Mid Week Treat: Leather Punch Pliers

When I came across this pair of punch pliers in Home Bargains, my heart skipped a beat. I had been looking for a pair for a while, and didn't want to pay too much for my first pair as I was unsure how much I would use them. For £2.99, these were well worth trying.

Yes, I do realise that buying myself a pair of punch pliers is hardly a traditional "treat", but I've been thinking of some DIY projects that involve leather recently, and now I can't wait to try these out. They would even come in handy just for altering the holes on a watch strap or belt.

They come with a selection of eyelets and poppers, so you're ready to go straight away. Being just £2.99 from Home Bargains, I don't know exactly how long they'll last, but for a first pair, they were exactly what I was looking for.

Any ideas on how I could use this beauty? Keep your eyes peeled for me using it in the future!

60s Style Dress Inspiration

I came across this amazing fabric in a second hand shop yesterday, and I'm still absolutely smitten with it. Why would anyone want to throw it away? Well, more fool them because now it's all mine.

The bright colours (brighter in real life) and fun print made me think of the 60s, and I've got my heart set on sewing myself a 60s style dress. Or maybe even a high-waisted mini skirt. Here are some pictures that I might be using for inspiration.

Source

I think this shape would be quite an easy shape to sew, and I love the pockets on the front.

Source

This neck shape is pretty much perfect in my eyes, and that checked fabric is lovely.

Source

I love the high-waisted, A-line shape of these skirts, and think the bright pattern wouldn't be overkill when just on a skirt.

Any thoughts on what I could do with this fabric?

Mid Week Treat: Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Varnish for £1

I have to admit that Poundland isn't a place I normally frequent. I don't know why, I guess there are just more fun places to shop. But whenever I do just nip in there, I always end up buying something - especially when it is a good brand name. So when I found this rather lovely Revlon nail varnish in Chroma Chameleon, I was quite besotted.

Come winter, I like to wear darker, more metallic colours on my nails. This one has a lovely greeny gold tint to it, and whilst it doesn't look quite as iridescent on my nails as in the bottle, it does have a lovely high shone formula.

And now, after writing this post I have Karma Chameleon by Boy George stuck in my head. You too? Sorry!

What have you treated yourself to this Wednesday?

How to: Make Food Packaging Jewellery

Ok, I know how weird this sounds, but I like to make jewellery from recycled food packaging. It's very easy to do, and the best part is watching your food packaging shrink in the oven (strangely mesmerising). It's also a great way of recycling left over plastic food packaging, especially if, like me, you definitely feel like you've overdone the sweets and chocolate in the past few weeks.

You Will Need:

• An oven
• Plastic food packet (make sure it doesn't have any foil lining)
• Jewellery findings of your choice

First up, pre-heat your oven to about 160 degrees Celsius.

Select your food packaging. Use anything you like - I'm using some Cadbury Button packets, but crisps would work good too (Space Invaders, anyone?). Just make sure that your packaging is reasonably clean, and is 100% plastic - any foil parts don't work good (and release nasty fumes).

If you want to make a necklace, use a hole punch to make a hole at the top.

Place your packet on some foil, before placing in your preheated oven. Watch it as it melts and shrinks down to a smaller size.

Carefully remove your packet from the oven, and leave to cool. Now, you can use it as you want to. I've glued a brooch back onto this one, but the possibilities are endless.

Now, you're finished (easy, huh?). I can guarantee that once you've tried this, you'll be desperate to melt more food packets in your oven.

Let me know if you try this!

How to: Make Faux Fur Mittens

When I found a remnant of faux fur for less than £1, I knew I'd definitely be using it somehow. These are what my mum is referring to as my "Mr Tumnus gloves", although I'd like to point out that Mr Tumnus had furry legs, not hands. Even so, there is something rather Narnian about these mittens, no?

To make them, you will need some fur fabric, a backing fabric, a sewing machine, some paper and a pen.

First up, you'll need to make a template for your mittens. To do this draw around your hand on a piece of paper. Keep your fingers reasonably close together, but stick your thumb out.

Now, make a template by drawing around this handprint, roughly 2cm away from the lines. Cut this out to make your template.

Now you can cut out your fabric pieces. Draw around your template four times, remembering to flip it so that you have left and right hands. You need two furry pieces (left AND right), and two backing pieces (left AND right). You could use any fabric for the backing - I'm using a tweedy fabric to give my mittens a country heritage look, but fleece or cord would also work well.

Now you're ready to sew! Pin a furry piece and a backing piece right sides together, and sew as shown on the diagram below. You could make a pair with an elasticated wrist, instead of the flap I used - just make your wrist a bit wider on your template. Remember, when sewing with faux fur make sure you push all fur strands to the inside (or right side), or you will end up with bald seams.

Now all that's left to do is enjoy wearing your fluffy, furry mittens. If you were making these for children, it would be a great idea to applique a paw print to the underneath (hell, if I make another pair for myself, I'm doing that!).

With the rest of my fur remnant, I made this adorable faux fur collar.

The free pattern can be found at Tilly and the Buttons (if you haven't checked out Tilly's blog before, do it - I highly recommend it).

Have you got any more ideas for faux fur remnants? I'd love to hear them!

Why Not Try to DIY

Now that Christmas and New Year are out of the way, I feel more free to think about possible upcoming craft projects. Here are a few lovely pictures that have got me thinking about crafting...

Source

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Is that a plastic horse with it's legs melted together to form a ring? Probably not, actually. Even so, it has planted an idea in my mind that I am sure will not leave me alone until I have experimented with numerous plastic animals. After the legs have been shaped, you could then paint the horse a colour of your choice.

Source

Whilst I'm a bit hopeless with most things electrical, this is too good an idea to not try. I'm guessing you'd need to drill a large hole in the bottom of a tea cup and saucer, so that it is the right size for your light fitting. The bulb would then screw on to keep the tea cup in place. You'd need to be careful whist drilling, to ensure that the porcelain doesn't crack.

Source

How amazing is this jumper? Perfect for this time of year too. All you would have to do is update an existing jumper by sewing some leather buckles onto one shoulder, and by adding some pockets too. Easy AND chic.

Have you got any crafting planned for the New Year? Let me know if you've tried any projects similar to these.

How to: Make an Evil Eye Necklace

An evil eye talisman is used in certain cultures to ward away misfortune, so what more perfect time to make some evil eye jewellery than at the beginning of a new year? I've made an evil eye pendant here, but you could use a similar technique to make bracelets, or even a ring. I'm actually in danger of being overrun with evil eye jewellery, but at least I'll be protected from misfortune, I guess.

You can find a variety of doll's eyes on eBay - you can even choose which colour iris you want. Simply type in doll's eyes, and take your pick from the bazillions of creepy eyes that appear. Mine are about 1cm in diameter, but you could go bigger if you wanted to.

You Will Need:

• One doll's eye
• A backing of some sort
• Necklace
• 4 jump rings
• Pliers
• Glue
• Small Drill bit

First up, if your backing doesn't already have at least one hole in it, drill a hole in the side. I'm using two holes, one either side, but one at the top would also work equally well. Be creative with what you use for your backing piece - cabochon fittings from a craft department would work, as would a bottle top painted a colour of your choice. I'm using the back of a watch, which I took apart for another project a while ago.

Then glue your doll's eye to the centre of your backing. Use either a craft glue or a glue gun, either should work fine.

Using pliers, or wire cutters if necessary, separate your necklace into two equal halves. If your chain doesn't have a fastener on the other end, attach one at this point.

Then, using your jump rings, attach your evil eye pendant to the two free ends of your necklace.

Now you're finished, and protected from misfortune. All you have to do now is decide what to do with your spare doll's eyes. They'd make great earrings if you had two - simply glued them onto earring posts (the easiest thing ever, no?).

Let me know if you try this! Do you have any ideas for any other evil eye makes?