DIY - extremely easy bunting

I had to share this extremely easy bunting I made a few weekends ago. I've been updating my garden this year and whilst I wait for the plants to grow I wanted to add a splash of colour to a shady corner. I realise bunting is nothing new but sometimes (especially in summer) it's just what you need to make a space feel a little more fancy. We hosted a Fathers Day/Birthday barbecue at the weekend and it was the perfect accessory for a simple summer table. 

I used fabric from old swatch books but any thick upholstery fabric would work just as well. 

Step 1. Cut triangles of fabric 15cm wide at the top and 17cm long - use pinking shears so there is no need to hem. 

Step 2. Take a long piece of ribbon (I've been challenging myself to use up what I have, so used a roll of grosgrain I had in my stash) and then stitch onto the ribbon with a wide zig zag stitch on the sewing machine. I spaced these approximately 10cm apart. 

As a little extra detail I used a contrasting thread, but you don't have too. 

Once all the pieces were cut out I couldn't believe how quick it was to run this up, I always presumed that bunting takes ages to put together. If you want to see how it looks in my garden pop over to my garden instagram account @Lottsinthegarden. Happy making and happy weekend. xx

Travel - Mallorca 2017

 A few snaps from our recent holiday to Mallorca - I wrote a post on it last year (you can read it here) and not much has changed! We took the same flights and stayed in the same area, after years of travelling to new places there was something really comforting about going back to a place we know and love plus it made slipping into holiday mode so much easier. Travelling with a 20 month old was much harder than with an eight month old, we kept it simple and enjoyed days by the pool or on the beach and ventured out for ice cream as dusk fell. The beach at Porto Pollenca is by far the best for little ones and we loved the atmosphere in Pollenca Old Town in the evening so we divided our time between the two. After being villa bound for a rainy morning we drove to Palma for an afternoon of exploring - my city visits are limited these days so it was fun to see some crowds (and visit a few lovely shops!). 

I didn't take that many photos but had to get my fix of weathered shutters and bright flowers when the opportunity arose. I just love the soft worn colours of stone and wood mixed with beautiful pops of  colour from bougainvillea and of course the sparkling turquoise sea in this part of the world, its fills me with inspiration for the year ahead! 

P.s - We rented this villa through Airbnb which I really recommend. 

DIY - statement summer necklace

It's a bumper jewellery making week - hooray! I'm delighted to share this rather lovely statement summer necklace with you all today, it's my latest make for Lisa Comfort and I just love it. You can find the full tutorial here. Happy making everyone. xx 

DIY - summer statement earrings

It's that time of year when I get to unleash my bead box and make a new pair of statement earrings. I seem to only make one pair per year but really go for it when I do. I've been writing lots of jewellery tutorials for Lisa Comfort this year, as I've been putting them together I've been getting really inspired by the beads and bits I've collected over the years. I've been putting everything that's inspired me to one side and as a result these earrings pretty much created themselves. I used two main techniques for these earrings - opening and closing jump-rings and wire loops (both you can do!) however the main point of this tutorial is to get creative and play around with all your favourite finds. To stop the earrings looking a complete mess, kept the main colours to turquoise and aqua and then used accent colours of pink and yellow. I also varied the length of beads to form a 'tassel" shape, I used three long lengths, and two medium and short lengths, these don't have to be the same beads but need to be roughly the same length. Anyway before this gets two complicated here are some steps to follow... 

Step 1. Pull out all your beads, remember that earrings get heavy fast so make sure you use lots of light materials. I used African paper beads ( Etsy has a great selection), cotton tassels , gold star beads, green onyx briolette beads plus an earring stand from and old pair of earrings and turquoise beads from an old necklace (don't be afraid to take things apart!). 

Step 2. Once you have decided on your bead selection you need to get them ready to hang. The easiest method is to fix beads onto jump rings. To open and close a jump ring; take a jump ring between of pair of pliers with the opening facing upwards. With another pair of pliers gently twist the jump ring open, to close twist the other direction. Use this method for any beads/tassels with a small top opening and for connecting beads onto other beads/chains etc. Here I have used for fixing tassels to vintage beads and also the stars onto fine chain. 

I used a selection of 4mm, 5mm and 7mm jump rings

The second method I used was creating a simple loop (see above pic), I threaded the paper beads onto a head pin and then made a small loop at the top. To make a loop take the end of the wire (the end with no loop) between a pair of round nose pliers – make sure there is no wire sticking out the top. Take the bead and wire securely in one hand and pliers and wire in another twist the wire around the pliers creating a loop. You might need to reinsert the pliers when you can’t twist anymore to create a complete loop. You can use this method if you are joining beads (use eye pins instead of head pins).

Step 3. Once you have all you beads ready to hang, decide on the order they need to go. Try and mix the lengths of beads so that your 'tassel' has lots of interest. I fixed each bead onto a 4mm jump ring and then threaded everything onto a 7mm jump ring. To fix the beads to the earring stand I used a 5mm jump ring. This earring stand is from a pair of earrings that I had in my collection, I've said this many times - jewellery sale rails are a great place for picking up unusual findings to incorporate into your jewellery projects. If you can't find something like this then a regular earring hook will work perfectly. 

I really hope that these inspire you to try and make something different, I promise there is nothing more satisfying than using all your favourites materials to create a really find and inspiring project. Happy making and happy summer! x

Here are some more statement earring tutorials if you love these.
Silk wrapped statement earrings 
Statement tassel earrings
Gold and jewel statement earrings 

Inspired, June

This months inspiration is all about beautiful garden roses, what else?! These gorgeous girls are all from my mum's garden which has never looked more abundant (her secret is seaweed feed). These past few months have been tough and I've been working so hard to get the final rooms in the house finished and clutter cleared - I'm exhausted. This month I'm planning on taking an internet break to rest and recharge, with the world so full of horror I think its never been more important to make the most of time with loved ones and stop to appreciate the good that nature brings. Have a fantastic month and enjoy (I only wish you could smell them too.) x

How to get creative in the garden with a little one

I'm delighted to have teamed up with Wayfair for this summery version of how to get creative in the garden with a baby. 

Stanley's at an age now (20 months) where he's happiest outside - which is lucky because as part of our ongoing home renovations there's been a lot of work to do out there. He's just a little bit too young to play games with any kind of rule or technique but he loves to go off by himself to explore or 'help' us with our jobs. Over the past few months in order to get our garden summer ready I've been turning tasks into games and getting Stanley fully immersed where I can. So far he seems to love it,  today with Wayfair I want to share some of the ways I've been getting creative in the garden and still getting jobs ticked off my to do list. 

Create areas to explore - As I said Stanley really loves having a little areas where he can wander off too, whether that be searching for bees (his bee category is quite broad) or looking for the neighbours dog. His favourite place of all is in the veg patch sitting on a bench, he likes to lead me over so I can sit next to him and we spot birds, planes and cats together. I bought this metal bench from Wayfair last year and its been a fantastic buy. The same style isn't available but I love this turquoise version and I'm thinking of adding this white metal bench to another corner and some patio chairs near our dining room, these metal heart chairs remind me of a place saw in New York a few years ago and my friend has these cool woven chairs that we both love (for different reasons). 

Get them involved - We've been adding raised beds for flowers and veg around the garden and this is where Stanley has loved to get involved. With Stanley's help we built this raised planter - he just loves to watch anyone build stuff and also been adding raised beds. We have been using spare building materials but I think these raised garden planters are a fantastic value buy or this wooden planter is really child friendly. For me it's really important for children to get messy so he's been helping fill beds with soil, dig in our seedlings (I have lost a few) and water the plants (his favourite!). 

Create simple activities - I try not to make it all about jobs so have been including a few items that look good and can be reused after. Any kind of water activity immediately gets his attention, now that the weather has perked up I've been using items like this galvanised planter filled with bubbles and toys to keep him entertained or been using colourful throws/tablecloths to pull him around the garden which he thinks is the best thing - I love this cotton patterned throw and this patterned tablecloth. At Stanley's age they change and develop so fast I want to invest in products that have a use around the house when he moves onto the next stage where he can play more games. 

Invest in a few key toys - Now that summer is starting to establish itself and the garden is under control I've been looking at bringing in some child friendly activities. I really don't like wasting money on items that only have a few months use so have been looking at items that will last. Waiting in the wings is a sandbox with cover , having a sandbox that can be covered up at night and also provides some sun protection is a real winner and I know we'll be using it for years, there is also a train version that I think would blow his mind! Second on my list is definitely adding a wigwam play tent he's just started to play hide-and-seek so having a secret hide out will keep him entertained. The slide at toddler group seems to have a magnetic pull for children of all ages, it's time we bought a slide for the garden like this Smoby funny slide which can be turned into a waterslide. 

I really hope that this post has given you some inspiration for garden activities for little ones. A huge thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post, all photos, words and opinions are my own. 

Psst - you can see how our garden looked when we moved in here

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DIY - Embroidered t-shirts

I love seeing all the sweet embroidered t-shirts out there at the moment but I'm reluctant to buy as nothing currently fits my growing bump and t-shirts are really fun to embroider yourself. I've been buying mine in Primark where I usually head to the mens department or buy drapey versions in the ladies department a couple of sizes larger than I need. Inspired by this beautiful linen thread, I bought last year from The Old Haberdashery , I've been keeping my hands busy in the evenings by whizzing up these. 

Don't worry if you can't find linen thread, normal embroidery thread is perfect too and readily available in all craft shops. I also recommend getting an air erasable pen I've been using mine to mark a rough pattern before I start to embroider. It's also worth trying your t-shirt on before you start to work out where you want the pattern to be, theres nothing more awkward than a misplaced bloom! Once, you have your patterned marked just have fun, I never plan my design too much I have a Pinterest board where I keep embroidery ideas and then I just see what happens..

If you need some more t-shirt inspiration then take a look at these posts..
Very Easy T-shirt
How to Embellish a T-shirt
How to Pick a Colour Palette for your Craft Project

As always, happy making! x