Growing Spaces

{Make it} DIY personalised felt stocking

{Make it} DIY personalised felt stocking

I’ve been searching for the perfect stockings ever since the twins were born, but I’ve never managed to come up trumps (probably because my searching usually consists of a mad panicked dash round the shops when they’re packed in the week before Christmas). But when I got sent the Jennie Maizels  iron on alphabet patches for my cushion craft a few weeks ago, I immediately thought how BRILLIANT they would for personalising stockings, and I decided there and then that this would be the year the twins would finally have stockings that I hope they’ll keep forever (the stocking I…

View Post

Succulent festive hanging decoration

Succulent festive hanging decoration

Senecio cephalophorus + copper leaf/fine copper glitter + a touch of PVA glue + coir seedling pot = living hanging decorations for your Christmas tree or festive branches

View Post

{make it} DIY lavender bags for teachers’ gifts

{make it} DIY lavender bags for teachers’ gifts

Sorry for the radio silence. I started December all cocky about all the fantastic crafts and posts I had planned for the blog, and then a combination of a lastminute work project (extra work is always good news for a freelancer) and the general chaos of Christmas meant the usual holiday mayhem took over and I’ve been battling to stay afloat ever since. Tomorrow is the last day of term. I can’t believe the twins have done a whole term of school already, but at the same time I’m finding it hard to think back to what life was like…

View Post

{Make it} DIY copper pipe Christmas tree decoration

{Make it} DIY copper pipe Christmas tree decoration

We don’t have our Christmas tree yet (I’m getting impatient, but will hold out for another week or so), but that hasn’t stopped me making some new tree decorations. I wanted to continue the copper theme of my homemade decorations (the copper pipe advent calendar, and papercut wreath) – and copper pipe is definitely my craft material du jour right now. It’s easy to make this cute hanging decoration yourself… 1. Use a pipe cutter to cut 11 1cm pieces of 15mm copper pipe. 2. Tie each row together using thin cotton string or embroidery thread (you could also use…

View Post

{Make it} Nature in the home: Christmas garland

{Make it} Nature in the home: Christmas garland

Back in the summer when I did the rounds of Christmas press shows, I saw gypsophila, or baby’s breath, used in frothy excess at the White Company show where it was the star, rather than just a filler. Since then I’ve wanted to try out using it in a garland, and when better than at Christmas? I tied small sprigs of gyp to a length of red velvet ribbon. I thought it needed a bit more festive sparkle, so I added some glue to the ends of the stems, and dipped them in silver glitter. I’ve got these strung up…

View Post