T-shirt Bags

As supermarkets start charging for plastic bags, now is the time to transform some of your old T-shirts into funky casual bags - so you can be nice to the environment as well as looking super cool when you pack your bags at the checkout!

Go here for instructions.

PostSecret

This is a fun, and often touching, website that showcases postcard messages from people who want to make a confession or tell their best-kept secret. Go here for the blog, and here for the archives.

Hide Your Keys

This make is simply a rock glued onto a prescription bottle so that you can hide your keys in the soil
- so simple yet so useful!

Painting With Moss

This looks like an amazing project for a garden - you mix up a concoction of moss, beer and sugar, then create fun designs with it and watch it grow!

See how, here.

Photo Jar Display

I love this idea for a photo display because it's quick, cheap, easy, it involves recycling, and the different heights and shapes of the jars make it look so fun and interesting!

Go here for details.

Hi-Tech Halloween Costume

This is a hi-tech and impressive costume which uses a digital camera and a DVD player to create the impression of a hole through your body. If you disguised the equipment a bit better than in the photo above, it would look even cooler! 

Find the tutorial here.

Photo Kaleidocycle

This is a fabulous way of viewing a few of your favourite photos - and it would make a great gift too!

Go here for the instructions.

Knitted Clock

A knitted clock is such an original idea, and you can find out how to make a square one here.

Or, you could work out how to make a circular one yourself like this one, maybe using buttons as the numbers, you could use a sweater as the background . . . in fact, there are loads of alternatives you could try!

Argyle Pig Softie

Adorable little soft Argyle piggie - so cute and cuddly!

Find the templates and tutorial here.

Wrapped Bottle Vases

Super-simple vases made from recycing plastic bottles - then wrapping them in scrap fabric, ribbon, raffia, or maybe even ribbon made from plastic bags (double points for recycling!)

Find the details here.

Making a Hovercraft

This amazing build-your-own-hovercraft project looks like so much fun!

It's powered by a vacuum cleaner / leaf blower - I personally think it would work best with a cordless leaf blower, and you can pick one up for about £30, probably even less.

Apart from that, you just need a wooden disc and some basic equipment you can get at DIY shops, and you've got your own mode of transport!

There is a tutorial here, but if you prefer a quick instructional video, see the one below:

How to Make a Hovercraft - More bloopers are a click away

Mosaic Drinks Tray

I absolutely adore this drinks tray - apart from it being useful, it also makes me think of Mediterranean holidays!

Find the tutorial at Design Sponge, which also guides you in the art of mosaic making.

Making Bubbles!

For a bit of fun in the garden, why not have a go at making giant bubbles?

Find out how here, and if you want a choice of bubble mix recipes, there are some here, here and here.

Enjoy :-)

Childhood Toys

The 'Imagine Childhood' website is an amazing treasue trove of gorgeous kid's toys and activities. There are some lovely nostalgic items, as well as natural items such as the above building blocks, and some kits for things such as building a fairy garden (one of my faves). So if you would like something a bit different to the usual plastics toys for your kids, this is the place!

Shell Cascade Lamp

I think this is such a simple idea but it looks amazing! The faux shell decoration is made from circles of laminated rice paper sewn together, and you can find out how to put it all together here.

Refurbish and Stencil a Chair

Really handy instructions on how to add a different covering to an old chair to give it a new lease of life. Not only that, but it also shows you how to stencil the covering too!

Cuddly Bantha

Really adorable Star Wars 'Bantha' that you can make using this super comprehensive tutorial. I love it!

Monster Booties

These baby booties are so adorable!

You could always adjust the pattern to fit your own feet . . I know my inner child wants these, and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

Find the crochet pattern here and the knitting pattern here.

Hot Air Balloon Costume

This is an amazingly impressive fancy dress costume for those who like to impress!

There are no detailed written instructions, but the range of photos are pretty self-explanatory. You'd definitely be the best dressed at a fancy dress party in this! 

Mirror 'Starburst' Centrepiece

This is a really fun project and would make a striking centrepiece in any room . . .and it's so simple!

Go here to find out how.

Cornflour Fun

I saw this on the 'Big Bang Theory' TV show, and it looks so amazing!

Basically, you mix cornflour and water together to make a pretty thick mixture, then you put it in a baking tray over a (cheap/old) speaker - then experiment with the speaker's bass and volume to see what creates the best effect. . .

. . . So let the mess begin!

Go here for the video.

Float Your Boat!

I love these dinky little nostalgic ornaments made from walnut shells, gold spray paint, toothpicks, glitter, a glue gun and some pretty paper. . . go here for details.

And these cute little paper boats are great for decorations, and for floating in a pond!

Go here for the tutorial.

Banish Soggy Cereal Forever!

If you are like me and hate your cereal going too soggy before you reach the bottom, then this product is for you!

Basically, you put your cereal on top of the 'shelf' and then mix small amounts of it with the milk at the bottom of the bowl as you need it. So if you know someone who has everything, why not get them this bowl as a gift?!

Snowflakes Galore!

Cute little tutorial showing you different cutting techniques to produce different styles of snowflakes out of newspaper.

Deliciously swirly quilled paper snowflakes . . .find the instructions here.

And lastly, this tutorial shows you how to make a layered 3D snowflake with white and blue paper.

All of these make beautiful Winter decorations that can be strung into garlands and mobiles, or just hung up individually.

...I hope you like them!

Weaving on a Cardboard Loom

I used a cardboard loom to do some weaving at school once and it was so much fun!

If you want to have a go, then all you need is this tutorial, cardboard, yarn, a pen and some scissors.

Scrabulous!

Is normal-sized Scrabble not extreme enough for you? Then you need to make GIANT Scrabble for some outdoor madness! This would be great for garden parties and BBQs... Find out how on this website :-)

This next project shows you how to make a cool photo display out of a Scrabble game board - and you can also adapt this idea to other board games like Cluedo and Monopoly!

OR you could use scrabble tiles to make coasters with clever drink-related word combinations. Find the how-to here.

Hope you enjoyed today's theme!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This pretty fabric heart decoration would show your favourite person in the world just how much you care :-)

Discover how to make this dainty heart garland from painted newspaper at Maya*Made.

Also at Maya*Made is this tutorial, showing you how to make the paper version of the fabric heart at the top of this post.

I hope you're feeling the love today!

Groovy Guitar Makes

Funky and original shoulder bag for guitar players and rock fans!
There are two great tutorials to choose from here and here.

If you need a supply of picks for your heavy duty guitar solos, then why not cut up some old credit cards?!

Quick, easy and you can give yourself a pat on the back for recycling too :-)

Go here for details.

Butterfly Felt Mobile

Beautiful butterfly mobile made from felt, white yarn, felt beads, card and 2 paper doilies.

This mobile would definitely cheer you up after a long day!

Paint Your Own Tea Set

This absolutely GORGEOUS tea set was made by simply using a bit of artistic talent, some porcelain paint and a plain (and very cheap) tea set.

I think the blue seahorse pattern looks absolutely amazing, and for very little money you too can have super original plates and cups!

Go here for details.

Joy of Baking

Huge range of recipes split into categories like muffins, tarts etc. All food is of the baked variety, which is perfect for a pudding person like me...you're bound to find something to satisfy your sweet tooth here!

Bendy Tripod

The appropriately named 'Spiderpod' is a camera tripod that can be wrapped around all kinds of things to take clear-as-crystal photos from unusual angles to add an interesting twist to your photography!

You can take photos with long shutter speeds too, and this is a lot cheaper than the 'Gorillapod' tripod for instance - and all you need is stiff wire, a 1/4" bolt that fits camera mounts, electrical tape and pliers... Go here and here for details.

Quirky Mailbox

Cute little mailbox project made from box board, a selection of pretty fabric, yarn, wooden letters, and an iron-on transfer. Adorable for anywhere in your house, but the original idea was for a kid's mailbox so that kid's and parents can send letters to each other...awww!

Groovy Floor Cushions

These easy-peasy floor cushions can liven up your living room in no time!

Magnetic Chalkboard Project

Fabulously grand and elegant magnetic chalkboard, which you can make yourself by cutting a thin sheet of magnetic steel to fit inside an ornamental mirror frame, and then coating the steel with chalkboard paint.

This would be a fab focal point for any wall, and means you can display memos and photos in style!

Find the instructions here.

Paper Butterflies

Really pretty butterflies made my cutting paper into different size butterfly shapes and sewing them together in the middle - so easy but they would look so cute on a wall or as part of a mobile!

Go here for details.

Weeping Angel Costume

This is the first in my 'Fancy Dress Ideas' posts, which will contain ideas for costumes and themes for parties, as well as those you can make from scratch.

This first costume idea is the weeping angel, which looks unbelieveably impressive.

The tutorial has invaluable information on how to make the mask, the wig, the wings and the dress, all with materials that are pretty easy to get hold of. I'm definitely going to be making the masks!

Go here for details.

Apple Pincushion

Learn how to make this adorable apple pincushion here. . . I love it!

Butterfly Linen Mobile

Click here to find out how to make this cute butterfly mobile from circles of linen sewn together and stamped with a butterfly stamp.

Would look adorable in any bedroom!

Apple Jellies

I haven't tried this recipe, but since I always look for the 'Granny Apple' jelly beans first I thought these apple jellies would be right up my street!

All you need is apples, water, sugar, and a lemon - which is another plus point because I love recipes with few ingredients...so this is definitely my kind of treat! Find the instructions here.

Papier-mâché Faux Wooden Containers

This project is one of my favourites so far because a) it shows you how to use papier-mâché to create a false wood effect. . . . and b) it reminds me so much of my favourite childhood TV show 'Art Attack' (that Neil Buchanan loved papier-mâché!)

All you need is paper (like junk mail), glass jars, flour, salt, a blender, masking tape, a paintbrush and acrylic paints.

It looks like alot of fun, and the results are so effective!

Printing by Hand

Click here to find out how to decorate plain white sheets, and how to create funky potato prints!

If you want to find out more about printing, you could buy 'Printing by Hand' by Lena Corwin, or 'How to Print on Anything' by Lotta Jansdotter (I have both books!)

DIY Map Lamp

Fun yet sophisticated map lamp that is super easy to make!

Find the tute here.