Faux letterpress blocks

Hey! I think letterpress blocks look super cool, and I've seen so many great ways of adding them to your home decor. But because they're so popular, they can be hard to get your hands on. So, I decided to make my own! And now you can too! ^_^ 

I didn't take any photos of the process, but it is so easy that I don't think you will really need any ^_^

Step 1. Buy some craft letters. I got mine from Spotlight and they were $2 each; you should be able to find them at any craft or hobby store.

Step 2. Get some blocks that are just big enough to fit the letters on them. My blocks are balsa wood and I brought them pre-cut in a pack of six from the craft store. Balsa wood is great for this project because it absorbs paint really well, but you can use anything that you have access to.

Step 3. Glue the letters to the blocks. If you use hot-glue, like I did, be careful not to use too much because if it leaks out from under the letters you will find it difficult to paint afterwards. Also, make sure you glue your letters on backwards! I kept forgetting and putting them on the right way >_<

Step 4. Distress your blocks a bit. I sanded the edges so they didn't have such perfect corners, hit the blocks with the edges of a hammer to leave indents, and made some scores with a blunt knife.

Step 5. Paint your blocks and letters with wood stain. I used a cedar stain. The instructions on the tin will tell you how many layers to do; mine said to do two.

Step 6. Make a wash with black acrylic paint and water. You only need to use a tiny bit of paint for this; I just got a little bit of paint on my brush and then swished it into a couple of teaspoons of water, like you would do if you were cleaning it. 

Step 7. Paint the letters and blocks with the wash. The wash will make the indents and knife marks darker than other parts, which will add to the vintage look.

Step 8. Wait for your blocks to dry and then have fun arranging them in your home ^_^

I am so pleased with how they turned out, I want to make more! My blocks came in at under $4 each, and if you already have wood stain then yours will be even cheaper! 

Do you like them? If you made your own, which words would you do? ^_^

- Lisa x

Space Invader cross stitch brooch and Wesley Crusher's sweater inspired hat

Hey! Have you had a good weekend? Mine has been really good! Pip and I went shopping yesterday for craft supplies which was super fun, and today I finally got around to taking photos of some of my finished projects ^_^ Time for show and tell!

I cross-stitched this Space Invader brooch. I'm really happy with how it turned out! I used black aida cloth (which I finally found in Bunbury, of all places!) and hot pink thread. I've been really into pink lately, which is very strange because I think my last pink phase was when I was about six ~_^ I used a self-cover button to make this, and then glued a badge pin on to make it a brooch.

I've been playing around with my digital SRL (which I finally got working again) and I am in love with the super macro feature. Isn't it cool? ^_^

 

Next up, I made a beanie for the 100 Beanie Drive, taking inspiration from Wesley Crusher's awesome striped jumper (see above)! But, I think I made a bit of a mistake ... I thought the third stripe was green, but then someone told me it's actually blue >_< Urgh! Is there such thing as blue/ green colour blindness? I get those two colours mixed up constantly!

But, I think it's a pretty nice looking hat anyway, so I guess it's all ok ^_^ I made it with 100% wool, and I really hope it's soft enough!

 

I've got a couple more projects that are this close to being finished, so hopefully I'll have more photos to share with you soon!

Lisa x

Lumpy Space Princess brooch

So, I've decided to do another challenge! Yay! ^_^ I'm participating in the HP Craft-a-long over on Craftster and if you want to participate as well, you can! You can join anytime during the summer semester, which is May to August.

This is my entry for the "Riding the Knight Bus" challenge, which was to craft something purple! So I made a Lumpy Space Princess brooch ^_^

This was a really easy craft as it's just embroidery on felt. It worked up really quick, which I was pleased with also! ^_^

 

Here's a close-up of LSP herself. I love her expression and her tiny arms ^_^

 

And here's an arty shot of the whole brooch. I like the trailing quote bubbles ... but I think she would look cute without them as well. I did cut out two LSP shapes, so maybe I'll make other one ^_^

- Lisa x

Another skirt!

Hey! This post sure has been a long time coming! I took these photos ages ago, but just hadn't gotten around to uploading them (or anything else, for that matter!). My chronic fatigue has been playing up again (boo!) and I got food poisioning on Wednesday night (double boo!) and I'm still feeling pretty blah; I'm planning on having a really easy weekend and hopefully being back to 100% for work on Sunday! Anyway, here is my third foray into skirt making ^_^

This skirt is *so fluffy*! It's got pleats galore ^_^ I used this pattern from Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing again; I'm planning on making many, many skirts in this style. It is the best!

 

I got this fabric from Spoonflower; isn't it awesome?!

I adore the little details like the skulls on top of the pins ^_^

 

And I think this cute little crochet birdy is my favourite! What's yours?

 

- Lisa x

Crafterweekend!

Hey, hey! I'm back! ^_^ I recently took six days off work and headed down south for a crafterweekend with Bec and Pip. It was really great! Aside from just not being at work (which I think everyone will agree is nice), we had great fun visiting markets, op-shopping, eating epic breakfasts, chatting a lot, and crafting a bit. I don't think I took a single photo the whole time (because I'm just that clever) but I did a bit of a photo shoot today with my creations and goodies so I can show them to you ^_^

First up: Mocha angels. Yup, they're a bit weird. I made them because I decided to start making tree decorations for the end of the year, and after brainstorming a few themes Scott and I decided on the broad category of "things we like". Scott really likes Mocha. Like, a lot. I'm not really sure how to convey just how much he likes this drink. I think he would have it for every meal if he could, and I'm not convinced that he didn't do just that while I was away.

Anyway, I think they are rather sweet ^_^ I made a template for a regular milk carton then scanned it into Photoshop (all I had access to over the crafterweekend) and added the front colours. Then I printed it out, put it together, and added wings cut from glittery silver card stock and a halo from a silver pipe cleaner.

 

With these expressions I feel like they should be constantly singing arias ~_^

Next: results from my op-shopping expedition. Isn't this little tablecloth cute? It's black gingham with purple and white embroidery and I think it will look great on my coffee table ^_^ 

I also found this sweet little cot blanket. The yarn is so soft and the colours are lovely and vibrant ^_^ This one's going to be saved for the distant future when Scott and I might have kids ...

 

I found this gorgeous teapot at the markets. Isn't it lovely? I am so darn pleased because although I have a stack of vintage cups, saucers, plates, bowls, and jugs, this is my first vintage teapot!

All my vintage china is mismatched, but I try to keep it to a broad theme of flowers and/ or gold trim. This teapot fits both! Yay! ^_^ I am going to have to have a tea party very soon!

Also from the markets; a headband featuring measuring tape ribbon, an awesome pen that looks like a giant pencil, and a plate of Italian biscotti (not shown because we ate them all!).

Going back to the crafting, I finally finished my last computer key cushion! This has been in my WIP box for a really long time! But now that the embroidery is done on this one, I can stuff it and add it to my day bed ^_^

 I also made some ridicuously simple earrings. All I did for these was put charms onto earring hooks. But they are really cute so I thought I'd show you anyway ^_^

 

If I wear one cup and saucer earring and one scissor earring, I can have a tea and craft earring set ~_^

 

These shrinky-dink Harry Potter characters are a little bit of a craft fail. They were meant to be ornaments for my tree but I didn't do the maths and they came out much too small. That's ok though! I'm going to add some badge backs to them and have a collection of wizarding pins ^_^

I've only made Harry, Dumbledore, Draco, and Voldemort so far because Ron's head snapped off (0_0) and I didn't have a brown permanent marker to colour in Hermione's/Neville's/Hagrid's hair. I'll do some more later and share with you the results ^_^

I also made a whole heap of wool and crochet hook baubles. They are really hard to photograph! This was the best image I had after taking about 20 photos >_< Still, you can see the basic guist of them, and I'm sure they'll look good on the tree.

And, lastly, this is what I've been doing yesterday and today! ^_^ I read Bitterblue yesterday and totally loved it - I love it when sequels just make your favourite worlds more awesome and the characters even more fleshed-out. I finished Cursed today and thought it held up really well; I can't wait for the next book! And this afternoon (after I force myself to do some housework ~_^) I'm going to get stuck in to The Invaders. I'm sure it will be great - John Flanagan is a great author. ^_^

What are you up to this weekend?

- Lisa x

Pirate themed teapot and mug set and a Hermione Granger brooch

Hello! Gosh, it feels like I've been gone a long time! There has been a virus going around here and between that and work, I haven't had much time for craft or blogging ; _ ; But, it's the weekend now and I have a crafternoon today so I am pretty excited about doing some crochet and sewing!

Anyway, here is some of the craft (and thifting!) that I haven't shared with you yet! ^_^

I used my porcelain pens to give this plain teapot and mug set a bit more interest ^_^ It's now pirate and tea themed! The teapot features a teacup skull and cross-spoon-bones ~_^

This mug shows a tropical island where a chest of precious tea might be found! 

The other mug has a little mermaid ... who appears to be swimming through a group of teabags. Honestly, my brain is very strange sometimes!

And this is the back of the set! ^_^ This was a super easy craft as all I did was paint and then bake. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out though ^_^

This second craft is even easier! I used some of the fabric I had designed on Spoonflower to make a little Hermione brooch ^_^ I simply cut out Hermione and a felt backing to match, sewed around them right-sides together, turned right way out and stuffed, then sewed up the rest and added a badge backing. She's pretty cute, huh? ^_^ I'm going to wear her to work on Monday!

The book and pillowcase are results of my last thifting trip. Isn't that mustard paisley fabric awesome? I don't know what I'm going to make out of it, but I'm looking forward to finding the perfect project ^_^ The green blanket is not finished yet, but it's getting there! I am really excited about this project and I'll be sharing the pattern with when it's done ^_^

Next up, the rest of the Month of Craft Photos challenge!

- Lisa x

An upcycled spice rack, Jawa plushie, and Death Star biscuits

Hey! I have had *such* a busy week! 

The fundraiser that I was organising for work finally happened yesterday; it was International Star Wars Day and so, of course, the fundraiser was Star Wars themed. We had two teams, Jedi and Sith, competing in activities to raise points and donations. I haven't counted all the donations properly yet, but from our inital calculations, I think we raised about $500! Yes! We're going to donate it all to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, which is a super great cause so I'm glad we're able to help out by dressing up, having afternoon teas, and challenging people to impromtu battles ~_^ The Jedi team won and the Sith team spent the entire day stealing things from people and then losing quite spectacularly. Seems apt!

Anyway, here's some other stuff I've been doing ...

I finished re-doing this spice rack that I ... found. On the curb. Yep, I'm all class, all the time. ~_^

It was in pretty dodgy condition, but after some sanding, painting, distressing, fixing (the bottom shelf was separated from the main body), and hanging-ability-adding (gosh, I have a great command of the English language!) I think it turned out quite well. I used blackboard paint and just used chalk to write on the text. I may upgrade to paint one day ... but this way I can easily change it should I wish to in the future. It's hard to see in the photos, but the rack has had some light sanding done after painting, which gives it a subtle vintage look.

You can see here that the middle holdy bit (oh, again with the words and the speaking ...) is broken, which is probably why it was chucked out in the first place. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I was thinking attaching some kind of container to hold cinnamon sticks or something, with the same kind of technique as this ... but I'm really not sure yet. If you've got any suggestions I'd love to hear them! Also, I think I'm going to have to spruce up the little jars that hold the spices and herbs now ... maybe little blackboard labels for them also? What do you think? ^_^

I took some better (read: not using my phone) photos of the Jawa plushie I made for Scott; aren't the glowing eyes cool? ^_^

I used this tutorial and I highly recommend it! This was my first time sewing with conductive thread and it was a lot of fun ^_^ I want to do some more electrical sewing soon!

I couldn't find any brown jersey for the Jawa's cloak, so I used brown felt instead. I think it turned out well though! Also, this project is from my Pinterest board which means I have earned this badge that I just now made ...

Yes! Giving awards to oneself is totally a normal and awesome thing to do ~_^

Now, this is not something I did, but something I recieved. Bec found these *amazing* jars at an op-shop and she brought them for me! Squee! ^_^

I love them so much! I have a jar in my craft room which is just like these, but the bottom is brown and the flowers are yellow. I wonder if there are more colourways in these awesome vintage jar sets? That would be so cool ^_^ This set is also destined for my craft room, but I'm not sure what I will store in them yet ...

And lastly, I made Death Star biscuits for International Star Wars Day ^_^ I used the vanilla, cinnamon, and golden syrup biscuit recipe that I posted a couple of posts ago and some black writing icing. They turned out pretty well, I think. Next time, I think I will use a chocolate biscuit recipe though, to fit in more with the Death Star's colours. Or, can one purchase grey food colouring? That would be great for these!

And that's it for me today! I'll see you again soon ^_^

- Lisa x