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DIY Lace Jars

by on April 5, 2012 in Craft, Daily Life, Handmade, Reclaim

Last weekend I prettied up some old glass jars with a little lace. This DIY is super quick and easy and you probably already have all of the things required! The finished jars look really lovely holding a bunch of flowers fresh out of the garden…

And they make cute candle holders too!

To make the lace wrapped jar, I simply cut a length of lace as long as the circumference of the jar. I then used Mod Podge and a paint brush to glue the lace to the bottom of the jar. Once it had dried I applied a second coat of Mod Podge.

To make the lace polka dot jar, I used the lid of an old juice bottle and a pencil to trace circles on the lace. I cut the lace circles out and used Mod Podge to glue them to the jar. Just like the lace wrapped jar, I applied a second coat of Mod Podge once the first coat had dried.

What do you think? Pretty cute, no?!

If this project takes your fancy, you might also like some of the other cute, crafty ways to recycle jars here.

I hope you are all having a happy, sunshiney, magical week. The Easter Bunny is nearly here!

Katie x

Comments { 25 }

Ziggy Stardust

by on January 6, 2012 in Craft, Handmade

Before Christmas, when we drew names out of a hat for the Secret Santa at my work, I was lucky enough to get a good friend of mine. I immediately new exactly what to get her. She’s a massive David Bowie fan so naturally, I had to make her a Ziggy Stardust doll!

I kept the pattern simple because I didn’t have much time to work on it. I usually spend a ridiculous amount of time on each project I do, because I fiddle with details so much, but this one came together quite smoothly.

Ziggy is constructed of felt and measures about 30cm tall. His hair is made of some of the yarn I got for my birthday, and for his eyes I used one blue and one brown button, to match the real David Bowie.

When we unwrapped our gifts, I was surprised to see that my gift had been handmade as well! I received a little wallet made from a page of a Where’s Wally book.

I was pretty impressed. Handmade gifts are just so awesome. There is nothing better than knowing someone has put the time and effort into making you something that is special and one-of-a-kind.

Did you do a Secret Santa this Christmas? What did you give? What did you get? I’d love to hear about it!

Reuben :D

Comments { 19 }

DIY Yarn-Wrapped Love Wreath

by on December 16, 2011 in Craft, Handmade, How To

This year I decided we needed a new wreath. I wanted to make one myself but I needed a project that was quick, simple and inexpensive. I also wanted to make something colourful and cute, rather than traditional. I like glittery things as much as the next girl, but I’m slowly trying to get away from red, green and gold and make our decorations more bright and colourful. I think bright suits us better. I think it suits our hot, summery Australian Christmases better too.

This simple little wreath was inspired by this wreath made by Pip and this wreath made by James (with these yarn wrapped letters). It was so easy peasy to make. I just wrapped a styrofoam wreath in yarn, securing with my trusty glue gun at the back. I then shaped “love” out of pipercleaners, wrapped yarn around it and glued it on. See? Easy peasy!

What does your wreath look like? There are so many lovely DIY wreathes about… If you’ve seen any especially wonderful ones please do share the link. (I am kind of already thinking about what sort of wreath to make next year!)

Katie x

Comments { 19 }

DIY Bow Mary Janes

by on November 2, 2011 in Craft, How To, Reclaim, What Katie Wore

Look what I made!

Sweet Mary Janes with pretty floral bows! If you’ve got a pair of ballet flats that could use a little something to make them more special, this easy peasy DIY is just the ticket.

To make your own Bow Mary Janes, you’ll need:

  • Some ballet flats (either plain ones or ones with simple embellishments that can be removed)
  • A glue gun and glue sticks
  • 2 large press studs
  • Scissors
  • Iron on adhesive such as Vliesoflex (to bind 2 pieces of fabric together)
  • Dressmakers chalk
  • Ruler
  • Iron

Step 1

If your shoes have any embellishments, carefully remove them. The shoes I used had funny bows sewn on, which I unpicked. Don’t try to remove embellishments that are glued on as it’s likely that in doing so you will damage the shoes.

Step 2

Use your ruler and chalk to draw up 4 rectangles, each 13cm x 7cm. Mark the rectangles on the wrong side of the fabric so that they won’t be visable when you’re finished.

Step 3

Cut out the rectangles and, following the instruction on your adhesive, bond them back to back, so that you have 2 double sided rectangles. The adhesive will also reinforce the fabric and make your bows more structured.

Step 4

Pinch the centres of the two double-sided rectangles to form bow shapes, and secure with glue.

Step 5

Cut out 2 strips of fabric approximately 3cm wide (for the centres of the bows). Fold the raw edges underneath and press.

Step 6

Wrap the fabric strips around the centre of the bows (with the raw edges tucked underneath) and secure with glue. Trim away any excess fabric from the ends of the strips.

Step 7

Cut out 4 strips of fabric for your ankles straps. For each strap fuse two fabric stips together with adhesive (back to back), then trim them to the right size. My straps are a bit over 2cm wide and about 21 cm long (from tip to tip) but I have very wide feet, so make sure you test the length of the straps and adjust them to fit, before you glue. I also trimmed the ends of the straps so that they were round.

Step 8

Glue one half of a press stud to the rounded end of each strap.

Step 9

Put the shoes on and postition the straps where you would like them to sit. Use chalk to mark where the other halves of the press studs need to go and where the strap needs to be attached on the other side (on the inside). Glue the straps on, and…

Ta da! You’ve got yourself an adorable new pair of shoes!

Team your Bow Mary Janes with colourful tights and wear them for picnicing in the park, wandering about the farmers market and going on leisurely Sunday drives! Hurrah!

Katie x

Comments { 30 }

Pom Pom Lady

by on October 15, 2011 in Craft, Daily Life, Handmade

I’ve always had a thing for pom poms. Really, what’s not to love about fluffy little puffs of colourful yarn!? They are perfect for trimming a blanket, scarf or knitted hat, when strung together they make pretty garlands, and they even look snazzy just sitting together in a nice bowl. This week I’ve been very happily pom pom-ing along every evening after work.

I love that making pom poms is so quick, easy and fun! I can make a big handful of pom pom goodness in just a couple of hours and each one feels like a lovely little achievement. Another thing I like about making pom poms is that I am better at it than Reuben. There! I said it. Reubs tried making some pom poms for the first time last night and they all came out rather misshapen and odd. Mine mostly come out perfectly plump and round. I like this, not because I am horrible person, but because Reuben has a natural affinity for all things crafty and often I struggle. While I am good at imagining up creations and designs, at times I find executing my ideas really hard. Sometimes my seams are wobbly and my crochet is lumpy, and I have to practice and practice to get better. Reuben’s crafty things are almost always perfect first go, and while I’m forever grateful to have such a talented person around to help me out when I inevitably get stuck, sometimes it’s a teensy bit frustrating. Making pom poms is so ridiculously easy, I can’t really understand how anyone could be not-so-great at it, but somehow Reuben is. And that seems only fair!

Are you naturally good at all crafty things like Reubs, or do you have to learn and practice like I do? And how do you feel about pom poms? Do they fill you with happy like they do me?

Wishing you fabulous a weekend, full of magic and wonder!

Katie x

Comments { 22 }

Reuby’s Crochet Cardigan

by on October 5, 2011 in Craft, Crochet, Handmade

Way back in May, I started to crochet a cardigan. It’s been almost six months in the making but now I can finally say I’ve finished!

I started my cardigan after seeing this basket stitch in a vintage crochet book, found on one of our op-shop adventures. I rarely find mens patterns that fit me (or that look any good) so I used my measurements with a pattern for a lady’s knitted cardigan as a rough guide, and just started crocheting.

I found that basket stitch is very yarn thirsty and altogether I’ve used just under 1.5kg of wool. This makes the cardigan fairly heavy (although I don’t notice when I’m wearing it), but it is also the warmest item of clothing ever (which I do notice).

I finished the crochet part of the project just before we moved away from Sydney, but I really wanted to use simple, natural wood buttons, and no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find what I had in mind in the right size. I ended up packing the cardigan into a box with the rest of my clothing and didn’t think about it again until we unpacked.

Last week, I came home from work to find Katie had been op-shopping (of course), and to my surprise she had bought a bag of wooden bits and pieces, inside which were my perfect buttons! I hastily got out my needles and got busy, weaving in ends and sewing the buttons on.

I’m super excited as I’ve never completed such a big project before and I just love the yarn I used (Classic 8ply from Bendigo Woollen Mills). The weather is starting to warm up now so I’ll probably have to wait until next winter to wear it, but I’m sure this woolly cardigan will make the chilly Bendigo weather much more bearable.

Have you recently finished any exciting projects or are you working on anything special right now? I’d love to hear your crafty stories!

Reuben :)

Comments { 37 }
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