Tissue Tubes and Titivating

Tissue Tubes and Titivating.... that's what's been taking up my time this week, mainly the "titivating" (Hubby and I have both been sprucing up our front porch area - well, we've made a good start anyway) but this little Tissue "Tube" took a disproportionate amount of time, I'm tellin' ya!! 

 

When I saw these tissues in my local supermarket, my crafty eyes lit up!  

The lids are removable, so when it comes to refilling - easy peasy, lift off old lid, insert new tissues, replace new lid!!  I've made this for our bedroom, as the really rather gorgeous (IMHO - H for Humble, lol) tissue box cover got ditched when hubby helpfully replaced the tissues - and as he dismantles everything for recycling thoroughly it was definitely a gonna :-(  I have left instructions re this one, lol.It really shouldn't have taken that long - but it did, don't know why, I think I was probably a bit distracted.  Anyway all I've done is cover the tube with some luscious Chiyogami  "Autumn Maples" paper from Starfish Lane- I've loved this stuff, particularly this pattern, since my son and daughter-in-law used it for their engagement invitations about six years ago!  I cut the DCWV cardstock scalloped circles with Nellie Snellen dies, and the plain ones with Nestabilities Standard Circles.  The strip around the tube is cut with  Martha Stewart's Doily Lace border punch, the gold cord trim is from my stash, the metal butterfly is also from my stash, but I remember getting it in a pack from Spotlight - for some reason the gold ones are big and the silver ones smaller, go figure! 

Crafty Cardmakers has a No Cards challenge, so I'm entering there, Craft Your Passion  has an Anything Goes challenge as does Creatalicious Challenges so I'm entering there too.  Sassy Cheryl Show Me Thursdays  like to see what you're doing, so I'm showing 'em, lol.

That's it for my Tissue Tube, half an hours work, eh? HAH!

What did take quite a bit longer was the decorating at our front door, I don't have any "before" pictures, suffice to say it was looking tired and the Indian Red Oxide/Cream combo was a bit dated.  Stripping the paint back was the worst bit, seriously it took days.  

 

Anyway while we were there, we thought we'd add a stone feature panel and some new pots, the plants are "fake" (good move if they're coming to stay at my house, I tend to love pot plants to death by over watering) but I'm really happy with them as they are so realistic, which is why they cost over $80 each!! three times the price of the pots.

We had some stone left over from when we did our al fresco area last year,and thought we'd use it up, only problem is we bought too much again, so we've still got some left... may stop trying to use it up now, lol.  I thought I'd add a photo of the al fresco because back in October I said I would when we'd got our new furniture, but forgot, so here it is.  We'll add cedar lining to the eaves at the front door the same as in the al fresco - time and money dictate when! 

 

Essential Equipment

 Well that's what I've been up to, I'll definitely be back with a card soon - it's more fun than dusty stone cutting, that's for sure!  Until then, Happy Crafting, Donna