All the leaves are brown...

That familiar chill is back in the air, sensible shoes are walking the streets and cosy jumpers are back on the scene which can only mean one thing - Autumn is here. I love Autumn. In recent years it has definitely taken over as my favourite season. I get to go fruit picking and make delicious jams for tarts, I don't have to worry about my bits being out because they're all wrapped up in comfy tights and woolies again but more importantly the trees turn the most beautiful colours and it's hard not to be inspired by that! So this weeks Tiddlybits is all about things to make and do with those fabulous autumnal leaves that will soon be swimming around your feet.



These gorgeous napkin holders are from the Honest to Nod blog, the collaborative blog presented by The Land of Nod. They are super easy to make but the result is very expensive looking and will make having a ready meal for one a very elegant experience!


Who would I be if I didn't mention a way to use leaves in your gift wrapping? This is a great and super pretty idea from the equally great and super pretty Willowday blog.


A brilliant way to make your house feel all cosy on rainy autumn evenings is to make this lantern using fallen leaves. The tutorial from the Gingerbread Snowflakes blog is really well explained and easy to follow so we should all be able to make one of these.


These clay leaf bowls from Urban Comfort are stunning and would make a beautiful addition to your home. They would be great for holding earrings or soaps or any other delicate items that get lost if you just shove them in any old drawer!

One of the easiest things to do with leaves that fall at this time of year is to paint the textured side of the leaf any colour and then press it down on paper or fabric and then slowly peel away leaving the imprint of the leave behind on the surface. It's really easy but can be used in so many different ways. Just check out these few below of you don't believe me!

Leaf Stamped Gift Wrap


Leaf Printed Plates

Leaf Printed Cushion

Leaf Print Tote Bag

I hope these links have given you a few ideas for what you can do with your Autumn leaves but if you feel you need some more inspiration please check out my Leave Craft Inspiration Board on Pinterest

Happy Crafting!

Remove the rings not the Caffeine!


One of the best things about working from home is that I can have a proper cup of tea whenever I want. Unfortunately hot drinks do leave rings and by the end of the day I can be left with an overwhelming sense of shame as I count how many rings I've drank that day! So instead of giving up drinking so much tea (which is madness!) I have decided to make myself some coasters.



I came across these gorgeous coasters on Pinterest and fell in love. They're very easy to make and you don't need many materials which is great for a girl with, currently, a very rudimentary craft box. 

You can find the full tutorial including a free PDF of the pattern on the  How About Orange blog which is currently resigned. Sad face. But all of Jessica's tutorials and downloads are still there for you to use. Happy face. 


The only change I made to the steps Jessica provided was that I stuck the pattern piece to a cereal box just because it made it easier to cut around as felt seems to stretch and move as you cut around a paper template even if you've pinned it down.


Also, because I only had black felt which doesn't show the design as well as the blue felt used in the tutorial, I stuck my coaster to a small piece of leftover white felt which I think gave it a nice finish. 

I really enjoyed making it, even though it was a bit fiddly at times, and I will make more but probably in different colours next time. 

Button Bonanza

So you may have sensed a theme this week since I launched my new logo and what better way to finish it off than with a button themed Tiddlybits?


One of my biggest crimes is that I tend to dog ear pages when I'm reading a book. Not so much a problem when I'm reading my own books but definitely a problem when they belong to friends! I find big paper bookmarks quite cumbersome so these Button Bookmarks from iheartnaptime.net are perfect for me and super easy to make! 


Continuing the book theme these Matchbox Button Holders are genius plus holding them will make you feel like a giant! You can find the mini tutorial here including the link to the free printable book cover templates.

Another simple craft idea from Big Box Detox and their Tutorial Tuesday's is to turn your old buttons into fridge magnets for keeping your bills and other bits super organised and looking pretty even if you can't pay them! 



I also love this idea from Martha Stewart for making your napkins look super cute and chic. So simple but so elegant!


I am definitely going to make this Giant Glitter Button myself. I can't think of a better craft project for the Tiddlybobs office but it would be the perfect addition to any sewing/crafting house and a great one to get the kids involved in though maybe not the drilling! 

If all this isn't enough to inspire you to undertake a button themed project then please check out my Pinterest board for more button inspiration.



Sewing Dreams Come True

Today is the best day! I have been given the most beautiful sewing machine. Look at it - it's so pretty. My boyfriends great aunt no longer wanted it and so she's very kindly gifted it to me. It's in fabulous condition and hasn't been used since it's last service so she's got a lot of life in her yet.

The only problem now is figuring out how to get it home.... oh yeah and the small matter of learning to sew!


Button Biscuits

As it was biscuit week on Great British Bake Off and in honour of my new blog logo I decided to try my hand at baking some button shaped biscuits. The recipe I used was from this blog post by 2011 GBBO finalist, Holly. 

It's a great recipe but unfortunately I didn't have the equipment so I improvised with the cookie cutters and glasses I could find in my house including using a chopstick to create the holes! This meant that my biscuits were a lot bigger than the ones Holly made and this affected the cooking time so I wasn't sure when to take them out! In saying that I think I guesstimated pretty much on the button (PUN!!!) and they came out looking great if a little uneven in thickness! But who cares once they taste great right? 




New Logo!


Look at my new logo!! It's awesome right?

All credit goes to Josh O'Brien who is a fantastic illustrator and also, luckily for me, my fantastic boyfriend! I've included my recent favourite pictures of his below but I would highly recommend you check out his blog and work at http://www.joshjobrien.com.




Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String....

Hello my name is Amy and I am addicted to gift wrapping. It's true. I'm completely obsessed. See Exhibit A below. I think it makes a present much more special if you put some time and effort into the wrapping of the gift (super extra bonus points if you hand make the gift!) so this weeks Tiddlybits is all about inspiring you to be a bit more creative in your wrapping escapades!

EXHIBIT A
(I was giving my Mam the Great British Sewing Bee book so decided to use that as a theme for the wrapping!)

This list from Buzzfeed is just a wonderful collection of quirky and different ideas. I will definitely be trying the cereal box idea and will post pics to Tiddlybobs when I do. I also really love the use of chalk paint! So clever!


Everyone has random buttons in random drawers all over the house right? Right?! *cradles buttons* Well you should because buttons are awesome and one of the many things they can be used for is gift wrapping! Check out this awesome tutorial from the Craft and Creativity blog.


I'm pretty sure the only people that love gift wrap more than me are children so why not go all out for their wrapping? I love this monster idea from the Housing a Forest site. My nieces are definitely going to get monster wrapped gifts this year!!


This is just the sweetest idea and I demand all of my friends get married right now so that I can use it. However, should my friends not fulfil my demands I might do a twist on it with Fairytale characters for their birthdays instead!



That's a wrap (PUN!!) on this weeks Tiddlybits! Keep coming back for more crafty inspiration!



Tissue Pom Headband


So Boomtown Fair has announced this years fancy dress theme as "Outrageous Carnival" and as it's fast approaching I decided to put all that I learned from making tissue paper poms into action and made myself a colourful headband fit for carnival madness! Can't wait to rock it out at the festival!