A Blast From The Past - Sweetie Test Tubes From Christmas 2009

I can't claim that this is my own idea. I found lots of test tube favors when Googling and thought I would have a go at making one myself.

I bought the test tubes off e-bay, but when they arrived I was disappointed because the top was hollow, but, after much head scratching and rifling about in my drawers, I found some extra large gems that fit over the hole perfectly..... a bit of a fiddle fart, but it did the trick.

Thirteen jelly beans (the posh ones - 100's of different flavours) fit in each tube. The ones in this tube are in Christmas colours, but because of the huge variety of beans it's easy to do different combinations, like black, orange and green for Halloween, yellow,orange and green for Easter, all you need then is a co-ordinating ribbon and tag. I've used a Papermania metal rimmed tag (the ones that come in a box of assorted shapes and sizes)

I am now on the look out for corks that would fit into the top of the tube for a different look and also larger tubes that could fit bigger sweets ....... I'm never satisfied!

Blast From The Past - Candy Cane Mouse From Christmas 2010

Google “candy cane mouse” in images and you'll get lots and lots of results, this is my version.

I initially downloaded a template from this site:-http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stamping_thoughts/2008/11/candy-cane-mouse.html (Thank you Dawn), but when I started making it I decided to change the colours, ears and face a little bit.

I’ve added large googly eyes and faux sticking, hoping to get a soft patchwork toy sort of effect. The ears are stuck on using a sticky foam pad for extra dimension.

This is my protype, the tape looks awful! It will be replaced by a thin strip of foam pad under the cane, that won't be seen.  I was just in too much of a hurry to get the mouse photographed.  So my apologies for the shonky and very unprofessional finish!!!

A Blast From The Past A Few Ideas For Christmas Sweetie Bags From Christmas 2010

 
There is a link to the 3 x 5inc cello bags I have used in the sidebar. They cost £1.99 for 50 plus £1.00 P & P.  I like to put about 50 to 60 grams of good quality sweets in each bag and this size is idea.  I use dies from Nestabilities Label Set 8 for my toppers. Most of the stickers are from various Poundshops, except for the wooden reindeer ones, which are from HobbyCraft, that I have altered a little to fit the blue nose theme.

Blast From The Past Jar of Jingle Beans From Christmas 2009

I love Poundland and Poundworld, you never know what you’ll find.  It takes me ages to go round as I have to really look at the stuff they have and then think “What could I do with that?”

I got these jars yesterday, would you believe a pack of 3 for a pound?

I have used my Stampin Up scallop and plain circle punches for the top, front, back and tag and added a snowflake punchie to the top with a clear gem.  Around the lid of the jar I have put self adhesive ribbon, slipping the thread from the tag under it to keep it secure.

The jar is filled with red, green and white jelly beans. You can get these beans in many different colours, so you can mix and match them to go with your them.  Blue and white ones would look brilliant too!

Other ideas could include, bonbons for snowballs, chocolate nibs for reindeer poop, aniseed balls for Rudolph noses, jelly lips for Christmas kisses and jelly hearts for Christmas love …… (hearts and lips are available from W H Smith and Thorntons Pic n Mix)

A side affect of crafting is also looking very carefully at sweets to see what they could be used for …… and then of course you have to sample the goods ……!

Blast From The Past - Rudolph Chocolate Bar From Christmas 2010

Nothing much to this …. just a way of making an inexpensive bar of chocolate look extra special and festive. I’ve just added googly eyes, antlers and a red nose, which I’ve stuck on with a sticky foam pad to make it stick out more.

You could add a loop of ribbon on the back to hang it on the Christmas Tree.

Blast From The Past - Snowman Chocolate Bar From Christmas 2009

From this to this ………

This must truly rank as the most unnecessary embellishment of a item of all time!!!

As my sister would say, “You have far too much time on your hands!”

This is a bar of chocolate that I have wrapped round with white glitter felt (but ordinary or textured white paper would be just as good), using double sided tape to keep it in place.

The hat is ….. a finger from a child’s magic glove (the ones that look tiny but stretch as soon as you put them on). I  have cut off one finger and rolled it a little around the bottom and plonked it on the snowman’s head.  (I got the gloves from a Pound Shop – and one pair of gloves gives you 10 hats).

The scarf is just an oddment of ribbon, the eyes and buttons are black Paperchase acrylic gems and the nose is a filmo embellishment I bought a while ago but I just can’t remember where, but orange card would be just as good.

Daft idea I know, but cute!

Blast From The Past - Jingle Bells From Christmas 2009

A few people have said that they have looked at my blog for Christmassy ideas. This has got me racking my brains for all the little things I have made over the years. I've put a few together now and will share them over the next few days.
The reason I try to keep coming up with little “fiddle farty” things is that I don’t usually send Christmas cards to work friends as they have probably already bought them from the box I leave in the staffroom.

But, I do like to give them something that I have made, that they can keep for more than just one Christmas, unlike a card that is soon forgotten.

Often these trinkets cost less than a good card, like this jingle bell I made last year.  The bells were from Poundland, I think I got 20 in a tube (for £1 !!!!), all I had to add was a length of burgundy ribbon, for a loop and a bow, and a punched tag on which I wrote,  “….jingle all the way”, and then attached to the top of the bell.
I made small boxes, using brown Kraft card, which I love to use, and my box maker (the first few were a bit trial end error, but when I got the size just right, I made a template to use over and over again).  The final touch was tying the box up with soft parcel string. I am useless at costing, but I bet this cost me less than 50p to make.

Covered Ikea Drawers

I’ve had these Ikea Moppe drawers for years and years and not done a thing with them except for filling them with my pens and dimensional paints …..
…… until I thought that they would be a perfect foil for my My Mind’s Eye Stella and Rose 12 x 12 paper pad, as they were looking a bit grubby ….

…… so templates were duly made and drawers fronts and box sides duly covered ….. and you will no doubt notice that I couldn’t resist doing some faux stitching round the drawer edges.

…… I also coloured the box frame edges with a Promarker pen. I reckon all of this took me no longer than an hour, if that ……

……. the laborious part was the varnishing, for which I used Wilkinson’s clear, quick drying varnish, which really does dry quickly between coats, it’s just that I am very impatient!!

I then did a bit of Googling for Ikea Moppe drawers and found this project for an apothecary chest  with the drawers turned round ……. http://magpiejaybirdandmew.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/diy-apothecary-box/

I just love apothecary drawers, but never in this world would be able to afford an original set ….. but this has certainly given me food of thought as I want something different to go in my lounge fireplace ……

……. and this could be it ….. by putting joining four together?

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40216357/

Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Felt Brooches

I’ve been using my Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die to make some last minute, very quick brooches and hair slides for stocking fillers.

I’ve used Paperchase felt for the top ones, it’s a bit expensive at £2 for an A4 piece but it is much thicker and more substantial than other felts I have tried, almost double the thickness.

And for the others I have used Mr Fiddle Farts old work jeans and some cream coloured loose weave material from Dunelm Mill. I’ve also made a couple of hair clips too using a set of bits from Poundworld.

I think the felt brooches would look good pinned onto a matching woolly scarf or hat.

And perhaps the denim brooches pinned to a plain cream shopping bag

Christmas Bucket Tea Light Holder

This is probably a VERY naughty thing for me to do, but I have always have my camera with me and in January I was in a gift shop when I saw this festive bucket in the sale, I was too mean to buy it, but I took a sneaky pic because I liked the idea. Shhhhh!

Below is my version ….

I got home and was looking through my bits and stumbled upon the little green bucket I had forgotten I had, which is almost an identical colour, ‘twas fate.

I set about making the fringe using white felt and sewing small jingle bells on it.
 

And then used some red Dylon 3D glitter paint for the lines.  When the paint was dried I stuck the fringe onto the bucket using a strong PVA glue.  To be honest I think the 3D paint is too thick and blobby and if I were to have another go, I think I would just use a red micro glitter and PVA glue.

I Love Tea Badges

Sorry, sorry, sorry, Blogger is playing up again leaving me with no pictures….. aghhhh… fingers crossed I’ve sorted it …….

My sister saw the badge (below) and really, really wanted it, but it was in a set of three and cost £10, which was a wee bit expensive.  So I said I would have a go at making her something similar using my Bandai Badge Maker (I have two, one bought from e-bay for about £5 and the other from a carboot for 20p including a full set of badges because the lady didn’t want to take it back home with her!)

It took a bit of computer jiggery pokery to get the size right so that it was centred in badge template but I got there in the end.
 

  I myself prefer coffee, white with two sweeteners!!

Decopatch Evening Bag

I blogged this bag ages ago, it cost me 20p at a local car boot/market. 

I have seen quite a few others the same since and it seems it was a free gift from Boots with some beauty products. It has languished in my cupboard until last Sunday after a visit to see my son who lives in Witney, where there is a rather lovely shop, The Pottery Place, that sells Decopatch stuff and it would have been rude not to go in and purchase a few choice items!

As soon as I saw this paper - Peacock Feathers Print (538), cost £1, I knew it would be perfect for the bag.

All I did was cut the paper into small stamp sized pieces, add a layer of decopatch glue to the surface of the bag and stick the paper down bit by bit.  When the bag was covered I applied another coat of Decopatch glue and left it to dry.   Once the glue had dried I applied several coats of clear varnish.

The bag strap was gold, however the paper had silver elements, so  I decided to go over it with several times with a black permanent marker.  I love it, it looks so classy now, I just need to go somewhere posh to use it!