Jenga/Tumbling Block Snowmen Christmas Tree Decorations

I really must stop myself from snapping up these tumbling block games whenever I see them in a charity shop, but marked up at just 50p for 57 blocks what’s a crafter do when she just sees their potential?

They do vary in size, I have some really small ones, but goodness only knows where they are at the moment ………..

On the left is my original snowman, made at the start of the year, after I found a Jenga game in a bag of freebies outside a house during lockdown. It’s slightly wider than the ones I am using at present BUT the beauty of all other makes of blocks/bricks is that they don’t have any wording impressed on their sides that needs covering up, so win, win!

I simply paint them in a rather slap dash way with ordinary, left over, white emulsion paint. 

When dry I add the scarves.  I think I prefer this stitched effect ribbon to my original gingham one, however, due to its extra weight and stiffness it was a devil to glue, and you know how impatient I am, so after a few experiments I went for tiny applications of glue gun glue to stick it to the back and front.

I have used slightly larger, black flat gems on the mouths, but I think they still look alright and remain in proportion.  The noses are small triangles of scrap orange paper with a touch of Ranger Glossy Accents on them for extra dimension and shine.  I then put a small screw eye hook in the top of the brick so that the snowman can be hung.

These would make brilliant gift tags, as well as tree decorations, but I am thinking about putting them in a cellophane bag with a small anonymous Christmas greeting and leaving them in random places whenever I am out and about in December ……. I know Iris and Bertie would be thrilled to find something like this and I am sure they would also help me “plant” a few too. We shall see………..

Wooden Haunted Hallows–Halloween Sign From The Range

Following on from last week Lu also found me this wooden, laser cut Halloween sign from The Range (£1.49 – which I believe they have now all sold out online)……..

………. and despite my slight disappointment in the end overall effect of my wooden wreath, it would be rude not to try something with said sign.

I decided I wouldn’t use any 3D effect paint on it, only Ranger Enamel Accents on the ghost and the stars because I knew it would give me a smooth effect rather than a lumpy bumpy one. …………..

I coloured everything bar the ghost and stars with Sharpie pens and then outlined it all with a black biro to make sure that no ink bleed into any of the colour.

I then, very trepidatiously added what I thought was just a little ultra fine, translucent glitter to highlight the lettering and images, aghhhhh, I still I used too much and I ended up with a crusty rather than subtle, magical dusting effect …..

……. so out came the Ranger Glossy Accents to try and put it right.

It didn’t look too bad, but after last week, although sorely tempted, I made a  concerted effort not to meddle and started to add various sized stars, spiders, eyes for the bats and three white dots here and there.

On the back of the sign I added little spiders webs which is when I knew it was time to stop!

I have to say I am pretty pleased with the finished effect.

Sometimes you work so up close to a project that you only see the tiny little things rather than the whole picture.

I think I may give this sign to my lovely neighbour Kata to put on her front door to match mine.  Our upstairs neighbour complained about our decorating at Easter and Christmas last year, and believe me, it was subtle …… just a few window stickers on the front and entrance doors and a little something on the top of the mail boxes …….

I won’t ever do it again, however, he can’t say anything about what we put on our own front doors …… which sort of tempts me to put a wreath solely made from mint humbugs on my door this year to see if he takes the hint!  Dare I?

Guest Crafters – Iris and Bertie ……

I guess my enthusiasm for autumn and Halloween has got to Iris and Bertie ……..

……. consider my fruit bowl and craft drawers raided ……..

……… bless their little cotton socks!

Autumn and Halloween Charity Shop Finds for My 2021 Festive Shelves

Well, it’s that time of year when my thoughts are drawn towards Halloween, with my autumnal wreath already on the front door. It was after my daughter Lu remarked on what a weird year it’s been and with the nights already drawing in, it’s going to feel like a very long autumn and winter, so she was going to embrace the season(s) and decorate appropriately in order to lift her spirits, lots of pumpkin scented candles and a simple lit swatch that she made using fabric leaves from The Works (£1 for a pack of 50, if you can find them), among other things, anything to feel cosy and warm.

So I have started to change things about on my shelves much earlier than usual to reflect this too, but far more over the top than Lu, using all the new bits and pieces I have found mostly (unless otherwise stated) in my favourite charity shop, Vale Wildlife, in Evesham over the past month or so.

This little wooden house (Sue Ryder, Evesham) I have since found out is a German smoker, you evidently put an incense cone in it and the smoke comes out of the chimney, I’m not sure if I would dare do that, but it caught my quirky eye for about £2.  Look at the cute snail! There is a door which came off but I have put it in a safe place. From my research these things don’t come cheap, so I think once I’ve had the pleasure of it on my shelf until I decorate for Christmas, it will probably find it’s way on to eBay.

This large glass friendship ball (£1.50) also fits my autumn colour scheme, placed inside in a hinged, metal framed glass box (set of 2 from Ikea a couple of years ago) which I know Marc lusts after.

As for this terracotta witch (above), she must have been waiting for me to drop on by and at 50p, well, it would have been rude not to pick her up!

The very kitsch 50s/60s Japanese pixie was found in a charity shop in Winchester.  She cost me £2.99.  I’ve put her on eBay, but while she’s not catching anyone’s eye I might as well enjoy her in the meantime, and if she doesn’t go ……. I will love her!

I have to be honest, the silver skull (80p) is going in Marc’s sack of festive tut after Halloween, but again, at the moment it suits my decorative purpose. The tree candelabra again from Vale Wildlife was £1.50 …….. it’s soooooooo perfectly spooky, all it needs is a face …… I now need to find three creatures or something to perch on the empty branches!

Originally I dismissed this Tongue of Toad corked pot after I picked it up, then a couple of weeks later I remembered it, certain that if I went back it would have been long gone, but unbelievably it was still there and still only £1.  It’s got to be pretty unique, I can’t find another anywhere online, the only clue I have is an embossed leaf mark on the bottom ……. so I have yet to identify it.  

This white skull pot set me back another 80p, there’s no age to it, in fact they have them in Poundstretcher (and Amazon) at the moment selling as a “Dead Hot Chilli Planter” for around £10, but the Poundstretcher ones are definitely cheaper. However, stuck on top of a Poundland mercury glass candlestick (£1) and planted with an Echeveria (???) it’s pretty spooky!

Now to my two favourite purchase so far this season, first this vintage, Godinger, silver plated, set of mouse cheese picks set in a crystal encrusted cheese shaped base for £2.99 in a charity shop (I forget the name) in Christchurch last week. Can you believe I actually stood there ermming and ahhhing whether to buy it or not?  There are eight mouse picks all with crystal eyes. All the pieces need a good polish, but these, again, were not cheap to buy when new so I know I got a bargain.  I am thinking I might use it for Iris and Bertie’s Halloween sleepover party to skewer their cheese, grapes etc. and then try my luck on eBay as at the moment I would really like to go back to Iceland again and every penny counts …..

And now finally …….. I’ll be honest, I am not built like a gazelle, so let alone can leap like one, but when I saw this “monstrosity” (in Vale Wildlife) I did a pretty good impression, how Halloween is this candelabra with it’s orange beading?  Not to everyone's taste, perhaps not even mine, but for the occassion and at only £3.50 it was mine, and yes, I do sit by it’s candlelight of an evening.  Poundland do some red bleeding candles that I am hoping to get my mits on before I and B’s sleepover which would really make it come alive!  It’s so awful it’s awesome …… and I have no taste!

Goodness only knows what else I will find in the coming weeks leading up to Halloween, but I am making memories and keeping myself amused as the leaves begin to fall, conkers drop and as I said at the beginning, the nights draw in.

Fiddle Farted Wooden Halloween Wreath from The Range

This Halloween wreath seems to have taken forever and now it’s done I am just grateful it didn’t end up in the bin, it wasn’t fun, probably because I am sooooooo out of practice craft wise.

It started off as a plain, laser cut wreath that Lu found  me in The Range (£1.49 – I believe they are now sold out on line).

I was pretty excited to get it started ………

…… using Dovecraft 3D enamel effect paints on the bats, witches hat band and pumpkins and white puffy paint on the ghosts.

As I didn’t have any 3D orange for the pumpkins I used yellow instead and then coloured over it with a orange Sharpie pen.  I did a section at a time as I didn’t want any colours to run.

I then found that the bats looked very lumpy so added a layer of Ranger Glossy Accents as I knew it would find a level and give the bats a smoother effect. 

Because of the lumpy effect I decided to colour the witches hats in with a black Sharpie and then use black glitter on top as a contract of textures ……… MAHOSSIVE MISTAKE ……..

I officially HATE black glitter!  It got everywhere and stuck to everything which led to me having to give everything another coat of the 3D enamel in an effort to hide it …… aghhhhh

I persevered, and with letters etc. also coloured  I really should have stopped at that ………

……… but oh no, I had to fiddle fart some more didn’t I ……… so another layer of 3D enamel went on everything, except the bats ………

……. well, I suppose when it was all dry it gave the extra dimension and texture I am always banging on about ……….

However, it didn’t look magical …………………

…… and that’s when I went mad with the stars, spiders and three little dots ………….

I’m still not sure, it’s not turned out the way it looked in my head, but that being said, it looks a whole lot better hung on my white front door!  I know I am super critical.

I just need to put it away for a few weeks and not look at it again then when I do I might be either pleasantly surprised or suddenly think of the extra fiddle fart that will make it pop, we shall see………

Heads Up – It’s Halloween, What’s In The Shops – Poundland, Poundstretcher & The Range

It’s that time of year when the shops are starting to get in all sorts of creepy things that I can use either for crafting or to decorate The Towers for Iris and Bertie’s traditional Halloween sleepover.

After most Malvern Flea/Antiques fair Lu and I generally, if our feet can take it, head out to the large Poundland on the Malvern Shopping Park.  To be honest I don’t do that well with their seasonal stuff, they never seem to have the things that everyone is raving about on the Poundland Appreciation Page on Facebook, but even though it was August Bank Holiday Monday I still managed to get a few of the things I couldn’t get last year, as well as some of their new stuff  …….

…… in particular the pumpkin and cauldron mugs (still £1 although in Poundland now, you really have to watch the prices as £2,3,4,and more are creeping in)

I thought the mugs might be a bit difficult to drink out of, but they are pretty OK. The pumpkin one now being my mug of choice for the next two months.  I think the cauldron ones would look nice with a small plant in?  I also picked up two pumpkin candleholders (£1) which again would look nice with a succulent in after the event.

I also picked up two of the now traditional (to Poundland) rubber ducks for Iris and Bertie as a spooky bath time is very much de rigueur during a sleepover. The state of my bathroom after two cans of bath foam (79p Home Bargains), glowsticks and light up bath toys is nobodies business!

I was also tempted to buy two polystyrene LED pumpkins (£1) to adorn my festive shelves plus two bags of the very small glitter pumpkins (£1), I think there’s 20 per bag, for crafting but not sure what yet.

There was only one thing I would really have liked to have found, which also eluded me last year, a horror head doll tealight holder, which I know Marc wanted too.  It’s early days yet, Poundland introduce their seasonal goods in phases, so hopefully while on my various travels I’ll manage to find a couple.

Now on to Poundstretcher ………..

I don’t do Gonks/Gnomes, I just don’t get them, but I know thousands do.  Poundland have 4 different varieties this year (no pictures sorry). This year they cost £3 each and the reason why I am sorely tempted to turn off the appreciation page for a week or so as everyone is clambering to find them. They are already on eBay for around £9 each or three for £24.99!

But for Gonk/Gnome fans the above gaggle are from Poundstretcher and cost £3.99, which I think are marginally better quality and don’t seem to have found their way on eBay yet.

Poundstretcher are also carrying the sweet pots again this year, 6 for £1.49.  These days we are certainly getting less for our money, a couple of years ago they were in nets of 10 in Poundland for £1.

These metallic wall decorations were £1 a pack.

They are not that big really, but I thought they would look great on say black spray painted book covers, tins, decanters/bottles, vases or any charity shop bits and pieces, so watch this space.

Then, I found these skeleton garlands after spending far too many hours combing the internet for them a few months ago only to find that they were all horrendously expensive!  These cost £2.99 for six ……….

……. but they had me mourning for these (above)  bought a couple of years back (thank you Marc for re-gifting them back to me!!!).  They are much bigger and feel more substantial than the new ones, but at least I have an ample source for now. They work out at 50p each which isn’t too bad.  Their legs are jointed for maximum dangle effect.

As you can see I bought a few packs!  Stripping them from their cards and nooses as soon as I got home.  These I think I will keep for Christmas if all goes well, but following on from a long conversation with Marc I think I am going to have a go at trying to sell the original bigger ones as dressed up, be-winged Halloween/Goth fairies (as featured on Fiddle Fart before).  I am going to set a whole day aside, going hell for leather making them up and then see how they fare, so watch this space. I also need to make my own special version to put in a dome just for me!

These novelty sanitizer dispensers (£1 each) also, somehow, managed to find their way into my basket, a silly something for Iris and Berties’s school bags for October …….

…….. as well as the above, its horrendous and very loud, again for our sleepover, I am not sure if I dare actually put it on my front door as it’s sure to upset my miserable neighbour upstairs, sadly it might have to go on the bathroom door instead ……….  but we shall see.

Moving on the to The Range, black and silver, flat foil stickers for Halloween Elizabeth Shaw mint favours (99p per pack) ………

……. and the more colourful foam backed stickers for a more dimensional affect for mints, cards, tags etc. also 99p, which are calling out for a googly eye here and there.

I also picked up a a pack of Halloween paperchains, always good on a card as well as a way of Iris and Bertie helping decorate my flat – 89p per pack.

Well that’s it for now, it’s early days, so I expect I’ll be finding one or two other choice bits and pieces on my travels, however there’s no use in just collecting them, they need to be used!