Recovered recipe box

Hello! Scott is currently taking some off work and he's been cleaning up a storm. I don't think our house has ever looked this neat, plus we've donated a heap of stuff to the op shop so our karma levels are at a peak ~___^ I've been feeling a bit bad for not contributing since I mostly sit at my computer all day. I mean, I'm doing homework, but it doesn't really feel very productive when you're reading articles all day and then all you have to show for it is a couple of pages of notes! So over the weekend I thought I'd go through our recipe collection and make it so it didn't consist of post-it notes and ripped out magazine pages shoved in an old plastic sleeve.

I've had this paper mache box in the craft room for quite a while, and it's a good size for fitting postcards inside it so I decided to transfer the recipes onto my postcard collection and use the box to store them. However, it was pretty boring looking, so I first needed to make it look pretty! ^___^

I used mod podge to stick scrapbooking paper on to every side of the box and lid but the edges didn't look very neat, even after I had trimmed them down.

So I used washi tape to edge all of the ... edges ... (mmmm, word difficulties!) and trimmed the excess with a scalpel so the ends were nice and flush.

I didn't want to make this box too "this is a box for recipes!!!" in case I decide to use it for something else one day but I did use some tea pot and saucer patterned paper for two sides of the box, and added a "slice of the good life" sticker to the lid which I thought was a subtle reference to what is currently inside.

The "so very lovely" piece of paper on the lid is from another sheet of scrapbooking paper; the kind where the whole page is covered in these little quote like designs and you can just cut out the one you want to use. My kitchen has kind of a retro vibe, mostly because I insist on buying homewares from opshops, so I think the font will help the box fit in with the rest of the decor.

 

As you can see, I've still got a while to go before I get anywhere near filling up this box with recipes! And I must give a shout out to Rebecca for inspiring me to do this project by actually sending me postcards with recipes written on them; I've gotta admit, it's pretty fun to find a risotto recipe in your letterbox ^___^

My final assignment for my degree is due this Friday (gah!!) so after that I'll be trying to finish off this big (well, bigger) project that I've been doing for my brother's wedding. I hope I finish it on time! ^___^

- Lisa xx

Cotton string wrapped candelabra

Hello! How are you? I've had a lovely start to my uni break; I've cleaned and gardened my little heart out! One of the things I found while cleaning was this candelabra which was, you know, nice, but not really in keeping with the rustic aesthetic my style.

So, I grabbed some washi tape and some cotton thread and got to work! And now it looks like this:

Ta da!

 

And this is how it looks like when it's lit up! ^___^ Although it's not really traditionally Christmas-y, I think it goes well with my pom-pom tree so I'm going to consider it a Christmas decoration. Plus, anything with candles is automatically extra Christmas-like, right? ~___^

This was a very easy project to do, albeit time-consuming. To wrap the candelabra I cut lengths of cotton thread off the main ball and made them into smaller balls; this really helps make manovering the thread around much easier. I tied on the thread with a knot and then wrapped the thread around both the candelabra and the tail of the knot. Then I just kept wrapping!

For the actual candle-holders, I just tore off strips of washi tape and wrapped them around the glass. I used two strips because, hey, the more washi tape the better! ~___^

And that's that! ^___^ 

The next post I had to share with you was going to be a sewing project, but my machine has thrown in the towel. Oh no! So I'll need to think of something else to finish, but now that I can't do a sewing project, that's all I can think to do! Typical! ~___^

- Lisa xx

Mini bud vases

Hello! Today I've got some teeny tiny bud vases to show you! ^___^

Eeep! Aren't they precious? I think small things are always extra cute! ^___^

They were also very easy to make! I used washi tape (not much of a suprise there!) and some of the little bottles that my glucometer test strips came in. I was really pleased to think of something to do with these sweet little containers because I have dozens of them! 

All I did to make them was cut off the lid using a pair of scissors, peel the wrapper off ...

 

... and then decorate with washi tape!

 

So simple! A coating of mod-podge doesn't go astray, since they will be coming into contact with water, but you can also skip that step. Without the mod-podge, the washi tape is easily removable, so you can have bud vases that you can update to suit any occasion! ^___^

 

I know that most people reading this won't have heaps of empty test strip containers lying about, but this would also work for reusing almost any kind of small container. I'm just pleased I've been able to use up some of the waste that my diabetes creates! Now ... to work out something to do with all the empty insulin cartridges ... ~___^

- Lisa xx

Washi taped wooden skeletons

Hello! The stores have started having Halloween decorations in stock, which I think is totally exciting, but some of them are a bit creepy. And not the good kind of creepy! ~__^

I found this wooden skeleton which one is apparently meant to give to children to paint. Would you give that to a child? I mean, look at it ...

 

*shudder*

However, I like things made of wood, and I like skeletons, so I brought three. ^__^ If you have a skeleton, or any kind of wooden shape really, you can use this tutorial to make it a more stylish kind of creepy ~__^

 

 Firstly, give it a coating of white paint. This is just to cover up the outlines, so don't worry if it's not too neat. I used spray-paint, but you could use acrylic if you have that.

Then, grab an assortment of washi tape. The only limits to your colour combinations is how much washi tape you own! ~__^ Your aim here is to create a kind of collage look; rip off small pieces of washi tape and place them haphazardly. Overlap them, lay them in different directions, just make sure you cover all the wood. I also removed the original wire joining the skeleton together to make it easier to apply the washi tape.

Once all your pieces are washi-ed, use a scapel to carefully cut off the excess. This part is very similar to the Monogram Washi Tape Brooches I made a while ago ^__^ Then give everything a coat of mod-podge, replace the wire, and add some baker's twine so that you can hang it up! ^__^

Huzzah! I made three different colour combinations; a modern green and purple, an original Halloween look of orange and black, and a classic red and black ^__^

 

I think I used about 7 different washi tapes for the purple and green one, 14 different washi tapes for the orange and black, and 8 for the red and black. Golly gosh! I don't have an addiction, I swear! ~__^

Obviously you don't need to have as much washi tapes as I do, even using three or four tapes would probably be just fine! 

Nonetheless, they're a great addition to my Halloween decorating! ^__^ (Does anyone get the impression I like skulls? ~__^)

- Lisa xx

Ninja Time hoop, a flamingo WIP, and a birthday gift for Pip

Hey! Oh my gosh - how is it possible for a week to go by this fast?! I have my three final assignments due for uni next week! Eek!

But, let's procrastinate for a while and I'll show you what's been happening craftwise ... ~_^

Ninja Time embroidery hoop! Yay! This is another project for the Summer Nerd Games, inspired by Adventure Time. Bec made an awesome Pirate Time hoop, which you can also see on the thread ^_^

She's made almost entirely out of felt, but I did use metallic thread to make her shuriken since they are so tiny!

 

You may remember that a while ago I made a skirt out of the background fabric - I love it when I find a use for offcuts! And even though it's quite busy, I think it's perfect for some ninja-style hijinks! ~_^

 

I also changed the original Adventure Time sword into a katana ^_^

I wanted this project to be quick and easy, so while it's not my best work (I find making felt look polished and neat very tricky!) I am happy with how it turned out ^_^ And now I have another hoop for my wall!

I've also been working on this flamingo cross-stitch. It's slow going - I am *not* a skilled cross-stitcher, but I hope that I'll get it finished sometime this month.

I can't wait to show you the entire thing though; I think it's going to turn out rather sweet! ^_^

Now, this project is actually from the start of May (!) but I couldn't share it with you until it arrived safely at Pip's house for her birthday! And then I got lazy and just didn't do anything for an entire month ... ~_^

Bec and I conspired to make Pip a '50s style dress, using a fabric that she had mentioned liking; the fabric is of fancy French ladies and it's really lovely ^_^ I've got to confess - I was so pleased with how sneaky we were. Pip had no idea! Yay! Birthday surprises are the best! ^_^

Since Bec is the best at making dresses, I didn't do much apart from cut things out and follow her instructions ~_^ So I also made a little poodle brooch to go with the dress ^_^ I just used shrinky-dinks and a brooch baking, and it turned out really cute! I used some Eiffel tower washi tape to attach it to, and decorate, a little piece of card-stock.

Here's the whole gift, ready to be sent off! I also made the swing tag for the dress - which is possibly the biggest swing tag ever ~_^ The hair bow is also made with French-inspired fabric; I picked this up at a little market, but unfortunately forgot to note down the name of the lady who made it. Oops! >_<

And here's Pip in her dress! Yay! Doesn't she look wonderful?

  And that's it for me today! Back to the books ... I can't wait until study week; I'm going to craft my little heart out! ^_^

- Lisa xx

Plushie robot, pom-pom beanie, and a washi taped word

 Wow, can you believe that it is already the end of March? I can't believe I've been at uni for a month! The time has really flown by. I've really been missing posting more than once a week too, but I figure it's better if I spend that time writing essays and doing my readings for the moment - and my workload is sure to increase in the coming months! That doesn't mean I haven't been doing any craft though! Here's some of the things I've been doing ...

I found this wooden word at the craft store and simply had to have it! I covered it with washi tape using the same technique as my monogram brooches and I think I am going to put it up in my craft room aka the land where stash monsters roam.

I made this cute little robot using this tutorial and I am really pleased with how she turned out ^_^

 

I used plain strips of felt for her arms and legs, rather than the ruffles in the original tutorial, for one simple reason: I was running out of grey felt! But I do like how it looks anyway ^_^

The bow on her head was crocheted using this tutorial, her eyes are buttons, and her eyelashes are just embroidery thread. I am thinking about making her eyelashes a little thicker though - they're a bit hard to see.

I also crocheted this hat using Vera Moda Shiver yarn, after being inspired by this one. Except I didn't use that pattern and our hats look completely different. Oh well! ^_^

The yarn I used is really chunky and super soft so this was really quick to make, even though I was crocheting slower than usual due to wanting to relax my normally very tight tension and also because the yarn can be a bit splitty so going slow prevents those annoying instances where you do a stitch with only half the yarn >_<

 

It's still pretty hot here, even though we're now a month into what is meant to be autumn, but we did have one rainy day which got me really excited for cooler weather, layering clothes, and blankets galore. Normally during winter my wardrobe is black, black, and black, with a bit of black thrown in as an accent colour but I've been making a real effort lately to add a bit more variety into my wardrobe; I think this pink hat will definitely help with that! ^_^

Can you believe that I previously didn't own any hats with pom-poms? It was obviously a problem that needed to be recified promptly! And if you're going to pom-pom, why not go massive? ~_^

 

Now I just need to have weather cool enough to wear it for longer than five minutes at a time! ~_^

 

I can't remember if I've shown you my pom-pom case before, so here's a little photo of it. Isn't that cross-eyed owl a cutie? ~_^ I got my pom-pom loom from Spotlight for a couple of bucks, and it was totally worth it; I want to make heaps more now, for one of those adorable pom-pom garlands I keep seeing around.

 

You can see here that when it's not being worn, my hat greatly resembles a teapot cosy. Actually, Scott says it looks like a teapot cosy while I'm wearing it too so I guess it's a good thing that I like teapots! And I totally need to make a skirt with teapot fabric now, to wear with the hat ~_^

Giant pom-pom closeup! This Shiver yarn is great for pom-poms because it's just so FLUFFY ^_^

I've also finished a scarf, but I'm still blocking that so I'll have photos for next week ^_^

So. What have you been doing? Let me know - I miss you! 

Lisa x