Any ideas what this could be good for?
A space for creativity
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Fabric related happiness
On a recent trip to Ikea, I picked up some quirky fabric which makes me wonder how best to use it. It's different to what I normally like but the random modern print is pretty cool (and so 'Ikea').
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Food, food mixers and fabric
Hello! Hope the bank holiday was delightful for you, we had a lovely three days off. The weather was dubious here in Braintree but we had a good one anyway and even managed to have a bbq and eat outside (considering the schockingly bad weather this summer, I felt this was worth a special mention)!
Mr PC and I treated ourselves to an early anniversary celebration and went to Jamie's Italian in Cambridge and stuffed our faces with some great Italian food. I was majorly disappointed that they had run out of calamari before I got to place my order, but the tiramisu was pretty good so I forgave them in the end! Next time, I'm ordering the calamari ahead of my arrival!
While we were in Cambridge, we mooched the shops and spent a while in John Lewis which has to be one of my fave shops for browsing. There's something about John Lewis that makes me want to spend money I don't have... The Kitchen Dept always makes me swoon and I have decided that the Birthday Fairy should bring me this for my birthday this year:
I NEED this in my kitchen. I actually stood in the shop and stroked it until the shop assistant asked me if I was alright...
While in the Haberdashery Dept - obligatory on any visit to John Lewis - I happened upon some lovely gold striped jersey fabric which I picked up (half price) for a wee project I found on Pinterest. Pics to follow at a later date. I also grabbed some cute fat quarters which are destined to become something special. I can't tell you what as it may be a pressie for someone, if I can bear to part with it, that is! But here's a pic so you can swoon over it just like I did.
Now it's Tuesday but it feels like Monday and I think I'm suffering Post Bank Holiday Depression, so I'm off to pick up the crochet hook to cheer me up.
PS. Speaking of crochet hooks, I sold my first giant crochet hook on Etsy yesterday, woohoo! Why not buy one and make a gianr crochet project?
Mr PC and I treated ourselves to an early anniversary celebration and went to Jamie's Italian in Cambridge and stuffed our faces with some great Italian food. I was majorly disappointed that they had run out of calamari before I got to place my order, but the tiramisu was pretty good so I forgave them in the end! Next time, I'm ordering the calamari ahead of my arrival!
While we were in Cambridge, we mooched the shops and spent a while in John Lewis which has to be one of my fave shops for browsing. There's something about John Lewis that makes me want to spend money I don't have... The Kitchen Dept always makes me swoon and I have decided that the Birthday Fairy should bring me this for my birthday this year:
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| Glittery metallic pink Kitchen Aid? Yes please! *swoon* |
I NEED this in my kitchen. I actually stood in the shop and stroked it until the shop assistant asked me if I was alright...
While in the Haberdashery Dept - obligatory on any visit to John Lewis - I happened upon some lovely gold striped jersey fabric which I picked up (half price) for a wee project I found on Pinterest. Pics to follow at a later date. I also grabbed some cute fat quarters which are destined to become something special. I can't tell you what as it may be a pressie for someone, if I can bear to part with it, that is! But here's a pic so you can swoon over it just like I did.
Now it's Tuesday but it feels like Monday and I think I'm suffering Post Bank Holiday Depression, so I'm off to pick up the crochet hook to cheer me up.
PS. Speaking of crochet hooks, I sold my first giant crochet hook on Etsy yesterday, woohoo! Why not buy one and make a gianr crochet project?
Friday, 26 August 2011
I'm sew organised
Earlier in the week I posted about my (finally) finished sewing box, and the lovely Kath requested some pics once it was full.
Well I got my Organiser Hat on and tidied up my stash last night and got most of it neatly into the sewing box. I was like a pig in poo...
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| full to the brim with crafting goodies |
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| staple gun, staples, pliers, mini screwdrivers, scissors, string, studs |
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| buttons, bobbins, needles, pins, beads and button maker. fyi the pink pin cushion velcros to the sewing machine! |
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| jar of spare buttons for clothes I prob don't have any more |
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| jar full of ric rac and yes it does say 'fluff' on it! |
I've pretty much fitted everything I wanted to into this lovely vintage storage solution. It's not really a 'sewing box' but more of a 'crafting box'. I still have my small sewing basket for threads and scissors etc but this big box now houses all my other paraphenalia. The down side is that the sewing machine pedal doesn't fit but Mr PC has promised to make an insert box which will sit on the bars at the bottom, thereby giving me even more space!
How do you store all your crafty equipment?
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Guest Post on Wild Olive
Today's post is actually over on Wild Olive and it is my very first guest post!
I'm currently sponsoring Mollie's blog (check her out, she's ACE!) and as part of the sponsorship she includes all her sponsors in different themes and giveaways each month. The theme this week is friendship and I had a good idea for a post so thought I would write something for her. When it came to writing it, the post ended up being about something else entirely but that's ok cos sometimes that's the best kind of writing.
I don't usually draft and re-draft my writing but I must say that I did really think about setting the right tone with this piece. I wanted it to be uplifting more than anything else and I did have those creeping feelings of doubt as I pressed 'send'. Now that it's published, I think I got it right after all and I'm rather pleased with it.
So click here to read my post titled The Value of Good Friendship and I welcome your thoughts and comments, good, bad or indifferent.
I'm currently sponsoring Mollie's blog (check her out, she's ACE!) and as part of the sponsorship she includes all her sponsors in different themes and giveaways each month. The theme this week is friendship and I had a good idea for a post so thought I would write something for her. When it came to writing it, the post ended up being about something else entirely but that's ok cos sometimes that's the best kind of writing.
I don't usually draft and re-draft my writing but I must say that I did really think about setting the right tone with this piece. I wanted it to be uplifting more than anything else and I did have those creeping feelings of doubt as I pressed 'send'. Now that it's published, I think I got it right after all and I'm rather pleased with it.
So click here to read my post titled The Value of Good Friendship and I welcome your thoughts and comments, good, bad or indifferent.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Behold the vintage beauty!
A few months ago I showed you a vintage sewing box which was a total impulse investment buy for me. Well, it has finally had its interior makeover with a bit of neon pink fablon! The fablon was a nightmare to find as apparently the company that makes it has gone bust, but thanks to eBay Mr PC found me some. I originally wanted a flowery or stripey pattern but choice was limited and so when in doubt, go pink!
Now all I need to do is reoganise all my sewing and crafting supplies!
Now all I need to do is reoganise all my sewing and crafting supplies!
Friday, 19 August 2011
Suprise Giveaway - Winner
And the winner is.... Gem!!
Thank you to everyone for entering and keep an eye out for further giveaways!
- This sounds like a great giveaway : ) I am already a follower xxx
Thank you to everyone for entering and keep an eye out for further giveaways!
Loads of new events coming up!!
I've got lots of craft fairs and markets booked between now and Christmas and a few more still in the pipeline, so I'm going tobe a busy lady in the next few months!
Take a look at them all on my Facebook page and RSVP if you can come!
Also, if you know of any good craft fairs/vintage markets in the Essex area please let me know!
Take a look at them all on my Facebook page and RSVP if you can come!
Also, if you know of any good craft fairs/vintage markets in the Essex area please let me know!
Friday, 12 August 2011
Finished WIP: Hoopla Mat
This has been my quickest crochet project in a while and I must say I'm rather pleased with it! In my last post I mentioned that I ran out of yarn, well after a rethink I unpicked it all and started again but this time making the mat in a circle.
At first I was having problems getting it to be flat as it was turning out to be rather bowl-shaped but after finding this video on YouTube I figured out where I was going wrong. So here it is, the finished article!
I took it along to Knit and Natter on Wednesday and as there is a bit of counting involved, I had to unpick a few times cos counting and chatting at the same time is a bit tricky! I was also running out of yarn, so the last round is actually just a round of double crochet instead of the trebles that the other round are made of. And in true irritating style, I ran out of yarn with just 4 stitches to go! AARRGGHH! But I don't think it notices too much really, so hey, ho!
In hindsight, I think the mat would have been a lot bigger if I had used a smaller hook as I used an 18mm (the one Mr PC made me). I think I could have used a 10 or 12mm and got a few more rounds in. So lesson learned for next time!
PS. Have you entered my giveaway yet??
At first I was having problems getting it to be flat as it was turning out to be rather bowl-shaped but after finding this video on YouTube I figured out where I was going wrong. So here it is, the finished article!
I took it along to Knit and Natter on Wednesday and as there is a bit of counting involved, I had to unpick a few times cos counting and chatting at the same time is a bit tricky! I was also running out of yarn, so the last round is actually just a round of double crochet instead of the trebles that the other round are made of. And in true irritating style, I ran out of yarn with just 4 stitches to go! AARRGGHH! But I don't think it notices too much really, so hey, ho!
In hindsight, I think the mat would have been a lot bigger if I had used a smaller hook as I used an 18mm (the one Mr PC made me). I think I could have used a 10 or 12mm and got a few more rounds in. So lesson learned for next time!
PS. Have you entered my giveaway yet??
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Surprise Giveaway!!
I'm feeling generous this week and so I've decided to do a giveaway! The gift will be a surprise, so who knows what you would win... I'll give you one clue - it will be a Princess Crafts creation!
So now you're thinking, 'how do I enter?'
Well, there are three ways you can enter the Surprise Giveaway:
~ For your best chances of winning, do all three and make sure to leave three separate comments, one for each of the entry methods.
~ Anonymous entries will not be counted, so make sure you leave an email address or that you are easily contactable via your profile.
~ This giveaway is open to everyone and I will ship internationally.
~ The Surprise Giveaway will close at midday Thursday 18th August 2011.
~ The winner will be drawn at random and contacted shortly afterward.
~ If I cannot contact the winner within 1 week of the draw, I will select another winner.
Good Luck!!
So now you're thinking, 'how do I enter?'
Well, there are three ways you can enter the Surprise Giveaway:
- Follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post. Make sure to leave an email address or another means of contacting you.
- Like my Facebook page and leave a comment on this post
- Tweet this message then leave a comment on this post "I've entered the Surprise Giveaway on the @PrincessCrafts blog. You can enter too! http://ow.ly/60w07"
~ For your best chances of winning, do all three and make sure to leave three separate comments, one for each of the entry methods.
~ Anonymous entries will not be counted, so make sure you leave an email address or that you are easily contactable via your profile.
~ This giveaway is open to everyone and I will ship internationally.
~ The Surprise Giveaway will close at midday Thursday 18th August 2011.
~ The winner will be drawn at random and contacted shortly afterward.
~ If I cannot contact the winner within 1 week of the draw, I will select another winner.
Good Luck!!
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
WIP: Hoopla mat
I recently discovered Hoopla yarn and have had a bobbin for a while. Mr PC finally got round to making me a super size crochet hook and so this weekend I got working on a new bath mat for the bathroom. I know that's a bit random but I didn't know what else to do with it. As it is actually t-shirt material, I think it will make a good bath mat as it'll be washable.
Back to the super hook made by Mr PC, how about this for a crochet hook!
Now, it may not look that big in this pic but when you compare it to a 3.5mm hook, you can see its mammoth proportions!
Measuring 15mm, it's fairly large and ideal for chunky crochet. It's surprisingly easy to work with at it's quite light. Thank you Mr PC!
I've used a whole bobbin here and the mat is only about half the size I want, so I might have a rethink and make it a circle instead. Or I might buy another bobbin but at £8.99 they're not exactly cheap. When I find my thinking cap, I'll pop it on and see what I come up with.
Look how big and chunky it is though!
Back to the super hook made by Mr PC, how about this for a crochet hook!
Now, it may not look that big in this pic but when you compare it to a 3.5mm hook, you can see its mammoth proportions!
Measuring 15mm, it's fairly large and ideal for chunky crochet. It's surprisingly easy to work with at it's quite light. Thank you Mr PC!
Monday, 8 August 2011
Gettin' with the ripple
Hello, hello! What a lovely weekend that was! Just me and hubby with nothing in particular to do but please ourselves, ah bliss! We popped over to Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds and had a mooch round there and then a lovely picnic of Spanish tapas (made by me) while using our vintage blue Brexton picnic hamper which is complete with 4 settings of china cups, saucers, and plates. I must say I felt rather smug and very civilised as we saw everyone else had pre-packed supermarket sarnies and paper plates.
Anyway, I digress. Today's post is about getting to grips with rippling!! Learning to ripple crochet is something I've been lusting after for a while and I decided to put it off til I was a bit more 'au fait' with crochet in general. I'd heard it was tricky to get the hang of so was wary but I found some great instructions from Lucy at Attic 24 and after a couple of false starts, I was off! I used some scrap wool to get started and I actually found it easier than I thought. : )
This weekend I was ready to graduate to actually making something, so I've started making myself a scarf for the winter. I'm using some super soft and cosy wool that I got in the sale at Hobbycraft and this is what it looks like so far:
It's not very wide, but that's the plan as I want a fairly narrow scarf which hopefully will go with most things in my wardrobe. The dark pink will be the main colour with the sky blue and duck egg blue being alternated. I'm in love with it already!
The ripples are quite easy to do but this is def a crochet style that needs full attention. There is a lot of counting involved, and I'm not very good at that. It has to be in multiples of 14 too which took some brain cells to figure out. There's not a lot of room for mistakes cos if you miss a stitch here or there it makes the ripples come out wonky. A lot of undoing has been done, but that's what I like about crochet - if you do it worng you can easily pull it out and do it again!
I wish you could feel the gorgeous softness of this scrummy wool...
I can't wait to see how the scarf looks when it's a bit longer!
PS. What are you making at the mo?
Anyway, I digress. Today's post is about getting to grips with rippling!! Learning to ripple crochet is something I've been lusting after for a while and I decided to put it off til I was a bit more 'au fait' with crochet in general. I'd heard it was tricky to get the hang of so was wary but I found some great instructions from Lucy at Attic 24 and after a couple of false starts, I was off! I used some scrap wool to get started and I actually found it easier than I thought. : )
This weekend I was ready to graduate to actually making something, so I've started making myself a scarf for the winter. I'm using some super soft and cosy wool that I got in the sale at Hobbycraft and this is what it looks like so far:
It's not very wide, but that's the plan as I want a fairly narrow scarf which hopefully will go with most things in my wardrobe. The dark pink will be the main colour with the sky blue and duck egg blue being alternated. I'm in love with it already!
The ripples are quite easy to do but this is def a crochet style that needs full attention. There is a lot of counting involved, and I'm not very good at that. It has to be in multiples of 14 too which took some brain cells to figure out. There's not a lot of room for mistakes cos if you miss a stitch here or there it makes the ripples come out wonky. A lot of undoing has been done, but that's what I like about crochet - if you do it worng you can easily pull it out and do it again!
I wish you could feel the gorgeous softness of this scrummy wool...
I can't wait to see how the scarf looks when it's a bit longer!
PS. What are you making at the mo?
Friday, 5 August 2011
What next...?
Hello, I'm back!
The last week has been a whirlwind of wedding excitement as my wee sister got married in a beautiful castle in our homeland of Scotland. The run up to the wedding was fraught with stress, excitement and (some) drama but once the day came, everything went swimmingly! All year, we've been focusing on the wedding and I for one, wasn't planning any further than that day. The thought of organising past that date was too much for my lttle head. Now it has passed, and the new Mr & Mrs are on their honeymoon (Thailand) my whole calendar for August is free!
So what next?
Well, I don't know yet.
This weekend I shall be thinking about how to get back into my making mojo and of course planning some exciting blog posts. So watch this space, and in the meantime, here is a wee pic of the outstandingly beautiful bride on her fairytale wedding day.
The last week has been a whirlwind of wedding excitement as my wee sister got married in a beautiful castle in our homeland of Scotland. The run up to the wedding was fraught with stress, excitement and (some) drama but once the day came, everything went swimmingly! All year, we've been focusing on the wedding and I for one, wasn't planning any further than that day. The thought of organising past that date was too much for my lttle head. Now it has passed, and the new Mr & Mrs are on their honeymoon (Thailand) my whole calendar for August is free!
So what next?
Well, I don't know yet.
This weekend I shall be thinking about how to get back into my making mojo and of course planning some exciting blog posts. So watch this space, and in the meantime, here is a wee pic of the outstandingly beautiful bride on her fairytale wedding day.
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