Make your own gift tags using left over wrapping paper

As I said in my previous post, gift tags are expensive! Well here is my very quick tutorial on how to make your own using left over bits of your very own wrapping paper.

Materials:
Scraps of wrapping paper
Card (plain white is best but feel free to use a cereal box etc)
Glue - spray mount glue works best, but PVA/Modge Podge will suffice
Scissors
Hole Punch
String/ribbon/yarn etc

Take your piece of card and put your left over wrapping paper over the top. If you are using one piece of paper to cover the whole piece of card then perfect, if not then just lay the scraps down onto the card as neatly as possible to cover as much of the card as possible. For information I have used some of the free papers from one of the Christmas issues of Mollie Makes. They make perfect paper for this little project.

Glue the paper to the card using glue.

Once it has dried using your scissors cut out some nice tag shaped labels out of the card. You can think about using the pattern on the paper to make shapes if you fancy.

Using the hole punch make a hole in one end of the tag and thread through your ribbon.

Ta Da! Gift tags without the extra price tag!

Enjoy, and never feel like you need to be ripped off to have matching gift tags ever again!

Make your own gift tags - Scandi lino printed tags

I have a real problem with gift tags. They cost a fortune if you want nice ones and you need about 20 packets if your family are anything like mine and wrap EVERYTHING. They are something I never buy when I buy gift wrap because they are so expensive, but then if you don't buy tags you either don't know what belongs to who, or you have to write on the present which just isn't pretty. In that vein I always end up making my own. Mostly just pieces of card with a hole in, but this year we are getting more inventive! 

So using my new found lino cutting skills I designed and made these scandi inspired Christmas tree tags. If you want to have a go at these yourself you just need some lino cutting supplies:
Lino cutting tool
Lino block
Pencil
Block printing ink
Roller
Piece of glass
A spoon or something similar
Some plain card
Hole punch
String

So all you need to do is draw up your design of choice. Have a look on the internet (or dare I say it... Pinterest) for a bit of inspiration. Think Christmas trees, stars, snowflakes or something much more complicated if you prefer. Then using the lino cutting tools cut out the design. You will need to think in reverse, remember, anything you cut away will be the same colour as the paper and anything you leave raised will be printed in the colour.

Once this is done put some of the ink on your piece of glass, roll it around a bit with the roller and add some ink to the block. Place the block upside down on your piece of card and apply pressure with the back of the spoon (I used scissor handles). Once you are happy you have rubbed over the image remove the block from the card and you should have a pretty little print. Just repeat the print over and over on the card to make many labels. Once they are dry, cut them out, punch a hole and thread your string. It really is that simple.

Or.... if you want to do this at home, and don't want too complicated a design, use a potato and some poster paint! Works just as well, you just won't get to keep your block for next year but is much more accessible for younger hands.

I hope this has inspired you to have a go at making some of your own gift tags instead of spending a fortune on the shop bought ones. Your imagination really is your only limit. I will have a new quick post of Friday to tell you how you can make your own gift tags to match your wrapping paper and very little extra expense. We can't complain at that now can we, I like the idea of thrifting a little at Christmas so you can spend a bit more time on the important things.

Adventures in Lino Printing - A Christmas Lino Print Workshop

As you may or may not be aware we are now at 38 weeks so this little man is going to make his mark any day now, scary or what! The problem is that I am, to be honest, completely knackared. This means that I am mostly sitting on the sofa under a blanket and a cat and not getting up. Nice for me yes, bad for getting all the things that are in my head done! But despite my lack of ability to move I actually have a few festive type blog posts to write up which is exciting, so expect a little bit of a flurry from me in the next couple of weeks, followed by what will likely be a complete silence for a while as we adjust to our new lives.

So following on from the lino printed baby grow... which wasn't a complete success, I went on a lino cutting Christmas workshop with a friend. Neither of us really needed to do this workshop, its something we have both done before, but it was a nice excuse to get out the house and do something a bit out of the ordinary. I also wanted to have a go at using the new type lino printing blocks, and some proper ink before I dived in and bought myself any more supplies.

The workshop was great and was run by Leanne Narewski who does some lovely prints. We all sat down for two hours, drew up a design, cut out the print and then made either some cards or some print pictures. It was incredible how well everyone's turned out, even for people with little or no experience. Each one was completely unique but just worked so perfectly, I wish I could find a link to show you pictures of more peoples work (you can see my friends on her facebook artist page). Ellen (who you should know by now as my boss) came along with another colleague from work as well and their prints were also gorgeous. I am secretly hoping she is reading this and will post you a picture in the comments!!

So I have now purchased a few more lino cutting supplies so I can make proper Christmas cards with my print block once they all arrive. I have also been making up some gift tags so will show these off to you in a couple of days.

In the grand scheme of things this is actually quiet a cheap hobby to take up, the supplies are really not that expensive to set up. The real issue I had was the cost of the ink, as you want more than one colour, but the bottles are actually huge, and you only need a really small amount so at the end of the day it doesn't end up costing the earth, as long as you are sensible about your colour choices.

 

I hope you like my little festive bears, I think he is adorable and I love how he can have either a hat or a crown depending on his mood! The hat is a separate mini block so this can be printed in any colour and added after the original print is dry.  

Below is one of Ellen's prints, see how different it is to mine, but still looks amazing! 

Scented Hand Warmers

Happy Halloween! This weekend I will mostly be dressed as a pumpkin (check it out on instagram...)

It feels a bit fraudulent to be writing a post on Halloween which has no relevance to Halloween whatsoever. Especially as its one of my favourite holidays. That's just the way the cookie crumbles I guess, I have Christmas crafting to prioritise this week instead in time for Christmas project craft (which is only 9 days away).

So what do we have here? It's getting colder outside, well I say that, its really not, its pretty warm today and I am roasting pretty much all the time now (tropical moment anyone?) but in theory its getting colder, and the nights are most definitely drawing in. So on that thought we have made some scented heated hand warmers. These little things are great when heated up as they keep your hands toasty warm, but not only that they can be put inside your mitts or socks to keep your extremities warm. Then when its not cold outside anymore they can be popped in your dresser drawer and you will have sweet smelling unmentionables for the rest of the year! Brilliant.

The insides are very simply stuffed with some dry rice which was very expertly scented for me by Ellen with some essential oils.

You simply cut out 4 rectangles, about 3 inch x 4 inch and placing 2 pieces wrong sides together (right sides facing out) sew around three edges in a U shape using a 3/8 seam allowance. Repeat with the other 2 pieces so you have two hand warmer socks. The seams will be on the outside but thats perfectly ok.

Stuff the little bags about 2/3 full with some of your smelly rice

Then stitch the final open seams together making sure the rice is pushed out the way of the machine needle. Ensure that the stitching meets the original seams as we don't want those little riceicles escaping now do we!

The final step is to trim those big seams with a pair of pinking sheers to make them look all neat and pretty and decorative. The great thing about pinking sheers is that they also stop the fabric from fraying all over the place.

In order to make your hand warmers toasty warm you just need to pop them in the microwave for no more than 15 seconds and them take them out. Be careful though as they could be quiet hot to touch as soon as they are done. I don't want to hear of any of you burning yourselves!

And that's it. This was a very quick tutorial but it was so easy it was silly not to show you all how to have a go!

I hope you all have exciting plans for Halloween. We likely won't be doing anything, I am shattered now after a morning at the machine. Its also sad to think this time last year we were in Mexico for Day of the Dead, I would definitely like to go back there one day. But here's looking forward to many future Halloweens with little people in them to make costumes for and take out trick or treating.

Starry Starry Headbands

Its all getting a bit accessories crazy over here at the moment, but I have realised just how easy and fun a few little sparkly hair accessories are to make. Not only do I love to make them but I also love to wear them, so I am very sorry but you are just going to have to bear with me whilst I get it all out of my system. 

These little numbers are stars mounted onto a band of elastic which can be worn around the head like a headband. The perfect thing about the elastic is that you can place the star anywhere on your head to mix up the look, or even wear multiples together. I love how glam rock these are. Sparkly, pink, leathery and perfectly matched to my inner child/rocker.

I got the idea when I received issue 44 of Mollie Makes  which included a free kit on the front to make a 'Boho Feather Necklace'. I wasn't a huge fan of the necklace, it just wasn't something my style and so I couldn't see myself wearing it. The kit however contained pink and gold faux leather pieces which I just couldn't put down so I had to think of something else to do with them. This is where the stars were born.

They are made from a variety of real leather, the faux leather from the kit, some of the glitter fabric which I am sure you are sick of the sight of, some felt and some elastic cord.

It was so simple, I drew up two star templates and cut out a variety of small and large stars. I then used the glue gun to attach a smaller star to the centre of the bigger one and then glued it onto a piece of felt with a length of the elastic sandwiched between the leather and the felt. Finally I cut around the felt and tied a little knot in the elastic to make it fit the size of my head.

They are by no means perfection, but I like them a lot.

 

So whats been going on around here? We have had a pretty quiet weekend to be honest. We took the opportunity to start decorating the baby's bedroom. I say we, I mean Mr Fox did it all as I am not allowed to paint and was generally feeling a little bit under the weather. Its starting to come together a bit now though. We still have a way to go but at least it feels like we are moving forwards. Other than that we did a bit of DIY shopping and that was about your lot.

I have been trying to resit the urge to buy baby a cute little Christmas outfit. There are so many cute ones out there but I am conscious of the fact that he might be late, and so late that he doesn't actually arrive until after the event. In that case a cute little Christmas outfit is a complete waste. However friends are awesome and everyone keeps telling me I should just splurge on one little thing as I won't get the chance another time so I gave in and bought this adorable little pudding baby grow. Isn't it adorable! I at least figured it could be worn even a few days after Christmas what with it just being a pudding.

Finally... and no one will read this tiny little tag line, but the next post will be post 100!! I can't believe we are there already. I am planning to do a bit of a 'review of the year' and also a little giveaway themed from the last 100 posts so check back on Friday to see what's in store. I will leave the giveaway open for a little while to give as many people as possible the chance to get involved.

A girl can NEVER get enough glitter!

More Glitter! Is that enough for you? Of course its not, but its a good start!

After making my glitter shoe clips (my tutorial is here) I just had to purchase some more of the fabric and make myself a version in many different colours. My favourite is definitely the light multicoloured ones in the centre of the picture above. They just go with anything and are so bright and sparkly!

My reason for making this is again for our Christmas Craft charity event. Instead of shoe clips I will make them into hair grips and sell them as individuals which means we can hopefully make lots and lots of money with them. This is a great little thing to make as stocking fillers or as small gifts as they are relatively inexpensive and they don't take a long time to do at all. You could also clip them on your Christmas tree, but adorning yourself is much more fun.

I am also off to a hen do tonight so its perfect timing for a very sparkly and girly post hee hee! I am actually really looking forward to this weekend. This afternoon brings a relaxing antenatal pilates class, which will likely be followed by a soak before I get ready to go out and get all glammed up. The theme is 'Corsets and Feathers' and well whilst I can't exactly wear a corset I can of course wear feathers! Then on Sunday it is my little nephews 3rd birthday party! I can't believe he will be 3 already but any excuse for a bit of jelly and ice cream!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend whatever you are up to and try to add a little sparkle if you can x

A Crafty Christmas

It's all over :( but it's not time to wallow...

It's time to start thinking about the year ahead, the things you want to achieve, the people you want to see and what to enjoy. As well as this, for those of us that are still enjoying a break from the everyday grind it's time to spend some time enjoying those lovely gifts which our kind friends and families bestowed upon us.

I have been very lucky this year and so am writing this post to you from my brand new iPad (I really do have a far to kind husband) but I couldn't be happier. I really want it as a place to write the blog from, read other blogs, collect magazines (where they won't clutter up the house!), collect recipes as well as obviously the odd game and or movie. 

But this wasn't the only awesome gift I received, I got some beautiful jewellery as well as some craft items. I got some knit pro circular needles which I just adore. They are so useful as you can just untwist the needle from the string bit, that must have a proper name?, and add a new needle size. I have also started doing a lot of my straight knitting on. Circulars as they are much easier than having big long needle hitting you, or the cat, whilst you are knitting. I also got a new Kim Hargreaves knitting pattern book as I have a real hankering to make Longing so I can't wait to head out to my local yarn shop and get this cast on. Let's see if I can finish a jumper eh. 

I also really must sew up a nicer little case for these bad bouts, the plastic is a bit icky.

So put your feet up, relax, enjoy those gifts and think about the year to come. 

Fit for a Queen (or King) Crown

I love it when you get a little idea for something whimsical and it turns into such a great little successful project. This one was really quick and I am so pleased with the outcome. Isn't it a spectacular crown, I am sure any little future King or Queen would be happy to receive this. 

I have made this one for a friends daughter (hence the 'Queen') as a little Christmas gift, so I am really hoping she likes it. I can see me making more of these in my future.

 

These are made using two layers of felt fabric, with a layer of iron on interfacing in the middle. You could make it without, but it make it much sturdier. 

The pattern idea basically came from combining the following two tutorials:

Dress up Crown by The Long Thread

and Royal Felt Crown by Long Things

I hope you like my felt crown, and I urge you to have a go at one of these yourself for any young Kings and Queens (or in fact yourself) in your life. 

Some Midweek Inspiration: DIY Craft Kits

Naturally, being a crafty person myself, I have a lot of friends who enjoy making things themselves in one form or another. There are knitters, sewers, professional jewellery makers to name a few. Because of this I always try to find gifts for them which are either handmade or kits for them to make things for themselves. I really like to do my bit to support UK hand crafters/artists, especially at this time of year.

There are so many good quality kits out there, and I had a wonderful time over the weekend scouring Folksy and Not on the High Street for Christmas gifts for them. Because of my obsession with Pinterest I obviously made a board of them so I could gather ideas and then go back to it later to make my purchasing decisions. 

Some of my favourites however can be found directly linked from here:

Home Sweet Home Knitting Kit on Folksy - knit your own tiny little house keyring
Screenprinted Fabric Pouch Kit on Folksy - sew a little bag with hand screen printed fabric
Leather Keyring Design Kit on Not on the High Street - sew your own little leather keyring (bird/cupcake)
Triangle hat knitting kit on Not on the High Street - hat knitting kit, the colour scheme on this is great
And Finally
Animal Hats on Amazon - I purchased this for a friend, and its so good its gone straight on my own Christmas list!

There are so many good kits to be found as you will see, these were just ones of my personal taste. I really would advise, if you are stuck for present ideas, to check out these two sites and support UK made craft because there really is some incredible talent out there. As mentioned above, there are a couple of these which made it on to my Christmas list, and some which I will probably purchase afterwards.

Please do feel free to share any craft kits you have found and fallen in love with, or ones which you sell yourself. I would love to see them.