Iris’s Note To The Tooth Fairy

Poor Iris swallowed her very wobbly tooth at Breakfast Club at school the other week ………

……. worried that without said tooth the Tooth Fairy might not leave her any pennies, she left this note ………… bless her little cotton socks xxxxxxx

Easter Chick Tag Decorations/Gift Bag Charms

Swiftly following on from yesterday, just to prove I’m not that obsessed with snowmen I’ve made this Easter Chick tag decorations/gift bag charms, based on an idea I saw on Pinterest …….. to be honest there’s not an awful lot to them.

I started by painting the 2ins square wooden game pieces with primer first to cover over the pictures, followed by two coats all over of bumble bee yellow emulsion and then another two coats of Wilko clear gloss varnish.  Sorry the photos don’t really show the true colour pf the paint finish.

I added a tiny, gold, screw eye hook to the top of the square to hang the decoration/tag/bag charm by.

Then, I created the chick’s character, again no great shakes, using two black flat back domes for the eyes and orange card scraps for the beak and feet ……..

……… and a bright Eastery green bow for good measure.  At this stage the beak and feet looked a little flat and lack lustre, so enter two coats of “Cheese Puff” Ranger Enamel Accents to make them really pop.

A very narrow dark green ribbon finishes the look.

I am thrilled with how these turned out, something a bit different for little Easter tranklements for Iris and Bertie to give to the staff at school at the end of term …….. just another 17 to go, but means almost half of the wooden squares I got for £3 in a local charity shop plus all the green bows I have had forever have now been used up! 

Snowman Tree Ornaments, Gift Tags/Gift Bag Charms

I apologise if I have been rather repeating myself in the past month or so, it seems I have become obsessed with making snowmen, when to be honest I really ought to be thinking about moving on to Valentines Day or Easter! 

But, what did I do last week after I said that I had more than enough dominoes and Jenga type bricks to last for at least a year, so I wasn’t going to buy any more ……….. Lord forgive me, but I found these extra thick, Magic Roundabout, wooden squares for £3 (42 in all – just under 8p each) which would cost me a fortune on eBay for the quality and size, what’s a frugal crafter to do? I bought them!

However, I reasoned that if I used them almost straight away it would justify any money spent ………. so more snowmen heads today I am afraid, same old, same old, just a different shape and size, 2ins x 2ins, that can be used as either tree decorations or gift tags/charms.

Iris, Bertie and I distributed about 90 odd of the Jenga snowmen I made around Evesham in the weeks before Christmas as a random kindness, getting one mention on a local Facebook page which was lovely. 

Above :- Large free standing snowman head (to be sent instead of a card for Christmas 2022) beside a new snowman tag to compare sizes

I think as I now have quite a few wooden squares in my collection, I might use this version of the snowmen for the same idea this Christmas ………

Basic method:- glue 2 x 2 small craft sticks together to form the front and back brim of the snowman’s hat. Paint front and back of wooden square white, may require two coats.  Add craft stick brims to front and back at a jaunty angle to the square, paint hat and brim black on both sides.  When dry, add black dome eyes and mouth, orange (previously baked) Fimo nose, with confetti holly and pearl flat back gems on hat. Voila!

Out And About, This and That - Finding and Receiving Treasures

The weekend before Christmas Lu and I decided to have a little trip to the beautiful, little town of Bridgenorth in Shropshire ………..

…….. a town that holds many happy family memories for all of us, to get some fresh air and a change of festive pace.  We had heard that the bustling market at the back of the town had gone  a little while ago, so we were very pleasantly surprised to find that there was a smaller version still there with a few stalls of the second hand/car boot variety ………

There was one stall where the prices were insane, where I would have bought everything lock, stock and barrel, even though I had nowhere to put it all, but Lu sadly/fortunately reigned me in.

However, I did make two considered purchases …… this set of two complete trios plus an extra saucer was just £1???????

I don’t think it’s by any great maker, it’s not particularly finished off that well, but it was black lace like pattern that drew me in ……

This will be going on my turquoise re-vamped display shelves that I haven’t actually had a chance fill up properly, because once I’d finished painting and varnishing it, it went from Halloween and then Christmas type mode, however I think this set would look good on top of a couple of old books? 

This unusual lusterware vase was also in the same box (as above) and also £1. I picked it up and put it back at least half a dozen times, before realising that I would be plagued by none buyers regret if I left it.  I am so glad I did, as I love it.

It sort of looks art deco, but I’m not that sure it has the age. I can’t find anything like it online so any help would be most welcome.  It does say Italy on one of the feet and has a hand embossed D on another, which I assume is the initial of the maker. 

I found this German Christmas Nativity Pyramid for just £2.50 in the Vale Wildlife charity shop in Evesham. As soon as I saw it I knew Bertie would be absolutely fascinated by it and how it works.

When I opened the box I found that one sail was missing (I have since found out spares are available), however once the other sails were positioned it worked perfectly, but because I didn’t like the thought of having a space, making it look uneven  (a little OCD I know) I tried it using only half the sails with equally pleasing results.

It also came with a complete box of 24 small candles (I will need to source some more for next year as we’ve used them all over the weeks). Needless to say Bertie loved it, insisting that it was lit at every meal time, bless him.

This tiny machine embroidery in a small brass frame was a Christmas present from my sister in law, again I just love it. It found it’s way on to my festive shelves and has stayed now that all the decorations have been put away.  Just seeing the words is inspirational, especially on the days when I’m not in the mood to craft or don’t have any idea what to do.

I asked Tom for this Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Village die set (16 pieces). OMG the buildings are so tiny, it took me quite by surprise, all the little pieces!  However, after seeing an article on Pinterest I have ordered a couple of A4 magnetic photographic paper sheets to help hold everything in position when putting them through my Big Shot. I’ve not tried it out yet, so not 100% it will work, we shall see. I have a couple of ideas for putting a little scene in a clear Christmas bauble and shadow box dioramas, I just need the time to play.

I am a little tempted by the new Tim Holtz Village set  (87 pieces and not, I don’t believe, compatible with the smaller and earlier set above), but I think I need to play with this set first to see the potential and wait for the price of the new set to drop ………….. has anyone else got this set, what do you think?

Think that’s it for now …….  Marc sent me a resin set for making all sorts of treasures and a huge pack of acrylic paint pens that I’ve been wittering on about for ages, but they are for another day, when I’ve had a chance to play more …………  

Artistro Paint Pens - Glass Christmas Tree Bauble Experiments

The lovely Marc gave me a box of Artistro acrylic paint pens for Christmas, I’d been pondering upon them for ages, wondering if they were any good, well, the time has come to stop wondering ……….. and actually find out!

I decided to try something really simple to start with, to wit a clear, glass Christmas bauble. 

You have to shake the pen (cap on) and then prime it by pumping the nib until the paint starts to flow to get them going.

The pens were really easy to use, the colours came out the same as on the box and the paint covered well. The fact that you can bake painted ceramics and glass in the oven (155 – 180 degrees C) was what really attracted me  to the pens as past experiments with Sharpie pens just haven’t worked.  When baked the colours on the bauble stayed true. However, finished items are not suitable to put in a dishwasher.

Unfortunately, I over egged my first effort by going over it, once baked, with a black pen and baking again, then I went and added red, flat backed pearls that were just too big and everything looked crude and clumsy.

My next effort was more delicate,  but still lacking something ……

……. I am not sure about the now smaller flat backed pearls. they still seem too obvious/in your face, I am now wondering about using some red Ranger Enamel Accents for the berries instead?  Perhaps small painted snowflakes or some white faux glitter snow actually in the bauble, or even much thinner black outlining might perk it up?

Lots more experimenting to be done then. I also need to check that I haven’t smudged or rubbed off any of the paint before baking …………  but so far I really like the pens, I just need more time to play with them ………

Mini Mason Jar Christmas Tree Ornament

I saw this idea using mini mason jars as a Christmas tree ornaments during an end to end crafting video watching session on You Tube with Marc way back in October last year but it’s taken me this long to have the time and patience to try it out.

The YouTube video put a deer and fir tree inside a mini mason jar, but since I have a whole box of wooden houses (from a children’s wooden town playset) I thought I would try getting one inside a 39p Home Bargains jar (usually found in the wedding section). It was a tight fit through the opening and once in I needed to use a long plier type tool to get it out again, but yes it worked!

Once the fit had been established I made the ground/base using a little air drying paper clay, which when I make these jars again ……….

……… I would sprinkle with a fine translucent glitter and allow to dry before  gluing it into what would now be the bottom of the jar.

I then went round the windows and doors of the house with a white acrylic pen, but again when I make more of these ornaments I think I will draw the windows and doors on tiny scraps of paper to add just a little more detail and perhaps dimension.

I added a couple of layers of Aleene’s glitter snow to the roof, but think I may have been better off giving the roof a quick whizz with some white paint beforehand to stop the red from bleeding or showing through.  The final touch was a sprinkling of ultra fine translucent glitter on the now snowy roof.

Using huge globs of glue to stick in position I could then secure the house in the jar, quickly followed by the tiny tree, cutting and leaving just enough of the tree’s metal “trunk” to stick into the snow, with again, an awful lot of thick PVA glue to keep it in position.

The snowmen, as you can imagine, were tiny, made using Fimo (and baked) with black wire arms (added before baking). The eyes, noses and buttons were added once “cooked” using a fine, black permanent pen.  The scarves are made using scraps of red, cotton knitting thread.

The snowman was then stuck in the bottle with copious amounts of glue, which fortunately dries clear.  I thought it then best to leave the jar open to allow the glue to dry properly for a day or two.

I experimented using a white acrylic paint pen to add snow to the front of the jar, I think it works (???).

Then decided to go the whole hog and decorate the lid as well! 

A red gingham ribbon creates the hanger, threaded through the handle, but I am not too sure about that either, should it just be a simple silver thread or does handle need a charm or two to bring it altogether?  Time to play again I guess.

However, on the whole I am really chuffed with these little tranklements, which look pretty good from all angles, so perfect to be hung.  They also weren’t half a fiddle-farty as I had anticipated, well, except for the snowmen but there again I have fiddled with far worse!

I think I will definitely make a few more of these in the next week or so, with minor adjustments, to give as fairing gifts for Christmas 2022, just so long as Home Bargains still carry them as stock, fingers crossed!

Catching “One Below” While I Can

Woo hoo, I managed to fit a cheeky trip to Wolverhampton in before Christmas and my main port of call was the One Below shop in the Mander Centre, knowing that I won’t be anywhere near another One Below until goodness only knows when and when any trace of Christmas will be long gone. 

I was like a woman possessed as I wanted to stock up while I could because, unbelievably,  I still have a few festive crafty ideas whirling around in my head.

I started with a couple of LED flash slap bands for Iris and Bertie …….

…… a little something to amuse them on our “midnight walks” on the days they came to me before the BIG day.

I bought a few packs of extra large jingle bells. It’s been a while since I used bells for small fairing gifts and at £1 a pack it would be rude not too. I have ordered some small box dies from China, no hurry for them to arrive, which I thought the bells might fit well in.  I also found the tag (above) in a charity shop for 50p which I bought as food/inspiration for another idea.

I used most of the small reindeer treat bags I got on my first trip to One Below, so I stocked up again, but this time with the Santa design ones.  I sort of have a little buyers remorse for not buying a few of the matching snowman bags as well, but hey ho ……. there’s enough here for a few bits and pieces.

These bubble moulded stickers are an awful lot bigger than I usually use, but I am thinking extra large wooden tags?????

The candy stripe pipe cleaners were a bit of an impulse buy, but could come in very useful when inspiration strikes ……. reindeer antlers?

I also popped three packs of these do it yourself crackers in my basket, chosen because the pattern doesn’t necessarily say Christmas and could be used for birthdays instead perhaps?  A pack of 6 was £1, coming with hats, jokes and ties.  Something I am sure Iris and Bertie would love to help me fill.

Once again no considered purchases were made in Wolverhampton’s Poundland.  Prices on almost everything have soared and things no longer seem to be such good  value.  I had been desperate to find their tin, light up houses for £3 but when compared with the houses I eventually bought in M & S for just £4, with lights and a pack of teabags there was no comparison in quality. 

So, as you can see I am pretty well stocked up for 2022 crafting ……. now to make the time!