DIY = 'quote' tote

this is fabulous and easy
it's also infinitely customisable with your favourite saying or quote

you will need:
a plain tote
2 contrasting colours of fabric paint
pencil or dissolvable fabric marker
paintbrush (s)
newspaper
masking tape

layer the masking tape horizontally across the bag
you could measure and use less masking tape, but i'm lazy
remove alternate strips of tape to create a row that you can colour

with your pencil or dissolvable fabric marker, draw a speech bubble 
make the bubble large enough to contain your words

blend your fabric paint to the shade you like

place a sheet of paper or some newspaper inside in case your paint leaks through
paint the strips up to your  pencil lines and masking tape 
make sure you don't paint into your speech bubble

when you've done the lot, hold it up to the light to show weak spots that need a touch more paint
allow to dry

paint the outline of your speech bubble in black
go over any bits that don't 'take'
i stripped off the masking tape as i went
wait 'till that is dry before lettering otherwise you'll track the black paint EVERYWHERE

it should end up like this, waiting for your message

now it's time to letter
i did this free-hand but you could use a stencil
as you can see it may need a couple of coats to create bold lettering

once your words are painted
allow to dry fully (according to your paint recommendations)
use a hot iron to press/seal the paint after drying
don't rush the lettering if you are doing it free-hand or you could make a mistake
(i made a spelling mistake with this one - weep!)
so i'll show the final picture of one i made earlier

what will yours say?

DIY craft = clay gift tag

i'm having a bit of a clay thing going on at the moment
i think i might be in love
it's such a forgiving medium
and you can produce something really chic in a very short time
which is always good in my book

you'll need:
air drying clay
a small shape for indenting a motif (mine was a small heart bead)
a pin for creating a thread hole
thread of your choice
optional extras:
glitter/gloss to enhance your pressed motif
rolling pin
small circular cutter (mine is a tiny pot)
you could shape the circle and flatten by hand 

roll out your clay to about 1 inch diametre 4mm thickness

press out your coin shape

press in your little motif

create a small hole for thread using a pin or wire

allow to dry and add a touch of glitter

Add your thread

 

 

 

 

Add it to your gift

i'm really pleased with how they turned out - a stylish outcome for little effort

DIY = lino cutting

On pay day, I treated myself to some new crafting tools.

Well, you've got to haven't you?

I bought some soft cutting lino and some cheap lino cutting tools.

There were no instructions but it's not rocket science so I just waded in and...

WHOA!

I've got a new pash.

Watch and learn, kids, watch and learn:

(That's meant to be sarcastic by the way, I'm clearly not an expert, it was my first go and I nearly took my finger off - so be careful.)

Sorry about the blurry image above.  

I'm reduced to an old camera after I dropped my phone down the bog.

I LOVE learning new stuff, especially if it's as easy as this.

The possibilities are endless!

Go on get yourself some new kit and watch your fingers.

Tinkety Tonk