Toadstool House and Fairy Door Toppers

I’ve just noticed, you can see that the glue isn’t dry on the the Mushroom House door!

I made these two toppers using the Dovecraft Fairy Door Template. I am not the “best cutter out” and found it a bit fiddly.
The papers I have used are DCWV Once Upon a Time.
I’ve also added dragonfly and flower punchies, and dragonfly brads (these were from lakeland, they are so pretty, it’s a shame Lakeland stopped producing their craft line as they had some really good stuff)
The Home Sweet Home plaques are done by my own fair hand !

Shocking Stocking Baby Doll!

What can I say, sewing is not my forte!

This doll comes from a book called Dolls Children Can Make by Shelia McGraw.  He's made from a babygro, and a pair of sandal toed tights, plus stuffing, a little wool and a couple of googly eyes.

In the right hands he could look quite cute!.  But because of the delicate nature of the tights used for the head, once you have made the stitches for the mouth, that’s really it, every doll gets a unique expression!  Mine is simply very worried!

This Christmas I am going to try and make a couple more, but I have bought the tiniest babygros I could find this time, for much smaller dolls.

Can I stress that these dolls are not for children, the eyes are stuck on and could be swallowed.  I have only made these dolls for adults as a bit of fun.

Ivy Snowflake Card

I got these ivy leaves from Hobbycraft years ago. I think you are supposed to sprinkle them on your festive table, but whatever I have done with them so far has turned out pants!

 
But this evening I have had another go with them, and this time I am quite pleased.
I have mat and layered white glitter card on silver and green card for a basic topper.

The ivy leaf had the glittered edge already, I have just added a  doubled up snowflake punchie, with a clear flat backed gem in the centre, a scattering of silver stars and a very thin strip of double sided silver card that I have slightly twisted and stuck down so it is slightly raised. The only thing I would change next time is trying to see what a pearl would look like instead of the gem.

The gem was taken from a jewelled nail file from a poundshop (3 for a pound) – it was well worth picking off the stones as I got  at least 200 lovely smooth round gems from them.

It was a devil to get a picture of because of all the sparkle and shine, the snowflakes seems to leap out at you, but in real life it is quite subtle.

Halloween Treat Bags

Tonight I made about 20 of these bags using a nestabilities label die for the bag tag, M & S chocolate ghosts, Poundland 3D stickers and a bit of halloween table confetti for extra bling.

Halloween Trick or Treat Boxes

 
I’m not that thrilled with the way these boxes turned out. I am not too sure if they are embellished a bit too much.
But, there again, they are for children, and as far as they are concerned, the more ghosties and ghoulies the better.
 

The boxes are made using the Sizzix Bigz XL Shaker Box die.  This die is the main reason I sold my Cuttlebug and bought a Bigshot.  When I saw it demonstrated at the NEC I just had to have it!

The 3D stickers are from Poundland, and are so brilliant!  They come in several different design packs.
I’ve outlined the boxes free hand - (not to carefully, with shaky lines and dots) and added metallic confetti stars here and there to complete the effect.
The sweetie mice are from Ikea.

Unfinished …… Valentine Card

It was meant as a Valentine, but I didn’t go any further with it.  I think I had just acquired an old singer sewing machine for £7 from E-bay and I was just playing.

So ….. I very lightly pencilled a heart shape on  linen effect card and went over it several times on the machine, veering over the lines, not being very careful at all, I love the knotted tangled effect of the haphazard sewing.

I punched a couple of holes in the card and knotted East of India ribbon through them. On one of the bows I have attached a rusty old gold safety pin and a brass padlock charm.  I have to admit, I quite like it!

A Bit of An Experiment

I’m not sure about this, lets just call it a work in progress.
Its a flower cut out of metal embossing foil on my Big Shot using a couple of sizzix bigz flower dies, with a brad in the centre. I am just not sure it really goes on the tag, it might look better on a small gift box.

Monkey’s Sweetie Bags

For those who follow the adventures of Monkey I have been busy making a few little sweetie bags for him to give as presents ………

…….. I really must get a life!

Stamping Isn't Really My Thing, But .....

I am not a confident stamper, but I am quite pleased with the results I achieved with these two cards.
I stamped two A4 sheets of card to make the backgrounds, the first sheet was made using two festive text stamps and then, when the ink was dry going over it again with a holly design.

The second sheet was made up of three separate text stamps that could be cut up.

Next followed a lot of fiddle farty mat and layering on red and gold card and completed with red gems and gold buttons.

Fiddle Farting know no bounds on this final card because I  machine stitched the panels with gold thread and mounted them on a foam pad so extra height. Talk about long winded!

STOP PRESS – ACCESSORIZE CHRISTMAS STICKERS IN SHOPS NOW!!

I think anyone who knows me, also knows my obsession for Accessorize Puffy Stickers (…..found in the children's section, £1.75 per pack)

Well the Christmas range is out …. to be honest, they aren’t as cute as last years but still,  get a load of these beauties!

They also have a set with Christmas fairies, they were very nice but the colours were just a bit too pastel for my taste.
Paperchase also have their Christmas stickers out – these are £1 a pack.  I think they are quite classy…..

…… and what I like best, is that the reindeer face both directions which keeps a design symmetrical.
I am very excited, I know exactly what I am going to do with them ….. watch this space …..

My Christmas Card for 2009

This is the Christmas card I will be sending out this year.  It features a photograph of two tiny snowman I made on the garden table in February, when we had a surprise fall of snow.  They have stones for eyes, twigs for arms and ripped up tea towel for scarves!

Once printed on a linen effect card, the picture has been mat and layered several times on silver mirror and red card.  It has been set at a jaunty angle, with a tiny peg giving it a just put together look, and the whole thing is completed with a two snowflake punchies with clear gem centre. I have handwritten the greeting, again mat and layered on silver.

The snowmen are supposed to look like me and my husband!!!!

Christmas Cottage Card

This is card I made using a photo of my in-laws house a few years ago.  I took the picture when we had unexpected snow, it was late afternoon and the light was fading into a beautiful blue colour.

I put the photo at a jaunty angle onto a blue background and  mat and layered it on silver card. To add a subtle sparkle I added translucent micro glitter to the trees, roof and ground plus two snowflake punchies  The greeting was done on my computer. 

Some More Christmas Cards

This card was made a couple of Christmases ago, dead simple and basic. I fell in love with the paper and knew it would make a fantastic modern Christmas tree card.

This is just a cute topper using some weenie Santa hats I found on E-bay.  I hand wrote the background, just added a few stars and mat and layered on red mirror card.

Please excuse the condition of this card, it’s been in a drawer for a while and is well past its sell by date.  I got the reindeer heads from Mad About Cards.

Handmade Seed Packets for a Gardener

 

I made these seed packets for my Father In Law last year.  To start with I found a blank seed packet template and copied it into Publisher. I managed to get two seed packets from one A4 sheet of good quality paper.

I then went about putting a design on the packet, adding a label on the front for details of the seeds and little bees here and there.
 

And that’s about it really, all that’s left to do is cut the seed packet out and stick it together.  I used a strip of narrow double sided tape on the packet flap as a seal.

I made about a  dozen packets and put them in a small decorated box. 

This present cost pence and just a little fiddle fart. You could vary it in so many ways, personalising it with the name of the gardener, pasting in photos of the reciplicant and/or their garden, I have been quite restrained with my clipart, but you could go wild with flowers etc.

Ideas for What to Do With Chocolate Mints at Christmas!

Who would believe that under this little lot are plain old mints, the sort you always see at Christmas.

All I have done is use my Stampin Up scallop and plain circle punches to make a top and bottom to cover the mint and then a snowflake and Christmas tree punch to complete the idea.

The scalloped discs are attached to the mint using double sided tape.

These are just a few very basic examples, once the creative juices start flowing the ideas are endless.

I am making a blue and cream set as wedding favors for a wedding next year.  All I am doing is putting four mints into a very narrow  “pretzel” bag (have a look on e-bay, they are also sometimes called lollibags) and tying the bag top with a cream ribbon.

Little Girls Handbag Card

I don’t often make cards/boxes from kits but when I went to NEC Hobbycrafts last year, I just had to have the K & Co Book of Paper Purses …….

I made this bag as something a little bit different for a work colleague for her beautiful little girl.  I understand she took it to school to show her teacher! Ahhhhh

 
 
Jorgie’s mum had written a little birthday poem, so I put each line on a new page in a little tag book to put in the bag
.

But I have to admit that after making the purse, the rest of the kit has remained untouched in the cupboard, it was too fiddle farty and not my type of thing, despite me being so desperate to own it!

Frog Prince In A Tin

I know, I know, this is a totally mad idea ……

I made it for my lovely friend at work, Sarah.  I didn’t want to give her an ordinary birthday card and as we are always joking about finding her a husband, this is what I came up with!

The container is one of those travel sweetie tins, I didn’t bother to do anything with the sides to cover up the advertising, I thought it would add to the charm, the lid explains itself, with the Scrabble letters used to spell out her name.

The frog is absolutely adorable, I just wish I could find a couple more of him.

Easy Peasy Decorated Peg Idea

I cannot claim this idea as my own because I saw something very similar in a “posh” shop over the weekend and just had to make my own version.

All I have used is five ordinary pegs, stuck on a length self adhesive ribbon and co-coordinating gems.  I have also added a small magnet on the back of the peg. …… done and dusted!

What a brilliant Christmas idea for teachers, etc. and they only take minutes to make!

Little Monsters Card

This is a simple and quick child’s card using Paperchase stickers.  The  handwriting is my own!

Writing letters at odd angles is a quirky effect that means you can get away with the text not being exactly in line.

One of my trademarks on my cards is three tiny dots scattered here and there. In a line of characters like this, it sort of joins them together, making the pattern flow.

Japanese Doll Card

These are two cards I made using Momiji stickers, they are just so cute.  The background paper is a an origami paper I’ve had for ages. I have embellished the stickers will little bows, flowers and gems for dimension.

Gardening card

The wooden embellishment on this card came from http://www.designsonpine.co.uk/, they have a lovely craft section and I have had a few bargains in their clearance sale. It’s worth having a look for something a bit special, especially if like me, you love pastel hearts and stars.