Wedding bouquet practise

Im making my own bouquet for my wedding so i though id have a practise! I just used cream roses and purple stocks from my local super market but it turned out great!

 

 

It was really easy to make, surprisingly easy to be honest, so im definitely going to make my own. Im going to wrap the stems in some lace from my mums wedding dress, so that'll be my something old and borrowed :)

I followed the instructions over at Blooms by the Box which were fabulous - just wished then sent their flowers to the UK!

Trip to France

Just some snaps of our recent trip to France

Beautiful flowers in Boulogne Sur Mer

 

More flowers

 

delicious bread and butter

The reason we went! Stocking up on wine for the wedding

Spring is on its way!

After months of solid rain, floods, storm surges and gales i was very pleased to finally see some snow drops appear in my mums garden :)

Bird Crewel Embroidery

I bought this crewel embroidery pattern months and month (probably years TBH) ago from June Craft. I fell in love with this cute little guy the minute i saw him and ive been trying to find time to make him ever since. And im so pleased i finally did - isnt he just the cutest! It was really easy too. I havent embroidered anything since i was a teenager but the pattern is really simple and comes with instructions for all the stitches you'll need.

Once i was done making him i trimmed the backing fabric and mounted him in the frame i made him in. He's now up on the picture wall in the kitchen

FYI As im not an embroider im not sure what makes Crewel embroidery different but it seemed very similar to the embroidery ive done before so don't let it put you off

Pretty Peony

A beautiful peony from my mum's garden, hoping she might let me have cutting for the new house...

One Year Anniversary!

Its one year since my first ever blog post :)
I think i fulfilled my resolution to keep a record of the things i make and want to make, and i still think if anyone else likes what i post then thats just a bonus!
Having the blog has definitely inspired me to create more, make different things and has made me look at crafting and making as a potential business, but im a long way from that yet!
I plan to continue the same way in 2013, i still feel the blog is more for me to record what ive done rather than to share it with the world but maybe that outlook will change this year. But my main resolution is to take better photos, might even invest in a proper camera and stop using my iphone!!

My top 5 makes of 2012

5. Cami Bands - consistently most viewed pages!


4.  Doilie Wrapped Flowers - a beautiful simple idea


3. Leather and Tube Bead Bangles - i wear these all the time!


2. Needlepoint clutch - such a labour of love!


1. Basketweave blanket - i really love this blanket as does the cat!

Melted Hama (Perler) bead flowers

I wanted to try and make some cute little flower charms like these i saw at Craft Gawker. But i didnt fancy melting proper plastic in my oven so i tried it with Hama (Perler) beads. I just placed them in flower shapes on greased tinfoil (make sure its greased or you'll have the same problem i did!) and popped them in the oven at 150C



Im not sure i like the finished effect, too thin basically, but im glad i tried it out. Might try stacking them up next time, to get them thicker...

Shrinky dink ring fail that im very proud of!

Now i dont like how this shrinky dink ring turned out at all, wrong size, bent all wrong and just looks rubbish. But ive posted it because im quite pleased with the very simple flower design i drew on it! As i mentioned in yesterday's post i was repeatedly told by teachers i was terrible at art and not at all artistic (both my mum and sister are very artistic so that comparison didnt help). My adult brain can now translate that into meaning i'm not a natural at drawing still life in pencil (pretty much all we did) but my younger brain took it very personally and i kept away from anything arty or even creative for a long time. (I am a scientist by profession, not that thats not creative, but it certainly doesnt require me to do a pencil drawing of fruit!). Ive obviously overcome this (the previous 100ish posts hopefully confirm that!) but i do still struggle to draw anything freehand with confidence. So im pleased with the cute, little, slightly abstract, flowers i drew on this crappy ring and in my opinion you should always celebrate anything youre proud of, no matter how small :)

Doilie wrapped flowers

I think i mentioned previously that i was my aunts birthdays recently (2 are within a week of each other) so i bought them some irises as a gift. I hate the plastic wrap that flowers normally come in so i wrapped them in brown paper, tucked in a doilie, and tied them with coloured twine. Im so pleased how they turned out, i think all my flowers will be wrapped like this in the future!