Some of you may or may not be aware that I moved house at
the beginning of January. It was quite a big move, as I’d previously lived in
Cyprus until September 2014, then moved into my mum’s temporarily until our
house was ready. To say this was a stressful time is an understatement, what
with Chris being away in the Falklands and me having to do the move with just
my Dad to help out (thank you Dad you life saver), but we’re very much settled in
our little home now and I’ve been doing my best to make it as cosy as possible.
As a keen crafter I love making bits and pieces, so
adorning our house with things I’ve made on the cheap is something I really
enjoy and find very satisfyig. Chris and I don’t want to splash lots of cash
but certainly want to project our personalities on the place so here’s some
things I’ve been crafting..
It’s OK Banner
You may have seen this banner before as I did a tutorial
on it back in March. I’d been lusting after one for quite some time but every
time I’d go to buy one, they were never in stock! Frustrated I decided to
create my own (which was much more satisfying), making it a bit smaller than
the original- perfect for this little corner of our living room.
Chartreuse
Canvases
Sooo we’ve got this bedding… Could I find any art work to
match it? No. Or if I did, did we like it enough or thought it was worth the
price tag? No… We took to Pinterest and came across these wonderful quotes and
typography (originals here and here) and I got out my watercolours and gave it
my best shot to re-create our own. We changed up the colours and went for
chartreuse, greys and blacks. It took me so long to find a proper word for
“yellowey green limey but not too green or too yellow” and chartreuse is the
word! I must admit I was pretty chuffed
and relieved at how they came out and Chris praised me too- yay! The canvases I
picked up at my local Factory Shop- two for £6!
Polka dot table cloths and pretty pretty curtains
Now I’m no sewing expert, in fact I’m quite the
novice! Thankfully I have a Mothership
with much more expertise and knowledge to guide me so when I told her I wanted
to re-vamp the kitchen a bit with curtains and a tablecloth she was happy to
help. The table cloth and curtain material both came from Dunelm and are just
adorable! The table cloth was incredibly easy
to make. Measure your table, allow some excess and have the material cut- done!
It’s oilcloth so it doesn’t fray and is easy to wipe over too. Sorted! The
curtains were a bit trickier but so satisfying to make and now I know how to
make them I’ll definitely have another go in the future.
DIY Dog Bed
Our home wouldn’t be complete without our hound Harry.
He’s such a big part of the Rayment household and I wanted to make him a lovely
dog bed whilst in keeping with our living room. I came across this lovely
fabric (which if you look closely has a dog pattern on) and thought it was
perfect. I did another tutorial on how to make this (here) but it’s crazy simple
and I guarantee it’s something you could do! He loves it as I made sure it was
a nice big bed for him to stretch out on and I love it because it’s not a
typically garish dog bed- yay!
Sundae Candle
Back in April/ May time I took part in the Craft Blog Club’s
spring clean gift swap. In a nutshell
the challenge was to spring clean some old craft supplies whilst creating a
secret gift for another craft blogger. I made a sundae candle for Robyn of
Simple Little Pieces plus more (see post here) and made an extra one in case I
cocked up the first one! Thankfully her candle came out lovely, leaving me with
one too which is a cheery fun decoration for our kitchen. It’s confused plenty
of our friends mwahahaha…
Craft bench make over
Having the perfect craft area is crucial for spreading
out materials and having space to create and again I couldn’t find anything I
liked within my price range *sobs* so yet again I rolled up my sleeves and
decided to make my own out of materials I mostly already had. My desk started
off as a teeny tiny laptop desk with a shelf balanced on top. After sourcing
the same desk, I drilled another spare shelf top on top and with a lick of
paint I created a long craft bench. One end is aimed at being office like, with
laptop and printer whilst the other I leave clear to use my sewing machine and
create other craft projects. It was super cheap to devise and I think the chalk
based paint helps it fit with our shabby chic guest room. I’m planning on doing
a craft room post in the near future so watch this space…
And those my friends are a few little ways I've made our
house a little bit more homely on the cheap whilst incorporating crafts! It’s
so much fun and god do I get a kick out of it when people ask “where did you
get that from?” and I can reply, “I made it myself.”
What have you made
for your home?
