Halloween Craft Ideas: Part 1

I know, I know... it's only the 3rd of October BUT seeing as the shops have already started to put out their Christmas stock, I thought it wasn't too premature to start thinking about Halloween! (And buy a couple of things already!)


I think my love of Halloween stems from being a 90s child watching Hocus Pocus and I know I say it every year, but I wish the UK would embrace it a little more like America. I'm hoping that this year in London, a few people might knock on the door and I won't get a repeat of last year, getting a grand total of O N E trick or treater! 

Over the next couple of weeks, i'll be putting up some of my own tutorials, but here's some great starter ideas I found on Pinterest. I totally want to bust a pair of the witches shoes! 

Have you got any plans for Halloween? What decorations will you be making? I made a Halloween wreath last year which i'll be dusting off and putting up again too! You can see that HERE!

Book Lust: Goûters rigolos





Goûters rigolos is by Aline Caron of My Little Fabric. It might be in French but I could spend all day drooling over the cute pictures! It's available on Amazon for the bargain price of £5.86! Would be rude not to buy it really.... 

Tatty stool becomes giant humbug


The time finally came when I couldn't put off the "stool makeover" any longer. I think my housemate would have gone mad. (Thanks Gwinne for putting up with this beautiful piece being stuck by the back door for weeks! Haha!)

The photos should be self explanatory, I hope they are as I really didn't have a clue what I was doing and just sort of... winged it. 

Obviously the first thing was to paint the pre sanded stool, easy.
From here on, I had no idea how to execute said stool makeover. Most normal people would have googled, I just decided I could figure it out as I went along. This is a flaw of mine that I always intend on changing but never do. I have the complete inability to plan before doing. Some call that inpatient. Mwwahaa.

The first bit was easy, using some card I drew around the top of the stool and cut out two templates to pin onto the foam.
The next action can only be described as hacking the living day lights out of the foam. As you can see, it looks a complete and utter mess but it did end up in a seat shape. Just. Luckily once covered in fabric you couldn't see my bodged job! I'm not sure scissors were the right thing to use but alas, I used them anyway!
Check out my new staple gun! I feel proper badass with this! I need more things to staple in my life!

Again, I didn't find out how to cover the cushion correctly, I just turned the stool over, pulled the fabric tight and started shooting staples in it. It worked so small victory for the unprepared! Finally using some fabric glue, I stuck on some mini pom pom trim around the edge. 
And this is the final result! It's not perfect but I love it! Proof that someone else's rubbish, with a little bit of effort, can make a nice (and free!) addition to your house! 

Cost:
Stool F R E E!
Fabric £3.20 (for 1 fat quarter so lots extra)
Pom Poms £0.99
Foam £6.50
Staple Gun £8.99 (investment, i'll use this again!)

Total = £19.68

*I already had left over paint from my chest of drawers and the fabric glue so I haven't added these into my total.

October 2012 desktop calendar

{Click HERE to download for free!}

J'adore Paris!

Bonjour! I am back from the most amazing weekend in Paris, I am quite sad about this and I feel like the British weather is making me day dream even more about being back in the sunny Latin Quarter with a cake!

Obviously for the couple of days I was away I strayed off the Jenny Craig healthy eating path (I'm back on my last week now) but I actually didn't eat as much as I though I would! I spent so much time walking and getting around the city that unbelievably, food was an after thought. 

I thought i'd share some photos I took, if you follow me on instagram you will have already seen these but if not, here's the highlights! (Photo heavy!)


Let's start with the good stuff! Gérard Mulot was a 5 minute walk away from our hotel and the choice of cakes was quite overwhelming! Everything, and I mean E V E R Y T H I N G looked so good! Honestly, these cakes are the best thing I have ever eaten. I could have spent all day just looking at the cakes and macarons. It's definitely inspired me to dust off the mixer and get creating! If you're in Paris, I highly recommend paying it a visit!



In just a couple of days we managed to cover a lot of ground! Paris is actually quite easy to navigate your way around (thanks to the map on my iPhone!) and the Metro is also easy to use. We went to the Eiffel Tower in the day and night, went up the Arc de Triomphe (Climbed all 248 steps for a spectacular view! Best €9 spent!) and stopped off at the Louvre. 



We took a walk up to Notre-Dame and wanted to go in but the queue was so long we would have wasted a good chunk of time standing around, so we hopped on the Metro and went to have a look at the Moulin Rouge. After seeing the film, the real thing was a little bit lack luster! Still nice to say i've seen it!

Here's a top tip for you, one we were given before leaving but chose to ignore... When in Paris DO NOT stop off at cafes for a couple of colas unless you want to part with €14. I'm not sure why, but fizzy drinks are a premium in Paris and we found out the hard way! 


We actually stumbled on the lock bridge while walking somewhere, it's very cute! Also the flower shops in Paris are just the most beautiful places ever! I love how they put roses into little tins, I'm going to make myself a Paris inspired arrangement this week! 


Yep... more food! Such a child but hugely amused by a packet of Haribo Floppy! 


Then finally it was time to leave our lovely hotel and head back to London :-(


These photos wouldn't be complete without some vanity shots so here's me and Sean's 'Look we're in Paris!' selection!


Sean knew how much I wanted to go to Paris so this was my present from him for my 30th birthday back in July. Paris was everything I hoped it would be and Sean, thank you for such a memorable, fun and amazing time! You are the best friend a girl could wish for! (He'll read that and want to puke haha!) Can't wait for the next adventure to the  Harry Potter Studio tour in the next couple of weeks!

I'm already looking at when I can go back to Paris again! I was enjoying myself so much, I didn't even go into Sephora! 

And on a final note, i'm off to paint my found on the street stool as my fabric supplies arrived while I was away and I can finish it off this week! I'll of course blog the process!
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