Happy Days ……..

I am at the cottage in Worcester with Marc for a few days ….. and look what he gave me for Christmas ……

I may have to hop everywhere, and going to the loo has its difficulties, but …….      I am a mermaid!!!

Christmas Scene In Large Wooden Lantern

I wanted to put a little Christmas magic in the bedroom where Iris sleeps when she stays over, something she and Bertie will have Christmas memories of when they are grown up.  When I was a child we always had a nativity stable made from an old Bank’s beer crate, it was something that was always there and I can still vividly remember now.

The large, wooden garden lantern was something I had searched for ages to find to go in my open fireplace back in Wolverhampton and though I didn’t bring a lot, I was determined that it would come with me to Evesham, but when I first moved in it didn’t seem to fit in anywhere and it nearly went to live with Marc, along with a couple more boxes of bits that didn’t fit in either.

But eventually, after giving it several coats of white paint  it lived on my lounge window sill for a while, and then it moved again on top of the drawers in the spare room, it was then I hit upon putting a Christmas scene in it.  Firstly I have a confession to make, for this year and this year only, the snow was made using a white vest, suitably draped on the bottom of the lantern, next year, I will make sure I get a more suitable piece of proper sparkly fleecy material!

Santa came from BM Bargains, I forget how much he cost, but his beard and hat trim are “real”, which was just perfect for the effect I wanted.

The two white brush trees came from Clas Ohlson and cost £2.99 each http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Tabletop-Christmas-Tree/44-2129  I had originally put them on my festive shelves, but no matter how much I fiddled with them I couldn’t seem to get them looking straight, but in the lantern it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that they were in proportion with Santa.

Two sets of Poundshop battery operated lights were all that were then needed to complete the whole effect. It’s finished for the time being, but what I am looking for now are a couple of little animals, perhaps a robin, rabbit or squirrel, to add a little more colour and interest, in proportion to Santa and the trees, so my eyes are on constantly alert!

My Christmas Shelves

Christmas is the perfect time to be OTT and the motto “Less is More” can just pale into insignificance, especially now I’ve “done” my Christmas shelves!!!
Above is the shelf over my TV (where the Genie Bottles usually are).  The tree dates back to 2013  http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-bejewelled-dunelm-christmas-tree.html, it has lasted well, but this year I needed to replace the lights on it, as they finally gave up the ghost.

The robin ornament came from the £1 table in The Georgian House (Evesham), well, with my address it would have been rude not to buy it.  I also love a dome, this one came from TX Maxx for about £7, it’s just perfect, and makes a pretty naff ornament look almost tasteful!

The snowman with the stars came from The Range and lights up, the SNOW ornament from B & M Bargains, the large red glass bauble from Poundland and the large silver based and glass candle/tealight holder from Sue Ryder (Evesham) for £3, it just needs the white candle replacing with a red one.

This next shelf features my trusty old Tesco Advent House, going back, would you believe to 2010, it’s starting to show it’s age a bit, but then that’s going to part of the charm of it as the years go by.  http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/finally-finished-my-tesco-advent.html.

There’s another snowman (The Range) under another dome, this time from Ikea (£6) as were the two glass boxes http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/?k=KOMBINERBAR%20decoration%20glass%20box,%20set%20of%202.  I only bought a few Christmassy things with me from Wolverhampton that were special, so this year, except for these bits I have had to buy new.

The last shelf is another mixture of what I have found on my travels over the past few weeks, only the M & S Christmas Tree biscuit tin came with me.So, this year the shelves are done and I am happy with them for this year at least,  however, no doubt, in time, things will get replaced, but what I would really like to do is change the new stuff with older or possibly vintage pieces I might possibly find in charity shops and on e-bay, things with a bit more character.

I am not sure how successful this aim will be, but you never know what’s out there plus it will give me something definite to look for when I go mooching.

My Festive Baubled Branches

This is my view as I blog, in front of me, my festive branches, awash, if I might be so bold, with small baubles of the spherical kind!
With the blind down, it’s much easier to make out!
I’d spotted the branches, because they looked quite bleached on my way into town, and I thought “I’m going to ‘ave me some of them!”

After I’d helped myself to two suitably sized branches and got them home I suddenly thought what on earth am I going to put them in to keep them standing upright, and then I remembered a couple of bottles I found from Ikea, filled with water they could take the weight of the branches and the baubles I planned to put on them.

I’ve hung cerise pink, turquoise and silver jingle bells from Poundland and some tiny, clear, glass baubles I got in a Hobbycraft sale about six years ago, if not more, I always knew that they would come in one day!

In the evening the window sill is cast in a shadow, so I am now looking for one of those flat battery operated downlighters to put behind it.  I could kick myself as I had a couple (£1 for two) in my old craftroom before I dismantled it, still I think I may have seen some in Home Bargains.  I do miss my Poundshops here!

Santa Matchbox Christmas Tree Decoration.

Another Christmas tree decoration using a matchbox from a pack of 8 from The Works (£1) The matchbox measures 5cm x 3.5cm, just enough to put in a small chocolate or perhaps some Christmas money.

The foam Santa face, which I have put on both sides of the box, came from a packet I found in Poundland, all I have added are a pair of wiggly wobbly eyes.

The Christmas sentiment down the side of the box is cut from a roll of Washi tape from Dovecrafts North Pole range (bought from The Works £2).

The matchbox is lined with the same paper as on the outside. 

I punched a hole in the top of the box and threaded through a hanger using striped red bakers twine and matching red wooden bead. A tiny amount of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen finishes off the box.

Framed Old Jewellery Collage

I have decorated the frames of old mirrors with old jewellery before, but have never done a collage (?), so this is my first attempt.
I’ll be honest, I am not 100% about the black background.  It might look better on some velvet fabric.  Perhaps one day, when I’ve nothing better to do, I might look for some suitable fabric and change it.  I am not sure how much of the main body of the piece would fall apart, it should be pretty tough as I used E900 clue, but it wouldn’t be too hard to put together again, and maybe add some more bits.

The Ribba shadow box frame came from Ikea, it measures 23 x 23cm and cost £3.50.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/frames-pictures/ribba-frame-white-art-00078032/

Keeping The Momentum Going …………

I hope you don't mind that my posts won’t be all about crafts in the run up to Christmas or over New Year. Coming back to blogging came as a bit of a surprise to me, it really was a matter of one day sitting down at the computer and starting again from scratch. But it's that time of year when there's a lot things going on do, so rather than keep stopping and starting, I thought would fill the days by showing you a bit more of my new home, posting more of my charity shop finds, as well as a couple of crafty ideas.

Plus …… I am off to spend a few days with Marc next week at the cottage in Worcester, this place is a constant source of inspiration to me, so I am hoping Marc will allow me to share a few pictures of the things that I love so much there.  I am not sure if we will have time to craft, between pints of vodka and coke, boxes of Maltesers or watching reality TV, but you never know! 

I promise the crafting will start with vengeance in the New Year, I have already ordered a few bits and pieces, but if you could just bear with me!

Matchbox Christmas Tree Decoration.

I bought a couple of packs of  8 white craft matchboxes from The Works (£1) last year, I was hoping to buy a few more online this year, but at present they are out of stock, so I have had to make do with what I have got.
The matchboxes are quite small, measuring 5cm x 3.5cm, just enough to put in a small chocolate or perhaps some Christmas money.

The Christmas sentiment down the side of the box is cut from a roll of Washi tape from Dovecrafts North Pole range (bought from The Works £2).

The wooden reindeer head was from a tray of wooden Christmas shaped tags also from The Works,  (I can’t find them on their website sorry), to which I added a pair of wobbly eyes and a bit of a fringe.

The matchbox is lined with the same paper as the outside. 

I punched a hole in the top of the box and threaded through a hanger using striped red bakers twine and matching red wooden bead. A tiny amount of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen finishes off the box.

Christmas Just Wouldn’t Be Christmas Without At Least One Elizabeth Shaw Mint Post!

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one Elizabeth Shaw mint favour post!The starting point is always what Christmas stickers I can find to fit the centre circle.  This year they were all ready made for me, coming from Hobbycraft (26 stickers - £1). All I have had to do is back them on a white punched circle.

As per usual I used my trusty Stampin’ Up 1 3/8 circle  and scallop punches to make the front and back of the mints.

I simply bagged up the mints with a red gingham ribbon and tag to take to my Tuesday night Slimming World class, where we had been asked to bring something “red” to put in a red Christmas hamper which was then raffled off.

Two Mini Christmas Printers Trays

I only had two mini trays to use this year, originally packaging from wooden laser cut shapes, I wish you could buy them, if you could I would buy them in bulk as I love making this sort of thing.
I had to scrabble about a bit in my Christmas box to find enough little things to fit in the compartments and then put them  all together.

I have two larger oblong boxes from The Works that contained small Christmas tree decorations which I plan to decorate when I have more time after Christmas. The slightly larger compartment size in these, I think, should give me a little more scope to create a more detailed picture in each.

I just need to keep my eyes open for some more tiny bits and pieces to go in them.

The One That Got Away, A Couple Of Charity Shop Finds and Complete Disaster.

Charity shop shopping seems to have become such a huge habit in the past six months. In Wolverhampton my “fix” was a 20/30 minute bus ride away, in Evesham it’s just a 10 minute walk (if that), so it’s a no brainer to go mooching once or twice a week.  Evesham also has two largish “antique” type places, plus The Georgian House, which I think does clearance, but the clearance seems to come from some wonderful old places.

It will always be the shop where I had to let my dream mirror get away, I had to see sense as it was absolutely mahoooooooooosive and was so heavy that it would have undoubtedly pulled down my lounge wall had I attempted to put it up!!! I admit to going all glassy eyed when I saw it, as it’s very much like the mirrors I had admired (and secretly stroked) in Marc’s London flat. 

The ornate gold frame was also mirrored, it was gorgeous!  I so wanted it and I had even got the price down everso from slightly from £180 to £160 with free delivery, before I got sensible and with regret, let it go!

I now keep my finds small! Like this beaded tea-light lamp above, which cost me £1.  Not everyone’s taste I know, and in the past I wouldn’t have looked twice at it, but in the New Year, when I am having compartment shelving built  at each end of the spare bedroom, it will be perfect, as I want it to have a eclectic “Bohemian” feel, hark at me (!!!) with, hopefully, many more colourful finds.And, as you can see it, it’s perfect with the bedding I have already bought from Next.

Because I am planning the room, probably more than any other room, I have been going out with a list of things to look for, a bedside water carafe and glass was on such a list and the above couldn’t have been more perfect for just £3.50. The small, pressed glass tray was bought on an earlier “expedition” to the same shop for 50p, just the marriage I wanted.

On my list at the moment is a strip of rich purple velvet to go across the end of the bed, but I think I may have a long patient wait for that and some tall, old, purple glass candlesticks to go on, what the moment is my only disaster (for now).

• The mirror for the room came from Dunelm, I loved the shelf and the fact that you can also hang things on it, like a guest towel, toiletry bag etc. (the original plain, white knobs have since been replaced by my trademark “diamond” ones), but the colour was wrong ……… oooooooo-wer

So……… I painted it with some chalk paint from the bottom of a tin, surplus to The Lovely Laura’s requirements that had seen better days.  NOT A GOOD IDEA.  The paint had got thick and the finish was absolutely awful, it had gone well beyond it’s use by date!!! I should have stopped after the first few brush strokes, but no, I preserved till it was all covered, aghhhhhh!

Fortunately, being chalk paint it comes off pretty easily, I have just got to do it!!!! Hopefully I will get it done before Christmas when I have a free afternoon.  Then, I am planning on painting it “properly” in a similar colour, but in a matt gloss.  Fingers crossed it works this time.