Friday 30 March 2012

New Item Friday

I have added a lovely selection of things to the shop today. I have also been very brave and started adding my furniture pieces to see how they go down.





It is very difficult to sell furniture on-line as the delivery charges are so high! But I figured it is time to start getting them out there for people to see. Or if you happen to come to one of my markets you can always buy the furniture straight from me, in cash, with no fighting with Royal Mail....check out my facebook page and keep an eye on my events for where I will be popping up next.

Now I am off for a lovely weekend visiting family and friends. I hope that you all have a great weekend. Fingers crossed the sunshine holds!
xx

Thursday 29 March 2012

Tutorial: Easter Floral Centre-piece

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed what great egg holders vintage shot glasses make?


They seem to sit so happily inside the glass and you can get glasses in the most beautiful colours and designs. Looking at that egg sat in its cup (and flicking through the latest Country Living magazine!) gave me an idea for a lovely easter floral centrepiece for your table.


YOU WILL NEED:
  • egg carton
  • 6 to 12 small shot glasses
  • flowers
  • coloured paper
  • glue
  • brush
  • scissors
  • water flowers
  • Eggs (chocolate or regular)


1. Start off by getting an egg carton, we used a 6 quantity carton but if you want your centre-piece to be larger you could use an 8 or 12 quantity carton, and find a load of lovely vintage shot glasses preferably the size that would sit nicely inside the carton.


2. Choose some nice coloured/patterned paper to decorate your carton with, we used papered origami paper that I had left over from my trip to Japan. I would recommend choosing bright colours with a spring/easter influence. Cut the paper up into little strips and decoupage them on to your egg carton.


3.Simply brush some glue on to the carton, stick on the paper, and keep brushing and papering (over lapping the strips of paper) until your carton is completely covered. You could just decorate the bottom half of the carton but we did top and bottom. Make sure you give the entire surface a coat of glue to seal it in once you have covered the entire area with paper.


4. Once the glue has dried, place the egg carton in the middle of the table. take your shot glasses and place the inside the carton. If you have an odd number of shot glasses don't worry! In the empty spaces place a regular or decorated egg.


5. Fill the shot glasses with water and start placing flowers into the glasses. The flower's stems will have to be cut short in order to stand up properly in the glasses. Keep adding flowers until you have a nice full centre-piece.




And hey presto you have a gorgeous centre-piece for your easter tea parties! Once easter is over you can always remove the eggs and glasses and use the decoupaged egg carton to keep your regular eggs in. I would also recommend using flowers that are in season such as daffodils but all flowers will look pretty so have fun with it.

I hope you all have a very Happy Easter - I'll be eating my weight in chocolate!
xx

Tuesday 27 March 2012

More than OK

Another glorious day and I have lots of computer work to get on with. I am currently in the process of redesigning my website. I like the way it looks but I'm a bit concerned it is too plain and I want to link up the blog with the website more effectively. I started by checking out different websites that I really like and generally surfing the web for interesting sites. I came across this shop online that I think is gorgeous - The OK Corral.




Apart from having some gorgeous items shown above, the website has gorgeous details in the form of yellow lettering and all the photos are crisp and stylish. I had never considered using the colour yellow but I really love it on this site. I am trying to resist buying things though....
xx

Monday 26 March 2012

Tutorial: Spring Wreath

Hello! What an absolutely gorgeous day it has been here. I managed to get my washing out on the line to dry in the sun, and even popped on some shorts (my little legs are looking very ill and pale) whilst doing some sanding in the garden. Spring has arrived!
With this change in the season I felt that the outside of the workshop needed a bit of sprucing up. During the winter months I have had a lovely wreath outside the workshop door. It was made by my Mum and reflected the crisp winter months and festive seasons perfectly.



But with the sun showing its face more and more, I decided that a more spring influenced wreath was needed. So I started off by raiding my box of ribbon and felt.

YOU WILL NEED:

  • embroidery ring
  • ribbon
  • felt
  • cotton thread
  • scissors
  • card
  • PVA glue


1. The first thing you will need is an embroidery ring. I used a brown plastic one as I liked the look of the dark background. I wrapped ribbon around the internal and exterior ring. I secured the ends with cello-tape, but if you want your wreath to be more permanent I would recommend sewing the ribbon at the ends or using a strong adhesive.


2. I then got playing with all the ribbon and felt in my box. I cut out little strips of ribbon and little flowers out of felt. I arranged these around the embroidery ring using pins so that I could get an idea what the finished wreath would look like, but I didn't sew anything down yet.


3. The next phase was sewing the sections of ribbon and felt together. I had cut strips of ribbon and bunched them up, but in order to keep them securely held together I put a little stitch in the end. I did the same for the felt flowers where I had cut lots of individual petals and wanted to keep them secure.


3. I then removed the interior ring and arranged my sections of ribbon on the exterior of the ring. I secured these in place using cello tape, but you could stitch or glue these in place if you want them to be extra secure. In order to secure these strips in place properly I then place the exterior embroidery ring back on the interior one, and tightened it at the screw top. This helps keep the ribbon in place and means you can fold the ribbon so that it points in whatever direction you want.


4. I then started sewing my felt flowers in position along the ribbon wrapped around the embroidery ring. I used complementary thread to the colour of the flowers and laid them out first before finally deciding where to fix them.

5. As this wreath is going outside my workshop I decided to give it a little 'Springy Beard' edge. I cut out the letter S and B from card. I then stuck the card to a sheet of felt and cut around the edge, repeating this for both sides of the letters.


6. Before you fully stick the letters make sure you have inserted some ribbon at the top of the letters. Make sure you leave the glue to try fully.


7. I then gently loosed the screw at the top of the embroidery ring and inserted the ribbon attached to the letters in between the rings. Make sure you then tighten the ring again to make sure nothing comes loose.

8. The final touch is a lovely bow and a strip of ribbon to hang your wreath from.



This tutorial is very simple and you can customise your own wreaths with whatever colours you like. It doesn't even have to be flowers around the edge - you could do an animal themed one or just let your imagination run wild.
xx

Sunday 25 March 2012

Before and After: Vanity Case

Hello.
How has your weekend been. I am completely exhausted from the market today so thought I would tell you about a vanity case that I renovated the other day.
At a car boot a while ago I managed to pick up this rather unusual vanity case along with a load of other items in a job lot. From my research I think this case might originally have been a tool box, but it was clear from the marks inside that someone had been using it to store bottles of smellies.



The case needed a complete over-haul as it was grubby and worn. The first thing I did was give it a good clean and filled chips and cracks in the wood. I find it helps to take these sort of items apart when you are dealing with them, so the hinges, handle and clips all came off. I then proceeded to sand everywhere! I managed to strip the black paint right back. I decided to cover the exterior in a really gorgeous travel related paper and paint the inside in co-ordinating colours.



I think it ended up looking great, perfect for all your makeup and jewellery. And it would seem that someone else out there agreed with me as I managed to sell this beauty today at the market.
Right, time for me to doze on the sofa for a while.
xx

Saturday 24 March 2012

Join The Flock

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Then I have the perfect little activity - I think you should 'Join The Flock'. Eden Arts are encouraging everybody to get involved in their large scale art installation. The aim of the project is to help raise awareness of sheep farming and the wool industry. So, What do I have to do to take part? It is so simple, you need to make your own woollen sheep.

Martha, Colin and Patrick
These are my 3 little contributions to the installation. I will be sending them through the post so that they can go on display with the rest of the flock on the 10th April in Cumbria, in a massive installation.



The great thing about this project is that it used up the odd bits of wool I had left over in my sewing box. So, if you would like to take part, head over to the website - here - where you can download instructions and templates. With the weather man telling me it is going to be nice this weekend, I suggest rolling out a blanket on the grass and sitting in the sunshine whilst making your sheep.
xx

Friday 23 March 2012

New Item Friday

I have added 4 new items to the shop today. I think they are all fantastic so thought I would show you them all.

Check me out - here
Check me out - here
Check me out - here
Check me out - here
I will be back tomorrow with a great tutorial for you to do this weekend. I will also be at another market this weekend, this time at Bath racecourse on Sunday. If any of you are in the area, pop in and see me.
xx

Thursday 22 March 2012

A new use for an old sewing box

Over the years I have managed to collect quiet a lot of jewellery. I don't wear lots of jewellery all the time, but I can't resist a beautiful ring or necklace when I am out bargain hunting. This does balance out though, as I have very little make-up, a couple of eye liners, a foundation and a blusher is pretty much it! All of these items have been placed in a variety of different tins scattered about my room - it means my room does look a bit messy! I decided I needed to find somewhere I could store everything together, and then I saw this:


I bought this gorgeous vintage sewing box with a new use in mind - it is going to become my jewellery and make-up box. I simply cleaned out the inside, removing any lingering needles, and lined the trays with brightly coloured tissue paper to give it some impact.




I am so pleased. It now sits with pride on my window sill. I also hope that this has given you some inspiration - when you see that old sewing box think about how you can find a new use (what about a picnic hamper, a medicine chest, etc. etc.).
xx

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Tutorial: Chalkboard Paint

I think I am developing a new obsession....chalkboard paint! I just think it is great. I love the matt finish you get when it is painted on a surface. I love the fact that you can scribble all over it with what ever design/text/patterns you want. But then I love that you can also wipe your mistakes away so easily and start again. You can also use it on so many different surfaces:

Check me out - here
Check me out - here 
Check me out - here

And don't think it means everything has to be matt black. You can now get chalkboard paint in so many different colours. And, especially for you those who are developing a love as much as mine, I have found a tutorial on how to make your own!

Coutesy of A Beautiful Mess

Over at A Beautiful Mess they have a smashing 'how-to' make your own chalkboard paints in funky colours. I think this might be an exciting project with the kids one weekend. Actually, strike that, it is a fantastic project for me at the weekend!
xx