco, cake and baby munching!

Iris's Harry Potter Quill Pen

Iris is Hermione Granger/Harry Potter mad and had been telling me in wonderment about quill pens, so I decided that I really ought to have a go at making one for her.  

I found a pack of  eight large, black feathers in Hobbycraft for just £3 giving me more than enough to make a few more if the need arose or for other projects.

I already had a few pen nibs from my days working at the Girls High School.  When the school was being refurbished so much wonderful stuff was just thrown in the bins, however I did manage to rescue several tins containing several hundred of these pen nibs which have since been either been sold or given away, but I did keep a few back for me as well.

I used a really strong glue to attach the nib to the quill giving it a good length of time to allow it to adhere properly.

The finishing touch, to make the pen look a little grander, was made by dotting gold Dovecraft 3D effect paint (£1 Poundland) all along the shaft of the feather.  It didn't take that long or that much effort to make one little lady a very. very happy little wizard ........ and I was really chuffed with the results.

A Lovely, Lovely Halloween

After Iris and Bertie's glorious Halloween Sleepover Weekend I think Lu (my daughter) and I are ...... how shall I say ..... were quite tired....... and perhaps in need of a quiet spell in a darkened room.

....... but hope we made the sort of happy memories that they will both fondly remember and hold dear to their hearts for many years to come, hopefully even when they get to my age! Nutty Nanny by The River!!!

The Towers looked lovely for around five minutes after they both burst through the door, straight from a few days in bracing Devon ..........

......... where, although they had witnessed huge waves crashing over the sea wall which had obviously made quite an impression .............

...... Bertie left saying that he had had a lovely time, but he needed to get back for Nanny's Sleepover, something he has been looking forward to for weeks now.

The help yourself spooky Pick 'n' Mix"" and "cocktail bar" was an instant success because sweets really are a HUGE treat for them, certainly not a daily event, if even weekly, but this was a special night.

Bertie was also keen to get stuck into carving one of the pumpkins they had bought with them ....... but no, I wasn't going to make punkin pie from it's contents!

The Halloween crackers filled with Ty Mini Boo's (presents from Uncle Marc from Poundland) went down very well, with no duplicates found, as did the Fortune Cookies which needed careful listening to when read out, followed by an often complicated translation!

My Gok Wan recipe Chow Mein, (a huge favourite), looked just like worms especially when served in a witch's cauldron, but tasted wonderful and went down a treat, if in disgusting fashion!

Tea was followed by a "Midnight Walk" ...... everyone well wrapped up and armed with glow sticks, torches and a monkey ...... to look for moles ....... a memory from last year when Iris was well into nocturnal animals!  

Because of the wet weather my PVA covered, bottle lanterns were a bit of a damp squib (see above) and could have done with stronger lights, but from the lounge window Iris and Bertie were still suitably spookily impressed.  Next year I might just light up the garden with outdoor fairy lights.

However the (Christmas) star lights in the windows at the front of my flat looked great and left my  neighbours in no doubt that I never leave my festive preparations to the last minute......  that  being said, they definitely won't be going on again until 1st December!

Despite the rain, there were still several fairly large firework parties going on, so plenty of fizz, bang and sparkle for us to stop and watch on our walk along the edge of the estate, looking down on the river.  Unfortunately there were no moles on the meadow, probably scared off  by said fizz, bang and sparkle, but with spirits undampened we headed back to The Towers for a magical, light dimmed, bath time featuring more glow sticks, play foam and colour changing bath light ..... supervised by  yet another monkey!

Then it was finally time to snuggle up on the settee, under a huge blanket to watch Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets ...... both children wearing their Poundland Harry Potter glasses which must have been the biggest success of the weekend ......

...... with Bertie even taking his to bed with him.

The morning, having been woken at 6.37 (!!) was very chilled affair with Bertie wanting to draw with Lulu, something he doesn't naturally chose to do .......  

...... and Iris turning the spare bed into the Hogwarts Express, boarding for a fantastical journey!  

Then, with the sun beginning to break up the clouds we went to the meadow for a good run, to leave our pumpkin in amongst the trees to give the animals something to eat ....... and to find that the moles had been very busy in the night!!!!  This was followed by lunch and another play before heading back home to mum and dad.  The flat is so quiet and empty now .......... I am too tired to even attempt a tidy up until the morning ...... but when it's done .... it will be time to start planning for our New Years Eve sleepover .................. Happy Happy Days!

My Halloween Shelves

Sorry this is a bit late but I just ran out of days in the run up to Halloween to post!

But nevertheless I thought I would show you a few of the Hallowed corners of The Towers even if it is after the event 

I didn't go too mad ....... well, as mad as I could have .......

....... but there was still plenty on (tasteful) display to give the flat a spooky atmosphere for when Iris and Bertie eventually arrived after a few days away in Devon for their Halloween weekend sleepover. 

I have to say that what Poundland lacked in Halloween stuff that I could actually craft with, as in the past, things like 3D stickers, small skeletons, paper pads and paper chains, they more than made up for with bits and pieces of an ornamental type nature.

Marc bought me a whole pile goodies from the Malvern branch (one of the best stocked that we have ever found, although the Tamworth one is also very good too) and then we bought even more when we had a day out together in Worcester at the begining of October.

I hope that their range next year isn't as good, because to be honest I need to call a halt to my collection as I really don't have any more space to store it all ........

....... but there again, knowing Marc and I, I expect I'll be saying exactly the same thing next year, especially as we are both  members of the Facebook Poundland Appreciation page, which doesn't help one little bit when everyone starts showing all the "must haves" they have found.

My Halloween Tree

It's erm ...... beginning to look a lot like Halloween at The Towers.

I decided a while ago to decorate a Halloween Tree this year just to see the awe and wonder on Iris and Bertie's little faces when they come into the lounge and to hopefully help make some wonderful memories ...... plus, I don't really need any excuse to get the Christmas tree out early!

I decorated the tree with skull, pumpkin and Frankenstein pots from One Below (Wolverhampton) - £1 for a pack of 6.  I have used these pots so many times over the years as Halloween favours, filling them with chocolates etc. but never as tree decorations.

I then added a couple of nets of plastic/rubber bats (12 for £1, also from Poundstetcher). I put a screw eye hook in each of their backs and then threaded them ready to hang.

To add just a little more colour I then added four blue, beaded Christmas garlands that I got ages ago in the January sales, originally bought as they should go with my Christmas baubles, so they will definitely stay around long after the Halloween mayhem is over!

Halloween Finds

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I thought I would share a couple of my Halloween charity shop finds with you to celebrate.

I don't think that there is that much age to them ........

....... but they are a little different to the ceramic ones I have also bought from Poundland.

They certainly have a lot more detail .......

.....and at 40p each what's a girl to do, but take them home and give them a flipping good clean.

I might have to go over a couple of worn spots with a surreptitious Sharpie pen or two, but these will certainly deck my festive halls over this Halloween weekend.

This velvet covered Raven wasn't a charity shop find, it came from Wilkos and cost £4.  I just had to have him, he did had two sunken red eyes which was very unflattering, but these were soon replaced by a black flat back gems.  He won't be packed away after the festivities either, I love him so much he's going to be a permanent feature in my lounge diner, with a tea light behind him in the evening he just looks fantastic.

And finally, these graduating potion bottles were from Hobbycraft for £2 the pack.  I bought them for Iris as she is Harry Potter mad at the moment, but before she gets them I think they need the fiddle fart treatment, a little more colour, glitter and few interesting contents ....... happy days!

Trick Or Treat Halloween Card

This card measures 14cms x 14cms and is made using a pre- cut and creased smooth white manufactured card blank.

This card was so simple to put together but again I wanted move away from using the stereotypical Halloween skeletons, ghosts and pumpkins 

All the Halloween type coloured papers came from a huge Origami paper pad from The Works. My apologises as I can't remember where the adhesive, black plastic letters came from (most likely Home Bargains or B M Bargains).  Each letter was backed on the paper scraps and then mat and layered on black card.

My favourite confetti spiders came out to play again, after being given tiny, silver flat backed eyes (I need to order some more of these as they have been so versatile) and a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents to give their bodies extra dimension.  A few clusters of three dots here and there using a fine liner pen finish the card.