How To Make A Set Of Coasters Using Old CDs and Lace

Last year I shared this How To, showing you how to make a set of coasters using old CDs and lace. It's been my most popular blog post so far, so I thought I'd share it again! This is a a really thrifty make, using up those old CDs that you haven't got round to taking to the charity shop, recycled lace and a paint tester pot.

You can also find the recipe for the rosewater, white chocolate and pistachio cupcakes here- go on, treat yourself to tea and cake and enjoy the excuse to use your lovely new coasters!

If you try this How To, please share your photos, I'd love to see your makes.

Happy making!

How to... Make tea light holders using glass ramekins from Gü desserts and lace

I don't know about you but I love Gü desserts (the cheesecakes are my favourite!), but what do you do with the glass ramekins the desserts come in? Here is the answer! Using scraps of lace and Mod Podge you can turn them into pretty tea light holders. A great excuse to treat yourself to a dessert I'd say!  

1) You will need

Scraps of thin lace, Mod Podge (I used the Matte Mod Podge), a paintbrush, scissors and glass ramekins or shallow glass jars

Note on Mod Podge- It's great stuff!  A pot lasts a long time and it has so many crafty uses, check out these Mod PodgeYouTube inspirations! 

2) Cut your lace into roughly inch sized pieces

3) Working from the top down and working on small sections at a time, apply a layer of Mod Podge to your ramekin and then lay a piece of lace over the top

4) Paint another coating of Mod Podge over the top of each piece of lace and allow to dry completely

5) Add your tealights and they're done! I've added a bow in garden twine for a rustic look. 

These would be pretty arranged in small groups for decoration and candle- lit atmosphere at an evening BBQ, garden party, wedding or cosy evening in

You could also use this technique with glass jars to make pretty vases or storage containers

Happy making!

New project- It's getting colourful!

An update on how the new project is coming along- it's getting colourful!

From this first experiment...

To this! 

I'm using scraps of Liberty fabrics, embroidered tray cloths and oddments of lace, machine stitched together. I've over-dyed some of the pieces using Permaset eco friendly screen printing inks in Rose and Glow Yellow, which I love!

I've also made some printing stamps using odd blocks of wood and fun foam and I'm starting to experiment with over printing the stitched pieces using the Permaset inks.

Some of the printed pieces

I'll keep you updated as I continue with these experiments- I'm hoping that I can develop these ideas into a summery jewellery collection. Watch this space!

How To... Make a set of coasters using old CDs and lace

If you're anything like me you'll have some old CDs or DVDs hanging around that you're not sure what to do with- like the free ones you get with newspapers that you never get round to listening to. Sound familiar? 

Well here's an idea of how you can up-cycle them into something useful- make them into a new set of coasters! Combine these with that tester pot of paint that's languishing at the back of the garage and those doilies you found at a boot fair that you'd forgotten you had and it makes for quite a thrifty make!

1) You will need

Old CDs or DVDs, paint tester pot, PVA glue, heavy cotton lace doilies or trimmings, plain cotton fabric (I used the cotton fabric from a lace edged cloth but you could use Calico, an old shirt or sheet, etc), felt to match your chosen colour scheme, paintbrush, fabric scissors

2) Glue the felt to your CDs

Apply PVA glue to one side of each of your CDs and stick onto the felt. Leave to dry

3) Cut away excess felt

 4) Repeat step 3 on the other side of your CDs, this time using your plain cotton fabric. 

Leave to dry and then cut away the excess fabric

5) Apply a layer of PVA to the cotton side of your CDs

6) Lay your heavy lace onto the glued side of your CDs and leave to dry

It's much easier if you leave each layer to dry completely before moving onto the next step, and less messy too!

7) When dry, cut away the excess lace

You could use a regular thin lace for this, but I find the heavier lace and crocheted cotton doilies are more effective as the paint really highlights their texture

8) Paint your coasters

You could choose to leave the coasters unpainted at this stage as they still look pretty left like this, or you could paint them using your tester pot. Give each coaster one coat of paint and allow to dry

You could try this on a larger scale- I'd like to cover a wooden tray or cork place mats and mix and match with different colours

9) Use your new set of coasters as a good excuse to have tea and cake!

I'll be posting the recipe for my white chocolate, rosewater and pistachio cup cakes that you can see here on Wednesday!

Happy making!

A belated Happy New Year! Thank you everyone who supported me last year by buying my work, reading my blog and giving me great advice. Here's to a successful and happy 2013 for you all.

 I'm looking forward to working towards some big goals with my work this year and I wanted to share with you the lovely new materials that I am starting to work with in the studio!

Treasure! A friend of mine has kindly given me her collection of lovely lace, buttons and fabrics
 which I can't wait to get started on!

Off cuts of Harris Tweed which I'm transforming into brooches

I've also been waiting to show you my first pieces knitted using double pointed needles! I used a pattern for Owl cable finger-less gloves from the beautiful Molly Makes magazine and I caught up with a good friend of mine this week to give them to her as a Christmas present! I found the double pointed needles a little fiddly at first, especially when the cable needle came into play (!) but I quickly got used to it and now I want to make a pair for myself and everyone I know!

Owl gloves!

Lace Making!

The amount of Bobbins we needed to use for one tiny piece  was daunting at first! We started with 10 pairs!

Yesterday my good friend Louisa and I were lucky enough to spend the day with a lovely patient lady who is teaching us to make lace! It's something I've always wanted to try but know very little about, so we jumped at the chance to have a go!

I love knitting and felting because I am excited by the idea of creating something from nothing- creating a whole new fabric from raw materials, and lace making ticks these boxes too. Although it took me a while to master the stitches and create a tiny section, it was very satisfying to watch this tiny piece of fabric take shape. Of course I'm already thinking of how I could make lace with wool, and I'm even thinking about blowing up a lace pattern to see if I could make giant lace! Much experimentation is needed and I'm excited to see how I can develop lace making into my work!

We punched holes in our pattern for the pins, which you then build the lace around using pairs of Bobbins with  fine cotton thread 

Although it required a lot of concentration, I also found it to be a very therapeutic process, and I imagine it was once a very social craft, in much the same way that knitting fashionably is today. I feel very privileged that we have the opportunity to learn this skill because unfortunately it's not a commonly practiced craft anymore. However I think now we've tried it we'll be hooked!

You don't need vast amounts of equipment to start lace making, just a  pattern, brass pins, bobbins, cotton thread and  a solid "cushion" to attach your work to- you could make one using polystyrene covered in fabric. Plenty of coffee and cake is also recommended!  

 I'll keep you updated on our lace making progress, there are so many exciting possibilities that I am really looking forward to learning more!