Baby Project Boom!

The new baby will be here shortly - 3 weeks! Argh!! I think that is the best way to describe how I'm feeling!!  So I have been at a load of baby related projects.

I had crocheted a lovely soft, pastel baby blanket but then read a post about all baby things being pastel, so I thought that I would crochet a smaller but brighter blanket!

I fell in love with this pattern on Ravelry as all the projects looked gorgeous.  I was just on the lookout for some bright wool which I found on a recent trip to Dublin.  Here is the finished blanket...

I added a sort of granny stitch border around the edge of the blanket.  The first side a did is not that great but I couldn't be bothered re-doing it which I'll probably regret as it will annoy me!  Otherwise I love this pattern!  I think a scarf would look great in this style too, maybe in greys and creams.

The next project was re-covering the baby rocker.  We bought this for Charlie and he loved it but I hated the fabric from day one, but it was relatively cheap and was a great job.  I couldn't bear looking at it again so I set about re-covering it.

Before ...

I read a lot of different blogs about re-covering baby seats and quite liked the sound of the this tutorial from Ex Patria but when I started to follow her steps I just didn't have the skill to do it.  In the end I ripped the cover apart and sewed the fabric over the top of the different sections, then sewed it all together again.  

The hardest part was getting the slits for the straps in the right place, mine aren't really but they'll do the job.  Also the binding was tricky around the tight corners.  It was completed after a lot of stitch ripping!!!

After ...

It's definitely not perfect but I think it looks so much better.  Hopefully the baby enjoys it as much as Charlie did!

Gorgeous Tray

I saw this tray on Pinterest, pinned from Etsy.  It was made by Up in the Air Somewhere, who has some gorgeous pieces!  However the tray is out of my price range but I thought that I could reproduce something similar on my small budget!!

1. I had this old tray in the cupboard already and didn't really like the pattern.  I used Plasti-Kote spray paint in cream and gold leaf colour.  
2. I sprayed a coat of cream over the tray.  I took about 6 coats until there was a good even coverage.
3. This was the most difficult part, and it took me a few goes before I got the pattern right.  I used a low adhesive tape my husband had in the house.  It didn't really have the best hold around the corners and bends of the tray, but otherwise was ok.
4. After about 5/6 coats of gold spray, I peeled off the tape.  The gold has bled below the tape in a few places but I actually don't mind that.

Et voila...

I finished the tray by spraying it with a clear protective coat, again from Plasti-Kote.   Overall I spent £21 on spray.  They're not empty yet, so I have a few more projects out of them yet!

My tray doesn't have the same lustre as the original tray but I am really pleased with how it turned out!!

Addicted to Pinterest!

I haven't had a lot of time recently to make a lot but I am totally addicted to Pinterest!  Here are a few of the things I have seen and then created my own version - however my To Do board on Pinterest is massive and will probably take me years to work through!!

I'm loving paint chip cards and have been using them to decorate presents and cards.  I saw these little notebooks...

Source: craftsbyfriends.com via Shirlie on Pinterest 

and thought I'd make my own.  I lined the inside of the cards with some scrapbook paper to make it a bit nicer and stained the sides of the paper with pink to match the card.  I also used an eyelet to join the notebook instead of a brad as I felt it was a bit sleeker.  I've added the name of the person I was giving the notebook too using a Dymo label maker.

Also saw these carnation arrangements ...

Source: ftd.com via Shirlie on Pinterest

...and loved them, even though I normally dislike carnations.  I thought I'd have a go and headed off to Tesco for cheap carnations, however, there were none and so I bought yellow daisy like flowers (not sure what they are called) and created my own version.  I used an old enamel bowl I found on my Dad's farm and filled it with oasis then bunged in the flowers.  It's not maybe as rounded as I had hoped but I think it would make a nice spring/summer table arrangement. 

Ok, blog sorted, now off to Pinterest for more ideas!!