Accessories Holder

My youngest niece recently celebrated her 5th Birthday, and as many of us girls do, she loves her hair accessories! I recently saw this idea online, and thought it would be perfect for her. I'm sure it won't organise her entire collection, but it at least allows her to display and easily access her favourites :)

Assembly was fairly simple, once I had the right equipment! I began with a 15cm square canvas, and attached a layer of wadding on top of it so that there was some give. I cut a square of fabric from my stash (I used to have some of this fabric attached to my jeans!), and attached various ribbons to make four strips. I also attached two small loops at the bottom to hang hairbands from.

I attached a hanging loop at the top, and stitched a ribbon bow on for some extra prettiness :) This particular ribbon bow actually came tying up a set of pyjamas - remember to never throw anything away! I then spread the fabric over the canvas, stapling it at the back. I originally tried to do this by opening my normal stapler out to use as a staple gun, but it was not going well! Thankfully my father-in-law stepped in with a proper staple gun, which worked much better :)

Felt Toy Train

One of my nephews recently turned 2. He loves trains, so I knew I wanted a gift that was very much train themed. 

I had originally hoped to adapt this Sweetbriar Sisters pattern to make a train, as I've used it before to make cars (which I've just realised I haven't blogged!) but the proportions weren't working out, so that was put aside for this train!

Internally, the train is made from upholstery foam cut into the appropriate shapes and a cork for the funnel. I then cut rectangles from a variety of coloured felts, and stitched them up to contain the foam, adding details such as windows and wheels.

I stitched velcro dots to the back of the engine and the fronts and backs of the carriages so they can be attached, detached and rearranged.

The birthday boy was thrilled with it, and enjoyed pushing and pulling it around the picnic table we were sat at!

Beach in a Jar

I recently wanted a gift for a friend, which would bring the beach to her house. Thanks to my husband's hotdog obsession, I have quite a collection of these large simple jars, and they seemed ideal to fill with beachy finds.

I simply filled the jar part way with sand, which can be tipped out and played with or left inside. I collected some stones and shells from my local beaches too - these can also be played with, or arranged in the jar to create a beachy scene. The jar can be arranged upright or on it's side, and extra feathers and driftwood and anything else can be added as it is collected!

As well as bringing the beach to people who may not get out very much, these would make a great memory jar for a beach holiday, and a way to present all the little finds that beaches just seem to present to hands!

Tried and Tested Tip Number 22 [Paper Origami Gift Boxes]

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas :) For a few of the presents I gave away this year, I needed small boxes to hold them in. I couldn't find any appropriate in my local craft store, so turned to the internet to find a tutorial!

I came across this tutorial from Things to Make and Do, and it was perfect!

I made the majority of my boxes from the largest square an A4 page can form.

I decorated some with spirals, and some with flowers - I'll be talking about these in the next Tried and Tested!

And once I'd been able to master the basic box, I started experimenting with measurements when folding, which meant I could create a box which was wide and shallow - perfect for truffles!

If it's helpful to anyone, here's a free downloadable spiral twirly shape I created for decorating a few of the boxes:

I really recommend this tutorial, it's quick and easy to make up, and really adaptable!