Easter Eggcessories!

Well, I made it, just in time! The Easter decorating ran a little late this year. I just finished last night!

 

 

This was because I have been a little under the weather but also as some of my new decorations were handmade. Most of my new tree decorations were made using my craft du jour...Decoupage!

 

It sure is time consuming. I'm a newbie and self-thought so please be kind!

First off, I decoupaged some eggs...

 

 

These were made from Polystyrene. The one on the left was decoupaged using old stamps, the other two with paper napkins. To finish, I added a ribbon from my stash using a pearl topped straight pin.
 

Then, I decoupaged some cute little paper mache bird houses...

 

 

These were made using a combination of coloured paper and little flowers cut from paper napkins.
 

These decorations went on my Easter tree...

 

 As Mr. Auburn was away, I had to call on my father-in-law for assistance. I had more a branch in mind but this is what I got and now it's in I really like it!

 

Of course I had to do an egg and a birdhouse to match the downstairs loo...
 

 

It took all I had to cut up this vintage sheet music! It was 'The Seasons' by Haydn too!!

I think they look nice though with the cream and black decor, as does this birdhouse; quite fitting with my wallpaper...

 

Then I made some nests; this one with the help of a tutorial from Perpetual Plum.

It was made using a wire coat hanger and the offcuts from my Easter tree. The moss and feathers I gathered on a walk, the quail eggs; I blew out a couple of years back. This was a little fiddly but the most natural looking nest I think.
 

 

This one in the fishbowl; I made using just moss and little pieces of hay and leaves...

 

 

 This one I made using shredded paper and some more of that moss...

 

 

 I then popped it inside the birdcage, added some hen eggs, some feathers and this little straw chick...

 

This chalk egg I got from the Euro shop, I sprayed it gold and aged it a bit with some antique brown...

 

 

It accompanies these gold fellows on my mantle...

 

 

I made some little pics for my kitchen notice board with some die cuts I had left over from an Easter project a couple of years back...

 

 

I think the vintage bunny scenes are really cute...

 

 

You've already met the March Hare...who dressed up for Easter...

 

 

He has joined old favourites like Rascally Rabbit who came all the way from America...

 

 

Here are some more old reliables from around the house...

 

To welcome you in; a Gisela Graham egg wreath embellished with a little chick...

 

 

Some Peter Rabbit Wedgewood...

 

 

An Easter postcard from 1909...
 

 

Some painted eggs with more of those die cuts...

 

 

Don't these look like bunnies??

 

The goose that laid the golden egg??

 

More birds' nests...

 

A lovely hare painted by my mother...

 

 

An old Easter project inspired by Bhg...

 

 

Some ceramic chicks painted in eau de nil to match the kitchen...

I love hyacinths and tulips for Easter...

 

A little gift from my mother...

Eggs, eggs, eggs...

 

Well, it wouldn't be Easter without some chocolate ones too...

Hope you're having an eggcellent Easter!!!

 

An Eclectic Mix!

As last Sunday was St. Patrick's Day; Monday was a bank holiday which meant we had a nice long weekend here in Ireland. My husband and I went to a car boot which is held on bank holidays in a neighbouring county. There was a really good turnout despite the bitterly cold weather.  

What can I say, the items that made it home are an eclectic mix!

 From an old toolbox; came an old carpenter's ruler...

This also came from the carpenter's toolbox,

I have something in mind for it...

An old flour sieve...



A cattle/horse trimmer... This was a freebie from the same seller! The jury is still out!!

A cute little egg storage box which is going to get a face lift...



And this lovely carriage lamp...

This is the piece de résistance on a recent outdoor project (and upcoming post!).

Oh, I almost forgot this fine fellow...

 He wasn't at the car boot. We found him elsewhere and he practically begged us to take him home for Easter....

Shell Craft Passed On!

When I was a little girl, my grandparents went on their holidays to Salthill. For those of you who don't know; Salthill is a seaside resort west of Galway city. They would spend lots of their time there on the beach and always took home lots of lovely shells. In Ireland, it's mostly cockle and mussel shells to be found on our beaches.
 

 

When they got home, I watched in amazement as they used these shells to create beautiful lamp bases and plant pots.
They would get empty oversized whisky bottles and cover them in what I think was Polyfil to stick the shells to the bottle. When dry, it would get a layer of varnish which would give it a lovely aged look. They added a light fitting and a shade and you got something a bit like this...
 

So, years later, I decided to give it a go.

I had this horrible, cabbage-like framed mirror that I got as a gift. The frame accidently broke (no, really) so I couldn't hang it up.

 In addition to my shell collection, I picked up some extra small shells and some resin star fish from a craft store online. I got some polyfil from the hardware and got to it. Firstly, I had to fix the crack in the wood with some glue. Then, I spread a small section at a time with polyfil and starting sticking. It's more difficult than you might think. You have to work fast as the filler dries so quickly. I had to enlist help from Mr. Auburn. I was not built for speed when it comes to crafting!!

After a couple of coats of vanish, this is how it turned out...



One thing I simply had to include was a little gold charm. In my grandparents' house, high on a shelf in the kitchen was a shell covered plant pot they had made. There, glistening from between the shells was a tiny gold spinning wheel charm, it fascinated me as a child. So, I sourced some tiny ships wheels on eBay for my mirror...

My shell mirror has pride of place...

 

in my vaguely nautical themed upstairs bathroom...