DIY: Mason Jar Storage

 I decided to get a little bit crafty for my Mum's birthday this year, but being the last minute gal that I am, I needed something quick and easy. I decided to label up a load of mason jars to use as kitchen storage; it only took me 15 minutes and they're super cute! I feel kind of silly writing this as a DIY post, as it really is so simple that even a five year old could probably have a go, so try and see this post more as inspirational than instructional...  

How To: Galaxy Nails

The galaxy trend rocked up on Tumblr back in 2012 in the form of Black Milk leggings, and has lingered ever since. You'd be lying if you said you didn't own at least one galaxy piece, whether it be a dress or a scarf, or perhaps some quirky trainers; we're all guilty! I always favoured galaxy nails, as they're slightly more subtle than some of the things on the market and a really funky alternative to a manicure. 

I always assumed that it would be a difficult technique to conquer, but after watching a few tutorials on the look, I realised that all you need is a little patience and an artistic eye! I've done these nails a few times now and always been complimented on them, my favourite part being that no two designs will look the same so you end up with your own little galaxy on each finger! I hope that this tutorial will inspire you to delve in to the world of galaxy nails too...

DIY Christmas Decorations: PomPom Robins

This DIY is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me; my two previous tutorials and the final one I have coming up next week are all relatively quaint and substantially fulfil my vision of Kathryn's Homemade Christmas. However this one is goofy, childish and absolutely adorable.  

In primary school, we were kept busy in the weeks running up to Christmas with an extensive amount of festive crafts. Most of these projects eventually ended up in the bin, however my mum always pulls out the pompom robins I made when it's time to decorate the tree. There is something really charming about them, and so this year I decided to make some more.

You will need: Two round objects to draw around, one larger than the other (or a pair of compass'!) // Brown wool // Red wool // Black, white and brown felt // PVA glue // Cardboard (I used a cereal box) // Scissors // Pen.

DIY Christmas Decorations: Decopatch Stars

As I write this post, I am becoming everything that I hate; My pet peeve is when I see a really great DIY tutorial that I want to get stuck in to straight away, only to realise that everything you need for it won't be found lying around the house. Who has time to go all the way to the store when there is serious crafting to be done?! So, I apologise for the fact that you probably won't be able to find all the things needed for this tutorial in your kitchen cupboard. However, if you are thinking of making some Christmas decorations this year I highly recommend taking a big trip to your local craft shop (or logging on to eBay) and filling up a basket full of stuff so that when you feel that creative urge to make something Christmassy, you'll already have everything you need!

This is my second post in my "DIY Christmas Decorations" series, and it was the one I was most nervous about. I've never tried Decopatch before and quite honestly I'm still not really sure what it is. I didn't look at any tutorials so I just found myself PVA'ing decopatch paper on to paper mache stars (Spoiler alert: I've just summed up the whole tutorial for you in one sentence).

I only made 5 of these stars, but there are lots of these paper mache shapes available; hearts, Christmas trees, candy canes, baubles etc. You could buy lots of different shapes and decorate them all with different patterned paper to create some continuity on your tree!

DIY Christmas Decorations: Fabric Hearts

This Christmas I am on a mission; I must hand-make every decoration we hang in our house. Why? You may ask; because I am sick of trying to create a chic yet cosy home out of my mum's mismatched, tacky decorations. This year I am taking matters in to my own hands, and I will succeed. 

For the past week I've been running round like a headless chicken trying to purchase everything necessary to hand-make an entire Christmas. As I sat down to start my first set of decorations, I realised this was the perfect opportunity to start a little series on my blog. Therefore, every week leading up to Christmas I will post one tutorial... This may be more for my own entertainment than for yours! 

I decided to start with these fabric hearts, as you can make them entirely out of things from around the house if you wish. These are really great because if you choose not to use Christmas fabrics then they can be hung up in your bedroom all year round! 

Enjoy!

DIY: Upcycling Old Skirts

Upcycling old clothes is one of my favourite things to do. Whether it be bleaching denim, attaching studs or simply adjusting something I bought in the charity shop so it fits; there is something extremely satisfying about taking a mundane item of clothing and making it fabulous.

A few weeks ago I had a real craving to go digging around in my local charity shops. However, as I mentioned in this post, it is nigh on impossible to find anything wearable in the charity shops of Bristol. This mid-length skirt caught my eye because the pattern is pretty groovy, and the shape of it means it can easily be adapted in to a little skater skirt (and we all know how much I love those!)

As I began to work on reinventing it, I decided that I would photograph the process so I could do a tutorial on it - if you'd like to see more tutorials on upcycling clothes then comment down below!

The original skirt had an elasticated waist and is a circle shape so it falls nicely. This is the kind of style you want to look out for if you want to make a skater skirt. 

DIY: Floral Crown

It personally offends me when people post DIY tutorials that don't involve things you can find lying around the house. So, I feel extremely hypocritical writing this because unless you live in Hobbycraft you probably wont have anything needed for this project to hand. 

The weather has been bordering on glorious for the last week and so I felt inspired to get crafty and make some summer accessories. A floral crown has been on my wishlist for a while now but I couldn't justify spending £20 on one from the high street and so I thought it would be fun to make my own. I did end up spending about £15 altogether but it meant that I could tailor the crown to my own tastes, and I'm sure any bargain-hunters amongst you could find all of this for half the price! So, following the likes of Lana Del Rey and Alexa Chung I dived right on in.

You will need: A selection of artificial flowers | A hair band | Craft tape