Thursday 30 September 2010

Baked Garlic Fries

These fries look amazing, and the comments from people who've tried them confirm the yumminess, so why not give 'em a go?!

Compact Shoe Rack

If you need to store shoes but haven't got much room for a normal shoe rack, this modified shoe rack from Not Martha is the perfect solution - and you can make it smaller or bigger depending on how many shoes you have :-)

Wednesday 29 September 2010

More Jewellery!



Just a note to say that I'm adding new jewellery designs daily to my shop over the next few weeks so I'll have lots of stock for Crimbo! Hope you like them :-)

Altered Tank Top

Click here for an inspiring tutorial on how to alter a basic tank top by sewing a painted flower design onto the side. I think it looks brill!

Tuesday 28 September 2010

A Brief History of Everything



To put a smile on your face, have a look at this brilliant stop motion video which encompasses the brief history of pretty much everything!

Bracelet Wallet

This bracelet doubles as a wallet, which would be really useful for carrying your money when you don't have pockets or a bag.
Go here for the instructions.

Monday 27 September 2010

Mesh Market Bag

If you can knit, then have a look here or here for 2 patterns used to create an organic-looking grocery bag, and if you crochet, go here or here for your free patterns.

Sunday 26 September 2010

Blueberry Cobbler

This warming blueberry cobbler is baked in individual jars for a more luxurious experience. Go here for the recipe.

Diamond Smocking

Go here for instructions on how to go about diamond smocking, which is a pretty technique usually used on clothes and cushions.

Saturday 25 September 2010

Pencil Graphite Art

This pencil graphite art is so aesthetically pleasing, but I can't imagine the patience involved. To see more amazing examples, go here.

And if you think that's incredible, have a look at this craziness!:

Friday 24 September 2010

Sugared Flower Petals

This tutorial shows you how to sugar flower petals to make them into gorgeous decorations for cakes.

Leather Link Bracelet

Click here to see how to make this fashionable chain link bracelet. The page has been translated from Spanish (and I'm pretty sure the 'piece of skin' means 'a piece of leather' lol)

Thursday 23 September 2010

Amazing Cupcakes

33 Gorgeous cupcake recipes in a variety of mouth watering flavours and designs :-)

Slow Cooked Lamb

This recipe for slow cooked lamb with onions and thyme has received many top reviews on the Good Food website - so it must be darn good!

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Faux Fur Writeboard

This board is covered in fun fur, which allows you to write on it using just your finger! This page shows the idea, but it isn't a tutorial - I'm sure it would be quite straightforward to create yourself though :-)

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Embroidered Clock

Click here for a tutorial on creating your very own embroidered clock. This project has plenty of room for creativity because you could create any shape, any embroidery design and use any fabric.

Whittled Wood Gnomes

These quirky little gnome/Santa ornaments are whittled in wood before being painted, and you can see the step-by-step tutorial here.

Monday 20 September 2010

Bottle Vases

I love the bright rainbow colours of these wine bottle vases, and they're so easy!
Click here for the tute.

Perfect Brownies

Click here for a well thought-out recipe for 'perfect brownies' - sounds good!

And for another gorgeous brownie recipe (this time with lots of choc chips), go here.

Sunday 19 September 2010

Simple Reversible Bag

This is an extra step up from the basic tote bag, and allows you a choice of 2 outer fabrics. Click here for the tutorial.

Recycled Paper Notebooks

Click here to see how you can create unique notebooks using scrap music/map/graph/lined/plain papers.

Saturday 18 September 2010

Sticky Tape Dispenser

I love this tape dispenser - in fact, I need one of these - and the cool style is thanks to it being made from an old cigar box! Have a look at the project here.

Friday 17 September 2010

Photo Pencils

Follow these instructions to add your favourite photo to a set of pencils. I think this make would be a thoughtful, personalised gift for a friend or family member.

Belt Bangle

I love this cool bracelet cuff made from an old belt, and it's pretty easy to make too. Find the tutorial here.

Thursday 16 September 2010

Framed Display Box

This box is great for hanging on a wall or resting on a shelf and can display your favourite ornaments. Go here to see the project instructions.

DIY Skinny Ties

Click here for a tutorial on turning old ties into fashionable mod skinny ties.

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Laundry 101

Not craft related at all, but I think that this website about how to wash different types of items is very handy indeed, especially for me as confused as I am!

Butterfly Pillow

How lovely and feminine is this pillow? I love it!

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Things You Can Learn On Youtube


This page lists lots of things you can learn via YouTube videos, including how to knit, how to cut your own hair, how to crack a coconut and how to flirt!

Sandwich Crafts

Click here for brilliant examples of sandwich art that you could do yourself - perhaps for someone's birthday snack or just as a fun treat!

Monday 13 September 2010

DIY Ottoman

I love the stylish look of this ottoman, and you can see how it was made from scratch, here.

Sunday 12 September 2010

Tuscany Photos

These two photos are my favourites from all of my (over 1200) photos taken in Tuscany, Italy, last month - I got a bit snap happy with the cathedrals especially, and there were a LOT of cathedrals!

If you'd like to take a look, I've whittled the photos down to merely 355 (!) and they can be viewed here. They are in the order I took them on my holiday, and the descriptions tell you the place so you can follow along on my journey :-) I hope you enjoy them!

Saturday 11 September 2010

Binder Pouch

This pencil pouch fits into your folder and it would be a very useful make for back-to-school or back-to-work! Find the tutorial here.

Calligraphy for Beginners

Learn how to write extremely pretty invites yourself with this tutorial.

Friday 10 September 2010

Elasticated Skirt

I reckon this skirt would be really comfy with the wide elastic waistband and deep, slouchy style pockets, and I think it looks really cool!
See how you can make one yourself, here.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Zombie, Turtle & Cupcake Pincushions

This tutorial outlines 3 very different pincushion designs, of which my favourite is the zombie (of course!)

DIY Wall Art

This wall art is actually very straightforward to do but looks great. All you have to do is paint stripes, then trace on a pattern using permanent black pen - easy peasy! Find the how-to here.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Clay Ring or Brooch

Scratching your desired pattern into plaster allows you to let your imagination run wild, and this design can then be imprinted again and again onto polymer clay. Have a look how it's done, here.

Tuesday 7 September 2010

DIY Cuckoo Clocks

These adorable display-only cuckoo clocks are mainly created from ready-made pieces so it's mostly a glueing and painting project really i.e. the fun bits!

Personalized Pencils

If you want to give your kids a cute back-to-school gift, then why not personalize their pencils with fun messages and write on napkins...awww! Go here for the how-to.

Monday 6 September 2010

Blackpool Illuminations

On Friday (the 3rd) I went to the Blackpool Illuminations 'switch on' show, and I took a few photos so I just thought you might like to see :-) I live pretty close to Blackpool but have only been once before to the show. This time, unfortunately, it was a ticket-only event for the first time and I didn't manage to get a ticket because I was in Italy when they came out (which was especially disappointing because Robbie Williams, my favourite pop star, is the one who switched on the lights - arg!)

So I ended up watching the show on the big screen next to the beach on Blackpool promenade, which was actually very civilised because it was really nice, sunny weather, there was a great sunset, and the crowd were all chillaxing on the ground. Lovely. Plus we were near the front and could see the ferris wheel on the pier and Blackpool tower too. The acts on the show were Olly Murs, Alesha Dixon and The Wanted, amongst others. I'm guessing you won't have heard of those people unless you live in the UK, but Olly Murs came 2nd in the X Factor over here and Alesha Dixon won, and is a judge on, our Strictly Come Dancing TV show.

We all joined in the countdown and then saw the lights come on all the way down the prom. Cheering ensued. If you'd like to see my photos, click here. Thanks for reading!

DIY Couture

You can find the instructions for a pretty and fashionable gathered skirt here.

Sunday 5 September 2010

It All Ends Here

So it's nearing the end of the Harry Potter Film Series, and I think it's rather sad :-( The last book was REALLY tragic and I haven't quite gotten over it yet lol so I just hope the films (2 parts) do the book justice.

Anyway, I've made some Harry Potter quizzes and they're quite hard so I hope any super fans like me will give them a go! Click here for the tricky quizzes to really test your knowledge. Enjoy :-)

Wipeable Menu Board

This smart looking menu board is made with a picture frame with glass front, and is a very quick project. You could also leave off the vinyl letters and just have a memo board if you'd prefer. Click here for the instructions.

Saturday 4 September 2010

Skull Plates

These plates definitely have ATTITUDE! Very funky, and they look like fun to make too. . . have a look at the how-to here.

Friday 3 September 2010

Are You A 90's Kid?

If you were born in the 80's and spent your childhood in the 90's like me, perhaps you'd like a nostalgic trip down memory lane? The page is written from a living-in-the-uk perspective but you will probably find a lot of cross-overs with other countries in the 90s too - Hope you like it!

Floaty Blouse Pattern

Click here for a free pattern and tutorial for the above pretty blouse.

Thursday 2 September 2010

Salvaged Inspiration Board

This simple inspiration/memo/greeting card display is made by simply wrapping twine around a wooden board. Have a look at the how-to here.

Lunch Bag

Click here for the pattern for this cute lunch bag.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

Wax Paper Shell Chandelier

The discs in this chandelier look so much like capiz shell pieces but they're actually wax paper circles! Click here to see how it's made.