A few 'Thank You's'...

Firstly, just catching up with the last of my 3 lucky wins (well, they do say things comes in 3's!). A huge thank you to Faith's Craft Box, for the lovely box of goodies I won from her giveaway. Inside were...

2 fab books, perfect because I needed some new reading material :)

Wonderful Rowan Knitting Patterns,

Some pretty embroidery threads and a gorgeous cross-stitch lavender bag,

An amazing selection of toiletry / make up samples, some nail wraps (can't wait to try them!), a rose-scented candle from my fave candle-makers Yankee Candles, and the sweetest little wooden bird.

And I have saved the best 'til last - how stunning are these? A beautiful tea cosy and so-pretty flower brooch. This lady is seriously talented! See, I was totally spoilt again - thank you lovely lady!

Another 'Thank You' goes to the fab Magie of Teacups and Bunting for passing on the 'Versatile Blogger Award'. She has an amazing blog and I really enjoy reading her posts. Thank you Magie - I am very honoured!

I won't pass it on again as I have not long ago done so, but I am chuffed to bits none-the-less :)

My last 'Thank You' goes to my wonderful Bloggy friend Deb of Bee Happy, who is a truly lovely lady - she sent my eldest boy the cutest teddy and some brill Cath Kidston playing cards as a get well soon pressie. He bravely underwent a tonsillectomy last week and is slowly getting back to normal. He was such a trooper though and hopefully he will be able to get on with his childhood now without recurring bouts of yucky tonsillitis!

Check out this cute little guy! Thanks Deb, my son loves it and was chuffed to bits to get a parcel in the post :)

So there we are - 3 'thank you's' to 3 lovely ladies!

Have a fab weekend all!

xx

Tutorial Tuesday - Faux Sweet Dispenser / Gumball Machine

Hello, hope you are all well! 

Today I have a nice easy make that is a fun addition to your party decor - a faux Sweet Dispenser (or Gumball Machine). I added this to the 'Sweet Shoppe' at the boys' joint party and it was a great feature...

There isn't a lot of photos in this tutorial, but it is easy-peasy so they are not really needed!

You will need:

A Medium Sized Plant Pot and Saucer (I used plastic as it was for a kids party),

A Plastic Tub (or fish bowl), to sit on top of plant pot,

Paint and Brush (I used a tester pot that had a brush attached),

Old Newspaper,

A polystyrene ball,

Glue,

Sweets to put inside!

Step 1:

Take your plant pot and paint a nice party colour...

...Leave to dry on some old newspaper or equivalent...

Do the same with the saucer and leave to dry.

Step 2:

Take your polystyrene ball and cut off one side so, you have about 2/3 of the ball remaining and a nice flat edge...

Paint your polystyrene ball to match the saucer and leave to dry.

Step 3:

Glue the flat side of the poly ball to the centre of the bottom of the saucer to make a lid with handle...

Step 4:

Turn the plant pot over so it is upside down, place (or glue if you don't want to reuse the tub again), the tub on top of the upturned plant pot to create the dispenser.

Step 5:

Fill the dispenser with sweets, (I used little packages to keep them fresh), and then place the saucer lid on top...

Done!

Voilà a fun dispenser to keep the sweets, ready for the end of the party!

Have a fabby day!

xx

The Frog Prince

Here is a little treasure box I created for my daughter using the Mr Froggy image Freebie from The Crafty Pad...

I used the DCWV Once Upon a Time papers, which I ripped and glued to an old tin using watered-down PVA glue, to give an old-fashioned decoupage look. I added a few fairy-tale embellishments, including a little key charm and an ornate 'C' for my daughter's name. I then outlined it all in vintage crocheted lace...

For the Frog Prince, I printed him onto green stripy paper, outlined him in a gold gel pen and added a few gold spots to his belly. I finished him off with a gold die cut crown...

He is a very regal-looking froggy!

Here is a peek inside. I used another fairytale paper and added the message 'There lived a beautiful Princess' (very fitting!). I lined the actual box with padded fabric, to protect the precious treasure - which you can see here. My daughter and I have similar tastes, anything pink or sparkly :)

My sample is being shown over at The Crafty Pad today, with a little reminder to join up to The Monthly Showcase, where you can link up any project as long as you use a Crafty Pad image. You will be entered into a draw to win 5 TCP images of your choice! (excluding sets).


My son has put in an order for a treasure box for him - but more boyish, I'm thinking Superheros or Pirates. Definitely no sparkles and no pink :)!

Have a fairy-tale day all!


Linking up to these challenges:
Love to Create - Anything Goes,
Karen's Doodles - Something for Kids,
Use Your Stuff - Brown, Green & Peach

xx

Rustic Star Designs

Morning lovely people, hope you are having better weather than I - such a dull, rainy day *sigh*.

Never mind, to cheer myself up I thought I would share with you a new little idea I have had. Now, you all know I love pink, sparkle and bling! Well, I also have a 'rustic' side to me - I love wicker baskets, natural elements and working with burlap/jute and Linen  fabric and also creating more simple projects. And you all know my love for brown packaging paper, doilies and garden twine :) So in order to keep things nice and separate I have created a new blog (actually I created it quite a while back, but just getting my behind in gear now!)

I would like to introduce 'Rustic Star Designs' hope you will pop on over and say hi - there will be less waffle and more pictures over there, so that has to be a bonus :)

I will of course, be keeping this blog - I do love my tutorials/party ideas and of course my Twinkly Crafty Makes.

I will be having a giveaway soon to celebrate the new blog, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Hope you are all well!

xx

Time is mine.... (New Challenge #167 - Live on the Edge)

Morning lovely people, hope you are having a fabby-licious weekend! 

The Crafty Pad has a new challenge today and this has to be one of my faves! It is #167 - Live on the Edge - Add some fancy edging or go out and off the edge with your embellishments. Well, you all know I love to create different types of project and I hope to come up with something unique for each Crafty Pad sample I do.

My project for this challenge is one of my faves...

...a working clock! I painted a small canvas truffle-brown, added some fancy black edging and 2 brass door hinges to the top.

The Crafty Pad images I used were 'Pocket Watch and Elements' with the 'Time' sentiments (all available from The Crafty Pad Designs Shop.) I enlarged the Pocket Watch and attached to the canvas, I placed the ruler and cogs at the bottom and to one side. I added detail to the cogs with a gold gel pen and attached a brass clock charm to the largest of the cogs. To the pocket watch I added a gold chain with a little key attached. I also attached a real clock mechanism to the pocket watch to create a working clock...

And to finish it off I added 'Tick Tock' using black letter stickers.

I am so pleased with it, (and the fact that it actually keeps the time!), I have ear-marked it to go into my 'Cosy Corner' whenever I get around to creating one!

To set the scene of an old-fashioned clock, I downloaded a handwriting graphic and postcard from HERE. I then bundled the postcard with some other cards and tied with coffee-coloured lace. I distressed the letter a bit to give it a vintage appearance. Love the look!

Hope you like the project and if you have any ideas for creating an 'off the edge' project, then why not pop on over and link it up!

The fab prize this week is from:

Creative Craft World with £5 to spend in their online shop - perfect!


And as an added extra...




The Crafty Pad Designs is also offering one image of choice to all who link up their projects using a Crafty Pad Designs image.

Go on - edge it up and have some fun!




Linking up to these challenges:
Craft Your Days Away - use Metal,
Cute Card Thursday - Metallica (use Metal on your project),
Scrapbookaholic by Abby / Dilo En Espanol Challenge #5 - Use the colour Black.

xx

Tutorial Tuesday - Double Initial Ribbon Wreath

Good Afternoon lovelies, hope you are having a great week so far! Today, I have another party make for you - this time a double initial ribbon wreath to welcome guests to the party and set the scene!

You will need:

A 10 inch polystyrene wreath base (mine has a flat back),

2 Wooden or Foam Initials,

Paint, 

Lots and lots of grosgrain coloured ribbon,

Long Pins,

Glue and Glue Gun,

Tape measure,

Scissors.

Step 1:

If your initials are plain, then paint them in 2 different, but co-ordinating colours...

...and leave to dry.

Step 2:

Cut your co-ordinating grosgrain ribbon into 2.5 inch long strips - you will need to cut a lot (I used 380 strips approximately, using 10mm wide ribbon. The wider your ribbon - the less strips you will need), I use grosgrain because it holds better than satin.

...sort your strips into piles.

Step 3:

Take your first strip and fold over into a loop, where the 2 ends overlap, push a pin through, then attach it to the top of the wreath form...

...keep going, making loops and pinning to the wreath. I alternated the colours and worked down in rows...

Make sure you pin them close together to avoid white spaces.

Step 4:

When you get about a third of the way around, glue on one of the initials - making sure it sits straight and level...

You can then fit some more ribbon loops in and around any gaps left by the initial...

...keep working your way around the wreath until you are another third way around...

...glue on the other initial making sure it is straight and level, then add more loops in any gaps left.

Step 5:

In the remaining white space wrap a long piece of co-ordinating ribbon around and around til completely covered...

...secure the ends of the ribbon with long pins on the back of the wreath.

Step 6:

Make a bow out of ribbon and attach to the wrapped piece with a long pin...

...then take a long piece of ribbon (or 2 twisted together) and attach each end to the back of the wreath to make a hanger...

done!

Voilà a bright, fun way to welcome your guests to the party and a great way to add a personalised touch for the birthday boy/s or girl/s!

You can make this to match any colour scheme and with any initial. You could even add a picture to the centre - it is all about making it your own!

Happy crafting!

xx

How lucky am I?

I have mentioned a few giveaways I have had the pleasure of winning recently, and a few days ago I had another wonderful surprise by being 1 of 2 winners in Bee Happy's giveaway! I really should change my name to Lucky Star (or just buy that Lotto ticket!)

Look what was waiting to be opened this morning....

...In gorgeous starry paper!

The most inspiring craft book ever, seriously! Tilda's Studio is full of eye-candy and amazing projects. I have ear-marked a couple to have a go at first...

...Paper Birdcages, then once I am feeling more confident...

...Fabric birdcages, then...

...beautiful fabric bracelets and rings!

Thank you Bee Happy, not just for the amazing book but for giving me my enthusiasm back! I had been feeling in a bit of a craft funk and not my usual sparkly self! So here's to getting my craft mojo back with a vengeance. Watch this space!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoyed the sneaky peek into Tilda's Studio.

Sparkle on!

xx