something wicked this way comes!

Hubble bubble toil and trouble, it's Halloween and here in deepest darkest Warwickshire we take this VERY seriously. Just as Shakespeare would have done, I like to think. This year I have offered my crafty services to my theatrical friends and have found myself creating Queen of Hearts and a Mrs Lovett costumes as well as my own outfit inspired by 'The Red Shoes'. Ever thrifty (read: poor) I have managed to cobble together the entire ghostly wardrobe from bits and bobs I had lying around. Cue one crown made from wire and beads, a skirt made using calico fabric with elastic waist with a bucket load of fabric paint thrown at it and an old dress with sexy red cord lacing added at the back! Ghoulish glamour! Check out the photos for some cheap and easily achievable dress up ideas.
Lotty x

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Wisdom and Light

Beautiful, thought provoking images - lacking inspiration? Look at this photography blog and set your imagination free: 365q

Little Firecrackers of Ideas...

I have been getting inspiration from all sorts of places recently. From the sumptuous Autumn colours of our rural market town, the smell of dry leaves and wood smoke, the vintage paisley eiderdown I found at the back of a dusty cupboard at the theatre and want to steal! For more practical autumnal inspiration check out these sensational blogs: 

Oh Happy Day
for paper based craft and mind-blowing stylish party ideas (Halloween glitter ball anyone?!) 

Gleeful Things
for wondrous crochet patterns

Dottie Angel
for interiors ideas, lovely makes and ridiculously cute dogs! 

The Crafty Minx
vintage and textiles from down under.

If zombies were supermodels
Inspiring lookbooks, images and ideas. Also a bit mad. Like us.

Adventure Map Cupboard

One weekend, some pva glue, some lovely antique map wrapping paper, a lick of paint all finished off with some glossy varnish. Voila a treasure map cupboard any pirate wench can be proud of. Aaaar!

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Simple Crochet Styling

Check out this super simple tea light decoration that anyone can make! Add some delicate, rich crochet to a cheap glass candle holder or jar with this luxuriously simple make. Makes a great (and cheap!) gift too.

Ingredients: crochet hook (any size, I used a 5mm) some wool (I used Sirdar Baby Bamboo DK) a pretty coloured button (mine is a lovely ceramic one from the V&A) and needle and thread to attach the button with.

I adapted the pattern from this wonderful how-to from Dottie Angel: I only made a narrow tube, instead of covering the whole jar, and then used a needle and thread to add the extra flourish of a button once finished. It's perfect for the novice crochet-er as it only uses 2 stitches - the chain stitch and half treble. There are some wonderful crochet stitch tutorials on about.com with fab images if you need a helping hand with the terminology and method.

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Holey Moley! Crochet is Cool!

Check out the stunning, good enough to EAT crochet confections from Henry Holland's a/w11 collection. It's time to dust off those crochet hooks and get looping! To get back into the crochet groove I'm starting with simple shapes following a pattern from Mollie Makes issue 2 (www.molliemakes.com) and joining them to make the ultimate autumn scarf. It's so easy and dainty (unlike knitting, I can't knit because when I try to I normally elbow someone in the face...) you can pack up you hook and yarn and crack on with it anywhere, my normal choice for al fresco crochet is the park or the underground. Find some great free patterns and advice here: www.crochetme.com

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'Making common French words into fancy English words.' Also known as decoupaging.

I found this coffee table in a junk shop with the scissor silhouette mysteriously burned/ stained onto it, crying out 'buy me and stick stuff on me'. So I did! I'm sure there's lots of proper ways to decoupage, but I'm a simple soul so I just stuck everything on with copydex and covered it all with four coats of clear varnish and voilà! I chose a map of Paris, with a polaroid of the Eiffel Tower, which is pointed out on the map by the arrow. The tickets on the left are from my travels around Europe with my co-writer, and our good friend Marshy. Use something with a story behind it to provide coffee time conversation!

Fiona x
p.s. Puppy in bottom photograph not included! He just really likes copydex, yummy..

Luggage addict? Oh deer...

If you love luggage, you'll know how frustrating it can be to find a vintage suitcase that stands out from the crowd. So why not design your own? I found this old suitcase cheaply in a charity shop; a stencil and some acrylic paint and bob's your uncle! I've taken this case on trains, planes, it's been in the rain and the design's survived fine. In it's spare time it makes a decorative addition to my bedroom.

Fiona x
P.s. Expect more dodgy title-puns where that came from ;)

Special delivery! Everything Alice!

It's finally here and it's wonderous! Packed full of inspiring makes, bakes, tips on deportment, how to run a Caucus Race , how to grow a pansy in a teapot... The list goes on!
Can't wait to get crafting!!
Lotty x

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Behold the Notebook of Joy...

Need inspiration for you writing and sketching? Pimp your notebook with some beautiful wrapping paper. I covered mine with some lovely paper from Scribbler in Oxford. All you need is some prit stick, scissors, a notebook and some fit wrapping paper!

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Hello, Hello!

Hello..? Hello.....? Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3.... And we have LIFT OFF!

Welcome to our first blog post hot off the presses!

And so to our first crafty make:

Our first inspirational project is a cheeky, vintage look customisation.

Ingredients

- one plastic camera (holga, diana, old camera you found in a drawer...)
-Stamps, scraps of paper, wrapping paper etc
-Glue (I used PVA)

Use your imagination, think about where your photography will take you.

Cut and stick your way to happy holga joy!

Lotty x