DIY Glitter Notebook Set

Hello hello, long time no see! I have been busy with my other life as a set designer recently, and I'm trying to figure out a better way of scheduling my time so I can fit Etsy work and blogging back in more solidly... So to kick off some more regular posting for Autumn, here is a fun little DIY, a super quick glittery stationery fix.

To make this set of glittery notebooks, all you need is some A5 glitter paper (I got mine in a pack from Hobbycraft), some plain paper, a laminator (optional) and a sewing machine. If you don't have a sewing machine you can hand sew these just as easily. 

To start with, I laminated my glitter paper in A5 laminator pouches - just to make a protective layer for the notebooks, and to stop glitter going everywhere when I use them. If you don't mind a bit of glitter spillage in your life, you can skip this step. I then trimmed plain paper to size, 4-6 sheets of A4 is best. 

Once your pages are together, you can just run the centre spine through a sewing machine to bind them together. Start slowly to check the thickness is ok for your needle, and make sure that you change your needle afterwards as it will have been blunted a bit by the paper. Tip: I keep a special needle aside for sewing paper with so I don't ruin my other needles. 

These are so quick, and the results are great - they would make such a cute present for a friend as a little set. 

x Rachel 

Homemade Marquee Signs

I mentioned back in May about a Moulin Rouge themed event that I was designing, and that event has come and gone... I thought I'd share my favourite part today, my handmade marquee signs! I've seen these floating around on Pinterest for ages, so it was great to finally have an excuse to make some of my own. 

For the red "Moulin Rouge" sign, I roughly followed this brilliant tutorial from Oh Happy Day. It worked a treat, and although it was super time consuming, I was really happy with the result. It was perfect for setting the scene at the entrance to the event. 

If you are thinking of making some of your own, make sure you use LED fairy lights (which don't get hot) - anything else will be a fire hazard with all that card and spray paint. I bought mine here and they were perfect. 

I also made a slightly different version for the "Cabaret" sign. It's basically the same method, but without the edges on each letter. I was really pleased with this one actually, because it took a fraction of the time to make and still looked really effective. 

If you'd like to see a bit more of the event, there is a short video here. All I will say is that I was not responsible for those chair covers. Or the balloons. Sometimes you just have to let these things go haha... but if there's one thing I've learned, there is nothing a bit of red velvet draping and plenty of fairy lights paint can't solve. 

How to Make a Mini Folder out of Duct Tape

Any fellow freelancers out there may have a purse similar to mine; over flowing with receipts! I have a filing system for mine, but I don't get around to actually organising them very often, so I've been looking for a mini organiser that I can take with me on the go to keep things a little neater. I also wanted something with different compartments so that I could keep receipts from different jobs separate, but I found it quite difficult to find something in the size I wanted... So I decided to make one! 

Supplies: Gaffa/Duct Tape in a fun colour, clear parcel tape, cereal box card, plastic wallets, washi tape, scissors. 

1// Cut two rectangles out of thin cardboard in whatever size you would like to make your folder. 

2// Cover each piece in gaffa tape (I got my pink roll from Tiger), and leave an excess at one side of a few centimetres. 

3// Join the two pieces with another piece of tape, wrapping around the front and back and forming the "spine" of your folder. Make sure that the two sides will match up when folding before taping it down. 

4// Cut the plastic wallets down to the right size and reseal the edges with washi tape as necessary. 

5// Use clear parcel tape to fix the wallets inside the folder. 

6// Pop your new organisational friend into your bag and feel smug for being so on top of your finances. 

What do you think? I mostly love how cheap this was to make. You could use the same method to make art journals or book sleeves, or photo albums! Hooray for gaffa tape :)

x Rachel 

Recipe Bunting for the Kitchen

I should start this post by saying that I can't take any credit for this idea. This was all Jake. We took our nets down at our kitchen window recently and the room looked really bare, so he came up with the idea of making bunting out of food magazines! It's been on my handmade to-do list ever since. The best thing is that costs next to nothing to make, and really brightens up our colourless rented kitchen. 

Supplies: A food magazine, masking tape, paper, scissors, bakers twine.

1// Make a paper template for the paper flags, folding it in half to make sure it's even. 

2// Fold over a couple of centimetres at the top and snip off the pointy sides (as in the pic above). 

3// Attach the flags to a length of bakers twine with a bit of masking tape. It helps to lay them all out first so you can get the balance of colours right.

4// Fix your new bunting in place with tape - I used pink gaffa tape as it sticks to tile well.  

Excuse our cloudy window, another renting peril. 

I love how colourful food photography is, and I feel like this is a great way to show it off. What do you think? 

x Rachel 

DIY Chunky Bead Necklace

I'm not really sure if this even counts as a DIY post - it's so easy! It's more of a show and tell. A necklace like this is a 15 minute make, all you need is some bright chunky beads, a length of chain and some fastenings. Just thread the beads on to the chain and use pliers to fix a large jump ring on one end of the chain, and a fastening on the other. 

I found these beads in Leeds (that's a fun poem) in the most amazing bead shop introduced to me by the lovely Kate. They were only 60p each! I already had the chain and fastenings, but they are easily picked up cheap from craft shops. So all together this necklace probably cost about £2.50, plus 15mins of labour - not bad at all. 


I've got jewellery making fever at the moment! I have an agate slice that is just calling out for a DIY - so keep an eye out for that soon. 

Happy Sunday :)

x Rachel 

DIY Painted Leather Phone Case

I got this white leatherette case free with my new phone (jammy!) and although I do love the little tortoise in the corner, it was a bit boring. I decided to try and jazz it up a bit with some acrylic paint, and I love how it came out! 

You will need: white faux leather phone case (it may work on real leather too), acrylic paint, masking tape. 

1// Tape out a pattern on the case with the masking tape. I chose a simple colour blocking pattern as sometimes I think bold is best. 

2// Start painting in the blocks. I only did one coat on mine (I'm lazy), but a couple of coats might give a more even finish. I personally like that hazy painty style. Make sure you pull the masking tape off while the paint is still wet as this will make the lines look cleaner. 

3// Cover the whole case in paint and wait for it to dry. I haven't put a protective coat on mine and it seems to be holding up well! But if you wanted to protect the pattern some PVA glue should do the trick. 

Happy March everyone! I'm going to be back in the blogging game this month now that I have settled into my work schedule a bit. I've missed this little bit of internet :) 

x Rachel 

Try It Tuesday: Geometric Candles

#TryItTuesday is back! This one has been in the drafts box for ages, and it's one of my favourites so I'm really excited to share it now. These geometric candles are a stroke of genius from Kris Degraeve and the tutorial can be found here on How Did You Make This? The method is based around making your own candle moulds from card stock. 

I absolutely loved following this tutorial! It's not as tricky as it looks, but it is quite time consuming. My main tip is to use good thick card and make sure you seal all tiny holes with PVA glue, otherwise it can get very messy. If all else fails, put a lot of newspaper down and just keep trying; the results are so worth it. Be sure to check out the brilliant original tutorial! 

There were also two other great Try It Tuesday posts today: 

>>>Emily from Trends With Benefits made some gorgeous little hair pins.

>>>Leanne from Knit me a Cake made a lovely felt phone case inspired by my tutorial :) 

x Rachel 

DIY Pom Pom Notebook

Hooray for the internet! Firstly, because it has been gone all week and now I have it back, and secondly because it brought me these glorious pom pom makers! I was umming and ahhing about getting them for ages, then I saw how cheap you can get them on eBay and finally went for it. And let me tell you... I am obsessed. They are so SO much easier than the old cardboard ring method - you can make each one in less than 5 minutes. To test them out today I decorated my shop notebook. 

This DIY is so easy it doesn't really need a step by step. I just made three pom poms with the two smallest pom pom "looms" (that's a fun sentence to say). The loom allows you to wrap the wool one side at a time which is what makes it so quick - no more squeezing the ball of wool through the middle of the ring! I then used my glue gun to fix them to the notebook and decorated with washi tape and my trusty stamps. 

Has anyone else discovered the wonder of these? I'm probably a bit late to the game... But now I'm predicting a house full of garlands and mobiles :) 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Two for the Table

The last two Handmades of Christmas are a couple of simple ideas to dress up the dinner table tomorrow. The best thing is that you only need a couple of crafty supplies and the rest can come from your garden (or a festive walk)!

This gorgeous centrepiece was made this morning by Jacqueline, Jake's lovely Mum. All you need is a bit of oasis, a long candle and some winter sprigs from the garden. Then you can arrange it however you like! As you can see, this one has a lovely mix of evergreen, white flowers and a few pops of red berries. Super easy and a lovely alternative to a shop bought centrepiece. I can't wait to see it in the middle of lots of lovely Christmas food tomorrow :) 

To go with Jacqueline's lovely centrepiece, I made some place cards with some brown card and a few sprigs of holly. I just stuck the holly to the stamped cards with some double sided sticky tape. 

That's it for my 12 Handmades! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

Lots of love, 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Wrapping Ideas

Sometimes I think simple wrapping is best - brown paper has been my favourite for ages. I love how versatile it is, you can dress it up with bows and stamps so easily, and make lovely personalised wrapping that will look great under the Christmas tree. 

Nearly all of our presents are handmade this year, so we wanted to wrap them in a crafty way too. We used my trusty alphabet stamps to label each present, and then finished them off simply with bright red jute string. I love how they all look together! 

You can use this idea and push it further by stamping custom patterns on to brown paper, or cut out book pages and wrap them under the string. 

I have the last two handmades coming up later on today - both table decoration ideas! So keep an eye out if you are looking for last minute ideas for the Christmas lunch table.... 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Personalised Candle

Is everyone ready and wrapped for Christmas? I'm almost done, but it's always nice to do a few little extras. Here's a great last minute idea that costs next to nothing to make but can make a really lovely personalised gift. 

You will need: A medium sized pillar candle, a small wood slice, a large wood slice, jute string, white paint, decorative moss. 

1// Paint an initial in white on the small wood slice. 

2// Wrap the jute string around the base of the candle twice and secure in a bow. Usually these candles burn quite neatly with not too much wax spill so the string should be fine - but you can always untie it as the candle burns down. 

3// With a little dot of non-solvent glue, attach the small wood slice to the string. You could then very carefully melt a little wax on the side of the candle and use that to keep the wood in place. 

4// Add another blob of glue or hot wax to the middle of the large wood slice to fix the candle in place. Add some decorative moss around the sides to finish it off! 

Obviously it goes without saying that this project is not for kids! Be very careful when working with hot wax and flammable materials, and never leave a candle burning unattended. 

Only a few more handmades of Christmas left before the big day. I've got some great ones saved up, including some place cards for the dinner table and some lovely wrapping ideas. 

Happy Christmas Eve Eve 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Pine Forest Mobile

The idea for this DIY came from this tutorial by the lovely Leanne from Knit me a Cake. She used paint chips to make Christmas tree gift tags, and I loved them so much I couldn't wait to try out the same technique. I made a mobile with my paint chip trees, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with my little pine forest. 

You will need: Paint chips in a variety of greens, small bells, red thread, green felt needle, scissors. 

1// Cut the tree shapes out of the paint chips. I think I variety of sizes looks best when they are grouped together like that. 

2// Using the red thread, sew the bell on to the bottom of the tree. Take the excess thread up the back of the tree and use some pretty tape to secure it in place. 

3// Cut some green felt double the length you would like your mobile to be. Fix the ends of the threads to it with dots of glue. You want to have the trees hanging at different lengths and widths apart. 

4// Fold the felt in half and glue again to secure the threads in place. 

What do you think? Don't forget to check out Leanne's gift tags too... So much fun to be had with free paint chips :) 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Glitter Jars

This next instalment of the 12 Handmades of Christmas. Today my Mum is stepping in to show us these glitter jars. These are obviously all over the place so don't need too much explaining (it is #TryItTuesday after all!)- I just think they are really pretty :) Just coat the inside of the jars in PVA and pour in the glitter. Then shake it about! Finish off with a little red bow and a tea-light inside. They make great easy gifts, especially when you have a lot to make in a short time. If you're having a Christmas or New Year party, you could make lots to decorate with and then everyone can take one home with them as a party favour! I'm sure that the key to a successful night is to come home with a glitter jar... Right? 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Pinecone Wreath

I've seen loads of lovely pinecone wreaths about this year, so I thought I'd have a go at making my own. The beauty with making wreaths in this way is that you really can just use anything that you have in your garden or around the house - the possibilities are endless! 

You will need: a wire coat hanger, pinecones, dried moss, florist twine, old book pages, red felt, red string, hot glue. 

1// Bend the coat hanger into a circle shape. You can use pliers to help, but I found it easier without. 

2// Firstly, layout all your materials around the hanger to get an idea what the finished wreath will look like. This helps you to get the balance right. Start with the pine cones and build up. 

3// To attach the pinecones, twist the florist twine a few times around both the pinecone and the coat hanger, then wind in the loose ends. They should be able to move around a little bit so you can fix them later. 

4// Once the whole hanger is covered in pinecones, add some moss in some of the gaps. It stays pretty securely on it's own, but I used a bit of hot glue to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. 

5// Make a bow out of the book pages and felt as shown, glueing the pieces together with hot glue. Then fix some red string to the back with some more glue. 

6// Use the string to tie the bow in place in the middle of your wreath. It's probably best to hang it on the inside of your door as it's not really rain friendly! 

Has anyone else made their own wreaths this year? I'd love to see them! 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Crochet Heart Tree Topper

I'm so proud of my 5th Handmade of Christmas - a crochet heart tree topper! This is my first attempt at both crocheting around wire and bobble stitching, so I feel that warm fuzzy achievement feeling every time I look at it. I used a variety of youtube videos and picture tutorials to help me do this, so I'll post those at the end. 

You will need: Red and white DK yarn, thin flexible wire, pliers, crochet hook (I used a 3mm, but half way round wished I was using a 4mm!). 

1// Using the pliers, make a heart shape out of the wire. It can be reshaped as you go so don't worry about making it perfect. Be sure to wind the loose end back around the shape of the heart, and leave some excess at the bottom - that's what you use to fix it on top of the tree. 

2// With the red yarn, go over the whole heart with chain stitch. This is just the same as a normal chain stitch, but keep wrapping the yarn over and under the wire as you work. 

3// Now that you have a base to work from, you can add a bobble edge with the white yarn. I used this great free pattern to help me do this, and put each bobble in every third stitch rather than every second. 

4// Finish off and weave in any loose ends. Then use the excess wire at the bottom to wind around the top of the tree. Feel that achievement feeling! 

Here's some tutorials and videos that might help along the way:

- How to: Chain Stitch. 

- Crocheting around a coat hanger (not exactly what we're doing but the same basic principal). 

- Bobble edge pattern by Heidi Bears. 

I'm determined to really hone my knitting and crochet skills in 2014... I'd like to be able to say that I am a pro in both rather than dabbling. I am such a dabbler. 

x Rachel 

12 Handmades of Christmas: Felt Bow Earrings

As promised, here is how to make the matching earrings to the little bow brooch I posted the other day. These are super cute and even easier than the brooch - no sewing required! 

You will need: Red felt, earring stud blanks, glue (I used UHU but hot glue also works fine), scissors. 

1// Cut out the unfolded bow shapes (as shown), this is a little fiddly as they are so small. I made mine so that the finished bow is just 2cm across. 

2// Fold the edges of the felt to the centre and glue in place, then cut a tiny square for the centre and glue this down too. 

3// Turn your bows over and use a dot of glue to fix the blank studs in place. 

I'm definitely wearing these on Christmas day - but the best part is that they don't have to be packed away in a box once that "bleugh no more Christmas" feeling sets in... They are definitely appropriate all year round, don't you think? 

x Rachel