June 1, 2011 in diy craft projects, homemade
I made these little fabric brooches last year for the launch party of my book. They were little gifts for my guests to wear at the party and to take away with them as keepsakes. Each one was unique and my guests could take their pick and choose the one they liked most. You could use this idea for weddings too (make a batch as wedding favours for your guests) and they are a great conversation starter or ice breaker when people don’t know each other. They also work well as decorative additions to liven up plain cushions and other furnishings.
These were all made from scraps of fabric and ribbons that I already had in my haberdashery stash and are an adaptation of the ‘covered buttons’ project on page 176 of my book The Homemade Home.
You can use either a metal badge making kit (I use my children’s Bandai badge maker) which come with pins for attaching, or you can buy diy button kits from a haberdashery which have a front part and a back part that simply snap together, sandwiching the fabric and holding it firm. I have explained the haberdashery button covering method below, as it is more accessible.
Covering buttons in an unexpected fabric adds quirkiness and individuality to an outfit or cushion, and they work well grouped together. Each button requires only a scrap of fabric, so you can go to town with your combinations of colours and patterns, or opt for a more coordinated theme. Here I have used different types and colours of fabric – Liberty prints, plain linen, geometric patterns and vintage fabric too, along with various ribbons in different widths and materials in neutral colours, spots and of course my regulars – neon pinks and oranges.
Covered-button kits are available from most haberdashers, they have little hooks to grip the fabric and a snap-on back to finish it off and keep it neat. They have a loop (shank) on the back for attaching.
materials and equipment:
• Button covering kit (buttons can be bought in various sizes and are not too expensive)
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Scraps of fabric
• Ribbon
• Safety pins
the steps:
1. Cut out a circle of fabric with a diameter slightly less than twice the diameter of the button.
2. Using a needle and thread, sew running stitch around the edge of the circle and place the button upside down in the center of the circle and pull the threads together to gather the fabric around the button and knot.
3. Place your ribbon on top of the gathered fabric (still on the back), in the position you are happy with. Check the position of the shank if you want your ribbon to hang straight down. Snap the back on so it clamps the ribbon in place as well as finishing the button. If your fabric is thick it can be quite difficult to push the back on. A cotton or fine linen works well.
4. If the shank sticks out too far you can push it in so it is flatter to the back.
5. Attach a small safety pin so you can fix it to clothes or furnishings or you could sew it on to be more permanent.
Have fun making!
If you try this I’d love to see how you get on and you can post your photos on my Facebook page here.
This project of mine was originally featured on makeitandmendit.com
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May 27, 2011 in handmade goodness, my london
The Hand Sale in Notting Hill is a craft fair that I just cannot resist, it only takes the smallest amount of persuasion and I’m there. My will power is minimal when it comes to beautiful handmade goodies and an invitation by email and a nudge by my friend Sarah was all I needed to hop on the bus.
I didn’t have long, about 40 minutes to whizz around, but I still found some sweet little objects I could not leave without. Here they are.
This little ceramic bowl is by Fliff Carr, the bird image came from an old book of her father’s and I love it.
These little spoons are from Kirsten Hecktermann; a girl can never have too many beautiful spoons!
I photographed them on a postcard of a painting by Pierre Soulages which I bought at his exhibition at the Pompidou Centre a couple of years ago, it brings back lovely memories of a birthday trip to Paris with my husband.
Lovely little things to make a girl happy. Happy Friday everyone.
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May 27, 2011 in news
I do consider myself very lucky. Since art college I have always done what I love – be creative – and have been fortunate to make a career from it. It’s not always easy and is often hard work, but being creative is very rewarding on a personal level.
Beth Nicholls came along to the Decorate book launch at Liberty last month. Beth runs an e-course and an art and creative enterprise retreat in, guess what, how to do what you love for life. She asked if she could interview me and I said yes.
Beth asked me about professional styling, how I started and about being creative. You can read the full interview with me over on Do What You Love For Life – click here
Do you do what you love?
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May 24, 2011 in flowers, interior styling
The fabulous annual Chelsea Flower Show starts today, but what I wanted to show here is that you don’t always need to buy lots of fancy flowers and that you can make something little from your garden look really quite sweet.
I picked and photographed these Forget-me-nots over the Easter weekend when they had just bloomed. These came from my tiny London garden but my plants were originally a donation from my parents’ garden in the countryside, where so many were growing that I was able dig up and transfer a few. I love that they are so commonly found and that tiny arrangements like these can be made really easily to display in your home. I love the soft blues with the little pop of yellow at their centre.
To me, the name Forget-me-not conjours up old fashioned love letters and romantic messages, so in this little shoot I wanted to reference this. I included some old typed envelopes, letters, a key and a note book that I bought at car boot sales. The little glass vase is a recent purchase from Designer’s Guild and is one from a set of six, the handmade saucer with blue flower print I bought a while back at The Hambledon shop in Winchester (I’ve been trying to remember who it is by, I should know but I just can’t think – does anyone know?) and the little bowl I bought at a Cockpit Arts open day one year.
I love that they are just perfect miniature blooms that without something to gauge their scale, could be much bigger. I couldn’t help adding a little bit of wrongness to this shot with the addition of the cowboy gun charm.
The Forget-me-not is a flower that grew in my parents’ garden prolifically. When I was little I would pick bunches of them and press them. It’s quite time consuming, placing each flower carefully on the card of the press, especially as they are so tiny, but worth it as they dry and keep really well. When they were ready a few weeks later, I would store them in an envelope to keep them flat. I would have a different envelope for each flower type and stick a flower to the outside for quick reference of what loveliness was inside.
The dried Forget-me-not flowers work beautifully stuck to swing tags for gifts or to cards and pictures.
I still press flowers from the garden, now with my little daughter as a helper (she loves it too). In fact I still have the press I had when I was little! It’s a lovely way to never forget the Forget-me-not.
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May 20, 2011 in my london, news
I took a couple of hours out from making and writing yesterday as I had heard about the FOUND exhibition and sale and just had to go. And I’m so glad I did! It was full of the kinds of things I adore and I came home excited and invigorated. A bit of time out at something like this can sometimes be just what you need and I got lost in the beauty of everything here and found inspiration for the rest of my week.
FOUND – A Garage Sale is a one off charity sale of artworks, found objects, textiles, rugs, furniture and crafts to raise funds for the new education wing of Kettle’s Yard house and gallery in Cambridge – one of my favourite places to visit in England.
It’s no ordinary garage sale though! The sale is in The Brompton Garage on North Terrace in South Kensington and is chock-a-block with creativity and inspiring objects – just like Kettle’s Yard itself. Only here you can purchase all the items on show with new pieces arriving daily. Heaven!
The items are displayed beautifully and you can spend from just one pound for something little to hundreds for original artworks donated by well-known artists. And it all goes to support Kettle’s Yard.
Paintings, prints, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, curios, pebbles, feathers – all beautiful in their own way and all mirroring the ethos of Kettle’s Yard.
The black bowl with the lemon is by Sotis Filippides.
I loved these ceramics by Carys Davies.
Organic, handspun wool from Kay Buxton.
This pencil sculpture is by Shane Waltener.
I adored this painting by Neal Jones.
This artwork was so simple but I so LOVE it! It’s by Alex Calinescu.
Naturally I wasn’t able to leave without buying a few little things – feathers, a bunch of pine needles and a box of natural river chalk collected from the riverbank side – all absolute necessities for a city-dwelling stylist!! I could have quite happily bought everything there though and filled my house if my budget had allowed.
This wonderful sale, which is free to enter, is only on until this Sunday 22nd May, so if you live in or near London, do pop along this weekend or you will miss out.
If you want to make a longer day trip and see some of the best interiors shops and a bit of culture, then you can also pop into the lovely Mint, Few and Far, Skandium, The Conran Shop and Caramel (exquisite children’s clothing) which are all virtually next door, then pop to the V&A which is only a 3 minute walk away – try lunch at the cafe there, it’s in the most amazing room.
If you want to find out more about Kettle’s Yard you can read my post about my trip there below.
FOUND is organised by members of the Kettle’s Yard Development Appeal Group and you can also follow Kettle’s Yard on Twitter.
P.S. Hi to Nicole, Joan and Daphne who I met and chatted with at FOUND yesterday, lovely ladies doing something wonderful. Thank you for letting me take these photos.
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May 20, 2011 in inspiring places
After my visit to the FOUND sale yesterday, I thought it was perfect to post my photos from a trip to Kettle’s Yard to give you some more insight into this wonderful space.
I visited this amazing house whilst I was in the middle of writing The Homemade Home. It’s a real inspiration, filled with beautiful artworks and styled with interesting objects and found treasures.
Kettle’s Yard was the home of Jim and Helen Ede who lived there from 1958 until 1973. He was a former curator at the Tate Gallery in London and through his friendships with the leading artists of the period and other like-minded people he amassed a beautiful art collection. It includes paintings and sculptures by some of my favourite artists including Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Joan Miro, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.
I love the way he set these amazing artworks alongside everyday items and found treasures. His vision was of a place that should not be…”an art gallery or museum, nor simply a collection of works of art reflecting my taste or the taste of a given period. It is, rather, a continuing way of life from these last fifty years, in which stray objects, stones, glass, pictures, sculpture, in light and in space, have been used to make manifest the underlying stability.”
If you are ever in Cambridge go and spend a bit of time there, it’s inspiring. I posted more of my photos of Kettle’s Yard here.
You can find out more information and visiting times on the Kettle’s Yard website.
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A place to share my work and the things I love: interior styling and great design; fine art and contemporary craft; exciting new products and flea market finds; handmade and homemade; celebrating the old and embracing the new; creativity, family and fun. The things that I believe make your house a home.
Line Up contemporary craft exhibition, curated by Sania Pell, at Flow Gallery, 1-5 Needham Road
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