Archive for the ‘Crafting’ Category
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Crafty times: the zipper flower part 2
Well crafters, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
The good news is, the zipper flower is done. Ish.
The bad news is that it just about defeated me and I’ve finished this project with one zipper amoeba and a whole new appreciation for Velcro, snaps and ties.
Zippers are a tricky business, and to turn one into a flower, well, I think that takes a little more dexterity than your correspondent here could muster. Only those who play fast and loose with the whole representational thing are likely to call my little craft a flower. It is a zipper amoeba.
Here’s how I did it, along with a few tips on how NOT to do yours.
First, I consulted a very handy tutorial on craftster.org. Once I had an idea of what I was doing (or thought I did), I gathered my crafting components: needle, thread, scissors and zipper. I had run out of black thread and so had to buy more, which nudged my costs above the £5 mark, but not too far out of reach: all in, my bill was £6.30.
Everything you need to make a zipper flower
Posted in Crafting, Fashion, Uncategorized
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Crafty Cheap Christmas Sweets
Generally, if you want to give a present that appeals to all ages, sexes and races and don’t have a budget of thousands of pounds, it has to conform to at least one of the holy trinity of gift ideals - impressiveness, cuteness or deliciousness. Case to point - in my previous post I told you all how to make a sockmonkey- a present that hits both the ‘aaah’ cute factor and - unless you are some stitching wizzkid - a certain amount of surprised adulation from your family that you actually made something other than a sandwich with your own fair hands.
In this post I am going to show you how to make three different types of edible Christmas treats, that when parcelled together with a bit of decoration can make a gift that is both impressive and yummy. Observe! My ginger biscuit, peppermint cream and chocolate truffle Christmas tree! (for want of a snappier name)
What do you need to make this sweetie stack?
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Crafty times: the zipper flower part 1
If there’s one thing you can rely on, it’s the fact that every December, most women buy a new dress for the Christmas-New Year party season… and most of us buy it in black.
But this year, I’ve got a bit of a problem. You see, I did a bit of a closet re-org last weekend and I counted EIGHT black dresses… none of which I’m prepared to part with. I also counted a great deal of non-black dresses, leading me directly to the conclusion that this year I will NOT buy a new dress.
What to do? Accessorise, my dears, I must accessorise… and happily enough, I know just how: with a zipper flower.
The raw materials... a zipper. Photo by Uwe Hermann @ Flickr.
Over the past few months, I’ve spotted zipper flowers on a few well-accessorised fashionistas around town. They’ve also been featured on some crafty/style blogs, like The Best of DIY and Chictopia. I even spotted a couple for sale in Topshop, but they don’t come cheap — the one I liked was £25!
Clearly, a bit of craftiness is in order if I want to update my party wardrobe on the cheap (and chic).
Can it be done? Absolutely, and I’m setting a spend limit of £5. I’ll post back with my results and the official OolaMoola zipper flower how-to.
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How to make a Sockmonkey
So Christmas is creeping up around the corner and you’re so deadly broke that a ‘night out’ has simply become a synonym for ‘watching Eastenders at a friends’ house’. Well fear not! For those of you who are short on funds but have plenty of time on your hands, I have the perfect gift idea.
Sockmonkeys make great toys for children (or, if your sewing skills are less robust) thoughtful presents for adults. I mean, that’s the joy of handmade things after all, so long as they aren’t utterly hideous beyond all redemption, the receiver will be so touched that you actually spent time - time that could have been spent googling your name or chewing your nails - thinking of them and repeatedly pricking your finger with a needle, they won’t care if their gift looks like a slightly wonky gangbanger (see below).
Anyway, I digress. How to make a Sockmonkey.
You will need socks (duh), pins, a needle and thread, cotton wool (or something to stuff it with) and buttons for eyes.
Posted in Crafting
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Learning to knit – part 2
Several weeks ago I wrote of my plan to learn to knit with Stitch & Bitch London.
Last night I attended my first Stitch & Bitch meeting where I met some very friendly and interesting people, including founding member Deadly Knitshade, who was to be my teacher for the evening.
I took part in a knitting lesson over a gin and tonic, and even managed a few stitches on my own (the bitching part comes naturally to me, so no pointers required there).
I showed up at the National Theatre’s Long Bar at about six o’clock. Deadly Knitshade (I really can’t get enough of the name!) told me she was expecting a crowd, as the South Bank venue was very popular with knitters… and she was right.
Posted in Crafting
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Learning to knit – part 1
Confession: I don’t know how to knit
My grandmother was a great knitter, clothing the young Sassy in gorgeous jumpers and jackets, keeping my closets full even as I lost and outgrew her work.
Posted in Crafting
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What 3 long pieces of jersey fabric can do..
Quick post: We love it when people try our tutorials - when you’ll see Gretchen’s version of BirdyMoola’s neck piece you’ll see why!
Gretchen writes: “I came across a tutorial for this necklace this morning and thought I just had to give it a try. It came out well. I think I will try making one thinner and longer. I know some people LOVE the chunky jewelry thing. I never jumped in on that. Anyways, all you do is cut 3 long peices of jersey fabric and braid them together! Give it a go!”
Let us know if you’ve made one too!
Posted in Crafting
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Make your own pottery for £12
Make your own pottery from OolaMoola on Vimeo.
My parents have been visiting the last two weeks to help me move. I needed to find something fun for us to do together as a family to thank them - the typical dinner out didn’t seem very creative (or affordable!). So when I came across Merton Abbey Mills‘ weekend market and learned about the £12 pottery classes in the Wheelhouse, I could not help but eying a massive opportunity to kill ‘three’ birds with one stone: Entertain the family, learn something new.. at the same time as adding some beautiful pottery to my glass cabinet.
Some of the beautiful pottery at Merton Abbey Mills
The classes are run by Stephen Llewellyn and cost only £12 per person for a 45 minutes session - this includes using the wheel, clay, as well as Stephen’s wonderful tutelage. As if that’s not enough, at the end of the session you’ll get to pick one of your masterpieces for firing and glazing, ready for pick up about 4 weeks later.
Pottery wheel
That’s me trying to shape the clay into something usable - with Stephen’s help. There’s a technique (or science?) to this - pressing the clay from the inside will force the clay to widen outwards, while adding pressure from the outside will make they clay rise upwards. Also - you’ve got to keep a very steady arm, using your right hand to shape the clay while your left hand should only to support your right hand so it keeps steady.
Mr. Teen gets help to shape the clay
Let me tell you - pottery is so much fun but it’s not easy at first! I find the whole concept of not using both hands very confusing, so I learned the hard way…
Doing it right - Doing it wrong..
The atmosphere in the Wheelhouse is historic and relaxed - dating back to 1885. Stephen was an amazing teacher, letting us know when we did well, and telling us not to worry when it all went awry: “It’s just a piece of clay,” he said with a smile as I tossed my fifth vase attempt in the recycle bin. Ay.
We had so much fun on our session. We even got to bring Flint The Wheaten to the session which was an added bonus to the family experience. My parents and Mr. Teen enjoyed themselves and they’re really excited to see the fnished result of their efforts when the clay has been glased and burned. Moolah well spent - so much better than a dinner out!
Below are a few of our finished pottery pieces that we get to pick up in about four weeks time. Don’t worry if you can’t choose just one of your beautiful creations though - you can have your other pottery glazed for only £3 per piece.
The results of our 45 min workshop!
I plan on going again soon - this is a great way to stock up precious Christmas presents (it’s never to early, is it?). And if you don’t want to bring your family around - it’s also a great start to a girl friend’s night out - or you can even bring a special date… there are excellent bars and restaurants in the area to visit afterwards.
Tip for you Londoners: There’s a festival in Colliers Wood this weekend. Get in line for a free ticket to try the pottery wheel this Saturday - show up around 10 to be sure you get on the wait list!
The Wheelhouse
Merton Abbey Mills
A24 Merantun Way (behind Sainsbury’s at Colliers Wood).
0208 647 0076 on weekdays/ 0208 543 6656 at weekends
Individual tuition is in a small group of up to four people. Classes are held from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, and at other times by arrangement.
The Wheelhouse accommodates only 4 people per session, so don’t leave the booking until it’s too late - two weeks in advance is usually enough time to get your reservation in.
http://www.stephenllewellynpottery.co.uk/
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Beauty, Crafting, Entertainment, Family
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Learning new crafty skills
There’s no two ways around it: I love craft. I could wax lyrical about cute crafty stuff that’s being made RIGHT NOW all over the world, but at the end of the day I always wish I could make more of my own stuff. And the only thing that’s really stopping me is knowledge and experience.
I’ve been a big fan of Sublime Stitching’s cool embroidery kits for a couple of years. In fact, I even own a mod ‘60s kit with graphics of scooters, targets and cute dolly birds. But the sad fact is that I don’t really know any embroidery stitches, and I’ve never used an embroidery hoop in my life. In the meantime, plans for making my own gifts (embroidered tea towels, pillowcases, T-shirts and baby all-in-ones), have been put on hold, whilst I continually resort to panicked present purchases at the last minute.
But that’s all about to change, because I’ve just enrolled in an embroidery workshop at The Make Lounge in North London. I’ve been meaning to check out The Make Lounge for a while now, so I’m pretty excited now I’m all signed up. I love the fact that all sorts of crafty groups have been sprouting up all over the world, where people get together to learn new (forgotten) skills and bond over slipped stitches and French knots. The Make Lounge offers a myriad of exciting craft classes, from making your own sexy knickers to creating your own festive fascinator. Click here to see their full line-up of workshops.
I’m hoping that I’ll finally get the confidence (and inspiration) to make some really beautiful, personal gifts for family and friends over the coming year. And maybe save some money while I’m at it!
The Make Lounge
49-51 Barnsbury Street
London N1 1TP
Tel. 020 7609 0275
Email: create@themakelounge.comAll images courtesy of The Make Lounge.
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DIY tutorial of the week: Miniature garden centrepiece
Here’s a tutorial just in time for London’s Chelsea Flower Show this week: your very own minature garden. I found it in the latest Cath Kidston magazine, and it combines my love for tiny gardens (I have a bit of a thing for terrariums) and all things retro and twee (finally – I can put all my vintage cake decorations to good use!).
The best thing about this tutorial is that it requires basically zero gardening skills (that’s good news for me), and it costs next to nothing to produce. In fact, I already had everything I needed to make this project, and I ended up with a lovely table centrepiece that will last for several weeks. There’s also an added bonus: the chance to enter the competition to win a £100 Cath Kidston gift voucher.
Click here for all the details on the Cath Kidston website.
Here’s how my garden worked out:
What you need:
• Newspaper
• Twigs, leaves, lawn moss, sand, gravel and pebbles gathered from the garden
• A large bowl, deep plate or foil baking tray
• Gravel and multipurpose compost
• Foil cake case or tin foil for the pond (I didn’t bother with a pond)
• Any small decorative figures, animals and scenery that may inspire you* (I used a tiny pebble country cottage and some vintage cake decorations)
• Water spray bottle*remember young children can choke on small items.
What to do:
1. Gardening, even in miniature, can be a messy job, so before you start, cover your work surface with paper.2. Until you’re ready to use them, stand twigs and leaves in a glass of water and leave the moss to soak.
3. Fill the container - use all compost or two-thirds gravel, then top up with compost to just below the rim. (I used all compost for my garden)
4. If you want a pond, sink a foil cake case or shaped tin foil into the compost. Fill with water once you’ve completed your garden. Plant twig trees, position pebble boulders, lay gravel paths and moss ‘grass’. Before using the moss, squeeze it gently to remove excess water.
5. To keep the greenery looking green, give your garden a spritz with water every day. You can stand the container on a windowsill, but keep it out of bright sunlight.
I experimented with the placement of my chalky rock (for my own rocky outcrop) and created little mounds with the compost to create little hills. I planted all the tiny ferns, grass and clover together to create the sense of a tiny forest – and place the little cottage in the middle of it. Then I added my vintage deer decorations for a touch of kitsch fauna and fun.
Total spent: £0
Cost of similar centrepiece from one of London’s top florists (based on quote): £80
Total saved: £80
Watch me in action - video coming soon!
