Monday 31 October 2011

Accessories

Every year without fail nautical accessories show up in the shops. For a knitted cushion cover you could easily spend between £ 15.- to £ 30.-. Why, when all you need is some wool and a cushion pad you want to cover?
Moss stitch keeps the shape better, but any pattern is possible.
This is knitted as a simple rectangle the width and twice the length of the pad plus a bit extra for the buttonholes.
Turn inside out and sew both sides together, leaving the extra flap for the buttonholes.
Turn back and attach buttons on the outside of the main body, just under the buttonholes.
These are a classic design in nautical or neutral colours.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Blanket

Winter is coming, the energy prices are going through the roof - so this is an alternative to cranking the heating higher in the evenings. And the colours are nice too. For those people who appreciate a warm wooly blanky...in my house my husband and daughter usually have a race over who can snatch one first.

Saturday 29 October 2011

Bathsalts

You need an airtight glass jar, some reused ribbon, some card for a tag....
...decorate and write instructions onto the tag ( 2 handfulls of salt per bath)...

...add seasalt and 2 drops of essential oil, close the jar and shake well.

You can add dried flower petals to the salt. For new mothers with stitches seasalt is a good (and healing) choice, just leave out the essential oil.

Friday 28 October 2011

Beads

Different beads, silverwire, clasps and pliers.
Attach the clasps and choose your beads .

Thursday 27 October 2011

High Tech

Todays gift is somewhat different from the others. For this you need a video recording or photographs you want to share with family, a laptop that burns data to CDs or DVDs and said discs. It is a matter of minutes to locate the files, play them in Media Player and burn them to the disc, but family far away will have a nice time watching grandchildren performing Christmas plays and the likes or looking at a collection of photographs that would be far too expensive to send by post.

Just in case you would like some of those photos printed, try freephotoprinting.co.uk. It lists the adresses and the number of free prints per company.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Candles

Tealights, shells and essential oil.

Pull the wicks out of some tealights, cut to size and place in the middle of the shells.

Light tealights until the wax turns liquid and pour into the shells. Add two drops of oil.
This is a fast way to make some unusual candles. I used some shells this time but I have also used walnut shells in the past. Anything small, heatproof and stable can be filled with wax.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Penguin

While I had the knitting needles out I decided to quickly knit a mobile phone sock for my daughter. She happens to adore penguins in all shapes and forms. The main body of this is knitted in stocking stitch, the white parts are done in crochet and eyes and beak are embroidered. Multiple techniques...And I have got another stocking filler ready.

Monday 24 October 2011

Tea Cozy

This is for a tea glass that would burn fingers otherwise: 40 stitches on a set of needles.
4 rows in rib on both ends and the rest in stocking stitch - done in no time.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Felt Fairy


This is a little felt fairy to hang up.

Roll a ball out of stuffing material, cover it in fabric and tie off at the bottom. Sew on some hair and a little cap.

The "body" is some felt cut in a strip, one edge straight and the other  with a "petal"edge. Zigzag some thread along the straight edge and pull. Sew around the neck of the head.
The buds are petalshapes cut out of felt and attached to ribbons, sewn onto the underside of the head.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Customize

This one's easy: Take something basic and jazz it up a bit. While Alice bands like this one are sold for £1.- for a pack of three in some shops, the decorated variety with all sorts of glitter on them are far more expensive. Get yourself a sheet of jewel stickers and have a go and you'll have a stocking filler for princesses in no time. In black, silver or gold also suitable for adults, of course.

P.S.

Would you take a look at that?! Apparently great minds think alike - or it is simply an obvious idea. Anyway, here is the commercially produced version of an idea I had earlier (Let there be light)...and they want £10.- for a set of two!

(reddirect.co.uk)

Friday 21 October 2011

Wall Art

You need paper, a ruler and scissors or a craft knife (even a sharp needle will do)

Draw  upside down "T"-shapes onto the back of the paper, cut along the lines.

Turn around. Bend the tree-shaped flaps up and cut out little "trunks" at the bottom.

This looks good backlit on a window with white backing paper or in a frame on the wall.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Simple Bookmark


You will need some waxed thread and a few beads in nice colours.

Secure the first bead with a knot at the end, slip on the other beads and secure with another knot.

Measure the thread against the pages of a book and tie a knot at the other end, slip on beads and secure the last bead before cutting the thread.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Stockings

Cut two halves of a stocking template out of some fabric.Sew them together, leaving the end open. Turn inside out to hide the seams.
Decorate the stocking with velvet, bells, tassels, stars, fabric paint, ribbons, lace  etc. Sew on wide ribbon to hang it up.
You can use some big socks as a template for the stockings. Simply draw around them.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Table stars

Cut stars out of corrugated cardboard, add a strip long enough to fit around a tealightholder and glue on.

Wind some tinsel around it. You can spray the cardboard silver or golden .

Monday 17 October 2011

Nature

Collect tiny cones and turn them into angels with the help of some thin wire, a wooden bead and some small feathers. Glue the bead onto the end of the cone, attach the "wings" by winding wire around the cone and tie on some thread.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Felt

Take thick felt, cut out a star and pull some thread through.

Saturday 15 October 2011

3D - Cards


Score a piece of card down the middle.


Fold over, draw your "boxes" onto the side where the card is folded and cut along the horizontal  lines.


Fold up the pieces.

Glue the card into a bigger card and decorate.
You could also use green card and cut out diagonal lines for a Christmas tree - or a snowman, Santa, Rudolph etc. The technique is the same  - as long as a vertical strip stays attached on both sides the middle will pop up.

Friday 14 October 2011

More Angels

Featherangels with wire and beads.


You need three bits of wire, one for the legs, one for the arms and one for the body.
Wind all three together and slide the beads onto the wires. Push the ends of the feathers through the wires and attach thread to hang them up.


Thursday 13 October 2011

Easy Angels




Take a round piece of card or a paper plate and draw your template on it

Cut out the shape around the head and cut along the lines for the wings

Bend back the skirt and staple at the back. Decorate any way you like.
You can poke a hole through the head with a needle to attach some thread, but this angel also stands up all by itself.