Hobbycraft Workshops

Hi bloggers, I have some very exciting news to share with you all and that is that I will be experimenting with hosting some vintage workshops at the biggest craft store in the UK....... Hobbycraft! Starting at the end of next month I will be hoping to regularly host some vintage workshops at least twice a month at Hobbycraft in Crawley to inspire their customers to create something vintage, using mainly Tim Holtz products and few of Hobbycraft's in-store ranges. So if you fancy having a go then pop into Hobbycraft Crawley to pick up a leaflet about What's On or you can keep up to date by following my blog or facebook page.

The first workshop I will be hosting will be a Vintage Paper Bunting workshop just in time for Easter so you can decorate the house. Have a sneak peek below and follow the link to find out more details.

Vintage Paper Bunting Workshop

Wrapped up with love

 

Well this is the final Valentine's post and I really wanted it to be full of wrapping ideas however I seemed to have come down with a bug, not the love bug I'm afraid but rather a flu virus, so I only managed to create three different wrapping ideas which is so frustrating as I have many more in my head!

Anyway to start off I have included an example of placing those yummy chocolates from my last post into a simple cellophane bag and added a cute piece of ribbon and a handmade with love tag - make sure you take credit for those chocs you made!

 

Next up are two gift bag examples which you could put any little gift or present in, maybe place the cellophane bag of chocolates inside......

 

 

 

Well thats all I had time to make and was able to make but please check out my Pinterest Valentine's board for a few more ideas, such as gift boxes and wrapping flowers and the like.

Valentine Sweet Treats

This post will definitely make your mouth water with the temptation of sweet chocolates and they are so much fun to make.

Materials you will need:

Chocolate plastic mould (heart shaped for Valentine's)

Melting chocolate drops (Hobbycraft sell many different colours to achieve the look you want)

Bowl

Spoons

Foil wrappers - different colours (red and silver for Valentines)

Hobbycraft sell all the products you will need to make your own chocolates, with lots of handy tools, such as squeezee bottles and funnels if you need more help with precision but otherwise just have fun and play around with different effects and flavours.

1. Melt the chocolate drops in a bowl in the microwave - follow instructions on the packet.

2. Using a spoon, fill up each mould and level off the top. If you have a funnel or squeezee bottle this may help with precision in getting the chocolate in the mould.

 

3. Once you have filled the mould, give it a light tap to get rid of air bubbles and then leave to set. I usually leave the mould to cool and set for 30 minutes and then pop them in the fridge for several hours.

4. Once the chocolates have set remove them from the mould. You can then either leave them as they are or you can add an extra bit of decoration using different colours of the chocolate melts, e.g. drizzle milk chocolate over white chocolate hearts - see picture below.

 

5. If you choose to add further decoration then you may need to leave these to dry for an extra 30 minutes to an hour before wrapping them.

6. Time to wrap those choccies. The pictures below illustrate how to wrap the hearts.

 

Place chocolate face down on the inside side of the wrapper. Outside of the wrapper will be shiny and coloured.

 

Fold over two sides to meet in the middle.

 

Depending on the shape and size of the chocolate you may want to trim excess foil either side before folding the rest of the foil in.

 

Fold the rest of the foil and mould to the shape of the chocolate and then you are done.

 Once you get the hang of the process then why not experiment with different flavours by adding dried fruits etc. I added some dried cranberrries to my white chocolate hearts for a subtle hint of cranberry. 

 

Over the next few days I will post my final Valentine's post which will include wrapping ideas for presents and these chocolate hearts.

A message with love

The most common gift given on Valentine's Day has to be a Valentine's card. Why not make your loved one something personal and from the heart by creating it yourself from scratch and they can be as simple or as complicated as you like. I have been working on three different card designs and I will share them with you below......

 

'Lovestruck'

For this card I used Tim Holtz cherub and heart die cut and also inked and glittered up some of his grungeboard hearts using his Distress Rock Candy glitter which looks amazing. Finish the whole thing off with some ribbon and a few buttons, without forgetting the sentiment at the bottom of the card.

 

'Hugs and Kisses'

Bunting is all around at the moment, with the popularity of the vintage theme so why not create a mini heart bunting on your card. Once again add some buttons and sentiment embellishments and you have a very cute bunting Valentine's card.

 

'Love and Hugs'

For this card I also used the cherub and heart die cut from Tim Holtz for the heart and arrow shapes used above. If you want to add a bit more detail to your cards, maybe take your time and emboss some of the layers. I used a dot embossing folder for the pink strip going across which adds a bit of texture and dimension. Once again a few buttons, this time I also adhered a cherub run-on to the button which I found randomly in my stash and then complete with a sentiment.

I hope these cards give you a little bit of inspiration to create something a bit different this year.

Home for Valentine's

Hi bloggers, today we are starting the Valentine inspirations with decorations for the home to embrace the spirit of love. Starting off with this fabric heart, decorated with Parisian flair, reflecting the colours of my room and remember Valentine decorations don't have to be about the reds and pinks. Try to add decorations that match the colours of your home, making them more natural and adding a subtle decoration for this time of year. 

However if you do want that splash of red and pink then check out the heart decorations below:

 

 The pink heart above is made from paper mache and has been painted pink and then sprinkled with Distress glitter (from the amazing Tim Holtz and Ranger). Add a white flower and sentiment and your done.

Last but not least is this beautiful heart wreath, decorated with a fabric heart and lace and flowers. Again, matching the natural colours around the home, a subtle nod to Valentine's Day.

I hope these ideas have added a little Valentine inspiration for around the home and remember to check out my Pinterest page to see what other inspirations you could use.

Valentine's Creations

Happy Weekend bloggers and it is a beautiful sunny start to the day here in Crawley, West Sussex. Well I can't believe it is February already, we are a month into 2013 and there are so many things to look forward to. Anyway we are only 13 days away from Valentine's day so this week I will be sharing some ideas, from cards and paper wrapping to decorations and sweet treats. And it doesn't matter if you don't have someone special in your life, just embrace the celebration of love and pamper yourself, after all we all need to love ourselves a little bit. Below is a sneak peek of some of the ideas to come so stay tuned this week, for some 'LOVE'ly ideas!