Christmas Present No.2

I made this rug/ blanket form my close friend and it took about 1 week to complete. I would have like more time, so as to get it just right, but I was seeing my friend for the last time before Christmas yesterday, so it had to be completed by then.

All of the fabrics used where either scrap fabrics or came from an 80p pack, which might sound wrong if it's going to be a present but I wouldn't have made it if I didn't think it would turn out nicely.At the end of the day you just want to give something you know the other will like/ love. 

I also choose to add a quiltish border to this rug, so as to highlight how beautiful the owl fabric is. I'm not sure if this project counts as a quit (in fact it most likely doesn't) but whatever it is classed as I love it and would definitely make it again.

I hope this has inspired you!

Christmas Photos

I was out in the city yesterday taking some photos and I can't help but show you them. Don't they just get you in a Christmasy mood! Can you believe it's only 13 days till Christmas?

I hope this has inspired you to prepare for Christmas!

Christmas gift ideas that don't require sewing

So here are some really cool Christmas gift ideas I found on-line that are well worth a look.
Sushi money by iCandy Handmade
This just looks so cool and is a great way to give money instead of just putting it in an envelope. You could also team this up with a gift voucher for your local Sushi restaurant/ take away.

I found this video on YouTube and thought it was such a novelty idea to uses jars as the basis of your present.

Finally I thought that the ideas in this video are perfect gift ideas for that special person in your life, I think these gifts could also be converted into something to give to your girlfriend .

I hope this has inspired you!

Christmas present No.1

Hi fellow sewers! I know you're probably thinking where have you been? The answer is that although I have been doing lots of sewing since the middle of October, I haven't been able to post about most of them because they're Christmas presents and  I know that some of the people these gifts are for watch and follow my blog. So there will be lots of present related posts come the new year. However right now I can share these cute leggings with you, to kick of this years count down to Christmas!

These Aztec leggings are a gift for my little cousin. I found the fabric in a 80p, so I guess you could say that the fabric was an off cut but I could totally see potential for it. After all anything Aztec seems to be really in and the pastel colours in this fabric mean that they have a bit of a twist on your usual Aztec leggings.

 I also got a pair of shorts to go with the leggings to make them a bit more of a substantial gift. If you're interested in making your own children's leggings then you can make them using this pattern. I made mine in a size 4 years and found that worked perfectly with the limited amount of fabric I had.

I hope you're looking forward to Christmas and I hope that this has inspired you!

Owl phone case

I've been meaning to post this for awhile but have only just got round to writing about this adorable phone case that I made in the summer.

As you may have realised, I tend to travel a lot because most of my family live more than 4 hours away as a result I'm always loosing track of my phone accessories, like head phones (okay mainly head phones!) But I found this phone case to be the perfect solution.
By making it in a slightly bigger size I'm able to fit both my phone and it's headphones into the case, meaning that when I'm in a rush I can fling the case into my bag whilst being safe in the knowledge that I've also go my headphones.

Besides from the fact that this case is extremely practical, it's also so cute. Then again who can resist owls.  :)
I also made a couple of other adjustments for example instead of using lots of different colours I used variegated yarn and I also used buttons for the eyes.
If your interesting in making your own case you can find the pattern here.

I hope this has inspired you!

Fun sports hairstyle

When I saw this weeks cute girls hairstyle video, I knew I had to try out this hairstyle. I just love the out come and how easily this effect was achieved.

If you would like to know how to achieve this hairstyle watch the video below.

I hope this has inspire you!

Crocheted pot

Last weekend was basically a catch up weekend for me, which means I have lots of new things to blog about! One of those new things is this crochet pot, which I started a couple of weeks ago.

   I found this jersey yarn at a strange little shop whilst on holiday, I don't think it's any particular brand but I've been seeing a lot of these jersey yarns around.

To make this pot I made a magic loop and then added in 10 double crochets. For row 2 I put in two double crochets into each stitch. For row three I alternated between adding two double crochets into a stitch and only adding one double crochet, so that I ended up with 30 stitches. Finally for row 4 and onwards I just double crocheted into each stitch until I got the desired hight.

I've found this pot very useful for my bedside table, so that the random stuff I put these (mainly jewellery) isn't just scattered all over the place.

I hope this has inspired you!

Great beach hair

Whilst on holiday I did this hairstyle on my sister the night before we went to the beach and although I had never done this hairstyle before, it was perfect for the beach. The corn rows at the top of her hair kept her hair out of the way but having the smaller braids underneath added volume so that the braids where able to flow and move and weren't so stationary.

To do this hairstyle I simply parted the hair from one ear to the other and sectioned off the bottom half by putting it in a bobble, There I proceeded to do corn rows that went straight back (although you could do zig zag or any other pattern) all the way along the top section. If your unsure on how to do corn rows see the video bellow.

Then I just did lots of smaller braids in the bottom section which gave most of the volume.

Although this hairstyle took along time it was really worth it as it kept my sisters hair out of the way for the whole day.This hairstyle can stay in for longer, it's just that my sister likes to changer her hairstyle on a daily basis but I know that I will definitely be doing this hairstyle again.

I hope this has inspired you!

The butterfly dress

When I saw this dress pattern I knew I had to make it for my cousin. It was just so cute and when I realised I had the perfect material for it, it was a done deal. This dress is just a simple t-shirt dress. I made mine from scratch by following the instructions that the blog gives but you could also use a store bought t-shirt.

I just love how the dress is the perfect combination of floaty and fitted.

For the ties I decided to keep them loose by only attaching them to the sides, so as to add to the floaty effect. 

Because the photos don't show the fabric detail, I decided to take some close up images to show you what they look like as I feel this dress is totally made by the fabric.

I hope she likes this dress because it's going to be her birthday present. I would really recommend this free pattern and also the other free patterns on this blog which you can find here.

I hope this has inspired you!

Pizza Faces

I used this recipe a while ago to make a pizza but only just stumbled onto the photo again, which I took just before it went into the oven. I remember the making of this pizza being really fun and wanted to share it with you. You could top your home-made pizza with anything you want (after having added a tomato base) , which makes it perfect for fussy eaters. I decided to make my pizza into a small art piece by turning it into a face. The results can be seen bellow.

 I love this recipe and I hope you do to.

I hope this has inspired you!

Easy Birthday present

This is a post that I've been meaning to post for ages. I made this present for my Mums birthday as a bit of a table filler but also to add that home made side to my present for her. However this present could also be done on it's own for friends.

For this gift I got an empty jam jar and lined it with some white fabric. I then got my friends favourite sweets and filled the jam jar till it was almost full (you need to leave a bit of space so that you can close the lid).

Next I got a cup cake tin liner and stuck that to the lid. Finally I add the free printable to the front (I'm not sure where this one came from because as I've said before this post should have been posted ages ago but you could use any free printable). I love this  present idea as it's super easy but a bit different from your usual store bought sweets.

I hope this has inspired you!

High Waisted Summer Shorts

I made these a while ago (at the very beginning of summer) but just haven't got round to posting about it. On my travels I took these photos to show you what they look like.

I made the shorts from an old pair of jeans that I had worn in at the knee because I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away. I'm so glad I didn't throw them away, as they make great shorts. 

You can find out how to make your own pair of shorts from old jeans here.

 For hemming I chose to roll them over rather than under and just sewed them into place.

 It was so easy and fast for shorts that just seem to last forever.

The best thing about these shorts is that they will last well into winter by just pairing them with leggings and boots.

 I hope this has inspired you!

cool nail art!

I really want to try this but thought I ought to share this with you too so that you can try it with me. I stumbled across this video when looking at the scattered thoughts of a crafty mom. In fact I was so inspired that I immediately watched the video and blogged about it.

I hope you liked this idea as much as I did and of course I hope this has inspired you!

Summer Party recipe

I found this recipe on-line awhile ago but just haven't got round to sharing it. This recipe is perfect as a show stopper, whilst still being fairly easy. I got the recipe here and the results can be seen bellow.

I love how this recipe can be used for lots of different occasions and that you can change the berries you use based on your preferences.    

I actually made this one half the original size because I made it for a small family celebration. To do this I just halved all the ingredients. 

I hope this has inspired you!

My cousins sweet skirt

Recently I posted about the trousers I made for my cousin but at the time I didn't show you the skirt I made for her. I got my inspiration from pintrest ( i.e. this was not my own idea) and I thought the outcome was so sweet.

I made this skirt by cutting out two squares from a cool grey and white striped jersey. Then I placed the squares on a diagonal and cut a circle in the middle for the waist. Finally I attached the elastic and I was done; it was that simple. I love how such a simple concept can make such a cute skirt.

 

 This skirt is also good for climbing and generally playing in, as demonstrated by my cousin.:)

I hope this has inspired you!

My cousins new trousers- part 2

I know that recently I haven't been blogging as much as I ought to but I have an excuse! I was travelling.
A while ago I posted about the new trousers I had made for my cousin, well now I can show you what they looked like on her, as on my travels I was able to give them to her.

I was super amazed at how co operative she was and how good she was at modelling. 

 I love the way they turned out, as they just look so funky. Infact I loved them so much I think I will definitely be making cloths for her again.

I hope this has inspired you!

My summer dress

So if you look back through my old posts you may realise that I'm not really a dress person. This all changed though when I went with my Mum to a local (but large) sewing and knitting show, where I saw a really inspiring pattern (the simplicity 2884), which sparked my imagination.

When I saw the fabric I knew it was perfect for this Pattern. Looking back I realise that not only is the fabric perfect for this pattern, it's also perfect for summer because it holds it's shape nicely, whilst still being floaty enough for it not to feel to clingy.

I have a feeling that I may be wearing dresses more often from now on. This may even be my summer favourite.

I hope this has inspired you!

My first ever item of clothing

So yesterday I was sorting through my sisters old clothes when I came across the first top I ever sewed. She's grown out of it now because it was a birthday present from 3 or 4 years back now but it hit me how much my sewing has changed. For example I now know not to use a straight stitch on stretchy fabric and also to match the thread colour with the material you are sewing.

 Have you ever looked back and realised how far you've come or are you realising how much you're sewing is improving each day?

I hope this has inspired you!

My cousins new trousers

I will soon be going to stay at my aunts for a week and I wanted a way to say thank you to her for letting me stay. So finally I hit on the idea of making some items of clothing for her daughter, my cousin. The result of which can be seen bellow.

I made these trousers in no time flat and the material only cost me 20p per trouser!
 

I really hope she likes them because I've had a whale of a time making them. If you are worried about venturing into the world of trousers then don't be although the construction may be alien to you it's really not that difficult.

I hope this has inspired you!