Printing Christmas Trees

I wanted to have a go at printing my own wrapping paper this year, this was my first trial run. It's really easy to do, I just bought some foam sheets, cut out a Christmas tree shape, mounted it on a square of polystyrene and then painted it before printing it on to a roll of brown parcel paper. I used black paint, but I think I might try using ink pads to see if it gives a better finish. It's not perfect, but I still quite like the overall look.

Cute Catnip Birdie

Today I decided to take a break from quilting to make something for my rather lovely cat, Lol. She has been watching over me while I craft so I thought she might appreciate a little present. I combined a couple of her favourite things in life - catnip and bird watching -  and came up with this cute little toy that's really simple and quick to make. The great thing about it is that you can make it as easy or as complicated as you like and your furry friend will love it just as much. 

Things You Will Need:

1. Cat Nip
2. Scissors
3. Embroidery Skeins
4. Needles
5. Sheets of Felt
6. Filling

If your cat is anything like mine, she will want to try and help you make this. Unfortunately my room looked like a catnip bomb had exploded after my kitty got involved, so maybe complete this project in a room with a door that you can close.

Step One:

Decide on your pattern and cut out a paper stencil. Draw around this stencil on to a folded piece of felt.

Step Two: 

Cut out the pattern. You should then be left with two identical shapes.

Step Three: 

For my toy I decided that I wanted to use different coloured felt to add some layers to the bird. I cut out a wing, plumage, and head and repeated step one and two.

Step Four:

Using a simple running stitch I sewed the layers of felt on to the bird shape, avoiding sewing the outer edges. You can repeat this process on both sides of your bird.

Step 5:

Using a back stitch I sewed together the two sides of the bird shape. I left a fairly large gap to allow me to fill the bird with stuffing and catnip.

Step 6:

I filled the bird with catnip, it is really up to you how much you would like to use, but my cat is a big fan so I put quite a lot in. Then stuff the bird using the filling. Try not to over stuff it as it makes it difficult to sew up.

Step 7:

Sew up the gap using the same back stitch. Take a black thread and tie a number of knots in the end and cut off the excess. Sew all the way through the toy and knot again on the other side, cutting off the excess. Voila! Your birdie is finished.

My cat loved her new toy, she sniffed it, rolled around with it, chewed it and then fell asleep with it, which I am taking as a compliment. 

It's a hard life!

If you don't have a cat of your own - how about skipping the catnip and adding some ribbon to make a cute christmas tree decoration? Or make a few and attach them to a hoop for an adorable mobile?


NB: Make sure you keep your kitty safe, supervise them when playing with the toy and make sure you replace it if it gets torn or the stitches come loose.

The Renovation Continues

We are slowly making progress in our home. One of the features that I really wanted in my house was wooden floors. I am not so keen on laminate flooring and real wood is a bit on the expensive side for our current budget, so we decided to hire a sander and strip the existing floorboards. Here is the rather garish 1970s carpet that featured in the spare bedroom before...

 

This is the room that I am turning in to my Minnie Vintage studio. My collection of vintage items was starting to take over in our old flat so I have been allowed to dedicate an entire room to my hoarding. When we pulled up the carpet we found that the floorboards were a bit of a mess but the wood itself seemed to be in good condition. I realise now that I had forgotten to take a photo of the floorboards in the spare bedroom, but they were in a very similar state to those in the master bedroom....

 

We hired an industrial floor sander and corner sander from HSS Hire for a weekend. In two days we managed to complete two bedrooms with both medium and fine sandpaper. The only drawback was that it created an awful lot of dust which seemed to settle all over the house. After sanding we covered the wood in three layers of varnish with an oak stain. This was the end result....



 

(and here is the main bedroom)

 

 

We are thrilled with how the floorboards turned out and would definitely recommend giving it a go yourself. It saved us a lot of money and you don't need to be a professional to get a fantastic finish.