New Year Wishes

This time between Christmas and New Year has passed so quickly.  I had great plans of using the time to get my craft studio clean and back into some semblance of order after last minute Christmas crafting, but it has not yet happened, oh dear!

The Christmas decorations need to be put away, and the house returned to normal... shall I continue, the list goes on and on.

Besides not doing any of the above, I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and enjoyed having the time to catch up.

I hope you all have a very Happy New Year and wish you great "things" in 2012...

Clip art from "The Graphics Fairy"

Do you make New Years resolutions?  Do you keep them?

Judy

Last Minute Gifts

My sister wanted to add a nice bottle of wine to everyones gift this year, so I quickly made up some hessian (burlap) bottle bags for her.

Cut to size, box the bottom, and tie off with string, add a primitive tag, and we are done.  Finished 9 bags in less than 30 minutes ... you have to like that, especially on Christmas Eve!

I love the simplicity of them.

All the cooking has been completed, now let the celebrations begin!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas and that you are looking forward to a healthy and happy 2012.

Merry Christmas

Judy

I survived the day

After all my grumbling last night, I survived the day.  Grocery shopping in air conditioned comfort. The shops were busy with people finalising their Christmas shopping, however we have now finished all our shopping.

It also allowed me time to spend with my Mum and elder sister without rushing out because I had cooking to do... I still have the cooking to do, however it will get done tomorrow.

(Thanks Selina for the offer of a shoulder, and the great advice)

I know I will have to start a diet after Christmas, as I have already received a lot of home baked gifts, and you know you cannot be rude and not eat it, can you ?????

Have you tried Pura Cream Brandy Cheer, pop a little on your sweet plate next to the Christmas cake, yummy.  It is just a double thick cream with a little brandy flavouring ...

Try not to get too frazzled tomorrow, and take the time out to enjoy the holiday with family and friends.

Merry Christmas

Judy

Last Minute Panic

Tomorrow was scheduled to be a cooking day, shop early and get stuck in ... you know what they say about the best laid plans .... yes, they come falling down.
I arrived home this evening to a message on my answering machine, telling me of a "emergency" power outage tomorrow from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm --- you are kidding me ... two days before Christmas?  Surely they could have planned that better ...   I have been grumbling for the last four hours ...

Unfortunately, grumbling does not change the fact that I will have no power tomorrow (or air conditioning), so a new schedule will need to be made.

Two days before Christmas, I could have handled it two weeks before ......

Bye from the grumbler lady ...
Judy

Still here ...Still crafting ...

No, I have not disappeared off the face of the earth!  However, like everyone else at this time of year, I am busy trying to finish up "last minute" gifts.  Because I have gone with the hand made theme this year for friends and workmates it has been a little time consuming, but on the homeward stretch now ... no photos as yet.

Tonight I finished the Christmas decorating, although I found I was a little short on "Santa's" as I had given a box full of them to my niece who is celebrating her first Christmas in her own home.  It was a wonderful feeling seeing her joy in getting them, and her excitement in being able to decorate her home.  It is also a great excuse for me to make "lots" more for next year.  I try and make at least one new Santa for myself every year, and this year I have two new ones.  I will post photos later, as it is too late this evening to take any photos.

My youngest brother and his family will be home this weekend, so we will start our celebrations early, as they will not be with us on Christmas day. 

I hope I have ticked everyone off on my gift list?  Have you finished your Christmas shopping?

Graphic from the "The Graphic Fairy"

Judy

Clare's Craftroom Giveaway

Clare at Clare's Craftroom is giving away the pattern and fabric to make this little guy - how cute is he? 

To find out all about this giveaway

GO HERE

Make sure you click the link above to read all about it and to enter the giveaway.

Judy

Small Gifts - Sticky Note Books

One of my sisters was the inspiration for these sticky note covers.  She mentioned that she should have some in her handbag for those times she wants to leave a note for someone.  I knew that I had seen a tutorial for one and had added the link on my Pinterest board under "things to make".  I am so glad I did, another quick and easy gift idea. 

I could not stop at one; they are now going to be added to all my sisters gifts, as well as the girls I work with.  They will also make great stand-by gifts.  Do you have these?

Packaged in a cellophane bag with a Christmas sticker on the back.

The link for the tutorial I used can be found here

Enjoy

Judy

New Buttons added to Store

Have you ever had "one of those weeks"?  I have had one this week, and I can say I am awfully glad it is Friday!

A shipment of buttons arrived from the USA today, I am restocking old favourites but also adding some cute new packs.  This Sew Fun - Christmas pack is delightful.  I can see many uses for the buttons in this pack.  Great for Santa's, Card making, Christmas Decorations, Bookmarks etc

The snowmen in this next pack are so cute - all wrapped up in their scarf and beanie. The detail and colours are really clear.

Lots of new products added this week, click here to check them out

I am not sure how much craft I will get done this weekend, as I really, really have to start my Christmas wrapping.  The great joy of belonging to a big family is the fun times we have, but it also makes trying to find the suitable gift for each and every one a bit of a challenge.  The girls I can manage, it is the teenage boys I find difficult.  Any ideas?

Judy

Button Bookmarks

Are you seeing a familiar theme in my crafts this week?  They all use buttons and are inexpensive to make, and these bookmarks are no exception.

I purchased a pack of  75 mm paperclips from our local newsagent - 25 clips for $2.50

Gathered together a selection of buttons and punched 1" circles out of black card stock (no photo).

Then it was just a matter of gluing them all together - glue the button to the paperclip and then the black circle to the back to tidy things up.

Then as always, presentation is the key, so I created a little backing card for the bookmarks using Microsoft Word. 

The saying is not my own creation, it was amended from a saying I saw in a book."What to say, and how to say it"

These will be going into the store today, ideal to pop into a card this Christmas, for just $3.50 each

Judy

Button Rings

Teenagers seem to love big rings, so I decided to make some as gifts.  Using just buttons, ring base, glue and craft cutters, I had made four rings in 5 minutes.  You cannot complain about that!

Most buttons have a shank, which needs to be removed.  This is where the craft cutters are so useful, they remove the shank flush with the back. 

Shank removed

Now all you need to do, is glue the button to the ring base.  I used E600 glue, as it is strong

Four rings made ..

Now, you cannot just give a ring without it being presented in a ring box, can you?

Using the old technique of recycling Christmas cards into boxes, I made each ring a little box and included a mount for the ring to fit into.

If you do not know how to make the recycled boxes, check out this YouTube link

All boxed up and ready to give

Total costs for each is less than $1.00  as the only item purchased was the ring bases.  Most people would have everything else in their craft supplies.  This is a good way of using those beautiful old buttons in your stash. I think it would also work with old ear-rings as well.

Do you have someone on your Christmas list that would like a button ring, go on make one or four?

Judy

Gift Decorations

I was not sure what to call these little "flights of fancy".  I needed something to dress up a brown paper wrapped gift so I just grabbed some of my supplies and this is what I came up with.

Supplies needed:
Pre-packaged bow  (you could make your own)
Christmas button
Trim, ribbon
Double - sided foam mount

My bow had a tie at the back, so I just bundled all the trim together and tied it off with the tie.
Removed shank from button and hot glued it on the front of the ribbon.
Then I cut a small piece of doubled sided foam mount to stick on back

That's it all done .... very quick and easy

The back

30 minutes later ....

Christmas buttons & trim available in my online store

Judy

Cute Wooden Snowmen

I love snowmen, it is a shame that it is not really appropriate for our Aussie Christmas, but it does not stop me from having a Snowmen display at Christmas time.  Maybe we dream of having cooler weather for our Christmas dinner?

These cute hand painted wooden snowmen have been added to my online store today

Don't they look so cute all lined up together?

Judy

DIY - Scratchie tickets

I was intrigued by a blog post by Oh The Lovely Things on how to make your own Scratch Off Lottery Tickets.  It sounded easy and Artmind had a tutorial on how she made some as a promotional tool for her business - so I was set.

As a test, I used the free printable that was supplied with the first blog post, and just typed in some sweet words for birthday tags, and one for my Mum (just because).

I then designed a ticket using Microsoft Word (nothing fancy) that I could use as a promotion when sending out my online orders.

Promotional winner code is a "dummy" DO NOT USE



I followed the instructions in the blog, to laminate the section that I wanted to hide.  I used Marbig Quick Laminate sheets - all I had to do was cut to size, peel off the backing and stick on, ensuring there were no bubbles.

It was recommended that you use silver metallic paint, however I did not have any, so I used a metallic copper paint, which worked just as well.  This was mixed with dishwashing detergent. 1 part detergent to 2 parts paint.  I just used a teaspoon as a measure.

My dishwashing detergent had a lovely apple smell, so I wonder if we could also offer a "scratch & smell" version, he he

Can you see the rosy colour of my detergent, this was before it was mixed together?  All that was needed to do now, was to paint over the laminated section.  It required 3 coats of paint, make sure you allow each coat to dry before reapplying.  I held each one up to the light to ensure that the printing behind the paint could not be seen.

Of course, then I had to test one, to see how easy it was to scratch the paint off ...

How did I know which one to choose?

Lucky!

I have made 25 scratchie tickets, with one winning ticket, so I will include one with each of the next 25 online orders.

I will show how I used the birthday tickets in the next couple of days, the birthdays are Wednesday & Thursday and I have yet to finishing birthday shopping.  Yes I know I should be making something, do the tickets count?

You could have such fun making these scratchies; rewards for children, vouchers for gifts, fun party games, and lots more

Try it out, it is really easy

Judy



Pink Ribbon Dinner

All the planning was worth it.  The pink ribbon fabric bon bons that my friend Sonia and I made were filled with goodies and placed on the tables last Friday and Saturday night for our annual Pink Ribbon Fundraising dinner.

They were filled with lots of goodies, most of which were sourced from fellow bloggers.  We just placed a couple of the bon bons on each table,  and the participants shared up the contents at the end of the evening. The feedback was great and we were commended on the detail of each item.

The table that I share with family and friends, always  gets a special treat, so I made them each a individual tissue cover, and wrapped a chocolate bar with a pink ribbon theme cover.

This photo, shows our table with the bon bons as well as the little extra chocolate bars.

We had a great night, and lots of money was raised with various raffles.  Now all I have to do, is think of something different to make for next year, he he. 

Judy 

Pink Ribbon Necklace

Well at long last I have time to update this blog, please forgive me my absence.  Last Friday for our Pink Ribbon Fund Raising dinner I made a couple of "Bead and Knot" Necklaces.  I used this link (Cass Can Sew) for instructions.  These necklaces have been around for a number of years, and I always wanted to make one (or two).  I think they will also make great gifts, not to mention they are so quick and easy to make that you can jazz up an outfit in a matter of moments.

The dark pink one, my sister requested (grabbed) as soon as I arrived ..and the lighter pink one was given to one of the lovely ladies that organises the event.  I think I made them a little too long, but that can be easily fixed, just by taking an extra knot in the end fabric.

A quiet weekend is planned, so hopefully a crafty hour or two will be found
Until next time

Judy

ISP Problems

I use Telstra BigPond ADSL service to connect to the Internet in my office.  This afternoon, I could not connect to the Internet, why?  Disconnected everything, tried again same problem ... what is wrong?

At my wits end, I decided to logon to my laptop and use the NextG USB Internet modem to see if there were any reported problems with BigPond.  Look what I found!

Some customers in Leeton NSW may have trouble connecting to the Internet or have slow/no data flow. We are working to fix this problem as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience.

How inconvenient, I suppose I am lucky that I have an alternative way of connecting to the Internet and have been able to access it until late this afternoon.  We / I rely so much on being able to connect to the Internet, that when it is not working, it really is a pain.

I have been working on a make-over for a old card table today.  Will show before and after photos, once I can connect via my office desktop. 

Hope you are having a great weekend
Judy

Cute Felt Buttons

These cute felt buttons arrived for the store today.  Beautiful bright colours which can be used alone or with other button styles to create interesting results. Great for embellishing felted items.

Primavera

Navidad

Frio

I really love the Navidad pack.  I can see these being used in my Christmas projects.

See I really am working ....

Judy