DIY Screen Printing Kit

30th April 2013

diy screen printing kit diyprintshop DIY Screen Printing Kit

My über-talented designer friend Justin just sent me the link to this awesome DIY screen printing kit.

It’s not just a pretty box either – packed with everything you could possibly need to set up your own screen printing empire, it looks perfect for anyone who wanted to start screen printing (me/him). Think we’re going to split it.

Chalkboard Charm

17th April 2013

chalkboard monogram sticker Chalkboard Charm

I discovered The Elli Blog a few days ago, and fell in love with their beautiful customisable invites, announcements and stationery.

They also have some sweet downloadable ideas (like these monogram stickers) that can be customised to match your stationery, and I love that they’re giving them away for free.

Beautiful.

Living Wreath

27th March 2013

living wreath Living Wreath

This gorgeous wreath made me so happy when I saw it. What a beautiful gift it would make.

For instructions on how to make your own, click here.

(via HGTV)

A Thousand Origami Cranes

26th March 2013

thousand origami cranes A Thousand Origami Cranes

I’ve been busy getting into some origami making this week…

…and if you don’t already know the story of A Thousand Origami Cranes, you can read about it out here.

Get Crafty / Easter Eggs

26th March 2013

easter egg craft2 Get Crafty / Easter Eggs

I’ve been falling in love with DIY Easter egg projects over the last few days…

These are a few of my favourites:

1. Gorgeous intense coloured eggs at Design Mom

2. Tie-dyed coloured eggs at Design Mom

3. Minimal eggs at Pickles

4. Eggs au naturale at Design Sponge

5. Elastic band eggs at Design Mom

6. Bright egg surprises at Not Martha

(click through for tutorials and instructions)

What are you planning this Easter?

Neon Easter

19th March 2013

neon eggs easter oh joy Neon Easter

I came across these dip-dyed neon eggs this morning and man, I love them.

To rock a minimal, neon vibe with your decorating this Easter, check out the tutorial over on Oh Joy.

The Sheffield Kevlar Shear

14th March 2013

sheffield kevlar shear best made company The Sheffield Kevlar Shear

Although these Sheffield Kevlar Shear‘s are beautiful, I think it’s wrong on every level to charge an extra $24 for a left-handed pair.

Shame on you Best Made Company.

Pink Cheeks Studios

22nd February 2013

pink cheeks studios animal dolls Pink Cheeks Studios

I absolutely love these Personalised Animal Dolls by Pink Cheeks Studios on Etsy.

Nichol Brinkman makes these cute little guys by hand, using photos of your favourite little (or big!) person, along with info like their favourite animal and favourite clothes.

In addition to the toys she also makes the most amazing mobiles … and if you send her photos and a description of your family + dog/cat/pet goldfish she’ll make you an awesome family mobile, customised in the colours of your choice.

What a sweet gift one would make.

(via the awesome KelleHampton)

DIY Vintage Arrows

14th February 2013

vintage diy arrows design sponge DIY Vintage Arrows

I just stumbled across this awesome DIY project to make vintage arrows.

Aren’t they pretty!

…and who says they have to be for Valentine’s Day?

(via DesignSponge)

Lalesso X Pichulik

5th February 2013

jaali purse lalesso x pichulik cape town Lalesso X Pichulik

On Saturday at Neighbourgoods I discovered Pichulik, a handmade jewellery brand with pieces made from climbing rope.

Not only are Katherine-Mary’s jewellery designs awesome, she’s also done a collaboration with Lalesso to produce a range of bags and purses.

This gorgeous Jaali purse has gone straight onto my birthday wishlist.

Sugru: Update

28th January 2013

sugru ring fix Sugru: Update

Back in November I posted a video by the folks at Sugru.

We were so intrigued by the stuff we bought a bunch at Christmas, gave some away as presents and kept some for ourselves.

This is my first Sugru fix.

My brother and sister-in-law bought me the most amazing ring when they were in Venice on their honeymoon but the back fell off and I could never get another one to glue on properly. I had a couple of quotes from jewellers who said they’d have to remove the lead to set it properly, which meant it was going to be expensive to fix (and I liked the lead).

To be honest I was a little sceptical about how well it would work, so I went all out and actually made the full ring out of Sugru. As you can see it worked. Very well. Almost too well in fact! My next plan is to get rid of what I made, buy a small silver band and use a blob of Sugru to attach it to the glass so it’s a bit more delicate!

I’ll keep you posted.

Advent

28th November 2012

advent calendars Advent

Only 3 days left until Advent begins so I’ve been having a look to see what kind of fun DIY calendar’s are knocking around this year.

These ones are by far my favourites, and all of them come with DIY instructions. Rock n roll around the Christmas tree!

EASY
The Easy Advent Calendar
This super stylish and (very!) easy going wall calendar would be perfect for any stationery lovers (with lots of wall space) out there.

MEDIUM
The IKEA Margareta Tree
My favourite store in the world has gone and screenprinted a Christmas tree onto fabric! Love it! This would also work nicely for anyone looking for an alternative to a real tree.

COMPLEX
A Mini forest
Eek! This mini tree advent calendar by Oh Happy Day is too cute for words. Gorgeous!

Flutterby

28th November 2012

paper butterfly garland meekal Flutterby

Love this sweet Rainbow Butterfly Garland by South African store Meekal.

Daniel

26th November 2012

daniel name animals Daniel

I was feeling kind of crafty this weekend and so I made these name blocks for my sweet little cousin’s Christmas present.

Thought it might be fun to teach him some South African animals!

Mini Marquee Sign With Lights

21st November 2012

bonjour light sign mini marquee sign with lights Mini Marquee Sign With Lights

Oh! This Mini Marquee Sign on Oh Happy Day is gorgeous!

There are complete instructions and everything. I think I’m going to make one.

(via OhHappyDay)

Sugru

19th November 2012

WTF is sugru?

Well, you’ll have to watch this extremely amusing video to find out.

Bonus: I think I’ve just solved about 5 of our Christmas present ideas!

Stitched Screen Door

19th November 2012

stitched screen door abbey hendrickson you are awesome Stitched Screen Door

I was taking my usual Friday afternoon DesignSponge break last week (I love being nosey and checking out other people’s houses in Sneak Peaks!) and look what I found!

This awesome stitched screen door is by Abbey Hendrickson, a blogger and freelance crafter living in upstate New York. Her new book, You Are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy has just been released and this cool door screen is one of her DIY projects.

She was sweet enough to give the DesignSponge folk directions for making it, so if you have a fly screen door and fancy getting creative, check out the instructions here.

Wouldn’t this be the coolest thing to come home to everyday?

(via DesignSponge)

Between Friends ♥ Lynn Cockburn

17th August 2012

between friends lynn cockburn 500 Between Friends ♥ Lynn Cockburn

Between Friends
Lynn Cockburn A.K.A. Lynnda Needles

Lynn is probably the most creative and unique person I know. Give her some yarn or a length of rope and she’ll turn it into a belt … or a jumper … or a dress … or a plant holder. Do you remember our crocheted Stag’s Head? Yep, well that was her.

She’s ridiculously motivated (I’m not sure she actually sleeps!), she researches like a woman possessed, and she also happens to be super, super cool.

Half of quirky London knitwear label a minute silence - when she’s not creating pieces for AMS, she designs and makes cool knotted accessories (think camera straps, bracelets and necklaces) for her store, O NÓ.

Oh, and that’s all in between her day job as a knitwear designer.

Lynn, we salute (and love!) you. Thank you for giving us the first Between Friends.

(To view a bigger version, please click the image above)

DIY Glass Mobile

16th August 2012

glass table mobile bringmejoy DIY Glass Mobile

The weather in Cape Town has been pretty crazy for the last week or so with storms, hail and gale force winds. On Saturday I happened to glance outside, just in time to watch the glass top on the outside table lift up and smash back down into a million pieces. Yikes.

Luckily it was made of safety glass and although it smashed, there were a few salvageable pieces which I decided to turn into a mobile.

It looks awesome when the light catches it and reflects through all the cracks.

What do you think?

Lynnda Needles

16th July 2012

lynda needles stag head Lynnda Needles

I’m so excited to share the awesome new addition to our bedroom with you all this morning!

This amazing crocheted Stag’s Head was made by one of my coolest friends, Lynnda Needles and somehow I convinced her to ‘lend’ it to us when we were in London. Yay! She made it for an exhibition at the very cool Welcome Home store in Glasgow and now we have it hanging from our ceiling.

Lynn makes all kinds of amazing things. She’s a trained knitwear designer, she started up the quirky and gorgeous knitwear label AMS (a minute silence) with Danny Sangra (check him out, he’s also super cool); sells her knotted Japanese jewellery at O NO … and then makes crocheted awesomeness in her spare time. And she has a full time job. Amazing.

Check out more of her work over on her blog iamlynndaneedles.

We ♥ Lynnda Needles!

Vík Prjónsdóttir

22nd May 2012

vikprjonsdottir twosome blanket Vík Prjónsdóttir

The days are getting shorter and definitely colder in Cape Town and I would love love LOVE one of these Vík Prjónsdóttir’s Twosome Blankets for movie nights!

Can you imagine anything more amazing than cuddling under this on the couch?

On a side note: I found this picture on Remodelista, in an article about A Perfect Day in Toronto. Some of our good friends have just moved to Toronto and I think we might just have to visit. It also mentioned Bookhou - which got me all excited because Si bought me one of their bags for my birthday and it’s been waiting for me in London for 3 weeks already! I can’t wait to see it.

8-bit Skull

21st May 2012

8 bit skulls mini eco 8 bit Skull

I love looking through Minieco. I’m always inspired by the cute things Kate comes up with and amazed that she’s a full time mum as well – wow.

Last month I wrote about her 8-bit heart card and this month she’s gone one better with these little 8-bit skull popup cards. I love them and want to send one to everyone I know!

Download the skull template here, but if you want the whole shebang (space invaders and envelopes too!) go here.

Child’s Own Studio

18th May 2012

childs own studio custom made toys1 Childs Own Studio

Oh my. Child’s Own Studio celebrates kid’s drawings by turning them into soft toys. I think this might possibly be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

I am in love with the happy purple sheep / scary red monster. Now I just need to wait for my sweet little nephew to get big enough to draw!

(Thanks Sherm)

Mother’s Day

11th May 2012

blankgoods mothers day inspiration Mothers Day

Some people think that Mother’s Day is just another excuse for Hallmark to get their flowery cards out on the shelves, but I think it’s a sweet excuse to celebrate your mum…

…and so today is going to be all about mum’s with some inspiration and ideas for Sunday.

Kicking off are some sweet decorating ideas from cute Aussie store BLANK™.

Ah, I heart Divine Twine.