Kate Makes

Happy Friday to you all.

I haven’t done a craft post for a fair while so that is the order for today.

As you know I love the beach and sea and all things beachy.   Whites, greys, shades of blue, stripes, driftwood, shells, sea glass and the list goes on.  As you can see from the picture and title I’m showing you how to make a driftwood sail boat.  I have always loved the look of these and wanted to try them and I’ve finally got round to it.

To start here is a list of all the supplies you will need to make my version

1. Hot glue gun or craft glue
2. Material. I think cotton is best in whichever colour you prefer
3. Thin white twine/string
4. Small screwdriver or similar, maybe a metal skewer
5. Large Philips head screwdriver
6. Driftwood for the hull and for the mast

The first step is to make a hole in the hull part of the driftwood that the mast piece will fit into.  I did this by starting the hole with the small screwdriver.  Then I used the Philips screwdriver to make the hole deeper and wider (I’m sure there are better tools to do this but it’s what I had and it worked really well).

Next the sails need to be measured.  I did this by laying the boat flat and just putting the material up against it and cutting it out by eye, I rarely use specific measurements, which works a lot of the time but I do have the occasional disaster.  If you are more of a measuring kind of person go with it.

Once you have done that you need to put some glue into the hole and attach the mast.  I used the hot glue gun which I find hold things better, but you can use craft glue although I would recommend buying a glue gun if you can they are widely available  for as little as £5 and they really are worth the money.  I got mine from Wilkinsons.

To attach the sails to the mast you will need the white string and the small screwdriver.  Push the screwdriver or skewer, whatever you are using, through the back of the sail at the top corner, not too close to the edge to avoid it fraying.  Once you have made the hole push the string through the back.  It took me several attempts to do this but if you find it very difficult just make the hole a tad bigger.

Then you need to make a knot in the string, pull through but not all the way, put a blob of glue where the knot will sit and pull the string until the knot sits on the glue.

Do the same for the bottom part of the sail.  Now it’s time to attach the sail to the mast.  Hold the sail up against the mast and the take the string around the back of the mast, wrap round a couple of times and before you pull it too tight thread the end of the string through the last loop, pull quite tight but allowing room for the sail to sit nicely against the mast.  If it’s too tight the sail wont sit well.  Trim off the excess.

Obviously you will need to do the same for the bottom of the sail and repeat the process for the other side. For the flag, again I didn’t measure I just folded some material and cut out a rough triangle shape.  The first one I cut wasn’t big enough as I didn’t allow extra for the fact that it was being wrapped around the mast.  If you don’t like the shape just trim it until you find the shape that looks right for you.  Put some glue on the side of the mast where the flag will sit and then wrap the flag around, then pop some glue between the two sides of the flag and press together.  Don’t use too much like I did as it all oozed out of the side.

I’m really pleased with the way it turned out.  Like I said at the beginning, this is my version.  There are so many ways to make these and if you look on Pinterest there are some brilliant versions, but I like simplicity, especially when I first try something, it might evolve if I decide to make more.  One of the best things about any kind of art or craft is that it’s open to interpretation.  I might try another one but on a bigger scale, we shall see.

I hope you feel inspired to give this craft a go.  Please let me know how you get on if you do or if you have enjoyed this post.

Wishing you all an amazing weekend.

Take care

Much love

Kate x

Hello all happy Friday to you!

Hope you all had a good week and an enjoyable weekend.  We went away on the church holiday, (just a weekend) and it was absolutely brilliant. My only complaint is that it goes too quickly.  This was the fourth year we’ve gone and it never disappoints, we had such a laugh.

About a month ago I did a post about the Creative Hub I did which you can read here.  Today I have decided to post about the craft itself – Decoupage.  This is especially for you Jo as you requested I do it.  Jo is my friend at Inspirata and you can read about her journey in this post.

List of what you will need

PVA Glue

Water

Pot/Container

Brush – either sponge or normal whatever you prefer or have to hand

The item you want to decoupage such as a tile, hanger, bottle of wine etc

Patterned tissues/decoupage paper

Clear matt spray varnish

Scissors if you want to cut the pieces

Here are some example of tissues that I have used

The reason this post is titled ‘DIY Decoupage’ is that you can end up spending quite a lot of money on things like this when you buy all the ‘recommended’ bits and pieces.  I’m not one for spending more on something if there is no need so instead of buying ModPodge, which I believe to be the most popular brand out there, I use 50/50 PVA glue/water, put it into your pot or container and mix up really well.  Ta Dah! Your very own, inexpensive ModPodge! It will last for absolutely ages in a well sealed container so you can save it for future projects.

Also in decoupage you can buy the ‘proper’ paper but again its very expensive for what it is, having said that there are some beautiful designs and if your doing something really special they are probably worth investing in.  I’ve always been really pleased with the results from using the tissues, for doing things like tile coasters, hangers, bottles of wine and the lovely shaped boxes you can get in craft stores.

Once you have all your supplies ready you can start.  There are 2 ways that I decoupage, one is to just tear pieces of the tissue/paper into equal ish sizes (or you can cut), the other is to use larger pieces of the tissue/paper and cover much larger parts of your project. With the smaller pieces you just keep adding them by slightly overlapping each piece as you go, this will give a more rustic look and obviously the pattern won’t run as all the pieces are merging.  Using the larger pieces will keep more of a uniform look with the pattern but depending on what you are decorating it can be quite tricky and you will still have to line up in places.

When I make coasters from tiles I use a whole piece the size of the tile as its such a simple way of doing it.  Covering a wine bottle is easier to use the smaller pieces and it gives a really lovely look.  When I took the creative hub some of the girls did something I had never tried before which I loved.  Using certain designs they cut out individual pieces, like flowers and butterflies.  In these pictures I have shown that technique (left pic) and the tearing and overlapping (right pic).

So as you can see I have left gaps in the cutting out technique  and with the background being white I think it’s really effective.  It’s all a bit trial and error to find the way you like to work the most.

Once you have completely covered your piece and it has dried, cover it in at least one coat extra of the glue mixture.  For things like hangers one is plenty but for coasters, but I do about three extra coats to help them stay hardy.  Leave each layer to dry before adding another and once the last coat is fully dry thats when I spray with the varnish.  Again for a hanger one coat would suffice but for a coaster I would do about three.

A few tips to remember

I don’t usually use all the layers of the tissue.  Sometimes I use two layers and sometimes if I want a really fine look just the top layer, although you need to be careful as it can tear when wet with the glue.

Make sure the area you are about to put your piece of tissue on is covered in glue, but don’t over do it. Also put enough on the top to make sure it’s stuck down properly but if you use too much it has more chance of tearing and slipping around and will take an age to dry.

When you are using torn/cut pieces and overlapping them try not to overlap too much as it will make the overall look very patchy.  Try and ‘fit’ them but only roughly.

Check the instructions on the spray varnish that you buy as to how far away you should spray, how long to let each coat dry and ventilation etc.

Hopefully I have explained in a way that is helpful.  If there is anything that doesn’t quite make sense to you or you have a better suggestion on technique don’t hesitate to post in the comments section.  If you do give it a go I would really appreciate some feedback and if you would like to share some pics of your finished piece that would be even better.

Wishing you all a really happy weekend.

Much love

Kate x

Hey all you lovelies! How good is it to see some sunshine?! It makes everything feel better doesn’t it?

I’m really excited about this craft. Partly because it’s the first thing I’ve started and finished for ages and also because it was so simple but looks so fabulous!
I bought two plain lampshades about 4/6 months ago with the intention of doing ‘something’ with them. Every time I look at them I think “what am I going to do with those?”

This week I decided to have a look through Pinterest for some inspiration and when this little beauty by emeraldcovejewelry.blogspot.com popped up, which you can check out here, I knew it was the one for me. Hardly any prep, easy and quick. What more could a girl want from/for a craft?

What you will need.

Lamp shade
White sheet or pillowcases.
Good scissors

Obviously mine is all white as that’s what I like but you could do different colour shades and sheets. It would be interesting to see it done in other colours. Maybe a blue lampshade with the white material?

Fortunately I had a white sheet in the cupboard that I had already started using for other crafts. If you don’t have one spare you can get them really cheaply in lots of places.
1. Make cuts along the top edge of the sheet, roughly 1 inch wide, then rip the sheet all the way to the bottoms, then pull off the loose threads on the edges.
2. Put one of the full sized strips through the lampshade so that you can measure how much you will need to double knot, leaving enough to give the effect.

Knot, cut then untie so you can measure the rest of the strips required.  There’s no need to be too accurate as the look is very shabby chic so doesn’t have to be perfect. (Remember if your starting to run out of strips to keep once back to measure more.

3. Once they are all cut you can start tying them around your shade. I did a really basic pattern where I tied the first one near the top and kept coming down with each one until I was at the bottom. I did it in groups of 5 so each time the 5th one was at the bottom I would start the next one at the top again. You could do any pattern or just random whatever you fancy really.

My lampshades were quite small, I used 30 ish on each one. Obviously the bigger your lampshade the more you will need to use and the longer they will need to be.  Also if you cut your strips narrower, you will need more and if you cut them thicker, you will need less.

I’m over the moon with the way they have turned out and so pleased I have actually gotten round to doing them. Yay me! It’s also inspired me to do something about the mirror in the bedroom too – which will be on another post.

I couldn’t resist sharing this pic too!

Hope you enjoyed this post, I really enjoyed doing it.  Let me know what you think and if you might give it a go. Would love some feed back and photos if anyone tries it. Happy crafting.

Lots of love ❤️

Hello my lovelies, it’s getting closer! We only have this week and then the children are all off for the Christmas holidays. So so exciting! But, with a capital ‘B’, there is so much to do that needs to be done before then, as once our kids are home we don’t seem to get quite as much done. Am I right?!

So bearing that in mind I am plodding through my list, bit by bit, hoping all the stuff that needs to be done this week gets done.  You know what though? I have realised over the years that no matter what happens, Christmas will come and Christmas will go and it will all be fine, even if we didn’t manage to make that super duper Christmas pudding that we have been planning for ages!!

With this being the first Christmas that I have been writing the blog I obviously have more to do than before because I’m blogging most of the things that I’m making and doing, it’s amazing how much brain space blogging takes up, let alone actual time!

Now let’s get on with the tutorial. This is such an easy thing to do and it’s a great one to do with kids of all ages.

First you need a recycled jar (where would I be without my jars?!)

Small paintbrush

A 50/50 mix of pva glue and water (this is my own version of decoupage glue which is very expensive to buy in the craft stores and this works just as well)

Sheets of tissue paper, recycled pages of books or as I used, recycled bible pages which works really well because they are quite thin

Some glitter (I like to use the very fine stuff but any is good)

Brown string

Tea light

Get your paper, whichever you have decided to use and decide if you want to do whole pieces on sections of the jar or if you prefer you can cut or tear smaller pieces and stick them on randomly, overlapping as you go.

I used whole pieces of the bible so that I could still read what it actually said. I used psalms. I love the way the candle shines through and lights up the words.

Section by section put your glue onto the jar using the paintbrush and then take your piece or pieces of paper and stick to the jar. The paper can be moved around slightly if you want to reposition but be careful as it will easily tear. Then cover the same section in more glue. The glue needs to be under the paper and over.

Keep repeating the process until the jar is covered.

As soon as you have finished covering the jar and the glue is still wet sprinkle on the glitter. You can use as much or as little as you want, but remember you can always add more but you won’t be able to take it off!

Leave them somewhere to dry and then add the brown string around the top and tie a bow.

Top Tip – make sure your jars have a big enough opening for the tea light before you make the lantern. I found out the hard way with this one and have never been able to put a candle in!

Pop your tea light in, light and enjoy the pretty glow of your lantern.

The kids and I made these last year along with some cheap plastic baubles using the same method, but for the baubles you need to use the cut up pieces of paper.

It really really is that simple and you probably have most of the things you need for this already. Maybe you could try it with the kids once they break up from school?

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Looking forward to hearing from you.

See you all again soon ❤️

Hello beautifuls! How is your Christmas planning and organising going? Who has all their decorations up and who hasn’t started yet?

For someone who started Christmas projects back in September I dont feel very organised at all!  Admittedly most of what I’ve been doing has been for craft fares.  Speaking of which, I’ve only gone and signed up to do another one 6 days before Christmas! Mad huh? Most of the house decorations are up, but the trouble is there are so many creative projects to try and I don’t know how or when to stop! Which leads me onto today’s make!

The original idea for this came from Pinterest I made mine using what I already had, with some help from the trusty woods that I love so much!

The cardboard ‘N’ was already in my possession from another project but they are inexpensive and can be easily bought from most craft stores.

I wanted to try and make the ‘o’ like a miniature wreath, so on one of my ‘wood walks’ with Saffie I started to have a look around for what was needed. I tried a few thin branches but they were too dry and kept snapping. Then I found the perfect branch that was still supple, had lots of bend in it and was quite long.

I made an ‘o’ with the branch and kept going round and twisting it around itself so that it kept its shape. As in all woods there is copious amounts of holly and ivy (I couldn’t stop singing the hymn for the entire walk!) so I picked a couple of small amounts of ivy and wound that around too and that was that.

I was toying in my mind how to make the ‘e’ and ‘l’ or where I could get them from.  My daughter suggested that we use the ones from our ‘love’ wooden letters in the kitchen. GENIUS – She’s a clever little cookie! So this was the original result, I thought to start with that I may change the ‘l’ to mix it up a bit, but with the extra lights that have been added I’m really, really liking it the way it is.

Hope you enjoyed this post and are getting into the festive mood. Let’s all try and remember that it doesn’t actually matter if we have the house looking ‘perfect’ and that it’s about so much more than that. Look after yourselves don’t just run around trying to be everything to everyone!

How are you all feeling about Christmas this year? Would be so great to hear from some of you ❤️