My First Tutorial!

Thank you for all the lovely comments last week about my gift tags. I realise that many of you have paper crafting skills that far exceed my own but Gertie asked how I had made them so here is a mini tutorial:

This is a selection of free papers that came with Craftseller magazine early this year. Each page is double sided and you get one side with greetings. I chose which greetings I wanted to use and carefully cut them out, and then chose which paper I was going to use.

I bought some plain parcel labels from Amazon and my Mum kindly gave me this sticky stuff dispenser that she uses in her card making. As you can just about see in this picture, I ran the glue around the edges of the label.

You then place the label sticky side down onto the paper that you want to use. As I said, these pages are double sided so although this pattern is lovely, I'm actually using the other side. You then carefully cut around the label.

I then put the glue along the edges of the greeting that I wanted to use.

Voila! Couldn't be simpler really although I was surprised when Mum showed me just how easy this was.

You could obviously embellish the labels further with crystals, buttons, ribbons - whatever your stash allows. And I have a stamp that I will use on the back that says "To.......... From..........". I just need to finish making the presents now, then I can wrap and label them!

In other crafty news, for Think Pink week at work, we've been wearing Pink shirts and eating pink cakes so I made a contribution.....

I intended to make some cakes with pink butter icing but I was a little heavy handed with the food colouring!

The boys didn't care though.

I also made a quick bag for a friend to go with her Halloween costume - she's going as Cruella De Ville!

It's just a quick and easy drawstring bag for her to keep her camera in. I can't wait to see her fully dressed - I managed to get myself invited to the party too and will look gorgeous in a pumpkin outfit!

It being Sunday, I'll be linking up with the other crafters at Handmade Monday (
http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/). Lets all gather around the Internet to think lovely, crafty thoughts while the storm is in full swing!

Love Natalie

A Papercrafting Success!

A couple of weeks ago, Mum showed me how to make lovely gift tags with simple paper layering techniques, and during the week I had a go at it myself - with great results! I know that they are not at all complicated but it's a first for me and I intend to try and make a few more fancy ones. I used the free papers that you get with various magazines - I have always kept them, knowing that they would come in handy one day. So here are the results.

A couple of Christmas ones....

 And a few birthday ones....

And not a week can pass without some cake making - this week, I tried a Nigella recipe that I've not come across before. They were Banana Butterscotch Muffins ( the recipe can be found here http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/banana-and-butterscotch-muffins-84), though I substituted the butterscotch for chocolate chips (because I had some). They were delicious, and a great way to use up bananas that are past there best.

It's such a shame that the weather has taken a turn for the worse but there is a plus side - you don't have to feel guilty about staying in and crafting if its cold and rainy outside!

Join me over at Handmade Monday to catch up on all the crafting that's been going on this week.

Love Natalie

No rest for the wicked!

Would you all like to remind me that I was the person longing to get the kids back to school so that some normality (whatever that is) and structure could resume. Oh how I long for the holiday days, where no-one has a club/friend for tea/sleepover/late kick off footie match! I'm as prepared as the next person for the growing up of my sons but........ my brain is about to explode trying to co-ordinate who is where, when, and how. Add into the mix the odd birthday and the chance for me to do anything I might like to before I fall asleep in front of a TV programme that I REALLY wanted to watch is slim. Hence not a lot of crafting to report on.

Like all good multi-taskers, I have managed to squeeze a little bit in. I have made 2 Quilters Trugs, one for a friend's Gran's 99th birthday and 1 for BFF.

I have also been working on the shawl I've been asked to make for the aforementioned Gran, and I have started work on the ***** that I'm making for ****** for Christmas. I have a couple of other gifts to make too, and I have also bought some parcel labels which I intend to turn into fabulous gift tags having had a quick paper crafting lesson from my Mum. I hope to find the time anyway!

Finally, I'd like to share a photo of the cake number 2 son wanted for his birthday.

Buttercream and Tangfastics - what more could a 10 year old ask for?

I hope you've been having a rather less chaotic week than me. Join me over at Handmade Monday for a quiet catch up on all things crafty.

Love Natalie