Piña Colada Cupcakes

I wasn't sure about blogging about my bakes here on Tiddlybobs, as I began it with the idea that it would just be about my journey into (and hopefully progression through!) the world of crafting. However, I've been reading a lot of advice about blogging lately and the one thing that crops up the most is to blog about what you love and baking is definitely one of my loves! I've always dabbled in it over the years being the daughter of a woman who bakes the most delicious things in the world, but over the last year I have baking a lot more (since moving in with four other people means I don't have to eat everything I bake anymore!) and I love trying out new recipes and learning new techniques. So I think I will start adding my bakes to this blog but probably only the more creative projects I attempt and not just boring pictures of Victoria sponges!

My most recent bake was some piña colada cupcakes. 

I recently visited a craft fair in Oxfordshire and bought some piña colada curd from the lovely people at Cherry Tree Preserves  and was dying to use it in a recipe. I just made a standard batch of vanilla cupcakes. I then spooned out a small hole in the top of each cupcake and popped in some of the curd. I swirled butter icing over the top and added straws, umbrellas and gummy fruit shapes to give the idea of a piña colada cocktail! 

Tissue Paper Pom

Inspired by the fact that we have to make a colourful shrine for our next theatre performance at Boomtown Festival (I run my own theatre company, the Lab Collective. Check us out here.), I decided to make some colourful tissue paper poms but first I had to learn how to make them. So after looking at several tutorials on Pinterest I got my materials together and made my own.

Materials

* Large sheet of tissue paper (any colour!)

* Scissors

* Some thread/wool/string

* Jewelled stickers (optional)

Step 1

Fold you tissue paper in half once, then in half again and then in half again and cut along all the folds to create multiple sheets of tissue paper. 

(If you want smaller poms then fold in half more times before cutting and if you want bigger poms fold in half less!)

 

Step 2

Fold your sheets into an accordion stack and then tie the thread around  the middle to hold it in place. 

Step 3

Cut a rounded edge on both ends of the accordion stack. You could also cut pointy edges if you'd prefer or whatever shape you like as it just gives a different look to your pom. You also don't need to be too perfect about it as it I think it makes the pom more interesting when it's all not exactly perfect!

Step 4

Pull each layer of tissue paper up and out one layer at a time until you have a fluffy circle. 

Step 5

I wanted to experiment with decorating my pom this time so I added some jewelled stickers and a fancy ribbon (which I just tied around over the thread and had to 're-fluff' the tissue after to get back the shape!) to hang it and tah-dah! Pom complete!

Hope you all enjoyed my pom making tutorial and please do send me pictures of your own makes via twitter @Tiddlybobs

My First Craft!

So I finally delved into the world of crafts and finished my first project! I was sort of put off the other day when I discovered a lot of the projects I wanted to do were very expensive especially as I have no supplies and have to buy everything from scratch! But never fear the internet is here!! I found a lot of cheap and cheerful projects that don't cost much to do and mainly involve toilet paper rolls! So my first project is a handy holder for all my hair ties and bobby pins and I've made this weeks Tiddlybits all about toilet paper roll crafts to inspire you.

A hair tie, a hair tie,
my kingdom for a hair tie!

Hair Tie and Bobby Pin Holder

Usually my hair ties and bobby pins disappear as soon as I buy them (and I'm left sad and desperate with hair resembling something similar to the glorious photo to your right) so when I came across the idea for a holder on Pinterest I immediately knew I had to make one. Unfortunately there was a crafting disaster half way through but all turned right in the end!

Materials:

So first things first what did I use to make it -

- Toilet paper roll

- Glue (I used Pritt Stick)

- Scissors

- Pretty Paper (I used paper I got in issue 9 of Homemaker magazine)

Step One

I first rolled the toilet paper roll in the fancy paper and when I got to the end tried to glue the paper down. However, then disaster struck (yes on step one!) my Pritt Stick had lost its stick and was coming out in big lumps so in stepped Mr. Masking Tape to save the day!

Step Two

I cut four slits in the excess paper that was now on each end of the paper roll and began folding them down inside the roll. I then taped these bits to the inside of the paper roll using our trusty masking tape! When doing the other side I trimmed the excess paper before folding as it made things waaay easier so you should do that on both sides!

Cut four slits from the top of the excess
to the bottom and fold inside the roll.

You could also trim the excess before doing this
to make it easier to fold in and tape down.
A tip I've noted myself  for next time!

The hero of the hour 

Step Three

My holder was now complete! I just added my hair ties and bobby pins and messy hair has become a thing of the past!! 

Dr. Who approved!

Lessons Learned

So from doing this little project I discovered several things:

• I should have used Modge Podge glue! Pritt Stick just doesn't cut it in the world of crafting!
• Have some clear sellotape or other invisible tape around as masking tape does not look that attractive when all over your crafting project of awesome!
• Always trim the excess paper as it makes things less fiddly

I hope you enjoyed reading about my first foray into crafts and blogging about it and I hope it inspires you to make your own toilet paper roll crafts! For way more inspiration on this check out this weeks Tiddlybits which also includes a link to the tutorial that inspired this project. 

Toilet Paper Roll Heaven

The blog post that inspired my first craft was from the awesome Whimsically Homemade blog which is awesome and her tutorials are great so do check it out!

Below are lots more exciting ideas for Toilet Paper Roll crafts that hopefully will inspire you to re-use yours. 

  A Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder    

      

Storybook characters created 
from toilet paper rolls! 

A gorgeous Toilet Paper Roll Wreath from Hungarian Blog - Crescent Old Lace. The tutorial is in Hungarian but there's loads of step by step pictures so you should be able to follow it and get a beautiful wreath at the end!

                                                                             

Maybe even create your own
Toilet Paper Roll Art

That's it for this weeks Tiddlybits! See you next week for more craft inspiration!

This Old Thing Inspires

So exciting evening! I finally got to catch up on Dawn O'Porters new programme 'This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show" on Channel 4. I love this woman for so many reasons but particularly for all the photos of the fabulous outfits she posts on her instagram which give me a daily dose of clothes envy! 

I never get the chance to buy clothes as I'm usually broke but I adore clothes. I love looking at them, feeling them, imagining the looks I could put together etc. but unfortunately this adoration very rarely gets to leave my imagination. As soon as I enter a clothes shop Miss Imagination seems to go "Oh no! You're on your own here. Call me when you're done" leaving me alone in the middle of a shop with hundreds of items and no idea what to do with them and how to put them together, There is no point in looking at the mannequin for inspiration as my body has about forty more curves than it and all in the oddest places you can think of! So, instead, I revert back to my old tradition of a) buying a dress which can be worn on its own so don't have to worry about matching or b) something coloured that I can team that with one of many black items in my wardrobe! I then end up very quickly hating what I've bought as I'm frustrated by myself and the fact that I'm not wearing on the outside what I feel on the inside!

So in steps Dawn's new show to save the day! It really addressed all the worries I had about vintage/second hand shopping - the not worrying if you don't find anything, what to do if something doesn't quite fit and great ideas on how to put outfits together for all body types! I also loved the up cycling of old clothes into something new. Feeling inspired I decided to put what I had seen to practice straight away. 

I recently acquired this stunning top from my Nanny (a.k.a my grandmother to all you non-Irish folk!) but wanted to do something more exciting with it than put it with my usual black especially as  it's Summer and the weather is boiling!! So I had a rummage around my wardrobe and found and old blue skirt - perfect! One thing that the stylists (Dawn?) on the show did was they accessorised really well so I also added a brown belt (which was a very good life choice I feel) and VOILA! A new bright summery outfit was born!

I also did some sixties hair with bright lipstick and dark eyes just to give it more of a stylish feel! 

And I LOVE it!!! I will definitely be wearing this look out and about! 

Thanks for the inspiration Dawn and team!!

NOTE: I know this post doesn't technically count as a blog post about crafts but hopefully it will inspire you to create something new out of your old clothes or just wear them with something different! Here's the link to Dawn's scrapbooking page for more inspiration!