Snowman Shadow Box

This shadow box measures 14.5cms x 11cms,

I found three rather awful looking, frames in a local charity shop for just 50p each, with their  crumbling glued flowers, but as the frames had a bit of depth to them and stood up on their own I thought they had potential, so they were duly purchased, with the worry that perhaps I might not be able to get the backs off in one piece without doing serious damage.  After very carefully prising I did manage it, it was the glue that was keeping the mount in place that presented the problems, but again with a little gentle  prising it too came free.  The frame was ready to embellish.

Unfortunately the snowman brooch I had originally planned on putting in the frame proved to be a little too thick and the frame couldn’t be sealed, however the painted wooden snowman fitted a treat, after adding a little white micro glitter to his hat band, pom pom and stripes on his scarf.

I made the very simple background using a snowy design paper and a scrap of white glitter card.  As I wanted to create several layers to make the most of the frames depth, I added two small snowflakes to two of the mount corners along with a few clusters of little doodled dots. With that, the frame was ready to be put back together.

I added faux stitches using a black permanent fine liner pen around the edges of the frame, however when I come do the other frames I think I might use a white pen instead, the black is perhaps a little too harsh.  Two large wooden snowflakes along with a few more smaller ones complete the look. The white dots were added last using a white Posca pen.  Another Christmas fairing done and dusted.

What's He Like?????

As you know it's nigh on impossible to get a picture of  Marc as he prefers to remain a man of mystery and intrigue on tinternet to all but his closest friends .........

....... however, while he was staying with me a couple of weeks back I did manage to take this very relaxed shot completely unbeknownst to him while we were out shopping in Aldi.  What are we like? 

Charity Shop Find ............ Yet Another Beaded Lightshade!

I really do need saving from myself, I just cannot resist a “chandelier” or any other type of lamp/lightshade that is made up of clear or coloured beads ….. and at just 80p for this pink one, what’s a girl who can’t walk passed anything that is sparkly to do?

I have an inkling of an idea, but it will have to wait until the school summer holidays when I will have a couple of weeks all to myself, but I am thinking that I could swop the clear chains of beads on the light fitting in my spare bedroom, for the pink (???).  I am pretty sure it will work, especially as “sometimes” the clear beads shout out at me to do something with them to bring the light even more together. We shall see…..

Marc and I also spent an afternoon while he was staying with me before Easter re-jigging the pair of Morrocan style lamps (from The Range) that I had  already had a good play with. I am now thinking that some of the purple and amber beads could be replaced with a few of the pink (????) to lighten it just a little more.

And then ........ after talking to Marc I also have plans to the light fitting (The Range) in my newly refurbished shower room ......

........ so watch this space!

Drawer Advent Calendar

At last, ..... my first Advent Calendar of 2019 is finally finished. Let’s just say it’s taken an awful lot longer than I had anticipated, almost four months, my excuse, I’ve just been too busy with doing other things.

Once all the drawers were done, it was time get the drawer frame decorated.

I used a red Sharpie pen to colour all the dividers and edges, hoping and praying that it would hold out to the very last slat and not dry and fade on me.

To cover the sides and top I used a patchwork of the paper scraps I'd used on the drawers. These were then varnished with a clear gloss varnish about three/four times with faux stitching added using a fine tipped black permanent pen to outline each scrap when the varnish was dry.

The only slight problem I found was with some of paper/card holly leaves I added that were placed slightly over the edges of some of the drawers, they were a little fragile and tore, so when I do make another calendar (????)  I intend to use a stronger, plastic confetti type holly that I have squirrelled away somewhere.

This calendar is going to be put away until 1st December and then given to my neighbours across the hall, who are expecting their first baby in September, hopefully it will be used year after year, becoming part of the babies Christmas traditions.

I have another set of this type of drawer left to do …….. The Works - £15 so not a cheap project. I just need to work out what basic colour to go for and then what embellishments I am going to use, at the moment I am thinking perhaps wood or plastic, as they will definitely be more durable over a period of years.

The Flying Tiger stickers I have left over from this project will most probably used on cards, as Marc said, each drawer is also a card in the making with a few tweaks here and there .......

....... and I am wondering if I could make a tree decoration or two with them, perhaps using a variety of the mini frames I also have left over ....... 

When In Doubt .................

Found in B M Bargains for £1 a little while ago ......... well, it would have been rude not to make a considered purchase..........

 ...... and it now sits at the side of my crafting table ....... and if/when I get tired of it .......as Marc's says,  it was worth the 99p for the confetti stars inside it alone!

Advent Drawer Tuesday – Santa’s Finally Here

Oh my goodness me  ……. I’ve finally completed  the last drawer on my Advent Calendar for 25th December, Christmas Day and at last Santa is here ……..

…….. with presents to fill the stockings that have been left out for him.  Believe me, it feels like it’s been a long time coming.  Now all I have to do is cover the sides and top of the drawer frame with a patchwork of the papers I have used on the drawers and then my first calendar of 2019 is finished, phew!

Embroidered Pin Badges

Following on from the Bandai Badge It refills I found on Amazon and posted about …………

…… I then found a lovely single John Lewis embroidered duvet set for just £2. I admit to umming and ahhhing as to whether to buy it, but then used my usual rule of thumb when working out if something is worth buying or not ....... and for just £2 it was at least £1 cheaper than a chai latte, my  beverage of choice when I am out and about.

The flowers with the leaf are the best bits to use as they fill the badge front pretty well, but the single flowers work pretty well too, goodness knows how many I have of each, but it's a lot of badges. I am not sure, at the moment, if there could be a possible use for the strips of embroidery, but they have been put away until inspiration calls.  However,  after removing all the “pretty bits” I do have a box full of  cotton rags to use as dusters etc.

I think I may experiment with fabric pens on the scraps, and perhaps even use iron on transfer sheets to reproduce and suitably re-size some of Iris and Bertie’s pictures to put on badges to give as small gifts for dotting aunties etc.

The refills, as I said, are a far better quality than the original Badge It ones, however, the downsize is that I need to make sure that the badge back and image are put in the machine in such a way that the image is the right way around when worn, with the original badges you just needed to turn the pin around.

Found - Poundland Bathroom Wall Plaques/Frames

Wooooo hooooo hoooooo, I am sooooooooooooooooooo flipping chuffed!

You may remember the shadow box I made using a one of the page designs from the Hunkydory Little Book Of Wonderful Wintertime I reviewed and a Poundland bathroom picture frame, well  after seeing how it turned out, with not a lot of effort,  I decided that it really should be my 2019 Christmas fairing keepsake (in lieu of a card which are almost always discarded after the event).  However, making more depended on my finding the frames again. I originally found the three I already had in the Portobello Road (London) branch of Poundland. I did wonder if they were just a one off or the last of range, because in the past it has been a very strange shop for stock despite it's wonderful tourist location.  I looked in Worcester, which has two Poundlands, but they are small and their range not brilliant.  I then worried that by the time I managed to get to a really big Poundland the frames would be gone anyway as is often the way ........ so I began to look at other options, none of which were as good.

So when Marc and Rick suggested a trip over to a retail park in Malvern that had a Poundland during our annual Eurovision Weekend it was a no brainer, although I have to admit I wasn't all that hopeful. 

However ...... BINGO ....... and I will admit unashamedly to clearing the whole shelf, poor Marc!!!  They even had two designs, one including seashells, which I am sure will come in useful for something as they are quite a nice size 

....... and it goes without saying that the ribbon will have to go, but really it's all about the depth of the frame that will allow for a 3D layered design to fit inside.  I now have enough to cover my Christmas needs plus a few extra for other ideas that will undoubedly pop  up ......... thrilled is not the word!

Advent Drawer Tuesday – Dear Santa

Another drawer where I haven’t used the Flying Tiger stickers I have favoured throughout this project. Instead I’ve used an letter embellishment from a pack of foiled sentiments from HobbyCraft’s  2018 Christmas range, that I bought in the New Year sale when I finally realised their potential!

Again the proportion of the letter is perfect for the drawers.  All I have done is added a few red, flat backed pearls on the holly.  I think I need to see if I can find a teeny weeny “something” to use as a stamp to add a bit of extra dimension when I go back to the drawer at the end of the project. If I don’t find anything I don’t think it really matters, perhaps just a touch of Glossy Accents would suffice?   I am also thinking that this design might also translate very nicely into a card?

Christmas Shadow Box – Snowman Scene

As you know I like to give my family and other special people a small decoration instead of a Christmas card each year, something that can come out year after year instead of a card that is more often than not discarded after the event. So, following on from my Hunkdory/Poundland Shadow Box idea http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2019_04_23_archive.html  I will be giving either a shadow box or three dimensional frame featuring some of the Christmas bits I already have or find in the coming months.

However, that being said,  I think this frame will probably stay with me because of the memories attached to the snowman.  He is “was” a resin brooch that I find found in a very small flea market in Hell’s Kitchen, New York back in March 2018. He was absolutely filthy and goodness know what I paid for him, probably a dollar, certainly no more.

I simply put him in a 10cm x 10cm Hobbycraft shadow box.  In March this year they were selling them at half price from £4 to £2 so I got a few to play with.

I created the background scene using a paper from a 10cm x 10cm Winter Wonderland paper pad I got from The Range (Christmas 2018) and a scrap of white glitter card.  I then added said snowman (with brooch back removed), adding three of the small plastic snowflakes I sourced from AliExpress. (100 for £1.04)

When everything was dry I put the completed scene in the frame and then went completely over the top, adding two wooden snow flakes (charity shop bargain, probably originally from Sainsbury’s) with a plastic snowflake glued on each to give even more dimension, plus three on the glass for snowflake overload.  The tiny doodled white dots were made using a white nail painting pen.

I will apologise now as I think you will be seeing several more versions of this idea as I find more frames and embellishments ……. but at least I will also be ticking off the people on my list to give them to way before Christmas begins, so hopefully no last minute panics this year

How Did I Not Know About This?

Is it just me or did the existence of this wonderful little tool just pass me by .......?

I am always wary when I post a card in case it's a little too layered and embellished and subsiquently falls into the "large letter" category. This almost happened  when I was in the post office the other day when one of the assistants took another look at the card I was sending and said ooooo this feels a bit bumpy I'd best double check it, luckily it passed muster.

I then asked, expecting the answer to be in the negative if it was  possible to get my hands on a measure like hers ....... to which she led me over to the shelves and handed me this!

At £3.27 a considered purchase was made. I must have been on planet Fiddle Fart for far too long as I never knew you this existed. DOH

I tend to give really embellished cards in person, but this will definitely keep me on my toes when it comes to cards that I intend to post.  I would hate someone to have to collect and then pay well over the odds for a card that I'd sent that was found to measure a large letter.

Advent Drawer Tuesday – Little Angels

I am not sure about this drawer ………..

…….. there’s something missing/not quite right (or is it just me ….??? ) I think it might be the angel’s wings …….. I wonder if they should be covered with white glitter to hide the blue and their hearts made a little more dimensional with the addition of a tiny gold/silver nail embellishment?  I always go back to each drawer before I finally put them in the drawer frame for the last time, perhaps inspiration will hit me then?

Nine Square Card Gardening Card

This card measures 5 3/4ins x 5 3/4 ins and is made using a hand cut white linen effect card blank.

The box of 72 small, wooden, garden themed, laser cut embellishments was a chance find, for just £1, from a discount type shop in nearby Pershore, perfect for this nine square gardening card.

I coloured each shape with my now ancient Whisper pens, followed by gluing them onto 1 1/4 ins scrap white squares.  They looked a bit stark so I added doodled lines round the edges and clusters of three dots using a black fine liner pen. To accentuate the edges of the shapes I also used a little white gel pen but it sort of absorbed into the wood, but I quite like the effect.

I then cut a 4 1/2 in white square, which I mat and layered on silver mirror card to put in the centre of the card blank, before adding the embellished small squares.

The finished card looks OK, but, if I were to do it again I think I might cover the front of the card completely with a subtle green, patterned paper to make the centre panel pop a little more.  I think I am right off using white at the moment!!!

I think there is also a single card to be made using the bird shapes, either in a small frame or stuck over the wooden heart.  Lots of food for thought so watch this space.

Easel Card

This "card is a HUGE thank you to Paula ..........

....... who very kindly sent me these wooden photo frame embellishments from Hobbycraft, as soon as I saw them I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do with them, especially with Iris's 5th birthday coming up!

I always tell Iris I love her to the moon and back, to the stars and beyonds and to the bottom of the deep blue see, so when I saw her "Guess How Much I Love You" book beside her bed my idea was confirmed.

I found an illustration from the book that  I wanted to use (not sure of copyright here, but this project is a gift, not to be sold and never repeated, if I have infringed any rules, I will take this post down).  I reduced the image to fit the frame embellishment and added the text using Windows Publisher before printing.

I coloured the frame to as nearer match to the sky as I could.  I also added a little colour to the sky and a more grass in order to fill any white space in the sky and cover behind the hearts.

I glued the frame over the picture and waited for it to dry before cutting it out.

Filling the hearts with tiny gold nail embellishments (Poundland) was just the perfect touch, I wasn't sure if they would fit, but when they did I was soooooooooooooooo pleased.

It doesn't show very well in the picture, but also I went over the background of the picture with a Spectrum Noir Crystal Clear "Sparkle" pen so that the picture sparkles in the light, it really does so pretty.

Then, thinking about Iris's great love for drawing and anything arty crafty (she wants an art desk for her birthday)  I glued the picture on to one of the little wooden easels I have had for forever.  I do have some tiny pencils that I would have loved to have added to the easel shelf, but the proportion was not right, however, I still have a couple of weeks left to perhaps find something meant for a dolls house?

This easel will be instead of a birthday card, something hopefully Iris will treasure for many years to come, where perhaps a card would be long forgotten.  

THANK YOU PAULA FOR THE INSPIRATION.

Advent Drawer Tuesday - Let It Snow

I love this drawer, it’s one of the few that I have used a sticker other than the Flying Tiger ones.  The “Let It Snow” came from a pack of sentiments from Hobbycraft.  The proportion of it was just perfect  with the penguins, numbers and snowflakes.

Talking of the snowflakes, I finally used the last of the small, plastic snowflakes I got from The Works last year and I was getting desperate, especially with several other ideas whirling around my head where I wanted to use them.  In the end I decided that I couldn’t wait to see if The Works would have them again this year so I looked on AliExpress as recommended by Marc  and after a bit of a search I found them, minus the diamante for just 100 for £1.04 (as opposed to about 20 for £1), needless to say I bought four lots ……. I am thrilled. 

These snowflakes are just so versatile, the size is perfect (17mm) for so many ideas and can also be layered on some of the larger wooden snowflakes I have for extra dimension.  It will be interesting to see how many of the 400 I have left by the time Christmas comes this year.