Day 29: Challenge Roundup

Overall I'm pretty pleased with how the challenge has gone, particularly because I have managed to write posts that I actually am proud to post for most of the days, however I did miss two days (11 and 18), and put 2 or 3 posts up late, Oops!

These four posts are the posts I have most enjoyed writing and the ones I'm generally most proud of because of the photography etc. (Christmas trees really do make great backgrounds).

Day 13: Perfect Winter Lip and Nail Combo

Day 9: Gingerbread Recipe

Day 12: Rudolph Nail Art

Day 5: Books

Let me know what your favourite posts have been so that I know for the future!

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

Top 5 Gift Basket Ideas

With Christmas just around the corner (YAY!) I thought I would put together a post of some easy gift basket ideas for friends and family so here you go....

1.For the one who likes to read-

Grab a fluffy blanket, a book or maybe a giftcard to their favourite book store,  a packet of Hot chocolate mix, a mug and a bookmark and your friend will have the perfect night in! As an alternative for movie lovers you could swap the book for a movie or a netflix giftcard and the bookmark for a bag of popcorn and you have a great movie night in.

2.For the one who likes to bake-

Gather together pretty cupcake cases, cute toppings, some cooking utensils, an apron or oven gloves, a recipe book and maybe some cupcake boxes then place in a pretty basket and add a ribbon. Simple.

3.For the one who likes to garden-

Buy a flower pot from a gardening store, they're normally only a couple of pounds and fill with gardening tools, seeds, homemade gardeners hand scrub gardening gloves, watering cans, a kneeling pad and  a cute lawn sign. 

4.For the one who needs to be pampered-

Just fill up a pretty wicker basket with some of these and your good to go; scented candles, bubble bath, chocolate bar, body lotion, nail polish, body scrub, soap, shower puff, face mask and bath salts 

5.For the one who likes travelling-

 

I saved my favourite for last, how about a vintage map like this one ,some pins to mark where they have been and where they want to go in the future and a pretty journal or notebook like this one from paperchase to write about all there amazing adventures. Easy, cute and fairly cheap little gift set that you can put together and package in a pretty box.

Hope you find it useful,

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 ;)