Deck the halls with piles of icing!!

Unfortunately getting caught up in the Christmas madness has prevented me from doing anything crafty but fortunately my two nieces and I changed all that today by making some colourful Christmas biscuits! 

It was great to be creative with my hands again especially with my two favourite little people while singing songs from 'Frozen' and running screaming from Bears half way through - we may have consumed a little too much sugar and went crazy for a bit! 

The result was hilariously messy but I think you'll agree still tasty looking! I also wanted to use the finished product as a way of thanking each of you who voted for Tiddlybobs in the UK Blog Awards and shared the link. Unfortunately I didn't get through to the next round but it meant a lot to know how many of you are enjoying reading the blog and I can't wait to post more creative inspiration in the New Year. 

Deck the halls...

CHRISTMAS IS SO CLOSE!!!

Yes I may have already overdosed on sweets and Christmas films but there's still time to craft up some quick decorations before the real fun begins. This weeks Tiddlybits has some great ideas on projects for you to try and don't forget to visit the Pinterest board for lots more. 

First up is this gorgeous wall hanging from 20 North Ora. I'd love to make a wreath for my front door but I have no idea where to find the greenery and I can't afford the greenery or afford the base they need to go on so this wall hanging offers an awesome alternative. 

I tried this idea myself last year and I love it. It's such a great and easy way to add Christmas cheer to doors and cupboards. However, last year I didn't add a gift tag and think it's a brilliant idea so thanks to Liz on Call for that one! 

So, if like me, you've started the Christmas celebrations already, you may have some wine corks lying around the house. Instead of dumping them, why not turn them into colourful Christmas decorations that you can from year to year? This tutorial from Joy's Life is awesome and more importantly easy to do and for those of you with children, it's one that they can get involved with too. You could also use glue to sprinkle them with glitter too! 

And if, you've got wine corks then you must have wine bottles too! Follow this great tutorial from Born in '82 for a clever way to turn them into beautiful decorations. Super simple but so elegant and decorations you'll have for years!

Also, if you have old magazines or no idea what to do with the toy catalogues after you've finished writing your list to Santa, why not try making these gorgeous paper ornaments from them? A beautifully simple idea from Stephanie Lynn. 

And because we don't restrict ourselves to crafts here at Tiddlybobs, why not try your hand at creative baking and make a Santa bread?

How cool is that?? Love this idea from Taste of Home and hopefully will get a chance to try so keep your eyes peeled for that! 

Sock Garland Advent Calendar

As followers of this blog will already know, recently I was gifted with a beautiful, old Singer machine from my boyfriends grand aunt. I was super excited as so many crafting techniques and projects require sewing and I just don't have the time or patience to do it all by hand! However, my first attempt at using it didn't go too well. It ended with me crying on the bed while my boyfriend used a screwdriver to remove a clump of thread from the inside. I was defeated and scared and the beautiful old sewing machine was put back in it's case.

Luckily, it kept shouting from the end of the bed to be used and my favourite craft magazine, Homemaker Magazine, came with an easy sewing project for beginners that month so I plucked up the courage to try again. This time, the thread clumped again but I fixed it, read a bit more of my user booklet, adjusted the tension on the machine and away I went! I finished my first sewing project on my own machine! Huzzah! 

I was so happy that I immediately hopped onto Pinterest to see what my next project could be and then it hit me. An advent calendar. The one I made two years ago didn't have big enough pockets to hold the sweets and that really annoyed me so I decided a new advent calendar would be the best project. There were so many ideas to choose from but I loved all the garland based ones so much that I decided to do one in that style.

So out came the old Christmas tea towels (4 to be exact about it!)...

Out came some sock drawing skills, which I didn't know I had, to make my template. I first drew it on paper, added a 1cm border as  a seam allowance and cut it out. Then I glued it to some cardboard and cut it out to have a firm template to use on the tea towels. 

I then drew around the template 12 times on each tea towel making sure to turn the template every second time. This ensures that once all the socks are cut out, each pair will have the right side of the tea towel facing out when pinned together.

Once all the socks were cut out I had 48 single socks pinned into 24 pairs. Then it was time to sew.  Originally I was going to sew them on the wrong side and then turn them out but when I had them all cut I liked their size as they were so I decided to sew on the right side instead. Scarily, on my first sock, this happened...

But I just took a breath, ripped it out, adjusted my tension (as I learned previously!) and off I went. In no time I had 24 beautifully sewn socks. Thanks to the boyfriend I also, and a beautifully new pair of pinking shears so I used them to trim the edges. And yes my sewing wasn't perfect, so many of the borders became smaller than the others post pinking resulting in various sized socks but that's the joy of homemade right? Right guys?! .... Right?

I was then ready to hang my garland. I had bought some lovely red twine which I weaved in and out of the bannister on my stairs and then tied it in place. I had also bought the adorable pegs below - I know, for shame, I should have made them too but one step at a time guys!

I then pegged each sock to the twine, popped in the sweets and my beautiful advent calendar sock garland extravaganza was complete!

I can't express how happy I am with the finished result. I can't stop looking at it and smiling. Seriously, if you haven't made anything for your home for this Christmas yet do it now! I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have something you made yourself hanging up and looking so beautiful.  I think I might finish this project crying on my bed too but this time they will be tears of joy. 

Yes. Crying over tea towel socks. I am still cool. 

It's the final countdown!!

This week I have started making my own advent calendar which will soon be revealed on this blog but in the meantime I thought I'd give you a few advent calendar ideas, in the form of this weeks Tiddlybits, so that you might be inspired to make your own. 

From the queen of all things crafty, Martha Stewart, comes this delightful matchbox advent calendar. Each day the matchbox is turned around to reveal a piece of a Christmas themed picture, in this case a Christmas tree but you could pick your own. You can also place sweets inside the boxes or perhaps rolled up pieces of paper with wishes or activities to do together on them. 

I love this box garland advent calendar from Crafts Unleashed. It's super easy to make and you can add your own flair by mixing up the colours and number design. You could also think about making the boxes yourself out of recycled toilet paper rolls.

As followers of this blog may know, I have discovered that there is nothing that you can't do with a recycled toilet roll and advent calendars are no exception. 

Take for example Morning Creativity's super charming advent calendar house made from toilet rolls covered with brown paper. I bet this is sooooo much fun to break into each day and see what's inside! I think I would paint the roof too or perhaps make it into a Christmas tree shape rather than a house.

You could also cover your toilet paper rolls in fabric or paper and make this great cracker themed advent calendar from Mindy Pitcher. This is the perfect one if you haven't got much space as you can hang it on the back of a door or the side of a bookshelf. 

Or how about making your toilet paper rolls completely unrecognisable and turning them into this gift box advent calendar from North Story? This is such a beautiful idea and the tutorial is fantastic so you have no excuse not to make it!

Finally, I love this gingerbread man garland from one of my favourite food blogs Honestly Yum and as I was putting this blog post together, I thought why not ice numbers on to the gingerbread man and each day you could eat one? So I'm putting that out there into the world and if you make it, I want day 24! 

I could go on and on as there are so many creative advent calendar ideas out there but please check out the Tiddlybobs Christmas Pinterest Board 'Snow is falling...' for some more ideas as well as many many more craft ideas for the holiday season. I will be updating it all the time so make sure you follow that board!

Thank you for reading and happy crafting!

Folding Frolics!

As you may have seen on Tiddlybobs already this week, I have been trying my hand at napkin folding and this got me wondering about what other crafts you can make using folding and TAH-DA this weeks Tiddlybits was born!

There are so many wonderful things you can make for your tables using napkins and soooo many tutorials available online in blogs and on YouTube. I loved this tutorial from One Good Thing by Jillee as it's a really sensible idea and can be used for every occasion; you can just theme it by changing what napkins you use! The simple ideas are always the best. 

Another great idea is to create beads from old scraps of paper or magazines that you have about the house. These beads can then be turned into necklaces or bracelets simply by stringing them together. You could even purchase earring clasps and make a unique and beautiful pair of earrings out of them. This tutorial from Cosmo Cricket is really in depth at showing you how the technique works and it's so easy, I'm not sure why I haven't done it before!

As the picture says, this tutorial from Peppermint Creative shows you how to make paper stars by folding (there is also glue involved but we don't mind that here!). It's a really pretty idea and with Christmas coming up it might be a great way to make a star for the top of your tree. 

Speaking of Christmas, how gorgeous are these folded Christmas trees? In this great tutorial from  The House that Lars Built these have been sprayed with gold paint and glitter but if you picked paper with a festive pattern, you wouldn't need to get the paint out at all! 

If you're thinking of Christmas and you think like me, then you're thinking of gift bags. This simple tutorial from Hello Sandwich is great for showing you how a bit of folding and some sellotape can create gorgeous gift bags. Don't forget that handles can be made from string and/or ribbon too!

Accordion books are definitely more complicated than just a bit of folding but still they are not impossible to make and are definitely well worth it. This tutorial from Design Sponge is the best I've come across on how to make one. They are a great away to create journals of specific events like your wedding or graduation. They can also be used as memento books. For example you could use it as a travel diary where you can stick photos, ticket stubs, diary entries etc. and you could even decorate the cover with a map of your trip.   

And finally, like last week I am going to end this weeks Tiddlybits with a video tutorial showing you how to wrap your presents in old shirts (or new ones that could form part of the gift!). But all of this  is really only the tip of the iceberg in folding crafts - please visit my Folding Fun Pinterest Board for even more inspiration. 

The pitter patter of elven feet!

Christmas decor preparations here at Tiddlybobs HQ continue with napkin folding. My housemates and I have our own Christmas day before we all split home and go our separate ways for our family Christmas days so I am thinking of ways to decorate our table. I love making things out of napkins ever since I learned how to make a pirate hat at my first job. And then I came across this tutorial video on how to make an Elf boot out of a napkin and I almost died with excitement (Yes I am that sad!). 

It's a really easy to tutorial to follow but at the end I folded it down (like the slipper!) and then turned up the toe to make it more elf like. 

What to do when you've run out of Jam...

This week I attempted my first ever swiss roll and after three failed attempts I was successful - Hooray!

Look at that swirl!

But after so many attempts I was all out of jam and I wondered what sort of cool things could I make with a jam jar? And so this weeks Tiddlybits was born!

I think a lot of people made these Jam Jar glitter Globes in school but with Christmas just a round the corner maybe it's time to bring back this classic and now with your more grown-up taste add a bit of elegance to it like this beautiful one from Whimsical Wonderland Weddings. Plus if you've forgotten how to make them, there's a handy tutorial too.

There are plenty of ways to cover your jam jar lids, whether it be with paper, paint or using kids toys, and turning them into awesome storage jars but I particularly love this idea from One Bowl Parenting. I do a bit of embroidery and hand sewing so this pincushion lid and thread storage jar is  great for keeping all the little bits needed in one place, as they always find a way to get lost. It would make a great gift for anyone starting to sew. 

Speaking of storage ideas, these vintage string holders from Handmade Charlotte are a fantastic idea. You could also use them for ribbon storage too I guess. I love the way Charlotte lays out her tutorials with great pictures and a fun font, so I'm sure you'll have great fun following it and making your own. 

Another idea that I think is becoming very popular, particularly at weddings, is using jam jars as glasses. Why not go one step further with yours and etch a cute little message on them? It's super easy and super chic. I recommend this tutorial from You Seriously Made That? if you're going to try it. 

And finally, a bit different for Tiddlybits but this week I decided to end on a video. Video tutorials can be invaluable especially when you a re trying something for the first time and there is pretty much a video for every skill you could possibly want to learn. This weeks video shows just how simple and cheap crafting can be, so you've no excuses not to get started! :) 

                  

UK Blog Awards 2015

Exciting news!  Tiddlybobs has been entered for two categories in the UK Blog Awards 2015 - Lifestyle and Arts & Culture.

So I need your help - I need you to vote! You have until the 1st December to vote for Tiddlybobs in both categories. I've included the links below and you can also share that url once you've voted so hopefully other people will vote too. 

Thanking you in advance for your vote and fingers crossed! 

LIFESTYLE CATEGORY

http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/tiddlybobs/

ARTS & CULTURE CATEGORY

http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/candidates/tiddlybobs-2/

Also please feel free to share the link to this blogpost or the URLS to the voting pages on your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts. You can add the hashtags #UKBA15 and #BeBold if you fancy it too!

Bah Humbug!

So it's that time of the year - the time when everyone moans about Christmas decorations and presents being in the shops and IT'S ONLY November!! Trust me I've been there. As someone who was born in December, my birthday is always overshadowed by the build up and I've been adamant every year not to celebrate Christmas until after my birthday!! 

But this year it's different. This year I want to have a crafty Christmas and a crafty Christmas requires a LOT of prep so I am glad that the shops have their stocks of Christmas ribbon out now and that shelves are adorned with little trinkets to add character to my makes or simply inspire. 

And it's making me happier. I've realised that Christmas is the time when I usually stop and take stock and be happy for my friends, family and all the good things in my life so why not start doing that now? I probably should do it all year round but I don't. I get caught up in all the petty little things I shouldn't and forget but the fairy lights in the shop windows and low playing Christmas carols are a reminder to be happy for what I have. 

So I'm officially a convert. Let's start celebrating in November and spread the joy a little longer!! 

My boyfriend disagrees with all of the above and refuses to celebrate until at least December 1st so I made him this wreath.

It was made from a free gift that I got in Issue 24 of Homemaker magazine which was a polystyrene wreath. I then covered it in black ribbon by wrapping it around and pinning the end in place. I then wrote 'Bah Humbug!' on a sticky label, cut out the shape and stuck it to the wreath. 

Easy peasy and it made him smile so totally worth it! 

May the craft be with you

It is no secret that I am a huge Harry Potter fan and all round lover of things classed as "nerdy" so what better theme for this weeks Tiddlybits than Nerd Crafts?!

It's often the simplest ideas that are the best and this tutorial from Dream a Little Bigger showing how to turn a Kleenex box into a piece of lego is genius!

Speaking of simply genius ideas why not turn your plant pots into your favourite superhero? Like Batman for instance (totally doing this!).  Thanks to Jan Tracy for pinning!

The ultimate dream for any Harry Potter fan is to own a real wand but alas that can not be. Console yourself by making yourself a fake but awesome one by following this tutorial from Please Give Peas a Chance. 

Or if you haven't got a glue gun to hand why not take out your scraps of paper and get quilling. You could make beautiful art like Ironman below or one of your favourite Sci-fi/fantasy characters. You can find more inspiration from The Mary Sue here.

Or if that seems too complicated, then follow the lead of Anthony Herrera Designs and download any one of these PDF patterns and make awesome Star Wars snowflakes for fantastic and unique Christmas decorations. 

I hope that's inspired you to get geeky with your crafts but if not head over to the Pinterest board where there are loads more ideas including creating jewellery from old remote controls and Lord of the Rings door hangers.

Sewing and Toilet Roll - the solutions to a happy life

Unfortunately life has been a bit hectic in recent weeks so Tiddlybobs has taken a bit of  back seat but never fear, I am now back with more creative treats for you including a brand new Tiddlybits next week and some new photographs in my Morning Walks series.

Also, exciting news in Tiddlybobs camp - my boyfriends parents kindly delivered my sewing machine!! I CAN'T WAIT to start sewing up little projects and learning all about it. So far I have read the manuals and learned how to thread bobbin and the machine - wahey! I shall progress to actual sewing on an item of material next... baby steps folks, baby steps.  Isn't it super pretty? 

I have also been getting creative with household goods to make Hallowe'en decorations. Lack of money means none to spend on decorations so I had to rummage around but it's amazing what you can create with toilet roll, sellotape and black plastic bags. Well you can create bannister mummies.

Then grab some tomato ketchup, red food colouring and an Irish girl with messy hair and an over-exaggerated scared expression and voila! You have an awesome bloody hand stain on your mirror!

And finally, cut up a cereal box, fish out some red paint and grab a teabag and hot water. Put them all together and what do you get? Creepy signs written in blood that's what. 

Unfortunately after doing all that I had run out of time to do any more decorating but I was super impressed with everything I had come up with especially as it was all for free! Just goes to show what I can do when I try to think outside the box! 

Hope you all have a very Happy Hallowe'en and eat loads of sweets and watch scary movies!!