Stamped Feathers - Watching Over You

When i saw this post at Organise and Decorate Everything i knew exactly how i was going to use it. Lovely BM and i have both lost people we love and draw comfort from the thought that they are still with us in spirit, looking after us. And the white feather is always a symbol of that, whether you think theyre signs of angels or spirits or just good luck, theyre beautiful in their own right and i knew that i would love this art before i even started on it. It lives above our sofa, over our heads, where we spend a lot of our downtime, and it makes me smile every time i see it

Knitted Lab Rat

This make definitely has the power to divide opinions! Mostly poeple think im nuts and its a bit gross but i think its actually pretty cute! Its a another combination of crafting and science - my two loves. Anyway I bought this pattern for a knitted lab rat by Crafty Hedgehog ages ago and i finally got round to making it


I think he's pretty cute but i understand that he's not to everyones tastes!

I framed him in a box frame and added his latin name to give it a taxidermy touch. He currently hangs in the hall, lovely BM is growing to love him (i hope!)

Banana Bread

My sister is vising from Australia at the moment and, as theyre massively into Banana Bread out there, i decided to make her some, so she felt more at home! Its really not a bread its a cake but you can eat it toasted with butter which is probably where the bread name comes from, i prefer it on its own though.

I used this recipe by A Beach Cottage and it was lovely, i didnt manage to get the dark but still soft outer layer like they do in Australia (any tips?) but it still tasted pretty good!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Do you every see a recipe on your blog feed or on Pinterest and you're buying the ingredients before you know what your doing! That's what happened with this post by Bakerella. Lovely BM and I were eating sticky toffee pudding before the day was out! It was exceptional :)

Ombre Mosiac Wall Canvas

After finally adding art to the living room and hall i decided to tackle to bedroom too. Inspired by this wall and this bathroom i knew i wanted to make some kind of ombre mosaic. Then i saw this post by remodelaholic and knew exactly how i could do it!
I bought a (huge) canvas from Hobbycraft for £20, cut what felt like millions of red and grey squares out of card and then glued them in place. I did it all by eye, working in from each side and trying to keep everything straight as i went along. I just love how it turned out, lovely BM isnt as convinced (abstract is not his thing) but i'm sure it will grow on him how could it not!!

Origami Bird Papercut

I have been lusting after this gorgeous origami bird papercut by SarahLouiseMatthews on Etsy for months and months and i finally got round to buying it last month. I mounted it over some orange card to make the birds really pop and snapped this quick picture before i hung it. ...Ive actually not got round to hanging it yet, im hoping posting about it will motivate me to finally put it up as its too gorgeous to hide away!

Oat Biscuits/Cookies

We had a family lunchtime party recently and i made some biscuits for everyone to nibble on in the afternoon. I used this recipe by Created by Diane but reduced the amount of icing to just a drizzle and made some chocolate drizzled ones too. They were lovely, a bit like flapjacks but in biscuit form, definitely a winner :)

Chive and Garlic Rolls

I saw this delicious recipe from Will Cook for Smiles on Pinterest and knew i had to make it. We dont have Pilsbury pizza dough in the UK so i used ready made pizza dough from the supermarket and rolled it really thin, i worked just as well i think

These bad boys were fabulous!

Paws!

Love the cats little chubby furry paws!!

Mouse Trap Clip Frames

When i saw these genuis blackboard painted mouse trap clips from U create i couldnt resist making my own.



Arent they just adorable!

Picture Wall / Hanging Pictures

So the final finishing touches in the new house are pictures. Im always a bit wary about any permanent changes so i always delay hanging pictures until im sure. In addition im terrible at hanging pictures, i usually end up with 2 or 3 times as many holes as i actually need!
But ive seen loads of people use paper templates to create picture walls, like Ruby reDesign, so i decided to give it a try.
I cut brown paper the same size as my pictures, marked where the hanger was, and then positioned them on the wall until i was happy.

Then i hammered a hook in through the paper, hung the picture to check the placement and then pulled the paper away.

I managed to hang all 8 pictures with just 8 holes! Thats pretty much a first for me :)

I used the same technique again in the hall. Im pretty much always going to use this technique from now on - dont you just love the internet for tips and tricks!

Mojito (ish) time!

Its really not a mojito, its shop bought kiwi and lime smoothie with lemonade, rum and a sugar rim, but it was delicious and im heavy handed with the rum so after a couple it really didnt matter that it was a traditional mojito!

Crochet basket

 

Check out the cute crochet basket i made! I used this pattern from Ravelry- dont you just love the ombre version on the pattern! It was super easy to make and you can use regular wool you just use 4 strands of it at the same time. Im definitely going to make some coloured ones next :)

Silver Leaf Lampshade

I made a glitter lampshade a few weeks ago which i love and after seeing this gorgeous silver lampshade on Pinterest i knew this was the logical next step!

Ive never used silver leaf before but it wasnt too hard, although its lucky i like the vintage look as my leaf isnt at all smooth! But considering it was my first try and i just used what ever i had around as my tools - PVA glue and regular brushes, im pretty happy with what i ended up with :)

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Delicious cinnamon sugar preztels were my snack of choice this week. Thanks to Life's to Short to Skip Dessert for the recipe!

Watermelon Juice

I managed to juice and then drink an entire watermelon the other day!! I was insired by dyi home sweet home's post to make it and then it was just so delicious i couldnt help drinking it all. One tip though, you really really need to make sure all the seeds are out before blending it though, hard little black bits in your juice are not so delicious...

Blueberry Lemon Smoothie

De-licious blueberry lemon smoothie from Young and Crafty. I wasnt that keen on the almond milk so i didnt add much and my smoothie was uber thick! You really couldnt taste the almond milk so i should have just added more, still yummy though!

Adding colour - simple DVD tower make over

I love all the ideas out there about adding colour to the inside of furniture

Like this from House to Home


And this from iheartorgainsing


I wanted to do something myself but wasnt keen on the idea of it being permanent so shied away from painting. So i followed House to Homes suggestion of using wallpaper. I also decide to not attach the wall paper permanently so i could change it if i didnt like it.

So this is what i was trying to liven up, our 4 Ikea Benno DVD towers. Nice but very plain.

And this is what i ended up with - so much better!


I just used wallpaper samples i got from the local DIY shop, cut them to match and slid them inside the DVD towers. I took the back panel off one of the stands and used that to cut everything to the right size, so there was not constant re-trimming needed! The items in the shelves mostly hold the paper in place but i used some repositional glue dots where they werent so secure.

This is what they look like in use. I just love them, its such a subtle way of adding colour and pattern to a room and even better it was free!!!

Glitter lightshade

 

Continuing on with the house finishing touches i decided to spruce up our top landing lightshade with a bit of glitter. Totally inspired by this one by Carrie D Mader. It doesnt come out brilliantly in the photos because of the bulb, and there isnt enough natural light where it is to take a photo without the bulb but i can tell you that it looks fab, i might do another one somewhere else in the house :)

Homemde Sausage and Egg Mcmuffin

 

Lovely BM and I are partial to a McDonalds breakfast so i wondered if i could make my own, turns out theyre simple!

I squeezed the filling out of a good quality pork sausage and formed it into a burger shape. Which i then fried it along with an egg. I used an egg ring to help me get a nice round shaped egg. Pop both the sausage burger and the egg onto a toasted english muffin, top with a slice of (poor quality) cheese and its done!

They were delicious, and so much more filling that the bought ones too!

Shelf additon to cloakroom shoe rack

I finally got round to adding in a shelf above the shoe rack i built in our cloakroom. Its the perfect place for Lovely BM and I to stash our work bags so theyre out of the way. So pleased i finally did it :)