Half term is nearly upon us again!  Is it just me or is this year zipping by?  With half term coming, I thought it would be fun to share a DIY project and the lovely people at Kata Golda created one especially for my readers.  You may have come across Kata Golda but in case you haven’t, they are seriously creative crafters.  They have a shop full of handmade things which you can buy or if you’re a crafter yourself, they have some DIY books and colourful wool felt packs too.

Kata has a penchant for playing and creating with wool felt so we thought these adorable little turtles would be a cute project to share.  Once made, these little creatures can of course be played with or displayed on a shelf but there is so much more you can do with them.  They’d make a cute addition to a party bag, they can be used as place settings at a kids birthday or just to decorate the table.  You could make a mobile with the 3 of them or a brooch with the littlest one… the possibilities are endless.  Here are the instructions:

Print the template and cut out the template pieces with paper scissors. If you wish to make all three turtles, print one template at 100%, one at 75% and one at 125%.  Then place the pieces on the felt and cut out the felt shapes with fabric scissors.  Note that you will cut out 2 of the body pieces and 1 shell piece for each turtle you make. Stitch the eyes on one body piece using 3-ply black embroidery floss. Use a satin stitch and place the 2 eyes wide apart.

Using a blanket stitch and 2-ply black thread, stitch the 2 body pieces together.  Next, use a double running stitch to sew eight “U” shapes on the shell layer with 2-ply gold embroidery floss.  Now you need to attach the shell to the body.  To do this, whip stitch the shell piece to only the top layer of the body three quarters of the way around.  Leave an opening and stuff.  Continue your stitch and close the hole.  Repeat these steps for each additional turtle and you’re done.

Here are more details and all the templates you’ll need:

• Turtle template
• Tools, materials, tips and helpful hints
• A guide to the stitches used

You can also find more DIY projects and crafting ideas on Kata’s blog.  Hope you all have a fun long weekend and see you next week.

I saw these gorgeous floppy DIY sheep soft toys and I had to share them with you.  If you are a knitter, how can you resist making them?  I’ve come across these sheep before to buy but making them yourself is even better.  You can choose your colours, the sizes and you can make as many as you want.  I love the colours chosen here but the choice is yours.  My mother-in-law is the knitter in this family so I’ll be asking her to make a few of these.  I discovered these softies at Fawn & Forest but for full instructions visit Lebenslustiger.

I have a folder on my laptop called ‘little things’ where all the inspiring and beautiful things, humorous things, quirky things and the things that make me smile get put away.  Today I thought I would share some of my current favourites:

Love this simple DIY shelf to store all those little toys.

I want to adopt these quirky hand made twins!

I want to try and make this gorgeous DIY pierrrot style collar.

 Love the neon and pastel colour scheme and that beaded hanging light.

Do you indulge in lots of crafts for yourself and with your kids?  If you do then you need to check out Knot, a new online magazine that has just launched.  And even if you don’t, it’s worth looking just for the beautiful styling and pretty pictures.  Full of stunning and very do-able DIY projects for adults and children, this magazine is the creation of 3 French ladies.  They’ve just launched the first issue which is small but every craft is so pretty.  Knot magazine is only in French at the moment but the English version is due to follow soon. 

I love both the kids crafts featured not only because they look like something every kid would want to make but I also love the soft minty greens, blues and whites they’ve used.  Those wings… I want to make them now!  Then there is a cooking section with a hot chocolate and spaghetti recipe and both look divine.  But forget cooking the real thing, I just want to make the super creative paper versions.  Aren’t they so cool?  For mama’s there’s a bit of DIY fashion and some pretty decorating ideas.  I’m really excited about knot magazine and I can’t wait to discover the next issue… hopefully in English!

Today is the last day of summer holidays… while I’ll be happy to have some time to myself, I’ll also miss having my daughter around.  To celebrate the last day we’ve got lots of fun stuff planned so I’ve promised to spend as little time working as possible.  But before I go off to play I wanted to share these beautiful images with you.  I spotted them on the Oh Joy! blog and they took my breath away.  The girl is stunning as are the floral head pieces.  I know my daughter would love to wear something like this when she’s playing dress-up but then again, which little girl wouldn’t.  Maybe one day I’ll get around to making one but for today I’ll just admire these beautiful pictures shot by Chaunte Vaughn and styled by Jessi Butterfield.

I’ve long been a fan of Rikshaw Design.  When I re-visited them the other day I found that they now sell their gorgeous Indian fabric by the yard.  From these lovely cotton fabrics they make crib bedding sets and quilts, little kurtas for babies and toddlers and bibs and burp sets.  But now you can buy the fabric and make whatever you like.  If sewing isn’t your thing then you could always create a beautiful wall hanging for your nursery.   I love these Indian fabrics and I’ve indulged in a gorgeous elephant quilt for ebabee no.1.  I bought mine in India as I often go there but you can save yourself a trip.  Made in Rajasthan and called block print fabric,  they have a lightness and softness to them that make them perfect for babies and nurseries.  Visit Rikshaw Design where the fabrics cost $44 a yard.  They do ship to Europe but shipping is very steep.  Shipping within the US is free.

London themed decorative woven ribbons… so, so cool!  These are the latest offerings by Sandra Monat of Herzensart.  When I spotted them I couldn’t wait to share, so I didn’t.  Mama’s just think of the decorative possibilities.  Clothes, pencil cases, cot bumpers, bags, cushions, bed linen… these are just a few of the things these delightful ribbons can adorn.   Made using 100 year old weaving looms, these London themed ribbons are just a joy.  I’ve long been a fan of Herzensart goodies and this may be the best yet.  Being limited edition they’re only available from Sandra’s own store so hot foot it to Herzensart to get your share.  On offer are these guard ones, a red London bus one and a telephone box one.  They cost from €3 a metre and shipping to the EU is from €1.50. 

… with a little help of course.  Check out these quirky little beasts by the French la Sardine.  You get a complete soft toy making kit with a pattern, the fabric, instructions and even the stuffing.   If sewing isn’t your thing, I bet you can still give this a go.  And after you’re done, you can proudly say that you actually made a soft toy for your bambino.  Impressive!  On offer are a range of creatures, all with quirky but cool looks.  My favourite has got to be the black chicken type thing but they’re all pretty cool.  I’m even wondering if I should put my non-existent sewing skills to the test.  Visit La Sardine where you’ll find lots of these soft toy kits and other DIY kits too.

I’m a big fan of Alice Melvin and her paper goods.  Many moons ago, I brought you her fantastic Cut Out and Make Bird Mobile.  Today I chanced upon the Cut Out and Make Menagerie and just had to share.  You’ve got the whole lot in this menagerie from the birds and bees to the big beasts.  There’s a total of 12 animals all made out of heavy paper, to cut out and make but the one that stole my heart was the elephant… it’s so pretty in all it’s Indian glory!  And once made, there’ll be hours of fun playing zoo.  To get Alice Melvin’s Cut Out and Make Menagerie visit the Tate Gallery Shop where it costs £7.50 plus £3.60 delivery.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that bring big dollops of joy.  And these make your own paper boats are just one of those things.  When I saw them, I couldn’t help but smile from cheek to cheek!  By Jurianne Matter of the Netherlands, she designs the sweetest little paper creations that you then make up yourself.  These make your own paper boats can be filled with little treats for a birthday party, hung as decorations, personalised and given out as party favours to the little guests or anything else you can think of.  In a pack you get a set of 8 boats to make up from Not on the high street.  They cost £9.95 for the set plus £1.45 delivery.  There are other lovely paper creations by Jurianne too, one of which are her paper angels which also have heaps of smile inducing qualities!