Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I posted on here, but I guess I'm not in so much of a creative flow at the moment. I'm enjoying baking and drawing at the moment and when I've finished my 30 Day Drawing challenge (which has taken a lot more than 30 days!) I will post all of the pictures from that, and maybe one day I'll come up with my own baking recipe and write it all down!! Meanwhile, if you want to hear a bit more from me, you can go and check out my main blog @ Babsiboosblog where you can find family stuff , book reviews and various other things. xxx

What I gave for Christmas 2015

This year I wanted to top my past present givingness. The past few years I've given things that were not so great, and I could've done better, so this year I decided that if I didn't like it I wouldn't give it.
I came up with a theme. I gave everyone a personalised jar that, after they'd done with it they can use it for whatever they want it for. I filled the jar with something I'd made for them and a few sweets.

TP's Gold Splatter Jar

For this jar I used gold spray paint and sprayed up from the bottom towards the top, and then sprayed the lid. Inside I made a little toast keyring for her.

 Mum's Starry Jar.

For this jar, I used yellow acrylic paint for the stars, then sealed it with glitter glue. For the lid I sponged yellow acrylic paint and then put a few dots here and there. Inside I made a little book of  '10 Reasons That I Love You'. 

 DD's Spotty Jar.

For this jar I used washi tape and put it in stripes to make geometric shapes. I then covered the lid in it too. Inside I made a felt Minecraft diamond pickaxe keyring.

 Lilo's Heart Jar.

This jar was definitely one of my favourites. I'm thinking of making a tutorial for it, so keep an eye out!! Inside I made a pompom bookmark.

 Stitch's Neon Jar.

When I think of Stitch, I think of a bright little boy that is full of energy, and this jar sort of reflects that. I used Sharpies to write his name and coloured the background yellow. I didn't really do much on the lid, only a greeny rim. Inside he got a felt Minecraft sheep head keyring.

 Taz's Pig Jar.

I basically just painted a pig on this with acrylic. and painted his name on the back. For inside I bought him some guitar picks.

 Bug's Gold & Silver Jar.

For this jar I used glass pens to write his name, and draw a pattern on the back. I kind of just went with the flow on this, and I'm rather proud of it!! The lid is just layers of the gold and silver pens. Inside he got a felt Campervan keyring.

 Chip's Skyline Jar.

This jar was not really intended to look like this. I dipped the bottom in glue, then sprinkled it with glitter. The only problem was that there was too much glue so when I turned it upside down to dry it drizzled down the sides. I didn't like it at first, but I dabbed white acrylic paint on with my finger and added stars and now I love it! Inside this I made a superhero mask.

 Dad's 'Daily Express' Jar.

This is one of my favourites. I didn't know whose it was going to be at first, but as I got into it I decided I could put the header on the lid, and it would be great for Dad as this is his go-to newspaper. I basically decoupaged newspaper onto the base, and then ripped out letters from the Saturday Magazine to spell 'Be Happy'. Then I ripped the pieces from the header and layered them how I wanted them. I didn't give him anything but sweets in his as I gave him some glasses for the coffee machine he was getting.

 Thank you so much for reading, and keep your eyes out for more Christmas present tutorials soon!

Oh, The Possibilities Notebook.

On Saturday night I had a story idea wizzing around in my head and needed somewhere to write it down, so I went downstairs and grabbed the biggest notebook I could use and started writing. On Sunday I decided I needed to decorate it because it was such a plain blue, so this is what I came up with!

The line 'Oh, the possibilities' just popped into my head as I was doing school today and I thought it would be awesome on the front of my notebook and thanks to the many hours I spend on Pinterest I thought I could achieve this with a bit of string. At first I thought I was going to cover it with tissue paper but then decided I wanted it sort of simplistic so went against that idea. Then Mum suggested foil and shoe polish but it didn't quite get the look I was searching for, so after a bit of a creative block, this appeared!! 

What You'll Need:

• String
• Newspaper
• a pencil and a Sharpie
• Scissors
• a glue gun and Pritt Stick
• a notebook
• 2 sponges (mine were quite small)
• black and white poster paint

So first off I wrote the words on and glued on the string with my hot glue gun. I found it easier to measure the string on the letter before I glued because the glue was drying very quickly.

I had trouble deciding how I wanted to do the thought bubble but in the end I decided to layer some newspaper(that I'd screwed up and unfolded) around the area I wanted it with the Pritt Stick (covering it as well) and when it dried drew the thought bubble with Sharpie. 

Then I had a bit of a strop because I didn't know how I wanted it but in the end I decided to use sponges and paint it. (I only have photos of me doing the back but it was the same!)

I basically dipped my sponge in a pot of black paint and dabbed off the excess paint (right), then dabbed all over my notebook. You want to almost completely cover the surface of the notebook, not leaving too much space, but some. On the front I went slightly over the edge of the newspaper but not all over, and went right over the string.

Next I did almost exactly the same with the white, but not as much (especially on the front).

And this is the finished product!!

I also added an envelope in the back for any extra things I need to include. I don't like the plain white, but I'm thinking as I continue writing and reading I'll write my favourite quotes on it.

Thank you so much for reading, I'd love to hear some feedback from this as well, it really helps!! Hope you enjoyed and feel free to try!! xMx

Crafty Christmas Day 5: Twinkly Lights Jar

What you'll need:

• jars ~ any shape or size will do
• Glass paints 
• Glitter & PVA glue*optional*
• lights

1. The first step is to write whatever words or pattern you want on the jar. ( I wrote 'Merry Christmas' and 'Let It Snow' then added snowflakes on one and holly on the other)
2. If you want glitter, you will need to paint the glue where you want it, then sprinkle the glitter on.
3. Now you just need to let it dry and then, if you want to wash the jar, you will need to follow the instructions on your glass pens to bake it.
4. All there is left to do now is add the lights and Ta Da! You have a perfect table topper!!

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial, tune in tomorrow for another great Christmas Idea!!

Crafty Christmas Day 4: Bead Bauble

What you'll need:
4 pieces of craft/flower wire
beads
thread
bell *optional*

Method:

1. the first step is to make 2 of your pieces of wire into circles.
2. You then need to put beads right round each piece, leaving a small part at the end for folding
3. Place the hoops inside each other, and bend the ends of each wire inwards. Hook the end loops together.
4. Use the last two pieces of wire to wrap around the top and bottom of the loops, to secure them together.
5. If you are adding a bell you will need to tie that on now, in the middle. 
6. Now use the thread to make a hook for hanging.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial, tune in tomorrow for another great Christmas Idea!!

Crafty Countdown Day 3: Bookmark Friends

These are really easy to make and perfect for customising either for yourself, a friend or family member!

What you'll need:
felt of various colours (depending on what you choose to make)
Scissors
needle & thread

1. The first step is to decide what you want to make out of your felt. It'll need to be something with a point on it, because you will be cutting from the corners of your felt
2. You then basically need to cut out 2 pieces of the felt, and sew it nearly all the way round, leaving a section at the bottom (pointy part) to put in the book.

Here are some ideas:

Layered Heart

Monster

Ice Cream Heart

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial, tune in tomorrow for another great Christmas Idea!!

Crafty Christmas Day 2: Heart Pud Tree Decoration

What you'll need;

• Scissors
• Needle & Thread
• Felt in Brown, green and white
• 3 red buttons
• ribbon
• Card
• Toy stuffing

             *For this tutorial you will only need to use running stitch*

1. The first step is to draw a heart shape on the card and cut it out. You then want to pin the card to the brown card and cut out 2 heart shapes.
2.  Now on the heart template, you need to draw some dribbley lines for the cream. once you've cut them out you need to discard the bottom part of the heart and pin the card to the white felt, and cut the shape out.
3. Thirdly you need to draw and cut out 2 holly leaf shapes on the green felt. (Or you can draw a template like before.)
4. Next sew one of the white dribble pieces on the each of the brown hearts.
5. Sew on the 2 holly leaves to one piece of the white dribbles, and then sew the 3 red buttons on as berries beneath the holly.
6. Now it's finally time to sew the whole thing together. Pin the two brown hearts together, and slip the red ribbon in at the top (pinning it into place). Sew nearly all the way round but leave a gap for stuffing
7. Now stuff! When you feel the heart is full enough, sew the hole closed, and Ta Da!! You have your Heart Pudding!!

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial, tune in tomorrow for another great Christmas Idea!!