DIY: Restyled magazine rack

I found this old wooden magazine rack in a thrift shop a while back knowing I wanted to paint it at some point & also we needed one because Sam doesn't like seeing all my magazines in big piles. He's a very very tidy man! (I'm very lucky!).

You'll need:

Magazine rack, paintbrushes, paint (I used leftover wall paint samples again), sandpaper & varnish (not pictured).

Start by sanding down the magazine rack to get as much of the current varnish off as you can. This is time consuming but it will make the paint stick better when you come to it. 

Then begin painting! I used 'coral flair' in the dulux range as I did on the decorative wooden spoons. I think I'm slightly obsessed with this colour!

It took 3-4 coats to get an even cover but I guess that's what you have to do if you're working with dark wood. I may take less coats if you use a white base coat first.

Once dry finish it off with a coat of varnish & enjoy your tidy storage solution! Sam is certainly appreciating it & he even loves the colour. It creates a lovely pop of colour in our living room/lounge.

DIY: Cushions

I've been having a lot of fun making our new house a home. One of the projects I wanted to do in our other home was make my own cushions but I never got round to it and admittedly I was a little hesitant too because I've never done handmade cushions before.

I was inspired by a friend I had coffee with the other day. At her house she'd got a new (to her) sofa from her neighbour & had made her own cushions for it. They were so cute I thought I had to get on and make my own and believe that I could!

I used this tutorial after I just googled something ridiculous like 'how to make easy cushion covers' and that's just what they are...EASY!

This style is called Envelope Cover. It's one of the easiest things I've done. My first one took a while to work out but once I'd done that one I was making a cushion cover every 20 minutes until my sofa looked welcoming & cosy. I think I'm addicted! I started making some for our bed but now I've run out of materials!

I got these materials from the craft show held twice a year at the NEC, Birmingham. It's one of the things I look forward to going to every year to get my year's supplies! Things are sold much cheaper than in the shops but it's worth looking for pretty materials in markets & thrift shops.

DIY: Handpainted heart coasters

Hi!
I am getting really excited about moving house. I bought some paint samples yesterday to try out and have been pinning ideas like crazy on Pinterest!

The other fun part is making little bits & pieces so I've got things ready to put out and make the place feel homey as soon as possible!

I know I want pops of yellow in our living room so I've made these heart-shaped coasters. I LOVED this little project. I can be very particular about buying things for our home and if I can't exactly what I'm imagining I just have to make it myself which makes it all the more satisfying.

I found these ceramic coasters from Next Home. I got two sets because I simply could not resist! Plus, you need coasters right!? 

You can buy these Porcelain Painter Pens online or in crafts shops like Hobby Craft.

Start by wiping the surface of the coasters with a dry cloth to get rid of any dust or oil from your hands. Then 'paint' on your designs. Do whatever you like. I've used a golden yellow colour and have been inspired by succulent plants. Once painted, leave to dry for 4 hours or overnight - I always wait overnight just to be 100% sure. Then place in a cold oven (do not preheat the oven). Turn the oven on 180oc for 45-60 mins. Turn the oven off and let them completely cool down inside. Placing them in the oven will secure your design and make them dishwasher safe. (You wont need to put coasters in the dishwasher but if you use these pens on mugs, bowls, plates, etc then you may want to dish wash them). 

I LOVE how they have turned out!

I also made this set of cups & saucers for my sisters birthday this week. They make a really unique and personal gift!

Happy crafting!!

Xoxo

Egg rolling & Sledging

Last Sunday a group of us from our church community went egg rolling & sledging in the park by our house. Egg rolling you ask?! We all decorated hard boiled eggs and found the biggest hill to roll them down. There were prizes for the best decorated, worst cheater (someone bought a rubber egg!), the egg that survived the roll, etc etc. You get the picture...I think!? I guess there were quite a few people who wondered what we were doing!

We finished the egg rolling off with a whole lot of sledging! It was a good day with good people. 

Although we had a wonderful day in the snow I am thankful that it's nearly melted. I need sun already!! We've booked two weeks off work at the end of June/beginning of July but I don't know where to go yet! Leave some suggestions for me. I need sun, sand & good food.

DIY: Bottle top magnets

This is such a simple DIY to do. Sam loves trying different beers/ciders and we decided a while ago to start collecting the tops of the ones we've tried and turn them into magnets. We wanted to get a magnet from every place we've visited so why not add to the collection of the drinks we've tried too!

They make for lots of special memories of places we've visited (some we're collected on honeymoon), pubs we've come across or celebrations we've had.

You'll need a collection of beer/cider bottle tops, magnets (I bought mine here - I have to point out they were cheaper when I bought them so maybe shop around) and you'll need a glue gun.

Simply glue the magnet onto the bottle top. Don't forget to glue it on backwards so the magnet faces upwards. That might sound obvious but I wasn't concentrating the first time I did it!

They looks so cute and retro. Makes for a great conversation starter, adds a little colour & interest to a room & they are fun! Can't wait to add more to the collection.

What do you collect as little memories??

DIY Valentine's Gift: Wrap it up with kisses!

Why not make your valentine's gift that extra special and wrap it up in your own kisses! It's sure to make your other half feel extra loved!

Materials:
Paper 
Sellotape
Lipstick
Ribbons/twine
Hairspray (optional)

Start with your piece of paper. Any will do that can be easily used to wrap a gift so you don't want it too thick. 
Apply lipstick and start kissing! This step can be rather embarrassing but it's also FUN! You could use different shades to give your wrapping paper more dimension and make it a little more interesting. 
You don't need to do this but if after you've done all your lip prints and want to seal it you can spray hairspray over the paper to stop the lipstick from smudging. Spray the can a good distance from the paper and then leave for a few minutes to dry if necessary.
Wrap up your gift & tie some pretty ribbon or twine around it. 
Tah-dah!

 Enjoy giving those extra kisses to your loved one this Valentine's day! Xoxx

DIY Valentine's Gift: A jar of love

Hello!

Personally, handmade gifts mean everything to me. It means so much that someone has taken a lot of time & effort to make something special. Sam is not a creative type at all really but he make the sweetest handmade cards and really tries with handmade gifts because he knows that's what I love. There's nothing like a really meaningful gift that someone has really thought about. 

Here I'm going to show you a really SIMPLE DIY that you could make for a loved one this valentine's day. 

Materials:

Mason/Kilner Jar

Ribbons

Lace

Twine

Buttons

Paper

Scissors

Pen

Heart-shaped punch 

All the above are optional, you can pretty much use whatever you can find in your house to create this.

Start by choosing some bits & pieces to decorate your jar and literally start putting it together. As you can see in the below photo I've stuck in place a piece of lace around the base. I used a little bit of glue from a glue gun to keep in place. Then I've tied some twine around it, cut a small heart out of red paper and tucked that in.

Choose some ribbon to go around the top and secure in place again with hot glue.

Cut strips of card or paper out and write out reasons why you love the person you are making this gift for. That's the beauty of something like this, you could make it for ANYONE! Your parents, best friend, husband, etc. Write out as many as you like, the more the merrier obviously!

Fold up all the strips so they have a little something to open out (like a present every time!) I also used a heart-shaped punch to cut out little heart to scatter inside. It just adds a little extra cute-ness!

Add a tag and voila! This is really easy, simple, inexpensive and quick to create! Go for it and make someone feel loved!

All you need is love

Hey guys!
Well it hasn't stopped snowing at all! The last time it was like this I was really little and remember it going on for days & days! 
It is so thick on the ground and stopped my mom popping by today which I'm not too pleased with! Boo hoo. It has not affected me greatly at all and I've rather enjoyed it, quite a lot actually, but now it's making life more difficult for people. 
However, before the snow began again today Sam & I went on a date yesterday. We had a lot to catch up on, needed a diary meeting and discussed how we can make our life a little more balanced when it comes to normal life & church life. Last year was a little mental, dedicating ourselves to so much stuff so we wanted to figure out something a little more controlled. It was nice anyway to sit over a meal for a few hours, have some quality time together & then we treated ourselves to seeing Django. Highly violent but also comical...they can go together...I've seen it! I thoroughly enjoyed it - what that says about me I don't know but I suspect Sam will be purchasing it on blu-ray when the time comes.

Anyway, I've been crafting, yes I have! It's coming up to Valentine's Day so I've put some cards in the shop! Click on the link or ETSY SHOP tab at the top and take a peek!
They're perfect to send out to not only your loved one but also friends & family! Happy shopping!