Makers Month: Make it: Dream Catcher

Autumn is my favourite time of year and normally it brings a level of calm into my life after the hectic-ness of the summer months, but I'm not feeling it yet! I thought a touch of re-styling in my bedroom might help to create that calming sanctuary I am needing right now. I was looking at dream catchers and just couldn't find one that I liked, so DIY it was. I wanted something very monochrome and a bit more chic so I used touches of silver in mine, but you could use anything you have in your stash to create your own.

You will need:- an embroidery hoop, a fat quarter of fabric, some scraps of leather or leatherette, some string and twine, drawing pins, scissors, a needle and thread.

Step 1. Cut 2cm strips diagonally across your fat quarter.
Step 2. Starting at the screw, wrap the strips around the hoop.
Step 3. Leaving the end attached, twist it around to make a hanging loop.
Step 4. Securing it by wrapping it around the screw.
Step 5. Take the drawing pins and push them into the back of the hoop, try and use an even number of pins and that they line up on opposite sides of the hoop.
Step 6. Take your string and start looping it around the pins.

Step 7. Keep looping the thread until you get back to the start.
Step 8. Go back over some of the pins to fill in the centre of the dream catcher.
Step 9. Cut out some feather shapes from the leather scraps.
Step 10. Sew the feathers onto the lengths of string and twine.
Step 11. Tie the twine to the bottom of the hoop at different levels.
Step 12. Add in some lengths of plaited fabric and more twine to give an authentic look.

And there you  have it, a beautiful addition to any bedroom wall. You could easily make it in your own colour scheme to match your room, or in a friends fave colours to give as a gift. I love how the hint of metallic in this makes it sparkle in the light. 

I love the idea of making a bunch of smaller ones to hang alongside this one now, to make a little collection on my wall.  These would also be a great project to do with kids, you could experiment with making different patterns with the string and add loads of fun things to dangle down like beads and sequins.

What crafts are you looking forward to getting back into now the weather is turning colder? What DIY's do you have on your to do list for Autumn? Let us know in the comments below.

Sammy xxx


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Dream a Little Bigger Darling

Don't let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.

-Unknown

I have always been really lucky that my parents, friends and my husband have been very supportive of my (occasionally crazy) dreams.  I had all the usual childhood aspirations, I wanted to be lots of things, from an Actress to a Zoo-keeper, funnily enough (my Mum tells me) the game I enjoyed most as a child was playing shop.  My Dad has always been the driving force behind me, always encouraging me to forge my own path in life and especially in business. 

These days in general though we seem to be very good at being negative, we seem to be programmed to jump to the worst case scenario and imagine all the cons before examining the pros.  It is easy to be disheartened when people are less than positive about your ideas and dreams for your future. When people are always shooting down your ideas and finding fault with dreams it is hard to see a way through to what you want to achieve. The opposite is also true, surrounding yourself with 'Yes' people can also be problematic.  Not every idea you have is going to be gold and sometimes you need a measured approach to test the waters before diving right in.

I think the answer is to have big dreams and big plans to back them up. We need to remember that the best type of success, no matter how it seems, is not gained overnight. The most successful people and ideas have been months, often years in the making.  Planning out how your dream can come true and all the steps that will get you there are as important as each other.  Setting achievable goals and making sure you have balanced support behind you is the best way to get where you want to go. 

I try to think of it like this... I would never just wake up one morning, go to the airport and head out on a round the world trip.  I would spend time doing research about where to go and how long to spend in each place, I would take time to save the money needed to take the journey.  Achieving a dream needs the same kind of attention as planning the trip of a lifetime.  Sure, you don't have to plan every detail of your itinerary before you start, but you need to have a plan, an idea of where you are headed and how you're going to get there. 

The biggest thing to remember about your dreams is that they are just that, YOUR dreams. 

Creating my own line of handbags, designing a fabric collection, being featured in Vogue, having a family of my own, designing and building my own home, having an epic fly-drive holiday across America, visiting Japan... the list goes on.  I have many, many dreams that may or may not ever become a reality, but that will never convince me that my dreams are too big. 

Sammy xxx

This is the last in my quotes series for now, but keep an eye out, they will be returning once a month.  In the mean time check out the others here:

Jack of all Trades , Master of None?

Never Making Mistakes is a Mistake

Envy, Such a Waste of Time

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