Crafting Parties

As I am swiftly approaching 40 I have been thinking about how to celebrate the big day. I am aiming to get a balance of something in the morning for friends, afternoon for family and children and evening for those that want to continue partying. Crafting parties can provide a creative and fun activity that anyone can have a go at with no experience needed. These parties are suitable for all ages and there is a huge variety of activities to choose from suitable for a range of occasions; birthday, baby shower, hen party, Christmas party and many more.

Crafting is a brilliant group activity and ideal if you want to do something indoors and alcohol free. No falling into mud or drunken arguments here! Just lots of creativity and laughs to be had as you help each other make lovely keepsakes to remember the day.

So the big question is which crafting activity to choose? Here is a selection of the most popular and enjoyable crafting parties – you are guaranteed to have a great time with the group here!

1.      Chocolate Making

For all you foodies out there why not take a chocolate making class. During the class you can taste a selection of delicious chocolates before learning how to make the chocolate, starting right at the cocoa bean. You will be guided through the whole process and at the end you can take your homemade creations away with you for others to try – unless you eat them all first! This would be a good one to organise for someone who absolutely loves chocolate and would be a fun surprise for them. Prepare to get messy!

2.      Flower Crown Making

How about putting your hands to crown making? Think summer festivals and girls wearing pretty floral headbands – this is what you can make from scratch in this crafting party. This is a lovely activity to do with the girls, maybe for a hen party or baby shower. You will be provided with materials such as faux flowers, leaves and berries so you can get creative and make a beautiful crown. What is great is that you can take your crown home with you and wear it whenever you like! Take a group photo modelling your crowns for a cute keepsake to frame.

Source: The Crafty Hen

3.      Cocktail Ring Making

For all you jewellery lovers a cocktail ring making party is for you. Get together with the girls and each make your own unique cocktail ring. You will be provided with pearls, rhinestones and beads and learn all about wire construction and beading techniques. When you are happy with your ring you will be given a pretty box to keep it in, then you can take it home to show off to all your friends!

Source: The Crafty Hen

4.      Perfume Making

Perfect for a special occasion such as Mother's Day. At this party you can learn how to make your very own unique, individual scent. You will be guided through the creative process by a professional perfume maker and blend a variety of smells to create your perfect scent. Then give your scent a name and take it away to enjoy. You can really get creative at this perfume party and you will all come out with your own individual creations.

5.      Bunting making

Have a bunting making party and create some lovely bunting to put up at parties or for a brides wedding venue. Each person will be taught how to make bunting and you can make as many as you want, which is great if you need quite a few for a party. Lots of different materials are provided so you can create your own personal styles of bunting.

Source: The Crafty Hen

Give one of these parties a go for your next special occasion! You can host them in the comfort of your own home or in places such as cafes and bars.

x x x

Autumn Days....I Mustn't Forget

 

Autumn days when the grass is jewelled....

 

The grass today was a bed of Autumn leaves following the winds.

 

..and the silk inside a chestnut shell.

Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled,

All these things I love so well.

So I mustn't forget...

 

The last two days have given me time to myself; time to reflect and time to look ahead.

I blew the dust of the sewing machine and dug into the depths of this blog for some sewing and craft ideas. I spent some time reading through past posts, and with a change in blog name, have noticed a shift in focus - I miss my sewing and craft, and I miss the writing.

I mustn't forget that I love these things.

   

Having finally stepped out into the world of photography beyond my mobile phone camera I wanted to personalise my prized possession. I made a camera strap cover for a blogging friend back in 2012 and posted a basic 'how to' here - which I am glad to say I managed to adapt to make it fit for me.

My girl wanted to do some crafty bits with me too last night so we scrolled through my craft blog posts and found the fabric flowers. She wants to use them to make her own fabric bookmarks for her teachers for Christmas. Again, looking back on the blog we found the perfect tutorial for those!

 

So, some good can be found in looking back and there is nothing wrong with repeating some things.

But now I am going to look forward - do those things again that I used to love, find some time to sew and create, find some time to write.

 

x x x



Fishbone Bookmarks {#pinaddicts April}

Hey all. I hope you are having a lovely Easter weekend and you have seen some sunshine. We've been having a bit of a lazy school holiday here but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I have managed to pay some attention to the blog and have got the sewing machine out again. The two have been combined for this month's #pinaddicts challenge.

Fishbone Bookmarks!

I have been desperately trying to read more books lately and occasionally have more than one on the go. I hate turning down corners of pages so thought I would make some more bookmarks.

I made these ones here for a previous challenge if you want to take a peek.

I pinned this image to my #pinaddicts board on Pinterest but the image didn't link to any tutorial so I went about having a go making them from scratch.

Here's how I did it.

#pinaddicts challenge no. 9 - Fabric Bookmarks

It's the beginning of the month so it's time to link up to the Pinaddicts Challenge!

The #pinaddicts challenge works as follows:

Pin to your #pinaddicts board on Pinterest.

Choose something to make for the challenge.

In your post put the original image with original links.

Post your fantastic effort at recreating.

Link up and go and check out the other #pinaddicts at the NEW SITE!

 

My last blog post showed my Shabby Chic Rosette Flowers ...

...and today I'm going to show you what I used them for.

Here's my inspirational pin!

From www.tipjunkie.com

 

I used my flowers and a tutorial from the above to create my own bookmarks.

Here's my tutorial:

First cut out fabric pieces for each bookmark you wish to make measuring 4" x 8" and back each piece with slightly smaller interfacing:

 

Fold the fabric right sides together...

 

...and sew along one short side and the unfolded long side:

 

Turn the right way out, fold the opening in and iron flat:

 

Sew round each of the four sides:

 

 

Attach the flowers with fabric glue and you're done!

 

x x x

 

Shabby Chic Rosette Flowers

We are on the home run now for the half term break and I have managed to sneak away to do a bit of crafting with minimum distraction from Edith and Alban. Quite a result on my part.

I have made fabric flowers in the past and have been wanting to make some rosette type ones for a while and I have finally had a go.

I found some old strips of fabric that I had used to make curtains and they measured about 32" long and just over an inch wide. If you want a bigger flower use a longer length and for a smaller flower use a shorter length. I ended up experimenting with two different lengths.

Firstly tie a knot in the end of your fabric strip:

Dab on some fabric glue on top of the knot:

Hold the knot in one hand and start to twist the fabric with the other. Then begin to turn the knot onto the twist. Dab glue continuously as you go:

When you get towards the end of your strip tuck the final couple of inches under the flower and glue down:

Leave the flower to dry:

Have a go with other lengths of fabric and experiment with patterns and colours:

You could sew on a button or sequins at this point but I liked mine plain!

These flowers can be used in a number of ways; attach a safety pin to make a brooch, add a hair slide, tie to a scarf....

I'm going to be using mine in my next Pinaddicts Challenge post coming to this blog soon!

I have now used these flowers here!

Happy crafting!

x x x

#pinaddicts challenge no. 8 - Tutu Style Wreath

It's Pinaddicts Challenge time again folks! If this is new to you here's the drill:

The #pinaddicts challenge works as follows:

Pin to your #pinaddicts board on Pinterest.

Choose something to make for the challenge.

In your post put the original image with original links.

Post your fantastic effort at recreating.

Link up and go and check out the other #pinaddicts at the NEW SITE!

 

I've been feeling rather Autumnal this month and have been looking ahead to - dare I say it?! - Christmas. I've even started a Christmas pin board. With this in mind I've been thinking about wreaths and have seen a variety of them being pinned.

I particularly liked this colourful fabric one and this Halloween themed one pictured below.

http://www.betweenuandme.com/2010/09/18/halloween-tulle-wreath-tutorial/

I wanted to have a trial run before splashing out on Christmas fabrics, and playing around with final ideas, so I hunted down my bag of netting - leftovers from tutu making for Camp Bestival two years ago - and not having any metal or foam rings improvised a bit!

Here's what to do:

Gather the colours of netting you prefer and a ribbon for hanging.

Cut out a card ring approximately 25cm across.

Cut out strips of net approximately 30cm x 3cm. Rolling up the netting first helps save time.

Loop the fabric under the ring, pull the ends through the loop and pull tight.

Continue doing this following your chosen pattern of colours until the ring is full.

 

I trimmed the straggly ends, added a fabric flower - made for an earlier pinaddicts challenge - and tied on a black ribbon.

Voila!

It is now hanging in my daughter's bedroom as she helped out a little bit to tie on the strips and she took a fancy to it!

If you've been doing any sort of Pinterest related crafting then come and join us and link up over at the Pinaddicts Challenge website on the first of the month. We would love to see you!

x x x

 

 

#pinaddicts challenge no. 7 - Twine & Bead Bracelet

We all know that summer is coming to a close but new things are around the corner.

Just peeking it's head out around that said corner is a gleaming new website hosting the brand new Pinaddicts Challenge UK. Yes, we had a summer holiday but now it is back!

The #pinaddicts challenge works as follows:

Pin to your #pinaddicts board on Pinterest.

Choose something to make for the challenge.

In your post put the original image with original links.

Post your fantastic effort at recreating.

Link up and go and check out the other #pinaddicts at the NEW SITE!

I've still been busy pinning my challenge inspirations here and decided to have a go at this creation.

http://www.thecraftyblogstalker.com/2011/11/twine-and-pearl-bracelet.html

I used a variety of twine and threads - available from any good craft store - and ordered different style clasps from eBay.

I knotted 3 pieces of twine or thread, measuring about 16" long, and threaded a bead onto each strand. I then knotted the three threads together and continued this. I played around a bit with the number of beads and also used thread twice as long which double wrapped itself around my wrist.

And this is how they turned out!

 What do you think?

Now, go and get crafting and join us at the new website!

x x x



#pinaddicts challenge no. 4 - Fabric Storage Boxes

I cannot believe it is month 4 of the #pinaddicts challenge already and May sees the lovely But Why Mummy, Why?  hosting the linky.

The #pinaddicts challenge works as follows:

Pin to your #pinaddicts board on Pinterest.

Choose something to make for the challenge.

In your post put the original image with original links.

Post your fantastic effort at recreating.

Link up and go and check out the other #pinaddicts!

 

#pinaddicts challenge no.4 - Fabric Storage Box

 

This month I was influenced by the following pin to make some small storage boxes and tidy up my shelves.

 

http://sometimescrafter.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/tutorial-fabric-scrap-basket.html

 

The above link has a detailed tutorial.

 

But here's how I did mine!

 

I am now planning to make a cuboid shaped box for keys and work lanyards to be chucked into by the front door.

What do you think?

x x x