A couple of gifts

My sister-in-law had a birthday just recently. Okay, maybe two weeks ago. Maybe I'm a little behind. 

Tutorial for the make up bag here, I just glued on a huge ruffle flower. (Make a ruffle and use this tutorial, but make it looser and don't twist.)

The necklace in the box is the 'peas in a pod' necklace. I featured Amy from Positively Splendid with here tutorial last month. And she made it SO easy!

My SIL and her husband recently had their first child, so I love the symbolism of the necklace for them (and thankfully so did she!). 

I even started another one as I was feeling so confident. Then realised I know no one else who has only three members of their family...

At least I'll have a nice gift for a couple with a new baby. Check out the tutorial here. All you need is beads, craft wire and a chain (or old necklace). Plus you can make it as small or big as you want.

(The box is just an old business card box with some tissue paper inside, my husband scored it from work knowing I'm a packaging hoarder.)

One Day Monday

It's been a little while since I've done one of these, though if you follow me on Pinterest you'll know I've been pinning a LOT of ideas!

This one I need to do before the summer is out. The height difference between me and my husband is over a foot (I'm 5"1 and he's 6"3), so a nice, easy to walk in pair of heels is essential. Sibylle (who is an awesome photographer as well as crafter) from funky time has a really easy to follow tutorial for revamping an old pair of heels (which I have a few of!) into something pretty cute!

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know i love flowers. And this is such a cute way of dressing up a gift (though Stephanie used it on a wreath too which looked gorgeous!)

Check out the tutorial at Under the Table and Dreaming.

I love the peekaboo cushion featured on see kate sew's pleat week. The tutorial by Delia from Delia creates is so clear too, which is the reason I think even I could give it a go! 

And for a really fun one to end on...

I LOVE this idea! I've even bought some tiny silicone cupcake cases (for £1.50 at The Yorkshire Trading Co.) and am ready to mod podge scrapbook paper to the front of an egg box and gift them! 

I'm trying something new tomorrow. This cake...

found here

But...two layers! Not sure it will stand up to being layered but I'll soon find out, I promised the hubs I'd try, and also with a white choc fudge topping. Plus it's a favourite of my SIL's husband who we are seeing tomorrow. 

Once I surprised him with one and I seriously have not seen him that happy before! (and I've seen him on his wedding day! ;) )

I'll let you know how it goes (though I'm prepared for a complete fail!). Enjoy your week.

A few better pictures

So I thought that after this post I had better share a couple of better pictures so you don't think I'm really that dis-proportioned. 

Here's the wedges I got for my brother's wedding. They're about five inches. I love that it nearly half the height difference between me and my husband, and that I am 'average height' with them on (I'm usually 5"1).

I can now see how badly I need to clean my mirror. But lets face it, what's more exciting to a one year old than licking his own reflection? 

Though at least I tidied moved things out of the way this time! It was pretty rainy and I was on my way to the doctors to take Izzy for her jabs, and I must admit I was pretty nervous. 

I hate holding my babies when they're crying and confused getting injections. But to have my toddler, who can understand so much...I wasn't sure how I was going to do it.

So I distracted myself by making sure she had a new magazine and some special plasters for after. And the nurse was fantastic! She told her to give me a cuddle and I would give her a tight one (and held her arm still), and then she closed her eyes while she had a little scratch. 

She cried, but only while it was being done and was so brave, I was really proud. And as soon as it was over and we'd cuddled I gave her the special owl plasters we'd bought. 

But the thing that really caught me off guard was that the nurse praised me. She said I was a great mum and so prepared. (a few times!) Now I'm not normally prepared and don't think that about myself, in fact I often feel that I'm barely coping with two little children, a house, work and having some time for my husband. 

I was surprised that her words had such a big effects on me, I was smiling like an idiot at her sweet honest words. But it got me to thinking that I really should mention he positive things I think about others, especially mums, because maybe they don't think it about themselves. 

I often think I don't need to mention things like:

"Your home is beautiful."

source

"Your hair looks gorgeous."

source

"You're so great with your children."

source

Because it seems too obvious. But maybe it's exactly what someone needs to hear.

And maybe it could make a difference. 

Have a great week.

p.s. You're awesome!

Officially versatile

Guess what?!

Emily from mirrors, metaphors and kaleidoscopes gave me this award! Thank you so much! 


After accepting the Versatile Blogger Award, the blogger must

1. Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs.

So seven things...

1. I can make balloon animals.

2. I got married at 19! (which makes it nearly half a decade married!)

3. I have seven brothers and sisters.

4. I have never been out of the UK.

5. I have only ever been in a plane once, and it was piloted by my husband.

6. I LOVE chocolate.

7. I am the worst dancer! I love to dance, but I suck. My little sister's had this terrible dance that I thought was so funny. Til I found out it was called the 'Rhiannon dance'.

I'm passing the award on to blogs who are smaller like me (although I think I'm the smallest of them all!), check them out if you get the chance:

1. Boxoftrix (A fellow UK blogger!)

2. I heart crafty things (Gives me some amazing ideas of things to do with my kids)

3. I create (This girl is awesome and only 15!)

4. Life in the Motherhood (Tips, projects, beauty and reviews)

5. Mommy by day, crafter by night (This girl has some serious sewing skill!)

6. Preschool Alphabet (Some really amazing ideas for younger children)

7. Southern Lovely (Lindsay really is sweet!)

8. The Junk House (Clever DIY)

9. The Overhaul (Another UK blogger!)

10. Little Wonders' Days (Cute kids and awesome ideas for fun activities)

Tie Refashion Necklace

So a while ago I featured this necklace on a ‘One Day Monday’. It came from Aletha at Artstar.

I finally finished one! I’ve had the ties cut up and ready for a while  now, and I just got some beads out of an old necklace I made a while back (it had serious child stainage going on.). I need a craft shop near where I live!

I did the bow using more length than in the tutorial, but I still ended up with a teeny tiny one.

I suck at tying bows! But I love it, and can’t wait to see what all the others look like. Admittedly this was THE ugliest tie of them all so I wanted to see what a difference it would make.

Such a great use of an old never-gonna-see-the-light-of-day tie!

Yellow Tote Bag

So I had a tutorial all ready to show you for his bag.

Then I cleverly deleted my photos from the camera before checking they were on the laptop. Turns out they weren't. But it was pretty simple. Two rectangles of one fabric, two the same size of another (my inside one is a pillow case I saw very cheap) and two thin rectangles for the straps. 

For the main body I sewed three sides on both of the inside and outside pieces. Then placed them wrong sides together and hemmed it all around, then boxed the bottom corners.

Then made and sewed on the strap.

It looked a little plain so I looked through my scraps stash and found some trim from an old dress of Izzy's which was miraculously the right size, so I just pinned it so I both hemmed it at the top and attatched it to the bag. Done! 

Note that I'm not showing you the other side's join...it wasn't quite as nicely lined up!

My first handbag!

Fit for a princess...

(Disclaimer: My house is never this tidy! Please refer to this post for proof if you need any! And you'll notice in the pictures that Izzy was getting in there as soon as I'd finished tidying.) 

When I was growing up we didn't have a lot of money. I have one older brother, three younger brothers and three younger sisters. As a result I got a LOT of boy hand-me-downs. It's kind of funny now looking back at the photos,(though I still cringe when I see photos of me as a teen in boy trousers and a shirt for high school) but I always wanted to make sure that Izzy (and now Ethan too) has things that are hers.

My intention was never to girl-ify Izzy and have everything pink and princesses. If she ever has money to spend I've never directed her to dolls or dresses. Even so, with the possible exception of a toy garage and a football net, she has always gone for pink, always wants to wear dresses, begs her aunties to paint her nails and loves trying on my shoes.

As a result her room is like this:

There are a few things I would like to change, but Izzy (and Ethan) love playing in there, and Izzy has had quite a lot of input!

I even shuffled her room around so she could permanently have her play house up.

Plus it's a great place to hide toys!

(We may be missing a couple of the supporting rods.)

I'd love to paint her wardrobe white, but honestly I just feel it's too big a job! If any of you have experience I'd love to know how long it would take, how long she'd need to be without a wardrobe. Plus how easy it may be to change later. We rent and this was ours, but we have a built in thing here so it went to Izzy. But it might be ours in the future again!

It also houses our spare bedding and more toys.

(excuse the mess, I neglected to tidy this area...)

If you look to the far right there is also a couple of my winter coats in storage.

Speaking of storage. Until we get to Ikea for more hooks guess where our towels are...

Pretty glamorous right? Not even a little bit matching. That's just how we roll.

And a bit of under bed storage. Does anyone really have nothing under their beds?!

Her little drawers were cheap from Ikea and match the bed we found from someone in our village for £30! Pretty much brand new with a new mattress too.

The rugs are also from Ikea (seeing a theme?).

I still want to replace her light fitting for something like this:

Though I may have to just glue them onto the existing shade with it being for a light.

I'd also love to have one or two navy walls, I think it would look so pretty with the pink. But I'm reluctant to take on a big paint project when we can only have six months lease at a time. 

Though these would add some nice colour and could be moved if we did.

Yes fabric pom poms, there's a really simple tutorial here.

But the big thing I need to do is get some art or pictures on her walls. Any ideas? They feel so bare at the moment!

Oh and the bunting is a complete cheat! It's scrapbook paper triangles sewn onto ribbon and hung with command strips. I've even got some in Ethan's room. But I'm not allowed any in mine :(

 

How do you decorate? How do you decide on colours and themes? And what do you do with your kids while painting their room or furniture? I'm really new to this so I'd love any tip, advice or links to blogs! Thanks. 

Ethan's room next!

Necklace - A Tutorial from Izzy

I love that Izzy enjoys creating things as much as me. This necklace was her idea so I can't take credit for coming up with a great way to entertain her. I just tied a knot in some embroidery thread and put a blunt needle on the other end.

Get Mummy's beads out.

Choose all the pretty ones.

Ensure you have had a chocolaty snack.

And get threading!

She LOVES her new necklace!