Tag Archives: craft

Last Minute DIY Christmas Gifts

We’ve all been there. You think you’re all done with shopping, all the presents are wrapped, and then BAM! Either you’ve forgotten someone, or someone you weren’t expecting got you a present and now you have to return the favour, but whatever the reason, suddenly you need to magic up and extra present.

DIY Gift Ideas

Now you could risk throwing yourself back into the hoards of Christmas shoppers, but your credit card bill is longer than Santa’s beard, but shopping has lost its appeal, so why not show how much you care by putting a little bit of time and effort into a handmade gift.

I’ve got you sorted!

Recipe in a Jar

Find a fab recipe, layer the ingredients in a pretty jar and decorate! Print cute instructions and you’re good to go!

Homemade candles

You can pick up candle making supplies from most craft stores, or even just melt down other candles to pour into new moulds! You can make crazy colours using food colouring, or set them in something cute like vintage teacups or large seashells!

Water marbled mugs and plates

Remember when nail marbling was a big thing? Well you can now create unique and stunning gifts by dunking crockery instead of your nails! Little saucers make fab jewellery dishes!

Infused Olive Oils

For your foodie friends, infused oils are a great gift, and they’re surprisingly easy to make. Simply pour oil into a large saucepan, and add the infusion ingredients (garlic cloves, or chilli flakes) then slowly heat the oil over a low-medium heat for 15-20 mins. Let it cool, then pour into bottles!

Mini Terraniums

Pop some little succulents in a jar with some decorative stones, or even some glitter!

Hopefully this has given you a little inspiration for those last minute panic moments, but check out my Pinterest for more!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
1 Comment

My Creative Space

Something that has been making me really happy recently has been my return to the world of crafting. I’ve never been artistic, but I’ve always been creative, so while I can’t draw or paint, other activities like sewing and papercraft are absolutely my jam.

In the last month, I returned to the world of sewing, and my desk is once again being used for its proper purpose, rather than a dumping ground/photo space, so I thought today I’d share my little creative space, and the supplies I keep on hand for those crafty moments!

my craft drawer

craft drawer

craft drawer

My craft drawer is in no way Pinterest-perfect, but there’s a place for everything, and everything’s in its place. I use this plastic organiser tray to separate out my little bits – buttons, patches, spare bobbins, elastic etc – as well as washi tape, bias binding and ribbons, with zips tucked in the front and spare little boxes at the back. To keep my thread spools tidy, I used wooden dowelling and Sugru to create little stands for them, and I’ve also got a stash of fabric paint, paintbrushes, pens and pencils, as well as my fabric scissors and all my stickers.

creative space

On the shelving unit next to my desk, I keep a small selection of my fabric, although there’s almost always a load of it stacked up on my desk too, depending on what projects I’m in the middle of! I also used more wooden dowelling and Sugru to make a little shelf for my bigger rolls of tapes.

sewing area

sewing space

For prettiness, I’ve got my Ikea gerberas tucked in the corner, and my watercolour castle print to match my pastel pom poms! My desk area is probably my favourite part of my room, which only adds to the happiness that being creative gives me. Watch this space for some of my creations!

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
Leave a comment

DIY Travel Memory Frame

I’m a crazy sentimental person; I keep all kinds of silly things that remind me of certain places or days, and this is multiplied by a billion whenever I go on an amazing trip. These items will normally end up stuck to the fridge, or on a noticeboard, a great talking piece when people come round, but only occasionally glanced at the rest of the time, so when I came back from my recent trip to New Zealand, I knew I wanted a way of being able to keep the memories so that they didn’t end up as fridge fodder.

Taking inspiration from the lovely Kayley (@kayleymills89 on Twitter), I set about creating a shadow-box style collage of my trip!

DIY Travel shadow box fram

I used a Ribba frame from Ikea, but any deep photo frame would probably work. What goes in the frame is entirely up to you – they’re your memories! I’d already had some of the photos from the trip printed by Sticky9, and saved my boarding passes and tickets to places we’d visited, so I set about arranging these on the backboard of the frame and made sure I was happy with everything before sticking them down, then trimmed any overhanging bits.

DIY Travel memory box

Inside the frame, I stuck the little penguin USB stick that we got as part of our penguin experience, and added some confetti from my birthday present. I also bought a few stickers from Redbubble, and used the New Zealand silhouette sticker on the outside of the frame.

dsc01153

Pop the backdrop into the frame, and voila!

dsc01156

I’m so happy with how it turned out, and I definitely think I’m going to be making this a holiday tradition from now on! And if you love this idea but don’t fancy making it personal, check out Sammie’s Autumn inspired shadow box tutorial here!

How do you keep your holiday memories?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
5 Comments

Friday Favourite Five – Upcycling Products

While it may have lost a little bit of momentum after a huge upsurge a few years back, upcycling is still a really great way to transform something unloved into something fabulous, especially on a tight budget!

It doesn’t have to be a huge furniture project, it can be as small as just being a little crafty with everyday objects, and there are a tonne of great (and affordable!) products that can give you the Etsy-worthy edge!

1. Valspar Chrome Enamel spray paint

SONY DSC

I have a lot of love for spray enamel paint because it has such a good finish and is so easy to use, but the chrome effect from Valspar (exclusive to B&Q in the UK) is incredible! With just 1-2 coats you can give anything an almost mirror-effect shine.

2. Rustoleum Chalky Matt furniture paint

This Rustoleum paint is what I would describe as a classic shabby-chic furniture paint; its a budget equivalent of the well know Annie Sloan range, but still works really well. You can paint it on normally for a flat matt finish, or take some sandpaper to give it a worn-down effect

 

3. Glitter paint

Glitter paint comes in so many variations now – spray paint, regular brush-on, silver, gold, rainbow, I could go on.. You can use it to give a subtle shimmer to craft projects, or make it look like a unicorn threw up – totally up to you!

4. Ceramic paint pens

SONY DSC

Less upcycling and more crafty, but ceramic/porcelain pens are great for making personalised mugs, plates etc.. Because they’re in pen form, it makes them really easy for kids (and adults!) so hello perfect school holiday projects!

5. Dremel 3000 multi-tool

Ok, so this is more of an investment item, but if you love upcycling, I would 100% recommend you look into getting a Dremel. I’ve had my 3000 for two years now and I use it all the time for sanding, drilling, cutting and engraving, and there are so many attachments available, you could probably use it for anything! The cheapest Dremel model is about £25 and the 3000 is around £40-45 – well worth it if you’re a keen upcycler!

Have you been swept up in upcycling?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram
Leave a comment

Sea Shell DIY

In keeping with this week’s Little Mermaid theme, I’ve been crafting away with sea shells.

Shells are a great craft supply; if you live near a beach, you’ve basically got a free supply right there and a lot of fancier seafood you can buy from the supermarket comes with shells now too. Cleaning them up is easy enough with hot soapy water in the sink, but you can also put them in the dishwasher too!

So here are just a few quick little DIYs to add a little under the sea to your home!

 First of all, you could spray paint them..

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

Or turn them into cute hair accessories..

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

Or miniature trinket boxes..

SONY DSC

Or fill a decorative vase..

SONY DSC

Or make into cute little tealights..

SONY DSC

And large shells would make a great jewellery dish..

SONY DSC

Or key dish..

SONY DSC

Or even a soap disc..

SONY DSC

°o°

Leave a comment

Marie Inspired DIY Tank Top

This week for my DIY I took inspiration from one pretty kitty..

SONY DSC

Transform a plain old white t-shirt into a cute little tank top perfect for the beach in just a few simple steps..

1. Take a pair of scissors to your t-shirt, cutting off the sleeves, then cutting across the stitching at the top, separating the neckline.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

2. Flip the top over, and make bigger cuts across the back to make a racer-back.

SONY DSC

3. Fold over the hem of this back section and stitch it down. Depending on your strap material, you may want to feed it through before you sew it down.

SONY DSC

4. The strap is a single strip of material; I used Boodle textile yarn for my straps, but you could use whatever you fancied really. Controversially, I believe there is a thing as too much pink, so I chose blue to reflect Marie’s eyes. Once you’ve fed it through the back, pin it into place at each side of the front, and sew into place.

SONY DSC

5. Using fabric paint, I decorated the back of my top with a large pink bow, and put a few little paw prints on the front.

SONY DSC

Ta-da!

SONY DSC

°o°

Leave a comment

DIY Tangled Inspired Lampshade

This has been a working progress for months now, only cos I can be lazy and unmotivated, but I’m so happy to have finished this..

SONY DSC

I’ve also really struggled to get a good photo, but it looks better in person, promise!

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

It was super easy to make, all you need is a lampshade (preferably a plastic lined one), a needle, and a template/artistic talent!

I printed off the images that I wanted, and while holding them in position with sewing pins, used the needle to make holes along the outlines.

SONY DSC

Although its a little fiddly, you’ll get the best results working on the design from inside the shade (poking the needle through to the outside) because the lining will pucker outwards, making the light shine through better.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

With no light, it looks pretty sweet..

SONY DSC

And then BAM!

SONY DSC

°o°

Leave a comment

DIY Origami String Lights

Anyone who uses Pinterest knows the addiction that comes with it. So many craft ideas, so little time!

waterbomb light

So when I came across this amazing tutorial for upcycling old string lights (click image for original source), I had a eureka moment..

Disney-fy them! I spent probably more hours than I should have designing 20 characters in cube form to make these fabulous papercraft lights!

SONY DSC

You will need:

String lights – new or old!

Scissors

Paper – you can print off the images I made myself (link at the end of the article), or use the blank template to create your own (your kids might like to draw and colour them!)

SONY DSC

Cut the image out on the outermost line, leaving the white border

SONY DSC

The basic chinese lantern is known in the origami world as a waterbomb. You can use the image above as the tutorial to make your Disney waterbombs, or find them one online or in any origami book.

Fold stages 1-5 with the image on the outside, but when it comes to stage 6, fold the triangle with the face on the inside, as below.

SONY DSC

Once inflated, you should have the hole at the top, and all you need to do is pop the bulb of the string lights into it. Depending on the style of your lights, it may hold itself in place just fine, or you may want to secure it with some tape.

SONY DSC

Then plug them in..

page

As I mentioned earlier, I designed all of my own templates on MS Word (I don’t get on with technology), so you may wish to design your own, but if you like mine, you can download them here!

Leave a comment

DIY Mouse Plates

Who wouldn’t want to eat off a personalised Mickey/Minnie plate?!

SONY DSC

There are two ways to make cute crockery like this. The ‘Sharpie’ method is sweeping Pinterest and all other corners of the internet, but personally I’ve never had much luck with it, so I’ve gone for the craft store alternative of ceramic pens. If you’re a Sharpie pro however, you may choose to take that route.

SONY DSC

The Sharpie method, put simply, is to draw on clean (grease and dust free) ceramics with the famous permanent marker, then bake in an oven on medium heat for 30-40 mins to seal the ink into the glaze.

As said before, this has never been successful for me. Don’t know why, I’m probably just unlucky!

SONY DSC

So I used a light coloured Sharpie to do a rough sketch of my design on each plate (as ceramic paint pens do not involve baking, I know that this ink will wash off in the dishwasher).

SONY DSC

Then its as simple as following over your sketch with the paint pen! I’m no artist, so I stuck to a simple outline design with abstract patterns to add colour – minimalistic, I call it!

SONY DSC

Despite a lack of most drawing skill, however, I’m fairly practised in the art of Disney-writing: that is, of course, the font of the great Walt Disney himself, so I added our names to each plate.

page

My girls are gonna love these, can’t wait to surprise them with them on Thursday for movie night!

PS. If any of you give this a go, I’d love to see your results 🙂

1 Comment