From idea to 'contraception' - mother creates 'Johnny', the Christmas quarantine elf
A mother who created a quarantine Christmas elf in her own unique way has received plaudits for her creativity.
Sapphire Grimes-Williams, from Bayston Hill in Shrewsbury, created the aptly-named "Johnny" the self-isolating elf for her five-year-old daughter Alayla.
Personal assistant Sapphire, 24, had wanted to buy a quarantine elf but thought the £16 price tag in the shops was "a bit steep", so came up with her ingenious solution.
"I'd done Elf on the Shelf before and thought the quarantine elves looked good. She (Alayla) doesn't know any different," she joked.
After experimenting with balloons, she could not get the elf to fit – but it turned out the condom worked perfectly.
Then Sapphire was able to decorate it with pretty bows.
"She's quite happy with it," added Sapphire. "It was her birthday last week. She's a bit of a crafter and we enjoy crafting together."
Sapphire has had lots of attention online following her clever invention, with 3,000 likes and comments on her Facebook post. Now she might consider making more.
"I wasn't expecting anything like this," she said. "I just laughed my head off.
"It's a bit overwhelming. I could make more but I'm pretty busy. I was really proud of the invention."
Elf on the Shelf is a toy which is sent by Father Christmas to watch over little children and make sure they're behaving properly over the festive period.
Parents are supposed to move the toy around the house each day to create the illusion that he is popping up somewhere new and always reporting back to Santa. The tradition started in the US.
