katy – Page 83 – Apartment Apothecary

katy 17th November 2014

Ask Apartment Apothecary – homemade Christmas presents

Today’s AAA is for Becky, who got in touch to ask for homemade Christmas present ideas. She finally has time to be more creative and has begun projects that she has wanted to do for years. Becky now feels inspired to make some Christmas presents, which are more personal and also have the added bonus of saving money. I definitely want to make some presents myself this year, so I really enjoyed looking for ideas that I will use too. All of these craft projects do not involve a sewing machine, as Becky doesn’t have one, so anyone can do them.

Here’s what I found…

Small token presents for neighbours, colleagues, family friends

There are always groups of people that I want to give presents to at Christmas time, whether it be neighbours, your child’s teachers, colleagues or distant cousins, but to do so would cost an absolute fortune. I am in love with this idea though; so cheap, so easy, so quick and what a lovely thing to be given, perfect for the festive season when you entertain in your home to make it smell lovely and Christmassy. Find the full tutorial on Dandee and see the ones I made here.

Homemade Christmas presents | Apartment Apothecary

Image: Dandee

Or, what about these lovely DIY candles and you could make pretty labels for them? Perfect to hand out as small gifts. The tutorial is on Style Me Pretty.

Image: Style Me Pretty

Hand printed cushions or bedlinen

This is a really lovely idea, that is perfect for the novice crafter but can have a big impact. Buy a cheap, plain cushion cover, bedlinen, tea towels or napkins and hand print any pattern you desire – polka dots, scallops, triangles. You can even use a potato or make a stamp with a piece of lino and a lino cutter. I think I’m going to print a few cushion covers for presents this year. This tutorial by Oh No Rachio is a good place to start or here at Creature Comforts blog where she uses the rubber tip of a pencil (something that I have done before and it is super easy).

Image: Poppytalk

Personalised crockery

There are so many ways that you can personalise crockery or glassware to make them the ideal Christmas present. There is a great tutorial on Garland of Grace.

Image: Sterling style love

Fabric flower pots

I find it really difficult to find pretty plant pots and this craft idea is really easy and the results are very effective. You can buy plain terracotta plant pots from your local garden centre very cheaply and then use fabric to cover them. Find a full tutorial here.

Image: Decorate with Flowers

Painted furniture

What about personalising a piece of furniture for a present? This could either be an antique piece that needs a good paint job or something as simple as an Ikea stool. Either way, this is relatively cheap, fun to do and shows a lot more thought than another pair of slippers (or whatever you always receive at Christmas).

Image: Mobel Pobel

Clay bowls

Imagine how creative you could get with air dry clay! You could stamp patterns onto them, etch words, use different paint effects and what a lovely gift these DIY bowls would make. The tutorial is over on Alice and Lois.

Image: Alice and Lois

Keepsake board

This no-sew keepsake or notice board would make a lovely present and is relatively easy to make. I would really enjoy choosing different fabrics to make these. Find the tutorial on the Liberty blog.

Image: Liberty blog

Mason jar light

I think this would make a really unique gift and wow whoever you gave it to when you tell them you made it yourself. There’s a good tutorial on in.gredients and I noticed the other day when I was in Heals that they are now selling gorgeous combinations of flex and light fittings, as well as Edison bulbs.

Image: Woon blog

These are just a few possibilities and if you want more inspiration head over to my craft projects board on Pinterest. Have you got any good homemade Christmas gift ideas? Please do share them in the comments section below.

I hope some of these projects will inspire you, Becky!

Katy x

P.S. If you have a craft or interiors related question, or any sort of design dilemma, please do post it on my Facebook wall or email me katy@18.200.196.112 and I will be happy to help.

Update

I absolutely love it when readers get in touch to tell me they have made something they have seen on my blog. I love it even more when they send me a pic of their make. This is Helen’s photo of the fig-secented candles she made using the tutorial on the gorgeous Really Pretty Useful blog. These are going to be one of my first makes of 2015 – thank you so much, Helen, for the inspiration x

katy 14th November 2014

Cape Cod cottage

Happy weekend everyone! What have you got planned? I think we’re going to have quite a lazy one as it’s been such a busy and full-on fortnight. Maybe just a trip down to Maltby Street market on Saturday morning, cosy up in the afternoon and then a bit of making on Sunday. Bliss.

I’ve got a beautiful house for you to look at today, which transported me away from dreary, cold London to the prospect of simple summer living in a part of America I long to visit. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but sometimes you can find inspiration in homes where you would never expect to find it. This Cape Cod cottage was built in 1807 and belongs to Remodelista‘s Justine Hand, who has tried to keep all of the original features of the cottage in tact. She has furnished the cottage minimally and instead, added floral arrangements to every room to bring life into every corner.

There is so much that I take away from a home like this: the colour palette, the beauty of simple furniture, pared back clutter-free living. I love it. What do you think?

All photographs by Matthew Williams.

To see and read more about this home, head over to Remodelista.

Katy x

katy 13th November 2014

Room makeover update

As lots of you will know, I did a room makeover this summer and turned our guest room into a home office. There are so many room makeovers out there and I always wonder how the rooms work in everyday life, once the photos have been taken and the room begins to be used. So, I thought I would return to my home office today, to tell you about how it is working out and what I have changed.

This is the home office as it was when I finished it in September…

Home office lighting | Apartment Apothecary

DIY home office makeover

Firstly, for those of you who don’t know, I share the office with Jules, my partner. That is the number one thing I would change – I would get rid of him as his side of the desk is horrendously ugly 😉 On the other hand, it’s really nice to have company all day and take little breaks together and we do end up bouncing lots of ideas off each other most days. We’ve even developed a system of communicating, whereby he puts his headphones on all day (he’s a web developer so needs a lot of concentration) and if I really need to ask a question or ask his opinion on something, I put my hand up – it’s quite a hilarious process to witness!

The real problem that we have found with the room is the lighting. Now that the clocks have gone back and the dark days and early evenings are upon us, there just isn’t enough light in the room. I made a decision to place the desks in the middle of the room so that it could be as flexible a surface as possible: I use it for sewing, pattern cutting, taking photographs on etc. Therefore, I didn’t want lamps on the desk because I didn’t want to have to move them every time I need a clear surface, even though I like the way they look. I chose, instead, a hanging pendant with a soft Edison bulb. The problem with that is it doesn’t cast enough light, now that the days are so much shorter. So, the major change I have made is to add a giant anglepoise light from Dwell to my side of the desk so I can craft to my heart’s content with task lighting but it’s lovely and soft light because of the huge shade. It doesn’t take up any room on the desk because it is floor standing and it can be easily adjusted or targeted to whichever part of the desk I need more light.

I’ve added this giant anglepoise lamp from Dwell to provide more light now the Autumn is upon us.

I also like the fact that the lamp is white as it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb, even though it’s huge, and it just merges into the white wall.

The huge shade diffuses the light really cleverly, so that it is not like a glaring overhead light, but it provides the brightness I need, especially when I am crafting or sewing.

I’ve had to add a few candles to the desk, too, to make it a bit cosier in the evenings now – I just have to be careful not to fling fabric over them.

Candles are a must at this time of year.

Apart from the lighting (and each other!) the room is working really well. I was very nervous about having a white floor, but it is very easy to clean and doesn’t get anywhere near as dirty as I thought it would. The only other thing we might change in the near future is to repaint the desk to make it glossier, and therefore more resistant to scuffing. Now, to get back to my sewing under my new light.

Katy x

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Dwell but the opinions and views are my own.

katy 10th November 2014

Crafting the Seasons at Liberty

I have just had my dream day. It actually happened! Liberty of London, Liberty fabric, crafting, so many talented and creative ladies, a beautiful room, tea and lots of chat. My dream day.

Charlotte and I wanted to do something really special to thank the group of bloggers, that we contacted way back in August, who helped us launch Styling the Seasons in September. They wrote and styled beautiful blog posts and encouraged so many others to do the same. Charlotte and I would love to do another event in the future, open to others who have taken part in our monthly style challenge, as it’s so lovely to come together and be inspired by each other. We’ve got lots of ideas for the next event but more about that next season!

Our Liberty print creations will feature in our December Styling the Seasons posts, hence the Christmas theme, but in the meantime, I thought you might like to see some photos from the day photographed so beautifully by Katharine Peachey…

All photographs by Katharine Peachey.

Thank you so much to the the lovely bloggers who came and made the day so special and a big thank you to Hannah and Anna at Liberty for their generosity and hosting us on the day in the beautiful Heritage Suite. Thank you, also, to Kate at The Homemakery for bringing along lots of lovely craft materials for us to play with.

This is a list of all the lovely bloggers who helped us launch Styling the Seasons in September. Make sure you check out their December posts to see their Liberty print makes…

Jeska at Lobster and Swan/ Lisa Levis at Betty and Walter / Emily Quinton at Makelight / Lou at Littlegreenshed / Sarah-Lou at Lapin Blu / Heather at Growing Spaces / Teri at The Lovely Drawer / Hannah at Hannah in the House / Tamsyn at The Villa on Mount Pleasant / Ruth at The Planned Adventure / Soumaya at Made By Molu / Emma at A Quiet Style / Amy at Daisy Fay / Lori at Wild and Grizzly / Melanie at Geoffrey and Grace / Tina at Colourliving / Jo at The Only Place / Laura at Circle of Pine Trees / Alexis at Something I Made

Katy x

P.S. If you would like to join in the Styling the Seasons fun, all you need to do is style a surface in your home to represent what that month means to you. Share a shot of your styled surface on any day of the month, tag me and Lotts and Lots so we can see and use the hashtag #stylingtheseasons. Maybe we’ll see you at our next event!

katy 7th November 2014

Craft party inspiration

We are so excited that Sunday sees the first Styling the Seasons event to thank the gorgeous bloggers who helped us launch the monthy styling challenge in September. And what could be better than a craft party at Liberty of London? Eeeep! So excited.

Charlotte and I have decided to challenge our guests to make some Liberty print Christmas decorations that they can then feature in their December Styling the Seasons posts. So, I have been trying to find some inspiration today to help me decide what to make and I had to start with the Liberty Craft Blog, obvs. There are going to be lots of crafty bits and bobs from the wonderful The Homemakery, as well as a big pile of Liberty fabric, so the possibilities are endless. I contributed to Liberty’s Christmas campaign last year (I made this advent calendar bunting) and there were also some other really beautiful projects so I’ve pulled them together for a bit of inspiration…

Liberty christmas decorations | Apartment Apothecary

Style the door with a beautiful wreath? Liberty print Christmas wreath tutorial

Liberty print Christmas decorations | Apartment Apothecary

An easy sewing project to style the mantelpiece? (I wish I had that fireplace!!) Liberty print Christmas stocking by Sania Pell

My advent calendar bunting to style the wall (that totally counts as a ‘surface’)? Liberty print advent bunting by Apartment Apothecary

These really sweet Christmas tree decorations would look lovely on any surface in the home – hallway table, dining table, sideboard, windowsill. Liberty print Christmas tree decoration by Sew Magazine

Something to style the Christmas table like this Poinsettia tea cosy? Liberty print Poinsettia tea cosy by Deedrie La Follette

What about crafting some beautiful present tags and wrapping? Furoshiki Japanese fabric wrapping technique by Sew Magazine

What would you make? I might wait until tomorrow to decide and get some inspiration from the ridiculously talented group of ladies who will be attending. Watch out for the hashtag #craftingtheseasons to see photos of the day and we are very lucky to have Katharine Peachey photographing the event, too, so there will be plenty of lovely photos to follow.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Katy x