lightbulb moments for big and little kids.

i love it when simple ordinary things become an idea and turn out totally awesome. as crafters/hoarders there is a reason why we never throw things out right? right! 'cause there's always a light bulb moment. to make things out of old things and strange things...as was the case with this little project i recently did for a local television show recently. when my car went for a service and the little rear light bulb was replaced - it stayed in the garage for over 2 months before it was put to good use. add 2 other totally useless (dunnu why i bought them) light bulbs, some wood glue and glitter and there you have it. a totally rad new way of getting some 'up-sized' Xmas lights around the house as part of your decorations.
these are so easy to make. i simply squeezed some wood glue directly onto the bulb and spread the glue using my fingers. the shake on some glitter and let the bulb stand (and yes they can) upright on a smooth surface and leave to dry. shake off the excess glitter and let your light shine! the thing is that i didn't even use my expensive glitter - but instead opted for the kid's version - a much coarser version.
the paper bauble consists out of punched circles glued together to form a dimensional paper decoration. easy enough for the kids to do and nice enough for grown ups to want to hang on the tree.
this little reindeer fellow was made out of a Styrofoam ball cut in half. it was placed on a base made out of different paper layers and then attached to the lid of a plastic container using glue and brads. the reindeer antlers were cut from grey felt and glued inside small slits in the Styrofoam. the rest is some googly eyes, pompoms and little gold bell. the inside of the tub is filled with strips of old book paper that will hide a little gift.
an old coffee tin becomes a quick gift box. simply cover it with decorative paper, add a ribbon and some brads. the top is decorated with the same 'circle' paper bauble made as before. this time it is adhered to the lid using glue.
hope you are having a creative festive season. i have been sorting and purging some old products that is in need of a new home...and cleaning and re-organizing again! truly a never ending job...

secret santa bird house cracker.

last night we had our annual scrapping Christmas dinner. the bunch of regulars including Christine who came from Prague for the big event, old friends and new friends from Bulgaria we literally represented the entire planet. it was so awesome to come together as friends and creative partners! we each designed a place setting for our secret Santa that had to include a hat, place mat, napkin, cracker and name tag. this is a small glimpse into my place setting...
my cracker of course could not be the normal - instead i used a postal tube and decorated it as the cracker. but let me tell you - it's not the easiest to open since the top and bottom gets sealed off with plastic lids....part of the anticipation of getting to a small little gift.
i covered the tube in old book paper and gel medium. the top features a small little bird house made by hand and decorated with moss (kindly donated last year by my friend Niki), glitter, old sheet music, vintage images, bling and charms.
and don't forget the silk ribbon! the base of the little bird house are 2 wooden frames glued to each other - and really really old. they are one of those oh my why do i have these 'cause i will never use them things in my stash - well they were meant to be...
the place mat is a piece of wood painted in a layer of dark brown craft paint, then a layer of cream. the reindeer was drawn onto the wood, some silver leafing added and then a layer of brown paint. i then sanded the whole bunch to distress it and then added a layer of antiquing liquid oil.
the bird house template is an old favourite by PSX (personal stamp exchange) from way back when. they made the absolute best rubber stamps with stunning images...but sadly not around anymore.
i love the vintage antique feeling of this project.
the front is a chipboard star covered in dimensional glaze and glitter, a large button and a large diamante to finish off the center. two silver leaves from Prima adds some texture.
and then there's the silver bauble ! aah yes the bauble that took 4 hours to complete as i very patiently sat and added each sequence piece with a pin into a Styrofoam ball. these are my favourite baubles to make. i made my first one for a Christmas photo shoot in 2005 and have loved making these for all kinds of occasions. a great go to craft doing in front of the TV if you will.
hope you are having a peaceful week! thunder is roaring in the background outside as i type...here's hoping and praying for much needed rain and relief from the pressing heat - and a couple of dogs at my feet scared of lightning...so logging off!

4am wake-up call.

so for today here's a glimpse at what got me up at 4am to leave home at 6am to get to the urban brew studios in JHB at 8am studio call. as usual i over planned and prepared but with good success i think. it has been a long morning and i am ready to take a nap.
sitting around for hours on end doing nothing is quite frustrating...but such is a day in the life of famous people like the one below...and many others i shared the day with like Elvis Blue, Tobie Cronje, Annamart v d Merwe, Carmen, Ed and and and....
i am glad it's all over and done with....i get very nervous doing these kinds of things. but it's just another thing to cross off my bucket list. i must say i have crossed off many things off of my list in the last 6 years.
i have so many projects done and waiting to be completed and shared with you all. also in the pile to be photographed is my December daily album i have been working on. for the first time i have chosen to skip tim's 12 tags of Christmas - ooh gasp! yes i may include some ideas in my other project i am working on. instead i have chosen to do something different - a look at things happening in and around my life in December. i am not a fan of mini-albums but this year seems to be different like lots of other things. hoping to share my album sometime soon. i hope you are slowing down somewhat in daily life and being creative to feed your soul.

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