Chair

When we first moved into our house the previous owner had left a lot of old furniture to help us as we were first time buyers. This was very nice of them, but a lot of their items needed a facelift. The first thing I set my eyes on were the dining chairs.

They are pretty good chairs and we had a table and no chairs, but the table is bright orange and these didn't really match. So I waited until we picked our colour theme and then purchased some fabric to match. It was the same fabric that I used for the kitchen blind.

For the woodwork I used some left over paint that we had used on a feature wall. At first I sanded down the wood and then I applied a couple of coats of the paint. They look so much better I think and I have had many compliments which is lovely.

It was the first time I had attempted anything like this, but it really was nowhere as difficult as I thought it would be. Anyone can give it a go!

Simple Scarf Change

Who doesn't love a scarf or a snood? I have so many of the things. But lately I have been preferring a snood. They just go on, hardly move and there is no annoying trying not to get them stuck in your coat zip moments. So I looked at my stack of scarves and wondered which I could improve after finding the most simple tutorial on how to make a snood. I thought, why have I not done this? This amounted in me making 3 snoods in just over an hour. Crazy. But also dangerous!!

So, how do you turn a scarf into a snood you ask? It is so simple...

1. Take your scarf...

2. Trim off the tasseled ends...

3. Then work out which will be your right side, then right side together pin the two raw ends together and sew and zig zag the edges. (Or overlock if you have a fancy machine.)

4. You could then leave it at that but to make mine a little neater I then folded that seam down and pressed it and sewed  it parallel to the fold seam to make it a flat seam. Like so...

5. That's you done. Grab and go for a fast paced lady!

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Jewels and Sparkles

Everyone likes something a little pretty for Christmas and when you have a lot of girly friends and not so much money it can be hard to give them all that bit of sparkle. So I have devised a way to give all my friends a little sparkle.

I purchased some silver plated studs and ring blanks from online, and raided my button box and my stash of small semi-precious stones. Then I warmed up my glue gun and got to sticking! They are so easy but everyone loves a handmade gift, well I do especially!

Tigers Eye Studs

Button Rings

Button Studs

Carnelian Studs

What would you make? X

Loom

Furthering my interest of all things woven I decided to make a loom. They are pretty expensive but you can knock one up pretty cheaply! I had an old frame lying around the flat and some nails and went to work.

What you need:
* Wooden frame
* Nails, not too short but not too long or too big
* Hammer
* Ruler
* Pencil

What to do:
1. Measure out where you want your nails to go using the ruler and pencil on two opposite sides of the frame.

2. Hammer the nails into where the markings are.

Done!

Pin-ups

Lately I have had a real crush on all things woven, Navajo, western, Aztec whatever you want to call it. I love the natural fibres used and I really want to know all about Peruvian weaving and the natural dies that they use.
Here are some crafts, makes and ideas of different degrees of skill for you all to peruse. Some beautiful things...

Arrows

 Clutch Bag

Wall Hanging

Dip Dyed Baskets

Dream Catchers

Hope you like them too! 

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Blanket Box

Living in this apartment is sometimes hard due to a lack of space and me having a lot of craft stuff (I can't stop!!). So I decided to purchase a blanket box to keep all our linens in.
I first looked around for a lovely vintage piece, but I could not find one that I liked. So I settled on this cheap little number.

I wanted to paint it but there was no need to spend a ridiculous amount on paint, all I used was one small tester of this paint. I even did two coats with it. Though I will say I did not do the top! Then I had some left over 2 inch wadding and I cut out two rectangles the same size as the top and put them one on top of the other.I took the same fabric that I used on the inside of my pouffe and cut a rectangle the same size as the top but with a two inch border all around, then I picked out this gorgeous fabric and cut out the same sized rectangle. I purchased some white upholstery nails from B&Q and then folding the fabric under, so it doesn't leave a raw edge I hammered in my nails roughly an inch apart all the way around making sure the fabric is tight, but not too tight.

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Envelope Clutch

Two makes in a week that I planned and actually completed, wow, I am on a roll! This pattern is by See Kate Sew. I found it while mooching for ideas and it is fabulous! Recently I have seen lots of envelope clutches around, some casual and others smarter, but now I know I can make them any which way I want to, I am never going to buy another one again!

This time I took a navy fabric for the outside and a floral blue pattern for the inside, the button is navy and gold and fits perfectly for a smarter occasion. I dressed it up with one of the crochet bows I made previously. Pretty.

Take a looksie...

Next I want to make one like this here (but more envelopey), like this and add a cross body strap... or a felt one like this! So many ideas. What would you make?

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Bookcase re-vamp

This bookcase was in our living room, cluttered up and pretty boring. The best a famous Swedish furniture store can give. So I put my touch on it, I purchased some wallpaper and got to sprucing it up!

I used glue rather than paste to stick the wallpaper to the backboard of the bookcase. Matching up the patter properly of course! It took around 15 minutes which was way quicker than I thought it would be! Now I get to put all my nicknack's and books/vinyls on a beautiful piece of furniture.

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Rocking chair re-vamp

When I first moved into my flat six months ago (wow, I can't believe it's been six months), we just bought things that we needed but never really made it ours. Being rented there is only so much we can do, and decorating isn't one of them. And with it being a very magnolia place, the colour needs to come from within. So I decided to re-vamp some of our pieces. Starting with a beautiful rocking chair that my friend gave me. A rocking chair was a piece of furniture that I grew up with, I loved rocking on it (and yes I am looking forward to having one when I am old and grey, with my knitting and a blanket).

I went to my local DIY store and got some acrylic eggshell in a beautiful duck egg blue colour. Three coats later its beautiful! I am thinking of putting in a proper cushion seat as its not the most comfortable base on a chair, but that's a plan for the future. Oooh... maybe a little yarn bomb!

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Paint colour is Morris Blue. Similar Chairs can be found here, and here.

Bunting

It's officially party season, and who doesn't need bunting at a party? Or just to decorate a small corner :) I love making bunting, and it was the first thing I made when I purchased my sewing machine. I have made it for friends and family, and been told it's better than most that can be purchased in shops. I will take that compliment!!

What you will need:
* fabric
* ribbon - the length depends on how long your bunting will be (also I used a textured ribbon rather than a shiny finish) but the width should be around an inch across
* sewing machine or a needle and thread
* template like this one (draw a triangle 13cm across the top and 18cm to the point)

What you need to do:
1. Draw and cut out your template, and using a pen draw around the template. You need 2 Triangles for every flag on your bunting.

2. When you have drawn out all your triangles, cut them out and pair up.

3. Pin them together with the outsides touching together. Then sew around the two side edges around 5mm from the edge, and leave the top open.

4. When you have sewn up all your triangles turn them all inside out. Then iron them to make sure that they're flat.

5. Take your ribbon and pin the flags all along, making sure that the gaps in between are uniform. The ribbon should be wide enough for it to fold in half over the flag and cover the top gap. Pin all the way along and iron to make sure its flat. Then sew all along the ribbon making sure that the flags stay firm and the two ribbon edges are sewn together.

Beautiful!!

Hope your parties go well!

Little Details

Wrapping up a gift is very important to me. I love receiving a really well packaged present, and I always put as much thought into wrapping my present as buying the gift inside. Special little details are important to me, even if they only last a few moments until the paper is yanked off! Here are a couple of little details that I have added to my gifts this year, as well as the pom pom gift wrap from an earlier post.

Magic Wand
I have decided to give all my girlies a little magic and make them a wand! It was literally a 30 second make using two 30cm pipe cleaners. I made a zig zag with 4 points at the top, 5 at the bottom and the each end being slightly longer than the zig zags in between. I bent it round for the two points to meet and there is your star. Twist the two ends together and then using the second pipe cleaner wrap it around the twisted ends and there you go. Wrap it around any ribbon or ties that you have on your gift and it adds a 3D element that's a bit special.

Stamped gift tags
Gift tags are something that I have always made myself. I don't understand people who get upset because they can't find a gift tag in the shops that matches their paper. Make your own people!! I just got a large piece of card, took my Christmas stamp set and got a bit stamp happy... Then I cut them out into tag shapes and voila! Done! :)

Good luck with your wrapping people, only four more sleeps 'til Santa!! X

Origami Gift Box

Sometimes, when wrapping all the gifts commences, you suddenly remember something important. For me it is mostly "ahh a box!". So I learnt to make this easy peasy origami box. It can be used for anything, but the best thing I love about it is that it matches the wrapping paper your using; because you can use the wrapping paper!

So what do you need?
* Ruler
* Line drawing implement (pen/pencil)
* Wrapping paper

What do you need to do?
1. Draw out a square roughly 3 times the size that you need the box to be. I made my 30x30cm and it came out 10.5x10.5cm.

2. Putting the print side down and the inside facing up fold the square in half sides touching, open and repeat with the other side so there is a creased cross across your square.

3. Then take all 4 corners and fold into the centre where the two previous creases are crossed over.

4. Next take one edge and fold it over so the edge touches the centre of the square and fold, repeat on the opposite edge.

5. Repeat the last step with the top and bottom thinner edges. You should now have a smaller square.

6. Then unwrap all your folds except for the last two opposite corners touching in the centre like so...

7. Then, looking at the above photo, the square in between my thumb and finger fold inwards on the diagonal to match the edge of the paper to fold in towards the centre of the square, and repeat 4 times around the box.

8. Then take the last corner and fold over the folds and down back into the centre of the box. Repeat on the other side and fix with tape if needed.

Make two squares in total. The second square should be smaller to do the bottom of the box. Mine was 28x28cm and fit just nicely. 

Then all you need to do is stuff with your gift and add a bit of a sparkly ribbon and a lovely tag. Then pass on to the person you love and watch as they are amazed that your box is so pretty... :)

Knitted Bangles

Want to make something lovely and different for a friend for Christmas, or even a cheeky little number for yourself? Look no further! These knitted bangles that I put together in a night are just knitted cosies on an up-cycled old bangle.

I simply took some old bangles and bracelets. I knitted twice the width in a pattern of my choosing, and when stretched out it measured the circumference of the bangle I crocheted the two ends together and sewed the back all together on the inside. Took me no time at all!

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