Handmade Christmas Market

 

If you live in Bristol, UK then this is a nice Christmas Fair to pop along to :)  

A Few More Jars....

Hi - well Christmas is getting closer and closer!  I am not making so many different items this year as I think in previous years I have made too much so i now have a good stock of things for my Craft Market this year!

I have been making more of the jar lights though and sent some to Yorkshire by post the other day.  I am happy to say they arrived in perfect condition! 

Here are a couple of new ones that I have made recently.

More over at Bumble Bee's Craft Den.

Tea Light Jars

I didn't realise how long it has been since I last blogged!  Time is certainly flying fast this year.  I can't believe that Christmas is only a few months away either!

I have not really been making much since I came back from India but now have to make things for my Christmas Market at the end of November.

This year I will be selling my usual items but I am also making some tea light jars.  I love making these and each one is different.  some have fairies in them and others have Christmas themes like Gingerbread men or little Christmas village scenes.

Here are some that I have made:

 

 

More pics over on my Facebook page Bumble Bee's Craft Den.

I will hopefully have some more new things to share with you soon :)

Accordion New Home Card

Hi

I recently a Sizzix 3D Accordion Album cutting die on one of the many Facebook craft selling groups.  I don't make cards very often but this die caught my interest and I thought it would be a useful die to have.  It is a discontinued die so not one you can easily get hold of but the designer of the die now designs similar dies for Elizabeth Craft Designs so if you like it take a look at those.

With this die you have to cut several pieces and then join them together to form the accordion.  You can basically add as many pieces as you want depending on your project.  For my card I just cut 3 pieces.

I heat embossed the frame part with clear embossing powder and used a Stampin Up swirl stamp.  I found that Spellbinders Label no 1 is exactly the same shape as the centre part so I used that to cut out some design paper to decorate it.

As a first attempt, I was pleased with the final result.  I think it makes an eyecatching card that is abit different from your usual open and close card styles.

Hope you like it too :)

Comments and Spamming

Hi Everyone

Just a quick note to say that I have switched on the comment moderation on here as I keep getting someone spamming my posts with advets for sari's and have got alittle fed up of her doing this.  The only thing Google can suggest is to review comments so I will try this.

Sorry that your comments won't show straight away but hopefully it will stop the spam eventually!

        Thanks Angie xx

Mini Crate Box

Hi everyone,

I came across this fab idea for a mini gift box that looks like one of those wooden crates that you used to get veg in.  Maybe in organic shops you still get them, I don't know as most of our veg comes from my dad's allotment garden.

Anyway, it is extremely easy to make and you can find details over on Jackie Topa's blog.

As soon as I saw it I had to make it - this was at 11pm last night!!  It looks big in the photo but really is diddy.  I have some large Yardley lavender soap that I bought recently and if I remove it from it's packaging then it fits perfectly into these little crates.  I may have to cut and stamp a batch of these and then assemble them when I get to India in December to put little gifts in for friends there!  If those mini Christmas puddings that you can get fit in it then I think that would look really cute!

Sun Catcher/Windchime

Hiya

I am on a roll this week!  The sun is shining today and I remembered that I had not posted about the glass bead suncatcher/windchime that I made recently.  It is hung in my window catching the lovely sunshine.

I had seen lots of lovely suncatchers on Pinterest and decided to have a go at making one myself.  I used a large sink strainer to hang my beads from that I purchased from Amazon.  I used a good selection of glass beads - lampwork, pearls, crystals etc along with some silver plated charms and findings and some chain to hang it with.  I made up lots of bead strings and then attached the to the strainer.

I was so pleased with the finished item!!  It is for indoors only but if you hang it near a window it jingles with the wind!  I took my photo outdoors as the background was nicer and the day that I took the photo was very cloudy and dull.

I used alot of beads and made approx 15 bead strings!  I am going to make some more using a smaller sink strainer to make them more affordable and will take them along to my Christmas Market in December.

Reindeer Treat Box Using Stampin Up's Petite Purse Die

Wow another post from me!!!  I am doing well this week!   I bought Stampin Up's Petite Purse die last year secondhand after having it on my 'want' list for ages.  I then didn't use it as I went off to Goa but I had cut out one purse and assembled it and it has been sat looking at me for ages.  Anyway, I have been trying to think of other ways to use this die and this is the first use I have come up with - a reindeer treat box (I know, Christmas is a long way off!!). 

I didn't follow anyone else's tutorial for this but if you look online, there are some other different ways that people have used this die to make reindeers - just go with whatever tools, punches etc that you have and see what you come up with!

These are the bits that I used to make my treat box.  I initially used small black circles for the pupils of the eyes but thought it would look better with a larger circle - this pic shows the smaller circles.
I used

a circle punch for the nose and stickles to make it sparkle. 
antlers are made from a Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die
eyes were from the Stampin Up Owl Builder punch
ears are the wings from the Stampin Up Bird Builder punch (I shaped them around the barrel of a pen)

The mouth was more of a challenge as I didn't have a punch  suitable for this so I cut a 1 inch circle and then used a smaller circle punch to cut into it to give me a basic shape with I then trimmed into the mouth shape.  I cut an extra back piece of the purse as well so that I could stick it over the back of the assembled purse to hide the antlers which I had stuck to the back.

With the smaller pupils my reindeer looked like this:  Alittle surprised looking!

I prefer this look

The eye size makes alot of difference doesn't it!

These could be used for a little gift box or with a handle fixed around the back of the antlers to hang on your Christmas tree with a chocolate treat in.

If you have any questions just leave me a comment and I will try to help :)

Bookmarks Using Stampin Up Punches

Hi Again

We are certainly getting a mixed bag of weather lately.  I don't know whether to wear winter or summer clothing as it has gone from scorching hot to freezing cold in a matter of days.  It does look like it is set to improve though and July looks like it is going to be lovely and sunny!!

I recently came across some lovely bookmarks on Pinterest made by Kim over at Paper Perfect Designs using the Stampin Up Owl Builder punch.  I liked them so much that I made a couple for my little niece who was feeling abit under the weather.

I used the scallop top tag punch for the actual book mark and the Owl Builder Punch the same as Kim had used.  They look really nice and bright and I plan to make more of them for my Christmas Market stall later in the year.

Here are the 2 bookmarks that I made

My niece was really pleased with them!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Hello Again and Pics from Goa

It's been quite a while since I last blogged!  I was in Goa for 3 months and arrived back at the beginning of March so was not doing anything much except relaxing and sunbathing and partying with friends!

The pace of life in Goa is much slower and very laid back and I love it there!

And of course the weather is fabulous (except in the monsoon months when it can rain heavily for hours on end!)

 

I like to stay in a small village in South Goa - when I first stayed there in 1994, it was a small fishing village but over time it has become more built up and now has alot of restaurants and shops.  It still has a village feel to it though so I still enjoy staying there.  

The local fish market is interesting

           

and the fruit and veg stalls are very nicely laid out!

 

  

The sunsets are amazing and I never tire of taking photos of them!

 

The beautiful beach goes on for miles and miles so great for beach walks.

 

Some great wildlife to see

 

  

 

Some even pop into local restaurants!

The market is very colourful and crammed full of interesting items.

Well worth a visit if you haven't been!  I've just booked my ticket to return at the end of November and will be counting down the days!!