Hats, Hats, Hats

I haven't been very well this week so haven't been able to craft!! My brain couldn't even handle a bit of simple knitting and I've learnt from previous experience if you can't concentrate on a project it's better to just leave it alone and continue when you have the ability to do it well.
So I took the time to just totally flake out and rest. This gave me the opportunity to watch the coverage of Royal Ascot in between napping. Recently, thanks to a colleague at work, I've learnt a thing or two about horse racing (I'd still pick them on their name though) but if I'm honest it's the fashion, the hats in particular, that really kept me watching. I can't find a picture of my favourite one, it was a lovely vintage little number. It was mainly green with a cluster of daisies around one side and some simple netting on the other slightly hanging down over the front. It was very pretty and I loved it.
I really liked these two also -

 This bunch are slightly out there but I do like the stamp idea!

Here's a link to more of the wackier creations on show -
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/galleries/TMG10129969/Royal-Ascot-2013-weird-and-wonderful-hats.html

I would love to be a milliner, it must be so rewarding to see your creation at a glamourous event with the wearer feeling a million dollars. I have every intention of doing a workshop of course some day (soon hopefully).
I have made fascinators in the past for friends and family, mainly with feathers, to go with specific outfits.
Here's a picture of my Mum wearing one to go with her outfit which was a really unusual colour -

 Also one of my wonderful friend Sarah (both pictures are cropped from larger photographs so if you wouldn't mind, please over look the quality, thank you)

The closest I've come to a proper hat, is this creation but I sill wouldn't say it's a real hat. It's in the style of  an envelope really, I guess, with a beaded focal point.

I'll let you know if I book a course and how it goes!
Craft in earnest! Craftin' Ernest x

Threads Galore, Crafty Bargains!

There's a great shop in my home town called "Serendipity" which sell an eclectic mix of mainly second-hand items, with some real absolute bargains to be had! Well it topped itself this week with a truly fabulous find.
My husband spotted two white, plastic cases....

Inside each of them was a large selection of 1000m reels of thread! One case ranging in colour from pale pinks to deep purple and the other every shade of blue you could wish for! In total there was 115 reels and my husband who enjoys a bit of haggling (the exact opposite to me) negotiated the lot for £25, that works out at 21 pence per reel!!

They're fantastic quality as well. WAHOOOO thank you! I had never heard of the make before- Ackermann Isacord, but I've had a look online since and think we did very well.
http://www.redrockthreads.com/isacord-thread/isacord-thread.asp

Things only got better when we went to a car boot sale on Sunday- to replace all the stuff we got rid of when we did one ourselves a couple of weeks ago ;-) and I picked up some bargain goodies there too. I saw a cardboard box with a couple of large embroidery hoops poking out and lots of paper bags. I asked how much the hoops were and the lady said it was £5 for the whole box, no haggling from me, I handed £5 straight over. I couldn't resist, even just for the pleasure of delving into the box to discover what was in there at my leisure was worth the money. I certainly wasn't let down, as well as the hoops there was a pin cushion with lots of needles, some cross stitch aida and loads of embroidery cotton skeins. There was two segmented storage boxes, one filled with cottons already wound onto bobbins and 84 cotton skeins- all Anchor and DMC. I was beaming by the time I had finished. Another bargain!

I don't do cross-stitch myself but I do like to embroider, however I thought I would use some of them to crochet flowers. I made a small pansy to stick on a teeny card and really like how it turned out but I want to go smaller! I'll let you know how I get on.

Have you had any crafty bargains? Leave a comment and let me know all about it.
Until next time, craft in earnest! Craftin' Ernest x

Heart-shaped Earring Tutorial

Today's post is a tutorial to make a pair of HEART-SHAPED EARRINGS using wire and embossing powder. They're actually surprisingly easy to make and I think look really effective. 

You will need:
2 x approx 45cm (18") of thin wire. 24 gauge works well but a bit thicker or thinner would work fine (I used a brassy coloured wire but you can use whatever colour you like).

Embossing powder (I went for classic red but again it's totally up to you. The brand I used for these was "Heat It Up" but I've used "Cosmic Shimmer" in the past and I'm pretty sure it would work with any brand)
Pair of earring findings (homemade or shop bought) 

Regular kitchen oven
Baking tray (or oven-proof dish)

Aluminium foil

Pliers and wire cutters

Hammer and hard surface

Paper and pen

Sharp needle/pin

Draw a heart onto the piece of paper roughly 2.5cm x 2.5cm (1" x 1").

Bend the end of one of the lengths of wire into a heart shape using the heart you drew as a guide. Using pliers fold the tip of the end around the wire to secure it.

Twist and weave the remaining length of wire around the heart-shaped frame using the pliers when needed.

Keep wrapping until you're happy the heart has been "filled in" evenly. Repeat with the second length of wire.

Then using the hammer and a hard surface, gently hammer both hearts flat.

Left-side heart = after hammering    Right-side heart = before hammering

Lay both hearts on a piece of foil on a baking tray (or oven-proof dish), not too close together.

Now cover the hearts with a thick, even layer of embossing powder. Originally I used a small teaspoon and applied the powder a little at a time using the tip of the spoon, this worked well but took a little while. I find it quicker to use the piece of paper rolled into a funnel. Pinch the end, closing the hole and pour in the powder. Gently release the pressure on the hole allowing powder to flow onto the heart. Repeat for the second heart.

Place the tray in an oven set to about 150°C (300°F) for a minute or two. The powder melts pretty quickly so keep an eye on it. Once all the powder has melted and become shiny, remove the tray from the oven and leave it to cool.

Once it's cool enough to touch gently peel away the foil. If needed, any excess around the edges can simply be cut away with a pair of scissors

 Before trimming the edges

After trimming

Using a sharp needle/pin, and being careful of your precious pinkies, pierce a hole in each heart- in the left side of one and the right side of the other.

Attach an earring hooks to each heart and you're all set!

I hope you like them and give them a go!

'Til next time craft in earnest, Craftin' Ernest x

Trip to Shrewsbury

It's June, officially Summer in the UK according to the Met Office and the Sun is shining!
We're just back from an overnight trip to the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, about two and half hours drive away. A friend recommended it as she thought we would like it, she wasn't wrong (thanks Lynda)! It's a truly gorgeous Tudor town, absolutely steeped in history. I love the higgled-piggled nature of Tudor buildings, so distinctively black and white, and around every corner was something of interest.

Shrewsbury is also a crafter's paradise! I bought so many goodies. We split our takings from last weekend's car boot sale and I spent all of mine on fabric, buttons and ribbon (plus a pair of shoes- I just couldn't say no and a vintage suitcase which was an absolute bargain at £4 in a charity shop).

We walked out of the hotel at 9am and by 9:20 I had bought so much fabric I was giddy. Next door but one to our hotel was an amazing shop- Watson and Thornton Fabrics and Haberdashery. Our hotel room window was the top, pointy-out one on the right side of the photograph above the arch and their front door was less than a stone's throw- yay!

And that was just half of it. The full front is below.

Here's a few pictures of the inside- including m lovely husband paying for all my purchases- there were lots and I didn't even see half of what they had downstairs let alone what was upstairs (apparently it was just as big up there).

Thankfully they have an online shop too
http://www.watsonandthornton.co.uk/ I will definitely be looking ordering from them in the future. To top it all off, the ladies who served us were so lovely and helpful and made it even more pleasurable, if that's possible?
Here's a picture of some of the fabrics I just had to bring home with me ;-)

And one of the feature buttons and ribbons I couldn't resist. Note the ribbon quoting Oscar Wilde "I can resist everything except temptation", so very true!

I'm looking forward to getting busy with some of it at the weekend. What to make? So many ideas, so little time. . . . 

Until next time craft in earnest, Craftin' Ernest xx

Springtime Artwork

How unpredictable is the weather in the UK at the moment? It's almost June and I'm sat here wrapped up in two blankets! After a beautiful Bank Holiday Weekend, where my husband burnt the back of his neck because he forgot to apply sunscreen there (silly billy), it's turned most chilly and hasn't stopped raining. This Spring has certainly been a mixed bag. I am eagerly awaiting my alliums to burst into flower to add some colour to the garden. I'm by no means at all green fingered but I loved them so much I planted some bulbs a few years ago and they were certainly worth the effort - not that is was all that difficult. They are just starting to open and each day I look forward to seeing how they are progressing. In the mean time I'll have to settle for a picture from the Royal Horticultural Society (here's a link to their advice on growing alliums- trust me it's not hard if I can do it http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?PID=316)

With the alliums comes the butterflies. I truly love butterflies, they were the theme at my wedding and I now have them dotted round the house.

Here's a wonderful, little webpage  about which flowers are great to attract butterflies and includes all three of my favourites- alliums, chives and cosmos- there's a variety of cosmos called "Chocolate Cosmos", it's a beautiful dark browny red and yep, you guessed it, smells of chocolate- what's not to love?!

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue_02/spring_04_06.cfm

To get a little taste of Spring on the dull days like today I have sewn a little canvas. Using freehand machine embroidery and some fabric with a large flower print, I "drew" round an individual flower motif with stitches and in a contrasting colour wrote "flutter by Butterfly". Then using some transfer paper, the kind used with your home printer and a iron to transfer the image to fabric, I transferred a picture of a butterfly to some plain white cotton and cut it out. The great thing is the transfer process gives the fabric a bit of structure. I added a few beads and stitched the body of the butterfly to the picture, allowing the wings to stand out.

It's a little bit of Springtime when the outside thinks otherwise! Though the photo makes the colours seem more muted than they really are

I hope you like it?

Until next time, craft in earnest, Craftin' Ernest x

V&A Museum

I mentioned last time my day trip to London to meet with a friend. As London has so much to offer we had a very busy day but spent the majority of the morning in The Victoria & Albert Museum. I love museums and was really fortunate to do some voluntary work at the Natural History Museum a few years back (actually 15 to be precise, ooh that's longer than I thought?!) It is right next door to the V&A Museum so I spent many of my lunch breaks there. The Science Museum is just behind the NHM too, South Kensington is a must if you're a museum fan & in London!

There's so much to see, for example Room 40: The Fashion Galleries. There's some truly beautiful items on display ranging from the 18th Century to today http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/f/fashion/

I had two favourites as I couldn't decide between them, both dresses from the Thirties but I think they're just timeless

Another must-see is the work by Martha Edlin. There's a collection of incredible embroidered items, from the later half of the 17th Century, including a sampler, a casket a pin cushion. All of which are stunning and exquisitely made. Then there's a jewellery case embroidered with beads- incredible. What makes it truly remarkable is when you read the information and find out how young she was when she made them. Have a look at this video and keep in mind she embroidered the casket when she was eleven! http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/m/video-martha-edlins-casket/

She made the above beaded jewellery case when she was just thirteen, oh so talented

I got some decorating ideas too ;-)

Definitely worth a visit!
Until next time Craft in Earnest, Craftin' Ernest x

T-Shirt Print Make-Over

Hello, sorry about the hiatus in posts. Busy, busy, busy and something had to give- the beautiful weather we've just had was not the reason at all ;-)
The Sun shining has inspired me to start on the summery makes- I have been making lots of jug covers for an up-coming craft fair on Saturday 25th of May. I've mainly crocheted them so far but I'm going to start on fabric ones with a crochet trim- watch this space.
I went to London on Saturday to meet with my best bud from Uni. I bought lots of big beads perfect for weighing down the jug covers so I have no excuse not to make lots by the Craft Fair. We also discovered a wonderful shop in Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street, called "Things British"- http://thingsbritish.co.uk/ It sells some exquisite, handmade items and to show our support we bought each other a present- it would be rude not to support such an enterprise with lots of beautiful items for sale! My present was a pair of earrings and my friend's was a bracelet, both from a maker called "Altered Era". The theme of mine is Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", one of my favourite stories. The bracelet is Wuthering Heights, my friend's favourite. How could we not treat each other and show our support? Here's a pic of mine- love them!

So onto this post's tutorial (an extension of a previous one really) -
Top/T-Shirt Print Make-over

Continue reading for instructions to make your own . . . . .