the green gal

Tutorials from around the www

Here are a few DIYs, how tos and tutorials that I've happened across on my web wandering and thought you might find them interesting too…

:: Make tissue flowers

:: How to wallpaper with fabric

:: Make glue-free book page bunting

:: How to update suitcases with fabric

:: Make a wallet

:: How to print on wooden coasters

Making for fun

I have recently realised that I rarely create something for the sheer fun of it. Making and designing for a living has become so all-consuming that I find that all my creative energy is channelled into work. But last weekend things were different!

The hubbie and I decided it was high time we tackled a few of the jobs around the house that have been on the to do list for far too long. There's still lots more to do but at least we checked a couple of things off the list. As well as painting a new piece of art, making three cushions and stretching a gorgeous piece of fabric over a canvas frame to make a picture, we also updated an old mirror. The mirror above was a rather naff-looking pine mirror but a couple of coats of Farrow & Ball duck egg paint later and it's vastly improved.

Have you made anything purely for the joy of creating recently?

We also discovered a treasure trove of a vintage kitchenalia, furniture and bits and bobs in a nearby town and it's taking all my willpower to not run back there every day to see what's new! When we find homes for more of our new finds I'll share some snaps, promise. In the meantime you could always look at yesterday's post which features a beautiful vintage typewriter I picked up on eBay…

Stitch with Love book review & giveaway

Well, this is a first for my blog, I've reviewed a book! The kind folk at David and Charles sent me a copy of Stitch with Love to take a look at.

It's a lovely book by Mandy Shaw that shows you how to master a number of embroidery stitches, including chain, stem and lazy daisy stitches as well as the better known blanket and whipped running stitch. Following these pages there are loads of projects and makes to embellish with your new embroidery skills. It's been a while since I embroidered so it was lovely to use the book as a sort of refresher course. 

Mandy also writes about different fabrics and threads to use for different projects, which I found helpful because I'm never sure how many embroidery cotton strands to use for different stitches.

The projects are divided into different areas such as those for use in the garden or kitchen, or follow themes like Christmas or buttons or hearts. 

I thought I'd have a go at a project but me being me, I decided to mix up a couple of the book's projects and add my own little spin too! And this is what I produced:

Mandy shows how to make the apron from an old tea towel (I used a vintage French tea towel I picked up at an antiques fair ages ago) in the cookery themed chapter.

I then used templates of a sewing machine and pair of scissors from the sewing themed section for my embroidery.

I was pleased to find a piece of linen in my stash that matched the vintage tea towel perfectly and the button in the middle of the two pockets was a little addition suggested in the gardening chapter. 

But that's a great thing about this book, the projects can be made exactly as described but everything can be swapped around and adapted and the embroidery designs can be used in any way you can think of.

If this has whetted your appetite to break out your embroidery floss then you might want to enter my giveaway! I have one copy of Stitch with Love by Mandy Shaw, worth £14.99, to be won. Just leave a comment on this post and I will pick a random winner after midnight GMT on Sunday 3 July. Good luck!

Win a bunting tea towel!

You know how much I love bunting and I am so pleased that I have successfully translated it to my new range of kitchenware! The first product to be available is this tea towel made from 100% organic cotton, printed in the UK with my handmade heart bunting design and the words 'a-bunting we will go' in turquoise.

This tea towel is now available in the green gables shop and you can enter my giveaway to win one! Just leave a comment on this post before 17 July to enter.

the green gables' latest newsletter is out now, sign up here to get your copy. Don't miss it, there's a special offer and a recipe for elderflower cordial!

BTW to make sure your newsletter doesn't end up in your spam folder add the email address gabrielle@thegreengables.co.uk to your address book.

I hope you like the bunting tea towel as much as I do, there will be more kitchenware to tell you about in a few weeks' time…!

Palette pingpong no28

It's palette pingpong time and the image I've found to challenge Kirsty with features such lovely springy/summery colours:

source

It's so very pretty. Jeni, who created this beauttiful fabric wreath, has written a tutorial to show you how to make your own, you can find it on her blog here. 

So, what palette did this prettiness inspire I wonder? I'm off to Kirsty's blog, ginger and george to find out…

T-shirt to scarf in 4 easy steps

My latest make and do for Daisy Green Magazine is on their website now so go check it out!

Ready for my close-up

Yesterday was not an average day at the green gables. I spent the morning tidying and beautifying my garden studio and the afternoon being photographed in it. 

A few months ago I was contacted by Sian Berry, writer and green campaigner, as she was interested in featuring me as a case study in her new book, Junk for Joy. After I got over the shock I agreed, of course. We had a lovely chat all about the creations I make, in particular those made from recycled materials, such as my Remade service where I take treasured pieces of clothing and remake them into new pieces to use or display or give as gifts.

find it here

Junk for Joy is a follow-up to Mend It!, all about helping you to fix an item rather than automatically binning it. Junk for Joy focuses on recycling old into new and I think there are three other people featured as case studies as well as me.

So then I come to yesterday. Sarah Cuttle, the photographer who worked on Mend It!, and her assistant, Issy, arrived to take photos of me (only a few of those, thank goodness) and lots of my handmade products. They were quite taken with my shirt cushions and wildflower paper bunting. 

It is universally agreed that a quite nasty shirt can make a quite lovely cushion cover

They were so lovely and friendly and made me feel at ease in front of the camera, no mean feat I can tell you! It was fascinating to watch them at work on the still life shots, I hope I've picked up a trick or two to improve my own photography skills.

I think until yesterday I didn't really believe it's happening – that I am really going to be featured in a book! For my career to date I've been the writer behind the scenes so to be the subject, all be it a small one among many, feels quite different and v exciting!

Junk for Joy is published by Kyle & Cathie in September and I'm really looking forward to getting loads of ideas and tips from Sian as well as reading about the other featured folk. I'll be sure to tell you all about it as soon as I get my hands on a copy.

£5 to spend at the green gables

I've been playing over at Daisy Green's house again and this time I have two treats for you! First of all there is my latest make and do – this time I show you how to turn an old pair of jeans into a purse and a bag. Find the tutorial here.

And secondly there is a special offer for Daisy Green readers – I'm giving you £5 to spend on anything at thegreenables.co.uk until the end of February! You don't have to spend a minimum amount and the discount applies to everything. You just need the code to get your £5 off and you can find it here.

 

It's a new year at the green gables

I know, we're well into 2011 but as my sale at the green gables has only just finished, only now can I reveal my new pretties!

First of all, thank you to everyone who voted on the colours in this post, here are quite literally the products of that colour debate…

new framed quote prints, find them here

I have created three new quote prints in four new vintage-inspired shades, plus I have made my most popular (and favourite) quote print in the new colours too.

The new quotes are:

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower" Hans Christian Andersen

"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours" Bob Dylan

"Life is too short so, kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly" Author unknown

Plus an old favourite: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" eden ahbez

I just love each and every one of these quotes, they say so much in so few words. You can find them here at the green gables.

And that's not all! I have also been busy with fabric, and yes, bunting is back! This time decorating three handmade natural linen and cotton cushions…

Bunting cushions, find them here

I'd really quite like to keep these for myself but if I applied that thinking to everything I make I would have been squeezed out of my little cottage a long time ago! So, I hope that they will go to a new and happy home instead.

I hope you like the new additions to my handmade family, to find more simply pootle on over to the green gables!

Peacock perfect purse

I was browsing through etsy and found this gorgeous creation:

find it here

I wanted to share it with you because I think it is just so very beautifully embroidered. I'm quite liking peacock feathers at the mo and this hand embroidered version is just gorgeous, the stitching goes right across the other side of the purse too. Rowena of Ruby Red Rose hand makes all her purses in Bristol and if you'd like to find out more about her you can read her blog here. 

I don't have anywhere to go that's fancy enough to warrant treating myself to this but maybe you do? Or you could leave this page open on your computer where your significant other can see and take notice! After all, Christmas gift ideas have to come from somewhere, don't they?!