tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138284950356524732024-02-06T21:57:44.507-08:00Pink RobotAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-40744371049940843342014-10-08T03:29:00.001-07:002014-10-08T03:31:29.541-07:00Pink Robot Geeky and Vintage Skirts! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have decided to develop and refine Pink Robot as a brand, by launching my first proper product. I have always been a "butterfly crafter"- I blame Pinterest and wonderful publications like Mollie Makes!- so my plan is to start with one product and expand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One project I've really enjoyed is making cute little unusual skirts for my girls. I have never really chosen to dress them in traditional "baby pink" clothes, so I love the reaction they get from people. The skirts are nothing like the ones available on the High Street. It's great to know that nobody else will have the same one, making it special and unique. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have 2 ranges- one range crafted from modern fabrics (which are unusual and largely geeky!) and another range made from reclaimed vintage and retro fabrics. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img height="300" src="https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10501592_1505219936394625_6696527142121414290_n.jpg?oh=a1fe4c947a105244eb94e51685d2f2e9&oe=54BB1580" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Records, from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1504427643140521.1073741828.1502692046647414&type=3">original range</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a selection from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1504420943141191.1073741827.1502692046647414&type=3">vintage & retro range</a>: </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROFvw_3zEHZwKWuXMKkWfVi1asdzNBMoNtwRc7AC1rh5AtYZdB4lTw_sT7VLKY46cHoUGCQ-5dVq6zz_BGDqo4SVP3E1BWf1uCb4tPO1Pb5nD9FHXzrln-P7DgX8Ee94uWJm2WS5YeiDc/s640/blogger-image-1265887223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROFvw_3zEHZwKWuXMKkWfVi1asdzNBMoNtwRc7AC1rh5AtYZdB4lTw_sT7VLKY46cHoUGCQ-5dVq6zz_BGDqo4SVP3E1BWf1uCb4tPO1Pb5nD9FHXzrln-P7DgX8Ee94uWJm2WS5YeiDc/s400/blogger-image-1265887223.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazing Return of the Jedi vintage Star Wars fabric</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIBAG1f-bvHbZ19PZAhXHmv_3vZBmW0b_z-AVwVqGPIgHX3P81pme37SAP-Nt0jtX_loDNEf0jF3CzVXeX2raegqae92Tfq-9QMsl999ziHuvzTEU_d-1ncTl7orgM6JJVV1Qmm2U-cST/s640/blogger-image-997051899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIBAG1f-bvHbZ19PZAhXHmv_3vZBmW0b_z-AVwVqGPIgHX3P81pme37SAP-Nt0jtX_loDNEf0jF3CzVXeX2raegqae92Tfq-9QMsl999ziHuvzTEU_d-1ncTl7orgM6JJVV1Qmm2U-cST/s400/blogger-image-997051899.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roland Rat- a blast from the past! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5VLD62WHc7BwyIAMC6oZjf9v6oov-iILcVxVAvisdC4XYVwubabJCIvJM6SC_zsJu62xlM5FjRG9hsDVbtwvTfrTrLeL31xoTYTJZpEgdM5XNhI_HlFvo02A-MgljcgUCJc4rRA_NPw7/s400/blogger-image--2142527007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who doesn't love Postman Pat?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmz999qFBG5Yy_Zf_tyh-Dks6la-6bt3NrFt569sg4J6nIBJaCdzMAMVI5PT4eWO0PmCgZtA1k3XmYpXBkWSIJpCnONWnlGr_4uvEcn0pPa5g_HGFneKzMVfAC3-LZhvkpgHE0x1wK-ABZ/s400/blogger-image--1535468192.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful, bright Care Bears fabric for all you 80s children!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAw4cDAxE7lrNWAAvZwL9mucvKaUiwot7vjLvNfZlND1jdz_xLk5MZVYYurdPX056JgIJb884rCTAaFGyc7AN6oRgDDvg5_Cx26ilYEVIzQlnplKOar_D-UwcRMxa0dH7HAFB5FPo5SKR/s400/blogger-image--220090734.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hollie Hobbie- cosy for winter</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People have been asking if I will branch out to making other items along the same geeky/ vintage theme. The answer is yes- eventually. I want to establish Pink Robot through making customers happy with my skirts first, then I'll move on to include other products in my range.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pinkrobotcraft">Click here to visit Pink Robot on Facebook! </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a giveaway on the page at the moment, to win a skirt PLUS one for a friend. Enter now! Competition closes on Sunday 12th October. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-44282333491539096592014-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:002014-10-08T03:30:44.115-07:00My First Craftivism Experience<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scotland feels alive at the moment. Tens of thousands of people are engaged in politics for the very first time, and people are individually becoming more socially responsible. In the last couple of months, I've found myself taking part in marches and rallies, signing petitions and spending spare time researching current issues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While looking online, I discovered a form of activism which appealed to me immensely... craftivism. Craftivism (craft + activism) is a term coined by Betsy Greer in 2003, and the movement of quietly protesting through craft is moving throughout the world. I loved the idea of being able to send a message to people in my local community, by other methods than shouting loudly. Inspired by Sarah Corbett of <a href="http://craftivist-collective.com/">Craftivist Collective</a>, in her book- <i>A Little Book of Craftivism, </i>I embarked upon my first craftivist challenge.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WdCFB67PP_5xx1bPs2uvYMlSMRMV310uqT-twwIwDC8iwqR5lKC77-3mG0jO4NxDb3qESMzEmzsaAG3sJlq7CBlIJs1mJxrHcaIkZm6nTuixIQ4AImvSVuAD2z4vbe-VJ6arMaYpYknn/s1600/IMG_8845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WdCFB67PP_5xx1bPs2uvYMlSMRMV310uqT-twwIwDC8iwqR5lKC77-3mG0jO4NxDb3qESMzEmzsaAG3sJlq7CBlIJs1mJxrHcaIkZm6nTuixIQ4AImvSVuAD2z4vbe-VJ6arMaYpYknn/s1600/IMG_8845.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first mini protest banner!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the run-up to the Referendum, "Bairns Not Bombs" was a favourite message of mine, and a reason why I supported Scottish independence. It seemed crazy to me to spend a ridiculous sum of money on renewing Trident (which incidentally is situated around 30 miles from Glasgow... eek) instead of investing money in things such as childcare. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCS5jp0DTjM72NomxFO3bnB1yOsiHI1-JyT2TqWeJXx3zRdm7cCG7WZC14fkvzZhgVXIyUkAY1kEalALLtYYGz3-3a9qz5SQkZGrWulDgPAK58NujFN_c9msvIIY81nxraDjbMQCsU4m96/s1600/IMG_8847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCS5jp0DTjM72NomxFO3bnB1yOsiHI1-JyT2TqWeJXx3zRdm7cCG7WZC14fkvzZhgVXIyUkAY1kEalALLtYYGz3-3a9qz5SQkZGrWulDgPAK58NujFN_c9msvIIY81nxraDjbMQCsU4m96/s1600/IMG_8847.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A burst of colour in the bushes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is my little cheerful-looking banner, tied to local railings. I hope that my little act of craftivism will provoke thought and discussion in anyone who happens to stroll past and see it. There are so many possible craftivism projects, and I look forward to starting my next one. </span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-85840176200960757922014-09-21T00:49:00.000-07:002014-09-23T03:38:00.111-07:00Kawaii Craft Swap: September<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been absent from the #dicraftswap for the last two months, so I was very excited to discover that September's theme is Kawaii! Regular readers will know all about my love for all things Japanese, and the bright, cute trend of Kawaii is no exception. When exploring this theme on Etsy and Pinterest, I found that the possibilities stretched far beyond what I already knew about, and I am now slightly obsessed by adding a face to everything! </span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My recipient was Jenny, who writes the lovely blog </span><a href="http://prettycolumn.blogspot.co.uk/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty Column</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and runs an </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/prettycolumn" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Etsy shop</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> under the same name. I wanted to go all out with the Kawaii theme, so I thought, why not make the receptacle Kawaii too? Jenny said that she loves Studio Ghibli, and especially </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Neighbour Totoro</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... so here is my Totoro shoebox!</span><br>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTtQs_SQaXGRMe1humcp6DIRkVwdgidd8rozghNticLu8kZ0vovyBICBLOdAUxYpowe7wgwvlW_5zu8iUG_molmBov9tBR1-EaxWskJiZXlyw7pESO-54wEpICCVPGcxeBrLDHhNIywcQ/s640/blogger-image-1697075018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTtQs_SQaXGRMe1humcp6DIRkVwdgidd8rozghNticLu8kZ0vovyBICBLOdAUxYpowe7wgwvlW_5zu8iUG_molmBov9tBR1-EaxWskJiZXlyw7pESO-54wEpICCVPGcxeBrLDHhNIywcQ/s400/blogger-image-1697075018.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kawaii shoebox- Totoro</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When signing up to the #DICraftSwap, Hannah asked us all what the word Kawaii meant to us. Jenny said that Kawaii to her meant cute things, so I set on a mission to create a box of cute Japanese treats for her. She mentioned that making a non-cute item into something cute appealed to her, so I crafted this little watermelon pincushion from felt. I also made a happy toadstool brooch from felt. </span><br>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EMeLnAlDXM2wJHF4YjkTUeZYx2csNMVvVXfyHJDc9neXUr0gN7-R4T1pPTdyGE41c6f2K368WdZCpDZ-gpUi10U4hklYnwlxKke3ApdOlhkjPqXjVykixUQrf_Cm-E3cErWoO-Y_HH9A/s320/blogger-image--647364290.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adorable watermelon pincushion</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAUSatSHiZOaO6gpXCiKF2cE1OrC5U0XTBfwwXibgEiPoZORHvdgNMYEENjFL8fnm0eYprTjaorIrrBm5NHBpIzzED2Ji-ZTQnbujqxXLFY6XcpSmlpmmvQP1ITvkgQC9oHAQhLfR1AHk/s320/blogger-image-1077127723.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy toadstool brooch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the first things I thought of was a little set of greetings cards, with Kawaii figures made from pretty wrapping paper. As a blogger, Jenny obviously enjoys writing! Oversized heads, tiny bodies and stylised "Kawaii" faces led to this little collection: </span><br>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge22r7fuPyIkx9qe_wNTTMiqxwaMa2lIHqnTa7WhYyDTlZwx4T2h_UKrtGKK-exTMOk0DJialji2ORNPN6jRSyr3ryNYHWDZWsWTX7o_H-Gs47mOLPQ0l-wdIuRPc1zANDrZOXt0Ri9fsO/s640/blogger-image-1013633503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge22r7fuPyIkx9qe_wNTTMiqxwaMa2lIHqnTa7WhYyDTlZwx4T2h_UKrtGKK-exTMOk0DJialji2ORNPN6jRSyr3ryNYHWDZWsWTX7o_H-Gs47mOLPQ0l-wdIuRPc1zANDrZOXt0Ri9fsO/s320/blogger-image-1013633503.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set of 4 Kawaii greetings cards</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jenny writes about her love for crafting and geekery, so I wanted to include some useful items in the box for her, which would tie into these passions. I chose bright, cheerful buttons and made her a peg set- I thought they would help her display or keep together ideas for her next crochet and knitting projects. For similar reasons, I made her a bookmark featuring a very cute Japanese girl charm. I put together a collection of Kawaii beads and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">buttons for her (who can have enough beads and buttons?!) and added some cute Matryoshka post-its. </span><br>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCCcxpSFn5kC-4GfPMZB-iUj__lcG8_CwaDMwwY2p8Ft0-En6VRB3uA5_PEWKpmm8DZ9PZMXVZ1NS9GFB8ccpZTeaS4wK9b9Fr2Vz4z6cPJUziWdndbWnd5UXG0uI5rdQy7SCro6siJ3d/s640/blogger-image--1547041335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCCcxpSFn5kC-4GfPMZB-iUj__lcG8_CwaDMwwY2p8Ft0-En6VRB3uA5_PEWKpmm8DZ9PZMXVZ1NS9GFB8ccpZTeaS4wK9b9Fr2Vz4z6cPJUziWdndbWnd5UXG0uI5rdQy7SCro6siJ3d/s320/blogger-image--1547041335.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cute bright button pegs</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFzKikBGOCb1dxwgecSk3-wOiSyHy705GyivFG3zfp9AZit2pdFotNtF5eFswN4sbIUo8enkXJBQgtZwrpJYmJ7G2mhVXJOX-ek85J9dL14XR9ENPgh1y_HI_NfouzMSuKTaRACIxqLmQ/s640/blogger-image-751645939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFzKikBGOCb1dxwgecSk3-wOiSyHy705GyivFG3zfp9AZit2pdFotNtF5eFswN4sbIUo8enkXJBQgtZwrpJYmJ7G2mhVXJOX-ek85J9dL14XR9ENPgh1y_HI_NfouzMSuKTaRACIxqLmQ/s320/blogger-image-751645939.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cute bookmark</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuoZb1QO6tLMKZaWiiPhh9MnmqoUE_ft8Rj5ZzH3VAlIgn-OV2DB_ib9-KBNL-MIXFPXKViMAEIEDQk_7UfHADeZ-MMcuwOgqSYx1EbBV0hId1nYgJkY5BOcV0RZeyNq_dG4ZvILu7d5w/s320/blogger-image-1416357497.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A kawaii collection of beads and buttons for future crafts</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcNfmwwtWEFXi0xpx581HW9Hilw7y4CPsGIKivAYA1H1Sb3bOxuzKphQozEAb_crwCRYbmOmzxHhWUPxCJ-q0QItzAh6dCNKEUTWZOR800RzUMhC1TOIhnKdJjWJj-kmPlsbbDpd5E9L-/s320/blogger-image-1047395549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Awww! Matryoshka post-its</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spotted these earrings in my collection of things I had already made to sell at craft fairs, under my crafty name of Pink Robot. The bright orange bubble-style beads fitted right in with the Kawaii theme, so into the box they went. </span><br>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLa4LWugbiD9TSQiz2TR_9kxXslYc4oXUoD0YDKtu_qkUoat1KHBw1Qhw_c5fADTA1x09d5dCGiX-mWEtRP0I4hr2F9HEza7FSbwn8hI3eUoGdGRL85SN-9fNIPiB9sj3hwMFF-iogLlWE/s320/blogger-image--350514053.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kawaii orange bubble beaded earrings</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing that comes across very clearly from Jenny's tweets and the content of her Etsy shop is that she is head over heels in love with amigurumi! Well, after scouring the Internet looking at the crocheted cuties, so am I! Unfortunately, my craft skills do not yet extend to crochet, so for my "bought" gift, I chose this little dragon, by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyLittleBeastie">My Little Beasties</a>! I really wanted to keep him for myself... isn't he adorable?</span><br>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wpoJCXNXYbotAF7ycskYbig1RlGbGBEXS76ottAcsOmTexUQCblgCrGXynOjv3QUh1hDppJylZ6VEld4w3nMc2uWVJfvx4XAIy1BehaA4jUFNZ8qYxnfbOde8AFotiiqaHh84wsprb6k/s640/blogger-image--637396612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wpoJCXNXYbotAF7ycskYbig1RlGbGBEXS76ottAcsOmTexUQCblgCrGXynOjv3QUh1hDppJylZ6VEld4w3nMc2uWVJfvx4XAIy1BehaA4jUFNZ8qYxnfbOde8AFotiiqaHh84wsprb6k/s320/blogger-image--637396612.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My "bought" gift... dragon amigurumi!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was very excited to receive my Kawaii parcel from Rhiannon, who writes her blog, The Sparkly Panda. She sent me these very cute little crocheted stars, which I can sew backs on to and make into anything! In my package, I also got some sparkly kawaii stickers, post it notes and a "to do list" pad. All very kawaii indeed!! </span><br>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPYVlnIUBHjaiKm8SkW6dWYXKc5iOxrcbTYxa_G0GI_60i27x9Xz3ZbRRl0wExnmULaSMXDK8f5zxDslu5CewlRIXXePxPKfchbnNSrGtZwfyS5DAuhrupPRRwHxgTjdThgWY5XYDf0up/s640/blogger-image--493834489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPYVlnIUBHjaiKm8SkW6dWYXKc5iOxrcbTYxa_G0GI_60i27x9Xz3ZbRRl0wExnmULaSMXDK8f5zxDslu5CewlRIXXePxPKfchbnNSrGtZwfyS5DAuhrupPRRwHxgTjdThgWY5XYDf0up/s400/blogger-image--493834489.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My lovely kawaii package</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-14262285496336158252014-09-17T02:17:00.002-07:002014-09-17T03:18:10.317-07:00Craft room/ guest room transformation!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago, I wrote about a </span><a href="http://pinkrobotcraft.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/before-pictures-junk-room-to-guest.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"junk room"</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in my house which I hoped to transform into a craft room/ guest room. I'm delighted to say that it's now almost finished, and what a difference! </span><br />
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<tr><td><img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw8d88omSSFIhEHIu1U5KQhyphenhyphenPVPEYeziKl8yWOmhOyWTrxEpc5mmCyeim-8PesdOOzwxWc9ptuGgoLQIxsF3ewiunjoOZE2aKotZtSz196iZvG6_Cg1UIb7Wu6CAOfgu35f5Drs4Y2LTw/s320/blogger-image--1345477056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before... eeeeek!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The room was completely unloved- broken, squeaky floorboards, badly-fitted and damaged</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">skirting, holes in the walls and ceiling. No wonder we ended up filling it with all our junk, and making it "the box room". However, I was desperate for a proper space to create things in. Somewhere I could keep my sewing machine out and functional, and store all my crafty bits and pieces neatly and logically. With a new baby, we also needed a guest room- and somewhere to escape to without waking our daughter if our new addition was rather noisy in the middle of the night! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here it is! Getting the floorboards fixed, walls plastered and skirting replaced used up almost all our budget... so the rest of the transformation was well and truly frugally done. </span></div>
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknUzCOSys2QHG9BZnvg1oKLQ7o1hfK6zi9UG2WIlqOQxskJTePwYuqTcf0PGyqjCfDpOU0-GLy3vVkR1dUtnUkXlFe3iwiLxmezecVd0ZitgGlNyjj-neAyu-h7wn76_-fY1jG8jKS4o1/s640/blogger-image--1865114219.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Presenting my functional guest/ craft room</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I chose this striking colour scheme in contrast to the darker hues in the study next door. It's a very small room, and I feel that the yellow combined with the light carpet really brighten the space and make it feel bigger. The sofa bed folds out to make it a functional guest room, but looks pretty as a comfy sofa in the meantime. The room is full of bargains and thrifty finds. The bedside tables were old pine ones we had in storage, painted to tie in with grey chalk paint. I found the tripod lamps in an Argos clearance sale for only £5.99 each. I have admired almost identical lamps from other retailers for upwards of £20, and I think these could certainly pass for more expensive. </span><br />
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTk2A0roIM8CXp-KGpVjJsn1_c1S1ePu2Bu0HE_ujpgejx8P2qzTGxclzdXacG3MqVba_4HE41BBU9Bk8xrS6hGtmqI_Jbw-jTAApTpQVoiWnj-x50mScJUIHECLlG3dpLlmoNbCO9tEUQ/s320/blogger-image--2144434385.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I do love tea!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pictures I chose are from various places. I want all my wall décor to be original, and not just the generic, mass-produced art which adorns many walls. I love this quote from J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, and I bought it from a graphic designer called <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AbbieImagine">Abbie Imagine</a>, on Etsy. The sewing machine print was free, printed at home (read about my favourite printable websites <a href="http://pinkrobotcraft.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/free-wall-art.html">here</a>) and I found the typewriter advert a couple of years ago at an antique fair for only £2. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhrc8SAjegYuTaGkexWx8OEETdPmNmvNxZYLJV9n8QrTxWF9-4pkcmKIOg2mSiTFE4Zbi_BR3XelPlPbNNsCWlYCNU2tZfGL9Nk2qSVpjYenOWC6H2CrzJG6EPMWmGw-o0cp2RiJwwQOn/s640/blogger-image--56500098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhrc8SAjegYuTaGkexWx8OEETdPmNmvNxZYLJV9n8QrTxWF9-4pkcmKIOg2mSiTFE4Zbi_BR3XelPlPbNNsCWlYCNU2tZfGL9Nk2qSVpjYenOWC6H2CrzJG6EPMWmGw-o0cp2RiJwwQOn/s320/blogger-image--56500098.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great philosophy!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This cute little antique plate was upcycled by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartVintageUK">Heart Vintage</a>, and I bought it from her Etsy store. I love the wartime "Make Do and Mend" philosophy, and it's one I do try to stick to. Where better to display this than next to my sewing machine? I thought this antique advert for Tootal sheets was totally appropriate in my guest room, and I found it on eBay for a couple of pounds. There are loads of vintage and antique adverts to be snapped up for next to nothing on eBay, if you know what theme you are looking for. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNJXuFgTnLYDvCPWEev_7WuLvCG6dfY3vTvJgG6GxQj2WxYSzQVCZeA6RywypLtRKkPrJBHXfbUxnvayoBVSv-Ahf1kLq8Cb4bcLkyQJ6MGkgghFXnSvfe0SJtKHezrczxnQY0vQje446/s320/blogger-image-141554699.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Antique Tootal advert</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, I still have work to do! Here is my work station at the moment. The old pine desk needs painted to tie in with the rest of the room, although I did re-upholster the seat using a scrap of fabric from my stash. Shelves need to go up to house my growing vintage fabric collection, and I still have a few pieces of art ready for the wall. Nevertheless, I love my room, and already I've spent far too many wonderful hours crafting away in it. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9GoNxkkR1JPvT2lYU2c8EH1OzfNv9IVrPtMDVEi0fh3pfQHMgtKHazFU6vQuqpLXCKT4Slvi6R2uNOlLXXFw9NownGVbGUeeuqN3S3OTpclypeKkCu914TPGY9QkIYfMdON2TAOXRgOR/s400/blogger-image-1005203975.jpg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still a bit of work to be done!</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-3433954962936803852014-08-26T13:17:00.002-07:002014-08-26T13:19:33.907-07:006 ways with wallpaper samples<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wallpaper samples are one of the most cost-effective, versatile craft materials. It's fairly easy to get your hands on some beautiful ones for free- listen out for local retailers throwing away old sample books, or ask your friends and family to save their samples for you once they have finished with them. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are countless ways you can make use of your samples, and here are 5 of my favourites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Create unique furniture pieces</b>- </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Decoupage is a very effective and striking craft technique, which involves pasting a design to a piece of furniture, then protecting it with layers of varnish. you can paste any flat image, from wallpaper, wrapping paper, magazine pages and even napkins. I found these projects on Pinterest, for inspiration:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Upcycled floral decoupage side table. I could do this out of all those flower seed magazines I get..." src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/00/22/4d/00224d322e8f568a2e2b2dd566002f44.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/321374123382103708/">Decoupage side table</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img alt="Coat hooks decoupage patterns. £10.00, via Etsy. great idea for downstairs bathroom at sw" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/30/b8/90/30b890661f51011c293f4b86ab5dc26a.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/72690981458061805/">Gorgeous patterned coat hooks</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img alt="Fabric Covered Dresser Drawers - Use Hello Kitty fabric?!" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/84/da/a7/84daa7b1cae1c5ff89f28c596318415a.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="212" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/258323728598925281/">Unique dresser</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frame them</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- much like my </span><a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/thrifty-diy-wall-art.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fabric DIY wall art</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, this is an easy and thrifty way to dress your walls. Simply choose the pattern you like, and frame it. Voila- a unique piece of art which ties in perfectly with your room's decor. It's also a great way to use amazing, expensive designer wallpaper in your room, when you can't afford to do a whole wall!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wrapping paper and gift tags</b>- I've previously written about how <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/wrapping-gifts-beautifully-pindoit-for.html">wrapping a gift well </a>can really add to its perceived value, and make the recipient feel like you have made a huge effort. Using wallpaper instead of wrapping paper is an easy way to add luxury- it's typically thicker, with a more sumptuous texture. Look at these cute gift tags, made for next to nothing! </span><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="gift tags made from wallpaper samples" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/c9/b2/7d/c9b27dfa3eefb012216a112e79bfb223.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/108508672244797132/">Gorgeous, and thrifty!</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Beautify your drawers</b>- An easy, quick way to add luxury to your desk or dressing table is to line your drawers with gorgeous wallpaper. It makes them look extra fancy and expensive. Just cut your wallpaper sample to size, and pop in the bottom of your drawer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Revamp a lampshade</b>- You can pick up old lampshades in almost any charity shop for pennies, so why not give one a makeover using fancy wallpaper? I love these pretty floral vintage designs, and it looks fairly straightforward to do. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="retro vintage flowers...: Flowers vintage wallpaper lamp-shade ~ draw flowers" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/47/7c/ab/477cabebe95a67ec9c3cde968e85ea49.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/30540103692583027/">Funky retro lampshades</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make new (recycled!) storage-</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Old boxes, bottles and cans covered in wallpaper can make for unusual and beautiful storage solutions. Tie them into the décor of a room, or make them a feature! I've seen this done with old formula cans, and I think they would be the perfect size for storing stationery. </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Storage idea for crafts using cans Get Free gift Vouchers For Cheesecake factory, Visa and more" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/23/91/f723911b040a332a8aee1aa37bdacc14.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/388294799095987909/">I'd love this for my craft room!</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img alt="~ vintage wallpaper covered hat boxes ~ just one filled with my most favorite craft supplies would make me very, very happy. :)" height="212" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/75/78/8b/75788b6cb09c43eee9e82fed038ef984.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/368169338257405100/">You would never guess these were plain boxes and wallpaper!</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've started collecting and hoarding wallpaper samples, so now I need to find a cute way to store them! If you have any other good ideas for using wallpaper creatively, I'd love to hear them. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-79705554129951055082014-08-23T22:29:00.001-07:002014-08-23T22:36:01.579-07:00A New Name<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have decided to rename my blog to <i>Pink Robot. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started out writing <i>Make Thrift Love Life</i> as a separate hobby to my crafting and Etsy shop. As my blogging experience has developed and evolved, I have found myself writing a lot about my craft projects, and using Twitter under the name of Pink Robot. I realised that it makes perfect sense to have my brand name consistent across all social media. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be changing the blog's URL in a couple of days, giving my regular readers a chance to bookmark the new URL. It will become: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://pinkrobotcraft.blogspot.co.uk/">http://pinkrobotcraft.blogspot.co.uk</a></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-47006124204795497202014-08-21T22:23:00.000-07:002014-08-26T13:19:42.590-07:005 Newbie Tips When Using Chalk Paint Powder<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When money is too tight to buy new furniture, it's amazing what paint can do to transform your existing pieces. Painted wood furniture is so fashionable just now, it's easy and it's cheap. Right up my street! Totally inspired by the latest series of Kirstie's Fill Your House For Free, I thought I'd give it a go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a little research, I knew that chalk paint would adhere to wood much better than ordinary paint, and needed much less prep and priming (I'm impatient when it comes to crafts- I just want to get to the good bits!) Annie Sloan appeared to be the most popular brand of paint for this type of project, but when I went online to order some, I baulked at the price. Yes- the colours were beautiful, and yes- the reviews were excellent, but I couldn't justify spending that amount of money on one colour of paint, for one project. Back to the drawing board. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvv-l-M_C5jedG51DJw2e5UtVfHeHSa1s-nmmmTnDBOIMtVXu4SvsfkIdQWjWNxRbMfJO4q5csl0dcPGcCxF3NW9GBasBRgCWE0k1EG-aT9fwxbj9p_f6TksOb2qA9rc6WbXUwIs-FSgp/s640/blogger-image--249790517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvv-l-M_C5jedG51DJw2e5UtVfHeHSa1s-nmmmTnDBOIMtVXu4SvsfkIdQWjWNxRbMfJO4q5csl0dcPGcCxF3NW9GBasBRgCWE0k1EG-aT9fwxbj9p_f6TksOb2qA9rc6WbXUwIs-FSgp/s320/blogger-image--249790517.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pine lamp table transformed!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stumbled upon a solution- chalk paint powder, added to regular emulsion. Great- this meant I could use up all my old paint as well! Since I love a feature wall, I actually do have loads of tins of paint sitting in the basement. I opted for a 300g tub of chalk paint powder, from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mollys-Paint-Brush/236453599871659?ref=stream">Molly's Paintbrush, for £5.95</a>. There are several sellers out there, but I found Molly to be really helpful and knowledgeable when I was asking my "newbie" questions. 300g is about the right amount for 1 litre of paint, but can be mixed up in smaller amounts for smaller jobs. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGgqGRzDuteSq_SfgfS7Se5Sl173Nbm5wLaAil9fj0kJF_izEOKfedZ7rYVrSiy2f7FNF2ZQXjtDP7Wo8fPnFvfsSvycoDVTQ1PUxTllSd-mWgX-07KeB3gK09SppTITLvYVS-P_bUw78/s640/blogger-image--1261296542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGgqGRzDuteSq_SfgfS7Se5Sl173Nbm5wLaAil9fj0kJF_izEOKfedZ7rYVrSiy2f7FNF2ZQXjtDP7Wo8fPnFvfsSvycoDVTQ1PUxTllSd-mWgX-07KeB3gK09SppTITLvYVS-P_bUw78/s200/blogger-image--1261296542.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chalk paint powder</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have found it to be incredibly easy to use, and have successfully painted a few of my existing pieces of furniture so far. Here are my top 5 tips for complete beginners: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Only mix up the amount you need. Even leaving the mix overnight can result in little tiny hard lumps in the paint, which are a complete pain to smooth out.</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do not attempt to paint MDF/ flat pack furniture! The finish is flat, and the paint scratches off quite easily. I tried primer underneath, but it's still not great. I love how you can still see the wood grain underneath chalk paint, and this is missing from MDF. </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Work in small areas at a time, making sure the finish is smooth before moving on. </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lightly sand between coats. It makes a big difference! </b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Remember to add water to the chalk powder before adding it to the paint. I forgot to do this the first time, and ended up with a lumpy mixture. </b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I definitely think that using chalk paint powder is a better alternative to buying ready-made chalk paint. It's cheaper, and gives you the opportunity to use up your old emulsion. Bonus!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-33700465986569089432014-08-20T07:24:00.003-07:002014-08-20T07:24:29.764-07:00Free wall art! <div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't believe I didn't know sooner about the fabulous, free, printable wall art available online! Not having spending money to spare really doesn't have to mean bare walls. A quick Google search will reveal countless free printables, and all you need to do is print them out and frame them. Easy! Look at these beauties which I have added to my walls over the last couple of days... </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9COYsxWRGMUio4X2fe8FLmtFFRZHpCzIYgXrfPHxgHMsR1COMfDj1xETPI86DZeftvIKtGRkvKjJVQhk-DGU5J7h-FkR2-shMdOftv7MUHPyAwsCU14XyIbP5WXaEpLt0z-7wf_VWWZf/s640/blogger-image--1756323719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9COYsxWRGMUio4X2fe8FLmtFFRZHpCzIYgXrfPHxgHMsR1COMfDj1xETPI86DZeftvIKtGRkvKjJVQhk-DGU5J7h-FkR2-shMdOftv7MUHPyAwsCU14XyIbP5WXaEpLt0z-7wf_VWWZf/s400/blogger-image--1756323719.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix tape print from <a href="http://indiefixx.com/Feed_your_soul/">Indie Fixx</a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxHrMyl5VIbG9BouC3r1lKS2epJe2MwaBa0j1-y8-_oughiB9miWUCIchiHqrwsoQsdgoHu_hYTUCBnWZAvExHTOcrsIV3nIxKw0GCYCt4e0NTr53Wxl4dmIZx31CNPpiLchwbTwkdIyS/s640/blogger-image-1295850479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxHrMyl5VIbG9BouC3r1lKS2epJe2MwaBa0j1-y8-_oughiB9miWUCIchiHqrwsoQsdgoHu_hYTUCBnWZAvExHTOcrsIV3nIxKw0GCYCt4e0NTr53Wxl4dmIZx31CNPpiLchwbTwkdIyS/s400/blogger-image-1295850479.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you believe this was free?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This mix tape print is from a great website called Indie Fixx. Digital artists gifted prints to the public as part of a project called "Feed Your Soul". The last print was made available in 2011, so it seems that the project isn't running any more, but there are still loads of beautiful, unique prints ready to download. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Etsy "favourites" list was full of old sewing machine prints just like this one, retailing for around £15 each. I can't believe that I got this one, for the price of using some black ink! This was actually two free smaller pictures, from <a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.co.uk/">The Graphics Fairy</a>. I pasted them on to a black Word document, arranged them like this and printed it out. The Graphics Fairy is absolutely amazing, and has hundreds of free printables. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another find from The Graphics Fairy is this adorable little bird, now proudly on display in my bedroom. I think he ties in really well with the other Asian- inspired items in the room. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AnnYuL6qQyLuNVGS1wTTX8sEJGlyEB0_-mDlfqQe1Hl-y5MrbyK1RjQqNa-IK4Y3vFd15YnWyKtCY2bfPuByAyeMnItW4Ekftwtnzv2UAvSb2BXqlalLL9XH3hloVl9iw1M9QOigMEAC/s640/blogger-image-1127161346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AnnYuL6qQyLuNVGS1wTTX8sEJGlyEB0_-mDlfqQe1Hl-y5MrbyK1RjQqNa-IK4Y3vFd15YnWyKtCY2bfPuByAyeMnItW4Ekftwtnzv2UAvSb2BXqlalLL9XH3hloVl9iw1M9QOigMEAC/s400/blogger-image-1127161346.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cute bird and cherry blossoms!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a list of other websites offering free printable art- posters, clip art, printable tags and labels, art for your blog and much more. If you know of any other great ones to share, please do. Enjoy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://openartproject.com/posters/">Open Art Project</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.freevintageposters.com/">Free Vintage Posters </a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thepaintedhive.net/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Painted Hive</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://burlapandblue.com/2013/02/05/50-fabulous-printables-for-home/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burlap and Blue</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://eighteen25.blogspot.co.uk/p/subway-art-collection.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eighteen25</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://justsomethingimade.com/freebies/">Just Something I Made</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.manmadediy.com/downloads">Man Made</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://redandhoney.com/100-fantastic-free-printables-everything-from-calendars-to-art-prints-to-paper-dolls/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red and Honey</span></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-83624348274241730132014-08-12T08:10:00.003-07:002014-08-26T13:20:06.847-07:00Double buggy revamp<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Betsy's arrival, I decided fairly quickly that I definitely needed a double buggy. While I loved the idea of carrying my new bundle in a wrap while pushing my toddler in her single buggy, it become apparent that this solution would not be hugely successful on longer trips. Carrying my warm and toasty newborn in the beautiful weather we have enjoyed recently became a little uncomfortable after about an hour or so!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did my research; I drive a tiny Yaris, so I needed something compact to fit in my boot. I looked at online forums and spoke to friends and family and even visited shops, to find the perfect model. Eventually, I decided that the Phil&Ted's Sport buggy was perfect... aside from the price tag of £500+! Luckily for me, a double buggy isn't something people tend to keep once they have outgrown the need for it, so they are widely available on the second-hand market. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found one on eBay for £100- a fraction of the price of buying new. At that price, however, there were a few cosmetic issues. The black and grey colour combination was also not one I'd have chosen- while functional and unisex, I prefer cheerful colours! </span><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHQCrCyRTUNTX3uasBbQuxuyunC-BWAZq9g5nMtYrj1UtHmK57euCkWB-PoyibOqrV8_Vw1f1ZCHHaAt29D8EzTGqYkv2_51eWHe-L-I79Sok03TpD86COVjDMdsffpgVXy-sZEJ8Z8iz/s1600/IMG_7343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHQCrCyRTUNTX3uasBbQuxuyunC-BWAZq9g5nMtYrj1UtHmK57euCkWB-PoyibOqrV8_Vw1f1ZCHHaAt29D8EzTGqYkv2_51eWHe-L-I79Sok03TpD86COVjDMdsffpgVXy-sZEJ8Z8iz/s1600/IMG_7343.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Before" picture- the drab buggy!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SqhlBX1NqwfAu_y44tj6y2lxQGKhvZtwKHg2rWXWNTdu9AIWhd3f32FIn161wpxUkfQA0N3CwrFZBwhnIr9qRUlHkGZtslfps_4axP-7yEt3N6-ia0yxYB5j6btuLrbB0AvssOeaJnwd/s1600/IMG_7344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SqhlBX1NqwfAu_y44tj6y2lxQGKhvZtwKHg2rWXWNTdu9AIWhd3f32FIn161wpxUkfQA0N3CwrFZBwhnIr9qRUlHkGZtslfps_4axP-7yEt3N6-ia0yxYB5j6btuLrbB0AvssOeaJnwd/s1600/IMG_7344.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little bit grubby!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main issue was the lack of foam on the handle. Not only did it look awful (and make the whole buggy look as though it was ancient) but it would also be uncomfortable to push. I took to eBay, and found a seller who stocked replacement foam for less than a tenner- which was delivered the next day! Simply replacing the foam instantly made the buggy seem newer. </span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGca0MvIRo0LGdhZUV1Ageicu432d_amxB6obOjgQt1-o6i6Lu842v_gGBg6X1C5tuCDC_-BinoL98iDKvOYSib0XOp9dtj3rOg6uiCjlII5gGB1ybNFdMyI77aQbFogy427-jfoK4Prwk/s1600/IMG_7264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGca0MvIRo0LGdhZUV1Ageicu432d_amxB6obOjgQt1-o6i6Lu842v_gGBg6X1C5tuCDC_-BinoL98iDKvOYSib0XOp9dtj3rOg6uiCjlII5gGB1ybNFdMyI77aQbFogy427-jfoK4Prwk/s1600/IMG_7264.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Missing handle foam, revealing ugly scrapes</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQXts9BOLajIbjhH-DxgzecFPCrqXz1DWmf5TljLKqDZl6kjCTktXy6jLPEwmu9Ugx7a6D1hkOTprir3Ovf6CARq7ZrWk8uFdPdPhdrEnd333Qbr10Q_mUCd0D8mZS-DHcfFOSPoJh_b_/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQXts9BOLajIbjhH-DxgzecFPCrqXz1DWmf5TljLKqDZl6kjCTktXy6jLPEwmu9Ugx7a6D1hkOTprir3Ovf6CARq7ZrWk8uFdPdPhdrEnd333Qbr10Q_mUCd0D8mZS-DHcfFOSPoJh_b_/s1600/IMG_7349.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Betsy all cosy underneath the main seat,</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the new handle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a lot to be said for good old-fashioned elbow grease to make pre-loved items seem new. After a vacuum, a scrub and a spritz of Febreeze, it came up spotless.</span><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_KaZswQr4z6RvFgOX88adXBZ3gBWMkBFgsUXQcDKju9bCRmCUFwr9jjRoGgTj0DIbCTOdHwCWVtpOTveY8x-Go9gVr5KLRxE51uhsmARzxNOXwXCYDpj_Yd0OgBd65uc8g1Pg-Nhdya7/s1600/IMG_7345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_KaZswQr4z6RvFgOX88adXBZ3gBWMkBFgsUXQcDKju9bCRmCUFwr9jjRoGgTj0DIbCTOdHwCWVtpOTveY8x-Go9gVr5KLRxE51uhsmARzxNOXwXCYDpj_Yd0OgBd65uc8g1Pg-Nhdya7/s1600/IMG_7345.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking time to clean the wheels made a big difference!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for the colour injection! New seat pads and strap pads are a great way to update a second-hand buggy, making it look new and unique. These are available inexpensively from loads of sellers online. I opted for a bright colour combination I love- lime green and pink. It's certainly unique, and I'm really pleased with my budget double buggy.</span></div><div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It also occurred to me that doing these simple things before selling your old buggy would add value to it! <br></font><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiQNDpgTSpjC023GuIt-h_OSTXJV9YPnCzrQB4elvN6oeTb17z4D0nCM64x27bhLSwJpR2wwCFJqTIcTQQeGkNrFv31CncGT8umwzsingpwWcfDdC_ABEMrFf0gbUbtqjTSJ6M-QKyQnC/s1600/IMG_7354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiQNDpgTSpjC023GuIt-h_OSTXJV9YPnCzrQB4elvN6oeTb17z4D0nCM64x27bhLSwJpR2wwCFJqTIcTQQeGkNrFv31CncGT8umwzsingpwWcfDdC_ABEMrFf0gbUbtqjTSJ6M-QKyQnC/s1600/IMG_7354.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossom pink and green</td></tr>
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</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickL0PFPqq8QKEgiDm-r7MAsFlRNYlISJYU874Y5JRoANvl_C6VES46R5k-Nk76ooZXnb73S1vaRcYHaNCPZIO99ak3hSXcastw02yqqTBlJDUmYS0UL_B1KuHMeChcRYEoSAOkJC20lUC/s1600/IMG_7415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickL0PFPqq8QKEgiDm-r7MAsFlRNYlISJYU874Y5JRoANvl_C6VES46R5k-Nk76ooZXnb73S1vaRcYHaNCPZIO99ak3hSXcastw02yqqTBlJDUmYS0UL_B1KuHMeChcRYEoSAOkJC20lUC/s1600/IMG_7415.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heather insisting on pushing her little sister! </span></td></tr>
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-84704106637793041072014-08-09T23:31:00.000-07:002014-08-26T13:20:06.852-07:00My debut furniture upcycle!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite loving everything thrifty and creative, it has taken me this long to attempt upcycling furniture. After one rather successful (and may I say, easy!) project, I am hooked. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having now almost completed the transformation of my box room to craft room/ guest room (full post to follow!), I was looking for thrifty storage solutions. I found this little sewing storage box on Gumtree, looking worn, shabby and frankly a bit sorry for itself. However, at a bargainous £12, I saw its potential past the stains and scratches, and snapped it up to give it a new lease of life. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4RixJXMpbE3KxFNdTvdZSEMXz_x37aPhXQ6d78cDsDQBD6O25N5BC1Vd2W6sMZ3gG5pyKlYhvsZcuQ4S_i20vCZB2sa5U8ftOvwkd7qs0x3vsTyda4zXiWwOb5S93nMNaVdxB2n1CdKZ/s640/blogger-image-899888446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4RixJXMpbE3KxFNdTvdZSEMXz_x37aPhXQ6d78cDsDQBD6O25N5BC1Vd2W6sMZ3gG5pyKlYhvsZcuQ4S_i20vCZB2sa5U8ftOvwkd7qs0x3vsTyda4zXiWwOb5S93nMNaVdxB2n1CdKZ/s320/blogger-image-899888446.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before makeover: old-fashioned and dated</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuvaDqU954eW-bVB43HWUm573Mdaq3okkqTGzxSIkU32eHfO9N7DEayLF70O7raMu3YO4A12yUr5WExRIJ-aPqyGhi2n4JPIur1zXgloDhV7LYOMPtGplAuibnCWZl9VkzGFzwwGxFczt/s640/blogger-image--2012286267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuvaDqU954eW-bVB43HWUm573Mdaq3okkqTGzxSIkU32eHfO9N7DEayLF70O7raMu3YO4A12yUr5WExRIJ-aPqyGhi2n4JPIur1zXgloDhV7LYOMPtGplAuibnCWZl9VkzGFzwwGxFczt/s320/blogger-image--2012286267.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The interior fabric and fixings were falling to bits</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I unscrewed the lid, and removed all the old fabric from the top. The foam underneath was actually in very good condition, so I was able to reuse it. A few dabs of No More Nails sorted out the wobbly frame, and it was ready for its makeover. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveOwxygGObzyas6cX3plSYdQODbZx52fKD-kqOdz3ILNhztbu1U04ic59DKK3293OcpJuOta4pXpz6Th6JXUjzJ2dgV_DEMKFzXetm6N9tmxxY7aorWWhtawqdPZiet2z_tSIk9SCMd8Q/s640/blogger-image--1939148128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveOwxygGObzyas6cX3plSYdQODbZx52fKD-kqOdz3ILNhztbu1U04ic59DKK3293OcpJuOta4pXpz6Th6JXUjzJ2dgV_DEMKFzXetm6N9tmxxY7aorWWhtawqdPZiet2z_tSIk9SCMd8Q/s320/blogger-image--1939148128.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hardly any tools required!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The craft room has a modern monochrome, grey, yellow and teal colour palette, so I revamped the box to tie in with this theme. I sanded down the frame, and painted it with a dark grey emulsion I had left over from a previous project. I painted the drawers a bold yellow to match the feature wall in the room and finished them with teal knobs, by mixing acrylic paints.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc28hEUSj6A7_R9sO7UDkbRVCoGn5ZR9lldWBPkadQ-qZIefHJOJhCtZsOPmAudatrLRguXAq4kAoXfAXCQKl8o9auOzDgrP9XliqcMMsKUiyqho2cY65xoKAt5boqr6T1uIg2B3pkVhUB/s640/blogger-image-1165123665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc28hEUSj6A7_R9sO7UDkbRVCoGn5ZR9lldWBPkadQ-qZIefHJOJhCtZsOPmAudatrLRguXAq4kAoXfAXCQKl8o9auOzDgrP9XliqcMMsKUiyqho2cY65xoKAt5boqr6T1uIg2B3pkVhUB/s400/blogger-image-1165123665.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the makeover!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had bought a chevron cushion from an eBay seller, which had a faulty zip when it arrived. The seller replaced it, and told me I could keep the faulty one too. The fabric was perfect for the lid, as it now matches the cushion and the lampshade in the room. It was easy to re-upholster the lid using a wall stapler instead of tacks and a hammer. I uncovered a pretty floral scrap in my fabric basket, and used it to line the underside of the lid- disguising the staples and making it look beautiful! </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMlFAU1dV7pa4fsQYIje6I9wYE-U8Jybubvsjd3erkDg2_1P39IgBOzI77a8KVpgyiPSS4dlCDIn_nDaCtzPf1p8BRwcl8bU2k7QSAeHBuQtKZmAJ-3Rlbx_8B7mSDmDehNgL_rMPgPyS/s640/blogger-image-100674093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMlFAU1dV7pa4fsQYIje6I9wYE-U8Jybubvsjd3erkDg2_1P39IgBOzI77a8KVpgyiPSS4dlCDIn_nDaCtzPf1p8BRwcl8bU2k7QSAeHBuQtKZmAJ-3Rlbx_8B7mSDmDehNgL_rMPgPyS/s400/blogger-image-100674093.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chevron patterned lid</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlSNqFj7_GkC7K4d6azHOJvwXAGTqmLLDHHf4h7eH9Ztw_HM0e56lNc1lwyj4vPdDqQAS-8ZXMyFVA_2lxoWNX3CHOgBT7-zP7z2pRYxaZr_rOUqIAHxhycaV3QuXHTjVfktg-6X_w3E9/s640/blogger-image--814561850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlSNqFj7_GkC7K4d6azHOJvwXAGTqmLLDHHf4h7eH9Ztw_HM0e56lNc1lwyj4vPdDqQAS-8ZXMyFVA_2lxoWNX3CHOgBT7-zP7z2pRYxaZr_rOUqIAHxhycaV3QuXHTjVfktg-6X_w3E9/s400/blogger-image--814561850.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty floral surprise underneath</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm absolutely delighted with my little sewing storage box. Completely personal and a perfect fit for the room, at a measly £12- the upgrade didn't cost me a penny! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-15665952423924426642014-08-03T08:52:00.002-07:002014-08-03T08:52:57.062-07:00Thrifty, DIY wall art<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ddnv5OIVgxKg8mot2BLKzYsXcfP9VY8ytQUpoBad1CKxVlwz4_qaOW65W7IolDWPrxQSHkDcYmia2sIcmtb2zTYoGaXpwcOBAJVZPWRvRPuX4pUUDQRGNBUJzw_JeX55tPHjuRc6fqtz/s640/blogger-image-1004152644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ddnv5OIVgxKg8mot2BLKzYsXcfP9VY8ytQUpoBad1CKxVlwz4_qaOW65W7IolDWPrxQSHkDcYmia2sIcmtb2zTYoGaXpwcOBAJVZPWRvRPuX4pUUDQRGNBUJzw_JeX55tPHjuRc6fqtz/s400/blogger-image-1004152644.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three beautiful, simply framed fat quarters in kimono fabric</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inspired by my honeymoon to Thailand and Singapore, home décor with an "Oriental feel" always ticks the boxes for me. So I absolutely love the new additions to my bedroom wall! Stunning Japanese kimono fabrics look fabulous in cheap wooden frames. I think they give a really unusual and unique look, and the texture adds intrigue next to the usual paintings, photos and prints.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBVqYflHZVu3xI-D2CbSmDfBB4R7RitQ5ePSVL7PZzI3vOnYrvJXDG1UT56Pmrkcb6biGnztvLeuD-X77owKG-6RMfM7q9h_l-AG7TBAsP37Pjy0zt3zkQsNnjT0bNjrpOONv966nYutk/s640/blogger-image-75993885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBVqYflHZVu3xI-D2CbSmDfBB4R7RitQ5ePSVL7PZzI3vOnYrvJXDG1UT56Pmrkcb6biGnztvLeuD-X77owKG-6RMfM7q9h_l-AG7TBAsP37Pjy0zt3zkQsNnjT0bNjrpOONv966nYutk/s400/blogger-image-75993885.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A closer look</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ordered a "fat quarter" of each design from an Etsy seller, for just a few pounds each. All 3 pictures (which are quite large) set me back less than £20, including the frames. This could be done for every room, and every colour scheme in the house, and I have now become a little obsessed by framing fabrics! It's an easy craft which could, in fact, be done even more frugally- by sourcing second-hand frames and re-purposing fabric items. It is also a great way to use up your fabric scraps, and something different to do with those beautiful fabrics you may already have in your stash! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-45381881089625396532014-08-03T08:29:00.001-07:002014-08-03T08:32:08.523-07:00Growing my own herbs<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adding fresh herbs when cooking undoubtedly makes a dish much tastier than using dried herbs from a jar. More often than not, however, I find myself opting for the latter- for no other reason than frugality! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh herbs cost around the same as their dried equivalent, but I find that the fresh variety don't tend to keep for long, and I end up really only being able to use them once. This is such a waste- of food and money. I have been hunting around for solutions to this problem, and come up with a couple of recommendations. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Freezing them in ice cube trays</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This works! The herbs do keep for much longer in the freezer, and frozen herbs do taste better than dried herbs from a jar. One drawback, though, is that they do stay soggy. I like to sprinkle coriander on top of curries and soups, and that only works with freshly-picked leaves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kitchen roll in a sandwich bag</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds crazy, right? According to my friend, transferring fresh, cut herbs into a sandwich bag along with a piece of kitchen roll and storing them in the fridge helps them to last longer! I tried this, and the herbs did stay perky and crisp for about a week... definitely a few days longer than normal. I actually found this to be a good tip. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Grow your own</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My garden is an area of my house which needs a lot of attention and TLC, so I have not been tempted to try and grow things in it yet. However, my open-plan kitchen/ living room does have huge French windows, and the room gets pretty warm in the summer. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtDXhtbBrgfu7MoGGSa-cnFkiV3fuvK32oiKNM2PPKD7W3_Sh9KNsSsWI9zyHq7l4nnSmnAy0sU8ncmqvE0vcd3xF5Mm2CLrzl1f_jaEsvdPmtG4XHLFpOPzPcX6ulYBIlDBpK-xPGyZU/s640/blogger-image-1958412350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtDXhtbBrgfu7MoGGSa-cnFkiV3fuvK32oiKNM2PPKD7W3_Sh9KNsSsWI9zyHq7l4nnSmnAy0sU8ncmqvE0vcd3xF5Mm2CLrzl1f_jaEsvdPmtG4XHLFpOPzPcX6ulYBIlDBpK-xPGyZU/s400/blogger-image-1958412350.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks easy enough!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unwins very kindly sent me their DIY <a href="http://www.unwins.co.uk/windowsill-herb-seeds-kitchen-garden-kit-pid5301.html">herb kitchen garden kit</a> to try out and <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclosure.html">review</a>, and I am very excited to see the results. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The kits are on sale for £5.99 each, and they come with the adorable wooden box, compost, plastic pots and seeds (coriander, chives, basil and parsley). Considering that buying herbs from the supermarket costs £1 a time, I consider this to be good value. You can also buy a Mediterranean herbs version. I didn't have a small watering can, but I found that Heather's sippy cup did the job!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The idea of having small amounts of herbs growing at all times in my kitchen really appeals to me. If my herbs grow as promised on the box, this solution would cut out the waste, cost a lot less and look fabulous. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW20uuhmIBaJ0CjdY6ihGuhxmhMgupVgvxPduON4GvmrGg3KnRdhhdiXLJSRilamAXJiwDc709U7LQOC9FfOcLYzOJFrMRnhLNu9F8NmC0kOUp5eF0Jr56Ddle4r_N8Q__Ih8oZobFJQe/s640/blogger-image-1838551840.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Herbs all planted and watered</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-10276233543263269312014-07-30T13:14:00.002-07:002014-07-30T13:15:38.978-07:00My latest creation... baby Betsy!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a bit of a break in writing, I'd like to introduce my latest creation, baby Betsy Mae. She was born 3 weeks ago, and I'm in love! As you can see from the photographs, Heather is enjoying being a big sister too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life so far juggling 2 children under the age of 2 has been busy to say the least, but I have loved it. I'm now really looking forward to settling in to maternity leave and getting back into being creative, writing my blog and finding ways to save money. Watch this space! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQsg6c1M0Fioc_DZKg2j3CJ98PzaSNHR8GnU1bgQJlFJRL7eh0BKzS34hpDsM3HAqNhJzQ7gXB-6I8xxJ1iN7regfjZqCS-fPziR3uqZeUUwpk9mDFvwyc5VkCvJ7QSYtzEITIPJd343K/s1600/Betsy's+first+days+114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQsg6c1M0Fioc_DZKg2j3CJ98PzaSNHR8GnU1bgQJlFJRL7eh0BKzS34hpDsM3HAqNhJzQ7gXB-6I8xxJ1iN7regfjZqCS-fPziR3uqZeUUwpk9mDFvwyc5VkCvJ7QSYtzEITIPJd343K/s1600/Betsy's+first+days+114.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heather learning her "big sister" duties</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-bJMayAgcpQO_CBQst5wWc15CVgCAwQ-D11SusNHbWtUZAA6Esyo_8qAIk7h7eZl3hMEO9r_jmF1dbhlNrfmsSehoflJzMBltBR3_-1kM_Roanm3YAIPmQy34G6M8u24iEYQ9LoziTab/s1600/IMG_7404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-bJMayAgcpQO_CBQst5wWc15CVgCAwQ-D11SusNHbWtUZAA6Esyo_8qAIk7h7eZl3hMEO9r_jmF1dbhlNrfmsSehoflJzMBltBR3_-1kM_Roanm3YAIPmQy34G6M8u24iEYQ9LoziTab/s1600/IMG_7404.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My two girls just chilling in bed</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-76742606171417366132014-06-24T03:49:00.000-07:002014-06-24T03:49:08.484-07:00Geeky craft swap: June<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I enjoyed the Dainty and Ivory craft swap so much last month that I couldn't wait to take part again for June. This month had a "geeky" theme, and being a complete geek myself, this appealed to me immensely! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all matched up at random, and I was assigned Hannah as my recipient. She told me a few facts about herself and her geeky loves, and from there I set about putting together a geeky package for her. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx68vhyphenhyphenZ1n0aCmvPrS-FeRKsKdyuZn3ATkH9L0I5GATmhTYocZO-6fXKh7aoKy-XYKE5eDUGCDSHA2CmL1FrjvgIGbn1hMh1zxVoMNKMuBC16WOl6JiG-nxfs0YeIV_ZW800i4fKav1pm9/s320/blogger-image-305430779.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="217" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hand-beaded dragon bookmark</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What I sent: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hannah loves reading, especially fantasy and fairytales, and one of her favourite mystical creatures is a dragon. I found this beautiful dragon bookmark, and customised it by beading it in her favourite colours- greens, blues and golds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of her geeky loves is the book </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'A Song of Ice and Fire', now Game of Thrones... a geeky interest we have in common! I spent the best part of a year reading all the books, but I actually prefer the TV show... which doesn't happen often! Since Game of Thrones is a show I love as well, I thought I would make Hannah two types of brooch. The kilt pin represents 3 of the main families battling it out for the throne- the Starks, the Lannisters and the Targaryens. The fabric brooch is a more subtle nod, with the coveted crown in the centre. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qBmV-nDsT_Atz0nkJApl-EOS6qc0o1omd2N7deumRQOaI-Zdkl6fCXlG0Q9NfYkj_NndfHeceyJA1M6fKzMI58I3uDDH1MQ5vr6Cg4Sx77tQRjxmQELa3R4NjUvp09zuhzmgiwgSndd5/s320/blogger-image-1702717922.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stark, Lannister and Targaryen kilt pin</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfCw9SvKNaxJX0gyD4dUR8kekYVtYvp96wRzQguqH2ogTqBs15tSiOpfnWjORX1yEkPxCZKPIz48lwhtL9S8hbu0XoZfimwCzqloxAAtFq7waCW5B7n335YZe4c3n6J7E_q0CzrQOqfez/s320/blogger-image-1852787645.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game of Thrones fabric brooch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star Wars made Hannah's list of geeky loves, and I wanted to make something a bit different. I took a classic quote from Han Solo to Princess Leia, and made it into a blank greetings card: </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalQ0fOn7lZBedVGqEWvgVX4YdvsFoNRRFCiPYg-MkIeHqc8PAu-pyFT8FsuqDNikY4GhECele1gcMZ7EjqSjOsyCs9MARz4xw1fMXJRKl2G63Z-Nx06nUYWbzeJMROQKX2mbcOA6K-ZY8/s640/blogger-image-1254061242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalQ0fOn7lZBedVGqEWvgVX4YdvsFoNRRFCiPYg-MkIeHqc8PAu-pyFT8FsuqDNikY4GhECele1gcMZ7EjqSjOsyCs9MARz4xw1fMXJRKl2G63Z-Nx06nUYWbzeJMROQKX2mbcOA6K-ZY8/s320/blogger-image-1254061242.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings card inspired by a classic Star Wars quote! </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As per the rules of the craft swap, all participants must include a little bought gift in the parcel as well. I'd never heard of Studio Ghibli, but Hannah likes it... and a little search on Etsy revealed this cute unicorn pin as a Studio Ghibli character. I thought he was perfect, as she also told me she loves pastel colours (check!) and another of her favourite mystical creatures is the unicorn (check!)</span></div>
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<tr><td><img height="320" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/022/0/6824450/il_570xN.495761514_fvjk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studio Ghibli pin</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What I received: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My geeky gift-giver was Joanne Burgess. When signing up to the craft swap this month, I confessed to my complete geekery, and listed some of my indulgences as reading, writing and TV shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire and Game of Thrones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The package I received from Jo was delightful! First, I opened a letter with numbered clues as to what my parcel contained. Since I make no secret of the fact I enjoy a freebie, Jo sent me a "bonus" gift of a kilt pin finding. I can't wait to make something pretty from that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jo doesn't watch Game of Thrones, but she did her research and made me this stunning 3D beaded dragon. I can tell that he was made lovingly and took a lot of time- and now he is right at home nestled in my geeky study next to my George R.R. Martin collection. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XgIrI1VTfYSI7A6MVdhFWNnxObjuHEKvWAGfCSc_tGHtz0GkvcZNKnj84sfg3BzC2RvGlXdPhOxoFQP9pi1oa0sEpkwk3K5YILTzIPHjZHvORztAjWwacF40EUeIxuch-GiOXXnOoZlb/s640/blogger-image--1577771819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XgIrI1VTfYSI7A6MVdhFWNnxObjuHEKvWAGfCSc_tGHtz0GkvcZNKnj84sfg3BzC2RvGlXdPhOxoFQP9pi1oa0sEpkwk3K5YILTzIPHjZHvORztAjWwacF40EUeIxuch-GiOXXnOoZlb/s320/blogger-image--1577771819.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Danaerys Targaryen's dragon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keeping with the Game of Thrones theme, I also got a beautiful handmade necklace, inspired by a dragon's egg. It was also very thoughtfully made in my favourite colours. A cheeky bonus of dragon-shaped jelly sweets was also very welcome! </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcBbLkFKaPSwMCE5VrOr4eJb2WfFQmE9pbOUq7GF0KPpffJe979r16mln_vettbHjoQ4NsIsQeo8-1iZTjniDLKynRGZPOPy2WHa7kewCpfDtfYpSO092KnSSDoG3KVJy0PeTR6rUKgSH/s640/blogger-image--1698365224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzcBbLkFKaPSwMCE5VrOr4eJb2WfFQmE9pbOUq7GF0KPpffJe979r16mln_vettbHjoQ4NsIsQeo8-1iZTjniDLKynRGZPOPy2WHa7kewCpfDtfYpSO092KnSSDoG3KVJy0PeTR6rUKgSH/s200/blogger-image--1698365224.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty dragon egg necklace</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to receive a couple of lovely "bought" gifts too. In my opinion, nothing beats the feeling of opening a new, crisp writing set or notebook. Since drinking tea is one of my favourite pastimes, this writing set was made for me! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKWnEzn3tVbVR-2a6l2gXWjMc2U4bM_TuimzJT2NV4n7iTP9gPZhnqa-A6iEaPFRdZWEVIap3wZB-Kg9_qAcXFyqvUd-1s2E1_P_wteFAdOVzdBdqqtGQGFLAd_Br4TXec91sS2GH-ua5/s640/blogger-image--820496568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKWnEzn3tVbVR-2a6l2gXWjMc2U4bM_TuimzJT2NV4n7iTP9gPZhnqa-A6iEaPFRdZWEVIap3wZB-Kg9_qAcXFyqvUd-1s2E1_P_wteFAdOVzdBdqqtGQGFLAd_Br4TXec91sS2GH-ua5/s320/blogger-image--820496568.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The macaroons look divine!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A fellow Breaking Bad fan, Jo confessed to actually wanting to keep my final gift... I don't blame her, and I can't believe I've never seen this around before. It's a wooden spoon, stamped with Heisenberg's face! I now want to run out and buy one for all my friends who share my love of Walter White. Definitely a wooden spoon for displaying proudly in my kitchen. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyedGqMGiM0eN1bubTcbkZ0tLYZ29GAF5oKNqSnogNXft-py5AJj1wG1gXJIvSTdDeO10EyHuCzHlvCgDhBpUKSktsyRjO-_pFIwUCnnuPK30WLKXF7nGgWvK9FCaw5El5-ninUC7oVAaq/s640/blogger-image--2138222737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyedGqMGiM0eN1bubTcbkZ0tLYZ29GAF5oKNqSnogNXft-py5AJj1wG1gXJIvSTdDeO10EyHuCzHlvCgDhBpUKSktsyRjO-_pFIwUCnnuPK30WLKXF7nGgWvK9FCaw5El5-ninUC7oVAaq/s320/blogger-image--2138222737.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heisenberg spoon... just, wow!</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-77464445812675390102014-06-06T14:25:00.001-07:002014-06-12T14:10:04.799-07:00A lovely, kind gesture- Golden Peacock is mine! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a lovely experience recently when I was on the receiving end of an unexpected act of kindness by a fellow member of our creative blogging community. A couple of weeks ago, I </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">posted about how I had been drooling over <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/127370242/golden-peacock-an-original-framed?ref=favs_view_3">Jo Conlon's Golden Peacock painting</a> on Etsy for well over a year, but could never seem to get the money together to buy him (read the previous post <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/gorgeous-peacocks-from-uk-etsy-sellers.html">here</a>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jo read my post, and got in contact to say that she really wanted Golden Peacock to belong to someone who appreciated him, and that was more important to her than the cost. So... she offered to sell him to me for considerably less money, putting him within my reach! </span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeYfgCV-uMZ-Ssii0uQDxzUdJZn1ga5AqtZWB5Gdx7yZrXN8E5ihau8wBF9pCgSBVcM2pFbwcyeRWrKJxyQAyhCknKDcFkmvIN9PgKBpwb9TQK-XYfKJpFgOhbPKThuSkYeCRoerun5MQ/s640/blogger-image--1306346257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeYfgCV-uMZ-Ssii0uQDxzUdJZn1ga5AqtZWB5Gdx7yZrXN8E5ihau8wBF9pCgSBVcM2pFbwcyeRWrKJxyQAyhCknKDcFkmvIN9PgKBpwb9TQK-XYfKJpFgOhbPKThuSkYeCRoerun5MQ/s640/blogger-image--1306346257.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hanging proudly in his new home!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has now safely arrived in his new home, and doesn't he look great?! I think the colours complement my living room decor perfectly, and the gold in the painting shimmers beautifully in the light from the big windows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's situations like this that remind me how lovely it is to be part of a creative community, where appreciation of crafts and talents outweigh everything else! I am very grateful for Jo's kind gesture, and I am delighted to have this stunning new addition to my home. My little girl approves too- here she is checking him out, and saying "awwwwwwww!" </span></div>
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<tr><td><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholBM2il97SAZzxKy_7XrbnP1IWOhp7CBiuac62FcAP5dw9cUFKI6oM9j95UiCqWY4hJzMauAtBVsxnpXLTTo-dfj5H_12GayYdymPv7T8X4GIjPwxo7k3AP7sTucvFfhXoUsbrM-BMA26/s640/blogger-image-1314156043.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Awwwww... a beautiful peacock!</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-80725377344503223842014-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:002014-05-11T12:07:42.452-07:00My first craft swap experience<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have liked the idea of craft swaps for a while now, but never found one in the UK to participate in. Around a month ago, I was joining in on a Twitter chat with <a href="https://twitter.com/CraftBlogClub">#craftblogclub </a>and Hannah at <a href="http://daintyandivory.blogspot.co.uk/">Dainty and Ivory</a> said she'd be interested in running one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The theme was "spring" and we were all allocated a partner at random. I got <a href="http://www.sallybeemakes.blogspot.co.uk/">Sally Bee Makes</a> to create a parcel for, along with the information that she liked sewing, music, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">organising, reading, dog walking, kettle bells, shopping, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Africa, flowers, lots of colour and sun. I also discovered that her favourite colours were yellow and purple. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's quite difficult to decide what to make for someone you know very little about, especially since my social media stalking revealed that Sally is frankly amazing with a sewing machine! Alas, my skills are somewhat limited. I decided to make her a few handmade items instead of one larger gift. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7900nEaveczLR0YYInQfu-DYxW-o6Cshayv73xBEsqlDrtyO_SpH2Z8dsnikAwNVRik357KDn8RxbnqyOqjg8WK9K7LimeUBVdQBuJBtzh9Rg4VPLBG3jGT-YAa8LJIck-c5DS_2VK3V/s640/blogger-image-1514295169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7900nEaveczLR0YYInQfu-DYxW-o6Cshayv73xBEsqlDrtyO_SpH2Z8dsnikAwNVRik357KDn8RxbnqyOqjg8WK9K7LimeUBVdQBuJBtzh9Rg4VPLBG3jGT-YAa8LJIck-c5DS_2VK3V/s400/blogger-image-1514295169.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My gift parcel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made a lined <a href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=32204.0#axzz31Ft92WKe">"Jordy Bag"</a> for Sally- if </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you have never made a bag before, I can't recommend the lined Jordy Bag more- it's fairly easy for beginners and it comes out a gorgeous shape. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I thought this might fit in with her love of organising, and would perhaps</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> come in useful for storing/ carrying small sewing projects. The fabric I chose was bright, flowery, and adding a red lining gave the bag an overall "African" feel to it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sally seems to enjoy wearing handmade, judging from her blog. I added a kilt pin to the parcel- since her favourite colour is purple, I thought she might like the floral, purple glass beads. It's one of my Pink Robot designs. To complement the pin, I included some matching handmade purple beaded earrings. On top of the handmade items, we were asked to include a little bought gift too- my gift was a floral hardback notebook, which I thought matched the bag perfectly. Who doesn't love a notebook, with clean, crisp new pages?!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Russian Doll kilt pin, beaded, matryoshka" height="306" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/032/0/9237952/il_570xN.572584407_1g9c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/181572436/russian-doll-kilt-pin-beaded-matryoshka?ref=shop_home_active_10">Kilt Pin from my Pink Robot range</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My package arrived the same morning I posted my gifts. It's so exciting to receive a mystery package... and an occurrence which I certainly enjoy very rarely. Jane had made me a lovely bracelet from buttons in all my favourite colours. I particularly liked the style of clasp she had chosen. The box and wrapping paper was equally beautiful, and she had even made me an origami peacock- he is now sitting in my study alongside this <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/easy-origami-mothers-day-cards.html">swan</a>. My bought gifts were peacock-themed too: a cute lip gloss and a scented sachet for my drawer. It's so lovely to receive a gift from someone you don't know, especially when it's obvious that they have made the effort to send things you'd like. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlWkBdc0z0Vxg3vWrRdIhMowYPYyyPlVkrIb2iYm8c29rn9Tr7Lvlyt9-DGdkUQN1uEIbVdXm40R5MzWGqypRjvA4-zbmK6tYUhiU_sHwDy-fHWlI6vyJ4j5hB2zCj2hBu-bnGxI5Kf0r/s640/blogger-image--1814256828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlWkBdc0z0Vxg3vWrRdIhMowYPYyyPlVkrIb2iYm8c29rn9Tr7Lvlyt9-DGdkUQN1uEIbVdXm40R5MzWGqypRjvA4-zbmK6tYUhiU_sHwDy-fHWlI6vyJ4j5hB2zCj2hBu-bnGxI5Kf0r/s400/blogger-image--1814256828.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lovely things I received</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've signed up again for this month's craft swap- this time, with a "geek" theme! Since I most definitely enjoy geekery, this is right up my street. Hopefully, lots of people will get involved- making and receiving lovely things while having fun in the process. If you're interested, get in touch with <a href="mailto:daintyandivory@yahoo.co.uk">Hannah</a> to sign up!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-84698188957262362222014-05-09T14:54:00.001-07:002014-05-09T14:55:31.858-07:00Gorgeous peacocks from UK Etsy sellers<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Etsy is one of my favourite websites out there at the moment- it ticks all the boxes for me. Generally-speaking, it's more affordable than shopping on the high street, it supports independent creators and retailers, and provides an unrivalled selection of completely unique treasures! I really enjoyed writing my "cherry blossoms" post a couple of months ago, so decided to write another Etsy post, on peacocks. I have fallen in love with these majestic creatures over the last year- decorating my living room in peacock-inspired colours and obsessing over peacock patterned fabric, home décor and gifts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a selection of my favourite peacock-themed items currently on Etsy, from UK designers, makers and artists:</span><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="Golden Peacock - An original framed painting by Jo Conlon" height="277" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/010/0/5421388/il_570xN.441445698_8wiv.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/127370242/golden-peacock-an-original-framed?ref=favs_view_3">Golden Peacock, by Jo Conlon</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually hold this painting solely responsible for kicking off my entire peacock obsession... <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/127370242/golden-peacock-an-original-framed?ref=favs_view_3">Golden Peacock by Jo Conlon</a> simply belongs in my house! There is a space on my living room wall which is exactly the right size (it's a big painting!) so I have been visiting and re-visiting it on Etsy for well over a year now, but with maternity leave sapping my funds, have never been able to scrape together the money to buy it. At £260 plus p&p, it is not a whimsical purchase. It is, however, to this day the only painting I have ever fallen in love with, so one day Golden Peacock- you will be mine! </span><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="Peacock bird messenger bag and pouch git set in rare Amy Butler fabric" height="304" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5264490/il_570xN.79249237.jpg" style="cursor: move; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Messenger Bag, by Handmade With Joy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/27593053/peacock-bird-messenger-bag-and-pouch-git?ref=favs_view_9" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">messenger bag and purse set</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> caught my attention as soon as I saw it. Crafted in rare Amy Butler fabric, it's one of a kind and stunning. I particularly like the colour combinations in this set- they give it a quirky, vintage-type feel. The cute little Eiffel Tower charm also attracted me to it, as I love Paris... peacocks and Paris in one gorgeous bag... what more could I ask for? </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="Handmade journal - Peacock feathers" height="215" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/014/0/6911566/il_570xN.467809354_kszz.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Handmade peacock journal, by My Parlour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/153546898/handmade-journal-peacock-feathers?ref=favs_view_11">handmade peacock journal </a>by My Parlour would make a perfect, budget gift for a creative friend, writer or fellow blogger! Hardback with 80 blank pages, I think I would really enjoy scribbling down ideas for my future posts, and it's a great price at only £7.50. </span><br />
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<tr><td><img alt="Hand Painted Silk Scarf - Peacock Design" height="320" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/019/0/6381492/il_570xN.500915860_ew19.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="206" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/102041582/hand-painted-silk-scarf-peacock-design?ref=favs_view_24">Hand-painted silk scarf, by Mandarin Duck Craft</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This beautiful silk scarf is hand-painted to order by </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MandarinDuckCraft" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mandarin Duck Craft</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. At £38, it is affordable designer luxury, and I think it would make an amazing gift for somebody special. I love the colours the artist, Luo Tao, has chosen- and the fact the design is painted freehand. </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="Oriental Peacock Fan Chinese New Year Card" height="221" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/016/0/7596997/il_570xN.424782798_51pk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oriental peacock fan, by CreativMichelle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is something quirky and wonderful about this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/122878348/oriental-peacock-fan-chinese-new-year?ref=favs_view_4">oriental paper fan</a>. It incorporates cherry blossoms with peacocks, and would add a real element of interest to a room. Michelle uses 3-layer decoupage to build the images, and the fan comes with a presentation stand. At £6.49, I think this is incredible value for money! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now you can get £5 off your first purchase at Etsy using</span><a href="http://etsy.me/1svvprl" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> this link</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-28940983260561550582014-05-09T13:19:00.000-07:002014-05-09T13:40:38.687-07:00Liebster Award Nomination<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make Thrift love Life has been nominated for the Liebster Award! When<a href="http://thriftylilpixie.blogspot.co.uk/"> thriftylilpixie </a>got in touch to say she'd nominated me, I carried out a little research online. I discovered that it's an award passed between fellow bloggers- a way to acknowledge and promote people's favourite little-known blogs, within the blogging community. It's also a nice way to find out more about the people behind the blogs you read every day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The German word "Liebster" is roughly translated into words such as <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><i>sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome</i>.</span>T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he rules seem to evolve and adapt a bit, but the general gist remains the same: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>The Rules:</u></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They must also answer 11 questions about themselves. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now pick between 5-11 of your favourite blogs to nominate for the Liebster award. The blogs should have less than 1000 followers. (Note- some versions say under 200 followers!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create a set of 11 questions to ask your nominees. </span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>11 random facts about myself: </b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a marathon runner, completing 5 marathons to date. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My fastest marathon time was 3 hours 38 minutes, in Paris. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I work in education as my "day job".</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One day, I'd love to have a pet tortoise called Richard.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favourite colour is purple. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm only 5'1" tall so I wear heels a lot!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have tiny size 2 (euro 34/ 35) feet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a sister called Fiona. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My car is a trusty 10-year-old Toyota Yaris- it's never failed an MOT!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sell crafts under the brand name "Pink Robot". </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While on maternity leave, I ran a craft group for new mums called Baby Brain. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>Questions posed by Thriftylilpixie for me: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What's your favourite thing about blogging? </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learning new things from other bloggers, and being able to find the answer to any question imaginable, just from visiting a blog. I find the writing process therapeutic too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's your favourite</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> blog? </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one is too hard to give a definitive answer... I have various favourite blogs which I read for all different reasons. I do love the photography in <a href="http://www.abeautifulmess.com/">A Beautiful Mess</a>, however!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Where would be your dream travel destination?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd love to see more of Asia. I went to Thailand on honeymoon, and it was the most beautiful place with the most beautiful people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What's your favourite food? </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A toss-up between Japanese and Italian cuisine. A simple and fresh noodle stir-fry is amazing, but if I had to eat one food item only for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What's your guilty pleasure?</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Double Coronation Street on a Monday night!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What are the words you live by? </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Japanese proverb, "Nana Korobi Yaoki", meaning "Fall down 7 times, get up 8" is a good one, to remind me to keep chasing my dreams. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Where do you get your blogging inspiration? </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tend to write about what's most important in my life at one time- at the moment, lots of my posts are about my daughter and my home life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What makes you laugh?</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do enjoy out-of-order jokes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is your favourite beauty product?</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybelline "The Falsies" mascara... I have tried lots of other (and more expensive) mascaras, but I can't beat this one and keep coming back to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your go-to wardrobe staple? </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jeans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">What is your biggest dream? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make Pink Robot into a business- making and selling lots of beautiful things including baby skirts in unusual fabrics. I also dream of writing a book. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My nominees</b></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I'd like to nominate the following blogs for the Liebster Award: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://accidentallywonderful.blogspot.co.uk/"><b>Accidentally Wonderful</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.co.uk/"><b>Funky Polkadot Giraffe</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/"><b>Handy Man, Crafty Woman</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://daintyandivory.blogspot.com/"><b>Dainty and Ivory</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://sallybeemakes.blogspot.co.uk/">Sally Bee Makes</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.elistonbutton.com/"><b>Eliston Button</b></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thriftycraftygirl.blogspot.com/"><b>Thrifty Crafty Girl</b></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>11 questions for my nominees</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which one of your blog posts is your favourite, and why? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where is your favourite place in the world? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your favourite colour combination? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have any other hobbies, apart from writing? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's your favourite joke? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your ultimate ambition? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the best bargain you have ever found? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What makes you proudest? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your favourite animal? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have any hidden talents? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What made you start writing a blog? </span></li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-27986590718784514782014-04-25T09:04:00.000-07:002014-04-26T16:11:54.531-07:00Lara Jill Changing Bag Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="Vlinder Baby Bag" src="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0220/3320/products/image4_1024x1024.jpeg?v=1388570865" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="306" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.larajillbags.com/products/vlinder-baby-bag">Vlinder oilcloth baby bag</a>, £39.99</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my old-faithful, free Boots Parenting Club changing bag finally gave up and burst earlier this month, I was forced once and for all to find a replacement. I'd been talking about it for months- the bag was really too small, everyone I knew had the same one (resulting in numerous bag mix-ups) and there had been holes in the lining for ages. It had served me well (especially for free!) but with two babies in nappies on the horizon... on to bigger and better things!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Browsing in high street shops, I was horrified at the price of changing bags. Unless I wanted a very basic, small, plain-coloured model, I would have to shell out a small fortune. Quality and function at the right price are absolutely essential- this bag will be used to hold everything I need for two babies after all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I turned to independent designers, makers and retailers. <a href="http://www.larajillbags.com/collections/all">Lara Jill bags</a> stood out for me from the rest of the market, mainly because of the gorgeous fabrics and patterns. They are all made from oilcloth, which also attracted me to them- I take my changing bag outside a lot, and a waterproof element is certainly helpful in the Scottish rain! Lara sent me a stunning Vlinder changing bag from her range to put through its paces and <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclosure.html">review</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dZZ41WVGoUFiqXM2o9-VnGR1MVQzjOckpU5XwzszQnU87sk0-hByisn4llUI35wHJlJuU1u9HuqPcZ5JXtQuBNXzl2oCZFcQHoEwV537amFyFRkMpoCwIu1iFfoZ-wo_T4bq1e2xK410/s640/blogger-image-947550906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dZZ41WVGoUFiqXM2o9-VnGR1MVQzjOckpU5XwzszQnU87sk0-hByisn4llUI35wHJlJuU1u9HuqPcZ5JXtQuBNXzl2oCZFcQHoEwV537amFyFRkMpoCwIu1iFfoZ-wo_T4bq1e2xK410/s320/blogger-image-947550906.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love the colours and pattern of the fabric</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6IS_TPi2-YCFLnj9sKBCkf1T02vUEN-JN4iUoZ6As6UG6dD7SN7qzEoUvJxI1lfiNtyXaELIrN5Hd_fSlH6zPZ22hlO7YoL16wBcoWikNMopkEt6zTrlagS60YAjSkF7mSiyb-Xp2-ZY/s640/blogger-image-149194398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6IS_TPi2-YCFLnj9sKBCkf1T02vUEN-JN4iUoZ6As6UG6dD7SN7qzEoUvJxI1lfiNtyXaELIrN5Hd_fSlH6zPZ22hlO7YoL16wBcoWikNMopkEt6zTrlagS60YAjSkF7mSiyb-Xp2-ZY/s320/blogger-image-149194398.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loads of pockets and compartments!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bag was delivered quickly and well-packaged by courier. It was bigger than I expected, measuring 43 L x 14 W x 28 H (cm). The larger size is actually perfect for me, considering I will be using it for more than one baby. I also tend to spend a lot of time out and about and on the move, hence more supplies! There are also smaller bags from the<a href="http://www.larajillbags.com/search?q=vlinder"> same range</a> available too, in a very similar style. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It has the option of using a shoulder strap or handles. The handles make it feel like a fashionable adult bag, while the shoulder strap is practically useful. I found that the design of the handles made them soft to carry. The strap is adjustable, so it is easy to hang over the handles of a pram or buggy. Sometimes I go without a pram, instead choosing to wear Heather in a sling- so the fact that the shoulder strap can be made as long as I like is really useful for babywearing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are loads of pockets and sections in this bag, which is a huge bonus for me. There are zip pockets on both the front and back- easily accessible and perfect for my own essentials like my phone, keys and purse. There are also separate pockets on the inside, so no rummaging for dummies, snacks and smaller items! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main compartment is very spacious. Heather and I went out for the whole day, taking all the supplies necessary- and as you can see, there was plenty of room left to comfortably fit her dolly! The 2 elasticated bottle compartments on the sides are a great feature- they accommodate both my water bottle and her milk bottle. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GT26E1ZgRXRzGYvNG6oowAT5Ze0gALMKs4ZiQM52qzVcsxmbKvPk6JNQxFf1ICI0yAp7ggtgtoS8UdEmVK3CyhuZs9_atWo1LaBL5ARgZbhY6MHNN9ROlTidvNtFaI8O9RSDjSkgBVG9/s640/blogger-image--1791494994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GT26E1ZgRXRzGYvNG6oowAT5Ze0gALMKs4ZiQM52qzVcsxmbKvPk6JNQxFf1ICI0yAp7ggtgtoS8UdEmVK3CyhuZs9_atWo1LaBL5ARgZbhY6MHNN9ROlTidvNtFaI8O9RSDjSkgBVG9/s320/blogger-image--1791494994.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy to hang over the pram...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM3SYEf0vN7jfdy0kNIqFA9zOQ_XlhMmU_rL0w8FB-KSn5QewXilxULR76CKixI2jnHzM042_EPuW00DkCEC34BUXMyLVZs-IClSqZZLfBX1W9ttJvRPdtRpjLz-84jmBYaQKFXxNGRhE/s640/blogger-image--19147570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM3SYEf0vN7jfdy0kNIqFA9zOQ_XlhMmU_rL0w8FB-KSn5QewXilxULR76CKixI2jnHzM042_EPuW00DkCEC34BUXMyLVZs-IClSqZZLfBX1W9ttJvRPdtRpjLz-84jmBYaQKFXxNGRhE/s320/blogger-image--19147570.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... or a buggy!</span></td></tr>
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<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Vlinder Baby Bag comes with a matching changing mat. It is thin, so doesn't take up much room, yet slightly padded for comfort. The oilcloth fabric really lends itself to this purpose, as it's easy to wipe down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This bag is truly multi-functional. We used it as a flight/ travel bag on holiday, and there was more than ample room to carry everything we needed. The shoulder strap came in really handy when our hands were full from carrying suitcases and everything else that comes with travelling with baby!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK9By0xTWyUUADe4ByykZYyrkrvP-_yXyMDyQyl7q4nzmFtL3Fk2ZJOrAw28iEmfX-jeGi8sk3MmPx78z70SqUb_kO_5Y7TW2ac_OvS690nb06aDTEYkZPb6CLpy3ugS2Z-lnoExGxTJQ/s1600/SAM_1436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK9By0xTWyUUADe4ByykZYyrkrvP-_yXyMDyQyl7q4nzmFtL3Fk2ZJOrAw28iEmfX-jeGi8sk3MmPx78z70SqUb_kO_5Y7TW2ac_OvS690nb06aDTEYkZPb6CLpy3ugS2Z-lnoExGxTJQ/s1600/SAM_1436.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a bus in Tunisia</td></tr>
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I would highly recommend purchasing a changing bag from Lara Jill- I have thoroughly road-tested mine (both at home, travelling and during a holiday!) and it has ticked all the boxes for me. This bag is clearly made to last, so I look forward to using it for a long time to come. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-75629517085285256512014-04-25T05:57:00.000-07:002014-04-25T06:06:10.433-07:00Beautiful, budget nursery!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Heather's room" src="http://blog.kiddicare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Heathers-room-main-560x430.jpg" height="307" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heather's budget nursery</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am delighted that my first post for Kiddicare's new-look website: <a href="http://blog.kiddicare.com/">Bump, Baby & You</a> has now gone live! I wrote about my experience in creating a gorgeous nursery on a budget, as I know how costs can really add up at this time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I passionately believe that the most beautiful baby nurseries are designed with love, and filled with items that mean something. The great news is, they don't need to break the bank! Read my post here at Bump, Baby & You: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.kiddicare.com/2014/04/beautiful-budget-nursery/"><b>http://blog.kiddicare.com/2014/04/beautiful-budget-nursery/</b></a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-11937064351636805482014-04-16T09:18:00.000-07:002014-04-16T09:25:33.747-07:00New maternity range from Kiddicare!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kiddicare has been one of my favourite websites since my daughter was born- I always shop around for the best prices, and time after time have found that they are cheapest for all things baby and toddler. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was very excited when I heard that Kiddicare have now branched out to sell a new range of maternity clothes, by a company called Mamalicious. The range is available in stores at the moment, with plans to extend to online soon. (Find your nearest Kiddicare<a href="http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreLocatorContentView?storeId=10001"> here.</a>)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTCS0Jk4QhGrRnzwHeZPIBufh9jSZf1keIry7oIokM2fktT8bHBcDGO-PJpWK5VorzNXPnqOEtiB5DgaKzMIit0tnDiazXBsjJcIdq-DdILPWTYZzFzPE5K-YHE3Y2yLPvWJgXzPDSy07/s400/blogger-image--804109251.jpg" style="color: #0000ee; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mamalicious dress from Kiddicare</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their designs </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">closely follow high street and catwalk trends, while adapting and evolving the looks to suit expectant mothers: <i>"shape with style"</i>. They focus on keeping silhouettes true to the style of clothing, while providing the extra room where it is necessary. A very simple concept, yet this is what makes the range so good- the clothes accentuate your leaner features and balance out your growing bump. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kiddicare sent me some items from the new range to <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclosure.html">test out</a>, and I have felt amazing wearing them over the last couple of weeks! They have really added to my holiday wardrobe. Being very petite and only 5'1", I have always felt that a lot of maternity clothes swamped me all over and drowned me in fabric... not these ones! </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Denim skirt</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During my last pregnancy, I searched high and low for a suitable denim skirt- they all seemed to be either ridiculously long or ridiculously short. This one is perfect, and my favourite Mamalicious item from the range I tried. It sits just below the knee and slim-cut in the right places. It looks like a skirt that my non-pregnant self would normally wear, except that hidden under my top is a soft fabric panel for my bump, so it's really comfortable. I can see me wearing this constantly- I've already worn it to work, casually and out to dinner with friends! </span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcRTvRQc8nJKrsROZ5OYxuoDJLGpX16y8xy-S77jz-dUCi2IYcLsWpobGrUWq087QdamfuOH1BDq-9SN6YCWO5OldNdbGcOH18GEDqjxQ51S4CzxwZej2lOVjkEss44CSt9-gVeaa_pz8/s640/blogger-image-903734111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcRTvRQc8nJKrsROZ5OYxuoDJLGpX16y8xy-S77jz-dUCi2IYcLsWpobGrUWq087QdamfuOH1BDq-9SN6YCWO5OldNdbGcOH18GEDqjxQ51S4CzxwZej2lOVjkEss44CSt9-gVeaa_pz8/s400/blogger-image-903734111.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Subtle stretchy waistband</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZyZydK4UmjAB3bbsD1m1r4Kz89zhxoDhuIxjoULz5feXBsS1f0kEkQxzyWIQxIIrWSkmyfpO4tF8bExKnxxghBbQNcYiSPmpjfLUHTnldpSGnPlzo76HA2dYvF4_OdDCBSmd0mnMxXm/s640/blogger-image--1354607857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZyZydK4UmjAB3bbsD1m1r4Kz89zhxoDhuIxjoULz5feXBsS1f0kEkQxzyWIQxIIrWSkmyfpO4tF8bExKnxxghBbQNcYiSPmpjfLUHTnldpSGnPlzo76HA2dYvF4_OdDCBSmd0mnMxXm/s400/blogger-image--1354607857.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks deceptively like a regular skirt!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Denim tunic and leggings</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This denim tunic is extremely cute and comfortable to wear casually with leggings and flat boots, as you can see. I also found it long enough to wear with tights and heels to work, which actually made it look quite smart! The sleeves can be worn full length, however there is a button to roll them up, which I thought added to the sleeker overall silhouette of the tunic. It has a tie at the back, so I can pull it as tight as I like, making it adapt perfectly to my shape as the baby grows. The pin-tuck detailing round the bust is really dainty and flattering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black leggings are one of my tried-and-tested maternity wardrobe staples. The Mamalicious leggings fit absolutely perfectly, and the fabric feels stretchy enough to wear later in the pregnancy. They feel really silky and good quality, and labels are placed in the right positions so they don't dig in. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkea9nUyKMoHCgp-z-hXRgKXExlX0VmAnEPMh7t8nm5qPK0ecR_ucBPDaVySfwiUyXDScdJigo9iLaSH8bK4j0LTdQ0Z0jvOPiGs0pUZSjg-1i9sO1gyk3GP2dfwSfQ9Ch3w8NUUYqQ0ok/s640/blogger-image-2059145999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkea9nUyKMoHCgp-z-hXRgKXExlX0VmAnEPMh7t8nm5qPK0ecR_ucBPDaVySfwiUyXDScdJigo9iLaSH8bK4j0LTdQ0Z0jvOPiGs0pUZSjg-1i9sO1gyk3GP2dfwSfQ9Ch3w8NUUYqQ0ok/s400/blogger-image-2059145999.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Denim tunic with pin-tuck detail</span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dress</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been invited to a hen night next month, and at 7 months pregnant, I feared I would feel frumpy next to everyone else. This dress has changed that! The fabric is gathered under the bust, and long pleats at the front mean that there is enough room for my bump, without losing shape. The silky feel and geometric shapes are not typical of a usual maternity dress, and I have thoroughly enjoyed wearing it to dinner and on holiday so far.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0unn3WM0Skm_T68floIWZG_f9m-p688SoWCwSvK-GFr2100OFWYaFM4aV76h-RP86p2SXB36xynf8kxHhn2L2LqeKZGAnxK-SQfQCTSvh_z491vCX2r2GqeJ0WU-PvZQfP-5xw7pd1lWB/s640/blogger-image--1576519997.jpg" style="color: #0000ee; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Port el Kantoui in Tunisia</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rhdk2vG_tJCvcahplNHHoM3jVFeaJ6WltXdba_uAdD44VHZNYRv_Jee_fNwQWhUnsg_d6lfkwlLqpHQuB-3bLaW8nXOHVQdw1mGWG01tH0OlcxwB-_UICu9ZpHri0gcf9wOBl88BHBVa/s640/blogger-image-491516723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rhdk2vG_tJCvcahplNHHoM3jVFeaJ6WltXdba_uAdD44VHZNYRv_Jee_fNwQWhUnsg_d6lfkwlLqpHQuB-3bLaW8nXOHVQdw1mGWG01tH0OlcxwB-_UICu9ZpHri0gcf9wOBl88BHBVa/s400/blogger-image-491516723.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out for dinner at Chaopraya in my gorgeous silky dress</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tankini</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How cute is this nautical tankini? I just love the combination of navy and white stripes, with the red polka-dot trim. The straps are adjustable, so would be suitable for both the smaller and the larger bust. I found it brilliant for wearing on holiday- cooler in the sun than a full costume but with added coverage! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckkswYmgAfR0w7ypu5Q3J8oL77UZK9VHWEnIwEYNoXbCrWJgL1-ciiyk8Fc-DqZAukvhdphxVGYJmCbdRwhV2obiYzrMgb8cQgkT_UDbTEQhxmS567Lljh2yHJnL7bmrqYqCPraRZB-sd/s640/blogger-image--1250443349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckkswYmgAfR0w7ypu5Q3J8oL77UZK9VHWEnIwEYNoXbCrWJgL1-ciiyk8Fc-DqZAukvhdphxVGYJmCbdRwhV2obiYzrMgb8cQgkT_UDbTEQhxmS567Lljh2yHJnL7bmrqYqCPraRZB-sd/s320/blogger-image--1250443349.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ready for a swim!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was my first experience of the Mamalicious range, and I absolutely love it. I'll definitely be adding to my maternity wardrobe, as the clothes are gorgeous, flattering and really well priced too!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-88226977135629185282014-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:002014-04-26T16:11:27.126-07:00Preparing for a craft fair part 5: Business cards<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craft fairs are, above all, a fantastic way to network and promote your crafts. You will have opportunities to meet and chat with lots of different people, including customers, potential future customers and other stallholders. You need to be prepared for this, and having a stack of business cards at the ready is the most effective way to prepare. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMCxR7dHZ2lofKwCMYluijs2wgPucEu-3V7DFonFP8lxdVxbTIIWCvsXLleqMpDXojxbQTzsBeV3QGVdG2OwNq0ANq-FNR_e37Cg2y0i8Q949JFXzz-L5rCufOWwUNzqa8oIHmaN6S5zS/s640/blogger-image-1207550709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMCxR7dHZ2lofKwCMYluijs2wgPucEu-3V7DFonFP8lxdVxbTIIWCvsXLleqMpDXojxbQTzsBeV3QGVdG2OwNq0ANq-FNR_e37Cg2y0i8Q949JFXzz-L5rCufOWwUNzqa8oIHmaN6S5zS/s400/blogger-image-1207550709.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My business cards, from <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/">Zazzle</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Business cards are available from lots of online retailers, all clamouring with special offers of "free business cards", so it's difficult to know where really does offer best value for money, along with the best quality. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 big contenders in this field are <b>Vistaprint, Moo </b>and<b> Zazzle</b>, and this post will explore my experience with each.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vistaprint</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- I have used Vistaprint before, when I was running Baby Brain, my craft group for new mums. At the time, they were offering 250 premium business cards for £5, and the offer seemed too good to pass up. The premium cards were lovely, clearly excellent quality, printed on thick card, and my own logo looked great on them. They did end up costing a lot more than £5, however, as the shipping was quite pricey. There were also hidden charges on top, such as extra to use your own logo, and extra to opt out of having the Vistaprint logo on the back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Moo</b>- This is a relatively new company, and it is unique in that they offer a sample pack of 10 personalised business cards for absolutely free (no postage either!) Another free option from Moo is a showcase sample pack (not personalised) which includes one of each product. I received these samples, which arrived well-packaged and quickly. The cards themselves (classic) were thick and did feel professional. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdklbDnpu3aBPCUaoeOq9b0-Sawt4a_fisCY0IwY9OdxWBGaXvC7hRCv5CKp6NnDU8H62h7ui1N-xwplqDVLJUilx30f5mHrwuKOwNOapdoP8ijXCxFn6TnPxIluY7k1T07Qy1LH8Cyv1/s640/blogger-image-279434074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdklbDnpu3aBPCUaoeOq9b0-Sawt4a_fisCY0IwY9OdxWBGaXvC7hRCv5CKp6NnDU8H62h7ui1N-xwplqDVLJUilx30f5mHrwuKOwNOapdoP8ijXCxFn6TnPxIluY7k1T07Qy1LH8Cyv1/s320/blogger-image-279434074.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 free sample cards from Moo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0egZDVSgnJbyXkHA70kJn881mZ22cYJMxtHfOWRNFwMDKPf3DoaBk7IgJZcj78uR066puoczT92fjlW9XJfdvIfYIe-xhyadm_fEQHUpAHmnZ4jt_ozk0TNVJyPpfA2dF_JyXxC4xAdT/s640/blogger-image--2093806527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0egZDVSgnJbyXkHA70kJn881mZ22cYJMxtHfOWRNFwMDKPf3DoaBk7IgJZcj78uR066puoczT92fjlW9XJfdvIfYIe-xhyadm_fEQHUpAHmnZ4jt_ozk0TNVJyPpfA2dF_JyXxC4xAdT/s200/blogger-image--2093806527.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The back of the Moo sample cards</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/">Zazzle</a></b>- My favourites overall. I found that <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/">Zazzle</a> had by far the best range of designs available, and even had a ready-made design featuring a pink robot! I also favoured this company because they display costs upfront on their website, instead of adding "extras" on at the end. This honest approach means you can make up your mind while feeling fully informed, instead of a little cheated as you check out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lovely people at <a href="http://www.zazzle.co.uk/">Zazzle</a> sent me a voucher to order and <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclosure.html">review</a> some business cards, along with an adorable reusable coffee flask- which will be perfect for standing at a craft stall on a chilly day! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found that the whole design process was easy to follow, and the website was straightforward to navigate. I opted for the design featuring the pink robot (of course!) which comes printed both sides in colour as standard. Despite it being a ready-made design, it really feels true to my brand. I was able to add as much or as little text as I wanted, and here are my final designs: </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2i2_xtSF0TKq6bz1zJRzdjZEVpoZklgzzxAPOdKEmAFzmgF-7v2uwZbuJK8uadNxpnPalovXxvTx6Sp6EiY54p9VyQUiO3c_GFZIYyt3dbXiNeuxRHIozU_9m-shP1U1bh4CQCnoxhiK6/s640/blogger-image--196247506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2i2_xtSF0TKq6bz1zJRzdjZEVpoZklgzzxAPOdKEmAFzmgF-7v2uwZbuJK8uadNxpnPalovXxvTx6Sp6EiY54p9VyQUiO3c_GFZIYyt3dbXiNeuxRHIozU_9m-shP1U1bh4CQCnoxhiK6/s400/blogger-image--196247506.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The front of my business cards</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvAtfzgCZyM3dKLJZca35bOSv-SYJllW2M5IXvxl3tyMJlrhxQH8-JZ_NqNUkkvu1SINpuZTPm30AaYgbE_Y6Ma65Ou2yHmdewkEQH8GVPFZNHXOVfaS3dOgR4rq7y7ToDdfCzz3eaX3a/s640/blogger-image--1141435584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvAtfzgCZyM3dKLJZca35bOSv-SYJllW2M5IXvxl3tyMJlrhxQH8-JZ_NqNUkkvu1SINpuZTPm30AaYgbE_Y6Ma65Ou2yHmdewkEQH8GVPFZNHXOVfaS3dOgR4rq7y7ToDdfCzz3eaX3a/s320/blogger-image--1141435584.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Full colour on the back too!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHBMUFlsQMn8_QbqdGKVzECJffxzMC3jlUamD235wOodqDHSRAMAEuPQ-o53enaDQb_v2YtdCaCrUOMNmbv-QgkQsCTDylGBKw9Di7IWRFS31eqcZVY6kY2gE5FKXzP-rgAYJDznhwlay/s640/blogger-image--528606607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHBMUFlsQMn8_QbqdGKVzECJffxzMC3jlUamD235wOodqDHSRAMAEuPQ-o53enaDQb_v2YtdCaCrUOMNmbv-QgkQsCTDylGBKw9Di7IWRFS31eqcZVY6kY2gE5FKXzP-rgAYJDznhwlay/s320/blogger-image--528606607.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pink Robot travel mug</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standard delivery on the business cards was very reasonable at £2.84, and it took just over a week for them to arrive. They come packaged in a handy little plastic box to keep them safe. There are loads of matching products on the website for most designs, including stickers, leaflets, T-shirts and mugs, so in future I would find it easy to add to my Pink Robot merchandise. I am really pleased with my business cards and matching travel mug!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-65884526875823655072014-04-12T09:00:00.000-07:002014-04-13T13:53:18.888-07:00Holiday Bargains... Sun, Here We Come!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are off on holiday today for a week in the sun, away from the constant grey drizzle that has been around since last summer! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to share some holiday bargains I've found, and some ways I've kept the costing of packing down. I wrote a post a while ago about how to book a holiday on a budget (</span><a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/going-on-holiday-abroad-thrifty-way.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going On Holiday Abroad... the Thrifty Way!</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) so consider this part 2. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Buggy</b>: One item I knew I would have to buy was a lightweight, folding buggy. Our pram is just too heavy and bulky for a flight, and Heather is getting to the age and stage where a buggy is more suitable for her anyway. After shopping around, I chose this <a href="http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_259519_10001">buggy</a> from Kiddicare's spring sale- reduced from £59.99 to a very affordable £27.99 (including free delivery!) Borrowing a buggy is of course an even thriftier option- however, since we will continue to use it after the holiday it made sense to buy one of our own. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_259519_10001">Kiddicare buggy, less than half price at £27.99!</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Baby clothes</b>: Toddlers need a lot of clothes on holiday, even just for a week. Suncream, eating in restaurants, swimming, sand and ice cream mean frequent changes of clothes. Kitting them out needn't break the bank though! Think about buying second-hand- lots of used holiday clothes are in perfect condition, as they have generally only been worn for a week-long holiday! We bought lots of things for Heather is as-new condition, for next to nothing on eBay and in local thrift shops. I've packed lots of <a href="http://makethriftlovelife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/baby-skirts-from-fat-quarter.html">handmade baby skirts</a>, so saved money that way too. We cheerfully accepted hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law, and here are a few highlights from Heather's new(ish!) summer wardrobe: </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTf1y8AagbW1h3kIhLvemuyxBd5KK8ZG_jjXYBZtj00MvGN4olPbYGoNGTMk5MyOG_p2Bj-Euy6EO1JS_QJEHhkpTVV8kE9BWA5zL5fGsAHUW9cMvGWT642wXhqfNvGqz8Sh9unlZVjhge/s640/blogger-image-92063865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTf1y8AagbW1h3kIhLvemuyxBd5KK8ZG_jjXYBZtj00MvGN4olPbYGoNGTMk5MyOG_p2Bj-Euy6EO1JS_QJEHhkpTVV8kE9BWA5zL5fGsAHUW9cMvGWT642wXhqfNvGqz8Sh9unlZVjhge/s320/blogger-image-92063865.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Gold Baby Gap sparkly cardi, £2 from Merry Go Round</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrB0WFCvE2IaqAeHyjFONiTDrgykGwB8fgUVX8cM-l9qUTWBxN0_OniFWiVeEQldGTOI1mArbyLBxE0axa13k2NPzGNV2wp633qaNF-Pd98-cqun9jO9EDOYRVg7PKx5BNMeB36ikG_3g/s640/blogger-image-968146450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrB0WFCvE2IaqAeHyjFONiTDrgykGwB8fgUVX8cM-l9qUTWBxN0_OniFWiVeEQldGTOI1mArbyLBxE0axa13k2NPzGNV2wp633qaNF-Pd98-cqun9jO9EDOYRVg7PKx5BNMeB36ikG_3g/s320/blogger-image-968146450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful summer set, second-hand from my sister-in-law</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs02fs3rC_oJV-xERUwEiX3fhT7TPw3SAFttnrzhbLfjYlk5tVHGzbbJadsYG_Fsuxtbdlp5YN7g5yjGJPqpQndOzJZ7POItKe-v_jo7xaN5Jj4P2XEXhKvwCJbi7A4pLl45UZXBNG7J58/s640/blogger-image--1280979578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs02fs3rC_oJV-xERUwEiX3fhT7TPw3SAFttnrzhbLfjYlk5tVHGzbbJadsYG_Fsuxtbdlp5YN7g5yjGJPqpQndOzJZ7POItKe-v_jo7xaN5Jj4P2XEXhKvwCJbi7A4pLl45UZXBNG7J58/s320/blogger-image--1280979578.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Handmade skirts, around £2.50 each to make</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafdIsIW9B5gpb_tJlTvcrAhxYQ1tdwDjU46vA9xGNBffDgeLlTp8ZczplZ_mXJu35rdWqCZKbd8sAmtth7WAO0hXKX9HvVZybM6uWsQXqMVKvXM56WKIT9z43RTJ11AU7wkdZWA9GiweB/s640/blogger-image--1380592674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafdIsIW9B5gpb_tJlTvcrAhxYQ1tdwDjU46vA9xGNBffDgeLlTp8ZczplZ_mXJu35rdWqCZKbd8sAmtth7WAO0hXKX9HvVZybM6uWsQXqMVKvXM56WKIT9z43RTJ11AU7wkdZWA9GiweB/s320/blogger-image--1380592674.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T-shirt selection, most around 99p from eBay!</span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toys</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Small children have absolutely no concept of how much things cost, or where they came from- if something is fun, it's fun. I opted for lots of small items instead of fewer, larger things, and sourced them as cheaply as I could. This inflatable ball was one of my favourite finds, and at only £1.49 from eBay, including delivery, it's a total bargain. I'll blow it up when we get there, so at present, it takes up next to no room in my suitcase. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/INFLATABLE-BLOW-UP-NOVELTY-FOOTBALL-BEACH-BALL-12-INCH-PASTEL-SHADES-/00/s/MTAwMFgxMDAw/z/uxYAAOxydlFSxB8y/$_12.JPG" height="200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/INFLATABLE-BLOW-UP-NOVELTY-FOOTBALL-BEACH-BALL-12-INCH-PASTEL-SHADES-/181355686087?pt=UK_Toys_Games_Outdoor_Toys_Inflatables_LE&hash=item2a39a428c7">£1.49, from eBay!</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While shopping for swimming nappies in Asda, I found these cute mini In The Night Garden cuddly toys, reduced to £4.77 each. Just the right size to pop in our flight bag, I'm excited to see Heather's reaction when she sees them- and I'm hoping they'll make up for the fact I've woken her up at 3:30am to catch a flight! </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMRK4vL4evFMJyIZoG7w0Ng0el59eFVV408jQG302Y1dJEaCCC0o-1vqe8qr4LHg4L5ofcD7x2hCEMKmVl-YTe0ahbGNOIElDXp67TkrfIq44kHWbFUvVrWgR8_gmPTMrtXuvStHkPeuI/s640/blogger-image-1081359744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMRK4vL4evFMJyIZoG7w0Ng0el59eFVV408jQG302Y1dJEaCCC0o-1vqe8qr4LHg4L5ofcD7x2hCEMKmVl-YTe0ahbGNOIElDXp67TkrfIq44kHWbFUvVrWgR8_gmPTMrtXuvStHkPeuI/s320/blogger-image-1081359744.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upsy Daisy and friends, reduced in Asda!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sun Cream</b>: I haven't been on holiday for a few years now, what with buying a house and having a baby- but was sun cream always so expensive?! Even taking into account the "buy one, get one free" offers in nearly every store, it was coming in at around £6 for a 200ml bottle. This adds up, considering that we need both factor 50 for Heather and factor 30 for us, and enough to last a week! Aldi came to the rescue with its Lacura brand, at £2.79 a bottle. It actually smells really nice and rubs in just as well as its expensive counterparts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Trunki</b>: Buying a Trunki in itself is not very "thrifty", as it's not an absolute holiday essential. However, we were given a gift of money from a relative to buy Heather "something for her holidays" and I wanted to choose something that would last her past this one week. This fun ladybird Trunki has been a brilliant choice already- she loves climbing on it and pulling it along, and once she discovers that it's full of toys and books, she'll love it even more. Since she will be able to use it for several years to come, it's worth the money. I shopped around for the best prices online, and bought this one for £34.99 in Kiddicare's spring sale- including delivery. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWE6gQx2YmUn8mc89dydzLqUmu12KX4MUjWvgKOSt0YAwhurk7XHH3hSULJ1jzNBcuu623PvhGyrWxhA1_LnJ3nFzTS1a65Zo3fFgWJHxTUOV3uwUQ2psQaE5u8LE7JLI4V0uQkOxplG/s640/blogger-image-1193284991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWE6gQx2YmUn8mc89dydzLqUmu12KX4MUjWvgKOSt0YAwhurk7XHH3hSULJ1jzNBcuu623PvhGyrWxhA1_LnJ3nFzTS1a65Zo3fFgWJHxTUOV3uwUQ2psQaE5u8LE7JLI4V0uQkOxplG/s320/blogger-image-1193284991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harley the Trunki, £34.99 from Kiddicare</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I'd love to hear your thrifty tips for going on holiday... go ahead and add them in the comments! </b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-81716291695870320522014-04-09T13:42:00.000-07:002014-04-11T04:55:18.001-07:00Handmade Easter Headband<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were invited to Heather's first baby Easter egg hunt yesterday, and I jumped on the excuse to make something festive for her to wear! Her granny bought her a lovely yellow dress and cardigan last time she visited, from the gorgeous new Nutmeg budget range at Morrisons. She looks great for spring, and the tone of yellow really suits her. The outfit needed a flamboyant final flourish, so I gathered my felt and fabric scraps... </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRNsOygyz_N600-p3RXjvqutdEoKVHEnaWKSJ_m4H_zZ0F8mJq-ss3LWgaaCbYzAQBWgIZDjg8SX9DqiU7J11gnUvujtgH_hrxToDOfZwC-IeVAnaTw6t57IiIg2I1rDzVMXMVXa9P0ug/s640/blogger-image-1426375558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRNsOygyz_N600-p3RXjvqutdEoKVHEnaWKSJ_m4H_zZ0F8mJq-ss3LWgaaCbYzAQBWgIZDjg8SX9DqiU7J11gnUvujtgH_hrxToDOfZwC-IeVAnaTw6t57IiIg2I1rDzVMXMVXa9P0ug/s400/blogger-image-1426375558.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Easter extravaganza!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started out with a simple felt flower headband, but as you can see, I got a little carried away in the festive theme! I ended up with a cross between an Easter bonnet and a headband, complete with traditional chick, Easter egg and bunny. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFmKRZrtsyRbiSrN_xkH8W6Q28rFJ9EjsF_iHjfBB9YD3ZaiiVm5Br9FjmfKSitILnrl2hHKN6pvDfUlUDxBq0WRqk6fQW3gwI4acxBM34RbuWuyjiWdEGi6OsXtkoivBTk_n1c4_XfyE/s640/blogger-image-1526867294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFmKRZrtsyRbiSrN_xkH8W6Q28rFJ9EjsF_iHjfBB9YD3ZaiiVm5Br9FjmfKSitILnrl2hHKN6pvDfUlUDxBq0WRqk6fQW3gwI4acxBM34RbuWuyjiWdEGi6OsXtkoivBTk_n1c4_XfyE/s320/blogger-image-1526867294.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheeky Easter chick </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favourite part of the extreme Easter creation is this bunny. I'm going to make more of these as brooches, and add them to Pink Robot's woodland felt brooch collection. I love his little twitchy nose and fun tail. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmDOT1ihccfLdzco-anh7SuuNwedxY4ldhaZ64dn0C_vR_Qzd8RJdIOL6FApCIWhcfffTZzKb2kyUnRNuRk2yxVL1MkRmPcEyOfvqgVxlCONXWMyoTrbUAtJ6miwdoxdLBKOLRN2F9Maj/s640/blogger-image-2087835540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmDOT1ihccfLdzco-anh7SuuNwedxY4ldhaZ64dn0C_vR_Qzd8RJdIOL6FApCIWhcfffTZzKb2kyUnRNuRk2yxVL1MkRmPcEyOfvqgVxlCONXWMyoTrbUAtJ6miwdoxdLBKOLRN2F9Maj/s320/blogger-image-2087835540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easter bunny with a pompom tail</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a few tiny scraps of floral fabric lying around, which I would normally throw away, but I thought that mini flowers would add to the bright, cheerful theme. I like the differences in texture the fabric provides, next to the felt. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4s4t4WTSglR8WgdX4ClXinqSAb9UMHEfz8kbDk2lQ907Rks74W-EbyOzoHRBTjhg4lG9Ack22Bzq_64GEAkl5twzbY6rHHm53jWfi9QbMbJ3KMhGcLVN0r7W907jbhwtiD_zF_LMww9o/s640/blogger-image--1809132306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4s4t4WTSglR8WgdX4ClXinqSAb9UMHEfz8kbDk2lQ907Rks74W-EbyOzoHRBTjhg4lG9Ack22Bzq_64GEAkl5twzbY6rHHm53jWfi9QbMbJ3KMhGcLVN0r7W907jbhwtiD_zF_LMww9o/s320/blogger-image--1809132306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scrap flowers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd love to hear about your ideas for baby Easter bonnets... including how to keep them on the baby's head! Could I get her to keep it on long enough to take a photo? Erm... Nope! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Shared at these fabulous link parties... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.sewcando.com/2014/04/craftastic-monday-link-party-last-day.html">Craftastic Monday</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=4312">Handmade Tuesdays</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/2014/04/wicked-awesome-wednesday-155.html">Wicked Awesome Wednesday </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://thecraftyblogstalker.com/create-link-inspre-linky-party/">Create Link Inspire</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.co.uk/">What's It Wednesday </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://addicted2diy.com/2014/04/10/thursday-s-t-y-l-e-link-party-15/">Thursday S.T.Y.L.E</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/04/10/thrifty-thursday-week-55/">Thrifty Thursday</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/fabric-frenzy-friday-11.html">Fabric Frenzy Friday</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://domesticsuperhero.com/2014/04/11/pinworthy-projects-link-party-13/">Pinworthy Projects</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://craftdictator.com/2014/04/10/craft-frenzy-friday-34/">Craft Frenzy Friday</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://practicallyfunctional.com/creativity-unleashed-link-party-15/">Creativity Unleashed</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.thepinjunkie.com/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=The+Pin+Junkie+Link+Party+%2362+is+LIVE%21&utm_campaign=20140409_m119910286_The+Pin+Junkie+Link+Party+%2362+is+LIVE%21&utm_term=The_2520Pin_2520Junkie_jpg">The Pin Junkie</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513828495035652473.post-29322615576804736602014-04-09T12:34:00.000-07:002014-04-11T16:04:36.757-07:00Wrapping gifts beautifully- #pindoit for Olive Dragonfly<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was delighted to write a guest post for Bex at <a href="http://olivedragonfly.blogspot.co.uk/">The Olive Dragonfly</a> while she's away enjoying a fabulous holiday in Thailand... lucky thing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the idea of #pindoit, as I have so many wonderful projects marked on Pinterest, and never get round to doing them. As luck would have it, this is a busy gift-giving time for me, so I chose to try a series of pins, on creative gift-wrapping ideas. </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAw6ZXEwec6idhET3zqmj6WE4pURNfcDWsWV8TA8vSQvd15AvP-AqgxKXPFOgK-HFuVcvJjx7mP8y8ehyphenhyphenMK9NfCnv7c0291qC5JkIpN1VPWHUS8Qvq4MBRO89gMxQ_Bw8qJU3q63yDEFB/s640/blogger-image--1034092569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAw6ZXEwec6idhET3zqmj6WE4pURNfcDWsWV8TA8vSQvd15AvP-AqgxKXPFOgK-HFuVcvJjx7mP8y8ehyphenhyphenMK9NfCnv7c0291qC5JkIpN1VPWHUS8Qvq4MBRO89gMxQ_Bw8qJU3q63yDEFB/s400/blogger-image--1034092569.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My beautifully-wrapped offerings!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapping a gift thoughtfully can instantly add luxury, giving the "wow" factor to the smallest of presents. You needn't spend much money either- these wrapping methods actually cost less than buying gift bags and fancy wrapping paper. For my #pindoit projects, I used brown parcel paper, costing only 50p for 3 metres, bits and bobs from my craft stash, and recycled materials.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pop over to <a href="http://olivedragonfly.blogspot.co.uk/">The Olive Dragonfly</a> to see more pictures, find the original Pinterest links, and read about how I created each of these wrapping styles. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16200933063534528730noreply@blogger.com3