So, this crafting thing is getting quite addictive now; the satisfaction of making something myself is amazing. Book ends is my next project…

We need book ends for the new shelf above our bed (definitely don’t want stray books falling down in the middle of the night). I had a look online and couldn’t find anything that I liked so I decided to make my own. They turned out really well so I wanted to share the idea with you. If you want to make a personalised gift, these would work well too:  use printed photos, book pages, magazine pictures, mementos, like theatre tickets etc.

You will need:

Cardboard letters from Laines World for £2.99

PVA glue, water and pot

Paint brush

Wrapping paper or printed photos or book pages – I used Liberty print and Cavallini Vintage Ticket wrapping paper

Scissors

Varnish (optional)

Dried beans, peas, lentils or rice (for weighting the hollow letters) although sand would be ideal.

You will need: Cardboard letters, paper, scissors, PVA glue, brush, water, pot, dried food, varnish (optional).

Tutorial:

1. The letters are hollow so you will need to make a hole in the top and pour in something to weight it. I used dried peas, but sand would be ideal. When you begin to cover the letter with paper, you need to make sure you cover over the hole.

2. I decided to draw round the letter so I could keep the print in tact. However, you can use the decoupage method.

3. Mix together PVA and water (in equal parts). Brush it onto one of the sides of your letter.

4. Stick the paper onto the letter and then paint over it with the glue/water mixture.

5. Once you have covered the whole letter you will need to paint over it all again with the glue/water mixture and let it dry. If you have varnish, you can do a couple of layers of this too, alternatively do a couple more coats of the glue/water mix.

Done!

And done!

This took me no more than an hour (with a bit more drying time on top of that). It is so nice to have something to use in my home that I made and looks just as good as something I could have bought, but for far less money. Get crafting people! x

This is a little craft project you can do to light up parties and summer evenings (can not wait for those). I also thought it’s a nice thing to make for your mum for Mothers’ Day because if your mum is anything like mine, she will prefer something homemade (well, that’s what she says anyway). These little jam jar tea light holders are totally sweet and are hassle free as you use LED tea lights in them. This means when you have a party or drinks with the tea lights about your home or in the garden, you don’t have to waste time changing the candles when they burn out. They are also totally safe for all of you who have kinders running around.

You will need:

Light material (about 30cmx15cm), PVA glue, water, bowl, paint brush or pencil, scissors, jam jar.

I’ve chosen to use a Bonne Maman jar (do you see what I’ve done there?) These jars are particularly good for this as they have no lip and the top of the jar is wider than the bottom so it’s easy to line with fabric.

LED tea lights. I bought six from Asda for £3. Buy here.

TUTORIAL:

1. Mix PVA glue and water together in equal parts.

3. Cut your fabric into strips about 2-3cm wide. Make sure they are long enough to reach from the top of the jar to the middle of the bottom of the jar.

4. Dip your strips of material into the glue and water mixture. Use your thumb and finger to wipe off excess liquid.

5. Line the inside of the jar (print facing outwards) with each strip. Use your brush or a pencil to stick the strip down the inside of the jar.

6. This is what it should look like at the end. It does not matter if your fabric overlaps slightly.

So pretty even if I do say so myself!

The LED tea lights are really quite powerful and the fabric makes the light very warm and soft. Definitely going to make more of these for the balcony this summer.

Lucky for me I have the best mum in the world to give these to x

I have a chalkboard in my home for boring shopping lists.  However, whenever someone comes over it ends up being scrawled over with messages of thanks, love or very rude words. Either way, chalkboards to me are very friendly-looking (do you know what I mean?) and can be fun.

Blackboard paint is a bit of a revelation to me. I really want to use it for the back of a door, a whole wall or the inside of cupboard doors. Before I go that far, I’ve decided to use it in a practical way by painting wooden storage boxes so that they can be labelled easily. Plus, I know they will end up with messages all over them and surely this is much more interesting to look at than plain, boring storage boxes.

For those of you with kids, blackboard paint has got to be a winner. Buy bigger boxes, paint them with blackboard paint and add castors and you’ve got yourself fun toy boxes.

This is how you do it:

I bought these untreated wooden storage boxes from eBay for £12 for three.

I bought chalkboard spray paint from Amazon, but you can also get it from hardware shops. You need to spray at least two coats, each coat takes twenty minutes to dry. Make sure you do it outside.

I’m using mine for some of my craft supplies. When I get round to it I will also line the inside with pretty paper or paint the inside with a bright colour.

Boring storage boxes transformed in less than an hour.

I have an original Lloyd Loom laundry basket that used to be my grandmothers and some beautiful Liberty of London ‘Poppy and Daisy’ fabric (I really can’t get enough, I think it’s becoming an addiction).  My grandmother covered the lid of the basket in beautiful Sanderson ‘Chelsea’ fabric, probably about fifty years ago.  Needless to say it began to look more shabby than chic. So I decided to rejuvenate it so that it can also be used as a seat. The beauty of this tutorial is that there are so many possibilities as you can tailor it to your exact needs: Change the colour of the basket using paint, use any fabric of your choice, use a different piece of furniture like a toy chest.

You will need:

1. Lloyd Loom basket, ottoman or similar piece of furniture that needs new upholstery (if you search for Lloyd Loom on ebay you will see you can pick up a bargain for around £25)

2. Fabric (strong enough to withstand being pulled and stapled – cotton will do but if you want to make a toy chest/seat for a child’s nursery you may want upholstery fabric to withstand the wear and tear)

3. Foam cut to size (I bought it from efoam, which is really simple as they will cut it to size for you – just tap in the dimensions you need on their website and they will give you an online quote)

4. Dacron (widely available on the internet, very cheap and it can also be used as wadding for quilts)

5. Scissors

6. Tape measure and pencil

7. Staple gun

You will need: Staple gun, foam, dacron.

You will need: Lloyd Loom basket and fabric.

I’m using Liberty Tana Lawn Poppy and Daisy cotton.

TUTORIAL:

1. Place the foam on top of the basket.

2. Place the dacron over it. Make sure you have enough so that it can be pulled over the underside of the lid and stapled.

3. If there is someone to help you for this stage the better. If one of you pulls the dacron over the sponge (as taut as possible) and the other staples the dacron to the lid of the basket.

4. Once you have stapled the dacron all the way round the lid cut away as much excess as possible.

5. Now you are ready to cover the seat in fabric.

6. Measure the fabric so that there is enough excess to be pulled and stapled onto the underside of the lid.

7. Just as you stapled the dacron complete that step with the fabric (and with help if you have it). Start at the sides and then do the front of the lid. At the corners make neat folds in the fabric, like hospital corners on a bed.

8. Leave the material at the back of the basket hanging down.

9. With the lid closed draw a V-shape on the fabric below each hinge: the top of the V should be as wide as the hinge and the point of it should meet the edge of the fabric. Pull the remainder of the fabric through and staple as before leaving the Vs hanging down the back of the basket.

10. Cut along each V and pull the resulting triangles around either side of the hinge. They can then be stapled along with the rest of the fabric.

Ta da! This can be used as an occasional table, laundry basket, storage or seat.

Next time I am definitely going to do a toy chest, which will double as a low seat for children.