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! 

Sewing and Toilet Roll - the solutions to a happy life

Unfortunately life has been a bit hectic in recent weeks so Tiddlybobs has taken a bit of  back seat but never fear, I am now back with more creative treats for you including a brand new Tiddlybits next week and some new photographs in my Morning Walks series.

Also, exciting news in Tiddlybobs camp - my boyfriends parents kindly delivered my sewing machine!! I CAN'T WAIT to start sewing up little projects and learning all about it. So far I have read the manuals and learned how to thread bobbin and the machine - wahey! I shall progress to actual sewing on an item of material next... baby steps folks, baby steps.  Isn't it super pretty? 

I have also been getting creative with household goods to make Hallowe'en decorations. Lack of money means none to spend on decorations so I had to rummage around but it's amazing what you can create with toilet roll, sellotape and black plastic bags. Well you can create bannister mummies.

Then grab some tomato ketchup, red food colouring and an Irish girl with messy hair and an over-exaggerated scared expression and voila! You have an awesome bloody hand stain on your mirror!

And finally, cut up a cereal box, fish out some red paint and grab a teabag and hot water. Put them all together and what do you get? Creepy signs written in blood that's what. 

Unfortunately after doing all that I had run out of time to do any more decorating but I was super impressed with everything I had come up with especially as it was all for free! Just goes to show what I can do when I try to think outside the box! 

Hope you all have a very Happy Hallowe'en and eat loads of sweets and watch scary movies!! 

Don't count your chickens....

This weeks Tiddlybits carries on with the tradition of using things from around your house. This time it's egg cartons. I eat a LOT of eggs so now it's about time I stopped adding to the giant human waste pile and get creative with my egg cartons. Below are all the projects that are inspiring me, particularly the mirror, and as always you can find more great ideas on the Pinterest Board.

This is so beautiful and expensive looking that I still can't believe it's made from egg cartons. I found the tutorial on Better Homes and Gardens craft page. You could play around with different colours and if you don't have a mirror, you could use it around your picture frames.

I love this idea for an egg cup from Red Ted Art which is such a funny little idea for reusing your egg cartons. Might even think about making a duck one for your duck eggs!

This is a great gift idea of a herb garden in a box from Randi of Swoon. Easy to do and a gift that someone could have and use for years after you give it to them. I also love how she's packaged the gift. Who would have thought an egg carton could look so pretty?

I love these fairy light covers and that they completely don't look like they are made from an egg carton. Great idea for a gift too! The tutorial is not in english but the photos are pretty self explanatory. 

I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration and get the brain cogs turning. As usual please send me pics of any projects you try via tiddlybobs@gmail.com or twitter @Tiddlybobs and I'll feature them on the blog.

Fire burn and Cauldron Bubble

The aim of Tiddlybobs is not only to inspire your makes but also to inspire your bakes. I find it extremely fun to put a twist on a traditional bake, like my piña colada cupcakes (picture below), so I decided to make this weeks Tiddlybits all about creative baking. These creative bakes are all inspired by Hallowe'en so I hope they do give you some ideas for your party bakes for October 31st. 

If you do try any creative bakes after being inspired by this blog please do send me pictures  of them via Twitter @Tiddlybobs or to tiddlybobs@gmail.com as I'd love to see them! Also, please visit my Pinterest board for more ideas if none of these take your fancy. 

First up are these awesome ghost meringues from Smart School House. They don't require many ingredients so you can keep your costs down and also they don't take long so top marks all round for this idea!

So you've made pound cake before but have you ever made pound cake with a pumpkin INSIDE?? Nope didn't think so! This peekaboo pumpkin pound cake recipe a fantastic idea from Sandra Denneler at SheKnows. 

Unfortunately I can't find a tutorial for these awesome Voodoo Doll cookies found on indulgy.com. But here is a recipe for Gingerbread Men from NetMums so just whip them up and make up some different colour icing and get creative!

I love this monster cake from Makoodle. So simple yet so creative. You could also use different colours on the cake and eyes, play around wight he heights of the eyes or even put the mouth on the front instead of the top to make your bake truly unique. 

That's it for this weeks Tiddlybits! 

Happy Baking!

Cut from a Different Cloth

It's that time of the year when the long sleeved t-shirts are coming out and the short sleeved t-shirt  is going away until next Summer or if it's seen better days, it's about to be thrown in the bin. But before you chuck it, stop and have a creative think. Maybe there's something else you could do with it?! And so in steps this weeks Tiddlybits with creative inspiration for all your t-shirt related crafty goodness!

The first thing you need to learn, before embarking on any t-shirt craft projects, is how to make yarn from a t-shirt. It's so versatile and easy to do too. This tutorial from Simply Crochet Mag explains how to make it and is super simple to follow. 

You can put your t-shirt yarn straight to work making these super pretty coasters with a vintage feel. The tutorial featured on Mom It Forward and is from Jenn at Endlessly Inspired - which is a blog I urge you to check out if you're looking for ideas for your next project. 

A more advanced project is to make a basket from t-shirt yarn using crochet. This great tutorial from Instructables will get you making tonnes of these in no time and as you get more confident you can upscale the methods to make bigger baskets!

Another great tutorial from these folks is this no-sew t-shirt bag. I'm a bit dubious about how much weight it could hold but definitely a cool idea and worth a try.

And speaking of no sewing, if you are not into all this yarn business how about you try this no sew pillow from Dream Book Design? It is so classy and easy to make - the perfect combination.

I hope that this weeks Tiddlybits has at least planted the seed of a creative idea in your brain but if not head over to my Pinterest board for lots more inspiration. 

Happy Crafting! 

Something Wicked This Way Comes

It's almost October which means it's Hallowe'en planning time! I absolutely love Hallowe'en though I have to say since moving to London, it's been a bit rubbish. The atmosphere in Ireland is much better around this time and everyone is much more into it! However, that doesn't mean things can't change so consider this weeks Tiddlybits inspiration for the world to get as into Hallowe'en as Ireland is and hopefully there's a few tricks to inspire the Irish readers to up their game too!

An easy one to get started - just pop some fake eyeballs in your flowers and BOOM! Creepy Hallowe'en decor gold! Thanks to Deeds McGoo for pinning this great idea.

Even though I'm posting this in September, I am sure that there will still be some of you who will be in a blind panic on 30th October having not done anything to your house or bought any sweets. NEVER FEAR! Here are 31 quick and easy Hallowee'en hacks - my personal favourite being the the fake teeth napkin holders. 

Another great and simple idea is to turn your wine bottles (or alcohol beverage bottle of choice!) into potion bottles! This excites me no end and you can download free label templates here at Ellinee or create your own if you are feeling super creative. 

I am definitely trying this one from Momtastic Webecoist mainly because I've never photocopied my own face and I'm not sure I can leave my twenties having never done so. There's also several other awesome eco projects to try via that link so do check it out. 

Do I even need to tell you that you should definitely do this one? Creepy as hell! Just make sure you put her away before you go to bed! It's just a doll spray painted white surrounded by white sheets. I couldn't find a tutorial but the link to the original photo I found is here. 

That's my highlights but as usual please find lots more ideas on the Pinterest board and please send pics of your creations to @Tiddlybobs. 

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!