Soup Can Pen Pots

If I'd been told a year ago that I would be knitting and crocheting covers to make pen pots from old soup cans, I would have laughed! But here I am posting a photo on my blog of just that.

I'm Hooked!

For the past month, I've been attending a Friday Knit & Natter group at one of my favourite shops. Love 13 is an amazing little gift shop which I discovered at the beginning of the year. They run lots of different crafty classes and now they have coffee and cake- woohoo! They're baby and buggy friendly as well- which is a definite bonus.

I love going to Knit and Natter. I've made new friends, learnt some really good stitching tips and I've had some great cake!

For the past few fridays I've been working on a crochet shopping bag. As I said in my previous post, I'm determined to spend less on craft materials, so this bag is made from yarn that I had left over from other projects. I doubled lined it with an old pillow case and a top that doesn't fit. Very eco-friendly- I reckon. I actually learnt to crochet at Love 13 so I was very proud to show them my work.

 

 

Creative Caffeine Fuelled Frenzies

Whenever Ruby gets excited about something, be it seeing Daddy arrive home from work or finding something new to chew on, she makes a very cute and excited 'oooooh' sound, followed by a low growl. Anyone that hears her, laughs and asks 'where did she get that from?' I wasn't sure where she'd learnt it, until my dad told me that she'd got it from me. And thinking about it- I reckon he's right.

I've noticed that that's the sound I make when I go into an art shop or a haberdashery. I love anywhere with lots of colourful bits and pieces that I could turn into something or that inspires me to make something. When I go into this type of place, my mind starts to swell with ideas and I revert back to childhood. I scour the aisles excitedly, grabbing at everything, oohing as I go. I stand mesmerised, looking at colourful buttons and threads, grabbing all the different varieties of wool and leafing through inspiring books. Suddenly, I want to buy lots of pretty things to make my house more beautiful. Over the years, I have been guilty of far too many impulse buys. I just love all the colours and textures!

If I begin my shopping outing with a trip to a coffee shop- things get much, much worse. The caffeine turns me into a hyper-active nutcase and sends me into a creative frenzy! My mind starts to brim with new ideas, new businesses to start, things I want to buy, people to collaborate with. I suddenly want to change the world with 'my art' and I start to plan how I will achieve this. After a large Americano at Starbucks , I once spent a fortune on canvases and acrylic paint. I was going to paint the masterpiece that would make my millions... but, once the caffeine had worn off and the excitement had died down, the canvases and the paint ended up at the back of my wardrobe, where they stayed for years, covered in a thick layer of dust.

The amount I have spent over the years on creative impulse buys is not worth thinking about. As I get older and wiser I am learning to be more self-controlled. And now that I'm a mummy, I have other things to be spending our pennies on, i.e  nappies, wipes and decaf coffee!

So I decided to see what I can make out of things I already have. I have a vast stash of making supplies- so there's plenty to chose from.

I've started seeing potential in things that I would have either just left in a cupboard or thrown in the bin. Suddenly a baked bean can triggers my imagination.

I've found myself watching old episodes of Art Attack- is that wrong for a 28 year old to be doing that? Anyway- I think it's amazing. There is nothing that Neil Buchanan can't do with newspaper and PVA glue!
I used to think that recycling and reusing 'rubbish' was for  hippies and tight wads but I've seen the error of my ways. It saves cash, preserves the environment and is actually pretty fun.

By using a bit of lateral thinking, I've learnt to really value materials. The things you make needn't be naff and Blue Peter-ish. I've discovered a whole load of ideas in books, magazines and online for making some pretty cool things by using 'junk'.

Check out this Pintrest page full of cool upcycling ideas

And this one's good too

I bought this book a few years ago and have just rediscovered it. There are loads of ideas for making things out of found materials. I particularly like the necklace made from badges.



So if you're feeling creative and you fancy making something, before you spend a fortune- see what you have at home first. You never know what you could create. I'd love to see your creations lovepraymake@gmail.com