Bring it all back to you...

Recently I jumped on the bandwagon and watched the awesomeness that is Stranger Things on Netflix and it brought back so many memories of being young, watching The Goonies and ET for the first time and how fun hanging out with your friends for ten hours a day could be.

It made me miss all the cool things we used to have as kids and got me thinking about crafty ways of bringing the 90's back into my life....

I don't know about you but I loved trolls and had quite the collection. I also love biscuits. So this cookie cutter is perfect for bring them back into our lives in a very delicious way just like cookienan has done. 

Speaking of delicious things, I think we all remember the feel of soggy string on our wrists after biting our way around a candy necklace. Now we can be proper adults and use them as elegant napkin holders at our fancy schmancy dinner parties! Thanks to The Fairies Home for this idea. 

The many hours we wasted with one sheet of paper predicting our future love lives.... Nowadays paper fortune tellers are used as wedding favours, classroom tools and even in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! Refresh yourself on how to make one and download your free template from Skip to my Lou. 

I had about 3 million sticker books and never did anything with them. This tutorial from FancyMade on making a sticker iPhone case is a great way of bringing both the 90's and stickers back into your life! 

Ah the feel of a feather pen on your cheek as you daydreamed about what jelly sandals you were going to buy.... Bring that feeling back and make your own fluffy pen with this great tutorial from Fashion Follower.

Bring back all the things you love about the 90's by sewing (or hot gluing if you're lazy) patches to your backpack. Wildflower and Company have super 90's inspired patches for you to choose from. Or maybe add some enamel pins? Chic Kawaii have some great ones like this awesome Polly Pocket one. 

And where would any of us be without the tattoo choker? Guess what? You can make you're own and it's soooo easy. Just follow this tutorial from Hello Whimsy. 

For more 90's inspired nostalgia please visit my Pinterest board here. Make sure you've got the Spice Girls blaring in the background first! 

How to make a pinhole camera

This morning all parts of the UK will experience a partial solar eclipse (the best since 1999 apparently!) but experts have been warning to not look directly at the sun when it happens so what should you do so that you don't miss this wonderful spectacle? Make a pinhole camera of course! 

What you need:

• A Cereal Box
• Tinfoil
• A scissors
• White paper
• Sellotape
• Something to make your hole 

Firstly, cut out a piece of white paper and sellotape it to the bottom of your cereal box. This will make it easier to see the projected image of the eclipse. 

Next, cut two slots either side of your cereal box and tape the middle together. 

Cover one of the slots with tinfoil. 

I then used a needle to poke a hole in my tinfoil but the size doesn't really matter so you can vary the size with anything you have to hand. 

And there you have it. All you have to do is bring your camera out and face your pinhole in the direction of the sun while you look into the box through the other opening - you should then see the projected image of the eclipse not he white paper. 

Unfortunately, for me, there were too many clouds so my pinhole camera never got used! All I saw was a cloudy sky change to a slightly darker cloudy sky! 

If you want to see what it would have looked out please check out this tutorial from Hilaroad which I followed to create mine. 

Deck the halls...

CHRISTMAS IS SO CLOSE!!!

Yes I may have already overdosed on sweets and Christmas films but there's still time to craft up some quick decorations before the real fun begins. This weeks Tiddlybits has some great ideas on projects for you to try and don't forget to visit the Pinterest board for lots more. 

First up is this gorgeous wall hanging from 20 North Ora. I'd love to make a wreath for my front door but I have no idea where to find the greenery and I can't afford the greenery or afford the base they need to go on so this wall hanging offers an awesome alternative. 

I tried this idea myself last year and I love it. It's such a great and easy way to add Christmas cheer to doors and cupboards. However, last year I didn't add a gift tag and think it's a brilliant idea so thanks to Liz on Call for that one! 

So, if like me, you've started the Christmas celebrations already, you may have some wine corks lying around the house. Instead of dumping them, why not turn them into colourful Christmas decorations that you can from year to year? This tutorial from Joy's Life is awesome and more importantly easy to do and for those of you with children, it's one that they can get involved with too. You could also use glue to sprinkle them with glitter too! 

And if, you've got wine corks then you must have wine bottles too! Follow this great tutorial from Born in '82 for a clever way to turn them into beautiful decorations. Super simple but so elegant and decorations you'll have for years!

Also, if you have old magazines or no idea what to do with the toy catalogues after you've finished writing your list to Santa, why not try making these gorgeous paper ornaments from them? A beautifully simple idea from Stephanie Lynn. 

And because we don't restrict ourselves to crafts here at Tiddlybobs, why not try your hand at creative baking and make a Santa bread?

How cool is that?? Love this idea from Taste of Home and hopefully will get a chance to try so keep your eyes peeled for that! 

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.