easy halloween crafts - mummy jars and milk jug ghosts

We have just had half term school holidays here and we have been having great fun with some easy Halloween crafts to do with the kids - mummy jars and ghost milk jug lanterns. I have put together a simple tutorial if you want to make some quick and easy Halloween crafts.

Take an old jar and wash it out thoroughly. Draw 2 eyes on paper and stick onto the jar (or stick on googly eyes but I had none so I had to improvise).

Take a length of crepe bandage and blob on some PVA glue. Wrap around the jar, pop in a tea light and you're done. Easy peasy!

The next one is even easier - turn an empty milk jug into a ghost like lantern.

You need an empty milk container, sharp knife, black marker pen, battery operated tea light.

Wash out the container and remove the label. Use the sharp knife to cut out a square out of the back of the container.

Draw on a spooky ghost face with the black marker. Pop in a battery operated tea light and that's it! I told you it was easy. My six year old loved doing these with me and we made loads.

I hope you have a great Halloween!

silent sunday

autumn leaves

How fortunate to find a hollow to crouch in to get a walking shot! Saves me from lying in the leaves and mud I suppose.

easy halloween craft turorial

Halloween is just around the corner and I thought I'd show you my easy peasy Halloween craft tutorial.  Tonight we have the delight of the school Hallween disco and I have made these little ghost lollipops to take along. I like Halloween crafty makes like these to be easy and quick!

Step 1. You need lollies, tissues, elastic bands, scissors, a Sharpie and modelling clay.

Step 2: Place 2 tissues at an angle and place your lolly in the centre.  Pull up the sides of the tissue to wrap around the lolly and secure with an elastic band.

Step 3: Draw on a spooky face with a Sharpie.

Step 4: Place modelling clay onto a tray and cover with paper tissues. Stand the ghost lollies in the clay and you're done! You could also poke holes into a cardboard box and stand the lollies in that if you prefer.

Let me know if you make some ghost lollies! Mine all sold out at the school disco tonight. Just adding to that sugar rush!

it's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Things are getting busy here at nellie dean towers.  Web orders, Facebook orders and a big shop order to complete. Exciting times indeed! I appreciate all of them, so thank you.

These personalised Christmas stockings were a big hit last year. I loved stitching each one, taking customer comments into account to ensure that they were what the customer had in mind. Each one features a mixture of new and vintage glass buttons, hand embroidery, applique, cotton tape and trims. Not to mention a fab selection of vintage, upcycled and new fabrics from my stash.  Each one is entirely unique and, I hope, made to treasure for years to come.

My son is 6 and at this age his drawings are super cute.  I thought it would be lovely to have a way of preserving them so I transferred the image to fabric and stitched over it. Hey presto, one unique Christmas tree decoration! You just have to love a snowman with big slitty eyes.

OK, it is Sunday night and the usual round of homework, reading and uniforms beckons. I hope you have enjoyed me sharing some of my Christmas goodies with you. If you are interested in buying some of them, they are available on my website

vintage fair news

The vintage fair in Haverfordwest was great fun. You are usually guaranteed to meet lots of interesting stallholders and customers and this event disn't disappoint. It's nice to meet up with old and new friends to have a gossip and catch up with the news. I spotted one customer who was holding one of my bags. She said that she has used it almost every day since buying it!

Photo curtesy of Geranium blog

Camilla from Canvas and Cloth was there with her stall crammed full of vintage and new haberdashery and fabrics. I'm always jealous of how fab her stall looks - serious stall envy! I'm always impressed by beautiful displays where stallholders have taken the time and effort to make their stall look enticing. Camilla shared her stall with Jeannie who is a talented knitter (something I cannot do!) who makes contemporary knitted items from naturally dyed yarn. I may just treat myself to a beanie hat this winter. Jeannie has a blog, pop over to see what she's up to Geranium blog.

The organizer Mandy had a stall crammed full of vintage goodies. I bought some beautiful glass buttons to use on my Christmas stockings and a Kenwood Chef cookbook. I was lucky enough to get a vintage Kenwood Chef from Freecycle but I've hardly used it as I just didn't know how to use it! The book is full of handy hints for wives to cook meals for their husbands. Love it!

At the fair I handed out lots of postcards advertising the next vintage fair which I will be selling at. It is very local to me, around the corner infact! It is being held in the Hotel Plas Hyfryd, Narberth on Saturday 19th November. I'm planning on taking my purse so I can pick up some unique Christmas presents. The organisers have a website: Vintage Narberth.

That's enough talk about Christmas - I'm off to slave over the sewing machine!

a pembrokeshire vintage fair

Yes, the rumours are true, there is going to be another vintage fair in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire! The last fair in May was a big success and I'm pleased that another one is being organised.

It is being held in the same location, the Albany Hall, Hill Street, Haverfordwest. There is free parking on the green which is located just behind the hall, or on the streets surrounding it.  The hall is a fab old fashioned church hall, complete with a kitchen where a selection of tea and cakes will be sold from the serving hatch.

It is being held on Saturday 8th October, from 10am to 2pm, with free entry.

I'll be taking along a selection of some new vintage goodies, including the above lavender hanging. It has been made from a vintage tray cloth which has beautiful hand embroidery but was spoilt by a hole. I have patched up the hole with a little bird and reused the embroidery into something lovely.  I will have lots of other products too including papier-mache letters which have been decoupaged with vintage maps, music and newspaper.

I better get back to the work room, I have lots to finish! Hope to see some of you there.