Oh My Life Wednesday!!

OH MY LIFE!!!

This tip used to be my lovely pristine craft room ….. a place for everything and everything in its place!!
But, now thanks to the festive season it looks like a bomb has hit it! ........Yes, those are Walkers pickled onion flavour crisps bunged on top of my birdcage, and no, I don't intend to do a craft project with them ..... I don't think???!!!!

I just don’t know where to begin ……

I’ve got to get those mugs in the oven to bake them…… and I need to empty that bin!

And these mice need bagging up ….

Ooooooooooo Christmas …….. BAH BUMBUG!!!

My Birdcages

I was struggling for a post for today, and thought a voyage round my craft room would be a crafty move and it has inspired a couple of questions about some of my treasures.

So for Suzanne …. you have noticed I have a thing about birdcages ….. though it’s hard to see them amongst all the squalor!!

I embarrassed my family when we flew back from Tunisia two years ago  with this birdcage as my hand luggage, I was so determined to bring one back, it’s gradually getting shabbier, which makes it even more beautiful.

This “faux” antique cage came from a craft market in Cardiff last Christmas, it was something daft like £9. Again it was a nightmare to carry through the shops, but I knew if I didn’t get it there and then, I’d never find another one.  The Gaudi lizard was a present from Barcelona from my PE Hockey Team.

And these two cages are night light holders and they came from a local “bargain” warehouse and wouldn’t have cost more than £2.99.

My home is fairly minimalist as I don’t have time to dust and stuff but my craft room is where I put all my finds and treasures, to sort of inspire me.

Cello Bags for Sweetie Bags

The question I have been asked most often in the run up to Christmas is what cello bags I use for my sweetie bags. To be honest my answer has always been a bit wishy washy, as I tend to cut down bags I already have to fit the topper.  But I can understand that to someone just starting crafting this is a really rubbish answer ….. so I am now going to tell you properly …….

The best cello bags for sweetie bags with toppers measure 3 x 5 inches and are available  from the same lady as I get my pretzel bags from, they cost £1.99 for 50 plus £1 P & P – which I reckon is a pretty good price (I also use these bags to put my wish bracelets and other jewellery  in)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/50-x-3-x-5-Small-CLEAR-Cello-Bags-/250730961160pt=Uk_Crafts_Cake_Decorating_MJ&hash=item3a60bad908

I like to put between 50 – 60 grams of good quality sweets in my bags and this size is perfect.  I hope this has helped a little.

Candy Cane Heart

This was a bit fiddle farty…….

I’ve joined two wrapped candy canes together using my hot glue gun (it didn't harm the candy),  but because the canes were wrapped, it was hard to disguise/hide the cellophane wrapper at the end of the cane. That’s when I decided to add a few thick, glittery table confetti snowflakes, with clear flat back gems in the centres to hide the joins.

I’ve used a loop of red ribbon to hang it up on the Christmas tree etc.

Gingham Snowman Christmas Card

 

I loved the effect of the Anita’s 3D laser snowmen stickers, that I have used on  my sweetie bags so much I thought I would try to convert the idea into a card, and I am dead chuffed with the result.

All I’ve done is mat and layer the scalloped circle onto white and blue gingham squares, edged with blue and silver, followed by a bit of faux stitching and a red button to finished the effect. Voila.

A Very Bejewelled Card

I’m not sure if this is a Christmas or Birthday card, I reckon it could be used for both!

I’m trying to use up several packets of these embellishments that I have had for ages as part of my economy drive!

 
I’m not too sure if there isn’t just a little too much bling on this card though, I’ll put it in my box and see if it goes.

Gingham File

I’ve put together a pdf file of 8 pages of small gingham if you would like a copy just e-mail me.

Let It Snow

I’ve used a digikit to make this card from :- http://sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/product.php?productid=16188&cat=0&page=1  it’s called Little Joys and it’s just so lovely.  I am fussy about my snowmen, and the snowmen in this kit are perfect.

I’ve cut the snowman out and added small black stickers on his eyes and mouth, and tiny buttons down his front. For the background I’ve used a paper from the same kit and white glitter paper in wavy layers to give texture to the snow.

The snowflakes are made using a punch and the signpost is handwritten and is made using scraps of a wood effect paper.

Lonely Snowman Card

I’ve looked at this snowman card and I am going to do it again …… the centre square is too big and makes the snowman look very lonely.  I think I need to trim another centimetre, if not a smidgeon more, all the way around to make it look more balanced.

The snowman is a button I got from E-Bay USA a couple of Christmas’s ago, it was part of a bumper bag I got for about £6. The sky background is navy Bazzill paper that I have doodled on with a white gel pen.

Decorated Chocolate Bars

I hope you don’t mind me resurrecting one of last years ideas, but I have had a couple of questions about chocolate bars! ………  Please don’t do this to me ……… I have a pair of ski trousers at the end of my bed as a constant reminder that I have to get into them for February 19th when I am going to Czech Republic with my PE Dept.  At the moment I need a safety pin bigger than the one on Orville the Ducks nappy  to hold them together ….. not a good look …… but I digress …..

 

These are large bars of chocolate – I think they cost about 99p.  I’ve made a new sleeve for them, using part of a 12 x 12 paper, a red band round the  middle, a sentiment and a few twiddly diddly bits and my trade mark faux stitching. It’s amazing just how glamorous and special you can make a chocolate bar look.  This is a little “fairing” gift, instead of a card, that I might give to say George the Banga bus driver (see Mum’s Monkey) as a little thank you for getting me home each night from work.

There are lots of sites with chocolate sayings that you can use, and not just for Christmas ….

http://danworona.50megs.com/custom.html

http://www.lookinggood123.com/2008/October/Chocolate-Quotes-and-Chocolate-Sayings.htm

http://www.infobarrel.com/Famous_and_funny_sayings_about_chocolate

It’s not how much you spend, it’s the thought and time that you have put into a small gift that counts.

Cards Using 3D Stickers.

I have see these 3D embellishments in crafts shops and I think they were priced at about £1.99 for 4, so imagine my excitement when I found them on Penkridge Market for £2.25 for 8, which works out at 28p instead of 49p each.

The designs are quite sweet and a little bit different from what I usually use on my Christmas cards – I don’t think I’ve ever used cutesy children before!

I’ve used scraps of paper for the backgrounds but  can’t remember the name of them.  Though I think that the burgundy and white is a Papermania Christmas paper.

What I like about the stickers is that they are already embellished with small gems etc. which it what I would usually do, so it’s saved me a lot of fiddle fart.

I wish I could do cards like other bloggers with lots of fancy cut layers, borders and all the fiddly twiddly bits, but I wouldn’t know where to start …..

……. However I might just set myself a challenge of studying someone else’s template and having a go. Watch this space ….

What’s On My Desk Wednesday!

I’ll let the pictures tell the story ……. this is an order from my Music Department as a “thank you” to all the choirs !!!!

Candy Cane Mice ……. talk about Pied Piper!

Chocolate Bar Snowmen with the fingers cut from magic finger gloves for their hats.

And chocolate bar Rudolphs …… but I was six chocolate bars short …… so I’ve got to make a few more before I’m finished.

Ho, Ho, Ho!!

Card Toppers Made From Gift Tags

Card toppers can be quite expensive, but there are some really lovely 3D gift tags around at the moment that can be turned into brilliant embellishments for cards.  This pack of 18 cost £1.99, which works out at 11p each.  I got them from one of those Christmas shops that spring up at this time of year. What I like about them is that they are already very  glittery.

All I’ve done is cut off the front panels and then mat and layer them on silver and gingham paper  downloaded from   (http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com),  adding a few bits and pieces like googly eyes, sprigs of holly and little round black Glitterati stickers on the snowman’s mouth and buttons for even more dimension.

The card measures 12cm x 12cm and the centre gingham panel measures 9cm x 9cm.

The snowflakes are made using a snowflake punch.

Jewelled Christmas Tree Tag/Decoration

I got these Christmas tags/decorations from a shop in town in the Christmas sales, as you can see the price was originally £2.50 but I got them for 25p

They are made from a hard plastic covered in glitter, all I have added are a few Paperchase flat backed gems to both sides with a strong glue so that they can be hung on a Christmas tree or used as a posh parcel tag.

Penguin Peg Fridge Magnets

I love these Anita’s 3D laser penguin stickers (99p per pack) and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of making  1in x 1 in embellishments with them.

The fridge magnet base started out on  this Christmas card hanger from Poundland, bought last year but never used.  I know I could have made this all from scratch, but for a pound the hard work has already been done for me, The pegs are a perfect size (smaller that normal pegs) and if I’d found them in a craft shop they’d have cost a lot more than a pound!

I made a template from the original printed square and then made a little background for the penguins using glitter paper and blue card with a bit of faux stitching and snowflakes using a white gel pen.  Silver star sequins complete the effect.  I’ve stuck small round magnets on the back of the peg (these have been taken off other magnets that I have used as embellishments on some of my cards).

Making Gifts Magazine - One of My Projects Is On The Cover!!!!!!!!

I had an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from Sally from Making Gifts Magazine:-

http://www.emagmaker.co.uk/publications/making-gifts/2010/december. It’s an online magazine, so I haven't quite made it too the giddy heights of WH Smith yet, but it's a step in the right direction!  Sally asked if I would like to submit two of my projects for publication.  At first I was reluctant but she is a persistent lady and I relented.  She was interested in my beer mat calendar:-

http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2010/08/coasterbeer-mat-desk-calendar.html  and my Old Crock Recycled Cake Stand http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2010/10/old-crock-recycled-cake-stand.html.

I would say go and have a look but obviously there is a charge of £1.95 for the issue.……  though if you register on the site you can read the first three editions free:-

http://www.emagmaker.co.uk/publications/free) ….. but I thought that it was a bit of exciting news I would like to share with you.

Jingle Beans Revisited

I made Jingle Bean Jars last Christmas and they were very popular.  I wanted to make them again but didn’t want to repeat the design.

   

So this year I have decided to use up some of the many Paperchase jingle bells I have been hoarding for a couple of years.

The jars are from Poundworld (4 for a £1). They don’t have them very often, which is why I buy in bulk when I see them.  IKEA do an almost identical version called Rajtan which cost £1.99 for 4.

The red snowflake is made from felt and is also from Paperchase and the red gingham ribbon is from Stampin’ Up but is now discontinued.

I keep meaning to make up a few extra jars to keep aside for unexpected birthdays – with Birthday Beans instead of Jingle Beans written on, but as always there just isn't enough time.