Felt Rose & Book Page Butterfly Wreath...

What's your colour theme for Christmas this year?

Every year I plan my decorating around a colour theme...

and this year I have decided to keep it more traditional 

with red, white and green.

Christmas wreaths are so much fun to create,

so using the willow wreath previously made

http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/diy-willow-wreath.html

I made a ton of gorgeous wee felt roses to decorate it with.

All you do it cut strips of felt using the adage...the thinner the strip, the smaller the rose.

Roll a centre, 

 

then twist the felt as you tightly wind it around.

Hot glue the end and hold until the glue firms.

I made green, red and white ones... 

Which will be perfect for this years Christmas colour theme.

 I LOVE Christmas creating...
don't you?

 Once you have made your roses,
simply hotglue them around the wreath.
For the focal bow,
I made a bow out of red satin ribbon, but this was not quite right.
So I made another bow from green felt.
And it was perfect!

The book paper butterflies made the other day
were added...
If you want to know how to make these follow this link...
http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/diy-book-paper-butterflies.html

And it was finished!

A rather large but beautiful Christmas wreath.

Next on the list of 'Christmas Things To Do' is...
A porch sign.
What super fun Christmas is!

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#christmaswreaths #diywreaths #howtomakefeltroses #diychristmascrafts

DIY Book Paper Butterflies...

Such a simple idea...

And simple to do!

Butterflies made from old book pages.

First:  find a butterfly template you like on the net.

Print it on your home computer in the sizes you want.

Pulling pages from the book was extremely difficult for me to do.

As a book lover, there is no such thing as an 'old' book'!
And I think my Mama taught me well as a small child to respect books.
You see,

I had rushed into the op shop 
and grabbed this book without a second glance, 

so on the day of the butterfly-making project 
I actually stopped to look at it...

Sigh!

An hour or so later,

the book page butterflies began...
(because I just had to have a little read first,

great book it was too...
 about Scotland,

full of history, short stories and poems.)

I 'saved' pages of poetry for future use.
(A way to compensate my destructive behaviour!)

and then proceeded to pull pages.
I used four book pages for each butterfly.

Next cut out your butterfly templates.

Using it as a stencil,

With a pen draw around the outline.
You can have the print running vertically or horizontally,
it is up to you.

 Gather together some brads and string.

 I used Christmas brads.

Large red stars

red jewel sparkles

and little gold stars

 So all you do is:

Holding your pages book pages tightly, 

use craft scissors to cut around the drawn outline of the butterfly.

 Pop a brad in the centre to hold it all together...

 Or use string...

Leave a length of the string from the knot when you cut it for the antennae.

Then fold the butterfly wings up so you get a 3D effect.

I've made these in two different sizes to use for Christmas decorating.

But, you could use them for anything and for any occasion.

Just use your wonderful imagination!

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#christmas #craft #papercraft #bookpage #butterfly #ornament

DIY Silver Tray and Button Heart Art...

Isn't it so much fun re-purposing things?

At the moment I am enjoying being creative with old silver trays.

Combine silver,
and...

some glorious old buttons...

With a little creativity, you can create a new artwork!

I needed a little something for the wall above the washing machine,

which is for the Laundry revamp (ongoing project).

If you want to know why that is an ongoing project,

It is because I am the sort of person who is easily distracted.

The laundry revamp is fairly minor, 

as there is only a wee bit of touch-up painting required,

no major wall painting...
and a little bit of décor changing.

Very difficult to complete when life is so full of distractions like

photography, other craft projects, my grandchildren and tea parties!

'Never mind, I say, 'I LOVE distractions. 

There is another day tomorrow!'

So to create this:

DIY Button Heart Art

You will need:

An old silver tray (mine is just a small one)

A heart template (Many shapes to choose from on the net)

Marker pen.

Scissors

Paint in a colour of your choice.

Paintbrush

A selection of buttons in chosen colours

Glue.

-----

Simply cut out your heart template with the scissors.

Place it in position on the tray.

Draw around the outline of it with the marker pen.

Select the buttons to fit in the heart outline...

Paint the heart in your desired colour.

When it is dry,

Glue the buttons on it.

Dry overnight...

and hang it on the wall.
(I used those fabulous velcro 'easy to remove' picture strips)

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#heart #craft #buttons #upcycled #repurposed 

Dutch Irises...

The colour of this Dutch Iris is AMAZING!

Every year it pops up in Mia Bella Passions Garden with its incredible purple colour and a bold yellow stripe!

The History Of The Dutch Iris.

Dutch irises, asIris hollandica, are celebrated for their striking colours and elegant shape. Despite their name, Dutch irises do not actually originate from Holland itself. The journey of Dutch irises begins in the Mediterranean.  From the 17th century, plant breeders in the Netherlands began to enhance the beauty and robustness of irises. By the 20th century, these hybrids were being exported worldwide, with the 'Dutch Iris' label as a nod to the Netherlands breeding skill.

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 

Average plant height: 60 cm

Planting depth to base of bulb: 15 cm

Spacing between bulbs: 10cm

Light requirement: full sun

Landscape uses: beds, borders and pots. 

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 

Dutch Iris is a fabulous cut flower for the vase.

Purple Varieties

The rich hues of purple in Dutch Irises symbolise royalty and elegance, making them a popular choice for many occasions. Here are some notable purple varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'Blue Magic': This variety flaunts deep blue-purple flowers with a striking yellow throat, creating a beautiful contrast that catches the eye.

· Iris x hollandica 'Purple Prince': True to its name, Purple Prince offers large flowers with a majestic royal purple colour, ideal for adding a touch of luxury to any garden.

· Iris x hollandica 'Hollandica': A classic choice, this variety features elegant violet blooms that exude charm and sophistication, making them perfect for both contemporary and traditional gardens.

White Varieties

If you're looking to add a touch of purity and simplicity to your floral displays, consider these gorgeous white varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'White Excelsior': This variety is renowned for its pure white petals and striking yellow markings, bringing a sense of grace to any floral arrangement.

· Iris x hollandica 'Alba': Alba offers pristine white blooms with a slight hint of cream, making it a versatile choice for weddings and other elegant occasions.

· Iris x hollandica 'Snow Queen': True to its name, this variety stands out with its dazzling white flowers, perfect for brightening up any space in the garden or home.

Whether you prefer the regal shades of purple or the elegance of white, Dutch Irises are sure to mesmerise you with their beauty.

They are a favourite in Mia Bella Passions Gardens!

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#dutchirises #floweringbulbs

Homemade Coconut 'Bounty' Bars

When I have failures, they seem to happen in twos or threes.

Thankfully, by some miracle, 
I seem to be able to save the project at hand!
Remember the 'almost failure' with the French Look DIY pot?

http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/mod-podge-creation-reveal.html

Well, folks, here is another 'almost' EPIC FAIL
 I thought I would share it with you.
I added the word EPIC as I was pretty sure 
Whilst making these Bounty Bars, they were definitely not savable!

I found a delicious recipe for homemade bounty bars
with SIMPLE picture instructions at 'Not Enough Cinnamon',

http://notenoughcinnamon.com/2012/11/30/easy-homemade-bounty-aka-mounds/

Homemade bounty bars aresometimes known as mounds.

I thought, "Oh, YUM, let the confectionery-making begin!"

It all started off so well.

I gathered my ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and melting chocolate.

And into my bowl went:

one cup of condensed milk and three cups of coconut.

It was mixed together as instructed.

So far so good!

But then mistake number one occurred,

I added a bit more coconut as I thought the mixture was too wet!

 Mental note to self for the future...

'Do not overthink things!'

Then I 'squeezed' the coconut mixture - using clean, wet hands into mounds.

Which of course was harder to do, 

because my mixture was now drier than it should have been.

Second note to self:

'Do not adjust quantities - stick to recipe!'

The wee mounds were popped onto a tray lined with baking paper and into the freezer for 20 minutes they went.

Near the end of chilling time, I melted the milk chocolate.

This is where things went horribly, horribly wrong!

The first mound was dipped, and the coldness of it made the chocolate set FAST!

It looked OK, quite smooth, but a little thick, 

so thinking the chocolate needed to be thinner.

Mistake number two occurred.

 I added a little bit of cream to it.

BIG MISTAKE!

IT WENT THICKER!!!

Needless to say, I was grateful a chocolate cake was in the oven, 

and my chocolate concoction was now the ganache to ice it with!

Then melted dipping chocolate attempt number two began.

Dark chocolate this time.

Nicely melted, 

but I still struggled to dip my mounds nicely.

They did not look smoothly coated.

In fact, mine most certainly resembled hedgehogs!

And worst still, one got completely stuck to the fork.

(But that was a terrific excuse to EAT it!)

It's clear I need a few lessons on how to dip confectionery into melted chocolate.

(I think I did not have my melted chocolate hot enough!)

But the good thing is,

they may not look like the perfect chocolate mounds 

created by 'not enough cinnamon' on their Blog,

BUT THEY DO TASTE DELICIOUS.

My homemade coconut bounty bar mounds have a new name:

 'Coconut hedgehogs'!

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#homemadesweets #homebakedconfectionery #homemadebountybars

Cupcake making for kids!

It was with much fun that we had the pleasure of 'testing' a cupcake kit for kids

for our local Whitcoulls bookstore!
First, we make a batch of vanilla cupcakes
and let them cool before icing them.

You can use your favourite vanilla cupcake recipe or a bought box mix.

 The kit had the smallest rolling pin you've ever seen in it...

cute little cutters, and fondant in pink, yellow, white and blue.

This kit is quite educational, too.
With fondant in primary colours mixed to make new colours,

Yellow + blue = green...
So that's a bit of colour science, isn't it?

 The fondant passed the taste test.

Kids would love the different flavours...

 Pink strawberry was the best!

 The little cupcake stand was a trick to get the cupcakes on...

But this was the end result.

Cupcake making with fondant icing.

Now there's an idea to keep the children entertained 
during the weekend,
or holidays!

Use dyes and flavours with plain fondant on your homemade cupcakes, if you can't find a kit.

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by joining for free HERE.

#kidsbakingideas #schoolholidayactivities

DIY Willow Wreath...

The countdown to Christmas is truly underway, have you been doing any planning?

I thought I had better get a move on with that,

 so I sat down with pen and notepad, and planned away!

Every year I have a colour theme,

and this year it will be the traditional red, dark green and white.

I'm going to make book page butterflies, Scotty dog decorations in white felt, and a decorated wreath.

Those bits will go nicely with the felt reindeer made last year,

and all the other Christmasy things, I have made or collected over the years.

Don't you just LOVE Christmas?

When do you decorate your house?

Are you like me and decorate in the first week of December?

The large willow wreath was today's creation.

 It should be dry enough to decorate in a few weeks.

Here is how you make a willow wreath...

There is a little willow tree in the house paddock at Mia Bella Gardens, so I gathered some of it.

You will need to pick the more flexible new growth.

As well as some thin wire and secateurs.

The next task was to strip the leaves and tips from the willow...

 Then cut some small pieces of wire...

 Choosing some of the longer lengths of willow bend into a circle.

 Using the wire, bind it together in three of four places.

 Don't worry if it's not perfectly round, 

for you will shape it as you weave more willow into it.

 Keep weaving and twisting, poking the willow into the circle.

Give it a squish and help it shape into a circle.

If you have access to willow, have a go at making a wreath...

It is lovely to work with as it is so supple.

It took me about 3/4 of an hour to make this....

Quite therapeutic actually, all that weaving.

 And here it is...ready to hang and dry...

Don't the poppies look pretty framed by my DIY willow wreath?

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#howtomakeawillowwreath  #wreathmakingtips #wreaths