Shabby Chick

BOOK REVIEW: Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Just as I hoped, Kathy Cano-Murillo's book is a treasure trove of quirky ideas and arty-projects - all of which are simple enough for a beginner to tackle.

Kathy's enthusiasm positively leaps off the page, and I dare anyone to resist her upbeat 'anyone can do this' attitude.

There are thirty projects in the book; from bags and clothes to off-beat pieces like Kathy's lovely fabric postcards. Plus, I know I will be turning to the bright, funky pictures time and time again for inspiration.

Craft Room Inspiration: Amber Karnes

Amber Karnes is a graphic designer and keen crafter. In addition to publishing her website My Aim Is True, she helps to run the 7 Cities Crafters; a collective of indie artists and crafters based in Virginia.

All this, and she manages to keep a deliciously bright and colourful craft room, too. Hop over the cut for some lovely details from Amber's creative space.

CRAFT PROJECT: Vintage decanter lamp

Junkmarket Style is one of my favourite websites and this tutorial for turning a vintage glass decanter into a stylish lamp, is brilliant (and brilliantly simple, too).

All you need is a decanter, a lighting kit, a two-inch wooden dowel and a lampshade.

Related posts: Brilliant tutorial for salvaged drawers | Decoupaged IKEA wardrobe

Led astray by a Luceteer

By Jennie Hughes

Shabby Chick visited the Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts Exhibition recently and saw many wonderful and lovely things. Amongst these was a cheery fellow with flashing fingers producing perfect braid with what looked like a plastic tuning fork. Don’t you find any demonstration of real skill completely irresistible? I certainly do, and so was drawn into the circle of admiring crafty-persons and thus hooked instantly.

The smiling prestidigitator was Ziggy, the man behind The Lucet the home of advanced luceting. Basically, this is an ancient craft of looping thread in a figure-of-eight pattern to produce a square braid – the lucet is the two-pronged instrument which helps you do this - and then weaving another thread (the frogging thread) through this as you loop. The frogging thread can then be pulled up to bend (frog) your braid in even coils, or you can use it to introduce beads into your braid as you work.

So, I bought the beginner’s kit (one lucet, one bobbin, a skein of yarn and the beginner’s instruction leaflet) and went home to get started.

Easter gift idea: Bunny tin

Looking for an original Easter gift for that special small person in your life? How about this make-a-bunny kit from Lapin And Me?

The keepsake tin contains everything you need to make the felt 30cm tall pink bunny, plus a notebook and pencil. 

Related posts: Badge maker | Liberty Belle rag dolls

Shabby chic rosebud heart

This decorative heart is made from dried rosebuds. It would add a romantic, shabby chic touch to a room scheme, or make a lovely gift for Mothers' Day.

At £6 from Vintage Amethyst, it won't break the bank, either.

Related posts: Romance tea light holders | Red heart photo holder

Easter at Panduro

By Jennie Hughes

It will be Easter soon! Check out Panduro’s website for ready-made and make-it-yourself chicks and ducks and eggs. Oh, and frogs.

You know you want to!

Related posts: Craft archive

Romance tea light holders

These glass tea light holders shout 'spring spring spring'. And it's about time we had some of that!

However, the colours are so sweet and cheerful, they would lovely on my dresser all year round...

£12 for the set of four from Cox and Cox. 

Related posts: Homewares archive

CRAFT REVIEW: Knitted Wire Jewellery Kit

Reviewed by Jennie Hughes

If you like messing about with beads you have undoubtedly come across references to “knitted wire jewellery” during your forays into lovely gorgeous websites. Yes? I have too, but I’ve always thought that the combination of knitting and wire might be fraught with difficulty/sore fingers/frayed temper.

Well the best way to get an introduction to a new craft is usually to start with a kit, because then an expert has chosen the correct materials, and has written instructions specifically for those materials.
So, I took a deep breath and a kit from the Crazy Wire Company, and hey! - It’s not so difficult after all!

Decoupaged IKEA wardrobe

I love this decoupaged IKEA wardrobe. The boring plain original can be seen here, but look how pretty it is now!

Manhattan Craft Room used snazzy designer wrapping paper for the front panels, some new handles from Anthopologie and a little bit of patience to get such a superb smooth paint job.

[Via IKEA Hacker]