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…
DIY Smock Dress Sewing Pattern – Free Download!
I posted a while ago about the smock dress that I made a while ago from my own pattern, despite some trepidation I thought that I’d share it and add it to the blog as a free download, there still aren’t many smock dress sewing patterns out there and it’s one of the key shapes of the summer (not to mention it’s lovely and slouchy and hides a multitude of sins!). This is the first pattern I’ve ever drafted up in downloadable format so it’s pretty basic – be kind! You can download the pattern here: Smock Dress Sewing Pattern Free Download PLEASE NOTE: When you print; make sure that…
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…
Wander and Hunt DIY Statement Gem Necklace Kit
I’ve seen the Wander and Hunt DIY kits feature on a few blogs and when I checked out their site I was really impressed with the projects they have. The Wander and Hunt DIY Statement Gem Necklace Kit is a collaboration with blogger SwellMayde. Statement gem necklaces are having their moment but I liked the idea of having one that I’d made myself and that I was unlikely to bump into anyone else wearing. There’s the option to buy the kit with or without jewellery pliers, I didn’t have any (I’ve never made any jewellery before) so I opted for them to be included. Whilst the kit contains almost everything…
Gift Idea: Decorative Washi Taped Jars of Fudge
Recently with decorating the house, making a Christmas party dress, prepping for Christmas and a million and one other things my blog posts have been few and far between. Happily, whilst I haven’t had time to post about my makes I have managed to squeeze in some crafting, here’s one of my recent projects… I’ve already admitted to my hoarder like tendencies but sometimes they do pay off! In this case, my reluctance to throw away coffee jars has helped me make cute homemade gifts for my friends and family. You need: Empty coffee jars of any shape or size – the are Nescafe Gold Blend Crema Jars Washi tape…
Crochet Christmas Bauble Greetings Cards
It’s the 1st December so about time I got into some Christmas crafting! After making the rabbit I thought of a way to use crochet to spread the festive love by crocheting in the round for a Christmas card. You can make these in various sizes, it’s just a matter of deciding how many rows you want and adjusting the number of stitches for the hanger at the top. It’s also a good one for using up any wool remnants you have hanging around. I used a 4mm crochet hook, each bauble took about 10 minutes to complete (less for the small ones). 1. Using the magic ring technique DC…
Knit a Movember Moustache
Movember is such a good cause but (in most cases) for us girls growing a ‘tache is pretty impossible so why not knit one instead? They only take twenty minutes or so and you can sell them for £1 each to raise money for the charity. The pattern to knit your own moustache is as follows: I used DK wool and 4mm needles. Cast on 1 st leaving a long tail of thread so you can tie the moustache in place. 1. Knit front and back of stitch 2. Purl 2 3. Knit 1, knit 1 front and back 4. Purl 3 5. K1, Knit 2 front and back 6.…
Fisherman’s Beanie Hat Knitting Pattern
My boyfriend has been doing pretty well out of me recently, first the baking and now I’ve gone and knitted him a hat. The hat is becoming an annual tradition, I made him one from the same pattern last year and the other day, he lost it and was having a mad panic. To avoid future crises I decided I’d make him a second one. It only takes an hour or two to complete and isn’t too taxing so a good one to do whilst watching some TV! You’ll need 4mm needles, I used Aran but you could easily use double knitting (DK) instead. 1. Cast on 90 stitches 2. (Knit…
DIY Camera Strap Tutorial
Confession time: I’m a bit of a hoarder… well, a lot of a hoarder actually and I have a hard time throwing things away if I think they might be useful later. Now I’m not talking old milk bottles and empty tins but I do keep alot of clothes that are long passed their sell by date. On the up side, this tutorial proves that hanging on to things isn’t always so bad when they can be turned into totally new (and useful!) things. How to Make A Camera Strap In this make I’ve used an old pair of Primark jeans to make a strap for my new camera. The…
Recipe for Key Lime Pie
This weekend, after a failed attempt to order a slice from a local takeaway, my boyfriend asked me to make him a key lime pie. Despite having a very sweet tooth, he doesn’t usually benefit much from my baking as I either take it in to work or bake things as a challenge that he’s not that into. As requests from him are rare (and I’ve never made key lime pie before) I decided to oblige. Ingredients: 150g hobnobs 75g butter 3 egg yolks 397g can of condensed milk 4 limes 1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade 2. Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz for…
