Snowman Soup – New Packaging

I’ve come up with a new design for my Snow Soup packets.  Last year they sold really well and hopefully the new design will attract new and old customers.  I will put a sachet of hot chocolate, some mini marshmallows, a candy cane and a red foil wrapped heart shaped chocolate in a square cello bag.   I’ve used a digi scrapbooking set called Little Joys to make up the design from:- http://sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/product.php?productid=16188&cat=0&page=3

Alphabet Beads - Top Tip

The alphabet beads I have used the the project below were a present which I believe came from Cox and Cox http://www.coxandcox.co.uk/products/alpha-bead-kit-60gm3mtr-cord and I think they were quite expensive at £6.

However I have done a little research for you on e-bay.  There are lots of alphabet bead sets, but also it is possible to buy sets of 50 single vowels like a's and e's, which is brilliant as they are the first letters to get used up.  So what I would suggest, if you are making bracelets etc. for Brownie groups would buy a couple of alphabet sets plus a extra set of each vowel - the shop below has sets of 50 single letters for 90p + 90p P&P

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Angs-Attic/Alphabet-Beads-by-the-letter-/_i.html?rt=nc&_fsub=2079338015&_sid=76809655&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1581&_pgn=2 - and I don't think it would take much to put together a matching set.  Hope this top tip is of help!!

Friends Forever Friendship Bracelets

I made these bracelets for a friend’s daughters 16th Birthday sleepover.

I’ve used alphabet beads, 0.5mm red waxed cord, spacer beads and a few left over stickers.

The bracelets couldn’t be easier to make.

I made a sheet of backing cards using publisher and cut them to fit the cello bags I wanted to package the bracelets in.

To make it look a bit more professional, I  have added another piece of card on the back so the surplus cord on the bracelets cannot be seen and a fancy 3D sticker as a bag seal.

I know it’s all a bit of fiddle fart but sometimes it’s the packaging that makes all the difference, a bit like Easter eggs!

Christmas Pillowcase

Do you remember the brocade pillowcase I got from a local market for £1 a few weeks back, well I’ve embellished it ……

I know it’s only a few clear flat backed gems, but it’s going to look so beautiful at the bottom of someone's bed this Christmas.  I am still toying with the idea of gathering it with a thick black velvet ribbon just under the embellished bit, but I’m not sure, I need to see what it looks like with presents in first.

Stamped Paper Flower Bulletin Board Pins

The original idea for these bulletin board pins came from:-http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/08/make-silk-flower-bulletin-board-pins/  where they were originally made from silk flowers, but I thought I could adapt the idea with materials that I had already.

To make my version I’ve used paper flowers, black StazOn ink and part of a Stampin’ Up stamp that had writing on.

For the centre of the flowers I have used these pins, which were a carboot find, bought for a few pence. I think that they may have originally been something to do with upholstery, but they are ideal for this project.

I stamped all the flowers first and then threaded them onto the pin, applying  plenty of strong PVA glue under the pin on the first flower and then a adding a dab to the centre of each layer to keep it all together, I find PVA adds a bit of strength to paper projects like this.

That’s all there is too them, not heavy duty I know, but pretty and a bit different.

I’ve made quite a few and will be putting two sets of four in my many pocketed Advent Calendar.

Snowman Soup

This is the snowman card I put in the Snow Man Soup packets

I used a square cello card bag to put the ingredients in, the card faces the front.

Behind it I put the hot chocolate sachet, candy cane and a small cello pretzel bag cut down a little for the marshmallows and a few metallic confetti stars.

A couple of people have asked me about this stamp - I got it from The HobbyCrafts Show at the NEC Birmingham a couple of years ago and it is beautiful in its simplicity.

It's called Grove of Trees, Ref. H895 and is available from The Craft Cow, prive £7.20
http://www.thecraftycow.co.uk/Flowers-Foliage-Trees_B22T0Z.aspx?page=1&sort=Default-ASC

Jingle Bell Phone Charm & Key Ring

I love jingle bells, they are so cute.  I try to hold back, but when I see the lovely ones they have in Paperchase each Christmas, I just cannot resist them, but I thought it’s about time I made something with them.

So, I have made a jingle bell phone charm using leads I found in HobbyCraft and jump rings that I have had for ages.

It only took a couple of minutes to make but there’s a bit of a knack to opening and closing jump rings, I’m not quite there yet, but I am getting better with practice.

I’ve also made a festive key ring, again using bells I got from Paperchase last year, jump rings and a blank key ring.  Simples!

These are going in my Many Pocketed Advent Calendar, I just hope the ringing doesn’t drive the recipient mad!

Penguin Christmas Card

I still have some of  last years Accessorize Christmas stickers left so I am still thinking of ideas on how to use them up – I don’t like to waste anything and this year I am trying to have a bit of an economy drive.

There is not a lot to this card – so I will let the picture tell the story.  I have used a brilliant white glitter card for the icebergs. 

My friend Lisa laughs at me when I go to buy white glitter card as I am VERY particular – I have been caught out too many times by what I have thought was brilliant white, only to find, when I get home, that it has a hint of another colour in it – now I always have a piece of the card I want to use it on to make sure it really is white!

Festive Tool Box Shaped Bon Bon Favor

I’ve used my Sizzix Bigz XL Carry All box die (SZ656279) for this idea

The die has quite a few parts, but is a doddle to put together

I decided it would be a lot  easier to embellish the box while it was flat, so I added a snow scene, using white glitter paper and doodling a few snowflakes using a white gel pen for the sky.

The penguin embellishments are from this years Accessorize Christmas range (£1.75 per pack) to which I have added tiny googly eyes.

They are so cute!

Once all the twiddling and fiddling was done, I put the box together.

Adding just a few small, clear flat backed gems to the sky for a bit of bling.

I’m going to fill these boxes with either Cadbury Snow Bites or white bon bons to go with the snowy theme.

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals and Leaves.

I am so guilty of desperately wanting Tim Holtz’s Tattered Florals and Leaves dies only to leave them unopened for several weeks in a corner of my craftroom  ….. if only I didn’t have to go to work!

But, I have finally been able to have a play, and I love them.  I have started out with a very simple idea, making some gift tags as I hate these horrid bow things!

I’ve used a variety of papers to see how patterns, thickness and textures work. This gold one is made from quite expensive embroidered gift wrapping  paper that I bought, only to find that it’s almost impossible to wrap with!  The centre is a snowflake brad with a clear flat back gem super glued in the middle.

My favourite is this red one.  I just love the paper. It came in my lovely parcel from Poundland in a sort of collage pack of bits and pieces.   It’s really thick spongy paper with the most fantastic texture. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of each colour, so I only made eight flowers like this. I am really hoping I can find some more similar paper on my travels, as I would love to make a Christmas wreath along the same lines.

Once the flowers/tags were made up, I put a piece of double sided  foam tape on the back so that they can be stuck on a parcel.

I’ve made up a box in various colours and papers and am curious to see if they take off when I put them in the staffroom.

Snowflake Charm Card

This is very much a case of a less is more.

The snowflake charm is from a card of Christmas earrings I got for 50p from our local market in Penkridge.

Christmas Decorated Box of Cadbury Miniatures

A while back I posted an idea for decorating a box of Cadbury Miniatures, this is one of my Christmas designs

The paper I have used is called Swell Noel Green Holiday Stripes by K and Company. At the top of the box  I’ve added a strip of pink Paper Cellar shaped border tape with sage green ribbon on top of that, plus a few flat backed pearls.

The wooden Christmas tree is part of a pack of 6 from HobbyCraft, from the Crafts for Christmas range, and costs about £1.50

This makes a perfect “fairing gift”,  which has the extra bonus of not needing to be wrapped!

Altered HobbyCraft Christmas Bauble

My apologies, these baubles were a nightmare to photograph!

I’ve used these clear baubles from HobbyCraft from Darice, which cost just £1.99 for a box of 10 – that’s a bargain 20p each!

I’ve also used these furry snowflake stickers from Papercellar which I got in a sale ages ago and to be honest rather regretted because up until now, couldn’t find a use  for them, plus some tiny polystyrene balls, I’ve also had squirreled away for ages.

 

The stickers were a real fiddle fart to put on, as they were very delicate and hard to remove from the sheet they were attached to, in the end I resorted to using a pin to wheedle them off with.

As a finishing touch, I have added very sparkly flat backed gems that have a goldy tinge that marries up well with the top. …… sorry about the wet glue!

My only little criticism of the baubles is the gold top, I have a couple more ideas, but as the embellishments I want to use are silver, I am going to have to spray the tops to match, perhaps I am being fussy but I can’t match silver with gold!!

I’m going to give these to special people instead of cards this year.