Gift Guide 2011 - She sews...

Holiday help is here! Over the next few days I will be sharing with you my favourite gift ideas of the season. The best part is that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home as they are all available online. From stocking fillers to finding that elusive gift you know you have seen on a blog but can't remember where!

She sews...

1. The Crochet kit in a book tin is a wonderful printed tin gift set that is a perfect introduction to the traditional art of crocheting, full of all the supplies you need to make a colourful patch cushion. 2. We have all seen the beautiful ribbons wrapped around bobbins this year in blogland, and this white ribbon holder from Tilda is a pretty yet practical way to store them. 3. Every seamstress needs a tape measure and this tea roses tape measure from Cath Kidston is pretty neat.

4. I love my polka dot, duck egg embroidery scissors for crafts on the move; they came in pretty handy as I was stitching my felt birds on my train journey to work! 5. The mini book pink pin tin is so super cute you would want to keep it on display in your craft corner. 6. This ever so pretty Summer blues tin set is on my Christmas wish list as I think they would be perfect to store my craft bits and bobs in and will add print and colour to my open shelves.

7. Wooden bobbins are the perfect way to store ribbons, so why not buy some gorgeous ribbon and wrap them around the bobbins to give as gifts! 8. & 10. The sewing needles and embroidery needles that come in candy coloured pebble holders mean you always have the right needle for the right job. 9. The pink Flamingo pin cushion is a fun, quirky addition to any sewing basket.

11. For those who love an enamel tin there's the House Doctor sewing kit tin at only £6! 12. Who doesn't love some kitsch pom pom trim in their lives and this blue pom pom ribbon from Sass & Belle comes wound on cute card. 13. The pretty Rose tape from Japan is perfect for the washi tape lover!

Happy shopping!

Call me Cupcake

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you the gorgeous white dessert table from the very talented Linda of Call me cupcake.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (clockwise from top left):

• The gorgeous labelled jars in Candy
• The beautifully piped Red velvet cupcakes
• The exquisite glass cake stand piled high with Vanilla macarons
• The delicate Lace peony cake

Have a sweet day!

Pink glittery deer ornament

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working on some handmade Christmas decorations to fit in with my Winter Wonderland colour palette and theme. Next up is the pink glittery deer ornament to hang on my Christmas tree. I want to use lots of my Christmas tree decorations from last year but I also want to inject some pink colour into my decorations, so I painted and glittered some inexpensive craft deer ornaments pink.

Christmas decoration : Pink glittery deer ornament
Tools and Materials

• Wooden deer
• Pink Clematis tester pot of paint
• PVA glue
• Pink glitter
• Pink bakers twine
• Scissors
• Small paint brush

Pink glittery deer ornament, How-to step by step

Start by carefully painting the deer in pink paint using a small paint brush, ensuring to get into all the fret work, and leave to dry. Brush PVA glue onto painted deer and immediately sprinkle with pink glitter before the glue starts to dry. Tap string holding deer lightly to remove excess glitter and hang up to dry. Once dry, remove silver string and replace with pink and white bakers twine, securing the ends with a knot.

Tip
I hold my deer over a clean small plastic pot when sprinkling with glitter to catch any excess glitter so it can be reused.

Here are my hand painted glittered and marbled snowflakes from last year:

Glittered snowflakes

Glass marbled snowflakes

Have a sweet day!

Bird house key hooks

Today I am sharing with you my bird house key hook tutorial that I did for Heart Home Magazine. So, if you missed it, here it is...

Bird house key rack
Materials

• Six wooden craft birdhouses
• White undercoat paint
• Six picture hooks
• Wooden board (68.5 cm x 14 cm)
• Rolls of Japanese washi tape
• PVA glue
• 2 screws

Equipment

• Paint brush
• Craft knife
• Drill / hammer

Bird house key hooks, how to



Drill small hole in top of wooden perch and lightly tap picture hook into drilled hole. Paint house and hook with white paint, and leave to dry.




Starting on the outside edge of the roof, carefully stick lines of masking tape to roof. Tuck tape under roof and trim off any excess. Starting at the bottom of the house, stick lines of masking tape on front of house.




Cover entire front of house in masking tape and trim off any excess. Cut lines into the masking tape where it covers the hole and press masking tape through so the hole is exposed. Cover sides of house in masking tape and trim off any excess.




Cover base in masking tape and trim off any excess. Coat house with PVA glue in sections and leave to dry - this ensures that they do not stick to the surface you are drying them on.




Paint wooden board in white paint and drill two mounting holes, one at each side. Carefully glue houses to wooden board using PVA wood glue and leave to dry. Screw board to wall and hang keys!

*Key rings from Cath Kidston, that I have collected over several years.

Have a sweet day!

Polka dot print deer

I love having lots of deer decor around my home at Christmas so this year I bought some wooden deer figures which I painted white then added some pretty polka dots using my favourite craft crush, Japanese washi masking tape. Now they are perfect for my Winter Wonderland colour palette and theme. Hmmm, what else can I do with my washi tape collection?

Christmas decoration : Polka dot print deer
Tools and Materials

• Wooden figure deer
• Pink Clematis tester pot of paint
• White undercoat paint for wood
• Pink dot MT washi tape
• Green dot MT washi tape
• Pink ultra fine glitter
• Pale aqua ultra fine glitter
• PVA glue or tacky glue
• Craft knife
• Small paint brush

Polka dot print deer, How-to step by step

Start by painting entire deer white and leave it to dry. Carefully paint the sides of the wooden deer in pink paint using a small paint brush and leave to dry. Then cover the front of the deer in strips of polka dot washi masking tape, making sure you line the pattern up.



Using a craft knife, carefully trim around the edges of the deer to remove excess tape. Turn deer over and, as before, cover back with printed washi tape and trim. Coat front and back in PVA glue to give it a protective coating and leave to dry. Brush PVA glue onto pink-painted sides of deer (except bottom so it stands flat) and immediately sprinkle with pink glitter before the glue starts to dry. Tap deer lightly to remove excess glitter and leave to dry.






Have a sweet day!

Berry Red

Today on shops i love, I bring you the bright and beautiful lifestyle store, Berry Red. They have a brick and mortar store in Hereford, England but there's also a fabulous online store with loads of my favourite brands, like Nordal, Green Gate, House Doctor and Rice DK to name a few.

Their emphasis is on colour and pattern, from Green Gate's pretty patterned stoneware to Cath Kidston's retro printed Roberts Radios. Everything is beautifully styled and photographed and the site is a delight to peruse. I am loving the mini fir trees planted in whimsical woven baskets adorned with cute pink and red birds, and the colourful cluster of frames I featured a few weeks back from Nordal.

Have a sweet day!

More pretty baking supplies

I plan to make lots of sweet treats in my kitchen this Christmas using my beloved duck egg blue Kitchen Aid, a Christmas gift from last year. Oh, how I love it!



I have wanted American style, retro striped paper straws that I am sure you have all seen in wonderful blogs the world over for ages now. Christmas seemed like a good excuse to finally get some, so I opted for pink, turquoise and green to fit in with my Winter Wonderland Christmas colour palette and will be using them to make my lollipops sticks super cute!



I also bought some bakers twine in matching colours to tie around my cookies, hang my hand made tree decorations from, and to adorn gifts!



When I saw these pretty twist ties on Etsy I just had to have them! I mean who knew they came in such sugary colours? I will be using them to keep my sweet treats fresh and pretty!



Winter Bird Tin, because I needed somewhere to store my mince pies, and it was too perfect for me to resist...

Have a sweet day!