Nordic Style Wooden Christmas Stocking Tag.

Following on from yesterday, and my “eared snowman” I found these wooden stocking tags much easier to work with (part of a pack of 4 x 2 designs from Poundland.

I used the Nordic style paper because the pattern was  just in the right proportion to the stocking. I drew round the wooden stocking and then cut the shape out, but it didn’t matter how careful I was, I still had to trim sparingly and then trim some more, to get a perfect fit. 

The stocking top, heel and toe were then cut using a contrasting paper……. 

…… and then I did a bit of faux stitching using a black fine liner pen round the edges, to define and add more detail on the back as well as the front. The small, red flat backed gems were an after thought that I think worked.

The final touch was a red wooden bead on the cord.
Initially these are tags to put on presents, but after I see no reason why they couldn’t be hung on a tree as a decorations.

Guest Crafter – Iris Roo With Her Gary and Mary Scarecrows.

Today’s guest crafter is Iris Roo …….

This “work of art” came about the other Wednesday, on Wednesdays I pick Iris up from nursery, we lunch out, usually at Moos Moos and then go back to The Towers for some “our time”.

On this occasion Iris spotted some wooden coffee stirrers and after carefully studying them, decided she wanted to make a scarecrow when we got in, that’s my girl!!!

Those stirrers were never been held so tightly as we trundled home, this was a little girl with a definite idea in her head.

When we got home we sat at the table and I was “told” to make a scarecrow and madam watched patiently as I cobbled together a frame with the said stirrers and masking tape, and then I suggested the first thing he needed was a head, we were off and running, we were making “Gary”.

Gary need a mouth, then eyes and a nose (which I had to draw, because Iris said she couldn’t), this was followed by a coat, a hat, boots and gloves, bless her. It was my idea to add stickers, as stickers are a very definite activity of choice.

Iris has a huge concentration span and I could see Iris wasn’t finished, so again I suggested Gary needed somewhere to be, so we put him in a field. I suggested a sky and then some grass but couldn’t believe it when she added them …… and as for the stems for the flowers, again suggested, oh my goodness!And then, we had to start all over again as Iris wanted to make Mary. Iris watches very little TV, but she has seen a little bit of the Muppet Movie which has Gary and Mary as the human characters, and when Iris isn’t being Iris, she is being Mary.  Iris was also definite that Mary’s dress was left white

The picture was complete when Gary and Mary were positioned on the paper holding hands, and the spaces filled in with more “drawing” and flower stickers until she was happy.

We must have been working for well over an hour, it almost bought tears to my eyes. I am so glad I took the pictures as we went along, I have neglected The Project Life album I started when Iris was born, so I am hoping they will be the kick start I need to try to get it up to date.  Happy, Happy Days!

Wonky Snowman Gift Tag – Snowmen Don’t Have Ears!

Following on from yesterday I spent far to much time working on this snowman tag trying to get him to look right before realising it wasn’t me being ultra fussy, it was the wooden tag!

At first, I thought, from the outline that the snowman was wearing a hat, but though I tried to cut several out they never seemed to fit or sit well on his head, so I gave up and gave him a self adhesive Santa hat (from Yellowmoon).  I then gave him a scarf using scraps of paper and that seemed to work OK ……..

…….But trying to get a cute snowman face was a nightmare.  I used a fimo carrot nose (moulded and then baked) because I thought it would add character and extra dimension, but no mater where I put his eyes and mouth he always looked decidedly dodgy. I really thought I was losing the plot, then I looked again, what I thought was the rim on his bobble hat were ears, and I am sorry, snowmen DON’T have ears!!! I was trying to create a snowman face, but what I was actually seeing was a cartoon “human” face …… and, what made it worse, when I really looked, was the ears weren’t even level …..

So, this snowman is destined for the bottom of a box, to remind me, whenever I happen upon him, to look carefully an snowman blanks ……because, for me at least, snowmen don’t have ears!!!! ……

January Furniture 2017 – NEC Birmingham

I am sooooooooo cross with myself!

On Friday and Saturday I was with Ian (Marc’s partner and my Eurovision companion in Stockholm) http://www.furniturepresentations.com/ as part of his team  at The January Furniture Show 2017, and despite having my camera tucked into my bra at all times, I failed to take any of the “money” shots I wanted to share on this post,  I just can’t believe it! We never stopped in those two days, in my mind I was taking the pictures, but my camera says otherwise. We were so busy, getting my camera out, especially on the second day was the furthest thing on my mind, despite being in such a visual environment! 

 

I wanted to show you how Ian can transform a large, empty space into something so wonderful you actually believe it’s the real thing, this year he transformed the VIP hospitality areas into an American Speakeasy, A Glitzy Piano Bar and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory ……… and all I have to show are a few very basic “before” pictures…….. aghhhhh    

For these areas Ian had hired or purchased hundreds of props, too many to mention, from tables, chairs, sofa’s, desks, chaise longs, curtains, huge ice cream cones, flowers, plants, and the most massive and beautiful chandelier ever  …….. and what did I get? ….. ziltch!

All  I have got are a few pictures of the two stands that Fiona, Lynn and I dressed.

…… and these are not really the finished results, most of the flowers and plants hadn’t been added, the black bowls above were filled with red primulas and the catkins in white vases moved against the wall on a box not seen in the shot.

I would be really ***p as a insightful cub reporter!

What can I say ……

I am as useful as just one of the many huge piles of rubbish that filed all the gangways as furniture and props were unwrapped and before the cleaners came in to clear it all, ready for the carpet to be laid throughout the massive site, across five halls.

The two three things I will take away with me this year are:- that I learned how to wire a gerbera and use a VAX ………..oh, and when I got to my daughter’s house in Wolverhampton on Saturday evening, I feared I might never be able to move again!

On Saturday morning before we left for the NEC, I did manage to take a few frosty pictures from the Cottage in Worcester as the sun was coming up  ………

It was looked so magical.

Wooden Reindeer Tags _ Poundland Wooden Christmas Tags

I do so miss a poundshop, I can’t believe Evesham doesn’t have a single one, the nearest ones are in Worcester, which I will undoubtedly frequent in the coming months and of course a shopping trip is de rigueur whenever I return to Wolverhampton.

I found these wooden tags in Birmingham Poundland before Christmas, and knew I could do something with them. At £1 for 8, that makes them just 12.5p each.

It was the reindeer that “sang” to me first …….. something very simple and basic, all they would need was googly eyes, and a fimo nose (moulded and then baked). 

I was nervous about using my Whisper felt pens on them for fear they would bleed into the wood, which they did, just a little, but I think I got away with it.  I then added a little faux stitching round the edges using a black fine liner pen but decided against adding a mouth.
I like to add a bead to the hanging thread, it’s just an extra detail that I think makes an ordinary tag look that little bit more special.

I knew it was the nose that would make or break the tag, it would either give the reindeer it’s character or turn it into the reindeer from hell, just because the proportions were wrong ……. and in this instance, the nose worked!!  I used E900 to glue the nose as I knew PVA wouldn’t be strong enough and didn’t want to risk it coming off.

Tiny Gingerbread Men In A Bottle Christmas Decoration.

I am not sure if I am going to make many bottle tree decorations this year as I was pretty bottled before Christmas which is probably why this one was left unfinished in the cupboard (until now), after I ran out of time and/or steam on the bottle front.

The gingerbread men are absolutely tiny and are actually sugar cake decorations, part of a dispenser of sugar strands and red, green and white balls  I found in Home Bargains for less than about 80p.

I simply wrapped a red cotton thread round the neck of the bottle and hid the knot with a very small, paper poinsettia embellishment.  The thread is red and white butchers twine which goes with the theme as does, I think, the attached silver jingle bell.

As I say, at the moment I feel a little bottled out, however should I see any other inspiring tiny bits on my mooching expeditions that would fit, I wouldn’t rule out the idea out entirely.