A Year of a Twiggy Pom Pom Tree

Last year I made some twiggy trees in jam jars to decorate the tables at our office Christmas party. Dog wood twigs from the garden painted and sprinkled with glitter, topped with red wool pom poms created the tree framework. With cheapo star battery lights from Poundland woven through the twigs, a Happy Christmas garland made from ink stamping, bakers twine and an old book completed the look.

After the party I gave each of my Pom pom crew (the girls helped make the pom poms) a tree and took one home for myself, adding a vase in place of the jar and my twigs have gone a full year and decorated our table and mantel with each season.

Christmas 2012

Easter 2013

with the edition of handmade fabric eggs

Summer 2013

Multi coloured poms and a robin!

Christmas 2013

Silver mini baubles in place of poms, a feather bird and glitter festive greeting (lights still working!)

Now 2014 

Loads of feathered birds and a pom to match each one, adding a little colour

on these wet, windy days.

My twiggy tree has made me smile with happiness all year, not sure my OH would agree though!

The birds came from Tiger (2013) and only cost a few pounds 

The lights - Poundland £1!

Multi Pack batteries for lights ( I had originally 6 sets of lights) Poundland £1

Paint, Glitter and Wool for Pompoms - already owned.

It's a Wrap!

A good friend celebrated his birthday last week and during his lunch break he came round for a cuppa, slice of cake, and as you're never too old a surprise gift or two. 

I decided to make my own wrapping paper and had a good crafty half hour having a go with my new stamps bought in the Paperchase and my alphabet stamps purchased at a summer fair for the princely sum of 50p!

I stamped stars in both red and blue over the brown paper previously used to wrap a bunch of flowers I'd received, then randomly added "Happy Birthday" and a red bus, a graphic nod to "T" living in London in the spaces left.  Not rocket science, but a good quick, individual and cheap way to add a little extra to a gift!

Left to dry and when wrapped up his pressies looked ready to be ripped open, shame after all that effort! 

*Paperchase stamps reduced to £4 in sale (came with ink pads)

Paper - free

Alphabet stamps - 50p local village fair

Missing in instagram

Has it really been 4 months since my last post? Shame on me! The Summer weather was just too good to miss (no excuse) When we last spoke I was just about to go to my home village fair,  which lead me to meeting friends and villagers I haven't seen for twenty years or more. These chance meetings lead me to a builder (husband of friend) who then did work on our house, we also had new windows & doors as well as painting the outside (TOH) did that and a great job he did too. 

All of this is fairly unglamourous, but has been punctuated with nice things too

So in pictures a few of my adventures in my missing months. 

The Village fair, bet they regretted that idea!

Make London for a lovely hen do!

a bit of making!

re-hydration (hu-hum) options

Vintage buys

sunny days out

spruced up house...

Bath wedding, I made the Lucky couple a vintage tea towel bath peg bag - oh the glamour!

Birthday boys old and new

and now here we are moving into Autumn getting nearer my favourite month of all,

can you guess which one it is?

Some of you may have seen some of these photos as I have been on Instagram all summer, youcan find me @katysclutter come and say hello!

Being Crafty

I recently had a week off to be lazy and have some crafty "me" time, it didn't really go to plan but with a inspiration from fellow bloggers, crafty magazines and a little trial and error I finally managed to get crafty!

My Nan used to remove all buttons and zips from clothes before throwing them away. Whilst watching a film one evening I twiddled and twirled one of the zips into this floral'esque brooch, which I rather like.

My friend Alison, a print artist and social media teacher and I had a pop at making some earrings, rings and hair slides. We've been collecting unusual objects to continue this idea most of our beads came from Japan which, Alison sourced whilst on a photography project. 

This little mosaic was a birthday gift and made a pleasant afternoons distraction to the pouring rain,

plus I have a shiny new coaster!

finally my sewing machine saw action after a little inspiration from Lazy Daisy and 

Mary Jane Baxter.  I finally made some head bands from vintage buckles and some vintage pillow

cases as well a some modern cotton. Just for fun I knitted a bow hair slide!

after all this creativity I needed a little rest!

Belated Birthday

Last week was my birthday, every now and then I have the day off to fully enjoy the delights of tea, cake and a extra lie-in. This year I went for a whole week which I fully intended to use to finish all my crafty projects and enjoy some time to myself, huh!

Saturday was spent buying Anti-virus for all our computers *exciting followed by a stint giving the garden a quick tidy up, our neighbours have had new fence erected and it makes our garden look much better!

the bunting was made for the jubilee street party, it's been outside all winter and is still going strong!

Myself and Bob got together with a few chums and a few drinks were consumed!!

lovely presents were gifted, all excellent...thank you very much x 

far too much of this passed my lips...the large carrot cake and bakewell fairy cakes

with custard topping my sister made ( a triumph) didn't even make it to film! 

eventually this did make an experience on Sunday night, which was not quite what I'd planned, I did get some crafting done which I show you once its all photographed x

p.s I been scooting round and enjoying all your blogging over the week too, enjoyed your car booting finds and seeing what your all making. So thank you for keeping me company!

Making and Bake

I've been having a little make and bake, as you do!

A card for Bob's Mums 80th Birthday, made one evening out of old books, clothes and buttons! How very frugal, I think I've become a super scrimper, note to self, must make a jaunty orange hat to wear at all times.

Cakes for the Birthday girl, a tray bake Bakewell and Lemon and Lavender fairy cakes. Found the recipes online, however prefer the frangipane from Mary Berry's recipe, so next time i'd use hers for that bit and mix it up a bit. They did taste gooood though!

A hug card for a friend who needed one. The buttons are the free ones from Mollie Makes. I love using old book pages stamped up with sentiments, the paper has an almost linen quality to it which makes it sturdy enough to sew and manhandle. The book came from a charity shop and was so much cheaper than buying paper from craft shops, the cover and spine had given up so I'm giving it a new lease of life!

Finally my saucy vases, made from posh brown and tomato sauce bottles! Is there such a thing?

I can't remember the name of the sauce just that it was reduced! I added ribbon and…ta dah rather nice vases don't you think?

I didn't make this! It's just a nice sky just briefly to cheer us all up! 

Now I'm watching the rain…boo!

Pom-pom's

I love Pom-poms, easy to make and cheerful too, like fairy lights, I just get enough! A few years ago I scored a pom-pom maker from a car boot sale, new in its box, never used, such waste. I used to make poms the old school way,  two circles of card with small balls of wool from mum and nans scraps. Now I have scrap's of my own to turn into things of beauty…well that might be over doing it just a little bit…

My little white bird is made from air dry clay, I pushed him onto a clear drinking straw so I could stick him in to the foliage of pot plants such as herbs. Now all my herbs are dead  *ekk! So he's in with the twigs!

**This would be a simple easter project with or without little ones, you could make bunnies from clay or little eggs which you could then paint, or why not make Pom-Pom Bunnies????! Why didn't I think of that before...

Presents in the post!

I recently took part in my first swop, organised by Ada at vintage sheet addict. I was paired with the lovely Lisa from Littledottybird. I had a craft book, I'd received two(!) and with a few little crafty extras I was ready to swop! And I'm so glad I did!

My swops to Lisa

Lisa to me

Swop perfection!

Lisa, you must have been round my house a snooped because you are spot on. I love it all, especially the Dragon Fly. Thank you soooo much. Now I can't wait to get started with all the goodies you've sent me. 

Thank you to Ada for all her organisational skills with the swop!

Mouse about this house...

For Christmas I got a stash of craft books, another guilty pleasure to go with many others!

One of them has quick things to knit and crochet from stash oddments with a festive theme. The book is "Little Christmas Decorations to knit and crochet by Sue Stratford & Val Pierce". 40 projects of all capabilities to get stuck into. A few of the decorations, if you give the Christmas extras amiss, would do for any time of year.

 

So may I introduce you to Tina the Twirling Birthday mouse!

You knit her in the flat and sew the seams together,  with a little persuasion she eventually looked mouse like! Her arms and tail are worked as an icord, and ears in two parts then stitched together.

My only wish was a picture show you what she looked like in the flat, as a one point I nearly started again as it looked really, really wrong!

She's now twirled off wrapped in tissue paper to my chum, Cheryl. Happy Birthday x