A Couple Of Heads Up …….

I have to say that the Poundshops of Wolverhampton are disappointing on the Halloween front this year with regards to stickers …. not a one!  I think this is going to be a duff year for finding interesting stuff to alter and craft with.  I would have liked to have found some skeleton hands as I had an idea or two for them  …….. but it’s all a bit same old, same old, and a little bit uninspiring.  But there’s still time and I’ll keep on looking.

However, it’s worth having a look in Wilkos  as they some nice little bits and pieces, especially as they are priced up at 65p-ish a bag for spiders, bats and skeletons.

And I am wanting this lantern (£5) which would look great at the bottom of my garden sitting on a gnarled tree trunk stump! http://www.wilko.com/halloween-decorations+lights/wilko-halloween-spooktacular-pumpkin-tealight-holder-terracotta/invt/0334938

Also ……. Christmas jumpers are now rearing their head in Primark (men's dept.) I wandered round with the light up Christmas Pudding for about 20 minutes before putting it back …. as I kept on reasoning that I really do have enough Christmas jumpers ….. and the ones with lights were £18.  But ……. I might, just might have to go back!!!!

They had a other designs priced at £9 which were musical …….. and this year the designs aint half bad!

Merry And Bright Christmas Cards

These cards measure 6” x 6” and are made using a hand-cut plain red card.

As I said the other day this Christmas I am determined to make a HUMUNGUS dent in my Christmas embellishment collection and in making these cards I managed to use up all the HobbyCraft foil stickers I had left over from last year, plus the last of the smaller snowflakes from a disassembled garland I found in a charity shop (also last year).

I haven’t made a nine square card for ages but Marc has been nagging and I have to admit although fiddly they are a brilliant way of using up all your odd, small stickers and embellishments etc.

I’ve also gone up a size on my cards to 6” x 6” which are a little out of my comfort zone, but again, I have a pile of larger envelopes that need to be used up.

The squares on the card each measure 1.25ins and are mat and layered on red and white panels, finished off with white faux stitching using a white Uni-ball Signo gel pen.

Look What’s Fallen Into My Poundshop Basket This Week ……. And Ended Up In My Craftroom

This week a pack of nail caviar sort of dropped into my basket while I was browsing the shelves of Poundland!

Twelve phials of caviar ….. or, if you are a crafter, micro-beads, but I was looking at them for possibly using them as charms on jewellery or as an embellishment on tags (I am still working on that idea),  The only thing I need to do to them is take out the stoppers and spray them gold as the plastic just aint working!

With my mojo currently in overdrive my craft room is now being given a right old bending, for a while, when my mojo was flagging,  I admit to only using it to use my computer to write my Monkey blog.  Working in such a small area has taken some getting used, I confine a project to the turquoise mat,  with my tools etc. around me. When Marc was with me, we worked in the front room (as I do for large projects) and all the crafty stuff has to follow!

But, it does keep me disciplined and on track, I can’t get everything out and lay stuff all over the floor like I used to in my old room and I have to make sure everything is left tidy at the end of a crafting session …… that way everything feels fresh to start or continue a project the next day …..

I do find having my A4 card/paper in stacks on the shelves instead of in drawers frustrating though, sometimes finding a sheet of card can be such a palaver, but as far as I can see, at the moment that’s the only way it can be done.

BUT ……. since I discovered that I can indulge in my guilty pleasure Columbo on my tablet on demand ….. I can spend even longer in my craft room and crafting. Usually, on a Saturday afternoon rain stops play when there is a Columbo double bill on 5USA and I’d have to go downstairs to watch it ….. but now ……. now I can do both!!  Life just keeps on getting betterer and betterer!

Tea Light Snowmen

This idea has been around for a while now, I believe it originated from a Stampin’Up project, but somehow over the years I’d missed it …… until now. I first found it here:- http://inkingidaho.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/snowman-tea-lights.html, but just Google “tea light snowman” and a whole plethora of snowmen turn up!

So …… what you need to get started is a pack of battery tea lights from any Poundshop, they usually come in sets of four.

Because I didn’t have any of the punches used for the original snowmen I took the basic idea and changed it to suit the materials I did have, deciding not to use a scalloped circle on the back or the plain circle for the face which went over the front of the tea light. 

It took me quite while to work out a basic set of templates for the hat, but got there in the end …… and once I got that right, decided to go the whole hog and added confetti holly and flat backed pearl berries!

The face was easy, as I had just bought a couple of packets of black flat backed pearls for my  gingerbread men from http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Lardysticks-Larder?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 – size 4mm for the mouth and 5mm for the eyes. I glued the gems straight onto the tea light with a woodwork PVA.

 

The scarf is made from a 23cm length of ribbon. I used a blob of glue gun glue on the top of the snowman's head to keep it in place while I tied the knot and then trimmed the ribbon with pinking shears when I was happy with said knot .

Once I had the first snowman under my belt (above) I could then decide on a colour theme based on the ribbons and Bazzill card I had already got.  I embossed the hat card for extra texture using an old fashioned ribber ….. something crafters used to use before there were embossing folders!

I could have added a magnet to the back of my snowmen to make them fridge magnets but in the end I decided to stick a pendant loop on the back of the bobble so that the snowman could be hung.  I have visions of one hanging in the front window of a car.

Anyway, that’s my take on a very popular idea ….. as I said at the beginning, just Google the idea to see the different variations.

I was thinking, wouldn’t they look lovely in the gaps between Christmas bunting hung by a small peg or what about on a wreath??????

Scrapbook Page

I am soooooo, sooooo, soooooo rubbish at journalling, the only one I have ever managed to follow through religiously was my Las Vegas Scrapbook ….. and I still haven’t shown you half of that yet …… perhaps I should do that over the Christmas Holiday …… when postings generally go quiet!But ….. although dated 11th January 2014 …. I thought I would just add this as an extra post ……. especially as I believe The Boyz are still there!!!!!

What are they like?

Tealight Lanterns

I am sooooo pleased with how these tealight holders turned out, as they were just made on a whim …..

I’d found a few empty coffee jars in the staffroom at work and thought Halloween ….. but I thought I might be able to do something a bit more special else with a couple of the Douwe Egberts ones as they are such a lovely shape and have a plain top as they have a stopper rather than a screw top.

Then, a voice in my head reminded me of some lace papers that I know I have had stashed away, untouched, since I bought them at least ten/twelve years ago …… if only I could remember where …… after about 15mins I found them, if my idea worked they would be perfect ……….

I cut a piece of each paper to fit each jar, and then sprayed it with a little adhesive spray and gently eased it round each jar as carefully as I could praying that it wouldn’t tear …….

……… but, despite it’s fragile appearance the paper was quite robust . Once in place I then painted the paper with a layer of PVA. This was when I started praying as it all looked awfully thick and lumpy …. I knew that PVA dries clear ….. but I hoped the delicate effect of the paper wouldn’t be lost.

It wasn’t …… but no matter how I have tried to take a “decent” picture, none  do justice to the finished effect, made subtly sparkly by rubbing translucent micro glitter all over just after they felt dry, and miraculously it stuck.

I then added some fluffy rustic twine round the top with a mother of pearl button, I am so, so, chuffed!

Object Of Desire

I know that most of you will take one look at this and go “Oh my Gawd, has that woman got no taste?!?!?”

…….. But if money was no object and I had a house that would take such a lamp/s…… I could be sorely tempted!!!!!! 

But, as it is, my bijou and humble Wolverhampton mansion is, for the moment, safe from (in some peoples eyes) such atrocities !!!!!!!

Gingerbread Men Tags/Tree Decorations.

My work desk is currently covered in these little beauties …….

They are the wooden gingerbread men I bought from HobbyCraft last year but never got round to using, except for one.  They came in packs of 4 for £1, which I thought was brilliant enough, but they were also on a 3 for 2 offer  – so in the end I ended up buying six packs, 24 gingerbread men – working out at about 17p each, bargaintastic!

As I said, last year I only “played” with one (above) but I wasn’t that happy with him, the proportions of the ribbon, eyes and buttons I used were just not quite right http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/wooden-gingerbread-man-tag.html, so this year I was determined to get them right …. using a narrower ribbon and sourcing better flat backed gems for the eyes and mini buttons for the body.

….. and I think I much prefer this years version, which can either be used as a gift tag or tree decoration.

They are now all packaged up and waiting for a new home ….. and another few bits of my humungous Christmas stash are finally used up!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390795352021?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649   - gems

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390902993711?var=660273409284&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649  - buttons

Papermania Capsule Collection–Parisienne Blue Birthday Card

This card measures 6” x 6” and is made using a blue, plain texture hand cut card blank.

I have had this Papermania pack for ages and shamefully hadn’t even opened the packet …. but now I have ….. the papers are all beautiful and I hang my head for not having used them before.

I am also not a great user of gold on cards, but since I have almost run out of my silver circle Craftwork Card sentiments and am on a tight budget the gold ones have got to be used up too, so expect to see much more gold over the coming months. 

Do Not Open Before Christmas Gift Tags

The tags measure 10.5cms x 4cms and are made using a brownish red leather affect card.

My quest to use up as much as my existing humungous collection of festive “stuff” continues for Christmas 2014 …….

I found these East of India paper chains reduced from £4 to £2 last year, but as I have said before a bargain isn’t a bargain ‘till you’ve used them!  The card I have had forever and the twine came from some other tags that I have used for something else. The only thing I did have to buy from new were the wooden beads, found in a charity shop for 99p the other day.

All I have done is make a template for the tag, then using it cut out a pile of tags, adding a “proper” gold or silver eyelet with my Cropodile to make them look “professional”, through which I threaded the twine and added the bead. This was followed by cutting the paper chain links in half and sticking them on front of the tag.  Et voila!

I have managed to get 80 tags from one pack of paperchains,  so no bad going!!

Merry And Bright Christmas Tags

OK…. so I lied, I had a few HobbyCraft foil stickers still left over from the cards I made the other day ……

…… because I also wanted to make tags, using the Christmassy scraps  I have  left over from years past.  The foil stickers are very bright and I wanted the rest of the tags to reflect that.

Each tag is 2.5 ins square and I have used a scalloped and plain circle punch to cut the mat and layering for the sticker and then lots and lots of faux stitching that eventually gave my fingers cramp!

I decided to make the tags look really “proper” by using my Cropodile to set an eyelet in the corner of each tag …….. but now ……. I bought some Woodware (I think)  3/16 eyelets but they just do not “set” half as well as the original ones that I got with said Cropodile, (the barrel of the eyelet seems longer and a tint bit thicker???)……. can anyone recommend any eyelets that might set any better without costing an arm and a leg????????

Paisley and Pearl Christmas Tree Decorations/Tags

Another idea today for using the tin hearts I bought in Primark (£1.50 for a cluster of three), and again using black as a main colour.

I remembered, from the dim and distant past some Papermania Signature, paisley patterned, vinyl stickers I’ve had for years and wondered if they would work on the hearts, and after a long winded search through several boxes of bits found that they did! Result!

After arranging and sticking the stickers on the heart and trimming away any excess from around the edges I then remembered a packet of flat backed, pearl patterned strips that Dianne in Florida sent me from Michaels and wondered if they would work too ……. and again, I think they did!

I then added a few tiny clear gems here and there, but that was just over egging the pudding, and they were swiftly removed!

I think they could just be hung straight on a Christmas tree or perhaps used as very fancy Christmas tag as seems to be the trend for “designer” gift wrapping.

Iris’s Tie Dyed Blanket.

Adam, the lovely and very talented Science Technician at work made this wonderful blanket for Iris (my very, very gorgeous granddaughter) …..
…… it really is stunning as are all of Adam’s tie-dye projects and it is also very Tom and Laura.  A couple of weeks ago we had a small party to celebrate Tom and Laura’s first anniversary, with Iris as guest of honour …..

…. and she looked very beautiful (above, with her Great Granddad), as well as being snug as a bug wrapped up in it.  THANK YOU SO MUCH ADAM, it’s a unique present that will be treasured for always.