What’s In My Shopping Bag Wednesday! 2 Posts for the Price of 1 Today

After the Budget, will Poundland become “£1.20 Land”? Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it!

A quick trip to Poundland in my lunch break yesterday yielded these goodies.  I have been waiting for these photo frames to be restocked after I saw an idea in a magazine using something similar …… I am going to spray/paint them cream for a shabby chic look and add a few flower embellishments …. sounds pants at the moment …. but we shall see when I put my thoughts into action.

….. And two packets of large puffy foam stickers, I have put a pair of scissors in the first picture so you can gauge the size.  I don’t make large A4 cards, but my friend Lisa does, they would be brilliant on them or as embellishments on a Bind It All book cover or 12 x 12 scrapbook pages.

What’s On My Desk Wednesday

I am trying to economise as I seem to have had made a few expensive purchases this month …. so to get a shopping “fix” I  have been over to the local papershop, where the gentleman takes off the free gifts from the unsold comics and sells them for 30p each, there are some real treasures if you rummage around enough!

I got this tool kit to embellish some of my sweetie filled toolboxes – five men's embellishments for 30p? Brilliant!

And this 30p bargain was even better than I anticipated when I opened the box.  I thought the pieces would be flat and the cars printed on them, but I found that there were little foam cars stuck on the strips of road ….

 
So, I made a tiny gift box for learner driver who has just passed their driving test …… I’ll put a few car shaped sweeties inside the box to follow the theme through.

The L plates are table confetti.

I know it’s daft but its cute as well!

I have a couple more ideas for these “dominoes”,  I just need the time!

Scrabble Keying

I am showing you this idea warts and all, it’s my first attempt and it needs a bit of fine tuning, but you will get the gist.

I’ve used Papermania scrabble tiles bought in a sale ages ago.

I made a base for the letters using a strong card, but realised it wouldn’t be strong enough, so added another two layers, glueing them all together, putting a small silver bail between the layers to attach a ball chain.

I then covered the tiles with Anita’s 3D gloss finish. To stop the layers of card showing I have gone round the sides with a permanent black marker pen.

This is my prototype, the gloss finish is too thick and uneven – mostly due to my impatience!  Now I know that the idea will work, I will make a few more, but next time will take more care and time!

Puppy Dog Bithday Cards

I love the comic cartoon affect of this card, though that wasn’t my intention when I put these cards together.

The first card I made only had one square, but it looked a little lost and empty – that’s when I decided to try four square pattern as well.

I am a devil for small stickers, I see how cute they are and before I know it they are in my basket, BUT they always pose a problem when it comes to using them, they almost never look right on a card when I try to use one on its own.

These stickers are lovely as they have a fuzzy texture – they cost 99p for a pack of eight assorted puppies and bones, so not brilliant value when using four on a card.

The Cat Sat On The Mat Birthday Card

 

This is the last of some wooden cat embellishments I had from Mad About Cards a while ago.

I’ve repeated the gingham in the cats scarf in the mat and layering.

And added this tiny mouse button on the tab as an extra cute touch.

If You’re Out Shopping Today …..

…… have a look in WH Smith, as my daughter found these little beauties for just 20p a pack in boxes filled with all sorts of things in the Wolverhampton branch.

Button Covered Notice Board

Sorry about the wet glue, I am always a bit too eager to get things photographed.

I have too many buttons and have decided that I must use them ......  most of these came from the craft section of Home Bargains, for no more than £1 a bag.

All I have done is cover the frame of a Poundland notice board with them using a strong PVA glue.

When I had covered the frame once I added a few more buttons on top to give it a bit more depth.  I think I will keep the board somewhere safe and use it as one of my Christmas/New Year makes.

Handbag Birthday Card

This is a card I made for my nieces best friend Jessica, who is mad about bags.

I used a digi scrapbook download set  from Scrappin Doodles (sets cost about $1.99, I’m not sure what that is in English money)  It’s a brilliant site for digi sets, easy to use, and especially useful  when I am really stuck for just the right embellishment.

I used Publisher to set up the design, putting in three shelves first, then adding the handbags, keeping the design symmetrical.  Once I was happy, I printed the design three times.  One was for the base and mat and layered on black paper.  the other two sets were cut out and very simply decoupaged, i.e the main bag shape and then the bag flap. To complete the card I added a few gems and three tags saying “Reserved for Jessica” for a personal touch.

I added two side pieces of black dotty paper and three clear gems to make the design flow across the card

Little Birds In A Tree Birthday Card

Birds are so in at the moment – these puffy stickers are from Paperchase (£1 a pack). At first I wasn’t too keen on them, but, then I thought of marrying them up with this beautiful tree download from Quickutz Silhouette.

Lifting them from the carrier sheet was a nightmare, very fiddle farty!

But I am really pleased with the end result and have already got other ideas for things to hang on or put in the tree.

Birthday Easel

I don’t think this took me more than 5 minutes to put together, I was in a rush and didn’t have time to make a card  The mini easel and canvas came from The Range.  They are sold in packs of two easels or two canvases which I think cost about £1.99 (perhaps the canvases were a little less)

All I’ve done is a bit of writing and as my friend is cat mad  a couple of feline embellishments. Done and dusted!

Rubber Duck Card

Something very quick and easy today, bet you can’t guess what the rubber duck actually is ……. it’s a bathroom tile decoration!  I bought them ages ago, in the days of Woolworths.  I really, really miss their pick ‘n’ mix  selection, other shops try, but they are not a patch on Woollies.

Oooops sorry

This moderation lark is a pain in the bum!  I apologise is you left a comment today, because I have accidently deleted a couple .... I am so sorry because ALL comments are very precious to me. 

I didn't want to use any type of moderation  but I am plagued with spam comments for viagra and other very strange things!   JUST BOG OFF SPAMMERS!

Doodled Postcard

I bought this book of postcards a little while back, it contains 66 part doodled postcards that you can finish off, but I am guilty of keeping it in my desk and not doing anything with it….

Until today ……………………… this is what I came up with.

I coloured the jug and surface with  promarker pens, the flowers are from a foam set from HobbyCraft and the rest I have doodled and handwritten.  I’m not sure if it withstand the rigours of the post so I may slip it in an envelope when I send it.

Altered Postcard

This is a silly little thing really, but I thought how nice it would be to send a handmade postcard now and again just to say “Hi”, or “Thank You”, “Thinking of You” etc.

First I covered a postcard with part of a page from Brenda Walton, Mira Designer Mat Pad (4 x 6) by K & Co.

Then I embellished it with punched flowers using a large daisy punch and other paper designs from the pad.

It wouldn’t be a “me” project without the addition of flat backed gems and hologram glitter! (I will be interested to see if the gems withstand the vigour's of the postman's bag!)

I know I bang on and on about hologram glitter and add it to almost all my projects, but the effect is soooooooo lovely.  I cannot take a photograph that does it justice, it is subtle and beautifully twinkly and it looks so professional, like the cards in the shops!

I am sure that this idea could be adapted for so many other postcards for all occasions and ages.
As a post note ......... I posted this card to my mum ....... she never got it!!  Oh well!!!

Little Blue Boat Birthday Card

This is a dead simple card to make.  I have just taken a little wooden boat embellishment and set it on a background of bazzill waves, sky and sun.

I have also added some doodled clouds, using a white gel pen, a few seagulls and a bit of faux stitching to finish off.

Primark to the Rescue - Wooden Beaded Bracelets

You're going to think I am quite mad now …. but believe me, it’s cheaper to buy a new multicoloured wooden beaded necklace from Primark and take it  apart  than to buy  beads or a bead  kit from a craft shop!

The summer fete season is coming up and I wanted to make a few bracelets for a stall, but when I went to buy some wooden beads they cost a small fortune and they weren’t even nice colours!  But then, as I was meandering round Primark, I spyed exactly what I wanted for £4, nuff said, another bargain bagged!

I have added a few beads that I had already had and so far have made 20 bracelets – with enough left for another ten at least.

I know they are nothing special, but put a couple together and they look pretty cute, and for the fashionistas amongst us, they are in this seasons colours!

Pretzel Bags

A couple of people have asked about the pretzel bags that I use in some of my projects …. so I have added this link for today and then will move it to my side bar ….

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/cuteasacupcake09/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

I have used this seller many times and cannot recommend her more highly (and I am not on commission!!!) – the bags always arrive within a couple of days and a really good quality. 

50 – 2” x 9” bags cost £1.99 + £1.00 P & P – just say Helen sent you!!!!

Goldfish Birthday Card

My apologies, this card was a nightmare to take any pictures of, it’s one of my favourites in a long time, but the camera just doesn’t like it!

I’ve used  a fishing themed paper by Carolyn Holt for Paper Adventures and transparent goldfish stickers from Mei Flower with a touch of Hero Arts micro glitter to give added sparkle to  the water.

Again sorry about the naff photos, they just don’t do the card any justice!.

What’s on My Desk Wednesday – A Poundland Shopping Basket …….

This basket reminded me of when I was a little girl, I just couldn’t resist it, but when I looked closer and found that you could un-popper it, I was at the checkout before you could whistle!

 
Then I got to thinking, I wonder what it would look like with ribbons threaded through  …..

Talk about super fiddle farty, but once I got started I couldn’t stop, but, in the back of my mind was the thought that this could look really pants or it could turn out to be rather cute.

I cut lengths of ribbon and threaded them through, gluing them on the runs with a very strong, tacky PVA glue which dries clear. The first section was the trickiest, trying to work out which way was best to weave the ribbon.

I used a bit of extra ribbon to make the centre panels, and then glued on a few buttons, down the sides of the basket and on the woven area using a glue gun.

How durable the basket will be remains to be seen … I don’t think it would withstand a heavy rainfall but  I intend to use it to carry my lunch and do nice dainty lady shopping!