Guest Crafter – My Auntie Beth

My Auntie Beth in Bude discovered Adult Colouring Books about a year ago ……. but what do you do with all those coloured pages?

The answer’s simple …… decoupage with them, with stunning results!  I absolutely LOVE her bowl, and am now desperate to have a go myself. I believe she uses gel pens to colour with, which, I believe, shouldn’t run when glued or varnished over.I also love the cutlery holders ……. what a brilliant idea for recycling and no two ever the same.

I know that they have gone down a storm at the family cafe in Bude, The Lock Gates Tea Room.  I asked if any had been nicked (as I would have), but she said, that as of yet, not!

https://www.facebook.com/The-Lock-Gates-Tea-Room-1732762160284309/

Framed Craft Stick Flower Fairy

My Queen Mother Flower Fairy reappears again, as if ….. by magic!  When I originally posted the fairy, I did mention  that I thought I might frame her for Iris to mark Iris’s first dance class, which should be sometime in September.

I was looking for a more ornate picture frame in the charity shops, but when I saw this purple one for just 40p I thought the colour might enhance the fairy, sadly the colour didn’t carry well in my head, and when I put the fairy and the frame together, they just didn’t do anything for each other, so I painted over the purple with a metallic gold Posca pen which looked much better.

And, as this wasn’t going to be a less is more project I brought out the blink in the form of iridescent, self adhesive gem strips.

 

However, to make sure  the strip didn’t peel off over time I did use extra PVA along the edges to make sure the gems were doubly secure.

I had taken the glass out of the frame and decided not replace it, just in case, (I don’t like glass in children’s bedrooms), but instead put a piece of very sparkly white glitter card in it’s place to act as a background.

I also put a message on the back, so that the occasion is marked and remembered, leaving a little space to add the date when I know it. Framed Queen Mother Fairy done and fairy dusted!

Craft Stick Christmas Snowflake Decoration

This idea is/was a bit of an experiment, it isn’t quite right, it needs a little fine tuning but I think other similar ideas will spin from it.

 

I used eight lolly/craft sticks to form the snowflake shape, gluing them together with E600 glue so that there was no risk of them coming apart.

 

I used PVA glue to stick a large flat back pearl in the centre and the largish clear gems on the rest of the sticks.

Then I got carried away and added smaller iridescent pearls from a strip of stickers on top of the clear gems, I have to say that the pictures don’t do justice to the sparkly effect.

On the back I stuck a silver pendent bail to act as a hanger for a thread.

I then decided to colour the back with a silver marker, so it looked more “finished off”.

I want to try this idea again, but using smaller mini craft sticks I bought recently and then decorate them identically on both sides.  I think making a smaller size would fit better between the branches of a Christmas tree and being double sided it would look better from all angles and if the decoration twirled round.

My Ever Growing Genie Bottle Collection

I have finally filled the shelf above the TV with 60's/70's Italian Genie Bottles and I just love how it looks.
But what do I do now if I see anymore, at silly prices?   I have a few bottles in my guest room, where they look equally lovely (not everyone's taste I know).  Should I carry the theme round on the other two walls, on the existing shelves, over the sofa, or would that be overkill?  .......... Answering my own question after a month or so of living with them .......  it would definitely be overkill!

Spider Halloween Altered Domino Decoration

This is my second project using the “proper” dominoes I found in a charity shop and just like the first time, stamping directly on the blank side is not as easy as it sounds, as I found that the stamp slid and subsequently smudged.  If I want to use a stamped design on a domino again, I will stamp on paper first and then glue the design onto the domino.

I used Jet Black StazOn ink for the stamping. I’m afraid I can’t remember the make the stamp.

When the ink was dry I added a few tiny silver stars and clusters of three dots here and there and then applied a good layer of Ranger Glossy Accents on top, leaving it to set for 24hrs before adding two googly eyes.

I covered the sides of the domino with narrow, self adhesive silver metal foil tape and then drilled a hole in the top for an eye screw pin to hang the domino from.

Looking at the pictures It does look a tiny bit bland especially for Halloween, I will hang the domino from a white thread, and then when the ribbons I have on order arrive, I think I will add an orange or purple one to bring the whole design together (extra pictures to follow).

Chocolate Bugs Halloween Trick Or Treat Jar

I found some chocolate “bug” chocolates in Aldi a while back and wondered if I could do anything with them for Halloween.
I had already saved a small jar with a black lid thinking it might come in useful for such a project.
I started by covering up any writing on the lid with a permanent black pen and a red scalloped circle.

I then glued some spider ribbon (from my Las Vegas trip to Michaels), round the middle of the jar and half way down the sides to make a handle, it took a couple of goes to get it right, hence the miss match of pictures.

I filled the jar with shredded red tissue paper and added the bugs, plus one sitting on the top.

I then decided that it needed a little something else, so made a label to stick round the middle using a scrap of torn black card with a handwritten Trick or Treat message using a white gel pen.

It’s an idea I am quite pleased with ……. but it could certainly be improved/fine tuned a little.I don’t actually think the jar needs to be filled with bugs, one sitting on a bed of shredded tissue would be just as effective, with perhaps plastic Halloween novelty on the lid like a bony hand or skull perhaps……….

…… so I think I may be collecting a few more small jars before Halloween finally arrives..

Craft Stick Flower Fairy Decoration.

Another craft stick fairy today, this time I wanted to try using flower petals from cheap artificial flowers for the skirt.

I call this the Queen Mother of my craft fairy projects, because she is about double the size of all the rest!  I thought all craft sticks were roughly the same size, but when I got the “Queen Mother” sticks home, I soon discovered they’re not.

The cottage rose came from Poundland, it was a very generous size, so I reckon there are enough layers for at least four more fairies. 

I started by wrapping a natural coloured cotton yarn around the top of the craft stick to make the hair.

This was followed by giving the fairy a face, using a fine liner pen and a top from a scrap of matching pale purple card. I then took three petal layers making a small slit in each for the stick to pass through.

To help the layers lie a little flatter I first used PVA glue between the layers, at the top, but then swapped it for blobs of glue gun glue as it stuck much faster.  I also added the fairy slippers by using a purple Sharpie pen and the carefully went round the edges to accentuate them, followed by a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents.

The fairy’s arms were made using two natural coloured beads knotted on to a length of cotton yarn.

I couldn’t believe it when I found that the Home Bargains butterflies I had were a perfect match for the petals. I stuck the centre of the arm thread on the back of the fairy and then glued the butterfly over so that the thread was hidden.

Next followed all the twiddly bits using strips of iridescent self adhesive gems on the wings, and the fairy’s top, plus two purple nail art gems on her slippers and a purple flat back flower in her hair.

To decorate a Christmas tree I think I prefer the fairies made using the smaller craft sticks, but ……….. I am also thinking that you could make some lovely fabric or paper bunting for a little girls bedroom by sticking matching fairies on alternate triangle pendants with a few stars  …….. perhaps this is “a watch this space” post for the future ……. when I have a little more time.

This fairy however is destined to mark Iris’s first dancing class sometime in September, I need to scout the charity shops for an ornatish style, white frame to stick her on, after removing the glass ……. again, watch this space.