Googly Eyed Wooden Cat Pin Badge Brooches

These cat wooden brooches follow on from the bear brooches I posted a week or so ago.

Made exactly the same way, just a different colourway ………

…… starting by changing the cats appearance by giving him a pair of large googly eyes ………..

……. followed by covering a 1in MDF square with a piece of scrap paper and edging the back with faux stitching using a black fine liner pen.

The next step was to add a curved piece of silk fabric paper for the body then gluing the head on at a jaunty angle using E8000 glue to make sure there was a really secure bond.

All “he” needed then was a small bow, the ends of which I painted over with PVA glue to help stop them from fraying.

The final step was a bit more  faux stitching round the edges and a brooch pin on the back.  Simples! 

Wooden Easter Bunny Pin Badge Brooches

I guess I am a proper pin badge roll at the moment as I drift further and further from card making. Everything I am making this Easter is destined to be fairing gifts for the staff at Iris and Bertie’s school, plus few family and friends. 

They are pretty cheap to make and a brilliant way of using up small embellishments that seem lost on anything else.  That being said, I don’t think I have ever made this much for Easter stuff before, always saying the colours and shapes don’t appeal to me, perhaps all this time in meltdown has finally got to me!

My first effort (above) wasn’t quite right  but once I gave the MDF rabbit shapes a layer of white Ranger Enamel Accents and a face they took on a whole new character.

The rabbits were glued onto a wooden egg shape covered with scraps of patterned paper to create a basic background scene.  It didn’t matter that the paper wrinkled a little as it would be pretty much covered over anyway.

I then added tiny Fimo nail art flowers to fill in the empty spaces and a light coat of Ranger Glossy Accents to protect the paper and give it all a bit of shine……

……. and finally, on the back, I added a brooch pin and an Easter greeting. All done and dusted!

Recycled Jenga Block Snowman Christmas Tree Decoration.

We were on the school run when Iris, Bertie and I spotted a plastic bag outside a house that said please help yourselves, well, it would have been rude not to have a little peek wouldn't it? Iris and Bertie found an unopened reward/sticker chart and Minions colouring set, so they were well pleased and I found a complete Jenga game, immediately thinking some sort of craft project.

Then I remembered that all the blocks have the Jenga logo embossed on both sides, doh! The idea I already had in my mind was to make hanging snowmen Christmas tree decorations that I’d seen on Pinterest. When I looked them up again, I could see that most people had just painted over the logo, but I knew that if I did the same and could still see the outline of the logo under the paint it would really grate on me, I needed to cover it up. 

I tried all sorts of things, it was tough and I am fussy, but in the end I settled, weirdly, for a couple of light layers of Aleene’s True Snow (??? I know) because filled the embossing, where all efforts with other materials had failed. The texture was perfect for a snowman, so once it was dry, I gave the blocks two coats of ordinary white emulsion paint. I'd sorted it, it may have taken me two days of experimenting, but I got there in the end, 

With the blocks painted, the rest was a doddle, using a short length of 6mm red gingham ribbon for the scarf, various sized, black, flat back domes for the eyes, mouth and buttons, plus a tiny scrap of orange card for the nose, with a little Ranger Glossy Accents for added depth and texture.

Admittedly the screw eye hook was a bit fiddly because the wood used for the blocks is really hard. Now, do I hang a small coloured jingle bell from the bottom?  

I am thinking that as I have 54 of these blocks the snowman would make a perfect small, fairing gift to make en mass to send in place of a Christmas card this year, as they could go through the post as a large letter, we shall see.  Now, what can I do for Halloween?

Easter Bunny Easter Hanging Decorations

After making so many Halloween and Christmas decorations making a basic house shape using small Hobby Craft sticks (£1 pack of 50) I seem to have developed a formula for making similar decorations for all seasons, with suitably proportioned embellishments provided of course.

So, today we have an Easter themed hanging decoration using said formula.

This was my first effort, which didn’t really work, but after a rethink, deciding the bunny should be white and replacing the sign post for an Easter egg I think I got it right.

First I made up the house shape using small craft sticks.

Then I covered the bunnies, bought from eBay, with white Ranger Enamel Accents.  The colour from the MDF bleed a little into the Accents which also settled into the grooves of the bunny, but I think it works. When dry the bunnies were given googly eyes, a black flat back nose and whiskers.

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16x-Easter-Rabbit-Bursting-Egg-4cm-Wood-Craft-Embelishments-Laser-Cut-Shape-MDF/264402034635 – I found the ears are a little fragile, some broke off as I removed them from their base board, so they need to be securely glued on to prevent them from catching on anything and breaking off.

The wooden egg shapes were covered with small patterned paper, with a hand written sentiment and a few tiny flowers, bought on eBay from China which are really tiny nail art decorations ………

…….. and finally the tiny MDF carrots, which were coloured first, a few lines added, then given a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Carrot-Craft-Shapes-Carrots-Easter-Craft-Reindeer-Carrot-Blanks/152030717290?var=453358163329

With all components lined up I was ready to put the whole thing together.

My apologies for the still wet Glossy Accents!  I used green Dovecraft Enamel Effects for the grass.

The carrots on the “shelf” were the last bits to go on, plus a few more tiny flowers to the roof.

On the back I glued a small jewellery bail to hang the decoration from and for fiddle farts sake I coloured the back bits of the embellishments that you can see (the carrot and the Easter egg) et voila!

Easter Carrot Pin Badge/Brooches

Sorry, sorry, sorry ........ more pin badges today.

I found the wooden carrots on eBay ……

… and thought it might be fun to make a few badges with them https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-Carrot-Craft-Shapes-Carrots-Easter-Craft-Reindeer-Carrot-Blanks-/152030717290 – I went for the option of 20 4cm x 2.2cm mixed for £3.95 inc P & P.

I first covered the carrots with scraps of orange patterned papers, the grooved carrots were a bit fiddly to cut around so in the end I resorted to using a blade cutter. 

When the paper was dry I went round the edges with an ultra fine, black liner pen, adding a few lines here and there for carrot ridges, followed by 3 layers of green Dovecraft 3D Enamel Effects on the carrot leaves and a single layer of Ranger Glossy Accents on the body.

After leaving overnight to dry thoroughly  I sort of scribbled over the carrot body with an orange Sharpie pen which seemed to give the effect extra depth, if that makes sense?

I was also then able to glue the carrots onto a small green coloured craft stick (Hobbycraft £1 for 50 small assorted coloured sticks) with a small brooch fitting …… voila!

I love the dried textured finish of the green enamel effects on the leaves.  They are just a bit of cute and quirky fun, however I am not sure how durable the badges would actually be if the leaves got caught on something and pulled, as the stalk is pretty narrow, but as a fairing gift just for Easter Day I think they work.  Now, what to do with the other 11 carrots?

Halloween Skeleton Pin Badge/Brooches

My apologies, as I am posting even more pin badges today, I know it’s only just March but I am in a Halloween frame of mind.

I still have quite a few MDF skeletons left over from last Halloween (and have since ordered a few of the tiny 20mm ones as they inspire me so much) ……….

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wooden-MDF-Skeleton-Shapes-Bunting-Craft-Embellishments-Halloween-Decorations/283604644656?hash=item4208277330:g:oe0AAOSwNWxfJSXc

  ……and wondered if I could use them with some of the other docrafts Bare Basics wooden wreath shapes I used in my Easter badges last week.

Again, there are no great shapes to the idea, I simply started by covering the skeleton with white Ranger Enamel Accents, colouring the wreath orange and covering a 4cm wooden circle with black paper.

When the Enamel Accents had dried I then stuck the skeleton in the middle ........ 

 ........adding a few tiny silver stars and clusters of white dots using a nails supreme pen hither and thither.

On the back of each circle I stuck a small brooch/badge fitting using E8000, adding faux stitching around the edge using a black fine liner pen and a Boo! for good measure.

I am really chuffed with how these have turned out, especially the layers and depth which adds real interest. I am also really trying hard to resist the urge to order another box of frames now that I  have unleashed their potential for other projects, I am already thinking snowman in front of a snowy scene ....... so watch this space.

Problems Editing Pinterest Pins – Pin Titles Missing or Completely Wrong On Board

Aghhhh, I hate wasting my valuable time trying to figure out how something can work perfectly well one day and then go to pot the next and I have to say over the years it’s Pinterest that’s caused me the most grief!

So, last weekend I wanted to save a few more pictures to my Its All Fiddle Fart Board on Pinterest ………….. I hope my descriptions of the following problem makes sense

When the pin was saved, it came up like this, with was no title – just the name of my blog and it’s main introductory header, no problem I thought, I could just put it right by clicking the edit button ………

……. but was greeted by this with no option to change the title or add a description???????

I Googled the problem and found nothing so in the end resorted to Pinterest’s Help Centre, I got a “robot” reply (agghhhh again) but followed the suggested steps …….. only to then find after logging in again that the whole of my Fiddle Fart board in a stage of utter disarray …….

……. where the titles didn’t match the pictures, and were then repeated over and over again on all manner of other pins, with again no option to edit.  It just doesn’t make sense and if I log off and on again, these random titles change to something else (???)  I have now e-mailed a “real person” at Pinterest for a solution, I think I’ll hold my breath!

This is how the edit screen should look, with  boxes to add a title, description and alternative text etc.

The only way around this has been to open a completely new account with a new e-mail address and starting a brand new board, again called It’s All Fiddle Fart all from scratch to save pins as they should be, but this now leaves well over 10 years worth of pins languishing in an unholy mess in my old account, this can’t be right can it? Pins are saved with a title so that hopefully the picture and links etc. will be returned in peoples searches (hopefully encouraging traffic to Fiddle Fart), without a title how are any of my pins ever going to be found again? 

I know Pinterest update on a regular basis which is why I have encountered problems over the years, sometimes they have righted themselves without rhythm or rhyme after a day or so.  I await their reply, I am not hopeful. Any possible solutions very gratefully accepted, I can’t believe this problem is only affecting me!

NB I have not changed anything on my computer or my blog.

Easter Bunny Wreath Update

I posted my Easter Wreath a couple of weeks ago ……….

........ it was OK, but I think at the time I was in a complete a state of shock having put together a whole plethora of tiny plush bunnies, velvet carrots, painted wooden ladybirds and punched flowers on an old (2019) white, wicker Poundland Christmas wreath ……….

……… without a second thought of the diverse selection of materials used, not to mention the out of kilter dimensions of everything, something, you know, I have a huge "thing" about.

However, there must be something in the spring air, with all the the sunshine, birds tweeting, and seeing the blossom on the trees and daffodils coming up, because I’ve now gone even further out of my comfort zone by throwing a whole pack of foam speckled eggs at it, plus a handful of punched butterflies …………….. 

I think it works, perhaps, if I were making another one, I might just add another two carrots to it …… it’s just a bit of fun that I know Iris and Bertie will especially appreciate.  Looks like spring has sprung at No.55!