My 60’s Genie Bottle Collection

I said a week or so ago that I was intending to put a small collection together of 60’s Genie Bottles in my newly shelved guest bedroom. I had found three for under £2 each in Evesham and one in Wolverhampton, but I think finding them in such quick succession was a bit of a fluke, but in some ways a spooky message to arouse my interest.

Each time I go mooching in town my fingers are crossed but, with a little bit of birthday money this month and my recent stint at the NEC, I have managed to add a few more via e-bay, looking for low starting auctions and setting a rigid limit of £20 on any “buy now” sale. I have also discovered that Etsy occasionally has a few affordable sales too.

I love that all the colours vary ever so slightly and very subtly, so no two pieces are actually the same colour.  Though destined for the bedroom, I made the fatal mistake of trying them in the lounge ……… only to discover they were meant to be there!

I think I now have the bug, big time, so I fear they may spread along with my research and knowledge. There are other colours I would love, but I am already learning that they are of a premium, and that’s where they can stay, there’s always the eternal thrill of the chase, and you never know what will might turn up while I am out mooching!

Easter Bunny Matchbox Favour

Every time I pop into The Works in Evesham I have a good ruttle through the reduced box hoping to find a few more packs of reduced matchboxes as I have a feeling they might not be doing them again, though I have them on “Notify” if/when they are back in stock on their website. However I have found similar boxes from Baker Ross http://www.bakerross.co.uk/search/go?w=matchboxes should they dry up completely.

The felt bunny stickers came from lemonmoonltd on E-bay, but could be old stock (from Baker Ross) as I bought them just before Christmas. The spotted paper tape comes from The Works.

The tape is so easy to use and brilliant for decorating the sides and ends of the matchboxes, bought recently, I think they are going to be a staple for all sorts of projects.

I used scraps of Forever Friends paper on the front, back and inside of the matchbox……..
……. adding a little faux stitching using a fine liner pen.

I put a bunny on each side of the box, adding googly eyes for extra detail and a hanging thread with a bead as I am thinking that using different bunnies and colours would look lovely hanging on Easter branches with decorated Easter Eggs for Iris and Bertie this year. 

At the moment this one remains empty until I find something to put in it, something small like chocolate eggs, bunnies and chicks and then I will go into proper production mode.

Ladybirds In A Jar – Valentines/Wedding Day Favour

This project uses chocolate Love Bugs from Home Bargains (69p net of 15), a Kilner style spice jar, a few wooden ladybirds, butcher’s red and white twine and a punched layered tag.

I had a few chocolate ladybirds left over from my Valentines sweetie bags (posted a week or so ago), so I thought I would make a little Valentine jar with the remainder.  I have had the jars for ages but they can be found quite easily in various shops.

I made the tag in exactly the same way as those on the sweetie bags, using various scalloped and plain circle punches from my collection.

The tag was attached quite easily to the jar by threading the twine through the metal rings that hold the lid to the jar.
As a final touch I also stuck three more ladybirds at intervals round the jar

Christmas Scene in A Stemmed Jar

I found this stemmed jar in Home Bargains last week (£1.29). There were only two, and I knew that it was highly unlikely that I would see them again, so I bought it, and then immediately regretted not buying both when I got home, typical!

I knew straight away what I was going to do with it, the red and white gingham screw top screamed Christmas. …… so, I put a layer of flour on the bottom to “make” the snow and then add a couple of bristle Christmas trees (from The Works) and a resin snowman (pack of two from Hobbycraft) ….. et voila! To make the snow extra twinkly I could have added a sprinkling of translucent micro glitter on top and a red ribbon round the bottom of the screw top could also have add an extra dimension.

I love the idea of using jars as decorations, Christmas, Easter and Halloween immediately spring to mind, it’s finding the little things to put in them that takes the time, which is why my eyes are always peeled for something suitable when out mooching.

If you can’t find stemmed jars like this, you can always glue a glass candle stick, easily found in a charity shop, on the bottom using E6000 glue. Tops could be painted to match a theme, I.e green, purple, orange for Halloween, pastels for Easter, but I can see that this wouldn’t be too economical if crafting on a budget, so silver and gold would be best, perhaps “tarted up” with a ribbon.  

I have seen a couple of ideas on Pinterest for Easter, I just need to find the bits.

Gingham Jar Kraft Tags

Today I have fiddle farted with some Kraft gift tags ………

They came about when I found the packet of small jar tags (below) in the reduced box in The Works. I had quite liked them at £1, but I liked them even more for 50p, but as you know, my new mantra is that a bargain is only a bargain if I do something with it/them almost straight away, I can’t afford to let anything languish in my drawers any more!!!!!

I used a sheet of slightly ribbed Kraft card for the tags.  The scraps of paper used came from a Forever Friends  6” x 6” pad and I couldn’t believe that it included  a gingham paper that matched the gingham lids of the jars perfectly. 

I added doodled lines using a black fine liner pen on the back and front of the tag to mirror the lines on the jar

The blank label on the jar didn’t look right so I found an old packet of Paperchase flower stickers that fit perfectly and also looked good dotted here and there, again on the front and on the back of the tag.

The final touch was a cream coloured wooden bead on the cream cord. Done and dusted.

I used all the tags in the packet, so including the Kraft card, stickers and scraps of paper I would say the tags cost approximately 25p each to make.

My Hall - Framed Insect & Reptile Brooches Display

I have always been rubbish with pictures in the house, I think I am better with displays, probably all those years of doing them in various schools over the years. So, I have had this idea for displaying my collection of insect and reptile brooches, many presents from Marc, for ages, I’ve just never had the wall space …… until now!

The hall in my flat is L shaped, with plenty of space for one set of six Ikea Ribba shadow frames on each branch, if that makes sense …

….. I make no apologies, since moving I have become maddening symmetrical!

I used a plain, medium shade of blue card as the background for each set or single insect.  I also used E9000 glue to hold the insects in place, as some are quite heavy.

I love all the brooches, but it seems sad to have them in a box in a drawer for the majority of the time, this way I get to see them all the time. The “display” is different, not to everyone’s taste, but very me ……..

…… and I am dead chuffed that they turned out just like the picture in my head.

Nordic Style Wooden Christmas Tree Tags

Yesterday I had an fairly easy job covering and embellishing the stockings from part of a pack of 4 x 2 designs from Poundland, doing the same with the Christmas tree tags was just plain fiddly, thank goodness there were only two to do.

Again I used a Nordic style paper as the pattern was in  just the right proportion to the tree. I drew round the wooden tree once and then cut the shape out, but it didn’t matter how careful I was, I still had to trim sparingly and then trim some more, to get a perfect fit.  I then layered the middle and then a top paper piece on top of the original cut tree.

I knew the star, cut from a contrasting scrap of paper, would be a nightmare to get right, but I got there in the end.

This was followed by some  faux stitching using a black fine liner pen round the edges, to define and add more detail, on the back as well as the front. I put small, red flat backed gems on one tree but decided not to do the same on the other, and finally a clear gem was glued on both stars. A red wooden bead was threaded on to the tying cord to follow the colours through.

As with yesterday, these tags are initially to be put on presents, however after I see no reason why they can’t be used as tree decorations.

Nordic Style Wooden Christmas Stocking Tag.

Following on from yesterday, and my “eared snowman” I found these wooden stocking tags much easier to work with (part of a pack of 4 x 2 designs from Poundland.

I used the Nordic style paper because the pattern was  just in the right proportion to the stocking. I drew round the wooden stocking and then cut the shape out, but it didn’t matter how careful I was, I still had to trim sparingly and then trim some more, to get a perfect fit. 

The stocking top, heel and toe were then cut using a contrasting paper……. 

…… and then I did a bit of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen round the edges, to define and add more detail on the back as well as the front. The small, red flat backed gems were an after thought that I think worked.

The final touch was a red wooden bead on the cord.
Initially these are tags to put on presents, but after I see no reason why they couldn’t be hung on a tree as a decorations.

Guest Crafter – Iris Roo With Her Gary and Mary Scarecrows.

Today’s guest crafter is Iris Roo …….

This “work of art” came about the other Wednesday, on Wednesdays I pick Iris up from nursery, we lunch out, usually at Moos Moos and then go back to The Towers for some “our time”.

On this occasion Iris spotted some wooden coffee stirrers and after carefully studying them, decided she wanted to make a scarecrow when we got in, that’s my girl!!!

Those stirrers were never been held so tightly as we trundled home, this was a little girl with a definite idea in her head.

When we got home we sat at the table and I was “told” to make a scarecrow and madam watched patiently as I cobbled together a frame with the said stirrers and masking tape, and then I suggested the first thing he needed was a head, we were off and running, we were making “Gary”.

Gary need a mouth, then eyes and a nose (which I had to draw, because Iris said she couldn’t), this was followed by a coat, a hat, boots and gloves, bless her. It was my idea to add stickers, as stickers are a very definite activity of choice.

Iris has a huge concentration span and I could see Iris wasn’t finished, so again I suggested Gary needed somewhere to be, so we put him in a field. I suggested a sky and then some grass but couldn’t believe it when she added them …… and as for the stems for the flowers, again suggested, oh my goodness!And then, we had to start all over again as Iris wanted to make Mary. Iris watches very little TV, but she has seen a little bit of the Muppet Movie which has Gary and Mary as the human characters, and when Iris isn’t being Iris, she is being Mary.  Iris was also definite that Mary’s dress was left white

The picture was complete when Gary and Mary were positioned on the paper holding hands, and the spaces filled in with more “drawing” and flower stickers until she was happy.

We must have been working for well over an hour, it almost bought tears to my eyes. I am so glad I took the pictures as we went along, I have neglected The Project Life album I started when Iris was born, so I am hoping they will be the kick start I need to try to get it up to date.  Happy, Happy Days!