What I'm Loving: March 2014

Wow - where has March gone? It's funny to think that this time last year, the majority of Britain was knee deep in snow, whereas now, I'm actually debating whether it's time to ditch my tights. Hmmm... maybe not yet. Here's my March favourites.

Blue Nail Varnish 
I've always had a thing for blue nail varnish, and at the moment I'm digging pastel shades. My nail colour choice du jour is Topshop's Air Kisses, which is a really pretty baby blue. Some pastel shades can be a bit too pale to make much of an impact, but this one is a gorgeous colour which is a little like Pantone's Placid Blue. It also matches the colour of my favourite satchel - yaay!

I hadn't tried out any Topshop nail varnishes before this one, which is the result of me using up a gift card left over from Christmas. I'll definitely try out more in the future; the formulation applies smoothly, and I only needed two coats. I also really like the variety of shades and textures they have - the colours are very unique shades that I haven't seen elsewhere (I'm particularly in love with Art School).

What I'm Reading
When I read The Psychopath Test a couple of months ago, I became slightly obsessed by it and began to think that many people were psychopaths (the effect has, thankfully, weakened over time). So, when I heard that Jon Ronson was giving a talk as part of Oswestry LitFest, I decided to tag along to find out the background stories behind the books.

Jon talked about how he started out as a journalist, and began by following the movements of modern day extremist movements. He also spoke of interesting stories that didn't make it into the finished books, read an extract from his upcoming book about internet trolls, and told of how throughout his writing career, he has discovered an interest in portraying human nature, and trying to explain why people act in the way they do.

As part of the event, I got to choose a book to take home with me, and I chose Them - Adventures With Extremists (it was a tough decision). I'm really enjoying reading this, it is a great mix of chilling conspiracy theories and witty observations of the more extreme groups in modern society.

What I'm Listening To
No surprises here - I'm currently listening to Elbow's latest album, The Take Off And Landing Of Everything. If you're looking for an uplifting album with heaploads of sentiment, and a laid back feel, then you're in the right place. In contrast to the last couple of Elbow albums, there are less big orchestral moments in The Take Off..., and more acoustic based songs. The album is tinged with a sadness, influenced by the breakdown of a long-term relationship, yet still manages to look back on the past in an optimistic light. I'm especially liking tracks Honey Sun and Colour Fields.

What are you liking at the moment?

Vintage Fabric Haul - Florals for Spring

Let me talk you through what goes through my head pretty much every time I enter a shop to specifically buy some fabric.

Outside of shop: "I know exactly what it is I'm looking for, some aztec patterned, tapestry-like fabric so I can make a skirt like this."

Inside of Shop: "There's the fabric I need - wait... is that the floral section?"

In the floral print section: "I need to buy ALL of the floral fabric that I can carry."

And that is how I came to be the proud owner of not one, but two gorgeous pieces of vintage floral fabric.

Floral prints make up a huge percentage of my wardrobe and I have more floral blouses than I'd care to count. It's hardly revolutionary, but what can I say? I just love a good floral print. I can't wait to sew up something from these fabrics to wear in summer, which is a great incentive for me to get sewing again.

This floral square motif fabric is a lovely soft brushed linen, and I think was originally part of a pair of curtains. I picked up one and a half meters of this vintage fabric for £3.50 - rather bargainous, don't you think? I think I'll use it to make a high-waisted, 50's style skirt, to wear with a plain shirt or t-shirt, and some cute kitten heels.

This thick cotton has a repeating rose trellis pattern across it, and I am more than a little bit in love with it. I got 2 meters for £5, so I've got a lot of this fabric to work with. It's crying out to be made into a tea-dress of some kind, which will, of course, feature a peter pan collar of some kind.

I'll be keeping you up to date with what I'm using these fabrics for. And I'll post when I get around to making that aztec print skirt of my dreams, if I ever get away from floral fabric, that is. Any ideas on what you'd use this fabric for - I'd love to hear them!

Mid-Week Treat: Mini Tape Measure

Hope you're all having a good Wednesday (or "hump day"). This week's middle of the week treat comes in the form of a polka dot, mini tape measure. I had you at polka dots, right?

I've been in serious need of a real tape measure for a while, after using a cheapo one from a Christmas cracker for far too long. This one is the perfect size to keep in my handbag during crafting supplies shopping, and doesn't get tangled because it retracts at the touch of a button. I'm a complete sucker when it comes to anything that retracts with the touch of a button - have you seen those umbrellas that shoot up when you press a button? Incredible, non? As if that wasn't enough, it's pink and spotty too.

This little beauty was from Home Bargains and cost me the grand total of 79p (yep, really). They have a pretty good crafting range in at the moment - check out the adorable scissors that come with their own pouch. I can't wait to try this out on my next sewing project (stay tuned).

Where do you like to buy your crafting tools from?

How to: Pompom Trim Necklace

Come the brighter skies and warmer weather, my inner bohemian is released. I long to wear kimonos, long flowing skirts and anything with some folky embroidery on. When I found this gorgeous teal pompom trimming, my inner bohemian rejoiced, and I bought it, although I had no idea how I would use it at the time. After seeing lots of ethnic statement necklaces about, and especially after a little inspirational trip to Monsoon, I knew exactly what I was going to use this trim for - a pompom trimmed necklace.

You Will Need:

• An already made up necklace
• Trimming of your choice (fringing would look fab too)
• A needle and thread. 

This is the necklace I started with - it was a lovely necklace to begin with, and I think had something of the byzantine about it already. It is an old one from Dorothy Perkins (about 2 years ago), but keep your eyes peeled for any necklace that appeals to you. To make things easier, choose a necklace that has large holes for you to stitch through, otherwise it can become quite fiddly. The main issue with this necklace was that it wouldn't lie flat when being worn, and often got twisted. Adding my pompom trim has weighed it down enough to solve this problem, and of course it now looks fabulous too. Two birds, one stone, eh?

All you need to do is stitch your trimming in place along the bottom of your necklace - keeping the trimming base behind your necklace. Make sure your trimming is evenly spaced among the segments of your necklace, and make sure your necklace still has some movement in it - this way it will still curve around your neck. 

Continue stitching until all of your necklace has a trim (or you could just choose to embellish part of your necklace - it's up to you). When you are sure that your trimming is nice and secure, you can cut off your thread, and enjoy wearing your ethnic inspired necklace. 

I wore mine over a plain t-shirt to give it extra pizzazz, but I am also going to wear this with my boho embroidered jacket, or a tribal print dress. For me, ethnic influenced clothes and accessories are things that you can wear a lot of at once, and mix up your colours and prints to maximise the look. 

So whether you're channeling Cleopatra, a Byzantine priestess or maybe just Olivia Palermo, this DIY is a great way to add a boho kick to your summer wardrobe. 

I'd love to see photos if anybody tries anything similar :) 

Crafting For Comfort

After feeling positively 'meh' the last couple of days, I resigned myself to bed with a hot water bottle and some catch-up TV. Everybody has their own routine when they're not feeling 100%, and this is mine. I am also, however, the kind of person who finds it hard to just watch TV. Whether it's a sudoku, a word puzzle or just doodling, I like to have something to do with my hands whilst watching TV. And that is how I found myself knitting quite possibly the chunkiest, snuggliest hat ever on the first day of Spring.

Knitting and crochet is one of my favourite things to do whilst watching TV, as long as I'm not working on too complicated a pattern. I have to admit that I usually abandon my wool this time of the year, and start working on something for the warmer weather, however when it comes to comfort, nothing beats a soft, chunky yarn in happy variegated colours.

I used two yarns for this project - a standard cream Aran with natural coloured flecks, and a chunky wool in variegated pastels (I don't know the name or brand, sorry). I combined them both to work with a super chunky combo, which is mega soft and cosy. Because I wanted a project to watch TV with, I didn't use a pattern for this, simply casting on 50 odd stitches and then going with the flow. I didn't use any fiddly intarsia or any fancy stitching either, just a bit of ribbing before plain stocking stitch, which meant I could keep up with what was happening on Jonathan Creek.

The great thing about this project was that it seemed to work up very quickly - the size of the yarn and the variegated colours probably helped with this. It also meant that when I was feeling better, I had a brand new oversized beanie to my name. Yaay!

Having a project to concentrate on definitely helped me recover quicker, and distracted me from feeling ill. Which got me thinking - is there a link between crafting and well being?

There is a charity group local to me, which helps people with a varying range of health problems through art. The Project Group encourages people with mental health issues to be creative, and gives them the tools and inspiration they need to get started. As well as being creative, members gather a variety of different skills that can help them gain confidence within themselves, and completing a project gives members a sense of achievement.

It only takes a quick Google search to see that there are many people writing their own blogs to document their mental health issues, and many of these have a link to art or craft. Craft For Health has an especially inspiring section, where readers talk about their own mental health issues, and how their art work is therapeutic for them.

Crafting groups are a great way of getting to know like minded people, and is therefore a good way of building up a network of people around you. Sometimes, it is quite easy to feel isolated if you suffer from an illness of some kind, and having positive, helpful faces around you can help you get through tougher periods and not feel so alone.

Mental Health still feels like a taboo topic, and yet it is something that is likely to affect most of us, in different ways, at some point in our lives. It is so inspiring to see people finding ways of fighting their mental health issues, and talking so openly about their experiences.

Do you have any remedies for sick days (mental or physical)?

DIY Zip Cuff - Mark Two

Remember my original zip cuff? This is one of those ideas that I cannot stop experimenting with; whether I'm using brightly coloured zips, contrast metal zips, or trying out different fastenings. This is my most recent effort, and is one I'm particularly pleased with.

This time around, I used a normal zip, but instead fastened it using poppers that were put in using my hole punch/pliers from Home Bargains. This type of fastening feels particularly secure, and has yet to become unfastened when I am wearing this zip cuff.

Just remember to put your poppers facing the right way, so that they will meet.

I like to wear mine with the zip half done up, to show how the zip will fasten and unfasten. They look great as part of an 'arm party' too. Do you think I could get away with wearing several all at once? :)

Have you made any zip cuffs? Any techniques you'd suggest?

Mid-Week Treat - MUA BB Cream

I've been thinking lately that I need to upgrade my skin care routine, especially after the effects a harsh winter has had on my skin. After hearing rave reviews about BB Cream, I wanted to try a piece of the action myself, however I have been put off by some of the high end prices. I wanted a product that I could try out before committing to, and when I found this MUA BB Cream for £3 from Superdrug, I thought it was a great way to dip my feet into BB Cream (er... not literally, of course).

This BB Cream applies thicker than a foundation, so is great to use as a base and then to put a little foundation over top of problem areas. I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin, however - I have combination skin and have learnt to apply it well away from my dry areas, otherwise it clogs them up. Nevertheless, it does create a really even skin tone and hides blemishes without being too 'cakey'.

 I was rather surprised to find that the shade I bought (the palest), is actually if anything a tiny bit too pale, which is actually a nice change from buying the palest skin shade and finding it still not pale enough (I am embarrassingly pale). It blends really well, so even though it is a little too pale, it actually works fine.

At £3, I think this is really worth a try before branching out into more of the expensive BB Creams available. It's great to use alongside foundation, or on it's own. My only gripe is that this one doesn't seem to last all day, and towards the end of six or seven hours it becomes a little shiny. After experimenting with this BB Cream though, I'll certainly try more in the future.

Any skin care products you recommend? What do you think of BB Creams?

How to: Make a Wooden Box Clutch Bag

A few months ago, I found a really lovely wooden clutch bag on one of my lazy internet surfing sessions. I liked the simplicity and cleanness of the bag, and felt that it could go with pretty much any outfit, casual or smart. It was rather expensive though (I forget how much and where it was from - any ideas?), especially because I looked at it, and it felt like something that I could potentially DIY. Once a DIY idea gets lodged in my brain, it won't leave, so I knew I had to try this. Here's how I did it...

I picked up this box for £1.99 from The Works, as it seemed ideal for this project. Check out the hexagonal wooden trinket box they also have - I think this would look particularly amazing. Of course, if you found any gorgeous vintage wooden trinket boxes, they would look lovely too.

Make sure the wooden box you choose has some kind of fastener to keep it closed - otherwise all your stuff will fall out of your clutch bag.

First up - varnishing your box. If your trinket box is already varnished, then you will not need to do this step. Mine needed a couple of coats, just to give it a nice shine and to protect it from wear.

When your varnish has dried, screw in two jump screws into the top of your box, on the face that has the fastener on it. Try to place them as centrally as you can, otherwise your box will hang unevenly.

Then, use a pair of pliers and some jump rings to attach a strap to your jump screws - I'm using a really long necklace, but you could also use a belt, or the strap from an already existing handbag. If you don't want your wooden box clutch to have a strap, simply skip these last two steps.

And, you're done! A really simple tutorial, non? Even though this is a really easy tutorial, I think the end result is actually rather expensive and chic. You could take this idea further, and add a cute fabric lining to your box clutch, or you could even embellish the outside of your trinket box.

Have you ever made a bag from an unusual object? I'd love to hear your ideas!

How to: Contrast Panel T-Shirt with Hillarys Blinds

When I heard about the Hillarys Blinds Country Craft Competition, I knew I had to take part. A chance to make anything using a piece of their Country Retreat fabric? Um... Yes Please! I waited eagerly for my generously sized 1m x 1m piece of fabric to arrive, and then I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

I chose the Bird Parade Fabric*, which couldn't be more suited to me if it had my name printed all over it. Peacocks, oriental blooms and a blue and white colour scheme, this fabric was typically me. I had originally planned to do something a little more complicated, but when the fabric arrived I knew I wanted to choose a simple design that would let the gorgeous fabric do the talking. Here are the end results:

I decided to update a tired, old t-shirt by adding a contrasting fabric panel to the front. This fabric made me feel very summery, so I'll be looking forward to wearing this come the warmer weather. Although it's so versatile, I can think of numerous ways to wear it all year round.

To make this, you will need:

• Fabric of your choice
• An old t-shirt
• Paper for pattern making (I used baking parchment!)
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• Sewing machine
• Sewing Pins

If, like me, you are using a fabric that has zero stretch, use an extra stretchy t-shirt to compensate. Also make sure that you have enough fabric to cover the front panel of your t-shirt. 

First up, use a pair of fabric scissors to cut away the front panel of your t-shirt, leaving all the sleeves and the collar sections still in place. Make sure you leave a couple of centimeters away from the hems of your t-shirt, as this will make it easier when sewing in the contrasting panel. 

Your t-shirt will now be in two parts, each shown above. Put the main part of the t-shirt (shown in the second photo) to one side for the moment, you won't need it for the next few steps.

Use the cut out panel to make a pattern by folding it in half and placing on a piece of paper. I used baking parchment as I didn't have any large pieces of paper to hand. Draw around your t-shirt panel, remembering to leave a 2cm seam allowance, and an extra 4cm at the bottom for a hem.

I labelled my pattern to try to avoid making any silly mistakes, but you can skip this step if you're not a doofus like me. Cut this pattern out, and place the straight edge onto the edge of a folded piece of fabric. Mark using tailor's chalk, and cut out to make your fabric panel. You can now discard the original t-shirt panel that you used to make this pattern. To avoid waste, I made a jersey yarn out of mine.

I tested out my pattern on a scrap piece of fabric before using it on my Country Retreat fabric. This is a great way to see if you need to make any alterations to your pattern before cutting out.

I then cut out my contrasting panel. I tried to fit as many peacocks as I could onto this panel, but you can arrange your fabric however you like. You can now start sewing this panel in place (make sure you put it in facing the right way).

I tacked the fabric in place first, as I found it easier, especially around fiddly sections like the collar and sleeves.

I'd highly recommend using pins throughout, to make sure that your panel stays in the correct position.

Finally, machine stitch over your hand stitching, to secure your panel in place. Give your t-shirt a quick iron, and it's ready to wear.

When you're finished, you can enjoy wearing your unique t-shirt. You could even use the remains of your fabric to make a matching accessory of some kind. Let me know if you try this!

*I was sent this fabric free from Hillarys Blinds as part of the Country Craft Competition.