Hundreds and hundreds of buttons...

   

I love the idea that by crafting that you can turn something from mass produced to unique and personal.  Although I am a little bit of an Ikea addict, (loves me a good Ikea trip) I am also a great believer in personalising your home and making your space your own. I hate when you see people's homes looking like a catelogue page with no personality; so I always try to put some element of my personality into the places I live.

I have recently redecorated my room to neutral it out but I need to put a little more interesting stuff back into the room. So I have all these buttons to use up and lots of ideas to play with!

The buttons are left over from this little project, so what do I make with them?

A rainbow?

A cute card? Maybe an idea to save up for Christmas?

 

Maybe a cushion cover?

I actually love this idea too. I went to The Deep in Hull recently and they had a whole exhibition of pictures like these. The artist had created picutrs from old toy soliders, beer bottles tops, and buttons too. I found this image at droversford.com, love it!

So I think my plan is to find a cheap lamp shade somewhere and cover it with buttons for the lampshade in my room. I already have a plain shade but think I will get a new one for two reasons 

1. I will probably go wrong at some point and I don't want to ruin a good lampshade.
2. I want the plain shade kept for another time. I am planning a new house move so what to keep the plain shade in case the buttons clash with my new digs. 

So the next decision is how to attach the buttons on to the lampshade, I think they will probably be sewn on but I may create a frame with wire to hold them away from the lampshade its self.  I'll let you know what happens when I give it a go!

Happy Crafting
L x

Any one for cake?

I used to hate food tech at school. Weird but true, I didn't understand why anyone would want to follow a recipe mindlessly without any sort of creative flair. Plus there were so many different things that could go wrong in a cookery classroom, like buring, scalding, getting the recipe wrong and generally messing up. I wanted to make lots of exciting new things, not follow any kind of boring recipe. 

Unfortuantely I didn't understand food groups and structures well enough to create my own recipes, or atleast ones that would have been edible! So when I got a place of my own and started wanting to bake things no one was more suprised than me!

My favourite thing to make is big juicy cake, preferably with lots of icing and cream filling. This cake was made for the Jubilee weekend, here's a quick run down of the recipe: 

100g (4oz) maragarine

100g (4oz) caster sugar

2 medium eggs

100g (4oz) self raising flour

1. Mix the sugar and margarine together in a large bowl
2. Add eggs and mix in carefully
3. Add self flour and fold into the mixture
4. The topping of the cake is butter cream icing (50g butter and 100g icing sugar combined together) and decorated with fruit. You can also add butter cream icing to the middle of the cake, if you want this particular cake to hit around 5000 calories a slice!

I usually add a couple of drops of vanilla essence to the mixture too which I think makes the cake taste better. This is the mixture for many basic cakes, to which you can add many different ingredients to make new and exciting cakes. 

 

My next cake adventures is to attempt some chocolate orange cakes with the left over oranges from Dad's latest marmalade experiment. 

Happy Crafting!

L x

Time for tea and some scrabble coasters?

Do you have an old scrabble set you never use except for Christmas holidays and snow days? Give it a new lease of life by turning it into an exciting crafting project! 

Scrabble tiles have become one of those fashionable accessories, lots of people are making scrabble earrings and necklaces from old tiles and the price of scrabble tiles on ebay is a little south of extortionate! I cheated and bought an old set from a local tip shop for all of a £1.

 I have used tip shops to purchase everything from furniture to crafting resources as I find that tip shops are a great source of various bits and bobs; particularly in well off areas like Stratford upon Avon: a better quality of tat obviously!  

So to create your scrabble coasters (or jewellery) grab some superglue and your tiles. Simples!

I had hours of fun trying out various options for my words. I decided on four letter squares as they comfortably fit a cuppa plus this created the option for a series of silly phrases. I had initially used these blank squares too although I decided that there were better combination of words available with the letters I had.  

A word of warning: most scrabble sets only come with one 'x' and 'q' and (so it seemed) hundreds of 'e' and 't' tiles. If you are planning particular words or phrases you may need to scour several charity shop scrabble sets to complete your project. 

Once you have decided on the layout of your tiles put a thin line of glue down the edge of one tile and carefully place the next tile on top of the glue. I put the tiles into pairs then joined them into words before attaching the whole coaster together.

 To make each coaster waterproof add a thin layer of wooden varnish, make sure this is clear drying or you will stain the wood. If you want to highlight one particular word put a thin layer of light wooden stain onto the word before gluing the word in place. This could be used to highlight a person's name to make wedding favours or to pick out a message in the text. I love these two ideas definately need to get saving for another few scrabble sets before I can start on these projects though!

So here is my final coaster set. I am really happy with the way they turned out, especially my dual meaning "Bear hugs warm food" (English win) which makes me giggle every time I put down my cuppa. I wanted to create four distinct coasters which aren't necessarily linked together with a theme so I have from left to right top to bottom

1.  The course of a relationship? Cozy friendship, First date, A sneaky kiss and finally big soppy love
2. My favourite bear hugging a plate of stew hot out of the oven
3. Friday nights? Glugging the cheap vino and carefully pouring the more expensive stuff
4. I like the idea of this one, a nerd (which I definately am) creating a nest and becoming a home bird

Well that's my interpretation anyway! What words can you  make?

 

Happy Crafting

L x

Rag Hearts (It's all Liz's fault...)

 It started with a passing comment in a charity shop. A friend who will remain namesless (you know who you are Liz Calderbank...you know who you are!!!) mentioned that she loved these hearts hanging in the window and wouldn't they be nice as centre pieces for her up coming wedding. As I was feeling particularly crafty at the time I told her not to buy them (at £14 a pop I thought they were a little over priced, particularly as she needed seven of the things). I decided to make her a set including her wedding colours burgundy red and gold with a smattering of white to fill out the frame.

So here is what you will need:

• material cut into strips about 6-7inches long and 1 inch wide (I used pinking shears to put an interesting shape on the fabric)
• scissors or pinking shears
• wire (I used a wire coat hanger for my tester version but later used standard garden wire) Please be careful with the wire, particularly when bending it into shape. It is sharp and will cut you if you are not careful!
• wire cutters
• a frame to bend the wire into shape (my Dad stuck some nails in a board to make my frame but you could use a paper template or use one frame as model for others if you are making a set  or group of hearts)

Please note you do not have to make hearts for this craft project to work, I have created stars, circles and circular wreaths too. 


So the first thing I did was bend the wire into shape, in this photo I have used the coat hanger rather than the garden wire although both create the same effect.
This project is so easy the only other step is knot the material strips onto the wire. When you start it will look shockingly bad (see right) but keep building up the material to get a thick and full bundle. I honestly stopped this project about three or four times. I was convinced that I was doing something wrong and that the hearts we had seen in the shop were created in a much more complex way. But keep with it and it produces a simple and pleasing fabric heart (honest!).The more material you can put in the better as seeing the wire through the material makes the wreath look cheap and unfinished.

 Here's the finished version of that original heart (note that I haven't included a hanging loop as these are designed as centre pieces for her table, but to include a loop simply cut a longer strip of material and attach to the top of the heart.)

Happy Crafting!

L x

Crochet Blanket Madness

        A crochet blanket is the perfect addition to any bedroom, keeps you warm in winter, colourful in summer and hides all sorts of evils in a student bedroom. My mother made this blanket for me before I went to university and I used every year to decorate my room and keep me warm in those winters when I couldn't afford heating!

Since returning home I have made my own crochet blankets, slippers and flowers. As one of my friends commented recently, I am never seen with a crochet hook out of my hands!  So what do you need to start crocheting a blanket: 

• wool of various colours (use double knit not chunky knit wools) 
• a crochet hook (for a blanket I would use a 400mm/size 8 hook- they will be labeled)

• to sew together a large eyed tapestry needle

 To begin crocheting a blanket you need to start with a basic square shape, here is an excellent video by All One Crochet, to get you going.

You will need to learn two main stitches, a double stitch and a chain stitch:

Chain stitch (see right):

1.  Make a loop with the wool. 
2. Put the hook through the loop and wrap a section of wool round the hook
3. Pull the extra wool through the loop to make a new one. 
4. Repeat.

Double Crochet (see below):
 

1. Make a loop in the wool.
2. Put the hook through the loop
3. Wrap an extra piece of wool round the hook (so you now have two loops on your hook: see fig 1)
4. Put the loops into the stitch or hole where you want the double stitch
5. Wrap a third piece of wool around the hook (see fig 2)
6. Pull all the wool back through the stitch or hole. 
7. Pull a final loop of wool through two stitches.
8. Repeat, pulling another loop through the final two stitches. 
9. You should be left with one final loop on the hook. 

Here is a video which explains this stitch again for you, although if you are starting a square ignore her instructions about chain stitching first.

The double stitch is complicated but once you get into the routine of making crochet squares the pattern becomes quite routine. I am not going to lie though, I quite often go very very wrong with my crochet squares and will often take out an entire row when I've decided I hate the colour/size of stitch/pattern I've created....damn being a perfectionist!!

You need to decide fairly early on if you want to make a sqaure blanket, where you create one square and just keep (swimming) crocheting until it is the required size or if you want to create a series of smaller squares and then attach them together.  I love a  multi-coloured mini square blanket liek the one below, I attach each square together using black or white wool to create a barrier between the colours and reduce any clashes (although check out the pink and green combo on top row below!)
   

Once I've completed a few squares I lay them out on the floor to start to develop the pattern for my finished blanket. I like to see which colours I have over-used or what style squares I could add to make them more interesting. If any one has any ideas about what I could put in the middle of the blanket below please let me know as my crochet brain has gone to mush and I can't think what to make!

 I currently have one large blanket on the go (see below) and want to complete a small knee-sized blanket too for my Grandma who has been unwell. The large blanket is in the process of having a white row added round each square and being sewn together, unfortuantly I find this process really boring and I keep putting it off so may be a while till this one is finished off properly! Must stop typing and start crocheting....

Happy Crafting!
L  x

Wine Cork Noticeboard

Are you a wine drinking fanatic? Then this is the crafting project for you!   Years ago I saw a picture of a wine cork noticeboard in the Guardian Sunday magazine, one of many things that I had saved in scrapbooks and boxes for future reference. When I started making the noticeboard I had no idea how long to would take and the number of bottles of wine I would (be forced to...cough) drink before I would finish.       

To make the frame you will need:

• an A4 picture frame (although if you want to pin anything more substantial than paper on the board I would reinforce the back)
•  enough corks to fill the frame (about 50-80 depending on if you use champagne corks too)
•  a junior hack saw
•  superglue
• a liver of steel or access to lots of wine drinking friends
• about 6 months of your life

 The actual process is also fairly easy too.
Each cork needs to be sawn in half length ways, which is a time consuming but easy process; don't panic if some of your corks are not cut quite straight it adds to the charm (or so I tell myself!). Champagne corks need to cut before the bulb at the top of the cork and I used both parts of the cork. You can try to cut the champagne length ways but you probably need something a little more substantial than a hack saw. I found this to my peril, almost cut off my hand trying to cut one particular beast in half!!!

Once you've cut up enough corks lay them out on to the board into your favourite pattern.. I started with a double horizontal, double vertical pattern but later on converted this into a more random pattern. You may also need to cut up some corks  into smaller pieces to fill the gaps made by random spaces.

I made the process more interesting for myself by cutting some corks then sticking them to the board.

This is a project that can be picked up and left to one side whenever needed. I find that craft projects that need large amounts of designated time to complete tend not to get done in my house, particularly when I have work to complete too. As you can see here this poor little corkboard was left all by its self for many an afternoon before finally being finished!  This is definately a project to complete in front of the TV or while tea is cooking, five minutes here and there will do wonders for a craft project like this.  

Do's and Don't's                             

• Do buy or save plenty of wine corks before you start working on the project  
• Do work in small circuits (saw, position, glue and repeat)                 
• Do work in front of the TV or in short bursts                                          
• Don't use only bought wine corks. The paler and plainer corks on these images are bought from ebay. And although they were helpful in filling out my cork collection I wouldn't recommend using them for the whole project as the stamps and stains are what make this project so interesting.

These corkboards make excellent noticeboards, display frames and features to discuss with visitors. If you want to create a smaller board (maybe for shopping lists or reminders) a smaller photo frame can be used as the base. I have also seen these frames put on the inside of cupboard doors to create concealed storage for receipts and private information.


Happy Crafting!
L x

Where did it all start?

So where did all this crafting stuff start?

 Nature vs Nuture?

Well I have always loved making things, crafting and playing with pieces of ribbon and material. As a child I used to dress up my friends and as my Dad says crafting and messing around with various hobbies is a family trait.

Granddad is a big fan of hobbies and of hoarding. He has actually transported several pieces of wood through one house move to another for the last twenty years. He thinks there will be a use for them one day and if he throws them away then he will obviously need them straight away. He makes Faberge style eggs cutting out designs into them and placing models inside. He also makes and sends his own birthday and Christmas cards and since he keeps every design he has every made he has enough to keep him going for a few years!

Grandma is also a crafting genius, making all my costumes as a child for dance shows and performances. My favourite beyond a doubt has to be the can can dress she made, complete with frilly knickers and garter belt. Although these ballet nets were very successfully reused for a Disney night out at university!

Dad is also a great fan of things to keep his hands busy. He makes and paints Warhammer models guess it's each to his own!

My love of crafting really started in a focused way with booking a beginners jewellery making session. Sarah at Purple Pepper     (https://www.facebook.com/Jewellery.PurplePepper?ref=ts&fref=ts/) sorted us ladies out and I can thoroughly recommend her for anyone starting out with jewellery in the Leamington Spa or Coventry area. She was so calm and positive the whole evening and helped us produce a necklace, bracelet and earring set each. Definately worth the money!

Look at the concentration here ladies...

 

And the happy smiling faces after!

I had thought that the costs of all the beads, pilers and wires would be too much for me to be able to afford to make any more jewellery at home. However I found a really good kit online which was aimed at people just like me! Lots of cheap beads in various sizes, pilers and tweezers, a bead board and mat to keep everything contained and excellent value! So that was it, my weekends and evenings became full of jewellery making and soon more crafts too.

 What do I make? Or attempt to make atleast...

I make what I like, things that I find online or in stores that I feel would benefit from a homemade touch. Homemade is the word here, I am not pretending to be a wizz witha sewing machine or in any way a professional crafter. I try my best and make the best version of something that I can. In some cases that is a fairly decent job in others it is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life....(see any post about my possessed sewing machine).

I have found that in the last few years there are many many more people around my age getting back into traditional crafts such as crochet, knitting and sewing. I'm not sure if that is because of the ridiculous cost of living or the increase in home deocoration programmes on the tv, but as a generation we seem to be obsessed with making do and mending...not a bad thing in any economic climate!

 Happy Crafting!
L x