Sunday 30 December 2018

Sunday Favourites New Year's Special #359


I'm back with my final Sunday Favourites post of the year, and as we're swiftly approaching the New Year, I've made this week's favourites a New Year's special. I've packed it full of New Year's crafts, recipes, printables, decor ideas and more to give you a little last minute inspiration for your New Year's celebrations, and I hope it gives you lots of ideas for your best New Year's yet!


A Subtle Revelry can show you how to make this DIY disco ball New Years Wreath for under $5 (£3.93).


Still need a calendar for 2019? Lu Loves Handmade have created a free printable handlettering calendar for you to download, with motivational words for every month of the year.


Want to decorate your bar cart for New Year's? A Kailo Chic Life show you how it's done.



A Beautiful Mess' disco ball cupcakes look like the perfect treat for a New Year's party.


Every New Year's party needs a DIY silver disco New Year's backdrop, like this one from Aww Sam.


Your New Year's party doesn't have to follow a silver theme, how about making this amazing pink art deco cake from Club Crafted?


I love A Kailo Chic Life's New Year's Eve disco party decor.


This disco ball clutch from Studio DIY is the perfect bag for any New Year's party or night out.


Wow your guests at your New Year's party or gathering by serving drinks in these spectacular DIY ice buckets from A Beautiful Mess.


Why not recreate Oh Joy's New Year's Eve photo backdrop so everyone can have fun taking festive photos for Instagram?


If you want something a little bit simpler, Lovely Indeed show you how to make a sparkly New Year's Eve backdrop in just five minutes.


Ring in the New Year with Best Friends For Frosting's DIY New Year's Confetti Poppers.


No New Year's party would be complete without decorations, and Oh Joy have a great DIY for fringe stars.


You can even build a whole star-studded party around Oh Joy's festive fringe stars, as they will show you.



Oh Happy Day's New Year's Eve clock favour boxes are so darn cute! They'd be perfect for a party or for giving to your guests or family during a New Year's meal.


The House That Lars Built have created a gorgeous New Year's Resolution printable to help you record your goals for the year ahead.


Oh Happy Day's intergalactic NYE party looks like light years of fun.


For a simple but effective way to decorate a cake for your New Year's party, try this 2018 glow stick cake topper from A Subtle Revelry.

If you're looking for more New Year's inspiration, check out my New Year's board on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Sunday Favourites New Year's Specials here.

Happy New Year!

What are your plans for New Year's?
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Tuesday 25 December 2018

Merry Christmas!



After weeks of counting down the days, putting up decorations, shopping for presents, wrapping gifts, making yummy food, crafting, and sharing lots of festive blog posts, the big day is finally here! It's Christmaaaaaasssss! (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

This month has gone so quickly, but I still can't believe Christmas Day is finally here. Where have the last few weeks gone??

I've been so busy preparing for Christmas these last few weeks, so I'm looking forward to finally having some time to switch off, relax, and enjoy the festivities with my family. I'll just be spending the holidays at home with my immediate family, including my older sister and brother-in-law who are visiting from Germany for the week, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Quiet Christmases at home are my favourite way to spend the holidays.

I'm planning to spend the day opening presents with my family, watching a few Christmas movies, eating lots of delicious festive food, falling in to a food coma sometime around mid-afternoon, dressing my dog up in a Christmas jumper, and maybe even playing a board game or two and enjoying a few drinks before I succumb to the pain in the evening and fall back in to bed to recover. I can't wait! 

I'll be back to tell you all about it in a couple of days, but for now, I'm going to sign off, and just enjoy the day with my family.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends, get spoiled rotten with presents, indulge in lots of delicious festive food and drink, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves. You deserve it!

Merry Christmas!
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Monday 24 December 2018

DIY Easy Christmas Hoop Art


Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already; where has this month gone?? December has just flown by this year, and I've been so busy preparing for Christmas, I've barely had a chance to stop and enjoy it. I wish time would slow down a little! I haven't even managed to get in to the Christmas spirit yet. For some reason, I'm just not feeling it this year.

I'm sure all that will change today, as Christmas Eve has always been one of my favourite days of the year. My sister and brother-in-law are arriving home from Germany this morning with their dog, Mia, and I'm planning to spend the next few days enjoying Christmas at home with my family, and having a well deserved rest after a hectic month. After I finish the last few errands today, I'm fully intending to watch lots of Christmas movies, eat my body weight in delicious food, spend some quality time with the family, and maybe even push the boat out and play a board game or two. I can't wait!

I'm sure most of us will be busy wrapping presents, prepping food, and travelling to spend Christmas with our families and friends today, but I wanted to squeeze in one more Christmas craft before Christmas Day. You probably won't have time for any last minute crafting, but if you're looking for a fun festive project to make over the next few days, or need some unique last minute Christmas gifts or decorations you can easily make by hand, I have one last Christmas craft I think you're going to love. And that's my easy DIY Christmas fabric hoop art.


I recently realised that while I've featured photos of my hoop art on my blog and social media pages before,  I've never shared a tutorial on how to make them, so I thought it was about time I did.

I started making my own hoop art a few Christmas ago by framing patterned fabric in simple wooden embroidery hoops, sometimes adding embroidery but often leaving the fabric plain, and finishing the backs with some felt, I find the process and end result so satisfying, I haven't been able to stop making them since! It's such a fun and simple craft to make, but they look so effective and make a great statement on any wall- especially when multiple hoops are displayed together in a big group. A hoop art wall will certainly add a unique and personal touch to your Christmas decor, and is sure to be a conversation starter with your guests this Christmas.


Hoop art doesn't just make great Christmas decor, but can also make lovely presents for friends and family, too- especially those who appreciate crafts, and handmade presents. You can even personalise them for the recipient by using fabric and colours relating to their likes and interests, and embroidering their name, a quote they love, their favourite things, or even their pet(s) on to the fabric. A piece of hoop art would make a lovely stand-alone gift, or you could also add one to stockings, hampers, or even Christmas Eve boxes. It's up to you to decide how to gift them. Hoop art doesn't even have to follow a festive design if you don't want it to- you can use non-festive fabric and create them for any occasion throughout the year! To date, I've made lots of Christmas and Easter hoop art, and even some colourful designs for every day, too. The hoops in the photos are a selection I've made over the years using fat quarters from Hobbycraft. (You can find the polka dot fabric here).

If you'd like to learn how to make your own hoop art, follow my super easy DIY below. (Step-by-step photos coming soon).



How To Make Christmas Hoop Art

You Will Need

♥ Embroidery hoops in various sizes. (The hoops I used range from 3 to 10 inches).
♥ Christmas print fat quarters / fabric.
♥ Felt.
♥ Scissors.
♥ Fabric pen / pencil. (If you don't have one a pen or a pencil will do).
♥ Sewing needle.
♥ Thread.
♥ Glue gun and glue stick. (Optional).

How To Make a Piece of Hoop Art

1. Gather your supplies.
2. Iron your fabric until it's completely crease-free.
3. Take a piece of fabric and an embroidery hoop. Place the inner hoop underneath the fabric and the outer hoop on top, move them around until you find a layout you're happy with, and frame the fabric in the hoop.
4. Pull on the edges of the fabric and tighten the screw on the hoop until the fabric sits tightly in the hoop like the hide on a drum.
5. Trim the edges of the fabric at the back, leaving them about an inch long.
6. Thread your needle with two strands of thread, and use a running stitch to cinch in and secure the fabric at the back of the hoop. You could alternatively trim the fabric down further, and glue it tightly to the back of the hoop with hot glue.
7. Take a sheet of felt, a fabric pen, your hoop, and scissors.
8. Lay your hoop on to the felt, and draw around it.
9. Take your scissors and cut the circle out of the felt.
10. Now attach the felt to the back of your hoop. You can either sew it to the back of the fabric using a blanket stitch OR glue it to the hoop using a hot glue gun. You just want to ensure the felt is nice and taut once you're finished.

And voila, your first piece of hoop art is complete!

Yes, it really is that simple! There really isn't a lot to this style of hoop art, so even the most inexperienced crafter will have no trouble with this DIY.


If you're in a rush, or want to create some temporary hoop art just for the holidays, you can get away with not adding felt to the back of the hoops, as you aren't going to see the backs once they're on the wall. Leaving them unfinished will make it easier to switch up the hoops with new fabrics if you want to change them for different seasons, trends, or occasions. However, if your walls are a dark colour, the colour will likely show through the fabric as fat quarters are generally made of thin fabric, so finishing them with felt is always recommended. It will also keep your hoops looking their best for longer.

I've kept the majority of my hoop art plain and simple because I think the fabrics make a great statement as they are, but you could do so much more with them than I have. You could use any fabric you like, and add embroidery, sequins, buttons, beads, pom poms, present toppers, ribbons, and even applique other fabrics on top. As for the hoops, you could paint them in different colours, or wrap them in colourful threads, yarn, or even washi tape. You'll find so many amazing examples on Pinterest and Instagram that put mine to shame!


I wish I had painted or wrapped all of my hoops- adding some colour to the wood definitely gives them a little something extra. Lately, I've also thought about turning them in to baubles for the festive season by adding some light grey felt in the shape of a bauble hanger to the top of the hoops, but I haven't found the time to customise them this Christmas. I'm definitely going to give it a go next Christmas, though, and I'm already planning on making more elaborate designs in 2019 by adding embroidery and designs in other fabrics, so keep your eyes peeled for those!


To display your hoop art on the wall, play around with different layouts on a flat surface until you find one you like, and then you can start hanging them. Start from the centre point, and work your way out. I find command strips are perfect for hanging hoop art on concrete / brick walls, but you may need to trim them down for the smaller hoops. Of course, you could also hang them with nails or picture hooks etc., the choice is yours.

And that is how to make your own Christmas hoop art.

I hope you've found my tutorial helpful! If you decide to make your own hoop art, make sure you leave me a link to your photos in the comments below so I can check them out! I'd love to see any hoops you make.

Have a wonderful Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!

Have you ever made your own hoop art and will you be giving my tutorial a go?

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Sunday 23 December 2018

Sunday Favourites Christmas Special #358


Merry Christmas Eve Eve, guys!

I can't believe it's only two more sleeps 'til Christmas! This month has just flown by. Thankfully, I'm almost completely organised for Christmas now, so once I finish the last few things on my to-do-list, I can just relax and enjoy the next few days with my family. I can't wait!

I'm sure you're super busy preparing for Christmas today, but if you're reading this, you're probably enjoying a few minutes escape or looking for some last minute inspiration. Well, you've come to the right place! I've got my fourth and final Christmas-themed Sunday Favourites of 2018 for you today, and I've packed it full of crafts, recipes, gift wrapping ideas and more to give you some last minute inspiration. I hope they inspire you like they've inspired me.



Studio DIY's Christmas balloon wreath DIY is a fun and inexpensive alternative to the traditional foliage and ornament wreaths you see everywhere at this time of year.


This DIY snowman balloon from Best Friends For Frosting will help keep little ones entertained this Christmas.


Lu Loves Handmade has created some free printable hand-lettered gift tags that will add a modern touch to all those gifts you still have to wrap.


I adore this festive embroidery hoop art by Aycan from Little White Socks, and the best part is she's created free downloadable patterns of them so you can make them, too!


These mid-century car Christmas decorations from Finest Imaginary are adorable.


No reindeers were harmed in the making of this utterly cute DIY plush reindeer head decoration from Studio DIY.


I'd love to have a go at making a retro wreath cake, like this pretty one from A Beautiful Mess.


A Beautiful Mess can also show you how to make this unique swan stocking to hang on Christmas Eve.



I really want to make some of these beautiful paper poinsettia flowers from The House That Lars Built.


Little White Socks' Christmas lights inspired nail art manicure is so pretty, and would be fun to try over the next few days.


Oh Happy Day's typographic gift tags are a great way to label the gifts under the tree so everyone can see which gifts are theirs at a glance. I'd definitely try this if my Mum and younger sister didn't have the same initials!



Persia Lou's paper cut Christmas gift tags would add a pretty finishing touch to any Christmas present, too.


If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet, Little White Socks' DIY popcorn mix gift box would make the perfect gift for just about everyone. Who wouldn't love to receive something this thoughtful and lovely for Christmas?!


If you're looking for a quick and easy way to decorate your buffet or dinner table this Christmas, here's a great DIY for ornament filled cake stands from A Kailo Chic Life.


This DIY giant pink ornament cake from Aww Sam is sure to wow your guests over the holidays.


Or perhaps you'd prefer to try your hand at making Aww Sam's super festive DIY gingerbread present stack?


For a fun last minute craft, why not try making a DIY Christmas snow globe, like this one from Best Friends For Frosting?


Hobbycraft have a great recipe for Christmas light bulb cookies that would be perfect to bake and decorate on Christmas Eve.



I've always wanted to make a gingerbread house at Christmas time, and this pink gingerbread shop from Sprinkle Bakes is so darn cute.



And these faux woven mitten cookies by A Kailo Chic Life would be perfect to bake and leave out for Santa tomorrow night.

For more last minute Christmas inspiration, check out my Christmas boards on Pinterest, which are all packed full of ideas. You can also find all previous Sunday Favourites Christmas Specials here.

Check back next Sunday for my fifth festive-themed post of the month, which will be filled with New Year's inspiration.

I hope you have an amazing Christmas with your family and friends however you're spending it, and that Santa spoils you rotten! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Friday 21 December 2018

DIY Christmas Pudding Pom Pom Wreath




It's been a year since I made my first ever Christmas wreaths- some simple DIY felt and pom pom wreaths-  and now I know how fun and easy they are to make, I've been looking forward to making some new festive designs ever since.

As you'll know, Christmas wreaths are traditionally made from foliage- most commonly boughs of evergreen or holly decorated with natural decorations like dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, pinecones, berries, and seed pods, and finished with festive ribbon. The wreath I made a few weeks ago? It's about as far from traditional as you can get!

I decided to do something a little different this year and made a Christmas pudding pom pom wreath! A wreath in the shape and colours of a Christmas pudding made almost entirely out of pom poms!


I was inspired to create this wreath after stumbling up on a Christmas pudding pom pom wreath craft kit in John Lewis this Autumn. I'll admit I was tempted to buy it but it was expensive and over-priced, and I knew I could make my own for a fraction of the price, so that's what I decided to do. If I can make something myself, I will usually give it a go. I got myself down to Hobbycraft, bought the supplies, and saved myself about £15 in the process! The materials for the wreath came to just £7- although, I already had my own glue gun, glue, and pom pom makers, which will set you back around a further £10. £17 is still extremely reasonable for a wreath- especially a handmade one- and much cheaper than many mass-produced wreaths you will find in store. I personally think it was worth every penny!

Back in November, I set to work, and spent a few evenings making close to fifty brown and white pom poms while relaxing in front of the TV. Once I had enough, I was able to start building my wreath. This part was so easy and therapeutic, and while I spent two evenings putting it together, it only took me two or three hours in total to complete the construction process. You could easily make the entire wreath in an afternoon if you'd prefer to make it all in one go, so it's the perfect rainy day craft. (And let's face it; we've been having a lot of those kinda days this December!)

I'm really pleased with how well my wreath turned out for a first attempt. I don't know why I'm so surprised it worked out, because it was one of the easiest and simplest crafts I've ever made, but I didn't expect it to take shape so well.



If I'm honest, I would have liked to have added an extra circle of pom poms to the centre, and a another layer of pom poms along the middle of the two rows I've created, but I ran out of wool, and decided to keep it simple to keep the cost down. If my wreath is a little flat and uniform for you, though, you could add more pom poms to make it fluffier. You'll just need to buy two balls of each shade of wool instead of one, and attach the extra pom poms to the others with hot glue.

Don't worry if you're new to crafting or not particularly crafty at all, this Christmas pudding pom pom wreath is so easy to make. Anybody could make it- even older children. You don't need to have craft skills or experience to be able to make one, just the ability to use your hands, and a little patience (because making forty-two pom poms soon loses its appeal). Trust me, if I can make this without following a tutorial, you sure can! I'm not a skilled crafter. If you'd like a little guidance, however, I'm here with a tutorial for you to follow.

Unfortunately, I don't have step-by-step photos to guide you today, as the ones I took turned out so badly I couldn't salvage them or share them with the world. I've had to make do with these photos as I've not been able to reshoot them, but I will try to add tutorial photos at a later date if you want to bookmark this post and return to it later. In all honesty, this wreath is so easy to make, I think you'll know how to make it just by looking at my finished wreath.

How To Make A Christmas Pudding Pom Pom Wreath



You Will Need

♥ Flat wreath frame. (I used a metal 10 inch frame. You can go bigger or smaller if you'd prefer; you'll just need more wool for the pom poms if you go with a larger size).
♥ 100g ball of brown wool.
♥ 100g ball of white wool.
♥ 45mm pom pom maker.
♥ 4 small red pom poms.
♥ Dark green felt. 
♥ Scissors.
♥ Hot glue gun and glue stick.
♥ Fabric pen / pencil. (If you don't have one, a Biro will do).
♥ Green embroidery thread.
♥ Sewing needle.



How To Make The Pom Poms

1. Gather your brown and white wool, pom pom maker, and scissors.
2. Take your pom pom maker, and wrap wool tightly around one side until the arch closes in (about five layers), then close it shut.
3. Repeat step 2 on the other side of the pom pom maker.
4. Using your scissors, cut through the centre of the wool on both sides, being careful to hold the pom pom maker tightly closed as you work.
5. Thread a length of wool through the centre of the pom pom maker, tie it tightly in place, and double knot.
6. Carefully open your pom pom maker, and remove the pom pom.
7. Roll the pom pom between your hands, and use your scissors to neaten it by trimming off any uneven strands of wool.
8. Repeat until you have approx. 22 brown pom poms, and 20 white. (You'll obviously need more if your wreath frame is larger than mine).


How To Make The Holly Leaves

1. Draw two holly leaves on to the green felt, and cut out with sharp scissors. (If you're not good at drawing free-hand, just Google for a holly leaf template, print or trace it, and draw around it).
2. Thread a needle with two strands of green embroidery thread.
3. Backstitch a line of thread down the centre of the leaf, and add four or five pairs of diagonal stitches either side of the line so that they each form a v-shape. This will create the 'veins' of the leaf.

If you're not handy with a needle, you don't have to embroider the leaves; they'll look just as great without it, too. I am a stitcher, so I decided to embroider mine at the last minute to give my wreath a little extra something, and to add some texture.

How To Assemble Your Wreath

1. Take your wreath frame, pom poms, scissors, glue gun, glue, and holly leaves.
2. Starting at the bottom centre of the wreath frame, take a brown pom pom, and tie it tightly to the outer ring of the frame. Double knot it in place, and trim off the excess wool.
3. Now tie a brown pom pom directly above it on to the inner ring. Tie, knot, and trim.
4. Continue tying brown pom poms to the frame besides the others until you've filled at least half of the wreath frame.
5. Now repeat the process with the white pom poms, until the rest of the frame has been filled, and the circle is complete.
6. Next, take your glue gun, and add a little glue between pom poms to stick any loose pom poms together. This will help to keep everything in place. You can do this as you go along, but I personally think it's best to wait until all the pom poms are in place, and you know you're happy with your layout before gluing anything together.
7. Add a little glue to the back of the holly leaves, and stick them at an angle just off centre at the top of the wreath.
8. Take your little red pom poms and glue them in a diamond shape between the two holly leaves at the top centre of your wreath.
9. (Optional). Tie a length of ribbon to the back of the wreath at the top centre to hang it from. I'd recommend using a wide ribbon and matching it to one of the four colours in the wreath. You could also hang the wreath using a wreath hanger, command strip, or a nail on the wall, so you don't have to add a ribbon if you don't want to.
10. Voila, your Christmas pudding pom pom wreath is complete! Well done!



And now all you have to do is hang it on your door or above the fire place, and admire your hard work! I'd recommend hanging it indoors, unless you have a sheltered porch, as it's not weather-proof, and will get ruined by the elements.

So, there you have it; that's how easy it is to make your own Christmas pudding pom pom wreath. There really is nothing to it, so what are you waiting for?

If you decide to make your own Christmas pudding wreath, be sure to leave me a link to your photos so I can check it out- I'd love to see them! If you haven't got time to make one this Christmas, why not bookmark this post to come back to next Christmas?

Will you be making a Christmas pudding pom pom wreath this Christmas?

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