Monday 15 July 2013

Last Minute Teacher Gifts

Just a quick round up of last minute teacher gifts found on ETSY. These are all from UK sellers and if ordered very quickly should arrive by the end of term especially if you don't finish until next Tuesday like my boys. I can't wait for the school holidays to start!
Apple for teacher keyrings by BluebirdsGlass

Thank you teacher tags by CraftyMushroom Cards
Wild cherry bookmarks by CottageCoppicing


Kindle Fire 7" Case APPLES by WhimsyWooDesigns

Two Glass Magnets by BlueDaisyGlass
Giant Paperclip bookmarks by BlueDaisyGlass


Friday 12 July 2013

Lino Cuts

For those of you that are linked to my facebook page  
https://www.facebook.com/bluedaisyglass ( feel free to go and like) 
you may have noticed I've had a thing going for lino cuts this week. Oscar got some tools and lino in his birthday tool box and I thought I should have a go to iron out any problems! Good job I did they are so sharp I sliced my finger within the first two minutes. There was quite a lot of blood! 


I had in mind some 'Thank you' cotton bags from the boys to their teachers. Oscar drew a picture of a sun and wrote 'thank you' on sheet of paper the same size. Then I turned the paper over and rubbed the back. I remember doing this at school using that odd tracing paper from the toilets. (Humour me those of you that are young enough not to remember this paper!) So glad I remembered to turn the words backwards. I did however forget the part where you leave the part you want and so on the 'Oscar 'test piece I actually cut the letters.

 It doesn't look too bad though. It took a while to cut off all the excess and I did my first print onto paper. It was obvious where I hadn't cut enough so I cleaned it and scraped some more. After another few test sheets I was ready to print on the bags. No room for mistakes here.


 I did an extra one for me with a dandelion style cut. The bags are hanging to dry while I cut personalized lino for each teachers name. I think if they were mounted onto wood they would work as a stamp so I'll include those in the bag. Each child has drawn then carved their own name on a circular piece of lino add a 'from' element to the bags.

I enjoyed this project and so delved into the online crafty world to find some professional examples. I cannot believe how intricate the designs are. How on earth!

Jools Yasities
I love these stylized flowers.

King and Queen of Hearts by JaneDukeArtist
I love the multiple colours in this one. I may have to do a 'how to' on youtube.


Moleskin bee notebook by Talented Apple 

I think my boys would love to print on books and paper with name prints they have been working on.
HannahAndHerPress

This is so precise. One slip of the tool and a whole row of cabbages would be wiped out! I love the perfection in this one.

Saturday 6 July 2013

Strawberries.

So it's the final weekend of Wimbledon and Murray Mound is heaving. It's actually sunny and the forecast predicts that it will remain so for Sunday. Let's grab some strawberries and a bottle of Pimms and think positive thoughts. 

Door hanger by Picocrafts

Strawberry facts.....

Nearly 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten at Wimbledon each year.

Kindle pouch by Bluebirds and Daisies

Eating eight strawberries will give you more Vitamin C than an orange.

There are approx 200 seeds in every strawberry.


Strawberry Pincushion by Hippywitch

The strawberry plant is a member of the rose family.

Ellagic acid found in strawberries can help to fight cancer.

Cholesterol may be reduced by the flavonoids in strawberries.

Baby newborn strawberry hat by The Yarn Owls Nest

I think I'm going to go and look for a jam recipe as I have a bit of a glut. I keep buying those special offer boxes and no one else seems to be eating them except me. A 100 g serving for 50 calories is pretty good though. Perhaps it's the cream I am adding! 

Enjoy the tennis.