Playing With Old Shirts

During the summer holidays I did a lot of backing with the children. We are now cupcake queens, but during this time I found that not only don't my children own a apron but I also don't have a apron.

This revaluation got my creative juices running and after a lot of sketches and playing around I thought may be I could use a old shirt!

So during one of my visits to a charity shop I spotted this man's shirt for the bargain price of 50p. Which began my adventure at creating shirt apron.

After lots of experimenting with different designs and process this is the end result.     

The original shirt I bought for 50p and first design.

Second shirt I bought for £1 and second design.

Out of the two designs I prefer the second one and now I am the proud owner of a shirt apron.

xx

Experimenting With Different Textures

On my desk this week is a great book called Creative Embellishing By Teresa Searle. 

I loved this book as soon as I picked it! To be honest the front cover sold me striate away with it's bright colours and interesting textures. 

Teresa Searle has introduced to me to embellisher machines and although I do not have one yet, I have added it to my Christmas wish list. (Which seams to be getting longer by the day)

Basically its a sewing machine with lots of needles that you never need to thread. The needles are like barbed  wire, so each time they puncture a collection on fabrics and mixes the fibres up, similar to what happens when you felt. Creating a whole new piece of fabric all bound together like magic.

You can use different types of fabric to create all sorts of different effects from lace, cotton, silk, synthetic and wool. Your choice is endless!

This book is jam packet with different projects from making fabric from fibres, knitting yarns, scarf's, corsages, cushions, greeting cards, bowls and patchwork.

Each project has easy to follow instructions and large bright photos, enabling you to create stunning one off pieces.

I am looking forward to trying out some of the projects and I am interested to hear from anyone who has either used a embellisher machine or created any of projects from this book. 

You can post your creations on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/emusupcycledgifts 

xxx

Summer Break 2012

I am back to work after our summer break and what a summer break we had. I don't know about you but the weather was not that great but we did manage to have some weeks of lovely sunshine.

Now the children have gone back to school and the house is very quit after being filled with the sound of children's laughter for six weeks.

Time to get my creative juices running and create some of my sketches I did over the summer into full scale creations.

We hope you had a great summer too and welcome back I 

xxx

Creative, Recycling Bed Time Reading

Each week I am going to wright a book review on one of the books I am currently reading. This week I am starting with a great book on recycling your old clothes.

Junky Styling Wardrobe Surgery Book Review

This book written by Annika Sanders & Kerry Seager is a fantastic book for people who want to learn how to create a new outfit from an old outfit in their wardrobe they no longer want to wear. For example how to reconstruct old trousers into a stylish skirt or how to reconstruct a shirt into an a wrap top ideal for wearing out for a meal or blinging up for a wedding outfit. 

Not only are there fantastic projects for you to try out with very clear step by step instructions but also the book is full of great ideas you can make once you have learnt the basics on how to destruct a piece of clothing and reconstruct it together into a different design.

So off to the wardrobe I go to start taking part all those old outfits apart and create myself a whole new wardrobe without spending a penny. Oh how my hubby will love that!

Happy reading the Junky Styling book and creating your new wardrobe.

xxx

Read, Relax & Learn! What Are You Reading Today?

I love reading different things from Biography's, Fiction, Blogs, Magazines. Not only do they help me relax but they also help the creative juices flow. I always end up having a sketch pad and pencil next to me while I am reading a good book as different designs just pop into my head.


Yesterday I was sat on WHSMITH floor next to the the magazines waiting for my daughter to get over her tantrum that I would not buy her two new comics, only one! (She is so negligent) Any way while sitting there I started to brows the magazines and this new magazine shone out from all the others. 

Molly Makes - Is a great magazine, with interesting interviews with mixed textile designers, friendly chatter and interesting tutorials. I is like reading a blog but in paper form. I so recommend you go and get your self a copy. But be warned once you buy one you will be hooked.  

They also have a great blog page with even more exciting news and talents, which is also well worth a look here

Olympics Have Come To Town

I have the pleasure of living in the delightful county of Cornwall. Not a huge amount goes on in Cornwall for us to spread all over the national newspapers and on the national news. But this year the Olympics were coming to town. On the 19th of May 2012 the Olympic Torch landed in Lands end to travel by foot all the way to London in time for the Olympic games. 


My family are lucky to live about 15 minutes from one of the towns the Olympic Torch was going to pass through. So at 2.45 I shut up my pop up shop early and headed down to the main street of St.Austell to meet up with my family to welcome the torch to town.


The atmosphere was great, the who community came out to welcome the torch as well as the sunshine. The town center was full of traditional market stalls and fun activities for the children to take part in. Through out the parks around the town their was sport days type activities and BBQ's.

My youngest daughter waiting                                                                 My son taking everything in

My dad and son taking photos 

My husband and middle daughter waiting for the torch                                        My son's friend 

The Olympic Torch bike riders car 

The Coca Cola bus. They were giving out limited edition coke bottles but unfortunately we did not get one.  

 The Samsung Bus

The Lloyds TSB Stunt Bike Riders

The Lloyds TSB bus

The Olympic Torch 

Is was a great afternoon, so exciting to part of welcoming the Olympic torch to the UK Olympic games and another story to tell the grandchildren. (In many years I hope)

Herbs In A Tea Cup Anyone?

As you know I love my vintage tea cups and I also love gardening. So you can imagine my delight when I came across a great blog called The Bower Bird Stories - Tea Any one?


I just need to work out how to put a small hole in the tea cup with out breaking it, then get hubby to put up a shelf next to my kitchen window and my new herb kitchen will start to come to life.


Watch this space to how I get on.