Framed Robot – I Love You To The Moon And Back

Rather than make Iris and Bertie birthday cards, I always try to make something in a frame for them to keep keep rather than a card that is usually thrown away after a while. This is the idea I came up with for Iris’s 7th Birthday ……. I know, where has the time gone?

The robot is made using a very small, wooden block  (The Works – from a mini Jenga type game £3 for about 53 blocks).  The mini reels came from Marc, I believe they originally came from LaBlanche.  I’ve had the mini thermometer for years, bought from a craft company in the U.S.

The moon was from some old jewellery pieces I had, the gold stars from a Poindland nail art set, as is the robots nose.  The robots mouth is a tiny piece of Halloween confetti!

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And finally, I hand wrote the sentiment using a white gel pen on black card which was then layered and matted on gold mirror card.

The sentiment is under the glass, while the other bits are pieces are glued directly onto the front of it.

It all came together without too much fiddle-farting, seeing as I didn’t have a clue what I was going to make that morning.  It’s something a little bit different as Iris is much more into space rather than princesses and flowery stuff, although she loves a bit of glitter!

Flying Scotsman Passing Through Evesham – June 12th 2021

So sorry for the lack of “proper” crafty posts these past few weeks, painting my £30 pine shelves for the lounge is taking an awful lot longer than I  had anticipated, plus I’m trying to list at least one or two things a day on eBay, bits and pieces I have around the flat or that I “find” in town……. and with all this lovely weather, who wants to stay in, especially after the year and a half we’ve had ……… and, to be honest, I’ve not got many ideas at the moment!

However, rather than leave an empty today ………….

…….. I thought I’d show you a couple of pictures of the Flying Scotsman, travelling from London Paddington to Worcester and going over “my” bridge on Saturday morning, just gone.

Events like this don’t happen very often, so we were all in the garden to watch ……….

……. and wave to all the passengers. I have to say, as a passenger, the view looking down from the bridge on to the marina is quite lovely and takes you quite by surprise.

Happy Days!

Half Term Crafts

Following on from yesterday’s post I kept a 10p Zombie Science Kit aside for Half Term antics with Iris and Bertie ……….

Not wishing to sound ungrateful, but I am really glad I got the kit for such a bargain price as think we all would have been a disappointed if I’d bought it at full price ………..

…….. and why I rarely buy kits like this anyway, they promise much, but I am not so sure that they always deliver.

We “made” the hand and kept it in the fridge overnight to set, leaving it looking like something bought home from Daddy’s forensic lab.

It didn’t fare much better when it was cautiously removed from its mould, because, as the day went on, the jelly appeared to shrink back from the bones.  It was all most unsavoury.  However, when we’d all had enough of looking at it I did manage to salvage said bones for Halloween crafting……….

However, all was not lost for our Half Term crafting as Bertie has suddenly discovered his crafting roots and I, in turn, found that having a craft room was a brilliant decision, with the little fella feeling free to go rootling in the drawers, even before breakfast, wrapped in his snuggly blanket to chose what all the bits and pieces he wanted to “make with”, bless his cotton socks.

He found a couple of wooden peg dolls and decided to make fairies and houses for them.  Thank goodness for Kellogg's variety packs boxes!

All of which displayed his characteristic attention to detail, including bubble wrap smoke coming from the mini cotton reel chimneys pots.

Beautiful …….. and all his own work, except for the doors which I cut to his very exacting instructions.The silver fairy and the green roofed house were duly taken to school, a present for his beloved (and very pretty) Miss Muitt and the other set proudly displayed in his bedroom. It’s taken a while, but I think I’ve made a crafter out of him, just like Iris!

In The Right Place At The Right Time ………. The Works

My apologies as there is not a lot of crafting going on at the moment, but I still want to keep Fiddle Fart rolling if I can   ……… so, to fill today’s spot I wanted to show you that some of my Christmas fripperies for our traditional Boxing Day Tut etc. are already in the bag.

I was in the right place, at the right time when I nipped into The Works in Evesham for a bit of a mooch and noticed a pack of sticky notes for 10p, which I thought would look rude if I didn’t purchase, but then I noticed that all the items in the central display were 10p each as well ………. so naturally I looked a bit closer.

In the end I spent three whole pounds, less than a large mug of my favourite spiced latte in Coffee #1.  The lady at the counter told me that her boss had told them to reduce all the out of date stock to get rid of it all…….. it was soooooo my lucky day, there’s enough for all my sacks, plus a few bits that I might chance on eBay, like the doggy coats.

Of the Zombie Science kit, (of which I got two) more later this week  …….. as I set one aside for half term shenanigans for Iris and Bertie.

This doesn’t happen very often, I am just glad it happened to me, I even managed to get two rolls of My Little Pony Christmas paper for 10p each too …… so when the time comes to get wrapping that will be in the bag too!

Three Counties Malvern Flea And Collectors Fair – May Bank Holiday

This was me after walking round the Malvern Flea and Collectors Fair last Monday, on what was the hottest day (at last) of the year, so far ……….

We got there early, just before 9.00am and left at around 3.30pm ……Lu clocked our steps and we had done 8km, with two sandwich breaks, no wonder I felt and looked as above!

As per usual there was much to see ……… with more stalls than we have ever seen there.

This small coffee table caught both our eyes, I think it was around the £30 mark. On closer inspection I would say that it had been covered, very carefully, with what felt like wallpaper. Looking at these pictures again with fresh eyes, perhaps it looks cheapened and weirdly kitcheny …… but it’s certainly an idea for if ever I come across a similar table for free or under a fiver perhaps.

This was Lu’s “one that got away” ……. a complete mid century dinner and coffee service for £50.  To be honest what she really wanted were the bowls as she is putting together an eclectic mish mash of her own using different designs of the same period. She has several sizes of plates and lidded serving dishes and said bowls would have fit in well ……. however, as she says, the fun is in the chase when you are looking for something you really want.

It’s weird how there always seems to be a lot of something in abundance that wasn’t so prevalent at previous fairs, this time around it was fairground signs, of which Lu was desperate for the Hook A Duck one, it would have looked perfect in her garden perhaps on her shed …….. next time, we’ll actually ask the price, if we see something similar again.

There were also so many old sewing boxes I lost count plus wooden afternoon tea, plate stands, for around £30 to £40.  I was half looking for a couple of tall, wooden plant stands, as I have decided my lounge/diner needs more greenery, but I don’t think I saw a single one ……….

I did however have my “Lourdes Moment”, as I do love a bit of religious kitsch, at £8 it was a bit rich for my taste, so remains a pleasure left once again for another time and another place, but someone must have been spookily watching over me during the week as I did find a boxed and unused candle from Lourdes for just 20p, in my favourite Vale Wildlife shop in Evesham …….it’s an omen!

There was also the bizarre ……. there was a tiny doll at the front of this glass case that bought back so many memories and feelings of my childhood, if I could have had a good delve, I would have definitely fished it out. As for the skull et al housed in what looked like a reptile cage, it’s given me an idea for a Halloween diorama.           

Lu and I both reckoned that Liberty looked uncharacteristically short and dumpy and must have suffered some sort of loss to her middle regions which must have been painful.  We also both love a painted mirror, always leaving me “thinking” that I should have a go, as I have a spare vintage style mirror in the hall cupboard I really have no excuse ……..

There was, once again, a whole plethora of wooden glass cabinets of different styles and eras that had the both of us oohing and ahhhing and wishing that we each had the room for one to turn into a “en trend” drinks cabinet …….. and with prices from as little as £15 to £30 …… it would have been an absolute steal.

We both spent more than we have in ages – I spent £14, a huge sum for me, although £7 of that was on a brand new, patchwork style jacket that I think originally came from either Wish or AliExpress, that I thought would be OK for the autumn school run when a coat is still too heavy, but the rest spent on fripperies and nonsense, without a shred of taste!!!

As I said before I need more greenery around the towers, so this pot filled the bill to put a small Poundland jade plant in (plant £1). The pot was also £1 but in a shocking state round the back but nothing a Sharpie pen and a lick of varnish can’t put right, although it will never be seen.

In contrast this huge terracotta painted plate/charger was in perfect condition and also cost me £1 …… I have put foam pads on the bottom and it is now the fruit bowl of choice on the dining table.

One of my “small” regrets when clearing my old house back in Wolverhampton was letting go of Tom and Lu’s mouse house boot lamp. At the time I couldn’t imagine it in my future home and neither Tom or Lu wanted it, so it went to the charity shop.  This house sort of fills the gap, from the same stall as the plate and was again £1.  The plug had been removed but the bulb fitting left, perhaps, one day I might see if I can have it all lit up again.

Lu spotted this monstrosity of a money box first, said nothing, but watched,  knowing that I have mum no taste, to see if I’d pick it up, I did, she knows me so well!

At £2 I was robbed good and proper. However, after some research it’s 1960’s/70’s, made in Hong Kong and sold generally in the USA. I am going to enjoy its pleasures for a couple of months (?) and then it’s going on eBay where I should get my money back several times over with luck.

And the sad and sunstroke suffering Kermit from the beginning of the post ………….?

Well, I couldn’t leave him there, he came home with me ………. he looks so forlorn, he just makes me smile …… does that make me a bad person?