Memories

I've had a really busy few weeks being mum and making things to sell so I've not had much time to post any makes. I have also been working on a few projects that aren't quite finished yet, so I will be showing you those once they are complete.


Last week I started to clear out my mum's loft and came across lots of treasures from mine and my brothers childhood.
Whilst I was up there I found a box of badges that my brother had collected.
I thought it was a shame that they had been up there for 20+ years, unseen, so I got thinking about what I could do with them.
With my nephews birthday coming up I decided to create a canvas for him using the badges in his initial, J.


Here's the result....

Bean and I have been working on something special for the past 8 week, doing a little bit when ever we have a spare half an hour or so. 

I'm really hoping that we'll be able to complete it over the Easter holidays. Once we've finished it I'll post it on here, so until then.....

Happy Making xx

A lovely scarf necklace

Do you have any broken beads you don't know what to do with? Or a dress than needs a statement necklace? 
Then take a look at this post I did for More Than a Mum and see how easy it is to make something lovely for yourself!

Happy Making xx

Guest post; challenges of a mum

As well as being busy with craft I'm also very busy being a mum!

Here is something I wrote for More Than A Mum after being challenged one day at Bean's swimming lessons.

Maybe it will challenge you too?

xx

Decoupage: jar vase

A friend of mine recently showed me a jam jar she had decoupaged to use as a vase. I'd seen decoupage before but I had never tried it. I asked her if she would guest blog about it so that I could later have a go myself, so here it is...

About Mary:

I am a stay at home Mom living in Cheadle, Cheshire.  I mainly spend my days playing and looking after my little man but like to squeeze in a craft here and there.  I enjoy a variety of different crafts: Crochet, scrapbooking, sewing, decoupage, and many other things.  I am originally from the States, Michigan to be more specific. In my last few years there, I did a lot of sewing, making myself costumes for Renaissance Faires and such.  I'm definitely an amateur at most things but I do enjoy it! 


What you need:

Jars

Tissue paper
Small paint brush 
Mod podge, Decoupatch or some other glue with varnish in it. 


Step 1: Tear your tissue paper into pieces.  They can be uniform or completely random.

Step 2: 

Paint a bit of the glue on the jar where you want to place your first piece of tissue.  Using the brush, pick up the tissue by tapping it with the end of the brush then placing it onto the area you just glued. Paint on more glue over the top so it is sealed covered by a layer of glue and sealed onto the glass. Continue this process, overlapping the pieces of tissue until the entire jar is covered.  
Note: I did not do the bottom of the jar, but you can if you want. 
Allow to dry - it will dry pretty quickly so you can touch it but it will remain tacky for a while.  I recommend doing this project on parchment paper in case the jar sticks to it, it's easy to remove.

Step 3: 

Finish as you'd like.  I tied a ribbon around the top.  You could decorate further if you wanted.  I know with Mod Podge, you can do paper as thick as a photograph as long as you use the glue underneath and seal it up well, so the possibilities are endless! 


Thanks Mary!


Isn't this great? The possibilities for Decoupage ARE endless. You could cover photo frames or tea light holders, and in most craft shops you can buy shapes, letters or boxes specifically for this craft. I've even seen a wooden chair covered in a patchwork of different tissue paper! 


I had a go at covering a glass bottle to use as a vase, like Mary. As much as I wanted to do it by myself Bean insisted on helping me, which proves that even a 4 year old can do it! 

I used two different patterned tissue paper for mine as I thought the russian doll paper would have been too much on its own. 


I'm going to give this to my mum for Mothers day as her kitchen has recently been decorated red! 

Please Let me know if you give this a go, I love seeing your photos too. You can now find me on twitter @Makencreate so send any photos to me on there and maybe you'll make it into my gallery on my next post!

Until then,

Happy Making xx