My 'skeans' (thanks Mum x)

I would like to introduce you all to my 'skeans'  

A nice, sentimental upcycle I did weeks ago:

My mum is chronically ill and has lost a LOT of weight and so had recently given me lots of clothes to take to the charity shop.  

Amongst them was this BEAUTIFUL black gypsy skirt:

 

As it is too large for me as well, I decided to add it to the waistband of a pair of skinny jeans I never wear:

Mum had some time ago given me some sewing things that belonged to my late maternal grandmother including such things as a darning mushroom, needles in a case and this beautiful length of embroidered ribbon so I decided to use it on this project.

I also went through my broken jewellery bits and added a bit of steam punk bling :)

Like so:

I used an old rose brooch and added some length of beads and ribbons to add a feminine touch to the hip:

I think it looks pretty and totally my cup of tea  :)

Tada:

I absolutely love it and will always think of my roots every time I wear it  :)

That's all folks :)

Now go and make something (...or give your loved ones a hug and tell them just how much they mean to you!) x

My Lumbar Cushion/Wrap/Blanket :)

I thought I'd share this with you all  :)

I made this a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it:

Isn't it adorable?! :)

Basically, I was bored...

I looked through my huge wool stash and decided that the 2 large balls that resembled footballs were in urgent need of being used up.  

So out they came.  :)

(Much to the relief of my large drawer.)  

I had a large grey shade and a pale lemon.  

I decided to use them both at the same time with a large 10mm hook.  

I had a vague idea of making a generous wrap.  

You know, something that I can crochet without thinking about it.  

So I did a length of chain stitch that was pretty much the span of both my arms and hooked away till the wool ran out. 

It was the depth of my middle finger to elbow (at no point did the tape measure come out for air).  

I rolled it out of the way and had a lightbulb moment...

It looked gloriously neat and tidy and the perfect size for a lumbar cushion!

Oh joy :D

Well it's final purpose was now decided upon.  

All that remained to do was to attach some funky buttons and attach some carefully situated hoops to enable closure and hey presto!

A brand new cushion for my car!!!

(And if I breakdown in winter, then I can unroll it until I my rescuer comes to assist me!)

Wonder Woman bag!!!!

Hi guys,

Sorry for the HUGE gap yet again. 

Naughty blogger!!!!

I have been extremely busy with upcycles and projects (and real life!)

I find busy hands means a busy mind and it's been a pretty welcome diversion, let me tell ya!!!!

Anyhoo, I'm skulking back to share my WONDERful project with y'all. 

I'm not exaggerating, it's MARVELlous!!!!

I really dig Wonder Woman and wanted a bag but no way did I want a pricey high street bag that just ANYONE can buy. 

Oh no. 

I wanted a bespoke bag that only I can have (erm, I know, I know. Why am I sharing the How To on here then?!)

I decided to make a funky 70s style bag. 

As any reader of my blog knows, I ADORE granny squares. I also like harlequin stuff too so combined all these loves into a wooly sensation. 

All you need are 17 crochet squares arranged in diamond formation of 2,3,2,3,2,3,2. 

Simples. 

I chose red and blue and then started to do a border in gold like so:

Then use the same gold thread to join them up thus:

(I apologise for the colours, artificial lighting sucks!)

I wanted 4 funky gold rings to use to attach the straps (which I also crocheted in gold wool). 

I bought a bag from a charity shop for £1 which had the perfect rings ;)

In no time at all, they were adorning my WW bag:

It needed a bit more 'pizzazz' so I recycled an old gold damask curtain for the lining and ironed on a WW logo for £1 delivered online:

(I bet you recognise that fabric from so many of my previous posts!!)

Then the final addition was an embroidered logo that I got for a couple of quid online. 

It's a corker of a badge:

I used wonderweb to attach it, lol. 

Oh the irony!!!! 

And there we have it:

Isn't it just the funkiest bag EVER!!!!!!!

Hope it's inspired some of you to grab the hook and make something AMAZEBALLS!

Happy hooking x x x

Tea Party, yay!!

The last few days were spent in preparation for a welcome afternoon  tea party for dear friends from America. 

First on the agenda was a batch of salmon tartlets

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021042150978/

I made them with a spelt/lard shortcrust. 

I also made a batch of herby cheese breads as you can also see in the above pic. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021042150913/

I totally forgot the garnishes though as I had lovely nasturtium flowers that could have been put to use. 

Here they are with Philadelphia and fresh chives. 

As we were going for a picnic at a National Trust the next day, I also made a quick batch of cheese n onion pie and a wild garlic frittata. 

Mince pies may not be seasonal but they sure are nice. Look at the lovely colour of this eggy wash from my hens' eggs 3>

Tada:

I just had to make coffee swirl cupcakes too. 

The fudgy topping is scrumptious. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021045101645/

This is currently my favourite cake. 

It is wholemeal organic spelt, lard, my hens' eggs, and sweetened with an array of preserved fruits. For this one I used apricots, figs, dates, sultanas, orange zest, cranberries and chopped cashew nuts all soaked in fresh orange juice.  

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021043872769/

So glad I made a double batch so I still have some in the freezer. ;)

Home made syrups and cordials from wild foraged ingredients also made an appearance. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021045837699/

http://pinterest.com/pin/425168021045837696/

Tada :)

There was also home made liver pate with a butter crust in the spread along with crust-less salmon sandwiches and the compulsory cucumber sandwiches. 

Why can't this miraculously appear on my table every day at 2pm?!

Another Lloyd Loom upcycle.

I came across a promising little Lloyd Loom storage basket at the boot sale. 

It was in need of attention:

Lots of damage to the detailing:

The handles had seen better days and were beyond redemption too:

So off came the detailing and on went the chalk paint:

After a few coats, I upholstered the seat with curtain material and put a matching trim along the edges. 

It is now a perfect and practical addition to my bedroom. :)

You gotta love Lloyd Loom :)

X

Hearths and hearts

So how did I forget to blog about myfireplace upcycle?!

I bought this off an eBay auction for something like £20 complete with fire. 

It was in mint condition but the dark wood just wouldn't do. 

So it got the JJ home made chalk treatment!

When it was finished, I highlighted the detailing with dark wax:

You can see it beginning to take effect here. I was trying to match the look of my French style mantel clock:

Tada:

The previous fireplace that you've seen in countless other blogs was now rehomed in my dining room:

I know this was a few months ago but I blush to think that I STILL haven't secured it into the wall :O

Oh well, it looks ok for now :)

Toodles x 

Potty wind chimes.

I had a solar wind chime that had long since broken so I decided to do a quick upcycle involving a black metal candle holder and a few vintage china tea cups that were lacking saucers. 

I would had liked a small teapot for the top but I can't part with any more at the moment as I love them all too much. :(

It works beautifully. 

If only I dared to drill through metal, these would have ornate teaspoons to add to the theme. 

Needless to say, I am on the lookout for more materials to upcycle with for tea party themed windchimes :)