DIY: Easy to make Washi Valentines decorations

I'm not the most romantic person in the world. However I was looking at my small stack of washi tape and decided to make something with it for Valentines Day.

These hearts are super easy to make.

You get some card (I used drawing card but this would be a great project for using up some cereal boxes) and draw hearts onto it, then cut out the hearts.

Then you stick the washi tape, in whatever pattern you want, over the front of the card and fold down the edges.

Easy!

Now you have some beautiful heart decorations to do with what you will.

A wall-hanging for a new-born

Technically I made this two years ago but thought I would share it here now. A good friend of mine was pregnant with her first child and as she was the first of our group of friends to have a child I wanted to make her something special to celebrate it. 

I contacted our friends and some of her old friends from school and university and asked everyone to make a square. 

Originally I was going to make a playmat but when I received some of the squares I decided it wouldn't be suitable for small hands (buttons!) so thought a wall-hanging would work better.

When I received enough squares I sewed them all together. By this point the baby had been born (I had to wait a while for some of the squares) so I was able to add his name to the top. Huzah!

Happy Mother's Day!

This is a portrait I made of my mother last week. I'm giving it to her this year for Mother's Day. The green coat is iconic.

Book Review: Fa la la la Felt by Amanda Carestio

This book is full of amazing Christmas decorations you can make at home. The editor, Amanda Carestio, has gathered together ideas from designers all over the world. You can make tree ornaments, stockings and miscellaneous 'decorations'.

Designer: Cathy Gaubert

It has some lovely, inspiring pictures and very clear instructions. There are also templates for all of the items at the back of the book.

I was given this book as a Christmas present and it really is fabulous. It's a great book for beginners I think as the steps are very easy to follow and it also provides clear instructions on how to do a variety of stitches.

It's available on amazon, and I'm sure other places too.

Patchwork Baubles

This is a really cute way to use up those pesky small scraps of fabric whilst making Christmas (or anytime!) decorations. I read about patchwork baubles on the Guardian website about a week before Christmas. Despite having a billion things to do I abandoned them all in favour of getting messy with some PVA glue.

One of the things I like most about this project is that it is really quick, easy and gives a nice effect. And it involves glue.

What you need:

• Some cheap baubles, shiny or mat
• PVA glue
• Scraps of fabric

Make sure the scraps are quite small. At first I used big pieces which created a rather lumpy, unwell looking bauble. Once I trimmed them it worked much better. 

Add the PVA glue to some water in a bowl and mix well. Dip the fabric pieces into the glue, squeeze out excess water and then place on the bauble. Repeat until the bauble is covered then hang to dry. 

Easy!

Happy Mothers Day

The chicken design I sketched from somewhere, but I forget where. It's a simple applique but quite a cute effect I think. The inside is padded along with a piece of cardboard to keep it stiff.