A few weeks ago I started a fun little series on my You Tube channel with Christmas gift ideas. I am showing one idea a week. We are already up to Gift idea no. 5 a cute mini photo album.
Anyone can make this project it's super fun to make and easy. You watch my first video showing what the project is here:
If you want to know how to make this fun little project you can watch here:
Please feel free to use these images for your own projects. Just click to open the image , then right click and save image. These images are my own personal property so please do not sell them digitally but by all means use them in your personal projects and projects to sell.
I hope you enjoy this fun little project and tutorial. Thank you so much! To stay up to datejoin my mailing list here . You'll receive discounts, news on new products and sales, freebies and tutorials.
It has been a long time since I posted anything, times has flown by! I hope this post finds everyone well and happy!
Finally I have prepared my first online course! In this course you will realise a beautiful needlebooks completely hand sewn. This video course will teach you how to make these wonderful needlebook from scratch. You will learn how to:
-collage your fabrics -how I approach colour and texture -how to create your base with invisible stitches -further embellishing your pieces with laces and embroidery -how to construct the needlebook -ideas for future projects using similar techniques.
No sewing machine is required, just a needle and thread.
Both
beginners and advanced sewers will enjoy this course, you can make the
needle books as simple or as embellished as you like.
This
course is nearly 3 hours and has been divided into segments of
approximately 30 mins (give or take) so you can easily complete this
project at your leisure. Picking it up and putting it down as time
permits.
A couple of weeks ago Gina from the Rebookery posted a video on you Tube that was fantastic. Basically she takes old books and alters them to become a planner. I found it to be the best idea ever. I've struggle with using a diary, it's so boring! I've tried bullet journaling but failed miserably as it took to much time and was too precise! Here is Gina's first video ( she has others which you can pop over and watch):
Gina's idea really clicked with me as it's super simple and you can be so imprecise! This means it's also super fast to do! Let's face it, most of us don't have time to be messing about measuring, drawing up tables, dividing pages with a ruler and so on!
I also made a video to show how I set mine up:
The other cool thing about this planner is that you can also use it as a planner come art journal come memory keeping journal. Which is perfect - you have everything in one spot! Yay! So really it's a planner journal not just a planner.
When I watched the video I just had to go out to the thrift store and find a book the right size to alter. Of course I couldn't buy one but bought three so I would have a choice. By the afternoon half the pages were torn out and the planner was on it's way!
Mine is quite different to Gina's as far as style is concerned but the idea is the same. I did decide to cover my journal with a fabric slip cover which also gives me 2 extra pockets.
Finally a way to keep track of the must dos and appointments combined with a little bit of fun memory keeping. Perfect for those of us who don't really journal on a daily basis but would like to keep some memories!
I made a couple of craft with me videos and updates as well. You can watch them here if you're interested.
So much fun! Make sure you check Gina's channel out she's super fun and creative!
Would love to hear your thoughts about this great idea! Thanks for reading, best wishes Rachel
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Before I left Italy for Oz I decided to make myself a travel journal. I was totally inspired to do this by Mary Ann Moss and her 'A Ticket to Venice' course. Click here to go to here courses page. In the course she also shared how she prepared for her trip which was very helpful.
I shared a video on You tube showing how I prepared for my trip to Oz. You can watch it here:
I thought I would do some journaling when I was there but decided it would be better to it when I came home once I'd printed my photos.
In order not to forget what we did I took very quick notes about each day which makes things very easy.
I have now printed all of my photos and am slowly working on my journal which is a lot of fun.
Hopefully it will be completed in a timely fashion and there will be some more journaling process videos!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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Lately I've been enjoying using up my old book pages to create ephemera. It's super fun and relaxing AND a great way to give those old pages a new life!
I made several different types of pockets and tuck spots!
Lots of different sized tags!
And really easy, no template required, envelopes.
They all add that special touch to a journal.
I made a few videos whilst I was making these to show my process. So pop over to You Tube and have a look if you'd like to see how.
This video shows some of the first tags I made
There are several 'craft with me' videos where you can see my process. Here are a couple:
Have a watch if you're interested and I hope they inspire!
Have a great day, best wishes Rachel
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Returning to my fabric Christmas book, I mentioned I also made a mini notebook with old book pages.
These notebooks are so cute and also make for great little gifts! I made this one with antique book pages which is a great way to recycle and give them a new life!
It's so much fun mixing materials, I love the texture it creates.
If you would like to see how to make these, watch the video below:
Thank you so much
Rachel
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I finally finished this lovely fabric Christmas book. It was one of those never ending projects that was started last year and finished 7 months later!! I guess it's better late than never!
It has been made with gorgeous antique linens, laces and hemp all sewn together. The cover has been hand embroidered with silk ribbin and has a gorgeous image of a vintage santa.
There are 8 page faces, including the front and back covers.
To create writing spots I made a mini junk journal, altered a notebook and made a trifold envelope with pages inside for journaling.
You can see a video here, with full explanations It is available in my Etsy store Thank you so much !
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Lots of new loveliness is available in my shop! I've been making Kantha drawstring bags and duffle bags. The first lot went like hot cakes but never fear there's a new batch in my store!
These duffle bags are great to use for a short trip away, or as a sports bag especially yoga!
I have a short video on You tube that show these bags to give you a better idea.
I hope this post finds everyone well! Thanks for reading! Rachel
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Hi everyone I'm back after a long absence! I've taken the plunge and started my You Tube channel! It's been a huge thing for me being a shy person but I've done it and am quite enjoying it. It's a great way to share new products and journals but also a great way to help with some of my patterns. In fact I'm going to use the channel to show how I do certain things to support my patterns. So far there are 14 short videos showing journals, shopping hauls and already a little applique video.
In this video I show how I approach the applique in our Homespun Block of the month, 'My Butterfly Patch'. Next week I'll be finishing off the butterfly and moving onto Month 2. Yes I am behind! Where I can I will also post videos in Italian (even though I'm totally embarassed!)
Lately I've been journal making and shared these gorgeous journals on You Tube in 2 parts.
More is on the way so stay tuned! I'm working on a couple of new patterns.
I hope this post finds everyone well! Thanks for reading! Rachel
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Saturday, February 17, 2018
Have you ever heard of Marna Lunt? She's a wonderful sewer and embroiderer from Northern England, she makes the most incredible lampshades and lanterns. I took a few of her online courses which I just loved. You can see them here .
I follow her on Instagram where she announced her new embroidery project Threaduary would start in February. Of course I had to pop over to her blog (being a huge fan) and see what it was about!
Basically it's a project anyone can participate in where you do some stitching (embroidery) everyday and post it on Instagram, being sure to #threaduary .
Marna is amazing and has been embroidering the most amazing flowers EVERYDAY! My goodness I really don't know how she does it! Seriously hop on over to her instagram to have a little look!
Anyway I thought I'd share the various stages of what I'm working on in my efforts to participate! To be honest I have not been able to stitch everyday like Marna. Where does she find the time and energy?????
My beginnings - layering antique hemp and linen scraps on a scrap piece of batting!
I think I stared at it for a few days (already putting me behind schedule) thinking what I should do! Then I thought I'd better start putting some stitches on it and started rows and rows of slow stitching!
Then a light bulb lit up and I decided to do something floral. Please note I always start with incredibly vague ideas! No planning happens over here!
First I thought I'd embroider some flowers and then stitch them on, but then changed my mind, of course! I cut them out and pinned them on my background along with flowers and leaves cut from an old French fabric I have.
I started to embroider the flowers, I want my stitches to be fairly random and not too regular. This is quite a challenge as it comes naturally to place each stitch next to the other in an orderly fashion!
I'm using mixed threads - Dmc, antique perle, DMC Alsace threads, Appleton wools and so on. Just whatever takes my fancy at the time!
This is where I'm at right now. Who knows how long it will take? Especially considering I have no clear direction!
Mum asked 'what are you going to make it into?' Goodness, who knows??? I'll have to see when it's finished! Any suggestions????
Don't forget to read more on Marna's blog and let me know if you decide to do some 'thread therapy' each day like Marna!
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Hi everyone just a quick post with a shop update. I've been super busy making for a market on Sunday so will have new goodies going in my shop Monday and Tuesday.
I've been busy making Christmas journals, so much fun! These are great to use as:
-December daily (depending on how much you write you could possibly use it for more than 1 Christmas) -Christmas recipe book, document your Christmas recipes each year -Christmas guest book, have friends and family wirte in your Christmas journal each year -general documenting of Christmas, photos, present, cards etc -Christmas shopping -Christmas planner
They have new and old pages in them some are handwritten dating to the early 1900s!
Most have been sold but this sweet book is still available in my shop here.
Next week I'm aiming to post a tutorial so stay tuned. I'm also working on some more patterns! Don't forget my new ebook which is full of fun and easy sewing for Christmas. So pop over to my shop to have a look!
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