Let's meet: DaphneRosa

This month we have finally featured the lovely Kate from DaphneRosa.  Her bouquets are just plain beautiful and the perfect alternative to the usual flowers for your special day, especially if like H you have hayfever!  We caught up with Kate after another successful wedding fair and had a chat about what she is up to and what's next!

Who's Your Solemate? with Wynsors Shoes

It is not often in life that you get moments that so heavily effect your future in such an amazing way, you can't imagine your life if it didn't happen. I feel like that about the moment H and I met. If you have been reading our blog for a while you will know that we met over 15 years ago at college, we sat next to each other on our first day and have never looked back. We have been through make ups,  break ups, weddings, divorces, living round the corner from each other and living hundreds of miles apart, but one thing that has never changed is the passions that we share and our soul-mate status.

Craft Swap: H

You may have seen last month's Craft Swap that Sammy posted, now this month is my turn with the items that Sammy gave me.

Sammy gave me: Kids Craft Mod Roc, fabric scraps, coloured labels, grey leather style material, blue spot paper, orange honeycomb pom pom, web paper, round cork board, plastic animals, fabric rosettes, blue cord, blue chevron ribbon, gold paper clips, round box with mini pegs inside, silver clips and 2 wooden shape cut-outs.

There was a lot there!  So first I went through everything and came up with a list of ideas, some of these will definitely be tutorials later on I think, but for this post I went with 3 ideas to keep it simple.  At least I know I have a stash of items for future posts! ha ha.

First, I decided on using the round cork board and grey leather style material.  This is not quite Leather, but a synthetic lookalike version.  I thought that it would be good to make a mouse mat for my new Laptop table I got as a Christmas present.  My mouse sometimes doesn't like the wooden surface and it would give me extra space to use a mouse on the table.  As I wanted the mouse mat to sit next to my laptop, I cut off a slice of the cork board with a craft knife to make a straight side.  Then I just gave it a quick sand down so that cork bits did not go everywhere and gave it a nice straight side to push up against my laptop when in use.  I then used some HT2 glue from my stash to glue the leather like material on top and using the craft knife I cut around it, so that it was exactly the right size.  I think this came out very well and its just what I needed, so even better.

Next up, it couldn't be me at the moment without a plant, I am a bit obsessed with surrounding myself with fake and real plants.  I really wanted to use the mod roc for something other than the usual masks or bowls and so I came up with this white cacti to add to my collection.  I first made a structure out of newspaper and kept it in place using masking tape.  I then followed the instructions to add the mod roc to the structure and smoothed it down as much as possible.  I then left it to dry for a good 24 hours and gave it a quick coat of white paint from my stash on top of the already white mod roc.  I just wanted to make sure it was all covered, I did think of painting it a different colour, so maybe I will change up the colour every now and again, but for now white.  I then added it to a small pot I had been given as a gift from a friend (which is from Anthropologie) and some small stones to keep it in place and add to the look.

My last swap project is this cute animal keyring for my bin store key.  It is just one key on its own and so I keep misplacing it and so the animals were going to make the perfect keyring idea.  Sammy gave me a hedgehog, fox and rabbit plastic animal and so I chose this fox, as foxes go for the bins?!  Its the small things in my head!  Anyway, I had some eye screw & ring's from Willko which have been laying around for ages and so I decided to use one for the fox.  I simply just screwed it into the top of the plastic animal and added a bit of glue to keep it in place.  A very quick project to make your own keyrings or even a necklace if you wanted as the ring can be added to a chain.

I hope you liked the projects I made with the Craft Swap items, what would you have made?  We would love this to become something that everyone can get involved in, if you have a friend that you can do a swap with we would love to see your makes!  Tag us in your pictures @liveit.loveit.makeit on Instagram and use the #lilimicraftswap so we can see and share them with everyone. 

If you are a blogger and would like to get involved in our craft swap please get in touch via email liveit.loveit.makeit@gmail.com so we can feature them here or pair you up with another blogger. 

Don't forget to come back next week, to see who will make the next Craft Swap.

H,xxx

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Visit List

Today I thought I would share a little visit list I have been making, I have some time off coming in March and I really want to make some time to go exploring and visit some places I have been meaning to go to for a while now and who doesn't love a day trip.

First up on the list is the De La Warr Pavilion, one of the most iconic Modernist buildings in Britain. I have been meaning to go for ages and so I think I will make the effort to get myself down to Bexhill on Sea to see this place.  I love architecture and it always gives me a creative boost, so I think a sketchbook and camera will be taken with me too.

On the way back I might as well pop into Brighton!  Ok, so it's a bit of a detour, so maybe another day trip, but always worth the effort. I love the sound of the sea and busy city life and so Brighton has both in spades.  A walk along the promenade is always good too, maybe with a warm doughnut or two.

Last on this list is Ditching Museum of Art & Design, again, another one I keep meaning to get myself down to.  Currently there are trying to fund a large steamrollered lino print - closes tomorrow though - 23rd February, so do go donate before you miss out.  I love the idea of using a steam roller as a large printing press and have seen other artists do it and so it would be great to see them get the money to be able to do it too.  I follow there instagram and they always have great activity ideas and so I think a little look at the museum would be good too.

So really, its a set of three inspiration trips planned for some days off!  Well, why not.  I do love to go exploring and it feels like winter stops it too much, fingers crossed for good weather.  What's on your list of must-see places?

H,xxx

Picture credits from top: www.dlwp.com, www.visitbrighton.com, www.ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk.

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Make it: T-shirt quilt - Recycle Devon

We know we are not alone in our hoarding tendencies; we all have a stack of clothes that we can’t bear to part with, but know we will never wear again; for me it is a bunch of fun logo t-shirts I used to wear when I worked in my local pub. I had a uniform of black combats, turquoise hair extensions and cute t-shirts, don’t judge me it was like 2002! I didn't keep all of them but I have kept a hold of my favourites, the ones that carry the best memories. They have been in a box in the loft for ages so when we were approached by the lovely people at Recycle Devon about an up-cycling post I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This t-shirt quilt gives you the opportunity to make use of those old clothes whilst keeping a hold of the memories, which is a winning combination for me!

You will need:

At least nine old t-shirts, an old throw or fabric to use as backing, fabric scissors, needle and thread, pins, embroidery thread and a sewing machine (optional)

Step 1. Use the t-shirt with the largest logo and cut a square around it.

Step 2. Use that as a template to cut the other t-shirts to the same size.

Step 3. Once you have cut all the t-shirts to size lay them out on the floor and arrange them in a display that you like, balancing the colours and logos until you are happy with it.  

Step 4. Take a photo on your phone to remind you how you laid it out then place the top left and top center t-shirts right sides together.

Step 5. Pin down the edge of the two squares.

Step 6. Sew with a slight zig zag stitch along the edge you have pinned about 1cm in from the raw edge.

Step 7. Open out the pieces

Step 8. Then iron the seam flat then join the next square to the two you have already sewn together.

Step 9. Move on to the next row joining the first two squares then the third square in to strips. Once you have all your strips ready you can place them right sides together matching up the seams.

Step 10. Pin the strips together and sew all the way along the edge. Then unfold and pin the next strip in place and sew.

Step 11. Unfold and you should have the front of your quilt.

Step 12. With right sides facing pin the front of your quilt to the throw or your backing fabric of choice then pin and sew around all four edges, leaving a small gap in one edge so you can turn it through.

Step 13. Trim away any excess seams and the corners to make the edges less bulky then turn it right side out by pulling it through the gap you left open in the edge.

Step 14. Hand stitch the gap close with some neat hand sewing.

Step 15. To stop the layers sliding around take a length of embroidery thread and at the corners of the squares stitch the thread through the fabric.

Step 16. Tie the length of thread in a double knot and trim the ends to about a centimeter long.  

And there you have it, the perfect memento to snuggle under and read a good book. I am actually going to keep mine in my husband’s car to snuggle under on our road trips. We want to know what you have in your home that you can’t bear to part with. Give a thought as to how you could re-purpose it and make it in to something you can love all over again.

Sammy and H xxx  

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Live it: Pottery class

 

We all by now will know that since The Great Pottery Throw down programme last year - Pottery has had somewhat of a revival. I have seen so many designer/makers and people I follow on instagram doing it too, so I must be in good company.  It has been something that I have done in the past and I work with clay a lot with in my job, but I wanted to do something just for me and so a course at Farnham Maltings for a Christmas present from my parents, was just the motivation I needed.

 

So with that in mind, I thought a little show and tell might be nice for today's post.  I have had a lot of fun and worked with Porcelain slip and moulds, the wheel and rolling out of clay.  Some techniques I already knew and others were very different.  It was a great chance to have a go at using the wheel a lot too and as the picture top right shows, I clearly have a preferred choice of style pot!

 

I am still waiting for them to be fired with the glaze on - fingers crossed none of them stick to the kiln!  I think my favourite thing to do was use the wheel and after that I loved slip pouring the porcelain and making that cool looking polystyrene cup out of clay.  I am sure I will instagram them all when and if they make it out of the kiln at the end!  A few birthday presents in there I am sure.

 

I think a course like this definitely focuses the mind.  This one was only 5 weeks, which was quite short, but gave a good taste to it.  Maybe a longer one next time.  I want to make lots of pots!

 

H,xxx

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DIY's I Want to Try February

Peg Board Sign via Lovely Indeed  //  Gold Leaf Chocs via The Craftted Life  //  Geometric Candle Holders via Homey Oh My  //  Paperbag Planters via Paper and Stitch

A quick little post for today, a selection of DIY's that are on my to-do list. I love this peg board sign, the perfect combination of statement and storage. These chocolates are so cute and remind me of the ones I bought as a gift for my mum before Christmas and so I am looking forward to having a go at making my own now. How yummy are these candle holders! So simple but they look so classy and these adorable paper bag planters look like so much fun.

Are you planning a romantic weekend with your valentine? Or are you going to be DIYing all weekend like me? I will be cooking our usual Claridge pie on Sunday to celebrate with my lovely Hubby, but I have to have something to do whilst he plays X-com all day, hehe. Have a good one whatever you have planned.

Sammy xxx


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Make it: Plants DIY

You must have noticed that plants are taking over the world at the moment, it started with succulents in cute pots and then over to terrariums.  I am not a green fingered person and so I am starting with some succulents and a spider plant or two, but I have been known to kill cacti before and so I am not sure how long either will last.

February Food Roundup

Hello there and have I got a treat for you this month, pictures of food I have actually made!  Yes, you heard that right.  I have been trying to get my effort levels up of actually cooking and taking a few snaps for this section of the blog.  I can't promise it will happen every month, but I am trying, honest.

First up is this vegetable base that I use for soups, curry and ratatouille.  Its simple really, put all the vegetables in the pan to cook and take out batches for each of the other desired recipes.  This is batch cooking at its best.  I have been trying to get more of this done as not only is it cheaper, but it helps to get through all the vegetables!  Because seriously, have you seen the size of a Butternut squash, it keeps me going for days!

Next up is one of my favourite Saturday night treats, it was always Pizza night on a Saturday growing up and so just because I can't have cows milk, does not mean I should miss out.  Simply pittas, peppers, spinach and goats cheese with a tomato paste base and we are all good.

We go back to breakfast with this one and mushed up avocado on toast with poached eggs, oh yes!  Sometimes I add a bit of smoked salmon too, but it tastes just great the way it is here too.

Lastly is a recipe I adapted from a new you tube obsession of mine, The Domestic Geek has some great meal plan ideas and lots of food to put in jars.  She has spurred me on to plan a bit more for the week too, so it can't be bad.  This Mushroom, spinach and goats cheese pasta is great for lunches, next time I am thinking to add some peppers aswell - why not just add more vegetables in!  The original recipe has Gorgonzola and beef added into it, so check out her channel for more inspiration.

That's all for this month.  It's made me want it all again now.  It's one of the domestic geek's salad ideas for lunch though, so not all bad.

What's your favourite?  Are there any other chefs or you tube channels I should check out?

H, xxx 

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Life Update February

One minute and we were all complaining January would never end then all of a sudden here we are almost one week into February! One thing is for sure we managed to cram a whole lot into last month, so lets catch up.

Sammy:  I have been busier than a busy person in Busyville so far this year, and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down any time soon, but that is just how I like it. Working from home and the new Sew Crafty HQ is the best thing, I feel very productive and motivated. I love the Pantone colours of the year this time around and I have been using them to promote some of our gorgeous products at work. We have also been getting in some new products like these patterns from Colette. I was really excited as soon as I heard that they were selling some of their patterns in plus sizes, I just had to get them in.

I had been lusting after a pair of Charlotte Olympia cat shoes for years and although I love them, I just cant justify the price tag so I got around to making a pair. Now I can't stop wearing them. The other thing I forced myself to do last month was tidy my craft room. I had to get it presentable enough to take some photos that I had been putting off for months, but it is all clean and tidy now and I came across loads of stuff I had forgotten all about so it really was worth it.

H: This month has been a bit quiet for me, as work has been so busy, but I have bought a few treats to keep my flat in new items! Of course.  These Studio Matryoshka animals have been on my list for a while and when I didn't get them for Christmas, the perfect sale opportunity meant they got snapped up!  They look so good with my gallery wall too!  Another cheeky purchase was this jumper from rad, again another sale bargain.  It's become my blogging jumper! Just give me more tea.

I have been getting on with my pottery course this month and this is some of what I have made.  Can't wait to get glazing in our last week next week.  Le pain quotidian is fast becoming one of my favourite places to go as it has a great selection of items that are dairy free! I do love going to more independent restaurants, but sometimes when you just want to eat somewhere you don't have to think about, this is a good stop. You can't beat a bit of brunch for dinner either.

Also this month we had one of our projects put into Mollie Makes in Slovakia!  This little project was a subscription bonus project for the UK Mollie Makes last year, but great to see it in print in another language.  We were also in the UK Mollie Makes again this month, with these cute mug cosies. Then last but not least the pattern that Sammy with her Sew Crafty hat designed for Simply Sewing Magazine was released with the latest copy of the mag ( issue 13) Excited does not even cover it!

So that was our January, let us know in the comments what you got up to this month.
Sammy and H xxx


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Make it: Weaving in the Round

Ever since I spent a week driving to and from Austria a couple of years ago I have loved weaving. I took a small loom and some yarn in the car and learnt a few basic techniques whilst my Husband drove down the autobahn.  I have loved learning a new crafty skill and really enjoy being able to do something with wool and fibres that I wouldn't knit or crochet with.

Anyway, I recently saw a pin that made me very excited. It showed an embroidery hoop being used as a round loom! My little mind was blown (it doesn't take much these days) after some research I had a go and now I am hooked on weaving all over again.

Now that I have practised a little, I thought it would be something that you guys might like to try too. Once you have the basics down I bet you will be as addicted as me!

You will need: An embroidery hoop (the one I have used here is a 10") strong string or thread, a selection of yarns, a wool needle or bodkin and some small scissors.

Step 1. Take the outer ring off the hoop and put it to one side, take the thread and tie it around the edge of the inner hoop leaving a inch or so of thread to tie later.
Step 2. Pull the thread straight down over the bottom of the opposite edge of the hoop, take it over the edge and to the back.
Step 3. Bring the thread up and over the downward thread.
Step 4. Then bring the thread over the front of the hoop about 1 inch away from where you started.

Step 5. Continue taking the thread over the edge and over the other side in a figure of 8.
Step 6. Make sure to keep the centre crossing over, until you reach all the way around the hoop.
Step 7. Before threading the last strand take the thread around the centre a couple of times to keep it all together.
Step 8. Take the last strand up to meet the first thread and tie it to the end you left at the beginning.

Step 9. It should look something like this, you can choose to put your threads closer together but I would start with them at this width as it doesn't take too long to finish.
Step 10. Starting at the centre, take a length of yarn on a wool needle and start threading in and out through the strands.
Step 11. Keep threading in and out back and forth.
Step 12. Use your needle to keep the yarn tight to the centre and keep moving around the hoop.

Step 13. To finish off each colour simply thread the yarn back down in through the previous layers and snip away the excess.
Step 14. Keep going, changing colour when you want to. Mix it up with different colours and textures to keep it interesting.

These are some ideas for simple versions using regular and chunky yarns but they would also look great with some more textured yarns, ribbons or fabric scraps. You can of course take them out of the hoops and use them as place mats and coasters, but I love the look of them as art on my walls in the hoops. They would bring a quick splash of colour to any space for very little cost, always a winner in my book!

For more instructions on weaving and different kinds of techniques check out this cool blog The Weaving Room, Kate has lots of really great tutorials and videos on lots of different kinds of weaving.

As always, if you have a go at this tutorial please #livelovemake on Instagram or Twitter, as we would love to see them.

Sammy xxx


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Pinch, Punch, first of the month

Hey there and welcome to February and that good old phrase 'pinch, punch, first of the month'!  I don't know about you but this is when I really get stuck into the year.  I find that January is just all a bit lacklustre, after all the fun of December, January is full of lack of money, depressing weather days, the thought that we didn't do enough with the last year and the promise of more, just not knowing how to go about doing it.

February however is still cold but has brighter days, there is Pancake day and bright and colourful Chinese New Year and this year we have a Leap year, so an extra day of fun to the month.  I just feel that February is full of so much more promise and I really want to get stuck in to making and planning.

You may have noticed a few more fun posts around here starting to happen and we are busy working behind the scenes on lots more fun content for you, anything you would like to see?  Let us know in the comments below.

We are working on some fun new projects too, so look out for those.  Sammy has been working on loads of fun ones for Sew Crafty too - her own Dress Pattern for Simply Sewing magazine amongst one!!!  How exciting and I really couldn't be prouder of her! xxx

We have booked our summer holiday with a few friends too and that definitely helps getting through these winter months with something to look forward to!  It will also be my one year anniversary in my own place in February!  I can't believe how quickly that has gone!

What are you guys looking forward to in February? I am skipping over Valentine's day and the Girl asks Boy 29th February date of course - maybe that's on your list!?  Tell us what you want to see too.

H,xxx

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