Thursday 16 February 2012

Reep What You Sew

Here lyeth the products of an afternoons machining! I saw a very similar bag in American Apparel for something ridiculous and thought that I could match it! So i bought this leatherette fabric from The Fent Shop, Macclesfield and made my very own. The skirt, also inspired by one I'd seen in AA, literally cost 3 quid to make! Times are hard, but with a bit of imagination and patience, something unique can be yours for a fraction of the price!


Tuesday 14 February 2012

I've gone DIY craft crazy! Part 1. Paper Bunting

Saw this at a vintage fair in Stockport one Sunday, selling for quite a dear price. Told myself 'I can do that'. So I did.

You will need:
Sewing machine, threaded up and raring to go.
Ribbon- at least 1.5m to get a good run.
Books, whatever you desire, good ones are Nature, Maps, Interior.
Bunting template, cut out of stiff card- browse through your books and decide on a suitable size to get the best out of the pages.
Pen.
scissors.
Pins, if required.

I managed to get a bag of hard backs from a Chazza for £1 and the ribbon from a Paper chase sale at £1 for 3 metres. Yes the whole lot for £2.



Simply choose desired images, place template on the page- check you're not cutting through an ace image on reverse, draw around it and then chop them out. Good whilst watching a film. I've recently watched 'Eagle vs Shark' It's brilliant.

You should end up with a pile of these..



Next fold the ribbon in half and hold a bunting piece in the middle and just sew along- you can pin them but I found it easier to just free style and just keep slotting the bunting pieces into the ribbon in a random fashion.




Lovely stuff!

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Lovin' Levy.

Levenshulme is underrated! I love living just far enough out of the City centre but near enough to not feel detached from friends.There's a real sense of community here, everyone says 'Morning' as you're walking down the street, which is fantastic!

I've managed to hunt out some real treasures of Levy & I hope you'll take a trip here someday! It's only 5 mins form Piccadilly..

1.


This husband & wife run cafe is situated on Stockport road. Come here for a quiet cuppa or poached eggs on toast, or pick up a jar of tasty home made preserve or cake! Very laid back. Sometimes they'll randomly host events, recently having a vintage clothing sale, which I blimmin missed! Limited menu but a gem that you'd seldom find in Levy a year ago.




2.


Levenshulme Antiques Village. What a magnificent Aladdin's cave of wonders! Every time I visit this place I feel excited and overwhelmed by all the antiques on offer! I especially like the shops that are crammed full of bits n pieces. There's one shop (name escapes me) where I go in and the chap owner always tells me some interesting fact about whatever random object I'm eyeing up.I did buy something from him the other day, for a project I'm working on! He obviously loves his job. There's so much to see. It also has a teeny weeny cafe amongst the maze of rooms and stair cases. Serving a good brew , jacket potatoes and a full English. There's a nice courtyard leading to more sheds and reclamation huts! Definitely worth a visit, especially if you own a car.





3.


Post Office Deli is a wonderful, homely place. The food is smashing. I've been here quite a few times now. I've eaten falafel burgers and bought some great cheese too. It's basically one side of an operational Post Office on Albert Road. It has outside seating and an alcohol license in place. It serves unusual bottled lagers and ciders. POD puts on gigs for the locals which I want to check out one day. It's such a great little place in an unexpected location. It really needs the support of the local community so I aim on going there as often as possible!




Levy Links..

http://www.thewesley.org.uk/
http://www.levenshulmefestival.co.uk/venue_levenshulme-library
http://www.lev-inspire.org.uk/

Nexus Art Cafe




Possibly the most welcoming and acest cafe in Manchester without question. Nexus art cafe. The home of pop up exhibitions and a proper brew, book swapping and couch laying, amazing cakes and the thickest cut bread I have ever seen. All the things I love. I also value the fact that the heating dial has been turned just that couple of notches higher than average, which to me is just right, being the little weed that I am; so it is always toasty warm.
You can park your butt on anything from an old arm chair complete with random patches of embroidery, you can imagine someone getting their needle n thread out mid brownie! to a wicker throne that encases you with ginormous plump cushions. The food's honest and home made, as a vegetarian there's mountains of choice but there are meaty options too. The cakes are freakin lovely. You'll stumble across people from all different walks of life and all ages. They'll read, write poetry, chat, knit, play scrabble.

Nexus hosts exhibitions and guest speakers as well as life drawing and other skills based workshops. There is something for everyone. Nexus doesn't sell alcohol which gives it a different vibe in the evenings, so chilled.OK so the ladies toilets have a habit of flooding so you have to use the ones above that belong to the gospel church but it adds to the experience if you ask me! The staff are really friendly and I think you'd struggle to find something negative to say about any of it!

It is also the home of my beloved nexus running club or NRC. I've met so many wonderful and interesting people since attending the running club back in May and it's all thanks to this marvellous cafe.

A must visit If you're ever in Manchester. Everyone welcome.

I've gone DIY Crafting crazy! Part 4. Unique Collar Bib

I was inspired firstly, by a garment that arrived at COS. It was a scallop collared, shirt bib. Let me elaborate, It's like a shirt without arms. It stays in place with elastic fastenings under your arms to keep the front and back flaps joined, thus it doesn't wrinkle under your clothes. You basically wear it under dresses, jumpers to give the impression of a shirt, a very cute shirt. Unfortunately I can't find an image anywhere! I hope I've made sense? At the time I wasn't as keen as to buy one but since we've completely sold out, I'm loving it!
I then saw this image..and became even more inspired.

S/S sees a massive embellishment of collars. Already I've spotted some 'Equipment' shirts at work with a great metal edging.(I also am going to try and make my own collar tips at some point) So i went to the Chazza's one day, with one mission, to find a shirt with a nice collar and not too hideous a pattern! Quite difficult! but I succeeded. Bought a shirt for £1.TICK.

Next I took the shirt and savagely cut it, without thinking. But somehow it worked! I pencilled on a bib shape and I was left with a bib shape. Phew. Next I took some bond-a-web (the stuff of dreams) and carefully ironed a clean edge, again with success.
I managed to buy some studs, not pointed as I'd hoped for but rounded from yes, The Fent Shop, 4p a pop. Next I used a cork mat and hammered each stud onto the collar and used tweezers to push the spikey bits closed. Here's an image mid-way through.


I deicded that I'd like full coverage so I bought some more studs and continued. To finish, I then sewed some elastic from front to back to keep the bib in place. In total, I spent £15, I think you'd agree this is a fine investment! I'll be wearing it under coral jumpers and mint green tees this Spring.

The finished product...

I've gone DIY Crafting crazy! Part 3. Tea cup Candles


Another DIY project I've been meaning to do for sometime.

Ingredients


Cups & Saucers- I bought mine from The Chazza's, a set of 3 for £1.50 (ahem BARGAIN)
Tea light candles- get a fair few I got 30 for £1.49
Long candles- dissect long wick and then melt the wax.
A heat proof bowl, pan, hob, old spoon
Some kind of tape
A few essential oils & food colouring, if desired.
patience

Firstly clean the cups and saucers- lets have no remnants of chicken soup. Next snap the long candles and pull out the wicks, keep these aside. Next melt the wax in a Pyrex, type, bowl over a pan of boiling water.Melt as much as you plan to use if possible. Although what you don't use will just solidify in the bowl until next use! Once melted, add essential oils if desired and/or colouring until at the right consistency. pour into the cups, mind it's bloody hot.





Next place the wicks into the centre of the wax and affix in place using a strip of cello tape across the diameter of the cup- can be fiddly! leave to cool outside, if it's not raining!



DONE.