Joy – Christmas Tree Plaque Decoration

This is another idea for a Christmas tree decoration, loosely inspired by something similar I found on Pinterest.

Using a children’s wooden domino piece, measuring 8cms x 4cms, I covered  both sides with two scraps of dotty paper, before giving them a coat of varnish.

I then covered the sides with aluminium, self adhesive tape, not my best effort, but it’ll do.

The wooden J and Y were coloured red, edged in black with a biro to stop the ink bleeding into the wood, and then given a liberal dosing of Ranger Glossy Accents.  It took several layers to colour the laser cut snowflake using a white Posca pen.  These were then glued onto the plaque. 

I like the way they stand out from the background giving extra dimension and texture.  In the centre of the snowflake I added a small, red, flat back pearl.

So that the plaque would hang evenly on a tree or wherever, I put a tiny, silver eye screw at each end. at the top and then used silver jewellery wire, with six red, wooden beads to create a hanger.  Voila!

Simple Holly Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and uses a pre-scored blank from a bulk pack from Hobbycraft.

This is another of my many planned, simple, festive word cards made in an effort to use up as many of my alphabet packs/sets as I can by the end of the year. 

I covered the whole front of a 6inx x 6ins card blank with a Christmas patterned paper from huge origami paper pad from The Works. The wooden letters were also from The Works, which I coloured green with a ProMarker pen before finishing them off with good layer of Ranger Glossy Accents to add  a bit of extra shine and texture.

I have had the holly sequins forever, but they are always a good craft room staple.  To keep things really simple I only used three, adding three small, red flat back pearls for the berries.  A scattering of clusters of three dots using a black fine liner pen completed the design ………..

…….. or so I thought, because as it sat on the table it began nagging at me, less is more, but this wasn’t quite enough ……….

……. so after some thought I decided to add two strips of matching wavy patterned paper, mat and layered on silver mirror card and five red pearl flat back gems for good measure …….. then it was enough!

I know it’s all very basic, a bit different and less traditional, and especially very quick to put together …….. and I think I may have got away with it. 

My Take On A Vintage Barbola Mirror.

One of my memories from the first year of Marc’s and my friendship was a Saturday afternoon  “playing” with his Melting Pot back in 2013 http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2013/10/playing-with-marcs-melting-pot-and-utee.html.  A little while later Marc gave me my own melting pot and huge box of ultra thick embossing powders and Utee.  I like having it there, even if it only gets used a couple or three times a year, but while we are in lockdown it’s been out quite a bit and now I think I have a major project on my hands!

I have always loved vintage Barbola mirrors which date back to the 1930’s but they are always quite expensive and usually because of their fragile nature, being made of, I believe, Gesso paste are quite often damaged.

http://jollyvolley.co.uk/index.php/2018/01/20/reflections-on-the-history-of-the-barbola-mirror/

But, I’ve been thinking, why don’t I try to make my own?  I already have an old, oval shaped, wooden backed mirror at the back of my cupboard that I got a couple of years ago from the Georgian House in Evesham, which cost me £4 after haggling it down from £5.

I also had a huge box of embossing powders that were doing absolutely nothing sat sitting in the box ………

…… plus a whole pile of Martha Stewart silicon moulds from my lovely friend Di Wray http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com/. What I have got to lose?

It’s all very much at the experimental stage at the moment, I found some metal leaves from an old necklace that I had a go at enamelling before getting really started, however am not sure whether to use them on this project or keep exclusively to using the Cosmic Shimmer ultra thick powders.

These are the flowers I have made so far.  I added a few pieces of glue stick to the mix each time I made a set of moulds to help prevent the flowers from being too brittle.

I then had a little play to see how the flowers might look on the mirror but as you know I have a terrible habit of what I call  “worrying” things, wondering what if ……

…….. well, this time I got wondering, what if I painted the flowers with the acrylic paints I got from Hobbycraft?

I didn’t have a clue where I was going with the idea, but I quickly realised that by doing so I could give the flowers a more aged look that reflected the original mirrors.

It’s a subtle difference from the unpainted ones at the top of the picture above, but what a difference, turning the mirror, may I say, into something much classier?

I am also thinking that I don’t really need the smaller flowers, although I might change my mind when I finally commit to gluing everything together, if I am careful I think I can  fit a single row of flowers all around the edge of the mirror without gaps, however, just in case, I am going to make a pile of leaves using the other moulds in the set.

It’s going to take a bit of time ……. but I am really excited, so watch this space. 

Bless His Little Cotton Socks

When lockdown is over this little fella can have whatever he blooming likes for his first breakfast with Nanny ……. bless him!

   …….. and the next day the story continued …………

Simple Snow Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and uses a pre-scored blank from a bulk Hobbycraft pack.

I have so many packs/sets of alphabets that really need to be used up so one of my continuing themes in my Christmas crafts this year is going to be cards with a festive word or phrase as it’s main feature in an attempt to use some of them up.

This is my first effort, I covered the whole front of a 6inx x 6ins card blank with a Christmas patterned paper from huge origami paper pad from The Works. The wooden letters were also from The Works, painted white and the finished off with a layer good layer Ranger Glossy Accents to give extra dimension.

The snowflake stickers originally came from Aldi and are so versatile, they have a glittery, textured finish which helps them stand out and for good measure I added a clear, flat black gem to all the centres.

It’s a pretty basic design, it’s also a little bit different and I think it works.

Popsicle Stick–Peg Doll - Nativity Scene.

I found this idea (below) online http://artwifeneedsalife.blogspot.com/2011/12/adventures-in-christmas-ornaments.html

………. and then fiddle-farted with it to suit the bits and pieces that I already had in my craft drawers.

The stable took a total of 9 small craft sticks and two thinner ones on the back to help keep the whole thing together.

I wish I could remember where I originally bought the crafts sticks from because they are such a  brilliant size, measuring 2.5ins x x .5ins.  I’ve had them for quite a while and they would have only cost me a £1 or so for the pack. 

It’s taken me quite a while to get round to using them, but now I have realised their potential, naturally I wanted more, but since we’re in lockdown it meant spending a long time pouring online until I was able to track them down on Amazon, this time they were considerably more expensive, £7.89 for 100, and I can see me wanting more! 

Using one for a shelf was a genius idea, thank you ArtWife and opens up so many other possibilities.

The little peg people came from China (eBay) last year, costing £3.99 inc. P & P  for 40 figures, 20 male and 20 female which was a bargain, considering I have paid £1 for six from The Works.

Coming up with Baby Jesus was my own idea ……….

……. using a 5mm, natural wooden bead, stuck on the end of a cut down cotton bud and then carefully wrapped in a scrap of paper tissue.

…… with an added layer of PVA glue to stop it unfurling. While the tissue was slightly damp I was able shape it round the baby’s face with a pin.

I was in two minds whether to colour the figures and or add some colour to the stable, but in the end decided to just leave it au naturel, the hollow star just finishes the whole effect.

In order to hang them on the Christmas tree I have added a small silver bail to the back and will add thread later.

I have made nine of this pared down version, but now curiosity is getting the better of me and I think I need to make a few more now with some element of colour.

Christmas Scene Decoration With Tiny House And Snowman

In the beginning I thought  that I would only ever make three of these tiny Christmas scene decorations ……….

……. because to start of with it was all about the tiny snowman, originally bought on eBay from China about two years ago, he was in almost perfect proportion to the little wooden house and Christmas trees, but I only had three of them.

I then wasted far too much time when I could have actually been crafting trying to find some more, but when I did, in the US for just under two dollars for two, the postage made my eyes water, between £22 and £34 …… I don’t think so!!!

I had almost resigned to just using the three, because without the snowman the scene just didn’t have the same ahhhhh factor, but then I thought, I wonder if I have the patience to make my own using some of the Air Dough I had. I admit I was sceptical……..

….. but I did it !  I am so proud!!  How sad is that? Made of five tiny decreasing balls of dough, the tiniest being the pom pom on the hats, I had a feeling I had done it, but the proof of the pudding was adding the details using ultra fine tipped pens, OMG it worked, and once the snowmen had a face, they had a character. 

The final touch to them was two equally tiny scraps of brown jewellery wire for the arms.  I can’t believe it.  My goodness they are weeny!

Once I knew I had the snowmen in the bag,  I was prepared to invest my time in putting the scenes together. First the base made by gluing two wooden dominoes together and then painting the top and sides with a couple of coats of white match pot paint from Wilko

The small wooden houses came from a toy wooden village set Marc bought me from a carboot for just 10p!  There were forty assorted items in the box, which should keep me going for ages, as and when more inspiration strikes. (I have since seen smaller similar sets in Poundstretcher)

I accentuated the windows and doors of the houses with a white gel pen, put a small nail tack on the roof for the chimney. This was tricky, which meant on quite a few occasions I used a piece of masking tape to cover over any damage, before applying several coats of white paint to the roof to ensure that the red colour didn’t bleed through to the snowy texture applied in two/three layers using Aleene’s white glitter snow.

The little trees came from Baker Ross and are again in perfect proportion to the house.  When the bases were dry  I applied two/three layers of Aleene’s snow effect  I made two holes to hold the bottom bit of wire of the trees in place, adding an extra dollop of PVA glue around the bottom for good measure.

I was then ready to glue the house in position and touch up any bits of  snow I had missed.

The final touch was adding the snowman, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the result.  These will be fairing gifts for family and friends instead of a Christmas card ……. that’s it I can bear to part with them …….. or perhaps they would make a very cute place setting at the festive table?

Just For Laughs ……. A Truly Awful Charity Shop Purchase

As I am struggling with my mojo through lockdown I thought I would just give you a laugh with one of my most awful charity shop finds ………

I am not sure if it’s a candlestick (and one of a pair) or a bud vase ……… but as it cost me no more than 50p it will remain ever thus a mystery, as I certainly won’t be taking it for valuation to The Antiques Roadshow!

It’s sat sitting on one of the shelves in my lounge, I can’t wait for Marc to come and stay,  go mooching along them and then pick it up ……

……. I can hear him laughing now, but if he dare question my exquisite taste, I shall put on my best poker face on and tell him that it’s one of my most favourite pieces of all time!!!