16.7.14

DIY: MACRAME DREAM CATCHER



So this is a bit of a funny DIY cause I didn't really follow any instructions and I just sort of made it up as I went and hoped for the best, so it's going to be a bit tricky to explain!

Basically all you need is;
  • A circle to use for the frame (mine was just a 12" metal hoop)
  • 10 metres or so of thick rope for the macrame
  • A ball of cotton/yarn for the dream catcher

Start off by cutting five separate 2 metre long strands of rope (I got lucky and found a braided one) and loop them over the metal hoop, once they're folded in half that gives you ten 1 metre strands.



Knot each strand right at the top, and then knot them in a (very basic) macrame pattern. My knot terminology isn't exactly up to scratch so I can't even tell you what type of knot I used - but basically you just grab two of the rope strands and knot them together. I definitely left room for improvement with the macrame, it was pretty tricky doing it on a curve!

Next wrap the whole hoop with yarn, go all the way around and made sure you do the gaps between each of the rope strands from the macrame. This was probably the most tedious part of the whole thing, trying to balance the hoop and wrap the yarn around it at the same time was a bit of a juggling act!





Now for the fun part, the dream catcher! This was way easier than I thought it was going to be, I followed these instructions and it was pretty straightforward. You could add some beads in if you wanted some colour, I wanted mine to be neutral so I stuck with just the yarn.





My last finishing touch was to knot the bottom of the macrame in a diagonal pattern, and then I unplaited the ends of the rope to give it that frayed effect! I'll definitely be trying this one a couple more times so I can try out a few different techniques (and get that damn macrame right), but I think it's a pretty versatile project because you can basically create it any size, provided you can find the right size hoop!

25.6.14

DIY: 6 CEMENT PROJECTS


Lately I've been pretty obsessed with cement and the endless DIY possibilities that come with it! The fact that it can form (almost) any shape is just too good to pass up. These are my top 6 projects that I've come across, especially the hand candle holder - such a quirky idea and it looks so effective!

3.6.14

WRAP IT UP

I'm one of those people that never has wrapping paper when I need it, which usually results in buying some crappy last minute roll from the supermarket. These adorable printable (and best of all- free!) wrapping papers would be a great last minute addition to any present!



I'm pretty smitten for all four of these, but I'm mostly excited about the floral paper from Say Yes because you can actually colour it in yourself, how's that for a personal touch! Now all I need to do is buy myself a printer to print them off...

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

1.4.14

DIY TO TRY Vol. 1



1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I'm always trying to find ways to brighten up our apartment, and Pinterest is such a great way of finding awesome (and achievable) DIY projects! I think the next one I attempt will definitely be the colour block dyed candle holders, they're so simple and such an easy way to add colour to a room!
The macrame is absolutely amazing, I'd love to think I'm capable of giving it a go but I think it's probably a little out of my league at the moment..

24.3.14

DIY: PAINT DIPPING

As promised, here's my lovely DIY dining table. I'm modest about most things, but not my table!


It was surprisingly easy, it gets pretty fiddly getting into the small corners where the wood joins but other than that I'd say it's a very very easy (and cheap) way to give old furniture a bit of sprucing!
All you need is;
  • Paint & brush
  • Tape measure / ruler
  • Pencil
  • Masking tape

Once you've figured out where you want to paint, using a pencil & ruler mark the exact same distance from the bottom on all legs, and then mask it off (as straight as you can) with masking tape so you get a straight paint line. Once all the legs have been taped, you can pretty much just go crazy! There were a couple of sections where I got too excited and used too much paint so it dripped a little, but once you get into a rhythm it gets pretty quick.

Also featured above is my beer bottle vase, we had some white spray paint handy so I whipped that one up because I'd searched and searched and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for!


Also above is my new pride & joy - my pineapple lamp!! Best find ever!