My Birthday!

Last week was my birthday! :-) Yeay! despite turning the dreading twentyone (I'm still not quite over the fact I stopped being a teenager last year!) I was super excited and had a fab time in Preston & in Hull :-) We had a fancy dress night in Preston dressed crayons :-)

Maps

Recently, I've become really interested in pretty maps. They don't tend to be used anymore and I'm pretty sure we have a fair few map books lying around in the house that I may be able to get my hands on! I remember when I was little we were given old map books as scrap paper to doodle on and I loved going through and circling all the symbols like they were pretty pictures decorating the page. This post is map inspired and I'm hunting the web to find some pretty cute map crafts that I fancy having a go at doing myself! :-) Enjoy!

This cool map corkboard! I'd love to make a UK shaped one and pin little memos on my favourite parts :-)
tutorial via design sponge

This super cute map stationary set is fab! you could cover allsorts in maps, like diarys and notebooks!
via design sponge

Map  magnets! DEFINATELY going to be making these! Pretty sure I have some glass pebbles lying around too!
via letbirdzfly

Map storage boxes - such a clever way to tidy up non-matching boxes!
via ikea hackers

to match the boxes above!...
via Kensington Cottage

Love love love! Need to have a go at making one of these!
Not on the highstreet

so cute!
via etsy

I'd love a room full of shelves with the names of places I'd travelled like this, with little souvenirs scattered around too!
via bluemossgirls

Map travel journal! love it!
via Vintagepagedesigns

eek! love it!
via not on the high street

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for lots of map books in the charity shops this christmas! I've got lots of inspiration to keep me busy! :-) 

xx

Modcloth Post #2

So I promised you some more ModCloth lovelies! & here they are...

Owl Shower Curtain Hooks!

A-Maz-Ing!

*cough* *cough*

Eek! The mini panda is the cutest!

Looks just like my business cards!

I just melted.

Lol!

need! need! need!

Soooo Pretty!!!!

If anyone is feeling generous in this festive period - feel free to buy me any of these :-) I'd be ever so grateful! :-D

xx

Abigail Brown

I thought I'd share with you some textile designers I really like and am inspired by! It's good to know whats out there and I love searching the web for new stuff to make me 'ohh' & 'ahh' This week its Abigial Brown - she creates the most gorgeous little creatures from new and old materials heres her website - Abigail Brown - and heres what she does! :-) 

Love her work! such a clever way to use scrap pieces of fabrics too! :-)

xx

Etsy Gifts

 

Heres my little list of etsy gifts I wish I could afford to give this Christmas! Sadly - a student budget doesn't support the hardworking craftsman :-(

Via.

(closest I'll ever get to rolling around in money) Via.

Via.

Via.

Via.

Via.

Via.

Via.

Via.

Celebration Brief

So this semester we've been given a lot of freedom to choose and pick what we'd like to do, and as I love to work with unconventional materials - I chose to work with plastics! Despite all my grief with the plastic jewellery project last year - I've grown to quite enjoy it and I can see the rest of my work going that way too! Heres my (almost) final piece for the current project. My inspiration came from a brief for the Hand & Lock Competition - I realise its supposed to be for embroidery work, however I chose the theme as a starting point, intrigued as to where it would take me. From the celebration I was inspired by confetti and its repitition and it led me to this...

xx

Christmas Stall

Here are my piccies from the Christmas Fayre - Sorry about the poor quality! Only had my phone with me :-( Think I need to start putting my camera in my handbag all the time again!

One of my favourite things...

I love online shopping. Those of you who know me personally will know I'm an addict! It's so much easier to spend hours just trailing through websites to find the perfect thing rather than going round crowded shops in wet miserable weather to buy a compromise because you didn't find the perfect thing! I#ll share with you one of my favourite sites - ModCloth. I use to share quite a bit from this site on the old blog (www.thevioletsquirrel.blogspot.com) & thought I'd carry it on here!

Took some snaps of my uni work earlier too! I shall be sharing what I've been up to this semester shortly :-)

Btw - This post is so much more difficult than it looks as theres SO much stuff that I LOVE on that site!

I'd go through thses SO quickly! :-)

SO Cute! I'd give lots to my mum!

Hedgehog dryer balls!

Eeeeeeee! I NEED this!

Egg Yolk pan trivet!

Wish I could afford to pay £15 for this 'Cat-ula'for my Mum this Christmas!

Thats all for now! I shall post another load of my faves another time! I'll also find some more exciting shops which I hope you'll love as much as me! :-)

xx

Christmas Crafts!

All this year I've been saying I really want to buy all handmade christmas presents, however the lack of funds this year means I've not been able to do this :-( I'd love to be able to support local businesses and give something a little different this year! However, cheaper more run of the mill presents it shall have to be! Heres a little Christmas decoration wishlist off Etsy that I'd love to be able to buy though!

Crochet Christmas Pud!

Gingerbread House Ornament

Handcarved Wooden Santa Brooch

Needle Felted Snowman