Handmade Gift Inspiration Week :: Day Five

Regular readers will know that for my last freebie draw I asked all entries to include ideas or links to tutorials showing gifts that will be Handmade this Christmas.This week my blog will be devoted to sharing the amazing ideas and craft work people linked to.I hope you all enjoy it and I hope it inspires you too :-)

First up today is a tutorial left in the comments section yesterday, it was suggested by SwirlyArts and is a very detailed how-to created by TipTopToppers, showing every step to create your very own gift box ::

Jojoebi is another generous crafter who left A LOT of links *thank you*...she is certainly going to be busy making gifts for Christmas!

Her son will be getting a play mat, via PlumPudding's blog ::

Two lucky toddlers will be getting some of Jojoebi's fabulous felt food ::

and two lucky little girls will each be getting a mermaid doll, which JoJoebi has turned into a PDF pattern, I LOVE her hair!

she's also making a super-hero cape for her nephew...I'd certainly like to see that when it's done :-)

Ann and Sam are also very busy preparing for Christmas, in the kitchen making Christmas cake and Piccalilli ::

and on the sewing machine making Japanese Room Slippers from a gorgeous etsy shop which is chock-full of inspiring patterns ::

Handmade Gift Inspiration Week :: Day Four

Regular readers will know that for my last freebie draw I asked all entries to include ideas or links to tutorials showing gifts that will be Handmade this Christmas.This week my blog will be devoted to sharing the amazing ideas and craft work people linked to.I hope you all enjoy it and I hope it inspires you too :-)

Greetings Art *hi!* very kindly left a link to a whole selection of tutorials on her blog, and there truly is something for every kind of crafter!

Papercrafters will love making post-it note books ::

Felt lovers will enjoy making bookmarks ::

People talented with The Hook will love this flower ::

and Fabric Addicts can get scrap happy with a new quilt block ::

Kelly kindly shared a couple of tutorials, both for sewers, the first is a pair of super-cute baby shoes from a blog called On Pins and Needles ::

and the second is for a yummy pin cushion from a blog called Bari J

which prompted the cogs in my memory (hey, I'm getting up early to do these posts!) to remember that Anna Marie Horner also has a Pincushion Tutorial...except I remembered wrong and it's actually Heather Bailey! oops!

Heather Bailey has a library of patterns to make on the right hand side of her blog, including a pincushion and some baby shoes, she also has some tutorials, I love this yo-yo making tutorial ::

And whilst I was on Anna Marie Horner's Blog, (looking for a pincushion, duh!) I re-discovered her owl ornament tutorial ::

AND a felt garland tutorial...

both just perfect for Gift Inspiration Week :-)

I'll stop here today, before my wonky memory leads me further into Blogworld...

Handmade Gift Inspiration Week :: Day Three

Regular readers will know that for my last freebie draw I asked all entries to include ideas or links to tutorials showing gifts that will be Handmade this Christmas.This week my blog will be devoted to sharing the amazing ideas and craft work people linked to.I hope you all enjoy it and I hope it inspires you too :-)

Today's first tutorial is one that I have found whilst wandering round Blogland.

It's on a blog called WhiMSy Love and it's a FANTASTIC tutorial for making felt toppers (for pencils, or for decorating cakes or cupcakes) There are loads of design ideas and would be a great introduction for crafters who are not yet accustomed to the wonderful world of felt craft :-)

Today's second, and final set of links, is from a very prolific crafter, one of the freebie winners: CiYou. Her blog is chock-a-block with crafting, there are no direct tutorials but there are loads of hints and tips throughout the blog. The following are the projects which caught my eye ::

hand carved rubber stamps which can be used to print onto fabric

mini fimo doughnuts on decorated pegs ::

and beautiful fabric flower brooches ::

ENJOY !

Handmade Gift Inspiration Week :: Day Two

Regular readers will know that for my last freebie draw I asked all entries to include ideas or links to tutorials showing gifts that will be Handmade this Christmas.
This week my blog will be devoted to sharing the amazing ideas and craft work people linked to.
I hope you all enjoy it and I hope it inspires you too :-)

No tutorial, but still inspirational, Gillian *Iheart crafts* has been sewing Christmas Decorations ::

3 Frogs shared another link, this time to a covered notebook on the Brassy Apple Blog

There isn't a tutorial yet BUT if you ask nicely Sarah may sort one out for us all, and then we too could make our own Christmas wreath ::


Embroidery next ::

Average Jane Crafter pointed me in the direction for this great free PDF to embroider for Christmas, from Nini Makes.


I'll be back with more tomorrow :-)

Handmade Gift Inspiration Week :: Day One

Regular readers will know that for my last freebie draw I asked all entries to include ideas or links to tutorials showing gifts that will be Handmade this Christmas.

This week my blog will be devoted to sharing the amazing ideas and craft work people linked to.

I hope you all enjoy it and I hope it inspires you too :-)

Shelley has been busy making Christmas Ornaments, look at her fab Snowman and Santa Claus ::

Ruthie linked to her blog and I LOVE this card she made

Ruthie uses a die-cutting machine to cut out felt letters...wouldn't that look fab on wrapped-up Christmas parcels?

3 Frogs linked to a tutorial to make a felt board ..... just like giant Fuzzy Felt! and whilst on the JCHandmade site I found a whole load of tutorials! These caught my eye ::

Wall Pocket Tidy Totes! such a GREAT tutorial :-) The JCHandmade blog is chock full of tutorials and eye candy so I'll leave you to go and browse :-)
See you tomorrow!

reindeers and robins

I've been busy sewing, snatching a few minutes here and there to stitch together some Christmas Ornaments.

Tomorrow is the start of Handmade Gift Inspiration Week, which is a rather grand title for my round up from all the comments left on my freebie post :-)
There are some great tutorials and inspiring pictures PLUS loads of new blogs to read.

the felt has taken over ....

My BIG felt delivery arrived....and it seems to have taken over my lounge!

Not a very glamorous craft area...just a couple of foldaway tables, completely covered with rainbows in the making...

The pictures are on my flickr with loads of notes if you wanna see more :-)

freebie winners

Our monitor is on the blink and everything is a funny pinky colour, so if the following photos look weird you know why!!!

I have had great fun reading everyone's comments and following links and looking at pictures...so much so that I am going to post all about them next week, a post a day, Monday to Friday...there are some great ideas so hopefully I'll see you next Monday for Day One :-)
But back to the winners......all the comments were printed out and popped in a jar ::

and I picked three winners at random and they are ::

Tara, (prize one)

Julie (prize two)

and Ciyou (prize three)

Sorry if you didn't win this time round....the next freebie is the first Thursday of December :-)

november freebie

In preparation for the Christmas season I decided to focus my November giveaway on supplies and people still having enough time to make a few gifts.

I think (and I know a lot of you agree!) that handmade gifts are much more special than shop bought gifts, whatever the level of skill the maker possesses.

With this in mind I have a selection of freebie prizes (the photos are all recycled from my website because it's too dark for photo taking!)

The prizes are ::

prize one :: 1x make-your-own flower brooch kit AND 1x ribbon pack

prize two :: 1x make-your-own owl kit AND 1x mini felt rainbow

prize three :: 1x make-your-own robin kit AND 1x bag of buttons

To enter :: leave a comment on this post telling everyone what gifts you are planning to make this Christmas season, better still leave links to tutorials, or your own blogs. It's the time of year where inspiration is more than welcome, so feel free to comment more than once but if you do each new comment MUST have a different link to a tutorial or idea....that way if people don't win a freebie they still get loads of new ideas!

Rules :: any one can enter from anywhere in the world BUT I must be able to contact them via the comment left.

Winners :: will be picked out of a hat at random

Closing Date :: end of Tuesday 11th November 2008

Winners announced :: Wednesday 12th November 2008

Good Luck!

**I will follow up this freebie with a list of all tutorials or blogs listed in the comments, so remember to pop back for some Christmas-y/Crafty inspiration**

catching up

phew----eeee I've been busy!

This weekend I had a rush order for 16 owl kits, to be couriered to Bermuda in a super quick time, ready for a crafty birthday party!

Today I have been trying to sort out my website...unfortunately Mr. Site. has broken (don't ask me !!) and two of my orders have got *lost* I have a paypal confirmation, but no details, so have no idea what the customers have bought! I spent a while chasing Mr. Site. on the phone but think they have more important things to fix before they find my lost orders!!

In the end I have emailed the people in question and asked them to email me their order..very unprofessional, but I don't have another option!

I've also been busy cutting out for my next batch of goodies....both my trays are full, one with mini fabric boxes in the making and one with more Christmas decorations.

Tomorrow I'm off work so can catch up with some sewing, and planning Novembers freebie, which has come around fast!!

flowery packages

The most frustrating thing about working and fitting paper-and-string around my job is the time it takes to finish a project...over the past 10 or so days I have been busy re-designing my brooch making kits...snatching time here and there to cut flowers, order bags, count brooch pins and print and cut lots of card :-)

'Tis hard for an impatient person like me!

But finally *yay!* they are finished....the end result is a pretty generous kit....enough supplies to make 5 brooches, and the finished brooches are made from 3 layers of felt and have that nice, heavy-good-quality feel about them...

I've made 12 different colourways and they are all listed here