Day 8 - Part one...

This project is going to take atleast another day, it is the way of paper mache to take a long time to dry. Right now it's just a balloon but I have big plans for it. :)

Day 7 - Paper furniture

Today I used a pair of scissors, a piece of lined paper and a biro and arranged three rooms with simple cutouts.

Day 6 - watercolour painting - inspired by Brambly Hedge

I toyed with a few ideas this morning, but as today is a work day I have gone for a simple painting rather than anything functional around the house. This piece is inspired by the Brambly Hedge kid's books, I love the illustrations in them, and have done since I was a child. I really love miniature things and homely houses made for fairies or mice, I expect there will be more projects on this theme in the next year. It was quite hard getting the detail as I wanted it to fit the frame which is about 4" x 8" so quite small and I was working on canvas which has a difficult texture to work with. I used a mix of watercoulour and sketching pencils for finer detail.

Day 5 - Box frame memento display

This was a fun little project today, I turned a box frame into a stash for my gig and cinema tickets. I cut the back panel down a bit to make a small slot for me to post things in as I get them, which is far better than stuffing them into random boxes or my wallet. I used a Kath Kidston sample for the background and then drew some stars onto the frame. Pretty simple but effective.  

Day 4 - homemade pasties

Thursdays are my mad day for the foreseeable future, I spend most of the day volunteering in a classroom full of 4 year olds, it's a real treat but tiring, and then, when it should be time to come home and relax, I go to work. It's pretty full on and remembering to eat can be a bit difficult, so I have to remember pack lunches from now on. Today I had homemade cheese and onion pasties for lunch, (admittedly I made them yesterday, but they were far better today!) Here's a recipe if your interested in making your own.

Day 3 - DIY shirt to skirt...The shkirt

Before

I started this Home is where the Chaos project on Pinterest a few weeks ago, collecting ideas and inspiration. I can't take any credit for this idea, but I'm pleased it was an internet inspired project that actually happened, rather than being put in one of those 'Great Ideas' folders and never looked at again. (I have many...)

After

So Day 3 began with a mans shirt, First I chopped the sleeves off, and trimmed the rest of the shirt to just above the curve of the arm hole. Then I rolled a top hem and stitched it down with enough of a loop to hold some thin elastic. Now at this point, you have a skirt, there are extra baggy bits around the hip so the next step is to straighten out the side seams. I played with the idea of a pocket but eventually (with some helpful suggestions from The Man) I decided to replace the buttons with something a bit more interesting. After much deliberation I chose some mini pewter compasses, and then added a little anchor patch to the bottom corner.

Overall I like the idea, but I'm not particularly happy with the finish. I would like to unstitch the waistband and try again, perhaps taking it in a little more at the side seams as there is a lot of excess fabric which bunches unpleasantly. I tried to stretch the fabric out at the front which helps a bit. Either way I'll be wearing it to school tomorrow. The nautical element is a little homage to my year of boats too, not my intention but definitely my aesthetic.

Day 2 - DIY upcycling

Before

Winter is coming, time to dig out those chunky jumpers and get the layering system back into play. Personally I can't do most knitwear or fleece, or anything that is particularly warm, so this jersey fabric is perfect for me. Warm, but lightweight and breathable. Unfortunately it tends to stretch and loose its shape, so today's challenge was to breath some new life into this sad old jumper. It had a roll neck once upon a time, but it annoyed me so much I cut it off, the sleeves have had thumb holes poked through and are covered in acrylic paint. The rest of it is just loose and baggy and raggedy.

After

With some giant buttons and a bit of cutting and stitching I turned it into a cuff sleeved, asymmetric collared, cardy. Now it's super comfy but much smarter with some of my personality in the mix too.

Day 1 - DIY decorating

Good Morning! I have returned after a month and a half of creative freedom, I have thought long and hard about my new project, I learnt a lot from my year on Boats but fancied something more productive but slightly less tangible. So allow me to introduce you to my new 365 project:

HOME IS WHERE THE CHAOS IS!  D.I.Y 365

Throughout the next year I plan to get on with all of those creative projects that are just for me, you know the ones you think, "I should do that one day", yet that one day never truly happens. I have chosen a very broad area to work on, so expect to see homes, chaos and plenty of me, Doing It Myself, (probably while creating Chaos at Home!)

So to kick start my project I have had a thorough cleanse, throughout the entire house. Bit by bit I have banished hoarded junk, broken ornaments and cobwebs from every corner of my home. Rearranged the furniture in every room to maximize space and add to the general Feng Shui I was sorely lacking. My blog begins the day after my Birthday after a fantastic weekend gatherings, epic board games...and bedroom painting. On Friday morning (and for the best part of three years) our room has been a hideous shade of orange paired with a sickly pink. The colour made it feel so grotty that we never really tried to make it homely.

After

Before

After two coats of Magnolia we wanted to add a pop of colour, The Man and I discussed different ideas, he likes graphic lines and minimalism, I am a lover of vibrancy and detail. So we designed a series of horizontal stripes, marked out very meticulously with masking tape. The end result gives a clean, fresh atmosphere with a bit of character from the stripes.