Candy Rainbows

My friend Josie sent me this picture and link with Tom and Laura’s “rainbow” wedding in mind ……
http://catchmyparty.com/photos/525090 – it’s an idea I have seen before and I just love ….

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/03/st-patricks-day-rainbows/

They are made using American sweets/candy called Twizzlers ….

….  I checked out to see if they are available over here, and yes they are …. from Amazon, Ebay and other online shops specialising in American products, with prices varying from £1.19 a pack to £1.99+,  so making them for every wedding guest would be rather prohibitive ….. but nevertheless it’s such a lovely idea ….. it’s one to keep on the back burner! 

I may also try and find a few packs when I am in Las Vegas to bring back because when I did a Google search on them there were lots of other lovely ideas I would also like to try out.

http://www.icandystore.co.uk/twizzlers-rainbow-fruit-twists-53g-403-p.asp

http://www.cybercandy.co.uk/store/Hersheys-Twizzlers-Rainbow---American-03453201.html

Tom And Laura’s Wedding Place Settings

Well…Tom and Laura’s Crafty Wedding Dream Team of Denise, Sarah, Emily, Daisy, Lucy and me can’t rest on our laurels for too long as we now have all the place settings to do …..

….. measuring 7.5cms x 5cms and mirroring the wedding invitations I am hoping that they won’t take too long to make …. and then they will be off to the Lovely Laura to work her magic ….. as she has the most gorgeous handwriting.

The tables will also be liberally sprinkled with more punched flowers with a few “diamonds” added for even more sparkle …. it’s going to look sooooo beautiful!

A Very Special Cushion

This is a cushion made by the “Artist to the Stars” John Lee Bird depicting Marc and his partner …. it is so special and unique …. and I am quite envious!

Marc has several pictures (not shown in this post)  by John around his flat and I love them all. Some look deceptively simple …..

…… but in others the detail is breath-taking.

….. and I feel very honoured, because it’s not everyone’s Monkey (Darrell) who included in a work of art!

http://www.johnleebird.com/

Volunteer Of The Day Tags

This is a set of 6 tags I made my sister Jan for one of her many volunteering events.  They measure approximately 10cms x 5cms and are made using a Kraft effect card.

I know there’s not a lot to these tags, but it is managing to keep the daily posts coming …..

I know didn’t make the task easy for myself (as per usual),  I know I could have downloaded a free tag template from the internet, but I used an old Ikea tag to draw around instead as the size is just perfect for so many projects. I made a sheet of text in Publisher in 2peas typo font, size 24. When the sheet was printed I put the Ikea tag over the top, praying that it was central, drew round it, and cut out the tags.

I used my Cropodile to set the eyelets.  My Cropodile is my most under used  tool, I am afraid I am rather heavy handed with it and usually end up with misshapen and squashed eyelets, but on this occasion I was extremely gentle and woo hooo hoo hoo, got perfect settings for once.

2peas font available free from this site: http://www.fontpalace.com/font-details/2Peas+Typo/

My Pressed Glass Tea Light Holders and Butlers

I love smelly candles and candle light and have started to look for pieces of old pressed glass in charity shops to put tea lights and small candles in as they give off the most beautiful twinkly light when put in them and have more character than modern holders.

I think the most I have paid so far (in a charity shop) is 50p ….. so if they get broken or I tire of them, it’s neither here nor there …..

….. although I did splash out £3.99 each on three Mont Fleuri  glasses from Butlers in Notting Hill.

And talking of Butlers …. they have some very lovely stuff …..

….. like these flower boxes ….

….. this bath caddy
….  this Patchwork style chest of drawers.

….. and finally this dome cloche …… all totally and absolutely gorgeous!

http://www.butlers-online.co.uk

Arboscello Tree Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a ivory linen effect handcut card blank.

This is the card I made for my mum for Mother’s Day.

Marc lent me this die from Memory Box – Arboscello Tree, Style No. 98155, a while ago and which I am afraid I kept for a little too long without using, but when thinking about Mother’s Day I knew it would be perfect for my mum.  The flowers are made using a 1cm Papermania Daisy Punch.

Used on its own, unembellished, it would look lovely on a Christmas card with just a little sparkly micro glitter on its branches and around the bottom or with just a lone bird sitting on one of it’s branches for another occasion ….. or covered in little hearts on Valentines Day …. there are so many possibilities. I am not sure where Marc got the die from … but I am sure he will let us know when he sees this.

Poundland - Hanging Decopatch Easter Egg Decorations

When I was staying with Marc we perused the Poundland website together and found these packs of  “decorate your own eggs” ….

…. and I immediately thought of making hanging egg decorations using Decopatch.

….. so using a little trial and error ….. first I added a loop to thread some cotton through to hang the eggs by, using a gold effect wire  ….

…. and then started the on the therapeutic bit of covering the eggs with the Decopatch Paper. Well,  I thought it would be therapeutic, but with the eggs being small and quite fiddly to handle when sticky, I just got grumpy and very stuck up!!!!!  I added a little HunkyDory Diamond Sparkles Fairie Kisses to the glue for extra sparkle, but unfortunately the effect was rather lack lustre on the hoped for twinkly side

I could varnish the finished eggs but have decided that as they will only be on display, hung from a piece of branch in a pot for a few days and admired from a distance, not close up,  the time and effort involved isn’t really worth it.  However,  I shall be adding a few bows … and perhaps an embellishment or two …. so keep watching this space!

http://www.poundland.co.uk/top-tips/easter-arts-and-crafts/

http://www.thedecopatchplace.co.uk/

The Final Finishing Touches to Tom and Laura’s Wedding Invitations.

I bought seventy five130gsm C5 envelopes from eBay to put Tom and Laura’s wedding invitations in.  They cost me £7.38 inc. P & P  which I don’t think is too bad, but I thought that I could make them a little more special……

….. so cut papers in the same colours as we had used for the punched flowers and then lined the envelopes with them, using only the smallest amount of PVA glue to make sure that there were no wrinkles.

I then thought that I ought to make a little “something” to add to the back of each invitation to show how just how unique they were and who had made them….

….perhaps drumming up business for this very successful dream wedding team!!!!!

Tom and The Lovely Laura’s Wedding Invites Almost Finished ….

Well….. “The Wednesday/Thursday Tom and Laura Crafty Wedding Club” set up chez nous, to make the wedding paraphernalia for Tom and the Lovely Laura’s wedding has finally finished their first project ……

…. to wit … 50 invitations in two basic designs, but each one is slightly different, because the make up of colours used for the flowers was left entirely to Denise, Sarah, Daisy, Emily, Lucy and me …… and are so Lovely Laura.

After our last session they were left drying all over the room, with just the ribbons to trim, as you can see from these pictures.

We were all so chuffed with ourselves ….. and spent ages just gazing at all the different combinations.

I don’t really think I made putting the heart/printed part of the invitations together easy for myself ….. because I know that, if I had the patience, I could have set up the print and cut facility up on my Silhouette to do it, but I have only done that once …. and it took me two days to get right and in the process almost sent me stark staring mad!!!!

So …. first I created sheets of invitation “toppers” in Publisher …..

……  in three colours, pink, purple and turquoise to match the ribbons, in Papyrus font size 16.5.

And then …. the Heath Robinson bit ….. I held a plastic heart template behind the card to centre the text, and then, trying not to move the template, drew round it, again on the back of the card …….. I know, I know …… talk about long winded!

The hearts were then duly cut out ….

.... then mat and layered on white linen and mirror card.
There is one more fiddlefart finishing touch to go ….  of which I will show you tomorrow.

The Best Mother’s Day Present Of Them All …… Guest Crafter My Brother Stephen.

I expect, like me you’ve all been waiting with baited breath to see what my brother Stephen came back with from his Day Centre on Friday for my mum for Mother’s Day ……. well,  here it is …….. mahooosive fanfare and drum roll maestro please …………………

Not a card this year  …. but a beautiful package containing handmade sweets…..  two peppermint creams and two truffles, all tied up with ribbons and bows and flowers, as well as a tag.

As I always say with these posts …. we are in no doubt my brother actually did very much in the putting together of this wonderful gift, more as like he just sat at the table, watched, hummed and twiddled with his sleeve  ….. but we cannot thank his staff enough for doing it on his behalf ….. THANK YOU xx YOU’LL NEVER KNOW WHAT GETTING A PRESENT LIKE THIS MEANS TO US EVERY YEAR xxx

Way Over The Top 50th Birthday Card!

This card is made using a hand cut cream glitter A5 blank.

There is a story behind this card … I had temporarily stopped making cards to order, so my sister in law decided to buy a special  “handmade”  (CraftROBO/Silhouette cut) card from Not On The High Street, paying over £5 for it,  but when it arrived it took our breathe away, it was so awful. It was made using cheap flimsy card, the cut out design was so confusing it was hard to pick out the wording and it wasn’t even centred, Sarah bought it to me in despair asking if I could rescue it!!!   Believe me, I’d have put it in the bin ….. but in the end I managed to make a gift tag from it.

Needless to say I felt very guilty for not making Sarah a card in the first place and to make amends created this very over the top little number (not to my taste to be honest, but in real life it did appear to be a lot more subtle!), but the person the card was for loves anything that is OTT and the more bling and embellishment the better …. in her case less is definitely NOT more!!!

You can’t see the sparkle in the picture but I made the blank using a sheet of very twinkly A4 glitter card. I have to admit I wouldn’t do the lettering in the way same again …. I would stick to just one type of font, but Maria, the lady who  received it was absolutely thrilled!

Adoption Card

This card is made using an A5 blank in white linen effect card.

There is nothing complicated or fancy about this card, it’s really very basic, using an appropriate backing paper where I have coloured the odd heart red with a fine liner pen to go with the sentiment …..

…. and a pack of Poundland 3D stickers that I have had for years, but which are just perfect as the little boy being adopted is almost four and the theme needed to be a bit more grown up.

Seashell And Seaglass Mirrors

I have been looking for inspiration before I start on my own seashell themed mirror …..

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53967881/seashell-mirror-beach-decor-w-aqua-blue

http://www.buythesea-bymail.co.uk/seashell-mirror-3666-p.asp

shop.beachgrasscottage.com/Seashell-Wreath-Beach-Decor-White-Shell-Wreath-w-Starfish-45.htm

http://www.oceanviewseashellmirrors.com/gallery.php

http://www.etsy.com/listing/105379540/driftwood-mirror-with-seashells