Monday 25 August 2014

Review: Lidl Rhinestone Applicator


Who else watched Dawn O'Porters' "This Old Thing" on Channel 4? Anyone else completely love it? Me too! More specifically, I loved the Rhinestone Applicator that was used to revamp vintage clothing. So you can imagine my excitement when the lovely Heidi Hi told me these were being sold in Lidl!! Occasionally, you can get the odd gem from Lidl, but I was surprised (and impressed) that they had this - I just HAD to get one!

The kit only cost me £6.99, which included the applicator, a stand, 8 attachments to suit various stone sizes and 2 packs of rhinestones (approx. 200 rhinestones).

 
With it being from Lidl, I was a little unsure of how this would perform (sorry Lidl) but I was so impressed! It is so easy to use and works perfectly. The instructions recommend leaving the applicator for 5 minutes to heat up, but it only took a matter of seconds. I tested it out on a scrap piece of material, and I think it looks great. There was no damage at all to the material - which surprised me as the applicator gets really hot - and the rhinestones stay on really well. I even tried to pull one of them off and it wouldn't budge! The only improvement I would recommend is the stand for the applicator. It's a flimsy design and a bit of a balancing act to get it to stay safely in place. But other than that, it's a great product and I can't wait to rhinestone EVERYTHING in my wardrobe
 

What do you think? Do you have a Rhinestone Applicator?

 
ZoFlo

Friday 22 August 2014

Something Old, Something New... #1



I saw this at Glastonbury & it really stuck with me. Where is everything going? Surely one day we will run out of space to keep throwing things away. This has helped me to decide I need to make more of an effort to throw less away & get more creative. Beginning with an old pair of pyjama bottoms! I really love the material of these (I'm a sucker for polka dots) so really didn't want to throw them away. As I'm sure you have noticed, there is a lot of bunting around these days, everyone seems to be making it and it is something I haven't tried yet. So I was keen to get my sewing kit out and give it a go for myself.


I began by making a triangle template which I pinned to my pyjama bottoms. I decided to do this on a fold, to make the bunting double sided - this also meant I would only have to sew down two sides. Once I had cut out all of my triangles, I sewn each edge on my sewing machine (if you had the time, you could do this by hand too). I made sure I didn't sew all the way up to the folded edge, as I wanted to allow a little space to thread the ribbon through the top. Once each triangle was sewing, I neatened the edges with my pinking shears to make sure they wouldn't fray. Finally, after threading the ribbon through the triangles, I put a small stitch on each one to keep it in place. So what do you think?


This was a fun, simple project and is definitely something I will do again in the future. I think it is a lovely idea for a present and would be a great party decoration too! Have you ever made bunting before?

 
ZoFlo


Sunday 10 August 2014

Sunday Baking // Raspberry & Chocolate Chip Traybake



Sorry I have been so absent recently - adusting to working life is hard & I have been so busy most weekends with various events & family days out! But this weekend I have had nothing to do & it has been amazing! Sometimes the best weekends are the ones where you can just do as you please. So on this rotten, wet & windy Sunday, I decided to bake!

What with the new series of the Great British Bake Off, I felt it was only right to join in and attempt a recipe I have been eyeing up for months! I found this one in a home magazine & seeing something that involved chocolate & raspberries, I was immediately excited!


I am usually rubbish at following recipes but all of the ingredients were really simple (nothing too exotic / pricey) and the recipe was easy too!

   


What do you think? Have you done any Sunday baking recently? I would love for you to share your recipes so I can try them out too.

 
ZoFlo