Personalised Notebooks/Journals

This week is the last week of school, so naturally thoughts turn to teacher's gifts. We normally make a little something so that they get something fairly unique from our family.

One of the things we enjoy making are personalised notebooks. Taking something plain and boring and giving it a lovely individual look, and hopefully geared towards the recipient.

Earlier on in the year I shared my decopatch covered notebook for Mother's Day. It's the lovely polka dot book you can see here. For details of how I made that one head over to this post.

Another great way to cover a notebook is with fabric.

I cut the fabric to size and then glued this to the front and back covers of the book. I added a ribbon tie in the same way as I had done for the decopatch covered book.

Another fun idea is to cover the book completely in glitter! The glitter I used here was quite coarse and I would recommend using a fine glitter for a smoother finish. I firstly painted the book in a colour that was similar to the glitter I was going to use. Once that was dry, I then covered the book in glue and began to sprinkle the glitter all over it.  You have to be very generous so as to cover the front of the book completely. You may find you have some gaps at the end where you can just add additional glue and glitter to.

Repeat this process on the other side of the book. Once this is completely dry you need to spray the entire notebook with clear sealer. This will stop the majority of the glitter from coming off! I also added some embellishments to the front along with a ribbon tie.

For an even quicker project, use stickers! Here we have used travel stickers as the recipient is going travelling for a year.

Firstly we took the little Smash book we found with travel notes inside, and stuck this to the inside cover of the notebook.

We then covered the front with the person's name and a selection of the travel stickers we had purchased.

Simple yet personal. To add an extra personal touch, my son wrote in the front of the book.

A heartfelt note is always lovely to receive.

All ready to give tomorrow!

Enjoy those last school days!

Last minute costume

So I had today all figured out, housework and blog post. I knew which post I was going to write up and had a little crafting set up for later. I take my son to school and chat to another Mum about the upcoming assembly that their class is putting on later in the week. I know what a costume needs to be whisked up but think I've got tomorrow and Thursday to figure it out. But oh no, it needs to be in tomorrow!  So much for decent notice!

My son has a little speech about Native Americans as that has been one of their topics this term. He tells me that his teacher is going to help him make a headdress but that he needs something to wear. So I go searching on the web for ideas of tunics and then, remember this?

My Mother in Law made these tunics for my son's Star Wars party (see the original post here). They have come in very handy for a variety of occasions and costumes. I went straight for one of them as the base of the Native American costume. However a large t-shirt would have been a good base too. I gathered together some ric rac, felt and fabric glue to create detail on the front. Thankfully I had all this on hand so this little costume has cost me nothing!

Firstly I cut a fringe into the base as this is what I had seen on the many costumes.

Thankfully it didn't fray!

I eyeballed some ric rac for the top of the pattern, cut and used fabric glue to stick it in place (always love no sew!).  I eyeballed the length of the felt needed and drew a pattern onto the back. I cut this out, used it to trace a second piece, cut that out and glued them into place.

The slot in the tunic served as a perfect spot to add the details to the tunic.  I then got some brown felt and eyeballed 2 lengths needed for either side of the slit. I then cut a fringe into each length and trimmed it down so that I had just a small border on which I could glue the felt to the tunic.

I should mention that I did place some paper in between the 2 sides of the tunic to stop the glue from sticking them together!

I left this to dry for about 2 hours. I used the glue sparingly so as not to splurge over.

For something that took me less than an hour and with very little notice, I think it turned out well. My son was very pleased with the way it looked, especially when I added a belt. The belt came from another costume (his wardrobe is riddled with them!).

Have you had to make a last minute costume? How did it turn out? Share on my Facebook page!

Easy Easter Bunting

Do you decorate your home for Easter? I think it's less done here in the UK, but you do see bunting, window clings, fake eggs etc in the shops. 

My kitchen has my Spring flower bunting and looks suitably festive for the upcoming holiday. I love bunting, there is something so sweet and quaint about it. It seems to be totally girlie and has endless possibilities when using it to decorate with.

A few years ago I decided to make some Easter bunting. I am hopeless at sewing so came up with the idea of using card as well as fabric to make some. I gathered together fabric scraps that I had to hand in suitable Easter colours along with coordinating card. The fabric consisted of felt and fat quarters. I had lots of Easter themed stickers and some left over brown fabric from another crafting session.

You can use pretty much anything to make this bunting. I had scrapbook and card making stickers, fake flowers, rabbit shapes cut from patterned paper, jute string, curling ribbon and fibres.

I began by finding a suitable font I could use for the letters which were to appear on the bunting. I chose a simple font, enlarged the letters and printed them out. I then cut out each letter and traced it onto the brown fabric. I carefully cut out the letters ready to stick onto the bunting.

You could use a much fancier font if you like, but I found the easier the shape, the easier to cut out!

I then drew a triangle onto a piece of card and used this as my template. I traced around this shape on a variety of fabrics and cards and cut them out. I then glued the letters onto the triangles. You can use regular adhesive or fabric glue.

Next came the fun part! Decorating!  I decided I wanted a bit of decoration at each point of the triangles. As some were stickers, I didn't need any additional glue. For non stickers I again glued these with regular adhesive or fabric glue.

When that was all dry I glued jute string to the back of each triangle across the top. I eyeballed the spacing needed between each letter before gluing in place. I left lots on either side to enable the bunting to be strung up. I did 2 lots for each word, rather than one long piece.

All done and super easy! Children will love to decorate the triangles.

Later this week I will be sharing my home made wreath, and the wrong ways to go about it! Thankfully it is all good in the end!

Have a great week!

Last minute Mother's Day gifts

Mother's Day is bittersweet for me.

When my son was born we did a lot of family gatherings to include the Grandmother's in the celebrations. I got a little frustrated as time went by as I never really felt honoured on that day. Some times I think it was down to me not truly feeling like a Mother, and then there was this feeling that the only important people to celebrate were the Grandmother's.

Things changed and I started to feel more celebrated as a Mother. Life was good and we still honoured the Grandmothers with gifts from us and our son.

Then that all changed when my Mum passed away. It was shocking, horrible and the biggest loss of my life. I miss her terribly, we were a unique team and she was my biggest supporter. I miss her warmth, her chats on the phone, her love for my son, and laughing with her about times gone by. Mother's Day just isn't the same anymore. However, my son still has a Grandmother who loves him very much so we honour her with gifts from all of us. You would have seen the Mother's Day Planter that my son made for his Grandmother. It was still fun to help him with that, to nurture his creative side and to see the pride in his face from a job well done!

My family honour me greatly on Mother's Day and totally make the day all about me. I take great pleasure in that and focus on their love rather than feel sad on that day.

As my son loves to make gifts almost as much as I do, I thought I would share some easy gifts to make in case you are still lacking inspiration this close to Sunday! A homemade gift is such a special treat.

HEART HANGERS

These little hearts are a great way to say 'I love you' to Mums and Grandmothers! The first is made out of wood, painted in a bright colour, with the initial of the recipient. I showed how I made this in this Little heart hangers post.

The second is a plain fabric heart I picked up at a craft store (though you could sew your own), which I then glued flower sequins to and embroidered the word 'Love' in the middle. You could embroider the name of the recipient, or simply 'Mum'.

HEART CUSHION

If you prefer to work on a larger scale, you could make this heart cushion. This is totally no sew, so perfect for those of you, like me, who have trouble sewing on a button, let alone anything else!

I purchased 2 different coloured fleece blankets from Tiger (there's that store again!) and made a heart template out of paper. I then traced the heart onto both pieces of fleece and cut it out. I laid the 2 pieces of fleece over one another and pinned in place. I took my fabric scissors and cut a fringe into the edge all around the heart shapes. Once that was done I began knotting the 2 coloured fringes together. Leave a small area unknotted so that you can fill with stuffing before completely knotting up. This is so easy!

RESIN FLOWER EARRINGS

These flower earrings are by far the easiest 'craft' on here! I purchased a pack of resin flowers from Hobbycraft along with earring backs.

I used hot glue to glue the earring backs in place on the resin flowers. Boom! Job done! Easy, yet unique earrings!

ARM KNITTED SCARF

I am not a knitter, and I am currently learning how to crochet (with very mixed results!). I knew I wanted to have a go at something knitted and I had seen these arm knitted scarves all over Pinterest. After studying a few videos and not getting it AT ALL, I almost gave up, until I found Flax and Twine and her brilliant picture tutorial! It all just fell into place and I was able to whip up a scarf in about 45 minutes!  I was able to make 2 scarves from 2 balls of wool. Have a look at the tutorial here. I have even used it to start an arm blanket. I am not quite finished with it but hope to have it on the blog soon.

PERSONALISED NOTEBOOK

If your Mum or Grandmother loves writing, or uses notebooks on a regular basis, then how about a personally decorated notebook, just for her?

All you will need is a plain note book (yes this one is from Tiger!), some decopatch paper, PVA glue, paintbrush, small piece of ribbon and any other embellishments you fancy.

Start by measuring out your paper, leaving enough to wrap around the inside of the books cover. Take some glue and cover the back of your paper. Apply this to the front of the book and leave to dry. This can get creased but I have read that it is best to leave it to dry rather than try and smooth out the creases. I did try this and it worked for the majority of the paper.

Cut into the corners of the paper so that it can be folded over to the inside of the book. Glue down. I then took a piece of plain card and measured it to fit inside the book. I glued decopatch paper to this card and left it to dry. Next I took a small piece of ribbon, and cut 2 matching lengths,enough to allow it to be tied in a bow. I glued this down in the middle of the inside of the book. I then took the piece of card and glued it into place over the ribbon and edges of the front cover. I then did the exact same thing with the back of the book.

The book can now be tied together with the ribbon to stop it opening up inside a bag. I finished off the book with a little wooden heart.

I left the spine clear to allow easier application of the paper. Plus as the book was white and the dots are white it complements the design well.

There you have it! Any of these can be made before Sunday in no time at all.

I hope you enjoy Mother's Day, either as the Mum, Grandmother or the child.

Decorating the home for Valentines!

No you haven't been asleep and it's now February, I'm just thinking ahead to Valentines Day!

We like to do little token gifts, something homemade or a little something one of us has been after. I make some yummy treats or we get a meal delivered from one of our favourite restaurants. This year we are having an early Valentines by going away for the night in a gorgeous little hotel! I can't wait!

I also think it's fun to do a little decorating to celebrate the day and have some ideas for you from my Valentines past as well as my favourite pins for inspiration!

Holiday Banner

Materials
Scraps of red fleece or felt
Scraps of white fleece or felt
Fabric glue
Heart template like a cookie cutter
Toy stuffing
Hole punch
String or yarn

I had some red fleece left over from another project and decided to make a holiday banner. I also had a little white fleece and carefully drew up letters on paper and traced these onto the white fleece freehand. Of course you could use Word to print out some fancier letters! I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to draw the hearts in the red fleece. I did 2 for each letter so that I could stuff them.

Once I had cut the letters out I stuck them to the hearts with some fabric glue (I am terrible at sewing!). I then used some more fabric glue to put together 2 pieces of heart felt, leaving an opening big enough to stuff them with toy stuffing. I then finished gluing them up and left them to dry.
Next, I used a regular hole punch to punch 2 holes at the top of each heart. I then threaded through some thick cotton (you could use yarn) and hung it up! Quick and easy! I bought some glittered card hearts from a card shop and used these to decorate around the banner.

Heart branches

Materials
Various scrapbook papers or plain paper
Heart template like a cookie cutter
Reeds (I used willow here)
Large vase
Pink/red coloured stones
Any other embellishments

I placed some red and pink crystals in the bottom of a vase and then took a selection of willow reeds and placed them on top. I cut out various hearts from pink and red scrapbook paper and stuck these to the reeds with a little blu tack, I had some wired plastic hearts and wound some of these around the reeds with the rest placed in the bottom of the vase. Simple and festive. Retro record player optional!

Love sign

Materials
Wooden letters
Decopatch paper
Mod podge
Ribbon
Tiny embellishment like a mini wooden heart
Strong glue

I found a pretty red and white paper I liked and tore it into small scraps. I then mod podged these onto the wooden letters. I also did a coat of mod podge over the top once it was all dry to seal it and give it a glossy finish. I glued a simple mini heart to one letter. The trickiest part was gluing the 4 letters together. I used some cord glued to the back of each letter to hold them in place but I don't think it was the best method! I took a small piece of red ribbon and glued this to the back to form a hanger. This would also make a great gift!

Here are some more decor ideas to get you in the romantic mood!

Another cute banner from The Happier Homemaker

If you want super easy, how about these free printables from The DIY Village?

 Or if you are feeling extra crafty, this Love sign is adorable! Link to original post on Four Generations One Roof

A great wreath made using old puzzle pieces. Great for the kids to do! From Mommo Design

Over at Cottage at the Crossroads, Jane shows off her lovely mantel. I especially like these hanging hearts! Valentines Day Mantel

Lots of decor ideas here on At home in the Northwest

A wreath for the door? This one is so sweet! Check it out at Life Illustrated

I Heart Naptime has a great roundup of crafts and food like this adorable Love Heart banner.

More Love Heart fun on It's all in my Head

There is even more to inspire on my Valentine board, check it out!

Have a romantic evening :)