First Day Of School Chocolate Bars

Whenever I see Cadbury chocolate 4 packs on special offer for £1 I snaffle them up, (after checking that there is at least 8 months on the the best before date) because at 25p per bar they are a REAL bargain ………

….. especially for something like this.  As you know I like to make little”fairing” gifts for my colleagues at school to welcome in the first day of the new school year.  All I have done is put a paper wrapper on the chocolate bar using scraps of paper and then just added a sentiment and a few paper flowers.  Cheap as chips but a sweet way to start the year!

Gardening Golden Wedding Anniversary Card

This card is A3 in size and made using an ivory linen effect card.

This card is very similar to quite a few I have made before but as the couple this card was for are keen gardeners I thought I would add a couple of brass trowel and tiny bee charms to make it special and pertinent to them.

The flowers and leaves are all made using punches with gold coloured flat backed gems in the centres, again to continue the gold theme.

Two Little Bluebird Cards

These cards measure 5.75ins x 4ins and is made using a white linen effect card blank

The above card is a very simple, but when I looked at the picture as I started to blog it  I  didn’t think it looked quite right, perhaps needed a little something more or the backing panel was too big …. so I went back to the drawing board to make the second card below.

I’ve used my Martha Stewart self adhesive embossed labels and felt birds from Michaels sent to me by Dianne, and my “not used often enough” nestabilities label die. I prefer the second card, but I think it would have looked better if I’d used the spotty paper, but after all the fiddle farting about I’d used it all up, typical!

Tuxedo Card

This card measures 10.5cms x 14.5cms and is made using white linen effect card.

Not an original idea I know, but with the Prom Season approaching in schools I thought it would be a good idea to try my own version.  I fiddle farted around with the buttons for ages plumping in the end for these flat backed pearls ….. I now wish I’d gone for real buttons! Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Therapy – My Decopatch Coffee Table

When we had to remove The Dukes marine fish tank it was heart breaking, but there was no way that Lucy and I could maintain it and if anything had happened to the fish we would never have been able to forgive ourselves.  In the end we managed to contact two lovely gentlemen from a local aquarist society who not only very kindly found new homes for our fish, but also completely dismantled the tank and all its gubbings for which I will never be able say “thank you” enough.

Anyway ….. with the tank gone, the room looked tired and empty and Lucy and I decided that it needed a completely new look ….. so guess what …. I decided to Decopatch (!!!!!)  one of our Ikea “Lack” coffee tables …… to create the colour palette for our new “girlie lounge”

….. and because I am incapable of choosing just a couple of Decopatch papers , I ended up using all the designs I had …… and you will no doubt realise that it also matches the table in my utility room that I had already done ….. no imagination me!!!!   Once covered I applied about six coats of Ronseal Quick Drying Varnish to withstand the rigours of our coffee mugs etc.

When the table was finished Lucy pointed out that as we had two Ikea “Lack” tables, rather than go for the Decopatch overkill look, we could mix and match them depending on our mood – Decopatch top with plain legs …….

……. or plain top with Decopatch legs …..

The rest of the lounge is a work in progress with much gratitude to my very talented brother Andrew, but when it’s all finished I will post some more pictures so that you can see the finished results!

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20011413/

Punched Art Penguin/Elizabeth Shaw Mint Novelty …..

Now …. I am being very lazy here, trying to save time by being economical with words and typing, but hope you can still get the gist of how I have put this paper punched penguin together …..

These are the three punches I used ….

….. and these are the punched parts I have used to put “Percy” together …… not a lot to him really!

I’ve just popped him on a makeshift background to show how he would look on a Christmas card…. but you know what I am going to say next …… he would make an excellent embellishment for an Elizabeth Shaw Mint Crisp….

……… by just adding a matching plain black circle on the back!

Crabby Birthday Card

This card measures 5.5 x 5.5 inches and is made using white linen effect card.

This card is just a bit of fun, made it for the Duke's birthday last year as he had the most amazing marine fish tank which included crabs, so it became a bit of a running theme in my cards for him!

The background paper came from a free pull out in a card making magazine and the crab and other creatures are spongy, self adhesive foam shapes from Poundworld with googly eyes added to them. 

Snowman Tags

Can you believe these tags were made back in February?!  I found the wooden snowman embellishments marked down to half price at a local garden centre and at 74p for 8 they were too good to resist, but I knew if I didn’t use them almost straight away they would linger for too long in my Christmas box of bits.

I thought that the painted effect was rather dull, drab and flat ….

So I re-coloured their noses and cheeks, added a few stripes to the scarfs and then added a generous coating of Anita’s 3D Gloss Finish, giving them much more luxurious feel.

I then cut out the tags using a strong Kraft card, covering the front with a polka dot paper and white glitter card, adding faux stitching round the edge of the blue paper and on the back of the tag.

The final touches are made by adding punched snowflakes, a tiny handwritten tag on the hat, plus holly leaves left over from other projects and red and clear flat backed gems. I kept a couple of the heads back as I I want to try and make a few cards based on the same design and using the same materials, watch this space …..

Snowman Let It Snow Card

This card measures 4.5 x 4.5 ins and is made using white linen effect card.

This is the card I made to go with the tags I am posting tomorrow.  The blue polka dot paper is from Doodle Bug and the metal snowflake from a pack from Craft For Christmas.

A Project …. Having A Go At A Decopatch Chair

I have said a couple of times already that I am struggling with my mojo, which is why you are seeing a lot of my Christmas stuff now, because I have had to bunk it down so I still have posts to post if you see what I mean ……. but at the moment I do find Decopatch very soothing …. and it takes no thinking!

So, when I saw this chair outside one of the  village shops going free to a good home, it would have looked rude not to avail myself of it and bring it home ….. The Duke use to just tut and sigh when I brought “more rubbish” into the house ….. but I have been wanting to have a go at a Decopatch chair for ages and fortuitously Tom and Laura had bought me a pile of new papers a couple of weeks ago ….. so it was fate!!

I am also having a bit of a reshuffle in the house at the moment and I need a new chair for my bedroom, and this could be it!  I have never reupholstered a seat before, but I have a staple gun …. so how hard can it be?  So watch this space!!!!

Since writing this post on Wednesday I couldn’t resist making a start …. all I can say is that it is lot fiddlier than anything I have decopatched before ….. and I am dreading the knobbly bits on the legs!!! However, a little and often I think.  It is interesting to see how Decopatch works when put straight on dark wood … I thought it might be more subdued …. but it still looks bright and fresh. I am thinking that I am going for a cerise seat cover …. and if I could find a knitted jumper that I could cut up for it, it could look pretty FAB!!!

Gymnast Newspaper Card

This card is A5 in size and is made using white linen effect card.

My sister asked me to make a card for a photographer called Eileen Langsley who she met during one of her volunteer sports events and who had given her a copy of her beautiful book Gymnastics in Perspective http://figshop.lx2.sportcentric.com/product_info.php?products_id=40

My sister gave me a few ideas and I worked round them.  I just love the gymnasts, which I I found on this wonderful free clip art site http://www.phillipmartin.com/ 

The images are  free if used for a non commercial purposes and are attributed to the artist Phillip Martin. It really is worth a look but please check the regulations first before using any of the available images

All I have done is make them up into simple decoupage layers to add a little texture and dimension.  The Visa logo was added to  reflect Eileen’s frustration with background advertising boards which often get in the way when she is taking her stunning pictures. http://eileenlangsley.wordpress.com/

First Day Back At School Gift …..

As you know I like to make a little “fairing” gift for some of my friends at work to “bring in” the new school year ….

…. and this is what I have come up with for this year …. small jars of assorted chocolate buttons, Milky Bar, Cadbury and Thornton's smiley face ones The plastic jars came from a poundshop, but I can’t for the life of me think which one, but I would really like some more now that I have tried using them, and have other ideas …. and at just 12 for £1 they are a real bargain.

I cut the mop tops from some cotton patchwork material I have had for ages with pinking shears….

…. and then punched out and handwrote the tags ….. not much crafting I know …. just very quick and simple, less is more!

Tatty Teddy Decoupage Christmas Card

The base of this card measures 13.5cm x 13.5cm and is made using a white linen effect card.

This is another of my Tatty Teddy decoupage cards using the Winter Wonderland A4 glitter pack that I found for £1.74 (half price) earlier on in the year. I didn’t like the background to the decoupage image, so I cut it away and did my own thing!  I’ve added a pink gingham background (Handy Hippo Creative Paper Strips in pastel gingham), a punched white glitter heart and  a couple of punched snowflakes with gem centres. Voila!

Final Goodbyes To The Duke …. In Brixham

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift” - Mary Oliver

I didn’t say anything in the days leading up to it, but on Saturday,18th August we went to Brixham to scatter Andy’s ashes.  Originally the Brixham Lifeboat Crew were going to do it for us when they were next on manoeuvres, but in the end both Lucy and I had a change of mind, and wanted to do it ourselves. …. I know it sounds daft but we didn’t want to leave Andy/Dad/The Duke with strangers …. even though they would have been very, very lovely caring strangers, I know, deep in my heart that it was the right decision. We had to make several trips to the beach, a place which Andy had described, while fishing off the jetty last year  as, for him, the closest place to heaven on earth because it never quite quiet enough….. !

However, as the light faded we all said our final goodbyes and then skimmed stones ….. before leaving Andy where he was happiest …. a place where he could fish to his hearts content …… and gaze at the beautiful view.

We were able to make a donation of £1,025 in Andy’s memory from friends and family, towards the upkeep of the Brixham Lifeboat, something that would have really choked him. He would never fail to buy something from an RNLI shop/stand/stall whenever he saw one ….. as we can all contest, as we each have at least one RNLI keyring courtesy of Andy.

A wonderful gentleman called Stuart Elliman, the Lifeboat Operations Manager at Brixham gave us a guided tour of the Lifeboat and Lifeboat station, something Andy would also have just loved ….

…… it was such a privilege … and made our visit even more special and something that will stay with us for a very long while to come….

http://www.torbaylifeboat.co.uk/index.html 

Mini Pebble Canvas Mementoes

I wanted to give something to everyone who went to Brixham to remember the weekend by ….

… so I made these tiny heart canvases. which measure 7cms x 7cms, made using the small pebbles I had collected from the beach at Brixham where the Duke and I shared companionable happy silences as we drank in the view and enjoyed large cups of coffee when everyone else had gone home.

Colour Chart Christmas Tree Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using white linen effect card.

This card was an experiment, but is very me. I know just the person to send it to for Christmas who will appreciate it’s quirkiness too.

There’s not a lot to it, I’ve mat and layered a Dulux colour chart on silver mirror card and then stuck three glass Christmas tree nuggets  (which I’ve had forever)  to cover some of the writing using E600 glue.  Done and fairy dust dusted!!

Plain and Simple Christmas Card

This card measures 15cm x 10.5cm and is made from a hand cut blank using ivory linen effect card.

This card is very plain I know, but it’s just the sort of card I would like to get, very less is more!

The Making Memories eyelet phases, which need to be set using my Making Memories Instant Setter have been languishing in one of my drawers  for years since I bought a “job lot” of them at Hobbycrafts at the NEC, but this year I am determined that I will use each and every one of them, so you’ll probably get sick of seeing them this Christmas!!

The bookplate die cut is from a K & Co set which I have simply mat and layered on matching patterned paper and mirror card.