Good G-wreath! It's nearly Xmas!

There are wreaths a-plenty on blog land at the moment and I'm going to jump on the band wagon and show you the three (yes, three!) wreaths we have up at J and P Towers.  Just to warn you, the photos are my worse yet.  The light was rubbish today and I really must get to grips with the workings of this camera of ours - reading the instructions would be a start. 

On our front door is this one made of plastic bags - the sort you find at the supermarket (smallish transparent ones) for fruit and veg - cut into strips and tied onto a wire cottage hanger fashioned into a circle and topped with a pink bird of indeterminable type:

Here it is again.  Unfortunately, my rubbish photo does not really convey the shimmery, almost magical quality the plastic bags impart (yeh, right....):

A close-up of the pink birdy thingy:

Here is my famed (who am I kidding?) felted wreath that I featured on a previous post, topped with what I foolishly thought at the time was a festive robin, only to realise very quickly that it's a feathery imposter and not a robin at all.

This is one that Little Miss J and P made.  Take a bit of cardboard or stiff paper and cut out a circle.  Using old wrapping paper, cut out lots of leaf shapes and stick them in an overlapping stylee onto your circle.  Complete with a bow.



Here are a few more home-made decs (made mainly by Little Miss J and P) for your delectation.  Drawings stuck onto a peg and pegged onto a lampshade:

Birds with concertina paper wings:

Angels.  If you look closely, you may notice that someone has stuck photos of Little Miss J and P and Mr J and P on the faces.

Well that's all folks.  I won't be blogging now until the New Year as next week, Grandpa J and P is coming to stay and I've got to try my hand at baking (mince pies and birthday cake).  Baking is not my thing, so wish me luck!  I've also got to pack for our forthcoming holiday.  Yes, another holiday.  YeeHaa.  More about that when I see you next!  Have a lovely Xmas and wonderful New Year or, as they say, where we're going, Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo.  Ciao tutti. xx

Cold Turkey and Xmas Prezzies

Well, I have to admit that I've been in "cold turkey" the whole week.  Our internet connection has been down for 6 miserable days and I haven't had the opportunity to read any of my favourite blogs - boo hoo!  I'm champing at the bit to see what's been happening in lovely blog land.  However, before I do, I thought I'd show you what I've been buying for Xmas prezzies this year.

Last year, I made a number of prezzies for friends and family (lucky old them, I hear you cry!) - lots of snake draught excluders, knitted wrist bands with a skull and crossbones motif for Little Miss J and P and cousin, a black knitted tissue cosy with skull and crossbones motif and a white pompom embellishment for my lucky sister in law and a pair of knitted mittens with, you guessed it, a skull and crossbones motif, for the very lucky Mr J and P.  (Mittens for men.  Discuss.)  Sorry, no pics to show you as Little Miss J and P, who's extremely scatty, managed to lose the wristbands almost instantaneously, and Mr J and P, who wears his mittens incessantly (so he tells me) is at work at the mo.

Anyway, enought of this nonsense.  This year, I've been scouring charity shops, Xmas Bazaars and the like for gifts.  Here is what I've got, so far:

A large linen table cloth (£2 at a Xmas Bazaar):

The Merry Game of Floundering.  20p from a Xmas Bazaar.  A fine old game where each player has to put together a flounder by throwing the dice where each section of the flounder corresponds to the number on the dice:

A game right up my street (20p Xmas Bazaar):

The object of this game is "to dress a character with clothes from the Jumble Sale as quickly as possible however odd the result".  Here are the characters "before"......:

And after:

I got these delightful gifts at a Vintage Fair for £1 each (wish I'd bought more). 

They are only a few centimetres wide and tall and contain.....

Can you tell?  Plastic "snap" rain bonnets from the 1960s.  Jumbo size with 3 different fastenings to accommodate your beehive.  How wonderful is that!  I remember my mum having the exact same thing.

Still on a rainy theme, this large Cath Kidston rain cape in fabulous nick - £3 from a charity shop:

Some old books (50p each from the charity shop).  Think I may keep The Nun's Story - loved that film.

Remember these Murano glass fish?  They were all the rage once weren't they?  £3 charity shop buy.

A rather battered bread bin.  But I rather like it for its batteredness.  A present to myself for £10 from the Vintage Fair.

An apron which Mr J and P bought from the Charity Shop - £1.50.  I've taught him well haven't I, dear readers?

A revolving desk calendar which I've just won on ebay.  A tenner.  A little expensive, but it's a thing of great beauty, I'll have you know!

Hope your Xmas shopping is going well. I'm off now to read blogs with a cup of coffee and a mince pie. Huzzah!

Button up

Now, dear readers, I'm not going to talk to you about the snow and how flipping cold it is and the state of the nation's pavements (they are like ice rinks).  Nor am I going to talk about how our boiler has broken down and we have no heating or hot water for the foreseeable future.  Nor am I going to talk about Christmas - prep, decs, prezzies or otherwise.

No, dear readers,  I am going to talk about buttons.  Get a load of these little beauties that Mr J and P brought back from a recent charity shopping spree.

Didn't he do well?

So, what have I done with these buttons?  Well, I've come over all crafty and I've decorated a couple of very plain IKEA frames with them.  Wanna see?

This one has all green buttons complete with a green gingham embellishment!

What do you think?  I spent rather a long time playing with the different colour and style combinations.  In fact, I have to say that playing with them was the best bit!

Such fun!  I heartily recommend this craft project.  It's incredibly easy and very satisfying.

The photos I chose to put in the frames were suitably vintage - old ones of my mum. I do like looking at old black and white photos.  Everyone always looks so elegant and beautifully dressed.

Love the bouffant in the one above.  Note the screaming child (me).  I remember that occasion very well; wasn't very keen on those pigeons!

Love my mum's sunglasses in the one below and the jaunty little neckerchief:

The one below is of my mum on her wedding day.  The coat was blue mohair, she had a blue feather fascinator in her hair and matching blue suede shoes.  I remember those shoes very well as she eventually gave them to me but for the life of me I can't remember what happened to them (boo hoo).

Well dear readers, I'll love you and leave you.  I need to move around as I'm in danger of turning into an icicle sat here.  Keep warm everyone (sob).