Mrs Crafty

A 32p chocolate bar transformed

2011-11-21T12:38:00.001-08:00

Firstly, I bought those 32p choc bars from Asda. I also bought the smartprice foil but opened it up to find that it already had foil!!

I then set about making the letters for the wrapping. If you use Word art then literally drag the letters back to front you end up with names going backwards. This enables you to print off and when you cut out the letters are the right way round.

Cut the letters out and use pva glue to cover and sprinkle glitter on.

Pull your wrapper round your bar before adding the letters. Use double sided tape to fix, then you have your bar ready for decoration.

I used some snowflakes and the letters. It makes an amazing present for about 60p.

A Wedding Matchbook

2011-10-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

I did get this idea from Helen at itsallfiddlefart blog. So I will not claim the glory for what I think is a fantastic idea. I bought a load of sixpences from Ebay after finding out that Hubs has a load in the loft. Doh moment. This match book was made by cutting out the bits by hand. I know that there is a Sissix matchbook die, but I ain't got it, so good old fashioned hand cutting and I used a hole punch to make the holes. You need to cut two pieces of card the same width. I folded the outer bit using 1 cm at the bottom and in the middle to creat the top fold. Then you simply fold the inside bit, punch the holes in the same places and trim so that it fits Neatly inside.

My new camera isn't particularly great at picking out the detail, but the front reads' A little something for your Wedding Day' whilst the inside reads 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence for your shoe'.

I will be attending a good friends wedding soon and I felt this was a fab gift to give her on her hen night.

Christmas Decoration

2011-10-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

Every year in October I say that I am going to decorate the tree with all natural decorations. Every year, the same old plastic stuff comes out. I dream of dried orange pieces, felt hearts, pine cones with glitter and some gingerbread salt dough decs with lots of gingham ribbon.

Maybe this year, I may achieve my dream. But I suppose that all of the stuff I have collected over the years will not go up. The little plastic balls with pics of the kids in. The special balls that the kids made etc.

I started it off anyway this year by making a stuffed heart. Cut a bit of card in half to make a heart shape, draw round and cut out two shapes. I did the embroidery first and I know it's a bit wobbly but hey ho. Then blanket stitch round leaving a gap to stuff a bit of wadding, finish sewing up and you have a nice Christmassy heart.

Easy placemats Part 1

2011-05-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged for ages as I simply haven't made anything for ages. However I watched an episode of Channel 4 'Make do and mend' and got this idea from there. Placemats. These are really quick to make and look amazing. People will be getting these for Christmas this year.

I used a tabloid newspaper as a template. One page. Fold into 4 and cut off the corners. Unfold and pin to a piece of folded fabric. Fabric is folded with pretty side in, so you can't see the pattern. Pin the paper to the fabric in each corner.

I used a biro to make some marks alongside the paper. Carefully remove each pin from the paper and re pin the fabric.

You should be left with this.

Sew and trim leaving a few inch gap anywhere (for turning inside out.

Easy Placemats Part 2

2011-05-23T07:22:00.001-07:00

Turn inside out

Press

Press your opening flat

Machine about 1/8 inch all the way round for a really defined shape.

Right, It's party time....

2011-01-21T12:13:00.001-08:00

So I have a little 4 year olds party this week. I decided to make these as party favours. Using Cadburys miniatures. I cut and wrapped new wrappers, stuck a jewel on and put them in pretzel bags from ebay. Each bag has cost me 50p in total, including everything. I bought the jewels from the works. Any paper will do and for the top you literally fold a bit of card in half, open it up, staple the cello back to the back bit. Glue/DS tape the front bit to the cello bag and you have these.
So that the lads who are coming don't feel left out, they got jeweled bars that were not pink!

New Year, new kitchen.

2011-01-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

I finally got my new kitchen and I am thrilled with it. Hubs has worked soooooo hard to make it special. I haven't painted it yet or added finishing touches but I will be posting about making roller blinds

Haven't been Crafting too much lately

2010-11-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

I have been busy this afternoon though, phew. I have been painting wooden clothes pegs. Yes, sounds really weird, but I got out my acrylic paints from the Pound shop and mixed white in with various shades to give me pastel colours and this is the result. Using a reel of magnetic tape I have put magnets on the back and plan to give these as small gifts. I also have a load of kids stuff which is magnetic on my freezer which can be cut into small strips for this very purpose.

I got this idea from http://www.itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/ww.itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/

I also got this idea from there, although I have done my own wrappers for big bars of Galaxy before now. Getting hold of Cadburys Miniatures is a nightmare and I have come to the conclusion that you can use any bar of chocolate and if it's in a plastic wrapper instead of foil, buy some cheap Smartprice foil from Asda as it's really thin and re wrap your chocolate so you can make your own paper sleeve.

Then I stuck little stickers from Paperchase or Accessorize on and placed them on a bit of card and wrapped in cello. Great table cards or in my case, something personal to add to the cash in the card. I plan to do loads of different sized chocolate using my own foil as the choc companies have obviously realised that if they stick plastic on Kitkats, it lasts about 20 years. Lol.

2010-09-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

This card cost hardly anything to make. Some lolly sticks, sandpaper and a few little shells from the beach.

These are just cards I have made trying desperately to use up my stash. They are very simple. I really should make more cards as I used to be really good at ideas but somehow I have completely lost my mojo. Handmade cards are so much nicer.

I didn't know what to buy this couple

2010-09-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

They got married abroad and have a house, family etc already, so I thought that some bulbs would be good. As I have written on the label, they will get a reminder every Spring of their special day.

This card isn't one of my best as my mojo was low at this point, but I think they will love it.

Whoooo Hoooo, some cardmaking

2010-05-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

I haven't made a card for absolutely ages. Our PTA needed one as the head is leaving, so I came up with this. She loved the Barn Dance we put on, hence the photo. I used sackcloth for the backing and used my sizzix for the shapes. I did add a few more little flowers in the white blank bits. It's an A4 card, so I also added a piece of card inside to weight it properly.

No fuss Yummy Pepperoni Pizza

2010-05-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to blog about home made pizzas for a while. Because they are so easy and incredibly tasty. I used my breadmaker to make the dough, but you can buy a pack of dough and follow instructions. I bake mine for a few minutes in the oven before adding topping. To make the tomato base fry some onion, garlic and basil in olive oil. When it looks cooked, add a carton of Asda passata. Let it simmer for while.

These are the toppings I use on mine. All of these can be frozen so it makes it relatively cheap.

Spread your sauce first, then add cheese and then other toppings. Whatever you want really.

This was so lovely. Hence my taking a photo of it. Pure pizza heaven.

Some nice patchwork

2010-05-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

Goodness, it's a long time since I did anything crafty. I had to stay home today so it seemed like the perfect moment to start a quilt I promised my niece. It's turned out really well and the 2 extra pillowcases I picked up with my Ikea 'Rosali' quilt cover have really come in handy. They lend the quilt a nice bit of Kidston.

Well the Winter is finally nearly and almost over and I am thinking of Spring

2010-02-01T13:30:00.001-08:00

We were at a local ruin recently and I took this pic as it made me think of Spring

I decided that it was time to get my watercolours out again and have another go at painting. The reason for this is, that, this year, I didn't send any HM Christmas cards. In fact, I was really lazy this year, so I think I am going to send some Easter Cards with an apology for the lack of Christmas Cards. I was going to do some papercraft ones, but, so far, by googling 'how to draw daffodils' I have come up with these

I thought it would be nice to send someone something that I had painted. However, the recipients might not. Bless them.

They really were simple. I googled how to draw daffodils and used the templates for sketching. I then rubbed out some of the lines. You literally just splash some paint on. I used these

The mistake people make with water colours is that they think it's got to be a rich colour, when all you are doing is colouring water, see the lid, those were all I needed to paint those pics. Uh Oh you can see my lighter too, so you know I smoke. Soon to be giving up though.

I have had some health problems recently, which excuse me from posting on my blog, but thank you to anyone who reads this.

I have done it again!!

2010-01-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the chronological order of my last three posts. I don't know what happened there. But thankfully, the order is self explanatory.

Long lined curtains part 3

2010-01-14T17:15:00.001-08:00

Here you can see that I have taken off the printed edges from my fabric. I missed this bit in previous posts. Pin your PF & lining together from the top and sew down either edge. You will have a long tube. Turn inside out, IRON so the two edges are the same. You will then pin the header tape to the top. Sew the header tape along the top & bottom turning about 1cm under at either end of your curtain.

You will have to knot one end of the string in the header tape before hanging and then pull whatever gather you want through it.

Your curtains should look like this on the inside when finished.

And this on the outside!!! There you have it. I am not brilliant at explaining things, but I hope you found this tute helpful, please ask me any questions you want.

Long Lined Curtains part 2

2010-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

This picture demonstrates the 1 inch hem at the top of the curtains

This picture shows where the fabric should be before you sew the sides.

Ironing your fabric before you stitch it makes it so much easier.

Once you have ironed your fabrics, you are ready to sew them together.

Sew the hems first. When you iron, create a straight hem to start with and then fold that hem over about a cm to stop the fabric fraying. You will end up with a tube along the bottom. I then sewed a straight stitch along giving a neat finish. Sew the hems on both your lining & PF. You are then ready to pin your fabrics together.

Happy New Year and a very quick tute for Lined Curtains for French Doors Part 1

2010-01-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

This is a tutorial for making long huge lined curtains for french doors. Although you could make one of these for a single door. I made these in about 3 hours. The fabric was from ebay and was end of line. It was £2.50 a metre and I bought 8 metres. I am extremely impressed as my lining fabric cost £15.00, again from ebay and the header tape was around the £5 mark. So for £40.00 I managed a pair of curtains, that I actually like, which keep the draughts out.

You will need

Patterned/plain curtain fabric. I always buy 1/2 metre more than my measurements. If you have any spare, you can always do a patchwork cushion to go with the room.

Lining fabric. Again I always err on the 1/2 metre more than I need.

header tape. In this case I needed 104 inches. Can't remember what this is in metric.

Most fabrics come in a 54 inch width. So does the lining. You need to make your lining smaller than your Patterned fabric (PF) so that when you turn it inside out, the PF makes a hem. More of this later.

To cut my long length of PF I folded it in half longways, 54 inches became 26, then used a metal tape measure to chalk a mark either side of the width. Then I used a piece of wood to chalk a line and cut it that way. I also did this for the lining but made the lining 3 inches shorter. I wanted curtains 100 inches long, so I cut them at 104 inches. 3 inches extra for the bottom hem and an inch for the top. The top doesn't need to be as neat as the header tape will cover it.

Once your fabric lengths are cut, you will need to cut some off the sides of the lining. I found the best way to do this was to fold it again and again, measure 2 inches and use the piece of wood to get a straigt edge. You either cut both sides or just shave 4 inches off of one side for speed.

The next bit of this is quite the most important bit of curtain making for me. THE IRONING. It gives you neat hems and allows you to straighten out your hem should you have gone a bit wrong during the cutting. I love stripey fabric for this too as you can line the stripes up so it's easy, certainly easier than plain fabric.

2009-11-26T03:58:00.000-08:00

Finally here is a mock up of my stall. All of that sewing was worth it in the end. I think it looks great.

2009-11-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

A few more crafty makes. I really like making Union Jack cushions. They are fab and look so pretty. The little hamper consists of a diary £1 from pound shop. Notebook 50p, candle from Ikea £1.50 and a pair of sunglasses £1, Primark during the summer. I have made a case for the books & glasses and painted a photo frame from Ikea which was also about 90p. The basket is from a charity shop and cost 50p. I sprayed it white.

Pretty things I made today

2009-11-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

So I have made this today from Sainsburys Tea Towels which cost £3.33 for 5 in the sale, some old ribbon and a 69p Ikea cushion.

The ubiquitious hearts must come to the party (Fayre). I have made some cinnamon & Lavender ones. The twine is simple garden twine. I am really gearing up for the stall. I am sure I don't have enough stuff. I can always sell hubs if I run out!!

Phew I am busy today.

2009-11-01T11:09:00.001-08:00

Now these bags look a little like they have been made with fabric from a well known lady who charges an absolute fortune for her stuff. CK anyone? In fact they are from a duvet cover from Lidl. A single one for 8.99 which will give me about 5 bags plus a pretty laundry bag from the pillow case. Not bad eh?

A Sunday Afternoon Bag from Scraps

2009-11-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

So I decided to use up some scraps to make this lovely bag. As I have probably bored you all senseless with this whole project, I perhaps shouldn't mention that it's for the Christmas Fayre. I haven't got a clue what to charge either.

A matching basket thingy for the Mat

2009-10-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

I needed something to go with the Mat, so I decided on a basket. I made this using the same theory as my handbags. I may have been a bit over confident though as it's not as stiff as I'd hoped. I sewed some corners up the sides to give it a bit of shape, but if I made this again I would use stiff interfacing.

A Changing Mat

2009-10-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

It's a beautiful day today and I am sewing. So I am very much at peace with the world. I decided to make a changing mat to sell on my craft stall. You often get one with those huge 'Changing Holdalls'. I don't care for those much. I would prefer to buy a bigger handbag of my choice and throw stuff in. Thats why this mat will be great. It's small, portable and is terribly pretty. Well I like it anyway. Very stylish and a great pressie for a Mum to be.

Apologies for the book cover tute

2009-10-09T16:18:00.001-07:00

being in the wrong order as you scroll down. I just hope everyone sees part 1,2 & 3...x

Book cover Tutorial part 3

2009-10-08T16:26:00.001-07:00

When you have finished you will have a crumpled mess.

Once ironed, it will look like this.

Turn the book backwards to get the front & back hard covers into your sleeve.

And Enjoy!!!

Book Cover Tutorial part 2

2009-10-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Right, now you have pinned, you can sew. Sew a cm all round.

But leave a gap at the top or bottom of the spine as picture to turn it all inside out.

Trim corners. I also trimmed the edges as far as my pinking shears would let me. This reduces bulk when it's all done.

Start pulling it all out and you will be really pleased.

A book cover tutorial Part 1

2009-10-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Measure your book/diary spine as well. Allow 2cm top & bottom and 2.5cm either side. I am using poly cotton, so if you are using heavier fabric adjust your seam allowance a bit. You are cutting out the cover, a lining and two side flaps to hold the book in place. The side flaps should be 3/4 of the width of the cover when the book is closed. They should end up looking like

This.

You want your flaps to look nice, so hem them. I ironed them first and used a zig zag stitch to stop fraying.

Once, hemmed, put your book cover fabric down flat, patterned side up. Lay your two side flaps on top with the hem side showing, patterned side down.

Then put your lining face down/patterned (if you are using a patterned one) side down. Then pin all around. I have lifted the corner so you can see clearly whats underneath. Obviously I put this back down before pinning.

2009-10-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

I have been incredibly busy today, making things for a craft fayre I will be attending. I finally managed to make a Union Jack cushion. I have found a shop called the fabric warehouse. They have a remnant box in there where everything is £1. I was soooooo excited when I found this cream & blue jaquard (I think)? For £2 I have a rather large cushion. The stuffing is a £1.29 pillow from Ikea, which I visited yesterday. Ikea is a fab shop and their fabric collection is stunning & cheap. To get the pillow to fit the cushion cover, I ripped a hole in the corner, shoved all of the stuffing back, sewed a seam down the side and trimmed with pinking shears, then I did the same at the bottom. This has given me a really plump cushion.

I also made some camera cases, sunglass cases and notebook/diary covers. I am all sewn out.

What a lovely set

2009-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Remember that post where I painted a rose. Well, today I found the most gawjus set in a charity shop. I wasn't going to buy it but when I asked hubs did he think that I should, he just nodded and gave me the money. Bless that man, I truly love him.

I got 2 tureens, 1 gravy boat, a serving plate, and 6 dinner plates, six dessert plates and 5 sideplates. It's really really beautiful and I intend to use it for special occasions. It cost £20 and I think was worth every penny. My roasts will look lush with this.

Wow - I have not posted for ages!!

2009-09-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, my daughter has been unwell (all the way through the Summer Hols) and we have only just got back to normal.

I have a glut of apples and several Marrows. Eeeeeek, what to do with them.

My Father reckons that marrow is best diced, olive oil, ginger & a bit of soy sauce.

I reckon parboiled and let off with butter & pepper.

Even better, stuffed with stuff.

Well a lovely day had by all

2009-08-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is not a crafting post. We have had some bad luck recently as a family. Firstly our family holiday was cancelled. Sadly our daughter who is only 2 was admitted to hospital and after 4 days of the pros saying it was swine flu, had a burst appendix. So I haven't been able to blog. She is recovering well and we had a lovely family day visiting my parents today. I was lucky enough to get my camera back from the repair shop and took some nice photographs of things in their garden. I thought I would share as it sort of sums up Summer for me.

Knights & Princess's

2009-07-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the children are to go to a Knights & princess party tomorrow, so it was up to me to make some costumes. My little one is only 2 so she can wear just a hat. So I made one with a huge bit of card, stuck on a bit of pretty fabric for the veil and put a bit of marabou round the bottom.

For the knights costume, I made a patchwork of yellow/blue to make a tabbard and just sewed the sides & shoulders. For the helmet, I duck taped a big bit of cut card and drew some airholes on it.

2009-07-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

Ok, there seems to be a problem with putting in pics right now, but I have to show you something. I am fed up with the thought of paying for vintage roses, so I decided to paint one using watercolours. Since I seem to have been able to do it, Yayyyy, I will not have to buy any wallpaper as I will do me own.

Only joking. I googled 'rose template' and started from there.

http://www.deltazeta.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutDeltaZeta/DeltaZetaVisualStandards/DZ_rose_blk.jpg

I think it's worked out rather well.

2009-07-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

This beautiful light was £16.oo down from £50.00 from Britsh home stores. Since I needed 3 for my new hallway. I reckon I got a bargain. They have 70% off lighting at the mo'. I got these cheaper as they were discontinued.

2009-07-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

It's too hot to make or craft anything today so I have just set up our new garden set from Tescos, half price at £50 including parasol. This isn't the right parasol as we already had one, but I thought it was a fairly cheap deal.

I shall be languishing on these seats later with a huge glass of vino.

Finishing Dolly Topper

2009-06-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, lets start with hair, I used some pale yellow wool for this, but usually try to match it with whom the card is for. For darker skins I use darker fimo/wool as well. Cut several 5/6" strips until you have it as thick as you would like. Then tie a piece round the centre and knot as in the pic. I then put it on the fimo head to gauge where I want the bunches to be. Then tie two more bits to make bunches. Trim and attach to fimo face with glue or DS tape

To make her dress, I cut a piece of card and covered it with an old bit of floral fabric. DS tape is best for this. Once it's covered turn it over on the back and stick some DS tape along the sides & bottom.

To make the arms & legs, I used a bit of silk curtain cord. Tie knots in it to make the hands & feet then cut to size. Attach to the back of the dress. Turn over and you have your card dolly. I use padded foam squares to attach the face to the card as it brings the doll up to the same level as the dress. Ds tape is also good for attaching the whole thing as it's very very strong and this doll is relatively heavy.

I would say this cost around 15 p to make.

Isn't she fab!

Making Fimo Faces for card topping Dollys

2009-06-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I like 3D cards so this is great way to make faces for a Dolly topper. Fimo polymer clay is usually around the £1.50 mark, and I can get around 20 faces from one small block. This makes is a very cheap way to get a really interesting topper for your card. Firstly, you need to pull of a bit and sort of pinch, roll and pull it about in your hands until it warms up and becomes plyable. I have put the three stages on here, rather than take 3 pictures. Then, you need to put it on a flat surface and squash it into a circle. Now for the really technical part. I use an old pen lid half pushed into the bottom of the circle for the smiley mouth. A weeny piece of fimo for the nose and a skewer to poke 2 holes for the eyes. Then you stick it on a baking tray/dish/pyrex and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at Gas 1/130c. When it comes out it's hard and you can use glue or DS tape to apply to card.

This is the finished face. Up close, it looks a little ropey but that's because it's magnified. On the card it will look perfect.

I will be back tomorrow with making the rest of my Dolly Topper.

I know it's another bag, but I am obsessed with these.....

2009-06-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

at the moment.

They are just sooooo pretty.

Fathers Day

2009-06-17T13:23:00.001-07:00

I would love to report that I made a beautiful card.

I didn't. Instead this year I ordered one from moonpig. I don't like buying cards as I usually make them, but this one was quite lovely and did something with photography that I couldn't even begin to do. It was a picture of a blackboard outside a pub, alongside the pub's board for direction. You could put a name on both.

Sadly crafting has had to stop for a while. I am just too busy. Hopefully, I will be back over this weekend with some tips.

And yet, another bag, this time from the curtain fabric

2009-06-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

You will remember the stripey fabric that I used for the curtains in Max's room. Well this is what I did with the leftovers. I am thrilled with it.

Another bag

2009-06-06T10:06:00.001-07:00

I made another bag today using the same method as the first one. However, they say practice makes perfect and instead of using one whole panel of fabric. I put 2/3's PF and 1/3 hard brown linen. I also added iron on interface to the PF to give it a bit of a stiffen. The one I used is much harder than the one used previously and this bag stands up by itself.

Then I sewed the different fabrics together and used as though it were one whole bit. This gives the bag a different slant and if I am honest, I prefer it. I can't remember what the linen is called but any fabric shop will know. It's almost like sacking but finer.

Gorgeous Burger Recipe with Apple & Carrot Coleslaw

2009-06-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

Not strictly crafting as we all know it, but these were so lovely I just have to share this recipe with someone. I found it in a newspaper today and thought I would give it a go. I have never made burgers before and Wow, wish I had made these. I hate coleslaw but like carrot/apple and mayonnaise separately. I loved it. More to the point, my children ate the burgers!!! At £1.60 for 450g of minced turkey, it was a cheap but nutritious dinner too as I got 8 burgers out of the pack.

450g minced turkey
1 egg
Breadcrumbs (optional but I had a load in the freezer, so used em. About 3 heaped dessertspoons)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp brown sauce (HP)
1 tbsp English mustard
1 medium red onion

Finely chop red onion and sweat in a pan for 3/4 mins. Leave to cool. The recipe calls for rapeseed oil, but I didn't have any so used Clover!!!

Add turkey and all of the other stuff in a bowl and mix.

Cover with clingfilm and leave for an hour. Then shape into burgers and chill (that's not you chilling by the way, tis' the burgers) for about 10 mins. You can grease a tray/pirex and sling em on that.

Heat frying pan with oil (again it says rapeseed, but I used veg oil) and cook until brown on either side or however you would normally cook your burgers.

Coleslaw

Peel & grate 2 medium carrots

Grate one apple (I used a braeburn)

Put some fresh coriander leaves in it and season. I put a ton of black pepper in it.

Then put as much mayonnaise/salad cream in it until it looks like you want it to look.

Serve with buttered French bread or potato wedges.

I promise it's really nice. You can pretty much change this to whatever you want as well.

A Bag Tutorial - Not great but it's my first time!!

2009-05-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

Right, here goes, my first proper tutorial. It's not great but hey - we all have to start somewhere. To make this bag, I bought some calico (£3.50 per metre) to line it as it's sturdy. You can use, curtain material/denim or anthing that you think will be quite strong. The pretty fabric is an old M&S pillowcase (purchased from a Charity shop along with the Duvet cover for £3.00, so loads of fabric left). If you look at the hand drawn diagram you will see roughly what fabric you need. I am new to sewing so have absolutely none of the proper lingo. PF means pretty fabric and L means lining and that's that. My pattern was based on a standard newspaper which is roughly the size I wanted. Think the front page of the Sun not the broadsheets.
So when you have finished cutting 2 lining pieces & 2 PF peices, you are ready to sew. Firstly sew up three sides of the PF (flowers/pretty sides together and you should have the back of the fabric showing) . As a guide I used the edge of the screw on the plate of my sewing machine as it's roughly 1 cm.

You need to leave a gap in the bottom edge of the lining to turn the bag out right at the end. So sew the two shorter edges, then do a bit either side of the bottom edging. If you are using calico, then you need not worry about right sides in, as it's reversable. If you are using patterned fabric, then your patterns need to face each other, it's called right side in.

I can't explain this very clearly but when you have two pockets, you need to squash the corners flat before turning out and sew a line across. I have drawn this in diagram 2 (if you click on this it will get bigger). Just make sure you line up the seams and do each corner the same amount. I cut the corners off after sewing and left about 1cm hem. I did sew again for stregnth.

Ok you should now have two bags. On L & one PF. Put these to one side and lets make the handles. I wanted quite long handles as I like to carry the bag on my shoulder but you can make them as long as you like. You should have 4 long strips of fabric, 2 PF & 2 L. Sew one peice of PF and lining together using a 1cm hem, PF on the inside again. Once this is done along both long sides, turn it inside out and iron. You should then have a perfect handle. Personally I would sew a couple of lines down the ironed edges just for strength.

Turn your PF bag out so it's got the pattern on the outside showing. Sew the straps to the tops of the outside with the straps hanging down. Just a short line of stitches to keep it in place. then turn inside out again, put the lining in so both right sides are facing and stitch a 1cm hem round the top. You can see in the above photograph how it should look before sewing round the top. The handles need to be sandwiched between the two patterned/lining fabrics.

Then when you have finished sewing round the top, turn inside out using the hole in your lining and it should look like the above picture. Iron seams, then turn to the handles. Because you left about an inch hanging up (see 2 pics up), you should be able to feel those bits in between the two bits of bag. I sewed a square into them to make them stronger.

You need to sew the hole in the lining up, preferably before ironing and you will have a bag perfectly capable of holding your favourite magazines etc.

My Sons Nautical Bedroom

2009-05-21T12:53:00.001-07:00

I have finally finished my Nautical room. It's taken a lot of hard work, especially with changing the pine from hideous orange to white. But it's done - Yayyyy!!! So far you can see a lifebouy I sourced from ebay for £7.00. It was the only thing i didn't make but I felt it added a touch.

Obviously sunlight streaming in the windows which are unwashed. In fact the room is sterile at the moment as I haven't really started putting Max's stuff in yet. I bet once my young Captain get's in it I will totally regret painting it white. Yikes!!!!!

Bunting, glorious bunting. I had to cut it in half as I couldn't work out where to put the other bit unless I put it on the shelf which is ongoing. Also sourced a couple of canvasses (?) for £1 each and got Max to do his utmost on them. Best thing about them is that I can unstaple the canvas and save them. I am going to get him to do 2 new ones each year.

The bed & the chest of drawers. These were my real treasures on moneysaving. They looked worn and old and orange. OK, they both took 5 coats of primer, and the chest 2 coats of acrylic eggshell plus two coats of plastikote clear varnish (the bed too). But if Max drops something on them, they will not chip. Not this year at least.

Just the whole room really.

I am really chuffed and the whole thing cost me approximately £400 including floor, fabric and furniture. I think I could give old Laura Ashley a run for her money.

If anyone out there in Blogland could help me

2009-05-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

and tell me how I move pics to where I want, I would be extremely grateful and will sent remnants to make your own heart!

A quick Heart, this time using Lavender

2009-05-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

A very long day but still managed a bit of crafting, again using old remnants. Another heart, but this time instead of stuffing I used half Real Lavender, sourced from ebay. It smells divine. I haven't quite got the hang of hearts yet, but will get there eventually.You can see from the bits on the table that I cut a heart out stitch around and stuffed it. I would strongly advise that you leave the hole on the side as this time I left it on the curve at the top and it's a bit lopsided.

Nautical Curtains - another box ticked

2009-05-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Phew, am I glad these are out of the way. I have spend the day pinning & checking before cutting and they have come out fine. They are lined as well.

I measured the bit from the rail to the sill and added on 5 inches, 3 for the bottom hem & 2 for the top. I then hand sewed the bottom hems and ironed flat the top ones.

For the lining I did cheat somewhat and used some linings from another pair of curtains. The width of my stripey fabric (SF) was 56 so I cut the lining 4 inches thinner so that when they are sewn up the sides and you turn them out, the SF has it's own hem. Like making a tube. I also started sewing the side hems from the bottoms, that way you can ensure that the lining will be higher than the SF. Once this was done I turned inside out, pressed, trimmed off the top and ironed the top down 2 inches then sewed on the header tape. It was very very easy. The Fabric cost £32 from 'all the trimmings' on ebay and the header tape was £3. Linings were free and the rail was in a sale for £9.99. So all in all a pretty good show.

The Floor & a heart

2009-05-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, finally the floor is down in my 'nautical' bedroom. It's a lovely bleached wood effect (the masking tape will be removed) and I am really pleased with it. It was also very very cheap. £126.00 from Screwfix who delivered it free as well. We used the underlay from the carpet instead of splashing out on new stuff. It was only about 4 years old. This stuff is quite good quality and will last soooooo much longer than a carpet.

As for my little heart pincushion, this is made from scraps of material from the quilt I made. I haven't quite mastered the art of getting the ribbon on straight yet, but I am sure these things will come in time. I sewed som scraps together then made a heart from a piece of A4 folded in half. I left about 1cm for the hem and handsewed it, left a hole, stuffed it with stuffing from an old pillow and bobs yer uncle. It's rather pretty and will look nice hung on a door or something.

I have recently invested in some lavender from Ebay. 200g cost around £3.60. It comes in a huge bag and I wouldn't actually fill up a whole heart. I will put half & half stuffing in one. I rather like the idea of a lavender sachet for my drawers & wardrobes.

I thought I would show some of Hubs exquisite crafting

2009-05-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

He took a rough old piece of wood from our garden and made a beautiful window sill from it.

He is fab with wood. The window cost £200 and the wood was free.

His normal trade is ceramic tiling. I thought I would show a bit of that as well as I am very proud of his work.

A Chest of drawers which I already messed with

2009-05-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

some 10 years ago. These started off as mahogany but I 'bastardised' them according to hubs. I sanded and sanded and the wood was still a pink colour, so I used a ronseal bleach and made them white, then waxed them this antique pine colour. They also had a mirror on top which I gave away sadly.

My next project will be to turn these into something special.

Remember what started me off with this Blog

2009-05-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

They are now done so from hideous tangerine pine to (well I think) tasteful cool white with lovely knobs!!

Finished Quilt

2009-05-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my quilt. I wasn't sure what to do with the edges. In the end I cut strips of fabric approx 11cm and ironed them in half and then ironed a hem on each side. Using a simple slip stitch, I handsewed both front and back. It took ages and ages but was worth it in the end.

My Chum liked it so much we are making a duvet cover

2009-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

this evening and all of the afternoon to be honest. She is trendy so went for a modern version. I quite like it actually. I like the 'shabby chic' aspect with the patchwork but also the shocking pink!

Quilt is wadded/batted and I have no idea whatsoever

2009-05-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

what to edge it with or even how to. I am thinking put some wadding in the edging to keep the puffy momentum going?

I am making a Quilt

2009-05-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I haven't had time to post recently as I have been busy at work but I have the bank holiday weekend off and have to say, have put my time this evening to good work.

I purchased a rotary cutter and plastic ruler at a cost of £25.00. Yes I know, costly but I have been collecting scraps of material to make a quilt, some bunting and maybe curtains for my daughters room. Of course I haven't even finished my sons room yet but sadly, thats a job for hubs who has also been working hard. This weekend, we hope to get Max's room painted and begin to lay the beautiful new flooring which is from Screwfix. It's whitewashed oak and is really lush.

Anyway I am waffling now. I have included in no particular order a picture of the cutter & plastic ruler, the fabric and where I am at. I wanted a really eclectic set of fabrics in all colours, not just pink or girly colours.

My last patchwork attempt was a cushion, which I used square cards for. This being a more ambitious project, I didn't use templates. The one thing a rotary cutter & ruler will give you is an exact square/other shape. So by using the lines next to the needle on my sewing machine, I free sewed the patches together. Also I didn't want it to be too busy so alternated each patterned square with a white embroderie anglais one. Another thing that is extremely important is to iron, iron, and iron again. It really helps with the finished thing.

I also learnt something from an online tutorial from a woman who, instead of finishing each bit of sewing with a back & forwards motion, just puts a small bit of fabric in to leave you machine ready for the next patch. You end up producing what looks like bunting and as you are going to seam it with the next row, it doesn't matter. Very time saving. Hopefully you can see what I mean in the second picture down.

A Cakestand

2009-04-25T15:28:00.001-07:00

Just because I did buy it. I know I am supposed to be crafting my own stuff, but this was far too pretty not to buy.

Pullman Bread Tin

2009-04-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

Well, Mr Postie bought me my Pullman Tin today. I have to say that so far I am impressed with the depth of it but the width of the slices is rather thin, bit like melba toast. Ho Hum - I will give it a go anyway. Others claim that a pullman tin gives a perfect square loaf.

I know breadmaking isn't really crafting (well to some maybe) but like lots of people I have a breadmaker and I have found that by using the dough programme and then letting the dough rise for a few hours, I can get wonderful bread that is light & fluffy. The problem I had was that no matter how much I tried to get it like a bloomer, it still resembled a cowpat and my littlelies are a bit funny with bread - it must be square.

Hence this tin. I have put the dough on and will bake later and give you another pic to see how it is.

Almost forgot my Easter Cakes

2009-04-12T02:02:00.001-07:00

Oh I can't wait until after dinner!!

Easter Bonnet (a very quick one)

2009-04-12T01:54:00.000-07:00

Goodness I am so behind with this sort of stuff this year. First of all can I wish anyone who is reading this a Happy Easter and I hope you have a lovely day with your families!

Off to church in a mo', so not much time. After that we have a childrens disco at our club, with..... you guessed it - an Easter Bonnet competition. This is a very fast one. It's a bit late for this year, but I used craft wire and tissue paper to make flowers. Cut two 6 x 6 squares and cut the corners off, scrunch the middle twist craft wire, repeat and sort of fluff the flowers out. The hat was from my fave shop £1 shop and the chick was from an egg the children were given.

We also have friends & family coming for a roast, so leg of lamb, roasties and all of the trimmings. Yum.

Easy Wedding Invite

2009-04-11T07:22:00.001-07:00

I just found this whilst looking for something amongst my stash. I made it as a sample for a friends wedding but she went for something else which was completely different. However this remains one of my favourites for wedding/party invites. Using some nice A4 patterned paper, you can make a really simple idea look very elegant, I think. Plain A4 card with script writing on and a nice ribbon really makes this special. You simply cut a 3 sided envelope, us a bit of DS tape on the back and when it's folded & glued, you can either cut a V shape using scissors, or before you fold do a curve or something. Whatever you want really. To make a curve on this type of card I have used a saucer, pint glass or something big & round. Just cut straight round as it's hard, you can do this without pencilling in.

Easter Bunny Soup

2009-04-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, I got this idea from MSE, (thanks girls). Easter Bunny Soup. I paid £2.25 for 15 cello cones from Ebay. Then I went into Lidls and paid £1 each for strawberry/banana milk shake mix. I put 2 tbsps of each into the cone and filled it up with some Marshmallows £1. I then added some curling ribbon and a tag with instructions and a Happy Easter message. I have managed to make 15 for £5.25, if you add the money for the pastel card and curling ribbon I suppose that would be another £1 so not a bad deal really and they look fabulous.

Making Dragonflies quite easily

2009-04-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have decided to make a dragonfly. I have done this previously with the rainbow metallic card but have run out of that, so I thought I would show you how to do one using silver glittered card for the wings.

Get silver craft wire, thread beads, use fine ended scissors/pliers to turn the ends of the wire into a small loop. Then cut a pair of wings from anything you like. I have used silver card, but you can use acetate, or anything that's shiny really even foil. Just fold in half and cut the wings out so that you have pair that matches.

They are tiny, and only will cover a 3 inch square but I reckon if you make two and put them to a flower or plant they will look fab on cards. I know I have used green chalk on a white card before now.

I started this project wanting to make butterflies, but ended up with dragonflies.

Pretty Favour type thingies for a party table

2009-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have just made 30 of these for a party table. Once again, soooo cheap to do. I got eggs from the pound shop (25 per bag), unwrapped them to find they were dark, milk & white chocolate, so rather yum and look fab in cello. Put 4 in each favour, cut a piece of cello from florist, who sold me 3m for £1.50 so cut a 11'' strip and it works out that you can get 3 squares from that.

I used curling ribbon, tip here is to use two colours. I then attached a small label with a stapler and they look fab. The picture doesn't really do them justice as you can't see the silver etc. They cost roughly about 15p each to make. You can use these for so many things, weddings, kids party's etc. I am decorating the hall for this party and will be doing a long post I expect about helium balloons etc as I am going to have a go at blowing them up myself. Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkes!! Also I have done something with some cheap table rolls from ebay including runners.

2009-04-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

A post without pics, as I am trying to work out what to do with the bed. Sadly, the joists in the bedroom were buggered so hubs is putting new joists in. I hate this sort of work, it's all good but you can't see a result in about 2 seconds.

I am also enormously fed up with trying to get the 'varnish' off of things. It's elbow/muscle making work and although I am using an electric sander, I am getting fed up. I think it's my hubs viewpoint that everything has to be sanded down about 500 times. Arghhhhhhhh.

I know he is right, but 5 lots of primer, I am fed up. What he says about this is that if it has a knock etc, it will not matter. At this point I don't actually care. I would rather have bought a chest of drawers in white.

A 40th Card for a good Mate!

2009-04-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

I made this using an A4 card, then put a pale lemon piece of A4 (trimmed) some sticky ribbon and the new prima flowers I recieved. Well I am going to have a moan and wish I hadn't left such good feedback on these. They are very tatty and only a few were actually of any use.

However, with a couple of lemon brads and the lettering cut out in the time old fashioned way of using a craft knife & board, I think it's groovy enough. The letters were cut out of a piece of 12x12 that I was meant to use for scrapping, but hey, she is a good mate. To make the letters I used wordart and make them go backwards by turning the square around on itself. Then when you print on the back they come out the right way. I really really need one of them machines as it's quite time consuming. I think they are called robocraft.

Saturday Night - Wine included.

2009-04-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Saturday night and I am ecstatic that I have 2 whole weeks off work. Yayyyyy and double yay to that. I can't help thinking how much crafting and stuff I can do in two whole weeks.

I intend to start really building up a store of cards. Using my old stuff of course as this blog is about money saving after all.

I thought I would show the dreadful pine chest once more whilst it was being primed!!! I was going to leave the feet orange but have decided against it. They looked awful.

Today I recieved an envelope full of primas from ebay. They were only a £1 so expect some cards with flowers on as I just have to use them.

Back to the drawers. You must sand off all of the dreadful varnish, down to the bare wood I 'm afraid, otherwise they will look like crap and your paint will not stay on - I kid you not and you will be ever so fed up. The companies that sell 'hideous orange pine, must get loads of emails/letters asking how the devil do you get it off?

Use a sander or very very coarse sandpaper for the first dibs and then onto a finer one etc. For each coat of undercoat let dry then sand rough bits again. Another tip for painting furniture with flat bits on is to make sure each stroke of the brush goes from one end of a flat bit to the other, if you start in the middle you will notice it when it dries.

A Christening Card

2009-04-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

I was a little lost for ideas on this one as I make cards very rarely. I love the 3D effect on cards, so I decided to fashion a bible using a bit of thick foamboard. I wrapped it in some Easter Egg foil (yes, I am eating eggs already) to creat the look of gold leaf on the edges of the 'pages'. Then I used a bit of old pearlescent card to make the cover, stuck a peel on cross on it. To make the bookmark, I used a tiny piece of ribbon with the ends cut nicely. It still looked plain so some polka dot sticky ribbon down the side, put the words on silver card with blue eyelets and you have a pretty christening card.

A finished cushion

2009-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well my cushion for the bed is finished. to make the back I ironed the patchwork, then cut two pieces from an old white sheet. Using two good ends for the split bit. I applied the longer one first, which is going to be the bigger fold when turned inside out. then the smaller. I have to let you see the pics. For stuffing, I washed an old saggy pillow from the childrens room, then cut it open and re shredded the poly stuffing. It goes all flat but if you pull it to bits, it regains it's fullness. To make the inner cushion lining, I simply sewed along the pillow case again creating a square. To think I was going to throw it out - Yikes!!!

I really do need a few days clear to get the bed & drawers done. But when I have time, the weather hasn't been on my side. Roll on Summer eh?

Bunting Glorious Bunting

2009-03-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

Bunting reminds me of village fetes and lemonade. It's also a really really cheap way to jazz up a plain colour scheme. It's really really really easy to make as well. I cut a triangle from a bit of A4 and traced round it on a cereal box so it became a bit sturdier. I then used this as my template. Cut two triangles, different colours if you want. Leave about half an inch at the side. Sew the two long sides up making sure that your biro marks are on the outside. Turn inside out. I used a pencil to squish through the points. Then the most important bit. Iron. Don't worry if the top edge of the triangle pocket is a bit rough. When you have all of your triangles, cut the tops straight. I bought some white tape which was about 3cm wide and ironed it folded over. Then I pinned my triangle tops into it, sewed right along the edge of the tape and voila!!

It's one of those things that I am glad has made a comeback.

A finished Box!!!

2009-03-14T03:06:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished the box!! Yayyyyy. The addition of an anchor & a light house to the front gave it a nice touch. I made stencils for both by folding a bit of paper in half and sketching half an anchor and so on. It makes them nice & symetrical. I added a bit of writing to personalise it and gave it a couple of sprays with plastikote clear varnish. It has cost £16.00 plus a bit of white acrylic paint. I reckon it was worth it.

Quick exciting note.

2009-03-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

I got the quilt today and it really lived up to my expectations. I am really thrilled with it.

I can't post pics because I am too darn tired and haven't been crafting for two days - YIKES!

Leftovers from the bunting

2009-03-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I couldn't let them go to waste so I started this today. I know I haven't posted pics of the bunting yet, but I was excited about this cushion cover which really was dead easy and I didn't use a machine for this. I googled square template and found a 4 inch one, printed it on A4, then drew round it onto a bit of card. I then made lots of templates from thin card (greetings cards are good for this). Pin two opposite sides to the card and roughly sew the fabric (see pic). Once they are secure you can start to sew them together. I did 16 and laid them out in order and wrote it down so I know which bit goes where. I simply drew a grid and named them; plain red, Broderie Anglaise etc etc.

Nautical Box

2009-03-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have painted a boat on it. I used a piece of acetate on a white sheet of A4 (so I could see what I was doing), drew roughly what I wanted after looking at cartoon type boats using google image and then cut them out. I then used felt tips in whatever colour I was using to draw round the acetate and painted. It needs another coat at this point, but I am happy. I was going to paint some lighthouses round the sides but am not sure.

General on the box & bunting

2009-03-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, to be honest I am exhausted. After working all day, I came home to find my two having a kip on the sofa. Aha says me, I will start on my box (it's primed, so I am painting a base colour which is a light aqua). I mixed one big tube of poundland blue with a bit of white acrylic that we had in the shed. Added a tiny bit of yellow (from original poundland set) and it's gone a bit more aqua-ry!!

After making home made pizzas (must do a whole post on those) and sitting sewing bunting, I am a bit frazzled, so not in order are the blue box and a pile of fabric. I visited John Lewis in the week for fabric and nearly fell off the floor at their prices. £10.00 per metre and just for poly cotton. Nope - I couldn't pay it as they didn't really have the stuff I wanted anyway. I am so grateful as I visited my local market stall who sold these lovely fabrics for £4 & £2 and they really are just as good.

Scrapbooking

2009-03-05T09:21:00.001-08:00

I thought I would show some willing with the scrapping at this point, as it seems to be 'de rigeur'.

Soon to be Nautical Room

2009-03-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

It's probably fair at this point to show the said room. I leave all of the building work to Hubs, he knows about these things. It's just up to me to make it look pretty. We had very flimsy doors in this room leading to a balcony. When the roof needed redoing we took the balcony out and put a new roof on thus doors leading to a very big step to nowhere. As our 5 year old son Max, is about to be in here, we decided that a window was cheapest, so we got the window for £200.00 and the bricks were free, we raided skips over the last century.

Nautical Quilt & a box

2009-03-05T08:14:00.001-08:00

Two things to report on my quest for a nautical bedroom. I sourced a quilt from Ebay for £30.00 from Laura Ashley.

Also I found a box at B&Q, see pics, which is currently being primed as I speak, for £9.98. I will do it the same as the knobs but might have to get a template for the pics on this one. I want to put boats/light houses etc on it. I thnk for the lighthouses I will make a stencil from some A4 sheets of plastic I have. Oh and by the way I did spray the knobs with Plastikote clear varnish and it's really bought the colours out.

The Knobs

2009-03-04T16:35:00.001-08:00

I have decided to start with the knobs as they are small and don't look like they are too frightning to start with. I sanded them with £1 shop sandpaper. After this I screwed the screw things back in to hold whilst painting.

I am doing two bits of furniture so I have splashed out on a tin of primer. This is important as I did just paint the acrylic paint on at first (against advice from Hubs) but ended up washing it off and starting again. So prime first. Let dry thoroughly. I used an eggbox and stuck a few holes in the top and perched them on there to dry. This is the best bit. I used a £1 box of acrylic paints from Poundland and mixed up white & a bit of aqua to make a seaside/sky base. Apply one coat, let it dry properly then another and you should end up with the blue knobs. After this has dried, I drew a very simple boat on the knob. Again using the acrylics from Poundland.

I am going to wait until they dry and either add another coat on the pics or just varnish. Thats the technical bit out of the way.

Tangerine hideous pine chest of drawers

2009-03-04T16:18:00.001-08:00

This piece of furniture is amazingly solid and doesn't have any clapboard in at all. The joints are all dovetailed and nice. Therefore, I can't give it away or chuck it as there simply isn't anything wrong with it - apart from it has turned from a previously nice piece of pine furniture to the same colour as Posh/Jordan etc from being in the sun. There is a bed as well, but more of that later. I have taken the handles off at this point as I want to start on them first. Small steps and all that.....

First Post and Why?

2009-03-04T16:09:00.001-08:00

Well, this is my first post on my shiny new blog. I have decided to write a blog because so many crafty sites/blogs involve lots of money. I do not have lots of money and tend to craft on the cheap. I love to snap up bargains and have often made something from nothing. I am about to embark on several different projects one of which involves getting my sons bedroom to look like the one from the Laura Ashley Nautical theme, without spending LA money. I have decided to paint the entire room white. White for me is good, you can spot paint walls with biro/crayon/stubborn marks and it's cheap. I can also add tons of stuff in loads of colours and hopefully (in my mind anyway) it will not look overdone.