Friday 30 November 2012

Tunisian Afghan Crocheted Bow Tutorial

I have heard about this type of crochet but haven't really tried it until last night.. I didn't have the proper Tunisian hook but my pony 3 mm was the same size till the end of the hook so I thought that might just work but not for a pattern that calls for a long number of stitches. 

So to try the hook out, I made this!

This is my first try and I must say it was fast going! I wanted to learn to knit so bad but haven't got the courage to touch the needles yet so I thought, I'd try Tunisian because some of the stitches does look a lot like knitted. I wanted to be able to make a ribbing stitch and I did! I am so happy although the better half couldn't understand what I was extremely happy about. LOL

Apparently a Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS) is the same as a Tunisian Knit Stitch (TKS)? If I'm wrong please correct me because like I said, I just tried it last night and for some reason I got my Bow Pattern which is great because it's only made of 2 different stitches.

Pattern:

Chain 40
Row 1-3 Tss forward pass and return. (I made my Tunisian stitch only on the front facing vertical bar). Do not turn.
Row 4-10 Tunisian Stitch from front to back on forward pass and return.
Row 11-13 Tss same as as the first 3 rows. I didn't finish/close the Stitch. Leave about 6 inches tail left.

Fold in half, seam together. Pinch in the middle and finish by pulling the tail around the pinched area and you are finished! Embellish with ribbons, rhinestones, lace, put in a headband or with whatever you're little heart desire! You can also use it to embellish a bag, top or shoes!

If you want me to show you the exact way I did mine or for any questions at all about this pattern, just give me a shout and will try to help you out. There's a lot of tutorials out there on how to make the Basic Tunisian Stitch, TKS and other stitches. The possibilities are endless :)

Enjoy!




Tuesday 27 November 2012

Glitter and Sequins Shoes Mother & Daughter DIY

A couple of months ago, I bought a pair of bright pink shoes. Not that there is anything wrong with the color, it just wouldn't be my first choice. I bought it because it was on sale and I had this DIY in mind.
I also bought a pair of plain black mary janes for Ashley (on sale of course, £4 to be exact).
Glittered and sequined shoes!




My shoes turned out really glittery and very pretty. But disaster struck Ashley's pair.
Sadly, it wasn't possible to buy real leather brand new shoes for £4 and so, when I peeled off the painter's tape off, bits came with it :(
To remedy this, I tried Sharpie. It wasn't enough to cover the peeling so this is where the sequin trim came in! And as per Ashley's request, pink bows were added too!




 Ashley is delighted with her shoes! 
They are not wearing a uniform today for charity in her school and she couldn't be more excited to go to school to show off her glittery shoes! I think that's a result I cannot be happier with. I'm just going to see if the shoes has survived a day in school!

Right, this is a project that Ashley and I did together. She glitterized and I did mine. I applied the painter's tape only on the toe bit of my shoes and the inside of only 1 shoe (I got too excited to start with glitters!) and applied it all over the trim of Ashley's.
This is all we used: Mod Podge, glitter of your choice, a plastic container and brush. I must say the tape is optional. Tape anywhere you don't want the glitter in.


Mix equal parts of glitter and Mod Podge. I applied about 1 coat of the mix. I then sprinkled glitter like crazy all over the shoes. I left it to dry and applied a coat of Mod Podge on it own as a sealant. 


You can put some more glitter where it's needed, then seal it with a coat of Mod Podge again..


Enjoy your new sparkling shoes and wear with pride. I must say, I am very pleased with mine and I will  certainly be doing this on some flats!




Monday 26 November 2012

Make a Rag Rug!

I saw this blog and I can totally relate to their blog title: Craftaholics Anonymous! :D

Like me (and maybe you too!) they love crafting and diy.

They featured a Diy Handmade Rag Rug Tutorial by Jaime of Everyday Art 



Adorable! Something to make with all those scrap fabric and old clothes! 
I hope you all had a fab weekend!



Saturday 24 November 2012

Crochet Owl Hat Pattern in Newborn-Adult Sizes

I found an awesome blog today with tons of tutorials!
In the list of her tutorials, Sarah of RepeatCrafterMe has an Owl Hat Pattern from Newborn to Adult sizes. Check these out:


 Aren't they adorable? I wish I found them when I made mine, less work I guess but here it is!

I'm going to start making lots and lots!
Btw, I have finished the cardigan I was making when I started this blog.. I had several delays on that project including running out of yarn! And a whole lot of other crafting but it's finally finished! I must say it was quick going. I will show you once I've blocked it :)

But for now, enjoy making the twit-twoo owl hat!







Thursday 22 November 2012

DIY Chandelier Clutch

This is so on time for the partying season nearly at hand! I wouldn't mind having one of these glorious bags and I'm so glad that there's a tut!


I saw this the other day and I thought, "wow, I am so doing that!"

 Head out to honestlywtf to see the full tutorial of how Erica did hers!

Definitely doing this, I just have to finish sewing the zipped purse! I'll show you once I'm done!

Enjoy!


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Super Easy Sparkly Bead Necklace DIY Tutorial

Christmas is near and I suppose everybody is going through all their gift list... 
This necklace tutorial is so easy and I hope you'll agree that it is pretty too.

plaited together
or twisted

For some reason, I cannot capture how much it sparkles when lights hit the beads. 

Right, this is what I did:

Materials:

2x End bead cap 15.8mm wide at the widest and 16mm long
1 pair of magnetic clasps (or you can use lobster if that's what you already have)
9 strands of 140pcs purple rondelle beads 3x4mm
string
crimping beads
1mm wire



 I strung 140 beads on a string, put 5 strings together and put crimping beads at each end.
I put the other 4 strings together in one crimping bead.

I then crimped it again but made a loop at each end
I also used a bit of jewelry wire to tie them together (you don't have to)

With the 4 loops of strings at each end, I made a loop big enough to accommodate the loops 

slid through the end bead cap

and make another loop to connect the magnetic clasps into

put the other half of magnetic clasp

You can either plait your strings or twist them, it's totally up to you but remember to do this when you're ready to put the strings together.

 I like mine plaited :)





Monday 19 November 2012

Vintage Chanel Necklace DIY Tutorial

I got my first ever comment the other day from Carolina of ArtistSpirit requesting the tutorial for the Vintage Chanel Necklace worn by Caroline Channing of 2 Broke Girls!

And as promised, if you'd like to know how I did it, I said I'll write it up and so here it is!

Materials:

20x 16mm white pearls
20x 14mm white pearls
2x 4mm white pearls

Gold curb chain:
1x 16 inches (adjust as needed)
1x 8inches
1x extension chain (if you feel you'll need it to adjust the drop)

20 x 20mm headpins 
20 x gold seed beeds (I only have a really thin set of headpins and the pearls has 1mm hole so had to use this to stop it from falling through)
20 x gold bead spacer
20 x 40mm long 0.8mm gold wire 
Jumprings
Lobster clasp

Tools:
Wire cutters
Round end pliers
Pliers


Insert the seed bead and bead spacer in the head pin followed by the 14mm pearls then make a small loop at the end

 With the 40mm wire, make a small loop at one end, insert the 16mm pearls and make another bigger loop at the end and it should look like this. Make sure your bigger loop will actually fit in the chain you'll be using.



 Connect the 2 pearls you've put together by attaching them through the loops you've made. This is how it should look like


 Assemble your chain. Attach the 8inch chain to the 16 inch chain using jumprings. Make sure they're in the middle with a bit of slack. The top pearls will be going on top of each other if there's no slack. So it should look like this:



 Attach your dangling pearls spreading them evenly through out the chain.



Attach your lobster clasp using a jump ring at one end of the chain.
I've put several jump rings at the end so it could adjust the drop a little bit higher or lower depending on the need. I've also put 2 little pearls at the end so it looks a bit more finished. :)


My model Ashley patiently sat and waited while I put on the pearls all the while making her appreciative comments on how pretty it was becoming.



Adjust the spread accordingly. I had 2-3 links in between the pearls
And hopefully you'll get this:




 Enjoy and wear with pride!
I hope you like it, shout out if you do! 






Sunday 18 November 2012

End-of-Bed Bench DIY Tutorial

We've finally finished the bench! I said "we" because my lovely husband did most of the frame building and I did the rest. 

 I got the inspiration from Dear Lillie but I didn't want to make it tufted.
So, this is how we did ours.
We wanted it to go under the scroll at the end of the bed.




Materials we used:

18mm thick MDF board cut to size 450mm x 1100mm (you can customize the size)
2x 1100mm length of wood
4x 374mm for the sides and for the mid section

2 pieces of square shaped hickory contemporary spindle cut to size 250mm and painted black (because I couldn't find a pre-turned chiar leg that wasn't so expensive)
Spray paint in black
Spray sealant in clear
3 inch foam block
Wadding 2.5 meters
2 meters Chenille fabric  that matches our blinds
Recycled old curtain to be used as a lining
Staple gun and screws

This is how the frame looks like after it's been put together:



the size of the wood I used had 63x38x2400mm as it's dimensions but you could use any size that's available to you if you feel it's going to be sturdy enough. I would have used a 1"x3" but it was so dear

MDF board screwed to the frame

Foam block cut to size. I used my regular kitchen knife for cutting. Make sure it's ultra sharp :)

I covered the foam block and frame with wadding. I then put the rest on top as 3 layers.


I used an old curtain to cover the frame with the wadding. You can use any fabric on hand but just make sure it's not too flimsy or thin as your going to have to pull it tight. I used staple guns to secure it to the bottom.

The hickory spindle cut to size and spray painted black with sealer. The paint I used was quick drying so I was able to put 2 coats of spray and a sealant while my beloved Brynn was building my frame. I then left it overnight to dry.


Brynn suggested to put a leg bracket on for support and this is how he did it. Metal brackets can be bought if you like but I like thrifting and using the materials we already have on hand. There was some leftover wood from making the frame so Brynn used those. And this is how it's supposed to look like:


Brynn made holes on the wooden brackets so it'll be much easier to put the screws in.


After attaching the legs, I covered it with the chenille fabric that matches our blinds. Make sure you have enough fabric to go the sides and under. More is better than not enough. 

I wasn't going to cover the underneath but Brynn says it'll look more finished if I did even if no one's going to check. So I did! This is what it looks like covered:


And this is what it looks like at the end of our bed!


I love how it looks like it belongs. This has been a joint effort and I must say, it's a first for us to build anything from scratch and we are so pleased with the result! I was going to put some black studs all around the sides but my partner in crime wasn't so keen so I left it.
I hope you like it! 
I love it!