Chrismas Paper Crafts...But not too Christmassy (incase you don't actually celebrate crimbo, or you're a bit of a scrooge!!)

So the Doves are "turtle peace & love doves"


and then the love hearts & circles are recycled paper baubles.

They're really great fun and super simple to make, the Stitched Up crewe will be showing people how to make them (plus more decorative ideas!) on Sunday the 4th at Creative Corner Cafe in Whalley Range and I will be in Horwich selling some little bits & pieces, PLUS offering a workshop to make the paper decorations for only 50p, all proceeds from the workshop will be donated to Bolton Hospice, so I hope you can join me and make something fun!!

Mine and Kelly's Stall

We had a fun day!

Christmas Crafts...

Yes It's November so already getting ready for some little bits and pieces!

Christmas stockings, fabric trees, little suede robins, paper love hearts and loo roll wreaths! Everything is recycled!

The frugal Christmas, instead of buying tat, make something lovely! :-) I shall be selling some of these at a craft far on Sunday the 6th at Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays Come down!

An Upcycled Vintage inspired Apron...

Can you guess what this apron was made from? I made this for a friends mother, it's apricot and a bit of creamy and white whipped cream cupcakes...I hope you like it, I really enjoyed making it with double pockets at the top and a double pocket of the skirt part of the apron, it also has an adjustable necktie too, fastened with vintage popper-buttons.

the main tie is extra long so a lovely big bow can be tied at the front...

I also created a label and added some spare vintage popper buttons just incase they need replacing and wrapped it all up very neatly in some stitched up pages of Vogue, I hope my friends Mum likes her apron!!! I know I do!!

I had originally taken some photographs and wanted to make a tutorial, however...I got carried away and just made it...but please let me know if you can tell what it's made from!!

Freebie from BagsReborn! Thanks Twitter!

Well as mentioned on previous entry I am now a fully fledged tweeter...and it turned out as a new "follower" of BagsReborn I won a free gift! How fantastic, look how beautiful this purse/wallet is!

Now I've never won anything in my entire life, so I'll be honest with you I felt skeptical that I had actually won something, but this lovely little parcel arrived with a handwritten note in the post today!!

It says on the label;


"Each Bag is made in a family run business based in a small village in South East Asia. The sold products help sustain jobs for villagers in a very poor country. The products are hand-made from recycled rice, cement, fish food & soil bags and presented with a rustic finish.

Every item is one of a kind durable design. The bags are eco-friendly reusing materials which would normally be wasted."

Now this is the perfect wallet for me! It's unusual, ethical and fun. So thank you BagsReborn! I love my gift!
I have to say it reminds me alittle of a dress I recently bought for a friends baby girl from Clothing With A Conscience in Afflecks Palace.

Anyway I hope you all like my new lovely purse, and please go and "like" Bags Reborn! PLUS you should all follow them on twitter!!

p.s.

AND I've just started volunteering at Oxfam! I love it!! x

Busy Times...

Well I've been busy with everything Stitched Up to be honest and everything else too! I've really gotten into tweeting, which I'm not quite sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, I do enjoy it & I've "tweeted" with some very lovely people!

I'm also at the moment sewing a rather marvelous apron for a friend of mines mother, I'm making it from an old anorak, and some cotton/linen napkins that were given to me, I know it sounds rather bizarre at this point, but when you see the finished product and the actual photographs I'm sure you will agree that it's adorable!

There really is so much you can do with things that are something else!! - I love transforming them & I love telling people what they used to be! - It's sort of magical. I've been looking at a brilliant couple of blogs recently, the first one is http://www.upcyclist.co.uk/

"JOIN THE UPCYCLING REVOLUTION...

UPCYCLIST reports on beautiful and innovative upcycling projects around the globe. We like restoring, recycling, reclaiming, reviving, remaking, repurposing, reusing, reloving..."

It's a brilliant & inspiring blog, with fantastic photographs & reports of wonderfully clever designer & makers. Also the second blog is http://refashionco-op.blogspot.com/ which is fantastic for practical tutorials etc. I absolutely love the whole concept! It's all about sharing & encouraging others to upcycled & refashion too! I think I need to get on with cr

eating some tutorials, I find that when I'm creating something, I do it VERY organically, so sometimes I find it hard to remember to take photographs inbetween each stage...there is no set formula I just do it & play and replay & get carried away and lost in the process...but one of my summers ambitions is to create some more tutorials!

Also another wonderful blog is that of the marvelous Betty Bee, she is now also writing for the Guardian & a friend of a friend. She seems to be promoting how lovely vintage living can be! As far as I'm concerned, it's more ethical than buying throw-a-way fashion.

http://talesfrombettybeetowers.blogspot.com/

And this is my new label...Simple & to the point