Guest Crafter Paula With Nigel’s Brilliant Highland Ensemble.

A little while ago, on my other blog, I posted a story about Nigel being infatuated by a full Highland ensemble in the window of the charity shop on the corner of our road ……..

Well, once published, to be honest, I didn’t give it too much thought until Nigel received a package in the post ……

It was from a very much loved follower and friend of both blogs and myself) Paula and what she had sent had me so touched and blown away you’ll never know…….

It was the most exquisite monkey sized Highland outfit you’ve ever seen, the detail was breath-taking.

The kilt is a work of art, made from a length of wide tartan ribbon.  I just wouldn’t have known where to start, sewing being my crafting arch nemesis. Just looking at it brings a tear to my eye.

The scale is perfect, not only on the outfit but on Nigel too. The ribbons on the spates/socks are tiny.

As for the jacket and laced vest ……….. they were absolutely gorgeous. Small PG Tips monkeys like Nigel are such a strange shape to dress, so this is pure mastery.

The whole outfit is a true treasure and though tempting to put it somewhere special to keep safe, it will be worn often, whatever the occassion ……. it’s got to be a must for The Coronation!

Finding outfits for Nigel used to be easy, but since Build-A-Bear stopped producing the Small Frys range it’s got a lot harder, and I wont pay the silly money they are asking on eBay, perhaps I should get knitting again, but first Bertie is growing out of his last rainbow jumper and badgering me for another one, there’s no rest for the wicked!

Thank you Paula …….. you’ll never know how much this wonderful gift means to me ………. and Nigel!

Rustic Christmas Tree Decorations

It didn’t take me that long to get into Christmas 2023 started, but with all the bits and bobs I got in the January sales, I thought it best I got using them!

There’s little fairings are no great shakes, but they are a really different take for my usually fiddle farty Christmas bits.

The natural, wood slices came from Hobbycraft and cost £3.50 for a 280g box.

 https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/natural-wooden-slices-250g/6355591000.html

The very small slices were also from Hobbycraft, but I can’t find a link to them, sorry.

I simply stacked them into a very basic, graduated Christmas tree shape and then glued them together with wood glue, which I’d forgotten how good it was for such projects (doh) when my usual PVA sort of failed me.

I put a tiny screw eye hook in the small slices to go on top of each tree, so they could be hung and then another small slice on a middle sized slice as the base …….

…….. before putting everything together, simples!

The temptation now, for me, is to embellish them ……..

…… but I know they need to left exactly as they are, all raw and rustic. 

I got 7 trees from one box of slices, with at least 15 or so leftover, so I guess, all in all, they cost me no more that 60p to put together. I love them!

Jewelled, Heart Shaped Wreath

I’ve made another jewelled wreath, and might possibly like this just a touch more than the one I currently have on my front door, so perhaps I might do a little swap round!

The MDF wreath base  came from https://www.everycraftsabargain.co.uk/MDF-Heart-Wreath and for just £1.50 for a large and small one it would have been rude not too!

The large one measures approx. 10ins at its longest by approx. 9.5 ins at its widest.  The large ones I shall use for wreaths and the smaller ones, similarly decorated but in a shadow box frame(?).  They also have a round set for the same price, which I also availed myself of with other ideas/occasions in mind.

I started off by painting both sides of the heart with some spare emulsion paint, just in case any of the wreath showed when finished.  As per usual I placed the biggest flowers, i.e the roses on the base first ………

…… filling in the rest gradually.  The jewels, as I said before, come from bracelets bought on eBay.  The “shop” (https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mypensionfund66) I have found gives me a decent discount, which works out a lot cheaper than any charity shop bits and pieces I can pick up, although I am always on the look out for any sort of flowers, which at present are few and far between. 

It means I can get a couple or three wreaths done without scrabbling about for bits, with a few left over to start another.  I have looked into broken bags of jewellery on eBay, but they are often quite expensive and you can’t guarantee what you get and I am quite specific in my needs, but hey ho, I am always up for suggestions.  Once I have the wreath covered, I let it dry overnight and then go round it again filling in the gaps and adding a top layer using smaller, single flowers etc.   In all I reckon it takes me around 2 hours to complete one wreath, over two sessions.

I have to remove all the loops etc. from each piece so that they lie flat on the base with pliers, but since they aren’t top end items this isn’t too a hard job. I then use B-7000 glue for a really secure fix.

I used a staple gun to put two staples in the back to then fasten a cobbled wire hanger.

I am not pretending these are cheap to make, I would say they might cost anything between £12 and £15+ but that’s including everything, wreath, glue, paint, extra bits from charity shops etc. but the finished result is a total one off. I am hoping to make at least 10 over the next few months which will then be used as presents for very special people.  I am also thinking of a Christmas one or two, but need to use something other than flowers ………

I often see this type of bracelet with lots of pieces (above) in charity shops, I am wondering if I could make some sort of circular, star burst mirror or wreath using them?   Hmmmmmmmm

Me thinks 2023 might turn out to be the year of the fiddle fart wreath!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mypensionfund66

Charity Shop Treasure – Dutch Tulip Vase

With the tulips now out in the shops, I can finally use/show off my Dutch style tulip vase!

I knew exactly what it was when I spotted it across the shop so pounced, as it’s something I’ve always wanted. Two ladies who saw it in my sweaty little hands cast an envious glance at it, but weren’t sure what it was, until I told them.

I think I paid £1.99 for it.  It’s was made by Bakker (a Dutch company in the 1980’s and would cost me about £45 on etsy right now.  Bargaintastic!

Simple Small Easter Bunny Cards

These cards measure 4ins x 4ins square and used white pre-scored, smooth card blanks from The Range. (Pack of 50 - £3.99)

The intention was to make a card for each of the children in the class I listen to read every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.

The self adhesive rabbits came from Home Bargains, which I believe were 79p for a pack of 8.  The wooden fences cost me an unbelievable 20p for a pack of ten a little while ago from a seller online.

There’s no real great shakes to the cards.  I started with a 3.75cm square of blue paper to which I added a background of green, small patterned paper, adding faux stitching round the edges and a greeting using with a black fine liner pen.

The squares were then stuck to the card blank, followed by the fence, glued on with E-7000 for a really safe and secure fix and then the bunny.

To add a little springtime colour I put small, Fimo clay, nail art flowers on the fence and grass and three small, yellow, punched butterflies to complete the look along with a few clusters of three dots to subtly fill in the empty spaces.

I’ve made ten so far, another twenty to go!  These will be put in a named envelope with a chocolate bunny attached, to celebrate the end of the spring term.  The school terms really seems to be racing away with us this year!

Stick Family Re-Homed

Iris and I made this Stick Family box together as part of her “Cool Time” way back when she was in Year 1 (she’s in Year 4 now), my apologies as I forget the theme of project it was so long ago.

However, it was getting a little tired round the edges and in danger of getting “hurt”, as it is quite bulky and hadn’t really found a permanent home in the house ………. so, with a some trepidation I offered to reframe it.

I bought a 30 x 30cm shadow box frame from Hobbycraft (£12) and armed myself with my faithful glue gun, as I knew I would need a quick but strong fix for all the awkward, uneven angles of the twigs.

I was really anxious about disassembling the original box but it wasn’t too bad.  I wanted to keep it’s integrity, so kept the background colours the same, taking a large sheet of Kraft card, trimming it down to size and then drawing a border round it (using the mount provided) to ensure the family etc. stayed within the mount area. Sadly, however, a few of the background twigs and silk leaves in the front didn’t survive the process.

I did manage to save a little of the moss, along with a few acorns, acorn cups, alder cones and silk leaves and arranged them as best I could along the bottom, again within the mount. At this stage I thought I was done ………..

…… but then, in amongst the “rubbish” I found the sign, the most important part of the whole scene, doh, with little Iris’s handwritten title, what am I like?

With said sign and felt holly leaves and berries finally in place , I was really was ready to put it all in the frame …………

It’s beautiful, I think I have managed to save its character and innocence, but to be honest, I’m a bit loathe to hand it back …… but hey ho ………. it belongs with it’s maker and her lovely, lovely family.

Charity Shop Treasure - Miniature Ceramic Mud Men

Remember the two bags of 80+ clay mud men and pagodas type building I found in my favourite Evesham Charity shop for just £4 a bag a while ago?

Well, it turns out that if I chose to, I could get more than my moneys worth back on eBay! However, when I sent Marc a picture of my swag, he said that Rick/Ian his partner would go nuts for them, soooooooo easy birthday present there then, although I kept a few back for me just in case I came over all inspired!

Needless to say Marc was right, Rick was thrilled with them, but instead of squirrelling them away in a drawer like I’ve done, he’s put them to good use.

They made their debut in miniature garden form at The January Furniture Show at the NEC Birmingham the other week as part of the dressing/accessories on one of the stands he’d been commissioned to design.

I don’t think they are permanent arrangements, but they will undoubtedly be carefully taken back to the cottage with a few, no doubt, being put in strategic positions around the garden and veranda, where I am sure they will age even more gracefully.

Now what will I find on my travels next of a useful type nature  ………..?

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ian-christopher-b6118638

https://thefurnitureshows.com/january