Fabric Findings- Skulls And Roses

So I just wanted to share the beginnings of my next little project with you all. I had bought this with the intention of making a skirt to wear to a party at the weekend, but Royal Mail had other ideas. At least it means I can take my time with it and ensure the best possible results.

I really don't blog on here too much, but that's mainly because my crafting gets interrupted by other tasks and general adulting- it really sucks. I am slowly adding more items to my collection of crafty tools, so I will be sure to share with you shortly what I'm planning, and hopefully have some finished products soon enough!

I am going to make a 50s style circle skirt. You know the type- Marilyn Monroe on the fan type flouncyness? Adding a little twist with this gorgeous skull fabric. I have got a little pencil case made from the same fabric and I have always wanted to make a skirt or dress from it, so now is the time! I can't wait to start on this- but I want to make sure I have the right button for it so that I have everything in the one place before starting.

I've added the Amazon links below, just incase you are loving the idea or the fabric.

What little projects are you all working towards at the moment? How do you find time to fit everything in around work and general grown up life?

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Stud Skull Canvas

I have been working on this for ages... I'm glad to say it is finally finished! While this wasn't particularly hard to do, running out of studs halfway through definitely slowed things down. It doesn't look like it, but there are around 500 studs on this canvas! I simply used emulsion paint as my base colour- I wanted it to match my feature wall in my lounge- then stuck the studs in to form a skull shape. Not much more to it- I didn't even flatten the studs at the back. Oops. 

Still, I don't expect many people to try picking at the studs, so it should hold up nicely on my wall! 

I know the design is a tad irregular and uneven, but I quite like that because the human skull is never even anyway. I also like the overall use of metal- it has been likened to the Terminator skull already, I can live with that. 

My aim is to have an array of skully decorations in my lounge. I will get there, one skull at a time! 

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DIY Framed Sailor Jerry Prints

Today I created some little pieces for my hallway. My grand plan for my hallway is for it to be almost a museum of tattoo art and tattoo paraphernalia- mainly inspired by the Tattoo Museum that I visited in Amsterdam a few years ago. It will be in contrast to the organised, tidy nature of the rest of the house and it is a long way off... but in the meantime I am going to continue creating and collecting some little pieces to adorn the walls.

To create these little prints, I simply sourced some postcard sized Sailor Jerry prints- you can get them off of eBay if you like the style, or you could print onto photo paper at home. I'm sure a google search will get plenty of choices!  I also used Ikea Raket frames just because they were cheap and cheerful (from a second hand shop) and because I was unsure whether my plan for painting them would work very well. They also happened to fit the little prints perfectly.

I decided to use acrylic paint to colour the frames red, as my colour scheme will be red and cream in the hallway. I think they look rather professional and cost about £2 each to make. Not bad!

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Bathroom Crafts

So I wanted some unique accessories for my bathroom. I liked the sparkly letters I saw in places like Asda, but the words that were available didn't quite fit our home's personality. So I decided to buy some wooden letters from eBay, and bling them up so that they tied in with my other accessories in the bathroom... The great thing is, the letters are individual so can spell out anything you like! 

Blinging the Throne...

Letters in situ, pride of place in the bathroom.

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DIY Music Memorabilia- Ticket Collection

I have collected gig tickets as souvenirs over the years and usually just kept them pinned on the wall, or in a file to look at when I'm feeling nostalgic. In moving into our home, it was decided that one of the rooms would be used as a Music room, as my partner is a drummer, so I had to think quickly about some nice artwork for the walls.  Vinyls in frames were obvious additions, but I wanted something a tad more personal and unique. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I decided to create a ticket frame. Both myself and my partner have one each, displaying the gigs we have went to over the years, and we also plan to make a third, in time, of those gigs we have went to together. It is surprisingly easy to create your own ticket frame art, and it looks very professional. 

You Will Need: 

Glue dots (acid free) 

Frame- size to reflect number of tickets. I used A3. 

Collection of used gig tickets

Method:

1- Choose the tickets you would like to use. I decided on music only, and i removed any doublers. If you go to a lot of gigs, you may also want to choose the "best" gigs, or even favorite bands.

2-Use the liner in the frame as a base(turned around), or just get a piece of paper which fits inside. Lay the tickets over the paper until you are happy with the layout. I overlapped mine in a random order, as I think this reflects the activity at a gig, but it is up-to yourself how you position these. You may have to fold the corners behind for framing. 

3- Once you are happy with the layout, you can then start sticking the tickets to the liner/ paper. Use glue dots- please don't be tempted to use blu-tack as this will, over time, break down and cause oil stains on the tickets. Gently remove the ticket you want to stick, affix the dot, then replace in position. It is best to do any tickets beneath any overlapping first, as it makes it easier to achieve your desired layout. 

4- Ensure all corners which are sticking out over the sides of the liner/ paper are folded behind or cut off. I want my tickets to remain intact, so opt for folding at all times. 

5- Replace the frame as normal, and hang in your desired location. you will now have unique, personalized wall art that is a great talking point for any room!

Sparkle Skull

This was a quick piece of kitsch art I made for my living room, which is skull themed. It was really easy to make as I bought the MDF shape from ebay, and simply painted then stuck lots of crystals on with mod podge. Took about an hour and a half to do, and I think it gives a nice bit of sparkle in the room. I would say if you are going to try it yourself to get a pick up pencil, as it helps position the little crystals perfectly without getting the covered in glue and dulling the shine. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Pin Badge Storage And Display

So, over the years I have collected a LOT of charity badges. Originally, I had them pinned to a fabric blind at my window, then the drag was too much so I tried a bandana instead. Any time I pinned them onto fabric, the overall weight would drag and mis-shape the fabric, so would look a bit shoddy.

I wanted to display my collection in my craft room, I thought it would fit in nicely there. So, I got a blank canvas from The Works and pinned the badges on. The canvas is thick enough and stretched nicely that the weight shouldn't cause any problems over time. I think it works quite nicely, and sits pride of place above my sofa :)

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Craft Room Tour

So I have been away for quite some time. Having recently moved house, I have been trying to decorate the house and all of my arts and craft materials have been stored away in boxes.

Thankfully, I have been working on my craft room for the last few weeks, and the results are definitely worth all the hard work, even if I do say so myself!

With a budget, I have been able to create an apt space to get my creativity flowing while having everything immediately to hand, where I need it.

All in all, I would say that this room has cost about £200, but it is in no way completely finished. As I'm sure you all know, it will take more time to add the little bits and pieces that make it unique.

The colour scheme was quite basic, inspired by Pinterest. Come to think of it, a lot of this room was inspired by Pinterest, and I have taken lots of ideas and combined them all together.

Hope you like my little workspace, and feel free to ask any questions!

So the desk area is made up mostly of Ikea goodies! To the left is an Ikea Gnedby shelving unit, which I got in the bargain section for £14!! (Always check out the bargain section, people!)

The desk itself is a kitchen worktop, similar to the current Fyndig worktop. I got this as a discontinued piece, so slightly different, and again in the bargain section! It is held up by beam-wood around the walls, and a section of Faktum cabinet that houses my printer. In the corner of my desk is a large glass square shaped vase that I use to house my rulers, drawing aids and bone folders. No desk tidy will ever be big enough!

The walls are covered with Bygel rails, baskets, hooks and tubs. Perfect for storing all of my tools, ribbons, scissors, pens, pencils- everything really!!!

So these are my shelves, which are super deep and can hold a tonne of stuff!!! Again, the bargain section of Ikea really paid off, as I managed to get these Faktum kitchen cabinets for £10 each! I bought 3 so as to have extra shelves and some extra wood for use around the room. With no need to paint it, and it being chip resistant, it really made the room easier to build.

I have used Drona boxes, which are cheap and cheerful at £2.50 each and hold a LOT of stuff.  The Flyt magazine files also make everything look tidy, and I use these for holding everything- from cables and plugs, to empty tubs for use later. I have all of my wooden stamps, organised by size in the little white trays at the top of the shelves. Just as well I have a Bekvam step stool! There are also pink paper trays which I picked up at Poundland, and some misc boxes and folders that I already had lying around.

This is not quite finished yet, as I plan to use a label maker to label absolutely everything!!

This is my little sewing table and sofa bed. I wanted a stand- alone table for this so I could move it to accommodate larger pieces, while not having a permanent desk fixed in the middle of the room.  I also wanted to make sure that guests were able to stay over if need be, without dedicating a whole room to being a spare bedroom.

What you can't quite see above the sofa is a further, long shelf which houses all of my sketchbooks and more Drona boxes. Must ensure everything is co-ordinated!

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