On the Tree

Thought you'd all like to see how my hand painted decorations look on the tree.  I think they look great and I will definitely be making more of them next year.  Here they are...

Christmas Tree Decorations

Well, it's been a while since I posted - it's been so crazy trying to get everything sorted for Christmas and I have been  using every spare minute in between to finish a large plaquette which was commissioned for a wedding.  I finally handed it over today to to the happy couple so I will have lots of time free to blog over the Christmas and I will be off work for 10 whole days for the holiday season yay!  I will be posting about this lovely plaquette after the new year so keep in touch if you would like to see it.

My last post presented some Christmas decorations that I made and I was so happy with them on my tree that I decided to make a few more.  They are simple and fun to make, I added some more sparkle to these ones but it's difficult to see in the photos.  Hope you like them.  Double click to make the picture bigger.

Christmas Decorations

Making your own christmas decorations isn't difficult and those of you that follow my blog will know that I do a little something every year.  Last year it was the mini christmas trees which you can see by clicking here.  This year though, I have painted up some little wooden hearts and fireflies that I got as a gift but you can buy them at any good A&C store, I then just added some glitter and hanging ribbon. Simple.  Even the kids could help with this one.  You could also make your own by cutting out some shapes from cardboard - stars, christmas trees, Santas, angels and then paint on some designs or even découpage them.  Why not try a few and have something designed by you this Christmas!

Click to make bigger

Before

Mini Christmas Trees

Lace and Pearl Christmas Tree

Gift Ribbon Christmas Tree

Feather Christmas Tree

It wouldn't be Christmas without a few home made decorations and this year I have a no-cost idea to share with you that I came across online and that is totally simple to make and looks cute.  As you can see from the photos, different look Christmas trees can be achieved according to the materials that you choose.  I used what I already had in my craft cupboard and you can do the same, try using buttons, scrap fabric, snippets of paper -  almost anything that you have will work.

You will need is a cereal box along with a scissors, some glue, paint (whatever colour matches your materials) and of course the material that you want to use.  Just cut out a square of the cardboard and make a cone shape rolling it so that the print is on the inside. Trim it and then glue it to keep it together.  Let the glue dry and give it a coat of paint. When the paint has dried, just stick on the material of your choice layer by layer until it's completely covered and again leave to it to dry.  If you wish you can then add extras like beads or other embellishments to finish it off. That's it - there's nothing more to it.

For my first tree I used gift ribbon and then stuck on little gems.  The second one is made from feathers - this would have been fab if the feathers were gold, white or silver but I didn't have any and just went with what was in my craft box.  For my third tree I found a piece of curtain lace which I cut into small pieces and glued on.  This one is my favourite.  I'd love to know what you think so don't forget to leave a comment.

Easter Eggs - Découpaged & Painted

Easter is not Easter without a few painted eggs and this year is no exception.  I went the extra mile with these ones adding 3D paint, découpage, bows, and finally glitter sealant.  I think they'll look pretty as a centrepiece on my table or sideboard to celebrate the coming of the Easter Bunny!

All eggs can be purchased for €5 each - click Here for more details.

Here's what I used if you want to make your own:
Foam eggs
Chalk paint (homemade)
Acrylic paint
3D paint
Découpage cut outs
Mod Podge
Ribbon/bows
Paint brushes (one small, one very small)
Acrylic spray
Straight Pins
Empty cleaned out small yoghurt container

First, take two pins and insert them into the egg on each end so that you have two 'handles'. Believe me, this is an important step and will make decorating your egg much easier as they are light and roll around a lot.

Paint your egg in whatever colour you like - I used neutrals.  To dry, balance them across the top of the yoghurt containers using the pins.  Once completely dry, take your pencil and outline your design around the edge of the egg and then paint over it using the very small paint brush with a colour of your choice in either acrylic, chalk or 3D paint. Again, place back onto the yoghurt container to dry.  Next choose your découpage cut outs and very carefully, using the mod podge and the bigger brush, paste them onto the egg on each side.  Back to the yoghurt container to dry again for a while and then another coat of mod podge (or two).  Last but not least when fully dry, spray with acrylic spray (mine had sparkle).  Alternatively, coat with gloss finish mod podge.

Happy Easter!