{Click HERE to download for FREE!}
MY NEW ADDICTION: Rubber stamp carving
Oh LORD I never knew carving a rubber stamp would be SO satisfying!! I am officially in love. My Speedball carving kit came this morning to much excitement and I am totally hooked. You can buy the kit from Fred Aldos HERE.
I also totally love the heart stamp I made by following The Mayberry Sparrows tutorial which includes the template to print out. Honestly, I cannot believe how easy it was to create something so pretty!
My next purchase is larger blocks of rubber and some different size cutters, i'm going to go carving cray cray!
MAKE ME: SUPER EASY VALENTINES DAY CARD
Hello my lovelies!
I feel like I haven't done some sort of "proper" tutorial for a while so while I was looking through the various odds and ends I have laying around, I came up with a super easy Valentines card that I think looks pretty sweet. Can I just say, a white pen is my absolute most favorite thing E V E R. Everything looks better covered in white polka dots!
So if you fancy having a go, here's what you'll need:
- Small piece of fabric
- Glue stick
- White pen
- Coloured card
- Coloured envelope
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Sticky letters
1. Start by cutting out a heart from your piece of fabric. This should be just smaller that the width of your card. I did mine freehand but you can also make a heart template to get it perfect.
2. Apply glue to the back of your fabric. Glue sticks are perfect because they really do stick that sucker to the card and you don't have to worry about the card getting soggy underneath like if you used PVA glue.
3. Position your fabric heart where you want it on the card and smooth down. It's got a little bit of slip so don't worry if you don't get it in the exact position you want first time. Just slide it where you want it.
4. Pick a something to say on your heart and stick on the self adhesive letters.
5. With the white pen, draw on some dots!
6. Admire your crafty handy work!
7. With a white pen and a ruler, draw on some address lines on the front of your envelope. If you're not posting the card you can skip this step.
8. Draw some more dots on the envelope because, yep... you really can't have too many polka dots!
9. Write a message in your card and present to the man or woman of your dreams on February 14th!
PS. A white or gold pen makes boring envelopes little things of joy!
Eat me: Valentines shortbread
You'll need:
225g plain flour
100g semolina
225g butter
100g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla or almond extract
Pink gel food colouring (optional)
1. Into a large bowl add your flour and semolina. Mix well to combine.
2. Cut the butter into small chunks and add into the bowl with the flour, semolina, sugar, vanilla extract and a small amount of food colouring. Rub between your fingers until the mixture starts coming together and then knead into a dough. (If you have an electric mixer you can use it with the paddle attachment)
3. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill slightly.
4. Remove dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Cut out hearts using a cookie cutter or you can also make a template out of a piece of card.
5. Place cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put back into the fridge for 30 minutes. Chilling the dough means the cookies won't spread when they are baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 160°C/ Fan 140°C/ Gas 3 and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Remove cookies from the oven and sprinkle with sugar while hot. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking tray and then transfer them to a cooling rack.
8. Make a cup of tea and present to your valentine... or eat them all yourself!
instagram: 4 fun ways to use your photos!
Ever since I joined the iPhone crew, i've been pretty much obsessed with Instagram, and, *rolls eyes because she's single* with Valentines day coming up, here's a few sickening (yeah yeah OK...and sorta sweet!) ways you could use your snaps and turn them into the perfect present!
Have you done anything crafty with your Instagram photos? I'd love to hear your DIY suggestions!
You can also follow me HERE .____.
book review: You Are Awesome 21 crafts to make you happy
I'm super excited that my most recent book order made it through the snow and arrived first thing this week. One of the reasons i'm so excited about it is 'You Are Awesome - 21 Crafts To Make You Happy', is written by blogger Abbey Hendrickson of Aesthetic Outburst. I'm really enjoying these finds and once again, it's always great to be able to support fellow bloggers.
'You Are Awesome' is a a compact (the same size as the small handbag magazines), hardback book of joy, living up to it's name of 21 crafts to make you happy. (I know I say it every time, but hardback books are just so much nicer right?!)
I think it's always fair to say, that you might not always want to make every single craft in these sort of books, but I would most definitely make 80% of the things in 'You Are Awesome' AND use them. The other 20% is purely because they are more children's projects, so if you have some little humans to keep entertained, this is a book you can whip out on a rainy day.
One of my favorite projects is the ribbon chalkboard tutorial and one of the first things I intend on giving a go. I'm going to get out my trusty glue gun and stick them on the front of some terracotta pots for herbs. There's also lots of other ways you could use these, I think they would look great stuck onto a wooden skewer and poked into a floral table decoration to show table numbers at a wedding.
I love the mix of photography and illustrations that are used throughout 'You Are Awesome'. This is an aesthetically pleasing book for sure! I love that it feels a lot like a blog in book form if that makes sense. It really feels like Abbey has stuck to her blogger roots and managed to apply it to the look, feel and tutorials.
All tutorial instructions fit onto one single page, but before you think that this might mean the tutorials won't be easy to follow through a lack of decent instructions, think again. The beauty of this book is that the projects are all pretty simple to make and don't have endless complicated stages BUT, the finally look of what you've created doesn't scream b a s i c at all! There's nothing worse than endless instructions or sixty billion steps - crafting should be fun and not make you want to throw something half made across the room in a rage! Worth noting that there is also a template section at the back of the book too.
To summarise this short and sweet review, i'm fully happy to have 'You Are Awesome' in my craft book collection. If you like homestyle crafts with a modern twist, this is the book for you.
I purchased 'You Are Awesome' from Amazon at the bargain price of £6.86!! If you fancy picking up a copy for yourself then just click HERE.
Tutorials ★★★★
Practicality ★★★★
Practicality ★★★★
Design & photography ★★★★★
Overall ★★★★
8 awesome plastic animal diy projects
7. FARM YARD MAGNETS / 8. MOUNTED MINIATURES /
PS. You can pick up bags of plastic animals S U P E R cheap at toy shops and even in the pound shops!
Snow on a sunday makes me want to sew
It's snowing here in the UK and as i'm back at my parents, I feel like it's time to dust off the sewing machine. I still haven't used it half as much as I should so i've spent the day browsing material and might be putting in a little order for some new fabric.
I'm still using the little pencil case I made HERE using Sweet Verbena's tutorial to keep my lipsticks and eyeliner in my bag. I still cannot recommend this tutorial highly enough, it was easy enough for a novice like me to follow after all!
I'm still impressed I managed to sew in a straight line, let alone add in a zip!
DIY Fox Doll Pillows by A Beautiful Mess (Reminds me of Sass & Belle!)
iPad Case Tutorial by Oh So Lovely Vintage (Felt it super easy to work with!)
DIY Peplum Top by Merricks Art (Maybe getting ahead of myself a bit with this one!)
And lastly, a new tutorial by Sweet Verbena as she is my original sewing idol after all...
I'm now itching to get to HobbyCraft but it might have to wait until the snow stops!
Are you getting up to anything crafty whilst being snowed in?
#imapiece craftivist jigsaw project
Whilst scrolling through twitter, I saw a tweet from @CraftBlogUK asking people to join in and get stitching for the Craftivist Jigsaw Project, part of the Save The Children Race Against Hunger campaign. After reading through all the information, I decided I wanted to 'be a piece' and share it with you guys too.
So... what it is?
Using jigsaw pieces stitched by craftivists (that means you!), the project will create an art installation to raise awareness of the issues of world hunger and injustice. As well as making a piece for the artwork, we're encouraging you to make one for yourself to keep as a reminder to be part of the solution, and to give a piece stitched with the words "I'm a piece" to your MP, to ask them to be the positive change they wish to see in the world.
Why?
The aim is to raise awareness and show that the craft community wants the Government to use its power and influence as host of the 2013 G8 to tackle injustice. Each piece of the puzzle will be stitched with a message to remind us we can all improve the world and help fulfill its potential to be a more beautiful place for all.
How do I get involved?
Easy! Just click HERE to find out everything you need to know about the project and download your jigsaw piece template! Blog about it, tweet about it and share the message!
Creating a jigsaw piece is super easy, and you can decorate it with a positive message. It's a perfect way to mix your creativity with a good cause. The closing date is February 28th 2013.
I sat in bed and stitched my puzzle piece last night. I'm not the worlds greatest sewer and didn't use a sewing machine so there's no excuses! ;-)
Please make sure you also sign the PETITION - Every year, 2.3 million children die because they don’t get enough of the right food.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters and make many ripples.'
#imapiece
So... what it is?
Using jigsaw pieces stitched by craftivists (that means you!), the project will create an art installation to raise awareness of the issues of world hunger and injustice. As well as making a piece for the artwork, we're encouraging you to make one for yourself to keep as a reminder to be part of the solution, and to give a piece stitched with the words "I'm a piece" to your MP, to ask them to be the positive change they wish to see in the world.
Why?
The aim is to raise awareness and show that the craft community wants the Government to use its power and influence as host of the 2013 G8 to tackle injustice. Each piece of the puzzle will be stitched with a message to remind us we can all improve the world and help fulfill its potential to be a more beautiful place for all.
How do I get involved?
Easy! Just click HERE to find out everything you need to know about the project and download your jigsaw piece template! Blog about it, tweet about it and share the message!
Creating a jigsaw piece is super easy, and you can decorate it with a positive message. It's a perfect way to mix your creativity with a good cause. The closing date is February 28th 2013.
I sat in bed and stitched my puzzle piece last night. I'm not the worlds greatest sewer and didn't use a sewing machine so there's no excuses! ;-)
Please make sure you also sign the PETITION - Every year, 2.3 million children die because they don’t get enough of the right food.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters and make many ripples.'
#imapiece
I can't stop thinking about...
Buying some rubber and carving my own stamps! Seriously, i'm spending a lot of time watching these sorts of videos. (watching them is kinda therapeutic!)
Expect to see my own take on this very shortly! I'm itching to give it a try!
PS. Things may be a little quite on here for the next week as my mum has just come out of hospital and i'm back at home while she recovers x
Expect to see my own take on this very shortly! I'm itching to give it a try!
PS. Things may be a little quite on here for the next week as my mum has just come out of hospital and i'm back at home while she recovers x
Craft kits are not just for the kids!
When I was younger, I used to love craft kits. I would quite happily spend hours on my own quilling paper or desperately trying to make some sort of pot on a battery operated potters wheel. (Only child hellooooo!)
Now, while I love aimlessly wandering around Hobbycraft, sometimes you want to make something without the effort of a) deciding what you want to create in the first place and b) without having to go out and source all the supplies. Drum roll build up for the grow up craft kits! These are just a few I found on Etsy that I know i'd like so I thought i'd share them with you. Not a naff House of Crafts box in sight!
1. Mini Motza Cheese Making Kit - Make Cheese
2. Tea Towel Embroidery - StitchesandCrafts
3. Calligraphy Starter Kit - Lineacarta
4. Constellation Triangle Tee - DoItYvette
5. Linocut Starter Kit - Linocutboy
6. Papercut DIY Pack - beetlecherry
7. Junque Journal Starter Kit - tangiebaxter
8. Orion Constellation Embroidery Kit - MiniatureRhino
Have you purchased any craft kits recently that you love?
Make Me monday: Sharpie Mug (f.a.i.l) & Gemma's Jar of Happiness
So the plan is this; every Monday i'm going to post a craft related DIY tutorial and today's was supposed to be sharpie mugs.
I've seen a few people post this sort of thing on Pinterest so I thought, what could be easier than taking a plain porcelain mug, a sharpie and then decorating it yourself?
Well... turns out, it didn't work. You're meant to draw on a mug with a permanent marker and then bake the mug in the oven at 180 for 30 minutes to seal the ink in place.
I tried mine 3 times, leaving it in the oven longer and on a slightly higher heat. Once it was fully cooled, I washed it and the ink would come off with little effort. Has anyone tried this method and had it work for them? I'd be interested to know.
Of course, you can buy porcelain painter pens from Hobbycraft for around £4 so decorating your own mugs is still fun and would then be successful at least!
Safe to say, my first Make Me Monday is a bit of a fail.
But all is not lost! I'm sure most of you follow the lovely Gemma from Gemsmaquillage
and may have seen her recent video on 'The Jar of Happiness'. If not, you can check it, and her bad self out HERE!
The idea is that you get a jar and fill it with little reminders of things you have done or places you've been to that made you happy. At the end of the year, you can look back through everything!
I had some self adhesive felt numbers left over from Christmas cards so I stuck a 2013 on the front of mine, added some gold polka dots with a marker pen and tied with some white ribbon.
My jar is now sitting on the shelf ready to be filled with bits of happiness this New Year brings! I just thought it was a really nice idea and you can also go to town decorating your jar!
Although there's not been a DIY tutorial as such today, I hope this might have given you a little bit of crafty inspiration anyway!
I bought a peg box on Columbia Road
Woke up this morning, looked outside, and as per usual, it was another pretty grim Sunday. Only one thing for it then, go in search of baked goods. (New Years diet doesn't start until tomorrow so it's perfectly acceptable I assure you)
Me, Zach and David jumped in the car (not such a great idea as you have more chance panning for gold than finding parking in Shoreditch) and headed off in search of Lily Vanilli's bakery (I got her book for Christmas) which also turns out to be off the same street as the flower market on Columbia Road.
Now, i've lived in East London twice, for a combined total of 5 years, and i've never actually been to the flower market. Within a few minutes of being here, I realised i've been missing out! The street is lined with interesting shops and running through the middle of the street is the flower market. It's busy, it's noisy and it's pretty amazing. I'm never buying bunches of flowers from Morrisons again.
When we got to Lily Vanilli's, the queue was out the door but went down pretty quick. Now, here's the thing... there was no cake. NO FRICKIN' CAKE IN A BAKERY. Alright, a slight exaggeration but honestly, there was a choice of 3 things and we wanted none of them. Disappointing. I'm assuming that they had sold out due to the bakery opening at 8.30am and us not getting there until noon so here's a top tip, get there early doors if you want cake. Yep, thank me later for that advice.
There is however, plenty more good looking and quirky places to eat and drink plus you can also stop and get a latte and a bacon roll. (David said it's one of the best he's tasted)
Now we all know I like a bit of junk, so my heart did a little backflip when I saw the bric-a-brac stalls. I've been to Portobello market and found it a little bit over priced so I was pleased to see that amongst the expected "vintage" rubbish, was some really nice pieces that were also cheap. WIN/WIN.
I picked up this wooden french peg box for £8. I'm not sure what i'm going to do with it, but I love it. I also bought some kale flowers for a fiver which i'm thinking should last longer (and by that I mean I don't kill them as quick) than roses.
Big fish, little fish, cardboard box
As you'll have seen in yesterdays post, I said I needed some decorated boxes in my life and, thanks to my zero patience, I now have some! Hell yeeeeeah.
Hobbycraft have a SALE on! HOBBYCRAFT HAVE A SALE ON!!
These 2 boxes were half price (although they are pretty cheap to start with, bonus) and I also picked up a few other things for some up coming tutorials. I felt no shame, no shame at all digging my way through the sale bins. £1 craft supplies, I am all over that s***.
These were, in theory, easy to make, just a case of drawing some lines, masking it up and then painting. However, my mathematical skills are non existent so working out how many centimetres wide each triangle should be required assistance.
I'm really pleased with how these turned out and now I have a new home for my nail polish and jewellery.
The paints I used were by DecoArt in Lilac Frost & Champagne Gold. Champagne gold is such a beautiful colour a very pale almost silver that I feel I need to paint everything with!
All in all, a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon!
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