New website

I am excited to let you know that I have a brand new website with lots of new content over at Gather & Grand. I'm continuing my persuit of living a creative life and I'll hope you'll join me there for inspiration and ideas. Emma x

Off the shoulder shirt DIY

Photo credit L-R, top-bottom

Theory

JCrew

Gap

Embellished sweatshirt DIY

I'm always looking for fun ways to personalize my daughter's clothes and there's nothing easier than a quick DIY embellishing project. I bought this plain, gray sweatshirt from American Apparel a couple of months ago and have been saving it for a project. As I mentioned in my last post, I recently released my first craft product - diecut felt words that are suitable for sewing or glueing on to all kinds of sewing and crafting projects. I'll be sharing my ideas for using them in different ways right here on my blog, so stay tuned.

Easy lined zipper pouch tutorial and some exciting news!

Today I'm sharing a tutorial on how to sew your own lined zipper pouch. I decorated the front of mine with my own die cut felt appliqué - all the exciting details about those are at the end of this post.

If you're new to sewing and want to start with an easy project - then these zipper pouches are for you! Not only are they easy, they're useful in so many ways. And they make great gifts too.

Roasted butternut squash soup maker recipe

If you love butternut squash soup, then this is the recipe for you! I bought a soup maker a few months ago, and I've been trying to adapt some of my favorite soup recipes so that I can really make the most of it. I've found that whilst the soup maker does an amazing job of cooking and blending all the ingredients, I still like to take the time to prep some vegetables before hand. I roasted the butternut squash and browned the onion and apple before throwing them all in to the soup maker. Adding in those extra steps really helps to make a deliciously rich and hearty soup.

Chocolatey banana bread in ten easy steps

Banana bread is one of my favorite feel good things to bake so today I'm battening down the hatches and baking this chocolatey banana-ry goodness. We have especially wet and windy weather here in SoCal at the moment so I need all the feels I can get. I know there are a million banana bread recipes out there, but this one is so light and airy. It uses ingredients that you already likely have in your pantry and it bakes up so nice and big, that there's lots of slices for everyone!

Plus, there's only ten easy steps between you and this deliciousness! Read below for all the details.

DIY comfy pillow bed

Today I'm sharing a sweet little sewing project I created for Fiskars recently. It's a comfortable pillow bed that not only serves as a cozy spot to relax, it's perfect for kid sleepovers too. I chose to create mine using this soft textured minky fabric because who doesn't love sinking in to cozy, warm material.

Cheers - DIY bar tray

Cheers to a little mid-week adult beverage! Who fancies making one of these gorgeous bar trays, using a simple wooden tray and a Cricut?  What's more, if you get bored of this phrase after a little while, you can simply remove it and replace it with a fresh new one. I'll list all the supplies at the end of this post, including details on the lovely acacia wood platter I used.

Mini watercolor banner

I wanted to create something new and fresh to decorate the wall in my craft room where I work and  spend most of my time. It's important to me that I'm able to catch little glimpses of creativity and color about the room - it inspires me when I'm feeling stuck and it always brightens my day.

Chalkboard labels using Chalk Markers

Now that Christmas is safely packed away for another 12 months, I've moved on to springtime gift giving. I have several friends' birthdays coming up and I like to steal moments here and there out of my busy day, to go a little step further with embellished packaging.

Eye chart + FREE download for cutting

I love the trend for bold, quirky eye chart art that I've been seeing around, so I thought I'd try to make one of my own using my Cricut Explore. I love it! I put it on my mantel and now that I have all the supplies to make it, I'll be switching out the phrasing from time to time. My kids (one of whom wears glasses) thought it was fun too.

I'm going to share with you how I made this, so that you can make one of them for yourself.

DIY Christmas Cushions

Just stopping by to share my latest DIY for Spoonflower - personalized Christmas cushions. These are a fun one. I used picmonkey to create my designs and they have some super Christmas and holiday themes at the moment. They are really easy to make and I even made you a step by step video tutorial so that you can make your own. I figured out the technical stuff so that you can just turn on your computer, create your design and send it off to Spoonflower, then sew up your fabric once you get it home.

DIY headboard #2

Do you remember my original headboard DIY? Well, I was lusting after a new look for our master bedroom and ended up browsing the selection of headboards over at furniture.com for inspiration. They have a giant selection of headboards - you should check it out because there's something to suit everyone and it's a great way to find LOCAL sales on furniture. I particularly fell for some grey, tufted linen headboards - so sophisticated and comfortable, and honestly, much more affordable than similar headboards I've seen in stores.

DIY Modern Wreath

I made this wreath using only a few simple supplies and it looks great hanging on the wall. The gold ring is by Darice from Joann's - they had a range of sizes and mine is about 8" in diameter. The faux berry sprays are also from Joann's. They have a large range of holiday florals, so this wreath could really reflect your own style - just look for what works for you.

DIY Bar Cart

Here's an easy DIY project I created for Fiskars recently - a DIY bar cart - perfect for parties and entertaining over the holidays. I used a white 6 cube storage unit as the base and added wooden planks to the top and bottom. Wheels make it perfect for moving from room to room, or even to the backyard if you're somewhere warm like I happen to be.

DIY Mason jar lid ornaments

Here's a quick DIY project I wrote for Create and Craft recently - mason jar lid ornaments. I have plenty of lids lying around in drawers and boxes, leftover from other craft projects, and I decided to put them to good use by turning them into tree ornaments.

DIY Candle holders

 I'm busy getting our home ready for Christmas and I'm sure you are too. I love adding little festive touches here are there and I feel that a few sparkly baubles and twinkly lights go a long way in creating a warm and cosy atmosphere. I made these wooden tea light holders for our dining table from birch logs and used a few Fiskars garden tools to help me with the task of lopping and pruning branches.

Handstitched festive banner

Stopping by today to share a tutorial I created for Spoonflower, and this is a project I love! I just KNOW I'm going to be making more banners for other holidays and occasions, using this method. I used picmonkey's free software to create the design for this and then Spoonflower printed it on to fabric for me.

Tulle skirt DIY

It's really quite simple to get into making your own clothes - even things you'd actually want to wear for special occasions. Here's a tutorial for a tulle holiday skirt I wrote for Fiskars. Tulle can be a little tricky to work with, especially if you're a beginner. My tip is to mist the tulle lightly with water from a spray bottle.

Mason jar luminaries

Since we're already in to November, I thought it was time to start sharing a few holiday project ideas. It's never too early to get a head start on the busiest time of the year. Here's my take on mason jar luminaries - I used frosted glass spray, gold spray paint and letter stickers.