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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How To Make A Beauty Box For Family and Friends

Hey guys,

So, it's my (not-so) little sister's twenty-fifth birthday at the end of the month, and yesterday I was putting her birthday presents together. Before I continue... Sarah, if you're secretly reading my blog, stop reading now unless you want to spoil the surprise... If you're not my little sister, please continue!

So, this year, I've put a little box of goodies together for her. Now I'm a girl on a tight budget, but I also like to give as much as I can with what I have to spend without compromising on quality. I don't often buy from budget brands; but I've learnt how to find great products at budget prices! I want to show you how you can fill up a beauty box with quality beauty products without spending a fortune. The gift will look more substantial than if you picked up beauty products on the high street or bought a prepackaged beauty set, and is sure to be an instant hit with the ladies in your life!

So let's get started!

Materials Used To Create The Beauty Box

So, let's start with the materials I used to gift wrap everything, put it altogether, and make it look pretty.

Materials You May Wish To Use

♥ A gift box, or gift bag. (You could use a small sturdy cardboard box, and cover it with wrapping paper.)

♥ Wrapping paper to cover the box.

♥ Pretty tissue paper to line the box, encase the presents, and to wrap everything in. 

♥ Scissors, selotape, pens, and glue.

♥ Sticky labels and stickers to decorate and seal gifts

♥ Ribbon to decorate the box.

♥ A button corsage for a finishing touch (optional).

Gifts I Filled The Box With

The most important part of the beauty box is, of course, what you put in it. There are endless options, so let's start with what I put in this one to give you a few ideas.

Dainty Doll colourful powder eyeshadows (and here) x 5, Jemma Kidd liquid eyeliners x 3, Body Shop fruity soaps, Body Shop bath lily, Body Shop shower gel, L'Occitane mini shower gel, Anatomicals set of 3 facemasks, Moomin bath confetti, and novelty moustache erasers x 4. 

I bought the Dainty Doll and Jemma Kidd eyeliners from £1.99 on Fragrance Direct and Amazon (usually £10.50-£11.50), and used outlet stores for most of the rest. The remaining products were inexpensive and bought online.

How To Put It All Together

First, let's start with a gift bag, or box.

If you're using an old, used box like I am, you could cover it with wrapping paper, wall paper, or fabric. I used a sheet of bright and cheerful polka dot cupcake wrapping paper from Sainsburys.

Wrap the lid and the base of the box separately, fixing the paper in place with glue.

Now, you could just add everything to the box unwrapped, if you wanted to; it's really up to you.

Or, you could make everything prettier with coloured tissue paper. I recently discovered the prettiest packs of tissue paper from Hobbycraft, which cost about £1.79 for 10 huge sheets. This is a bargain compared to most you will find. I adore the colours in the green and blue pack above.

I used the five different colours in the photo above to make the beauty box bright, and colourful. The teal is particularly beautiful.

Add a sheet of tissue to the box, leaving enough to cover the contents when you've finished filling the box. Half a sheet of the Hobbycraft tissue paper was plenty for this one.

Wrap each gift up separately in the colourful tissue paper. I used cute stickers instead of selotape for sealing most of the presents.

I then arranged everything in the box, with an assortment of colours on show at the top. I also decorated a few of the items with Cath Kidston stickers to make them even prettier.

Cover everything with the remaining lengths of tissue.

Then fit the lid back on the box, and tie it with some ribbon.

For a final touch, I embellished the bow with a little rosette, which was from a pack of six from Hobbycraft.

And, voila! That is how to put a good quality beauty box together!

I spent just over £30 in total, although I only spent about £19.00 on the make up, and had many of the other items squirrelled away from earlier in the year, which I added to bulk it up. (I was originally intending to just give her the make up). I'm sure she's going to love her beauty box, and I can't wait to give it to her.

A few ideas about what else you could fill a gift box with.

You could also add nail polishes, chocolates / sweets, body lotions, hair accessories, inexpensive costume jewellery, mix CDs, lipsticks, stationery, mini toiletries, lip glosses, lip balms, blushers... the possibilities are endless! You're only restricted by your imagination! Try to personalise each parcel for each person's individual tastes- it's a great way to show you care (and pay attention!), and will earn you major brownie points. Also, don't forget to add a hand written card or letter to the top before you seal the box!

If you're thinking about doing something similar for your loved ones, I've also got a few shopping tips that you might find useful for creating it on a budget.

And finally, a few tips for creating a box of goodies on a budget.

Shop with Fragrance Direct
They sell cut price make up, nail polish, and beauty products from a huge selection of brands. I've personally bought Dainty Doll and Jemma Kidd make up from as little as 99p- products which normally retail for over £10! It's also a great place to pick up Sally Hansen, Essie, and Opi nail polishes from just 99p too.

Shop on Amazon
Whatever it is you're looking to purchase, always do a little search on Amazon for it. They often sell cosmetics for less than the retail price. There are a lot of Dainty Doll products on there at the moment, which are fantastic.

Shop with ASOS
Check out their clearances and promotions, as they often have a sale of some description running. Bargain beauty products + free delivery = success!

Look out for 3 for 2 and buy one get one free offers
on make up and beauty products in pharmacies and supermarkets.

Pick up products in outlet shops and during sale time.

Use your Nectar points and Boots advantage point and the like to buy items for free!

Buy multi packs
of the same or similar items. They can be used for several beauty boxes if you have more than one person you'd like to create a box for.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. If you made it through the whole thing, thanks for reading- I know it's rather long-winded! Let me know if you decide to put something similar together for your loved ones!

Have you ever put together a beauty box for someone in your life? What did you put in it?

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"You can buy all the make up that Mac can make"

Today, I'm going to do something a little different and stray from my usual fashion musings and OOTDs. I've scheduled this little post for you.

I haven't really posted much about make up in the short time I've been blogging. When I posted a make up look last month for the blogging challenge, I had such positive lovely feedback, and Hannah from Daisies & Dr Martens asked to see more posts like it. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige.

Wearing make up has been a daily ritual of mine since my age reached double digits. I've always loved playing around with different colours and different looks; not because society has told me I need to wear make up to be accepted, but because I genuinely enjoy wearing it. To me, make up is just another part of fashion and personal style. I don't wear it because I'm told I look ugly without it, or because I'm told to hide my 'flaws'. It's just another part of my outfit, and I feel undressed without at least a coat of mascara. Anyone who encourages me to hide behind a mask of make up can take the high road! 

I've barely worn make up during my injury, and I can honestly say I've missed wearing it these nine months. Creating a look for this post was a real pleasure.

I set up the products and tools I thought I'd need. I forgot to add my blusher brush, and completely forgot to use my eyelash curlers, though. Can you tell I'm a little rusty?

I'd also recommend having tissues, cleansing wipes, or cotton wool to hand for any mistakes or stray product. Natural light is best for applying, but I'm sure you're all skilled at applying make up in poor light, and in moving vehicles on the way to work... or is that just me?

These are the products used to create the look, numbered in the order I used them. I only used the eye shadow brush this time, as well as a blusher brush, but it's always handy to have different brushes for shading and lining the lids. A good quality set of brushes are a good investment and should last a life time.

Products used:

1. Benefit Some-Kind-a-Gorgeous lite.

2. Benefit Powder Pop (Dandelion, Dallas, and Hoola powders).

3. The Body Shop Pressed Face Powder 01.

4,5,6. Inglot (my customised freedom palettes).

7. Bourjois Paris Contour Clubbing Waterproof liner in 45 Blue Remix.

8. Bourjois Paris  Regard Paillete Sparkling Eyeliner 34 Vert Stupefiant.

9.Maybelline New York The Colossal Volum' Express Waterproof.

I don't confine myself to just one brand. I love shopping around for great products. I love Inglot, Benefit, The Body Shop, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Mac, Too Faced, Bourjois, Urban Decay... to name but a few.

Okay... let's get started.

Straight from the shower, I've cleansed, toned and moisturised my skin. I like to apply my base when my skin is still a little damp, as it absorbs the product better.

At the moment, I'm using Benefit's 'Some Kind-a-Gorgeous lite' which is a light foundation that sets like a powder when applied to the skin. It doesn't feel heavy, as so many foundations do, so my skin can still breathe. I use the provided make up sponge to apply a light layer all over my face.

(I had to skip the under eye concealer step, as I'm all out. I use one from The Body Shop).

I decided to go for a pink blusher today. I chose to use 'Benefit Powder Pop'. Using a blusher brush, I gently swept the lighter shade, 'Dandelion', from the outer apples of my cheeks along the cheekbone area until I was happy with the definition. I then blended a light amount of the darker shade 'Hoola' over the top towards the end of the cheekbones (nearer the ears). I followed this by using a translucent  Body Shop powder over any shiny areas, such as my chin and nose.

As I've always been blessed with good skin, I keep my base light. I don't always wear foundation, and when I do I often mix it with moisturiser to tone it down (especially in the summer). It's difficult to find the right shade for my very pale skin. I'm never going to have a flawless base due to my millions of freckles, so I just go with it. I use an under eye concealer to hide dark circles; go easy on the blusher to prevent looking like a clown; and use a powder to blot out shiny areas. If I'm out and about in the summer, I'll usually switch foundation for suncream.

I didn't have a specific look in mind when I set out these Inglot palettes. More often than not I make it up as I go along. I'm pretty experimental. For the lid, I've used two shades of turquoise, one lighter than the other, and a lime green. I chose the colours as I was wearing a turquoise and coral outfit.

Using

1. Sweep over the entire lid until bright and evenly coloured.

2. Shade the outer 3rd or so of the lid to create definition.

3. Using a damp eye shadow brush, highlight the inner corner of the lid and lower lash line.

Using:

4. Line the upper and lower lash lines/lids.

5. Line the inner lower lash line.

6. Generously coat the upper and lower lashes.

I started by sweeping the lighter turquoise shade all over the lid, and built it up until it was evenly coloured.  This photo shows the first step, and my lashes in their natural state. I find a damp brush will make the colour more intense.

And the end result...

First step... end result when the green was still damp... and end result after a bit more blending.

I personally think eye make up doesn't need to be too neat, but I should have touched up the green a little before snapping these photos. My hair had just been washed and dried, which always leaves stray strands of hair in my fringe, and I'm over due a trim, so sorry for the messy fringe!

After taking a few photos, I realised the green needed a bit of blending, so I went back to the dressing table to fix it. (Top left, bottom right show final results).

And a rare glimpse at my scary face! As you can see, the base is subtle, and I've left my lips untouched to tone the look down.

And, voila!

Sorry for the really long post. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. If this is something you'd like to see more of in the future, leave me a message and let me know what you think!

Do you wear coloured eye make up, or do you prefer natural shadows? Or do you avoid eye make up altogether?

May 31 Day Blogger's Challenge: Days 29 and 30- FOTD and Pretty Hair

Face of the Day...

and

Pretty hair...

Time for a catch up! I'll combine yesterday's topic with today's.

I've worn make up most days since I was about eleven or so, but I haven't really bothered putting on my face while I've been off sick. Seems pointless to do my make up when I'm not going anywhere. Today, I've done my make up just for you!

 Before I apply my make up I always cleanse, tone, and moisturise my face first. I'm currently using Garnier Fresh Essentials Grape Extract cleanser and toner, and The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturiser.

I start with the base, and apply foundation (if I'm wearing it). I'm currently using Benefit's Some kind of Gorgeous Lite. I would normally use an under-eye concealer, but I've ran out. Today, I used a Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in  a peach shade along my cheekbones to the outer corner of the apples of my cheeks, and went over it with Benefit Sugarbomb blusher. I then use a Body Shop powder along my t-zone and any shiny areas.

A good set of tools can make a world of difference when creating a look. These make up brushes came from Bnevertoobusytobebeautiful, a sister company of Lush that unfortunately went in to administration a few years ago. I was devastated as they were my favourite brand. These make up brushes didn't come cheap, but they're still going strong after several years. They're also vegan! My essential tool is an eye lash curler. If I only have time to apply one product, it's mascara after a quick curl. The make up products are what I used to create today's look.

These are my beautiful Inglot palettes. The fantastic thing about Inglot, is that the palettes are sold separately so you can choose your own colours to fill them with! I spent a small fortune and over an hour in their Times Square branch last summer, and could have easily bought more.

The colours I used are numbered... this is how I created the look:

Using number...

1. Sweep evenly and generously over the entire lid.

2. Shade the outer socket and  outer 1/3 of the lid. 

3. Blend over the middle of the lid.

4. Use a damp eye liner brush to line the upper lid.

5. Smudge across the lower inner lash line.

2. Line the lower lash line using a damp eye liner brush.

I then used Benefit's 'They're Real!' Mascara on my upper lashes, and added a coat of Maybelline mascara on the top and bottom. I can't fault either of these mascaras- they're both fantastic. Finish with a slick of lip gloss and voila!

 And this is the result!

I love coloured eye shadow, and enjoy trying out different colour combinations. Green is easily my favourite and most used eye shadow colour, and I like combining it with purple.

And on to the hair...

I don't often do a lot with my hair. I usually just wash, dry, and run the straighteners through it, perhaps add a hair accessory, and I'm good to go. I wear it down when I'm out of the house and tie it back when I'm just lounging around.

I started dyeing my hair this colour just over a year ago. I'm naturally a mid-dark brown and for most of my life kept my hair really long. I gradually started wanting it shorter and shorter until I got it cut in to a long layered bob at Christmas. It's grown out a lot since then, but I want to cut it that way again.

I use Schwarzkopf Live 'Real Red'. As I've not been able to dye it each month like I used to, it's not as bright red as it once was. I really love having it so bright and feel more like 'me' since I embraced the colour.