Upcycled Washi pen pots

While I was tidying up my craft nook, well my craft table that I decided I needed to do something to the tins I had been using as pen pots for the past few months. To be honest I think it was a way to get out of tidying the rest of the room but less said about that the better!

              So as I said I had saved and washed a couple of tins and one of those cardboard instant gravy pots ages ago and they had been sitting on my table naked for ages, so I collected up my washi tape and some garden twine and got to decorating them.

   All you need to do is was out your tin and dry, remove the lable and any sticky bits on the outside. I only use tins that have the pull type lid so you have a nice top to your pot. If you are doing these with or for children just watch the inner rim of the tin is not sharp.

For this pen pot I just used the black stripe, polkadot and gold Italian script washi tape which I just stuck directly to the tin then filled in the gaps using garden twine which I stuck to the tin using PVA glue. I just applied the PVA dirrectly to the tin surface then wrapped the twine around. The bow was made from a piece of the twine and then hot glued onto the front.

As the pen pot was going to get a lot of use I did glaze the Washi tape. You could use watered down PVA and it will seal the tape and give a nice shine to the pot too.

This was my cardboard gravy pot, I just covered the pot with PVA and then just wrapped the garden twine around and around from top to bottom. Looks rather expensive I think!

This pot was made in the same way as the first, using the blue black and black and white dot Washi tape which a black stripe piece in the middle. I used Creative Expressions black and white bakers twine this time instead or the garden twine.

I then added my favourite die cut at the moment to the middle of the pot after I had glazed it.

The die cut is a Spellbinders die but all sorts of things could be used. The persons name would be fun!

You can find all the things you need on the Fruit Pixie shop website, except the tins of course. You can find the -

Washi tape - http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/washi-tape-625-c.asp

Bakers twine - http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/creative-expressions-bakers-twine-black--white-50-yds-16055-p.asp

Spellbinders dies - http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/spellbinders-dies-648-c.asp

So get your tins out of the recycle and make them into something useful. These would be great for back to school gifts full of crayons and pens, depending on their age. Or even new teacher gifts perhaps. As I said watch the sharpness of the inside ledge of the tin, the cardboard pots would be best for children to decorate. 

Baking digi kit

Kyrsty Scrapbook designs has a new digital kit out today. It is full of lovley vintage kitchen and baking images.

I had some time to work with it and made this cute kitchen chalk board using my Expression 2 cutting machine and the papers and images in the kit.

You can find Kyrstys kit here - https://www.deviantscrap.com/shop/product.php?productid=22209

Mini ironing board

I have been doing a lot of sewing lately and really enjoying it. The only down side is that my ironing board is upstairs in the bedroom and I sew down stairs, so every time I need to press a seam I had to go upstairs and as I have an ankle that hates going up and down stairs ( still having terrible trouble with it after 5 operations ) and the reason I didnt just bring the ironing board downstairs each time, I had to do something about it. So I took an old place mat, some left over cotton wadding from one of my quilts and some cream fabric and made a tiny ironing board. Then I remembered a very small travel iron I bought from M&S years ago for my crafting that got pushed to the back of a draw and Bingo a mini ironing board!

I used some very sticky carpet tape to stick the wadding to the top of the place mat and cut it to size. I then used more of the tape to stretch the fabric over the wadding and then just neatened it all off on the back with masking tape. OK its a make do and mend but it works a treat, fits beside you and your sewing machine, just the job!  Problem solved! 

New Macaroon kit by Kyrsty Scrapbook design

Kyrsty Scrapbook design has a new mini kit out today, full of delicious looking macaroons. Here are the things I created using it in a hybrid way, printing off digital images and then crafting in a normal way.

I made a little party bag and the little charm using printable shrink plastic

and then a card to match

This kit has beautiful coloured backing papers and the macaroons are good enough to eat!

Find it here - http://www.deviantscrap.com/shop/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=43

Spellbinders Bird stand die Zipped purse

As soon as I saw this Bird stand die from Spellbinders at The Fruit Pixie it went straight into my basket! I love stags and I try and bring one back from Austria each time we go, ( I now have an image of me leading a stag through airport security hoping they wont notice!! )  So I had to do something Austrian inspired with my new stag die!

     I chose a sewing project, I am loving my sewing and even used some of the braid I bought in Austria 20 years ago!!

I cut the stag head out of felt with heat and bond on the back and then ironed it onto a die cut felt heart.

I then made up the purse that has a definite Austrian influence!

The Spellbinders die Bird stand is available at the fruit pixie - http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/spellbinders-die-bird-stand-23748-p.asp

Altered Tea Book

Do you remember collecting the tea cards and sticking them in your collectors book? I used to love that and often fought over them with my sister if it was one you didn't have!!

     The Fruit Pixie is selling them and I just had to alter mine! I used the Lavinia fairy stamps to make an altered fairy book.

 

For detailed  instructions on how I achieved my book pop over to the Fruit Pixie blog -http://thefruitpixie.blogspot.co.uk/

All the products I used to alter this book, the book itself and many many more crafty wonders are available at the Fruit pixie - http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/

Message in a bottle journal page

Kyrsty Scrapbook Designs has a new mini digi kit out. Called Guys from the school it has a mixture of both cut and rather odd looking boys that would be great for Halloween projects!

  I have done a couple of pages with it and other bits and bobs from her previous kits.

   

This is a hybrid mixed media page using the new kit and a couple of others. The background paper is from Dancing with sea shells, the seashells on the background are from Astounding. The bottle is from Bottles.

This next page is a digital page again using the new kit and a couple of others. The train carriage, tickets and background are from Do not follow where the path might lead and the writing from French Kiss.

The new kit can be found here - http://www.deviantscrap.com/shop/product.php?productid=22170&cat&page

Journal page

I can not believe I have not shown any of my Art Journal pages since March!!  Well I have been busy in my art journal so I have loads to show you. I wont do it all in one but I did do another page in march, as part of the Art Journal caravan, so here it is. The muse for the month was Artists so this is a homage to Mucha -