6 FAVOURITE VALENTINE'S DAY DIY'S.

Just a few favourite Valentine's Day diy's from around the web.

Jelly heart cupid's arrow valentine cupcake toppers from Oh Happy Day.

A giant gold heart pinata from Studio Diy.

Gorgeous hand lettered wrapping paper from A Subtle Revelry.

Pretty in pink  crepe paper ombre roses from Lia Griffith

Simple donut valentines complete with a donut themed pun from Damask Love.

And diy concrete love heart necklaces from Fall For Diy.

Make sure to check out my other valentines crafts and recipes for more love-filled diys.

HELLO 2015.

I love this time of year. I love the cold, still January mornings. I love the promise of possibility that a new year brings. I love the magic light and the peace and quiet. I love that I get to start a new diary and fill it full of my plans for the next year. Most of all I love that I get to make new things and share them here on the blog. I'm looking forward to it already :)

Here's what's been happening around here so far in 2015.

Enjoying the last of the Christmas lights.

Pretty ice blue frost on the car windscreen.

Figuring out how to make tiny milk carton gift boxes using the Martha Stewart scoreboard. Tutorial to follow.

Watching The Theory of Everything. It was beautiful and moving and sad and uplifting. I can't recommend it enough.

Finally finishing crocheting my first cowl and wearing it nearly every day since.

Listening to this podcast about starting the year with intent and loving the idea of having one little word to help guide you (or in my case 'push' me) through the year.

And loving starting the day with an early morning walk, mist on the ground, ice on the paths and bucket loads of that magic light I mentioned earlier. Gorgeous.

THE BEST OF 2014: YOUR FAVOURITES AND MINE.

As the year draws to a close it seems like the perfect time to once again look back at some of the favourite things I've made and shared on this blog in 2014. First up are some of the most popular, most shared or most commented on posts from the last twelve months.

1. These Stamped Clay Bowls were by far the most popular craft project on the blog this year.

I've been half thinking about making some more, maybe decorating them using gold gilding flakes and thinking about a way of sealing them. Has anyone else tried sealing their own clay crafts? I've been thinking about trying dishwasher safe mod podge but there seems to be mixed reviews and quite a few limitations. It takes 28 days to cure and from what I've read it shouldn't come into contact with food or your mouth.

Has anyone tried it? Any tips would be welcome.

2. These Decoupage Candles using paper napkins are an easy project that can be customised to match any theme. If you haven't got napkins you could always cut shapes out of tissue paper. Teeny tiny gold and silver stars would look great at a New Year's Eve party.

3. Making these Origami Boxes has definitely sparked a new love for making my own scrapbook paper gift boxes. I got a Martha Stewart Score Board for Christmas and have already spent the last few evenings taking apart chocolate boxes, seeing how they're put together and trying to recreate them. I see many more handmade gift boxes in my future.

4. I still love the neon pastel colours of these Stamped Clay Coasters. So pretty.

5. I've been halfway through making another diy woven wall hanging since August. Since seeing these gorgeous weavings, especially the one with the mountains and clouds on it (keep scrolling, it's near the bottom) I'm feeling inspired to go back and finish it.

6. These Diy Decoupage Magazine Holders are still going strong. They sit on top of my bookshelves and are filled with all the pages I rip out of magazines and want to keep.

And now for some of my favourites.

1. These Origami Paper Vases are one of those projects I always meant to make more of. How pretty would they look made out of vellum and wrapped around a glass tea light holder?

2. More clay bowls, this time marbled using nail varnish and trimmed in gold.

3. These pretty pastel Diy Sugar Cube Hearts are another craft project that can be easily customised. Use as wedding favours, cake toppers or fill an origami gift box and give as a present to the coffee or tea lover in your life.

4. I still love this Instagram Mini Album. This one was from the summer and I love the idea of having one for each season. A project for next year maybe?

5. These Diy Gold Clay Stars are hanging on my tree but they could be easily strung up to make a garland, wrapped around around a wine bottle to give as a gift or scattered across a table as New Year's decorations.

6. And finally these Origami Envelopes are the perfect way to add a personal, handmade touch to those Christmas gift thank you cards.

Thank you all so much for visiting and reading this blog. I really do appreciate it and I'm so grateful for each and every comment, share, like or pin. You've helped make this year great and I can't wait to share more with you in 2015.

Happy New Year everyone.

DIY MINI PLASTER CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS.

DIY Mini Plaster Christmas Trees.

The Christmas countdown continues. Not long to go now. I got this Christmas tree ice cube tray a few weeks ago and I'd been wondering what to do with it.

I had a few different ideas. I thought about using it to make some glittery ice cubes like here or maybe some dark chocolate truffles but then I remembered this project over on Design Sponge for Diy Gem Pushpins, how much I liked it and decided plaster was the way to go.

Supplies:

• Plaster of Paris

• Christmas Tree Silicone Mould

  I got mine from the local shop but I've linked to a couple of similar ones at the bottom of the post,

• An old bowl

• Something to mix the plaster with, an old spoon or wooden ice lolly stick

• Acrylic paint

• A paintbrush

• Gold Gilding Flakes

• And some Gilding Adhesive.

1. Mix your plaster with water following the directions on the packet. Plaster of paris sets quickly so you need to work fast.

2. Pour into your silicone mould. If you're messy like me you may need to scrape away any excess plaster.

3. Leave to dry. The plaster I used set in 15-20 minutes but I left mine for a good 4 hours to make sure it was completely set.

4. Remove from the mould. They should easily pop out.

5. Paint your trees using some green acrylic craft paint. The paint will soak into the plaster a little so you may need to do a couple of coats. I did 3.

6. Apply some gilding adhesive and gilding flakes to the bottom of each tree. You can find a more in depth tutorial about using gilding flakes here. If you don't want to use gilding flakes you could always use a metallic gold paint instead. Martha Stewart does a great one that I've used in the past but any metallic paint will do.

Is there anything cuter than teeny tiny Christmas trees all lined up in a row? I think not and there's so many ways you could use them, as place cards, gift toppers, to decorate your fireplace, glue a magnet on the back like these and pop them on your fridge or even attach some twine to the back and hang them from your tree.

I think I'll be using mine as gift toppers. They're going to look great on top of these origami gift boxes.

15 FAVOURITE DIY CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS.

Looking for a weekend christmassy craft project? Me too. Here's 15 of my favourite Diy Christmas Ornaments to spruce up your tree.

Printable Holiday Tree Ornaments

Feel like you need a few extra ornaments this year? These printable patterned trees will make a perfect addition!

Find here

Fox Animal Felt Ornament

How cute is this? Using the template on the right hand side at the top of this post, this little felt fox ornament is quite simple to assemble.

Find here

DIY Fancy Filled Ornaments

These DIY Fancy Filled Ornaments are one of the easiest ways to add sparkle to your tree with minimal effort.

Find here

Clay Christmas Tree Decorations

These hanging tree decorations look just the right dose of handmade and couldn’t be much more straightforward.

Find here

Paper Feather Garland with Glittering Tips

The paper feathers are part of the detail of the tree and to add a little extra bling, I used some pretty gold and silver glitter on the tips of my paper feather ornaments.

Find here

Gingerbread Letter Garlands

Gingerbread men are a staple of holiday fun and decorating for children, but why not switch it up this year by making gingerbread letters?

Find here

DIY Confetti Dipped Ornaments

So easy to make and perfect for an ornament craft party- so many colours and choices available!

Find here

DIY Clay Stars Decorations

Learn how to make these pretty embossed stars using air dry clay in this step by step tutorial.

Find here

Have a great weekend everybody.