Pretty Shabby Uk

St Davids Day

2012-02-29T20:44:00.000Z

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant hapus - Happy St Davids Day

Due to the face that my mum's side of the family is from Wales, i thought I would Put together a post off all things welsh.

These daffodil windmills / pinwheels are fun to create and make a pretty display as they whirl around.

The daffodil bunting is a fantastic craft for kids, as they get to draw, colour and paint.

Bara Brith (Welsh currant bread is wonderful on its own, or toasted and served with lashings of butter...

Recipe: Bara Brith

At Love Making things Ann shows off her beautiful to make St Davids Day Card.

Market Research for Uni

2012-02-02T09:51:00.001Z

Hi Guys,

As part of my University Coursework, I need to complete some research.

Please could you complete the survey for my market research. There is only a couple of
multiple choice answers, and it wont take too long.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XR7SWHH

Appreciate your help.

Red white and Blue Ribbon Wreath

2012-01-21T00:11:00.000Z

After making my craft room wreath i was inspired and decided that i needed to make more.

I have recently decorated my bathroom, so i thought what better room to do it for.

I love the vintage union jack theme at the moment.

I created this wreath the using the same technique as i did the Pink, Black and Zebra Print one

I had plenty of red, blue and white ribbon in my stash to use.

My two beauties, both made within a night. (my door is actually white, even though it looks a yucky cream...honest)

Pink and Black and Zebra Print Ribbon Wreath

2012-01-20T23:32:00.000Z

As promised, Here is my Pink, Black and Zebra Print Ribbon Wreath.

This is the one I will be using in my craft room.

Firstly make your wreath base – For a super frugal idea, why not see my insulation pipe tutorial.

Then cut all of the ribbon into 4 1/2" strips. This is the most time consuming part of the entire thing.

Fold a piece of ribbon and form a loop. (overlap the ends by about 1/2"). Place a pin through the ribbon, from the inside out, to hold ends together. If your ribbon is one sided, make sure that your design is on the outside.

Then, simply just attach the ribbons to the wreath base by pushing the pins in all the way.

Make sure that the loops are close enough together that no base shows through. And you just keep going until your wreath is full.

I started with just one ribbon and randomly put it in throughout. I think it helped to make sure that I didn't have too much of any one ribbon in an area.

Insulation Pipe Wreath Tutorial

2012-01-20T22:56:00.000Z

After making my Christmas wreath, I'm really getting into wreath making. After looking for wreath bases I came across a fabulous idea on Pinterest to use pipe insulation for the wreath form. How fabulous is that??

Luckily my husband had some, as I am still doing my £0.00 challenge, which he uses for covering his fishing lure hooks. He buys them at B & Q hardware store, the insulation is under £1.00 for a length.

This project is so simple to do. All you have to do is bend the pipe insulation to the wreath size you want and then just duct tape the ends together.

How cool is that? I think that this works better with bigger wreaths, as the pipe insulation does not really stay in a good circle on the smaller wreath forms.

I decided to make the wreath a little stronger by taping it with electrical tape.

There are so many wreaths that you can make.

If you like this idea why not see how I made my Pink and Black Zebra Ribbon Wreath.

Stamping Journal

2012-01-15T10:58:00.000Z

Well now I have my stamps in order, I don't want to have to keep pulling them out every time a friend wants to have a look or every time that I want to create a project, so I have made a Stamping journal which I divided up into sections according to the theme.

After making my monogramed card I decided to turn it into a journal.

I stared with a wire bound journal which can be bought from an stationery shop, in fact the one I used was from a pound store.

Carefully de-bind (not sure if that is a word but it fits) making sure that you do not stretch or bend the wire.

To make sure that I did not mess the papers and lose the holes, I added little paper dowels.

I removed and covered the front of the pad with some green and white spotty wallpaper.

To easily locate the binded holes I pierced holes in the front with a darning needle before I forgot where they were. It was a feel and prick kind of exercise.

Then I decorated the front cover with co-ordinating papers that were already in my stash (as I am still on my £0 challenge) to be honest I think that challenge has lead me to creating this project.

I added a monogram to personalise the pad a little.

I divided the note pad into sections by adding card dividers. This was just a piece of A4 card folded in half and trimmed to fit the page and the taped to secure.

The little divider title embellishments were made by using my Bigshot and scalloped circle dies.

I used the 2nd and 3rd smallest size dies and the scraps of the co-ordinated paper.

The title bar was made by using a strip of paper and border punching across the top and bottom and them stamping the sections.

After sectioning of the book, I stamped all the stamps in the sections.

To finish of the book I added strips of ribbon.

and Voila...

Find out how I decided on storing my unmounted stamp HERE

See my monogrammed card that inspired the journal HERE

Now I am off to see what my other crafty friends have been up to this week at Handmade Monday

Organising Unmounted Stamps

2012-01-14T23:38:00.000Z

Have you ever had an idea for a project and thought I think I have a stamp that would look good on that? or you simply draw a blank because you can't remember what stamps you have in your stash?

As part of my ongoing organisation of my craft room, it was Stamp organising time. Specifically my unmounted stamps.

As you can see it was a nightmare to find a stamp that gave me inspiration. They were stored in a plastic tupperware box.

First came the hard part of sorting them out, so I categorised them into the relevant sections. This took the longest in the organising process.

There are a number of ways to store the stamps but I chose to store them in CD cases.

I cut a piece of stock card to the size of a CD cover, and stuck the acetate pictures which came with the stamps on to the CD covers with double sided tape.

For the stamps with the small stamps I put them in the paper disc holders to ensure that they did not get lost, and wrote on the back which collection they belong to.

and voila.......

Now all my stamps are organised, tidy and don't take up a great deal of space.

My next project will be to make a stamping journal that will allow me to see both my wooden and unmounted stamps in one place.

Mini Monogram Card

2012-01-14T01:46:00.000Z

Here is my entry to Day 318 - Mini Monogram challenge on 365 cards

The challenge was to Create a mini monogram or something similar on your card. The idea is to not make it the focus of the card, but just a nice little edition.

Spring time Smirk 2

2012-01-11T23:57:00.001Z

As promised another addition to the Smirk range

If you missed the first Smirk card, have a look here

Submitted to The Sasse Life

Smirk Birthday Submission

2012-01-11T09:01:00.010Z

Just a quick post to show you my submission for 365 cards day 314 - Super sketchy

Hope to see you soon xx

Spring time Smirk

2012-01-11T00:56:00.000Z

Just a quick post to let you guys know that I am Continuing on my £0 challenge I still going strong, today I nearly had a wobble, I went to Tescos and longingly looked at the stationary/craft section. But I stayed strong and did not give in.

Its been really good doing this challenge, as I have found many different crafty items that i had bought and never used, not only am I saving money, but also clearing out craft supplies so i can restock in February :)

I created this card using the Smirk Range, which if truth be told I had not wanted to use as I really loved them. Do you do that? buy a product and just cant bear to use it.

I have a couple more ideas of card layouts for another couple Smirk Cards......watch this space.

Pink and Damask

2012-01-08T00:01:00.001Z

I got another card made today! This is for Day 311 at 365 cards.

The Theme damask and Pink "pretty pairs challenge.

I used card stock in black and hot pink, and the butterflies were made with Martha Stewart, monarch butterfly punch.

Cost £0.00

Purple and Yellow Paisley Card -

2012-01-07T21:44:00.000Z

My first post since the New Year, and I hope you all have had a good one so far.

My fantastic hubby bought me a Sizzix Bigshot, the black and pink one for Christmas, think he must have actually got sick of me saying, I'm gonna buy one of them next month. What should I say about it, hmmm well I LOVE IT!!!! it was worth the wait and i have not stopped using it.

Inspired by last years £0 budget projects from Stephanie at Full of great ideas, i thought i would have a go at the challenge myself. For the Month of January I can not spend 1 penny on any art/crafts or home decor, but have to create some projects - this is not an easy task I have to tell you, as the first place I head for after being paid is the craft shop then Ebay... But after a quick visit to my craft room, surelyIi should be able to manage this.

Yes, you have notice I am 6 days late with the challenge, but hey, better late than never :)

This is the first card that I have made using my Bigshot :)

Just wanted to show you and see what you think.

I made a simple Birthday card, to start of my collection. I absolutely love this beautiful purple and i thought the yellow card would be a fantastic accent colour.

This is where my Bigshot came into it, I used an embossing folder to create the grapevine embossed top, and left the bottom plain, as this is where I wanted to put my paisley shape.

I cut out a small yellow paisley with a purple on the next size up, and lucky to find a piece of ribbon and flower that matched perfectly.

I think this card is simple yet effective.

Cost £0.00

I have decided to Share this with my friends on:

365 cards challenge

Fun to Craft

Fingerprints on the fridge

12th Night Cake From An 1864 Recipe

2012-01-02T09:00:00.001Z

A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake, kings' cake, king's cake, or three kings cake) is a type of cake associated with the festival of Epiphany in he Christmas season in a number of countries.

The cake has a small trinket (often a small plastic baby, said to represent Baby Jesus) inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations (such as buying the cake for the next celebration).

The "king cake" takes its name from the biblical three kings. Catholic tradition states that their journey to Bethlehem took five days (the Twelve Days of Christmas), and that they arrived to honour the Christ Child on Epiphany. The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), through to Mardi Gras day. Some organizations or groups of friends may have "king cake parties" every week through the Carnival season.

Recipe Ingredients:

· Butter – two pounds twelve ounces (1200 grams)

· Sugar – one pound twelve ounces, (750 grams)

· Currants – five pounds, (2200 grams)

· Citron Peel (oranges and lemon peel) – one pound and a-half, (680 grams)

· Almonds – six ounces; (170 grams)

· Spices – nutmegs, mace, and cinnamon, of equal parts, in powder, two ounces; (57 grams)

· Eggs – twenty, (20)

· Brandy – half a pint (250 ml)

Note: these proportions allow for the cake being iced. If more sugar is preferred, the quantity must be the same as the butter; but less is used in this instance, that the cake may be light, and also to allow for the fruit, which would make it too sweet. Double the quantity of almonds may be used if required, as some persons prefer more.

Recipe Method:

Warm a smooth pan, large enough for the mixture; put in the butter, and reduce it to a fine cream, by working it about the pan with your hand. In summer the pan need not be warmed, as it can be reduced to a cream without; but in the winter keep the mixture as warm as possible, without oiling the butter. Add the sugar and mix it well with the butter, until it becomes white and feels light in the hand. Break in two or three eggs at a time, and work the mixture well, before any more is added.

Continue doing this until they are all used and it becomes light; then add the spirit, currants, peel, spice, and almonds, some or most of these being previously cut in thin slices, the peel having also been cut into small thin strips and bits. When these are incorporated, mix in the flour lightly; put it in a hoop with paper over the bottom and round the sides, and placed on a baking plate.

Large cakes require three or four pieces of stiff paper round the sides; and if the cake is very large, a pipe or funnel, made either of stiff paper or tin, and well buttered, should be put in the centre, and the mixture placed round it; this is to allow the middle of the cake to be well baked, otherwise, the edge would be burnt two or three inches deep before it could be properly done. Place the tin plates containing the cake on another, the surface of which is covered an inch or two thick with sawdust or fine ashes to protect the bottom. Bake it in an oven at a moderate heat. The time required to bake it will depend on the state of the oven and the size of the cake.

When the cake is cold, proceed to ice it. (See icings for cakes below.) Cakes have generally, first, a coating on the top of almond icing; when this is dry, the sides and top are covered with royal or white icing. Fix on any gum paste or other ornaments whilst it is wet; and when dry, ornament it with piping, orange blossoms, ribbon, etc.; the surface and sides are often covered with small knobs of white sugar candy whilst the icing is wet.

ICING

Twelfth Cakes are iced with white or coloured icing, and decorated with gum paste, plaster ornaments, piping paste, rings, knots, and fancy papers, etc., and piped.

Ingredients: & Method:

Pound, and sift some treble-refined sugar through a fine sieve, and put it into an earthen pan, which must be quite free from grease; to each pound of sifted sugar add the whites of three eggs, or sufficient to make it into a paste of a moderate consistence, then with a wooden spoon or spatula beat it well, using a little lemon juice occasionally, and more white of egg if you find that it will bear it without making it too thin, until you have a nice light icing, which will hang to the sides of the pan and spoon;

A pan of icing, when well beat and finished, should contain as much again in bulk as it was at the commencement: use sufficient lemon juice to give the icing a slight acid, or it will scale off the cake in large pieces when it is cut.

Recipe thanks to The Voice

Photo thanks to Andrea

Happy New Year 2012 - From Me to You

2011-12-28T00:01:00.001Z

Hi all,

I am delighted to have been asked to be a guest blogger for Maggie over at Passionately Artistic.

For those of you who don't know me let me introduce myself; I'm Dawn, I live with my fantastic hubby John, and I have 4 amazing kids.

I am a newbie when it comes to the blogosphere. Have a look around, see what you think. Feel free to add yourself to my list of followers.

Let me share with you how to make this easy peasy Me to You Happy New Years card

Supplies:-

A4 white card

Me to You Stampers gift set

Me to You papers

Xcut oval nesting dies

Silver adhesive stones

Step by Step Instructions

Using the Xcut oval nesting die I created an oval card blank. Then covered the card with patterned paper

Stamp ‘Let’s Party!’ on to a small oval die cut and embellish with a ribbon bow and shimmer dots. Attach to the card.

Stamp the tags four times on to card and patterned papers then cut in half and paper piece the tags.

Add colour to the balloons.

Stamp 2012 on the tags and place them on to the card using foam dots.

Entered for

We Did it Wednesday

Lavendar Shortbread Recipe

2011-12-27T16:27:00.001Z

Lavender Shortbread Recipe

Makes 16 small rounds.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

Pinch of salt

100g butter

50g caster sugar

2 tsp culinary dried lavender flowers.

Method

Preheat oven to 160C.

Slightly crush 1tsp lavender flowers in a pestle and mortar to release the natural oils.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl with the caster sugar, butter and crushed lavender, and rub in using fingertips to make a crumbly mixture which can then be kneaded together to make a dough.

Roll out to 1cm thick and cut into individual rounds. Sprinkle with the remaining lavender flowers, pressing them down gently until they stick, then bake for 10-15 mins until the shortbread is just starting to brown.

Leave for 10 mins before removing from baking tray, and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Tips
Some people recommend leaving the dried lavender flowers for decoration until after the shortbread is baked, but I find they just fall off.

The amount of lavender flowers used is entirely personal, and lavender flavour can become overpowering very quickly so try it out and exercise caution!

Try substituting dried lavender flowers for a few drops of essence or try a little of both.

Entered into The Thrifty Home page

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year 2011

2011-12-20T09:12:00.000Z

Hi All,

Well not long now.... It is about time that i posted my fabulous Christmas tree picture. This year i decided to go for the fairytale gingerbread theme.

See what you think:

Meet Gingerbread Sam

The full effect

This one is also gingerbread Sam.....

My son Luke loves Fireman Sam....

I have been busy trying to get my assignments done before Christmas so i can relax, oh and baking the odd batch of mince pies (yummy)..

So I am going to pop over and see what other fabulous goodies have been made this week at Wendys

Candy Cane Marshmallow Pops

2011-12-14T11:31:00.000Z

Why is it that things taste better on a stick? All I know is that these marshmallow pops are yummy! They are also super easy to make and your wee little ones can help you. Eat these while sipping on some hot chocolate. Heck, plop one in your hot chocolate and use as a stir. Enjoy!

Materials

6 Candy Canes (crushed)
Lollipop Sticks
Large Marshmallows
Chocolate Chips (melted)
Rolling Pin or Food Processor (for crushing candy canes)
Floral Foam Blocks

For full Tutorial Click here

Do you know your crafts??? Quiz

2011-12-14T07:48:00.000Z

Whilst i awoke at 3am this for no apparent reason and could not go back to sleep no matter how hard i willed myself....i came across this little quiz.

There are only 10 questions, so it is a quick one.

I scored 7/10....what will you score?

Click to start quiz

Happy Birthday Dad !!!

2011-12-11T19:53:00.000Z

Today is my Dads birthday.

He loves cars, and when I was in Llandudno i popped into The Craft Land, I found this lovely vintage car decoupage and I knew that I had matching card in my stash.

Materials Used
2 pieces of Burgundy Card
2 pieces of Cream Card
Vintage Car decoupage

First I folded the cream card to make a centre opening card, this would be the inside of the card. Then I did the same with the burgundy card and I trimmed the edges with the wavy scissors.

I cut two rectangles of cream card the same width but one shorter in height with the wavy scissors. Then did the same with the burgundy card about 1cm narrower.

I glued the burgundy card onto the cream card for all the sections, then I glued the large rectangle to the bottom area of the left hand side of the card and the small to the top right of the card.

I found a special car registration plate font for the word Dad.

To finish off the card I added a little quote " Your not old your a classic with the word classic in the car registration plate font.

He loved his card and was pretty amazed that I had made it. Well now the Daughterly duties are done I am gonna pop over to Wendy's and see what fantastic delights my good friends have created this week.

Review the rules

2011-12-08T14:39:00.002Z

Each item you encounter as you declutter requires a decision. Many decisions are easy to make: dishes, pots, and utensils in daily use stay right where they are until you're ready to re-organize kitchen zones.

Other items are easy, too. Either they're strays that belong elsewhere in the house (drop them in the Put Away Elsewhere box) or simply rubbish, like expired vouchers, that can be dumped straight into a black plastic bin bags.

Take each item in your hand and ask yourself a simple question: "When have I last used this item?" The answers will guide your declutter decisions:

Never

Out it goes, to the rubbish or for donation or a car boot sale. If you don't use it, it has no place in a lean, mean kitchen. Donate it to your favourite charity shop and allow some other family the consumer thrill of possessing a genuine advertised-on-TV potato peeler machine.

Within the last year

Out it goes, with one exception. Holiday cooking tools used only once a year, like cookie presses may be give house room if, and only if, they are removed from active kitchen storage. You haven't space in a working kitchen for holiday one-timers, so store them with the holiday decorations in a box marked Holiday Cooking Tools.

All others? If you've only used it once a year, why do you have it at all? Out!

Within the last month

Contender for a keeper. Deciding where the item should live will come during another phase of the kitchen clean-up.

Yesterday

Watch for these items; they' are essentials of a kitchen. Keep. Clean them if necessary and put away where you found them.

No more stalling; it's time to begin. Pick a starting point, and begin at the top.

Remember the motto "I will conquer the clutter!"

Right so those canning jars require a decision. Let me help you… Have you made jam, preserves or canned tomatoes within the last year? Did you assemble gifts in a jar for Christmas gifts last year? If you answered yes to either question, you may wash and replace the jars. Answer is no? Out they go! Dispel any doubts by checking out the nice uncluttered shelf they leave behind on their trip to the car boot sale.

One by one, continue down the shelves, through the drawers, into the cupboards and around the room. Declutter with a vengeance, because the next stage of the kitchen clean-up, deep-cleaning, will move quicker the fewer items you have to work around.

To delegate or not to delegate?

2011-12-08T14:38:00.003Z

Choose a clutter buddy who is strong enough to point out that you have had those plastic tubs for three years and there is only one with a lid. His or her favourite word should be "Out!" My sister is the ideal person to help me. I am a kitchen gadget tart, I love trying out the latest gadgets. When I moved house that’s when she came in handy.

My sis “how many times have you used it?

Me “ about 10 or so”

My sis “how long have you had that juicer”

Me “3 years”

My sis “when was the last time you used it?

Me “ about 3 years ago”

My sis “out…”

Me “But…”

My sis “OUT”

Not only did that happen with my juicer, but my chocolate fountain, my electric carving knife, my curly carrot cutter…..the list goes on for sometime.

Next: Review the rules

Assign Everything a Home

2011-12-08T14:37:00.001Z

“Things that work together should be stored together.” Good advice. It means pots, pans and utensils for stirring, flipping and scraping should be near the stove. Bowls, mixers, measuring cups/spoons and other baking equipment should be in your baking zone. Seldom used items should go on top shelves or in awkward corners of cabinets. Appliances should find a storage space together or near the specific work area where they will be used.

Groceries/foods should be grouped together — cereals, snacks, canned goods, oils/vinegars, salad fixings, etc. Remember, you are seeking order and a sense of control.

In an organized kitchen there will be place for everything, as long as you put everything back in its place, and will help you find what you need in a hurry. Assigning everything a work zone and then a home will save you time and steps. Be sure to have the family buy into your new kitchen environment. Show them the layout, and ask them to help you preserve it. Lead by example.

Next: To delegate or not to delegate?

Sort then Purge

2011-12-08T14:33:00.003Z

Throw away broken or chipped items and objects that don’t have all their parts, like those plastic containers without lids. Give away duplicate utensils, excess glassware, bowls and platters that have never been used.

The same system of purging and sorting works for your pantry and refrigerator. Sort out the food items that you know you will consume, and throw away food that is stale, old, or impossible to make out. Create menus that use leftovers and canned or packaged goods that have been sitting in the pantry for goodness knows how long. Get in the habit of reviewing the pantry and refrigerator at least once a week in order to determine your grocery list.

Next: Assign Everything a Home

One step (drawer, cupboard or shelf) at a time

2011-12-08T14:32:00.001Z

Once you get started, it’s infectious; you’ll find it hard to avoid decluttering all sides at once. For example, you find a lone birthday candle in the cutlery drawer, so you go to the high cabinet that holds the party items, only to see a pack of biscuits that belongs in the cupboard where sits the pledge you forgot you stashed there while looking for the dustpan and brush a few days ago ... stop!

Declutter a single shelf, drawer or cupboard at a time, no exceptions. This is why we labelled one of the boxes to hold items to be put away in another location in the kitchen. Stick with your shelf until you're done, and then put away the items from the put-away boxes before moving on. You'll stay focused when you declutter one step at a time!

Decluttering step-by-step also provides a chance to break down a big job. If you also have the task of looking after little ones, declutter one drawer or shelf per cartoon film or sleepy time, deep-cleaning as you go. As my Dad always used to tell me “Slow and steady will win the race”, Trust me I have been there, excited about the prospect of a sparkly new kitchen, only to find my 3 year has decided to squash his sister in the toy box and refuse to let her out until she gives him his favourite car. Then having sorted that situation out, the prospect of going in to the kitchen again is far from the front of my mind, so the pots and pans just get shoved back in to the units – In a worse state than they were….just one step at a time.

Next: Sort then Purge