Magic Reindeer Food – Free Tag Download

I have never made Magic Reindeer Food before, but, as I have seen it sneaking its way into the shops this year, so I thought I would have a go ….. trying to make it as simple and as economical as I could.

I decided that I would use some very old brown envelopes for the packaging, I have had them forever, but they had lost all their stick, but they were strong and would cost me nothing.

I then turned the said envelopes into bagalopes, there are lots of tutorials on the net on how to make them,  the one I have linked to is really easy to follow.:- http://craftyjournal.com/basic-bagalope/.  I didn’t do any fancy measuring, I just used my Coppernob score board, using the same line to score all the way round the envelope, after cutting off the flap and defuncked sticky stuff and cutting the edge with pinking shears.

For the food, I used mixture of “All Season” bird food (I kilo bag from Poundland), mixed with a few Jane Asher sugar stars and edible glitter also from Poundland (2 for £1), bagging it up in cello bags.

Then, I went back to the making some tags, which I decided to use “create” using Paint to “draw” a reindeer face, minus eyes and nose. I copied and pasted the design onto a tag, along with a poem that I also found on the net, but altered everso slightly to suit my needs.From there, I made a PDF sheet of 10 tags on Dropbox that you are welcome to download and use https://www.dropbox.com/s/ften8bqz5cwaqxx/Magic%20Reindeer%20Food.pdf?dl=0

And now, you can see why I chose to miss out the nose and eyes, I knew googly eyes would give the reindeer character, as has his nose, which is a punched circle with a little white gel pen highlighting (like on the antlers).  A scattering of small hologram stars and a few doodled dots here and there complete the tags. By leaving the tags relatively plain you can create lots of different reindeer characters and add other embellishments without too much hassle.

With my original packing I used a green ribbon, but although I have miles of it (leftover from Tom and The Lovely Laura’s Rainbow Wedding), it did seem a tad extravagant, so decided to exchange it for a doubled up length of green gardening string ….. which somehow made it more rustic, natural reindeery feel , if you know what I mean.

The tag also lacked a little something, so I mat and layered it onto scraps of red card, which not only made it stronger, but made the tag “pop”

Anyway, if you do download and use the basic tag, please, please, please send me photos of what you do with them, then I can write another post where we can all share our ideas if not for this but future Christmas’s.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ften8bqz5cwaqxx/Magic%20Reindeer%20Food.pdf?dl=0

Christmas Tree Bottle Caps

A festive experiment today, that I think needs fine tuning for Christmas 2015, which is why, at this stage, I haven’t added any jump rings or beaded thread to hang them.

My intention was to put very simple and unadorned Fimo Christmas trees into the bottle caps,

…….. but then, I got taken over by the bling monster …..

…… who forced me to cover them with tiny Poundshop nail jewels and stars!!!

I think there is room for both designs, but the Christmas trees need to be just a fraction wider to fill the cap more, as it looks little lonely and isolated, and perhaps a few flat stars in the background ……

……. but, I do have a year to get it right for next Christmas!!!  OMG, did I really say “next Christmas”?????? I think I am finally losing the plot!!!

Marc’s Fancy Bead Glass Markers

I am certainly going to make a few sets of these glass markers to give as small fairing gifts this Christmas, a brilliant idea for using up odd beads, as soon as I can dig out some of my long lost Christmas charms that is!

Marc has simply taken thin hoop earrings and threaded an assortment of beads onto them.  You can be as fancy or as plain as you like, the world’s your lobster!

Marc generally puts them in packets of six, but to be honest you could go the whole hog and put them in some right fancy (personalised?) boxes to match.

As soon as I make mine you will all be the first to know!

Simple Christmas Branch Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut, linen effect card blank

I used my Memory Box  - MB98187 WOODLAND BRANCH DIE  Code: MB98187 for this very simple card.

After I had glued the branch on to the card, I went over it lightly with a white gel pen and then a Quickie Glue pen to add a light sprinkling of translucent micro glitter to give it a Christmassy feel.  Unfortunately the photo just doesn’t bring out the magical twinkle and sparkle of the glitter.

I then drew threads to hang the silver, metal, star charms from (this is my demo card …. so next time the lines will be straighter!), and as I wanted to hid the eyes on the top of the stars I added very small red flat backed gems which just added enough subtle festive colour to lift the card. Voila!

Fir Cone Christmas Trees

I know these have been done a million, million times before, but I have never done them!!

I have had the tiny 3cm tall flower pots in my cupboards for years (and I mean years), they were originally bought for putting Easter eggs in, but I have never, after all these years, found an Easter egg that fit!!!

Then the other day I noticed lots of fir cones round the bus stop where I stand to come home from work ….. and wondered…….  so I popped a few in my bag to try…….

OMG …….. they fit perfectly …… and you know I am a little anal about crafty things being in proportion ……

So, I glued the cones and pots together with a glue gun and then proceeded to paint the tips of the cones with white acrylic paint and then, while the paint was still wet gave them each a very liberal dousing of translucent micro glitter from a very huge pot Dianne, my friend in Florida sent me a year or so ago, by the time I finished, I looked like a Christmas tree!

The temptation was to then carry on embellishing with gems, stars and tinsel etc. but I reined myself in by just topping each tree with a simple wooden star outlined with a black fine liner pen …… no over egging of the pudding here!

I think I am going to squirrel these away now and then on 1st December will put one on each of my office colleagues desks to welcome in Advent ………. and another few bits from my humungous crafty stash bite the dust!

Robins Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree Card

This card measures 14.5cms x 10cms and is made using a hand cut, white linen effect card blank.

The ideas for how to use this seasons Paperchase Robin stickers (£1 per pack) just keep on coming ……

All I did was dig out an old chipboard Christmas tree and put a foam sticky pad on the back so it would stand proud and I could put robins peeping from behind it. I then placed the robins around it in a way that it looked like they were dancing  ….. and finally, just added some of my own doodle style handwriting and a few dots here and there to finish it all off.  So cute!

Another Set of Christmas Matchboxes

I had a good old rummage in my box of Christmas bits and decided that it was high time these assorted bunch of 3D embellishments were finally used ……
…… and then scrabbled around for small scraps of gingham or other red and cream patterned paper to do some mat and layering.
I also found that I just had enough of the lacy borders Marc spent a morning cutting out for me during his stay in the summer to decorate the sides.
A few red flat back gems, CraftWork card circle sentiments, small peel off corners and a little faux stitching bring everything together.
All that’s needed now are two chocolate bears……

…… for the matchboxes to be ready to hang on the tree.

Personalised Christmas Bauble

I put this Christmas bauble together for a friend at work who had recently lost her cat but wanted to keep its memory on her Christmas tree each year. She said she didn’t want anything fancy, just her cats name.

Now, when I was in London with Marc I noticed that one of the trends this year in Christmas baubles was to use a printed, monochrome acetate in them, either plain text or a picture, so I thought I would try it ……

So nothing fancy …..  I just typed the name in a circle, guessing the size I needed and then printed it off on acetate.  I then cut out the circle, which proved a little too big, so trimmed down again and then rolled it up to fit into the opening of one of the clear, glass baubles I got in the Dunelm January sale this year, reduced from £4.99 for a box of three to £1 (well, naturally, I bought all they had).  Originally they had a swirl of paper tartan ribbon inside, but that was soon fished out. Luckily the circle held its place and then I added a sprinkling of small polystyrene balls and silver snowflake confetti. 

That was really all there was to it,  but it has increased my curiosity for using acetate in other baubles, perhaps next time using a suitably festive monochrome picture,  even though the photocopier I use doesn’t particularly like acetate!!

Stars On A Branch Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a white linen effect hand cut blank
There is absolutely nothing to this card at all which is why bit probably took no more than five minutes to put together.
I used my Memory Box  - MB98187 WOODLAND BRANCH DIE  Code: MB98187 ………

……… and hung a few Paperchase wooden confetti stars from it …….

…… and then to add a tiny bit of extra sparkle put a tiny teardrop shape at the top of the star from the metal nail art set I got from Poundland.

Simples!!!!

No Bob, Bob Bobbing Allowed, Robin Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut, white linen effect card blank.

I can’t pretend that this was my idea, I took it from a cartoon card I saw, which I immediately knew I could adapt to use with my Paperchase robin stickers (£1 per pack).

I created the background using scraps of a Papercellar snow patterned card and white glitter paper. The signpost is also made from  plain, white card scraps, on to which I added my own doodle affect handwriting.  To add extra dimension and sparkle I then used a white 3D effect paint, with glitter sprinkled over it to the top of the sign.  The finishing touch is obviously those robins, who despite the warning  still seem to be making an attempt to bob, bob, bob!!!

Gingerbread Man Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut plain brown card blank.

This card uses up part of a pack of the metallic, puffy stickers that I got from HobbyCraft last year (more stash busting).  I reckon I should get three cards from one pack, but I wish there had been two more  hearts and two less gingerbread men per pack so that I could follow through the pattern exactly on each card instead of hurting my brain thinking of another combination for the last one!!!

Santa Matchbox Christmas Tree Decoration

More matchbox Christmas tree decorations today, on which I managed to use up a whole pile of wooden Santa's I had forgotten I’d even got, until I went rummaging in some boxes on the top shelf of my craftroom looking for something completely different!

I have been sitting and putting the matchbox trays together while watching X Factor………
……  and then putting the covers together upstairs, when there is nothing on the tele…………. trying to resist the urge to just try one or two teddies, just to make sure they are not erm…… stale!!!
I am really loving all the possibilities these matchboxes bring …… with ideas for all the year round……

…… and with that in mind I need to keep my eyes open for cheap decorative self adhesive borders, tape and ribbons or dies to cut narrow borders with to decorate the sides, as I am now running low …. though normally I am very much a less is more gal, on these boxes I think the more bling and embellishment the better.

When The Red, Red Robin Christmas Card

This card measures 6ins x 6ins and is made using a hand cut blank of PaperCellar Christmas patterned card.

When I last went down to London, I was under strict instructions to bring Marc ten packets of these Paperchase robin stickers (£1) with me, and can you believe it, he still needed another five, as he has sixty robins on a branch cards to make for his partners sisters school!

And, the idea for this card came from one of our sessions when we just throw ideas at each other for hours on end ….. needless to say, this was one of Marc’s ideas, which I think is genius ….. and so simple!  All I had to do was find an image of the sheet music for “When the Red, Red Robin….”  that just had the words “When the red, red robin, comes bob, bob bobbin along!” on the first line,  I thought it might be a nightmare, but I hit gold almost first time.

I then had to copy, paste and print the image to fit a 6ins x 6ins card, and then mat and layered it on silver mirror card …… before finally adding the robins, with a tiny bit of doodling to indicate that they were bob, bob, bobbin!.

It’s an idea I think could be developed further ….. and fortunately I have got a couple of spare packs of robins to work with, even if it’s after Christmas. These robins have so much potential!

This Christmas, like Halloween has been a poor year for “good” stickers, my staple for cards etc. …… I know I could stamp …… but you know me, I am such a lazy crafter!!!!

Following On ……Fiona Says …..

Following on from my excitement on finding Mason Jars in PoundWorld Fiona sent me this e-mail and photos ……

“Just seen your post about the mason jars, it is a big thing in America, all my relatives use them, I was soo excited when I saw them in Poundworld and just thought I would let you see what I did with them, they are filled with hot chocolate fixings”

Fiona

Now there’s an idea …… not sure where Fiona’s Santa hat’s have come from, or if she’s made them …….  but I am wondering if the wine bottle toppers I have seen in Poundland might work?

Poundworld Glass Drinking Jars

I think you can see how fast these were selling in Poundworld yesterday, and I just couldn’t resist either!  I loved them these drinking jars when I saw them in Vegas and did bring a couple home with me, despite needing to pay extra luggage allowance, because at the time they were hard to find in UK and very expensive!

So I bought a couple as small fairing presents for friends ….. and a couple for my glasses cupboard ….. and I think you will know by now from what I will be drinking my festive Barcardi and coke this Christmas …… so classy!

Tiny Gingerbread Men in A Tiny Jar Christmas Tree Decoration

This was one of those projects I was concerntrationg on so hard I forgot to take any pictures as I was going along …… doh!

It’s a one off for one of the girls in my office who this year has gone mad on gingerbread men for her festive decor ….. and I thought this would be a tiny something for her tree.

The bottle is about 4cm tall (from The Works 99p for 6) into which I have put seven tiny fimo gingerbread men made using the tiny silicone mould I bought a couple of years ago from Etsy and a few tiny hologram stars

I have used a small silver spacer bead cap with a silver screw eyelet on the top for the thread ………

…… and a larger one on the bottom with a flat backed gem in the middle, using E6000 glue to stick them on with.

A red gingham ribbon tied round the top finishes the whole effect.