DIY Fabric Rose Bouquet – My Hillary’s Country Crafts Competition Entry
Mother’s Day is coming up and there’s no better gift than a handmade gift – particularly for mums (my mum still has drawings I did for her when I was 3)! The timing of this tied in nicely with the Hillary’s Blinds Country Crafts Competition. Hillary’s have come up with a great competition where there’s a £1000 prize up for grabs. Using a 1m square piece of one of their fabrics you have to create an individual project and blog about it. I chose the Patina fabric because I’m a sucker for dogtooth! No Mother’s Day is complete without a bunch of flowers so I thought I’d use my fabric…
DIY 2014 Diary With Free Printable
I’m happy to report that I’ve recently graduated from Damask Love’s Bookbinding University! I’m completely in love with Amber’s blog and when I read her posts on step by step DIY bookbinding you would not believe how excited I was! Breaking it down, I’m obsessed with books. My dream home will (WILL because it’s gonna happen) have a library in it, like the one in Candleshoe if you’ve seen it (awesome film) or maybe Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It will definitely have the sliding ladders anyway. I have boxes and boxes of books and a huge pile of notebooks which date back at least 10 years and I still haven’t written…
Fabric Crush: Chevrons
January is rubbish right? By this time of the month my money is gone and I’m clinging on until payday! This lack of spare cash makes my heart hurt when I see beautiful fabrics that I need in my life right now, like this one from Riley Blake Designs. Chevrons are going to be huge this year, you’ll see that lovely zigzag pattern on everything from clothing to interior design. They’re quite Scandinavian in style and there’s something nice and neat about a geometric print. I’ve got a real thing for grey at the minute, I’ve got a grey front door, my entire living room is grey and my new…
Glitter and Washi Tape Decorative Pegs
Having recently converted our box room into a craft room (I can’t really call it a sewing room anymore as I do so much other stuff in here), I’m still looking for cute ways to decorate it. This make was done with items I already had in the house, I didn’t need to buy anything new at all which makes a nice change! This idea is definitely not a new one so I can’t take any credit but it’s so effective and useful that it’s worth sharing! I got these postcards from Ikea a while ago in a pack of five, only two made it into a frame and these…
Another Boiler Screen
This one’s for a friend of mine. Her boiler is against the wall on one side so only needs two pieces. The fabric, ribbon and upholstery tacks are from Dunelm Mill. Hinges and wood from B&Q.
Sewing Room Decor Part 1: Desk Revamp
This desk was made by my step-dad’s dad, it’s really solid and a super surface for sewing on. Luckily for me, when I bought the house from him it was too heavy to move. Unfortunately, it was pretty ugly. My solution? I spent a Sunday whipping it into shape! First I used my trusty Black and Decker mouse sander to scuff up the surface. Then I wiped off the dust with a damp cloth and let it dry. I painted it with plain old Matt emulsion. I was planning on buying multiple tester pots as a whole tin would be far too much but I discovered that in large B&Qs…
Best Dog Bed Ever?
I bought this vintage steamer trunk off eBay for £20. I had to buy a large one as our Bassett Hound is pretty sizeable! I had to measure his existing bed to make sure I bought one he’d fit into. It was important for me to give him his own space in our newly decorated shabby chic lounge but normal dog beds always look a bit rubbish! I saw this in a magazine and immediately thought it was perfect (as you can see, Horatio agrees!).
Create Your Own Fabric Wall Art
This was a really quick one that I copied from the Ikea showroom. All materials are Ikea: Berta Ruta Grey fabric £7/m Rosmarie fabric £6/m Ung Drill frame £25 I had the grey checked fabric left over from the curtains and cushion covers I’ve made for the living room and thought this was quite a good way to tie the whole room together. The rose fabric was an offcut so I got it cheaper than the per metre price – all you need is one full instance of the three roses. I cut the check fabric to the size of the oval – I actually pinned the paper insert from…
DIY Boiler Screen: Covering up the Ugly
I hate how ugly my boiler is. It’s scratched and the plastic flap has yellowed in the sun and it’s just generally unsightly. In my eyes, when on display, it made my kitchen look like a crack den. I’m pleased to say that the idea for the screen was all my own and after being inspired by a pin board tutorial I realised I could make it a practical as well as aesthetically pleasing solution. PLEASE NOTE: Not all boilers can be covered – please check the manufacturer’s instructions to confirm if your boiler requires ventilation. Start by measuring your boiler on each side. You will need to add approx…
Owl Be There: Crochet Doorstop
Here’s my latest crochet doorstop. This one sticks pretty closely to the original pattern but uses ombré wool instead of two different yarns. I used a 5.5mm crochet needle and the wool is Patons Colour Works Aran in shade 82 both from Dunelm Mill. His eyes are beak are felt and the stitches are hand embroidered and he’s stuffed with wadding and a 1kg bag of rice to weigh him down. Thinking about making a hippo next – will soon have my own doorstop zoo!
