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Monday, 5 October 2015

October 5th 2015 - tshirt 2 pillow

October 5th 2015 - tshirt 2 pillow

Last year myself and a friend in USA did a christmas gift swap based on Elves.  It was great.  We decided that we would do it again for this year.   Just after christmas last year I picked up a baby tshirt that said "I Elves they have magical powers".  My friend doesn't have a baby so this may seem like a strange thing to buy for her.  However, I had plans for the tshirt.  And that plan was to turn the tshirt into a pillow.

I started off  by cutting the long sleeves to just below the arm holes (as you don't need long sleeeves or extra pieces of material as they will just get in the way.)  I then stitched up the arm holes and along the base of the tshirt:















 I then started to stuff the tshirt via the head hole and pushed it down into the tshirt.  The stuffing is from a quilt I bought for this type of craft.  Its cheaper to buy new quilts and rip the stuffing out of than it is to buy bags of toy stuffing which is exactly the same thing!  Once it was fully stuffed I stitched up the head hole.

And have a finished pillow.




I forgot to take pics as I was working hence why its all a stuffed pillow.  I think it's nice and i'm sure my friend will as she is Elf mad!

Sunday, 4 October 2015

October 4th 2015 - toilet roll mummy

October 4th 2015 - toilet roll mummy

Lil man was wanting to do some crafts today, so as its near Halloween we decided that we would do Halloween crafts.

We have made some toilet roll mummies from a bandage and googly eyes.  It has kept little man amused for while.



Saturday, 3 October 2015

October 3rd 2015 - pot o gold

October 3rd 2015 - Pot o gold

Today I have finally finished the leprechauns house for the fairy garden and started to varnish it.  Tomorrow I will varnish the bottom and then it is ready to go outside.  Lil man asked if I could make him a pot of gold to go with it.  This pin gave me the idea. 

Instead of using a bottle I used a small plastic medicine tub:

I took off the lid and cut the tub abit shorter with a sharp knife.  From here I coated the inside in a grey nail varnish and left to dry.  I then coated the outside in a dark blue and silver nail varnish and left to dry.

 I filled the inside of the tub 3/4 of the way up with clear silicone and then started to place gold pirate coins into it, I also put more silicone around the coins so it should be waterproof.  I did place a few more coins than are in the photo.


It is now sitting drying ready to go outside tomorrow with the house and leprechauns.

Friday, 2 October 2015

October 2nd 2015 - Nail varnish uses

Ocotber 2nd 2015 - Nail varnish uses

Nail varnish is a wonderful thing and has many uses.  I would guess that 95% of what I use it for is not what it was made for! LOL!  It is especially great as the £1 shops sell it in loads of colours.  I have loads of bottles scattered about and they get used for various things.

1. putting on your finger and toe nails - this is very obvious because of what it is called.  I only ever use nail varnish if I am going to a wedding, christening or party.

2. To cover a hole in tights - clear nail varnish works on all colours of tights.  If you have a small snag or tiny hole cover it with nail varnish and it will stop it spreading or getting bigger.

3. High heel touch up - if you get a scrape down the back of your heels, find a nail varnish of the same colour and touch up your shoes.

4. Solar lights - place clear nail varnish over the solar panel of the lights and it helps keep them working for longer.

5. as a varnish - I have used nail varnish as a varnish or rocks/stones, glass, wood and plastic.

6.paint - yes I have used nail varnish as a paint, not  to make a full picture but to do small lines and dots and decorations, mainly when I have made rock houses and halloween potion bottles to cover the bottles and lids.

7. On the Paddling pool - it wasn't a permanant fix but it held the small hole for 24hrs until we were able to get puncture repair kit.

8. labels - place clear nail varnish over hand written labels and they do not smudge.  I have used various colours when making my halloween potion bottles.

9.on children - hand write your phone number when on a day out and cover with clear nail varnish, it stops the number coming off.

10. colour glass bottles - pour small amounts of nail varnish of 2 or 3 different colours into a clear glass bottle and gently move the bottle so that the colours mix slightly and cover the sides.  leave the lid of so that it can dry and coat the bottle.  this is ok as long as you dont put anything in it.

11. Sealing envelopes - over licked an envelope and dont have another or tape - small amount of clear nail varnish works.

12. colour coding - this works on plugs and keys (and probably many other things!) mark the top of the plug or the key (and maybe the lock) so that you know what it is for.

13. costume jewellery - cheap jewellery that leaves green marks on your skin - coat the inside of it with clear nail varnish it stops it happening.

14. Screws and nails - my Hubby laughed at me when I said about putting nail varnish into the hole that the screw was loose in on the stair banister - he didn't laugh after it held it tightly.

15. glue - my son has used nail varnish when making pictures and needed a glue to hold sequins and things to his paper.

16. maker - it works to make lines and marks for measurement, obviously this wont give ou number measures but works for "how much lawn feed you need" in a bottle to top up with water.

17.touch up furniture - this works best of it is browns like pine as you can get 2 or 3 shades of brown and cover where it has been scratched and damaged.

18. paint soles of shoes - if you want your plain heels updated simple paint the sole a bright colour.

19. touch up wallpaper - if you get a tiny rip in wallpaper (or child drawn on it) cover with nail varnish.

20. touch up cars - you usually need a metallic nail varnish in similar shade but works to cover small scratches.

21. crack or chip in a window - this is NOT a long term fix but works enough to get home or to garage safely if in car or until the window fitter can get out, it will stop the crack or chip from spreading.

22. tile filler - have ceramic tiles and have a chip fill the chip with a similar colour or clear nail varnish.

23. touch up ornaments - again if you have a chip or have had to fix something back on nail varnish can cover up the crack or flaking paint.

24. for crafts - this is where the 101 uses can come in as can be used for anything and everything craft related.

25. glitter everything - glitter nail varnish can add a new lease of life to everything!

26. marble effect - mix a few colours in a tub of water and add your item to it for marble effect - flower pots look good especially if given as a gift with a plant, plus its waterproof!

27. hair clips/grips/pins - it can add pretty colours and patterns to them but can also stop them catching in your hair as it smooths out sharp bits


i'm sure there are many other uses as well, but this is where my list ends.  I have to say that my best use of it is for crafts and the halloween potion bottles i have been making.

Thursday, 1 October 2015

Ocotber 1st 2015 - THINK PINK

October 1st 2015 - THINK PINK

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I am a big supporter of Breast Cancer as my Mum died from this horrible disease.  She had battled with it for 22years when it finally killed her.

Although I don't donate on a monthly basis I do shop in the Cancer charity shops, I buy the Breast Cancer pin badges and if I have spare change I will put in the Cancer collection boxes.  I have done the race for life a few times for Breast Cancer as well.

The best I could do today for it was to wear my pink fluffy socks (I don't really do pink as i'm not a girly girl!)


September 30th 2015 - Spell book

September 30th 2015 - Spell book

Going back to the beginning of the year I started to make a Spell book from some of the spells on this board.  It has taken ages to get sorted as I have typed up all the spells I want to use, had to make sure they were all the same colour and fonts and all had the page logo on.  I bought cream paper to print them on and hhad to wait until I had ink to actually dothem.

I spent a long time today printing the pages, some duplicated, some printed in a pinky colour not brown so I had to re-do them.  I am happy to say that my spells are now printed for the book.  I just need to glue the pages to the book that I made.


This is just 1 page before it was printed on cream paper but it gives you an idea of what I have done.

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

September 29th 2015 - Wizard Wand

September 29th Wizard Wand

Lil man has 2 outfits for halloween this year - his monster for school and a lovely blue wizard outfit (that I made better by adding star ribbon to).  The only thing the outfit was missing was a wand.  I had saved this pin to my Harry Potter party board ready for next year as I planned to make them for the party.

Well this has been the trial run of it - lil man wanted a blue wand with silver bits on the handle!  I didn't have any chopsticks like the pin says BUT I did have a huge hedge in the garden that has been cut down!  This emans I have loads of branches so we went out and found 1 that he liked.  We cut all the sticky out bits off, pealed the bark off it and allowed to dry for a few days.

Yesterday I started to make patterns on the handle end with  UHU glue as I couldn't find my hot glue sticks (I think they will work better and dry quicker), I did 3 layers in total building up  on the layer below so it was raised.  Again the wand was left to dry over night.  And today (after a trip to town to get the right colour blue sparkly nail varnish for it) I started to cover the wand in nail varnish.  It had to have 2 coats as 1 went patchy and wasn't as dark as me or lil wanted.  Once the blue was dry I had to go on a hunt for a thin paint brush, this was a task in itself as the kitten had knocked the tub of brushes off the windowsill and then batted them around as toys - I found 1 near the dvd shelves and cut some of the bristles so it was smaller still.  I then used a silver sparkle nail varnish to go over the raised glue on the handle, this took 2 coats as well so it was really bright and shiny. 

Lil man is really pleased with his 1-of-a-kind wand that goes with his outfit.  I just hope it still fits him for Harry Potter next year.  This was really easy to do and I will be doing 1 for all the kids for next year and maybe the adults (may not use my hedge but bamboo skewers or similar) and if  I have enough time I will make and extra load and attach a small bag of sweets to for the trick or treaters.