Pinterest Inspiration // Christmas Edition

As I am sure most of you are aware, I am a big fan of Pinterest. If I ever need any inspiration, I head straight for the App. And with the Festival Season in full swing, I recently paid a visit to get some ideas for Christmas Decorations & Cards.

1. Ice Skates Decorations - These are so adorable & I love the idea for using a paper clip to make the little skate! They are such a simple idea too - they would be easy peasy to make, even for younger crafters or someone who is new to sewing!

2. Hama Bead Christmas Card - Childhood flashback!! Who else remembers Hama Beads as a kid? I use to love these & I love the idea of using them to make Christmas Cards. You really could do any design you want & again, it's a great one to do with younger crafts (except for the part where you have to get the iron out)!

3 - Bow Christmas Card - This Christmas Card design is a little more sophisticated than the Hama one & I love it. I think I would use my die-cutting machine to emboss a pattern onto the card itself though, but still keep the idea of the bow! I think it's great to have different textures & layers but at the same time keeping it relatively simple.

4 - Mittens Decorations - I have actually had a go at making some of these myself & they look fab. They are really simple to make & you can really get creative with different coloured felt & buttons.

Have you seen any great ideas on Pinterest Recently?

♥  

ZoFlo

Thursday Thoughts #3

This weeks Thursday Thoughts is such a cute one...

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Do you love Sewing too? Be sure to post a link to your blog in the comments box below - I love seeing what other bloggers have been up to!

♥  

ZoFlo

Crafty Christmas Gift Ideas

As I am feeling particularly festive today, I thought I would upload a few gift ideas if you are looking to buy something for someone who loves abit of crafting! With the 1st of December looming, hopefully this post will help you get organised and find the perfect gifts for your creative loved ones!

First up on my list is the Kirsty Allsopp Craft Kits from Hobbycraft. There are so many different kits to choose from, including a Lavender Bath Bomb Kit (I may have my eye on this one), which is great if you know someone who loves to dabble with abit of everything and try new things.

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I have stumbled across the Sock Craft Kits on Not On The Highstreet and think they are so great! They have so many different kits to choose from, including a Monkey, an Owl & a Sockosaurus (of course). My favourite has to be the Bunny - it is just too cute! These are appropriate for most ages (although children under 12 may require help) so would be fab for mini crafters too!

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If you are buying for someone who is an avid sewer, then I would definitely suggest taking a peep at the Cath Kidston website. They have some great sewing accessories that would look fabulous in anyones sewing basket, and sewers will always appreciate an extra tape measure, a new pair of scissors or a packet of pins. Seriously. Cath Kidston also have some amazing sewing baskets too. Isn't this Kingswood Rose Radio Sewing Basket just the cutest...?

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 (NB: Only purchase a sewing basket as a gift if you know the recipient actually needs one - I love my sewing basket, so definitely won't be replacing it for a while)

 Hopefully this has helped you out a little with your Christmas Shopping. Or maybe it has just inspired fellow crafters to go out & treat themselves to a pre-christmas gift! Either way, I hope you have enjoyed todays post. Let me know in the comments box below if you have any other gift ideas!

♥  

ZoFlo

Thursday Thoughts #2 (The Friday Edition)

Sorry, I'm a day late! This weeks Thursday Thoughts relates more to my job searching struggles, but can still be applied to the world of crafts.

I think pretty much everyone has been in a situation where they can relate to this one though! So next time you're feeling blue / panicking about something - remember the 3 P's!! We will all get there eventually!

♥  

ZoFlo

Sunday Baking // Dainty Lemon Cakes

I realised that it has been a little while since I have uploaded a Sunday Baking post - August to be precise - so I thought it was about time I uploaded another baking creation! I decided on Dainty Lemon Cakes, a recipe from my Bake-a-Boo cook book.

The recipe says it makes 20 mini cupcakes, however I didn't have any mini cases (and when I went shopping for the ingredients I found Edible Cupcake Cases...could not resist), so I made 8 normal size cupcakes topped with plenty of lemon butter icing. YUMMY! They were really simple to make, just a standard cake mixture with some lemon zest & juice added. I did put more lemon juice in than the recipe states as I like the flavours to be a little more obvious. What do you think? I love the edible wafer flowers too, they add a cute, girly touch!

Have you done any baking recently? If you have any recipes you would recommend, please let me know in the comments box below.

♥  

ZoFlo

Thursday Thoughts #1

Sorry for the lack of blog updates recently - I've been busy graduating!

Horraaay!

Although I think Graduation is a valid excuse for this week, sometimes I am not so great at blogging regularly. I think it is much more difficult to keep up when it comes to Craft Blogging as some projects aren't as quick as others and I don't want to upload a rubbish post for the sake of it. My aim is to make Sunday my regular "post uploading day"  but I still want to give you all a little mid-week helping of craftiness - so here are my Thursday Thoughts!

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For me, the above quote is completely true! I am still finding my feet after finishing University and find that crafting is the only thing that keeps me happy. It helps to keep my mind off of the real world, but also keeps my brain working! I hope to post weekly quotes of a crafy nature, so if you have seen any that you would like me to share, please let me know.

♥  

ZoFlo

Upholstery // Part 3

For anyone who has been eagerly awaiting this post - I am so sorry it is later than I had planned. Real life has taken over recently and with a few sewing problems along the way, it really slowed up the process. But it is finally here, the finished chair!

 

 The arms were quite difficult as it was important to get them looking the same. The left arm looked perfect, but the right arm was a little more tricky - typical. I asked my Gran to do that bit as after much pulling and stretching I couldn't get it to look right. I think she did a great job and they match really well. Today was spent carefully sewing up the back with a curved needle. I was really pleased with how neat this looked. The final piece was plastic sheeting stapled to the bottom!

The only part that is missing is the cushion. I did spend a whole day working on this and accidentally snipped a little too far with the scissors and made a hole (yes yes, I wanted to cry). I am going to attempt it again next week, but it is so difficult. If anyone has made a box cushion before, please give me some tips in the comments box below as I am struggling with the corners! Once I have mastered it, I plan to do a blog post to show you all how it is done.

 So what do you think?

 

It took quite a little while to get this one done, about 5 / 6 days in total but I would definitely recommend taking on an upholstery project if you have the time (and the money - material can get expensive). I think my next upholstery project will perhaps be something a little smaller though!

♥  

ZoFlo

Be sure to catch up on Post 1 & Post 2 of this project!