Top 5 DIY Gift Ideas for friends

Here's 5 easy, homemade and fairly cheap gifts ideas that would be perfect to give to your friends for Christmas...

1.Word Necklaces

Go to a charity or second hand shop and find an old dictionary then pick a word that describes each of your friends and cut them out. Stick the definition onto the charm blanks like these then use a glaze like Diamond Glaze to seal them and attach a chain. Easy, personalised necklaces describing your friends in one word.

2.Friendship Bracelets

You could make some lovely bracelets for friends using the tutorial above from PS I Made This... Or use any of these jewellery making tutorials to mkae gorgeous gifts for your friends.

3.Hot Chocolate and Personalised Mug

Grab a mug like this and use a Sharpie pen to draw or write on it and bake in the oven for an easy personalised mug (Heres a tutorial). And then add some cheap, easy to make hot chocolate or white hot-cocoa and maybe a candy cane or even homemade marshmallows.

4.Map Coasters

Just follow the instructions over on casasugar to make these gorgeous coasters, I'm sure your friends will love these and you can always change the paper to scrapbook or wrapping paper.

5.Glittered Vase

These vases add the perfect splash of colour to any room, here's the tutorial on how to make them but if you want to keep fresh flowers and water in them make sure you put the glitter on the outside of the bottle.

Hope you like the ideas

Katie

xoxo

My Top 5 Craft Blogs

This is just a post about my top five favourite blogs for craft plus I put them in order so you can see which are my favourites...

1 Eat Drink Chic by Amy Moss I simply ADORE the printables that Amy Moss designs as you might be able to tell by the amount I link them :) The first post I ever came across of hers was her Ice Cream Parlour Buffet Concept and since then I have been an avid reader of her blog. She regularly posts a huge range of printables and DIY's for the home that are simply gorgeous and oh so simple to make. NOTE: She is currently on a break form her blog but will be returning in November.

2.Funky Time by Sibylle This is a great blog and I just love the vibrant oranges and yellows of the sites graphics. Sibylle designs some great graphics and makes the funkiest DIY's, I especially love her recent ping pong ball candles, they are so cute. She also releases a quarterly magazine online that normally about 70 pages and contains articles from other bloggers plus DIY's, printables, up cycles and tablescapes.

3. Just Something I Made by Cathe Holden I get a lot of the graphics I use off of here, her site is just great! It not only has a huge (and I mean HUGE) selection of free vintage printables, she also has a range of DIY's. This is one of my fave blogs purely because of all the vintage stuff that she posts, which I just adore, I swear I was born in the wrong era! 

4.PS I Made This by Erica Domesek This is a tumblr based blog that I follow and the author has also released a new book to go with the blog. She blogs mainly about fashion and how to make clothes and accessories but she also does some tutorials on food too occasionally.  

5.A Splendid Assemblage by Dina Dina posted loads of great fashion DIY's and how to's especially ones that are inspired by famous fashion brands. My favourite of her DIY's was the inspirational quote T-Shirt, I robbed the quote and made my own t shirt with it ;)

Bottle Cap Charms Update

Here's my updated collection of bottle cap charms, all made with triple thick glaze :) 

I have 20 now because I gave a bunch to a friend and had to bin some because they were too cloudy.

Katie

xoxo

Feather Earrings

I'm sorry I dont have step by step photos but I will try and talk you through how I made them anyway. 

I have them in orange and yellow and am hoping to also make them in pink, red, green and dark blue. 

I love making them but regret to say that i will probably never where them :(

Supplies

Feathers

Beads(optional)

wire

wire cutters

pliers

Earrings (you can buy these or get them form an old pair of earrings)

scissors

Method

1. Cut a piece of wire about 5cm long with the wire cutters, then cut the feathers to the correct shape as you see the ones in shops and mine above.

2. Next wrap the wire around the feather till you get to the top with the pliers. I didn't use pliers as I couldn't find my dads but i would NOT recommend using your fingers, it hurts after a while! 

3.Add the bead on if you are using it,then the earring and then fold the wire around and took it into the bead or wrap around the feathers stalk.

4. Now try them on and see hoe they look ;)

I hope you liked this tutorial and i know its not very clear but its quite hard to explain how i did it, sorry.