Winged Skeleton

This is an idea not to everyone's taste I know, but it's been an inkling of an idea after I first saw similar projects on Pinterest, however it's been kept on hold for quite a while because actually finding suitable small plastic skeletons for the project has been a huge stumbling block.

A few years back Poundland sold skeletons on strung garlands (from memory, having about 8 skeletons on one). Marc and I did buy a few over the years, but then they disappeared, never to be seen again, along with the nets of skeleton hands that I also loved using. My memory is also that they had movable joints, but here, I think, my memory may be playing tricks (??). Anyway, we've been looking ever since, but the only ones we have found were mostly available in the US with stupidly expensive P &P.

But then ...... when I met up with Marc in Worcester in October he was sooooooo chuffed as he'd managed to find these packs of two in Tesco for £1, and Marc, being Marc, had got me several packs, I was thrilled!  They measure 15cms long.

I'll be honest, with Christmas fast approaching I really didn't think I'd be able to do anything with said skelliebobs until the new year, but then found these glittery wing tree decorations  (2 for £1 in gold, silver) in Poundland.

Now, when I first saw them I wasn't thinking skeletons, instead my mind thought "winged hearts", something like the one below, putting a tin heart that I already had in the middle, but when I got home the hearts were just a little bit too big (.......so still a project for another day) .........

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/679896331/winged-heart-wall-art-ceramic-wall-piece

........ however, all was not entirely lost because when I put a skeleton with one instead the proportions were perfect, my only doubt was that being grey the skeleton disappeared a little into the silver,  if you know what I mean?  Then, while mooching in Home Bargains I saw that they also had winged decorations, not only in gold and silver, but also white, pink and blue and were only 49p each they were a no brainer ......

......... and when I got home the colours were perfect next to the grey ....... which means I now need to go back and get a few more.

I was so excited by this stage that I completely forgot all about Christmas cards etc., I needed to see if the ideas in my head now actually worked on the crafting table.

Wrapping the chains round the bottom of the skeletons legs proved fiddly and needed Super Glue, the kind that not only sticks your project but almost instantly to your fingers.  

The bracelets, fancy jump rings from an old necklace, were a nightmare to open and close, but I got there in the end.

The three necklaces were also sections of thin chain from old jewellery, however they kept disappearing down behind his ribcage, so in the end I had to glue them in position down his front.

I also gave the skeleton a red flat back gem heart and gold, flat back eyes.  

The crown was made using a thin piece of aluminium foil and coloured later with a brown Sharpie pen to give a more aged grungy look.

I then decided the skeleton needed a scepter, made using a skull bead (The Works) and a cocktail stick coloured black.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was with how it all turned out, everything just seemed to come together as I went along..

I prepared the background using a wooden plaque (The Works £1) which I covered with black tissue and some crackle glaze that I have had forever, again to give the illusion of age. 

The plaque was necessary because due to the angle of the skeleton's feet and the weight of the wings he can't stand up alone.

After completing this first idea I have some thoughts ...... to get other projects to stand I need to get some 4mm or 5mm dowel, colouring it to blend in and then either glue it along the spine at the back or inside under the rib-cage. Then I need to think about bases, I have seen some on Pinterest that use a wooden cotton reel for this. Although it wouldn't work with these sort of wings, as they are too heavy, I think it's worth a try.

I also think they would look really good just hanging, it wouldn't take much to put  a small screw eye hook in the top of a skull, and Bob's your uncle!

From what I have read other crafters have been able to change the position of skeletons arms and legs by holding them in very hot water and bending them gently before putting them quickly into ice cold water, however I am thinking heat gun (as in stamping and embossing) ..... I need to try it, and if the skeleton melts a bit, it really could add to an idea!

There's a lot of ideas whirling in my head I need to try out ..... and as I have a good supply of skeletons I guess it's going to be a case of watch this space over the next few months once Christmas and the New Year are over.  Happy Days.

What's A Girl Gotta Do With Her Maltesers ..........?

Well, it was only 99p in the charity shop down the road so what dear reader is a girl to do when she spies a large gum ball machine ..........

......... that would be just perfect for dispensing her confectionery of choice, to wit Maltesers ........

...... not only for Iris and Bertie, but for Christmas and especially when Marc next comes to stay, it was a no brainer!  However, currently it is holding two boxes of said Maltesers, I reckon it needs another three to fill it completely.  Happy Days!

Harry Potter Tree Decoration

This double sided tree ornament took far too much of my time for such a simple little thing.

It all started when I found two of what looked very much like Harry Potter in a pack of Halloween stickers from Flying Tiger and decided to make Iris something to hang on the tree as she is Harry Potter Mad.

I simply stuck a sticker on each side of a piece of card and sandwiched it along with a looped thread to hang it, between two patterned wooden frames.

Unfortunately, to my eye, the pattern on the frame looked too busy with the background I put behind the sticker so I coloured it over with a red Sharpie pen, but the patterned still showed through.

I couldn't start over again as I only had the two stickers, so instead I decided to paint over the red several times with white emulsion paint and then red again!!!  It took ages waiting for each layer to dry!  I really should have given up on it!

However, it looked pretty alright in the end and I felt able to fill the centre panels over with Ranger Glossy Accents to protect the stickers.  I then added tiny faux stitching on the inside and outside of the frame along with clusters of three dots using a black fine liner pen and  then a few tiny silver stars.

To hang it on the tree I managed to sneak a little flat necklace backing disc between the two stuck together frames, add a thread and three red, wooden beads.  Voila ...... but never again, a lot of lessons learnt!

Iris's Christmas House

Iris was mooching in my crafty drawer and found this wooden, money box house (The Works) and she flew with it!

It started off very simply, I loved all the windows and doors and would have been quite happy for her to have left it at that, in all it's simple, childish innocence .......... 

........ but, then I went and suggested that, perhaps, she might like to put a couple of gingerbread men on it .......well that was it ........

....... because foolishly, I bought in a whole box of Christmas stickers .................

........ and I totally lost the girl!  Less is more Nanny,? You must be joking, right?

No space was left unfilled and Iris was sooooooo thrilled with everything she'd done. She had made something beautiful to decorate her Christmas bedroom and that she could put her Christmas pocket money in.

Sometimes, Nanny has to just sit back, be quiet and encourage, because what Iris actually put together, in the end, was a far more honest, innocent and genuine piece of pure pleasure and creativity than if I had tried to restrain her natural urges in order to keep things a lot more simple.  Lesson learnt Nanny!

Snowmen Diorama Lanterns

I have only made one of these lanterns this Christmas, I really meant to make another five but with time now ploughing on I doubt that I will make the rest for this year, but at least I still have all the bits to do it, even if it's at Easter!

I got the small, rose gold lanterns from Asda when they were three for £5 (I think they are now £2 each), the small snowman is tree decoration from a Barnardo's charity shop which I think cost no more than 75p.  They were part of Barnardo's line of Christmas products so were new and specially bought in, rather than donated.  The little trees, from memory, were from Debenham's haberdashery department last year.

The scene took me no more than ten minutes to put together, moulding a piece of Air Dough to fit in the bottom of the lantern for the snow.  I cut the metal hanging loop from the top of the snowman's head and then covered over any tiny paint chips with a red Sharpie pen, although they wouldn't have really shown once placed in the lantern. 

I pushed the snowman into the Air Dough adding a little PVA glue to help secure it.  Then taking the wooden base off the trees, pushing the wire into the snow in each corner of the lantern.  That's about it!

On the outside I simply added an assortment of differing sized snowflakes each with tiny, silver domed gem in the centre (so tiny they almost made me go cross-eyed) gluing them to the glass and the frame. I then added clusters of three dots, using Ranger Enamel Accents here and there.

I did experiment by adding either a bow or sprig of holly to the top of the lantern but decided in the end that it looked too much and detracted from the snowman, who I wanted to be the main focus of the decoration.  

Leaving making any more until sometime in the new year gives me time to perhaps experiment a little more.  I am already thinking  about adding a little iridescent glitter to the snow and around the snowman's hat and bobble and perhaps even three tiny buttons down his front ........ we shall see.

Wooden Reindeer Tags

Following on from last weeks brilliant charity shop find I thought I would have a little play with a trio of the wooden reindeer tags I found (20 for just £1). 

When I looked at them properly they really are good quality and very cute, if a little pudgy from not being that active since last Christmas!

To start with I decided to keep things simple, giving them copper coloured glittery antlers, a large. red flat back pearl for a nose and a googly eye.......

...... but then I remembered the box of small red bows and faceted gold gems I also had squirrelled away .......

...... all in perfect proportion for my gathered trio.

At first I was going to leave the "cutie" stars on their derrieres as they were, but changed my mind, adding a little glitter round the edges.

I then got completely carried away ....... edging them with a natural coloured felt pen and adding clusters of three black dots here and there using a black Biro to prevent the ink bleeding into the wood. I coloured one completely and added faux stitching but that was a horrible mistake, two fiddle farts too many, I really didn't like the effect so lesson learnt.  

However, I really enjoyed "playing with them" and I think there is some mileage to be had from them, as tags, on cards and on other projects, possibly filling the hole in the antler with air dough so they are no longer obvious tags.  I am already thinking of a Halloween skeleton  reindeer.  So, with another seventeen or so left to play with, I am setting myself a challenge in the New Year to see just how many ideas I can come up with using them.  

Iris's Eraser Nativity Scene

Something to make you smile today.

I found Paperchase Nativity erasers set in a charity shop for £1.49, and although I thought Joseph and the shepherds looked ever so slightly dubious, I also thought that perhaps Iris and I might be able to do something with them.

Suffice to say Iris loved with them and embraced with them in her usual creative flair and enthusiasm A box was duly sourced and covered with no frills, brown parcel tape in an effort to keep said box together by Nanny and then Iris weaved her magic on the inside providing back door and straw on the floor.

And then for good measure, ensuring all festive bases were covered, she then added the Santa set of erasers I got from The Works.  I think it's all rather beautiful, bless her.

Because of all the tiny pieces involved in both sets of rubbers I did insist on gluing the characters  together first with a really strong glue before they were "played" with.  It was a bit of a learning curve, however if I ever see similar sets, perhaps at Easter, I might now consider using them again as a different sort of embellishment to put in a diorama or printers tray for example.

My Festive Bedrooms

I think I may have gone a little overboard this year in my festive guest room ........

It's a bit busy and I am not to sure how cosy and relaxing it would be to sleep in there  ........

...... but at least there will be no mistaking that's it's Christmas!!! 

I was worried that since I gave the room in a deep teal signature wall earlier in the year that the Christmas bits and pieces I had would still work, I think they do, so perhaps it's just this new colour combination, plus the extra bits of silver I need to adjust too.

The festive flowerpots for my car boot cactus's sitting on the window sill were all charity shop finds, plundered on the same day from different shops, all costing 99p each.

There is a little less ornamentation in my room.

I decided not to go with any festive bedding in this room this year, as the white broderie anglaise I already use works, I have just added two red pillowcases at the back plus a red cushion in the middle, of the two silver ones, which needless to say all end up on the floor when I go to bed!  

The small ribbon embroidered cushion was another charity shop find for just 99p.

I wasn't too sure whether the three retro, white, metal mirrors that are usually above the bed were festive enough especially as it's also quite a space to fill, but when I saw the large red glitter stars in B & M Bargains reduced to £1.49 I could see that they would work in both rooms.

I now really need to curb my enthusiasm for buying any more festive frou frou, I really have more than enough ....... but when you spy a painted terracotta Santa wall plaque for just 99p in Oxfam what's a girl to do?