B.M.W.B - Ultimately Easy Decorations

Oh the joy of using a bag of awful, ugly, kind-of-embarrassed-to-own them beads.

Take aforementioned beads, add cookie cutters, and 180 degrees in the oven, on baking paper and a tray for about 15-20 minutes.

I weighed up the likelihood of the beads spontaneously com-busting in the oven and killing us all with noxious gases and decided - what the heck, let's give it a go. The cheaper beads smelled a bit like crayons - the others were a bit whiffy but I ventilated well and sent the boys to play while they cooked so only I would die - I'm unselfish like that!

Pulling the cookie cutters off afterwards was mainly easy - some needed a little encouragement.

Get daddy to drill carefully, add string = cute, slightly pop-art style decorations for the tree. (Word to the wise sticking a toothpick in to make the hole while they are warm just means it sets in there.)

We will be making more of these for sure, provided the drilling part works...!

The Atlas commented they'd make great brooches too. The way the colours look on the back makes me very happy. They remind me a lot of Alex Fulton's style (which I am quite partial to!).

The sheep is my favourite but as Bounce made it I know I'll never get my mits on it for brooch making.

The boys are so thrilled and I loved that I saw the idea during the day, Bounce and I sorted beads and we made them after school together.

They are going to be so pleased to see their handy work hanging on the tree this year.

(did you enter my giveaway already?)

Becoming the Mama I want to be is about taking time to enjoy the journey of parenting, to honour it's value and to hopefully inspire and encourage each other. 

Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be

Button code on the right if you want it

Love you more than a craft project that goes better than expected xxxx

Matariki Craft - For Those Without Skills

When I saw Juliet's line up for the Matariki Craft Blog Hop and her idea that 'a tutorial might be nice'. I did what any self-respecting, self-obsessed, lacking-in-skill crafter would do in such a situation and thought, 'oh cr*p! I should never have said yes!'

So.... with that wonderful and faith-inspiring start here is my M.C.B.H post (you know I already got tired of writing all those words!). This is a craft and tutorial for people like me who are fast, cheap, and low in the skills department....(I am speaking of craft-approach here may I add!).

Welcome to DIY Silhouette Hoops

 Can you trace? Can you iron? (note, I am not asking do you iron - that is a whole other question. Do you own an iron?) Are your cutting out skills pretty awesome? Are you a dab hand with a glue gun or a simple gathering stitch?

Yes? Super, you too will be able to whip up 17 of these before the linky party begins on 26th of June.

You need:
Side profile photo of a person/child/animal...... this can be on your computer or printed
Bakers paper (or similar for tracing)
Scissors - I did the whole thing with dodgy paper scissors
Small square of HeatnBond (or similar - it's iron on stuff that sticks fabric to fabric) you can get it here
Small embroidery hoop or a small picture frame would work
Pencil
Piece of fabric large enough to fit in the hoop or frame
Piece of contrast (black in this instance) fabric large enough for the head

Let the magic begin

1. With the photo on screen use the zoom in/out function (usually a slider thing at the bottom of the screen) to get your photo to the right size.

2. Hold/ Blue Tack/ Tape your photo above and trace around the face carefully trying to get details accurate

3. Cut out carefully

4. Using the bakers paper silhouette trace around this onto the backing paper of the HeatnBond - if you want the face to be facing (ho, ho pun intended!) a particular way reverse the direction it is facing on this step.(Confused?? Logical directions have never been my strong suit!)

5. Iron the HeatnBond onto the square of black/contrast fabric

6. Cut out carefully, peel off baking paper

7. Iron this on to your larger fabric (shiny side down)

8. Put in hoop

9. With the extra 'frill of fabric' either - cut out leaving a small edge all round and glue this to the inside of the embroidery hoop OR whip a gathering or running stitch around and draw up.

DONE! I know easy right? (also you can possibly see why I don't usually write tutorials!)

Extra for experts: (can you tell I was a teacher in a past life?)

• Turn these into cushions as I did for my boys last year - using fabric to represents the subject's interests (I did stitch over the faces on these for my own piece of mind - a little nose peeling back would be impossible to resist picking at)
• Embroider a name/ quote/ message
• Make a family portrait wall with a hoop for each family member - it would be nice to let them choose the fabric and write on the back of the hoop the name and age of each person
• Turn these into blocks for a family quilt - I can imagine this one being a hit with a grandparent who had a lot of grandbabies (and easy to do with families in different locations because they could email in photos or all make their own blocks)

I think this craft is perfect if you've lost your sewing mojo - or if you never had any sewing mojo. It's so personal and special and handmade and yet - quick, easy, cheap. What's not to love? Apart from the HeatnBond you might just have all of this already in your 'craft kit'.

Make sure you get involved with linking up your winter projects at the end for a chance to win exciting prizes. And if you feel especially magnanimous you could make one of these and then I will feel way more successful than I should :o) oh, oh and pin it too if you think you might make it later, because it's good for my self-esteem ;o)!!

Also sharing, as I do on Thursdays, with Show N Tell. If you're crafty and you know it strut your stuff!

Pop over tomorrow to see what the VERY talented Leonie is crafting, be prepared to feel impressed - I always do when I see what she makes.

Make My Week - Neon Sparkle

I've seen some cool shoe makeovers lately so I thought I'd have a go at my own.

I bought way too much glitter, as you do I thought shoes would take up a lot more glitter than they did

I masking taped off the sections I didn't want to get coated

I started with a mixed coat of glue and glitter

then added straight glitter

glued over the top and waited

then I gave them a spray coat of clear varnish to finish them off

for $3 shoes and about $5 worth of glitter I think they are a bit of fun

Joining in with crafty Show n Tell - click on the button on the right and see what Leonie and other lovelies have been up to