Scraps blanket

In my quest for a decluttered house, I discovered that for some reason, I have ended up with a load of pink, purple and green wool scraps. So not wanting to waste them, I am making myself a granny square crochet blanket! I have wanted one for years but never got round to making one. It will take me months to finish but I'll post it here to keep myself motivated..and now I've posted it, I have to finish it lol

Six squares done so far! (I know theres only four here but I couldnt fit the other two in the picture) I have no idea how big it will end up so it will either be a throw for the sofa or the bed!

Vintage suitcase photo storage

Just a quick post today! I found this vintage suitcase in my sister's attic which was dying to be revamped

I wish there was smell-a-vision on blogs because this thing was seriously whiffy. First thing to do was hammer it back into shape so it would shut properly..which would have been easy if I had been able to find the hammer, so I ended up using a shoe! Then I set about stripping all the previous lining out and this was the best I could do. I dont know how the previous person (probably my gran) stuck it in but it would not budge!

Alot of cleaning, mod podge and a roll of ikea wrapping paper later and this is my finished suitcase!

Its not shiny in real life, the flash reflected quite badly, but overall I'm really pleased with it! I havent done anything to the outside apart from clean it (and there was alot of dirt on there, my hands were black when I finished!) but I like the worn look. Now my photos have a nice new home, much better than a battered old cardboard box and alot more compact aswell! More decluttering done!

Mauv

My Cat

I was just working on a new post, uploaded some new pictures and found this on the camera, I don't even remember taking this!
So I'd like to introduce my cat Hugo. He will inevitably pop up from time to time, usually lying on whatever I'm trying to do (his favourite place is on fabric I'm about to cut)

See how impressed he is with my shoes! Lol

New Shoes!!

Ok so technically they're not new shoes but I love them anyway! I've been trying to declutter and while sorting my wardrobe, I found these two pairs of 'emergency' shoes (bought when I was wearing heels in work and my feet were about to fall off!) that I never wear anymore. Of course I had to modify them slightly because I hate plain shoes!

So this is what I started with:

One pair boring plain shoes (£4 in Primark)

1 Strip Material 6.75 inch x 2 inch

1 Strip Material 5.25 inch x 1 inch

Small scrap material (not pictured)

The material I used for the bow was actually part of an old handbag (yes my decluttering is going well!) Because they are shoes, you really want something thats quite sturdy and weather proof and also wont fray! Mine was some kind of fake leather.

1. Starting with the smaller strip of material sew edges together to make a cuff (sew right sides together so it will lay flat on the shoe) Turn it the right way round with the seam in the middle. Repeat for the larger strip

2. Take the smaller cuff and with the seam facing down, pinch the middle together to make a rough bow shape. Put a few stitches through to hold it in place, its easier if you wrap the thread around the middle just to keep it tight.

3. Place the larger cuff seam down on your work surface and position the smaller bow on top in the centre

4. You might need a pair of pliers on the next section just to get the needle through. Pinch the larger cuff together as you did for the first bow, holding the smaller bow in place as you do. Its hard to describe, this picture probably shows it better. Sew through the middle quite a few times, pulling it quite tight.
5. Well I completely forgot to take a picture of the next step but its pretty self explanatory. Cut a thin stip of material and sew it right around the middle of your bow, just to hide the stitches. Attach to your shoe and you're done!

The black flower shoes used the same material as the bows and I followed this tutorial for the flowers, attaching some fake pearls from a broken necklace I had laying around!