Make me look beautiful darling

Ask any of my friends an family, went I was younger I was a proper tomboy. Until a few years ago, I had black eye shadow and lots of eyeliner but that was about it in the make up department.

So what changed you may ask...well I moved to London and met the fabulous Tatum who showed me the wonders of red lipstick

After that there was no going back and my wardrobe, make up and accessory collections have just kept growing. I badly need some good storage solution for it all but i want something that is easy to access and looks pretty too. 

Here are some of the idea's I've found while searching the web this week:

           

Magnetic Makeup Board - Laura Thoughts            Nail Polish Shelf - Flutter & Sparkle

I love this magnetic board by Laura. It's so pretty and just makes it so easy to find what you are looking for, rather than raking around that makeup bag. I also have a crazy amount of nail polish in my drawers so it would be great to make it into art on my wall instead.

                           

Hair Bow Storage Board - Remodalaholics           Hair Band Holder - Couturier Mommy

I have quite a collection of fascinators and hair bands but at the moment I'm using my guitar strings as my storage board for them (much to my boyfriend's despair). The ribbon idea is super simple and I'm definitely going to give it a go but the framed canvas is really cool as well - I'm starting to think about all the cool storage frames I can have up in my bedroom instead of art!!!

Jewelry Box - Sincerely, Kinsey

I LOVE THIS JEWELLERY BOX!!! What an amazing idea and a great use of upcycling. It would also be a great gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life - can you imagine how much jewellery you  could fit in one of those!

I just can't wait to get started on transforming my bedroom this year. I hope these tutorials have inspired you as much as they have me.

I'll be back xx

Upcycle with a little help from my friends

This weeks upcycling theme has had me searching high an low, all over the web for some inventive tutorials for you guys. As I was searching a massive grin came across my face every time I found a tutorial that reminded me of one of my loved ones so I'm going to share my favourites with you!

First one is for my awesome sister Kerry. She loves her cats (as do I) so as soon as I saw this tutorial, I started looking into parts so I could make one for her. Once I track some cute suitcases down, you can expect one of these in your house Ker!

Cazza - I can just see pop pop in one of these as well  :)

Cat Bed - Mother Earth Living

My brothers are mad about their record players! They have vinyls everywhere and are always ready for an open mic night, singing their blues songs and playing guitar. I thought this would be a great table for a record player and crazy simple to make as well so even they can do it!

Record Table - Kt Bing via cut out and keep

Loopy Lorna is the name of a lovely little tea room in Edinburgh but it's also the name of my fab mate from Uni. Whenever we find a a new fruit tea we like, we bring it round to the others house and when she moved out of her last flat she offered me a few teapots for my crafting cupboard, knowing that I'd find something to do with them. Well Lorna - your new house with its amazing garden and your teapots inspired me and I went searching for a bird feeder. 

Lorna has a mini wildlife park in her garden which is a means for fun stories every time we meet (especially those mental bunnies) so here is an idea for your garden which made me smile

Bird Feeder - Intimate Weddings

Last year my gladiator of a mate Tatum, cycled all the way from London to Paris! I know - how impressive is she!!!! When I lived in London we were always working on some new crafty idea for our houses and this one made me think of you hun. I'm sure your lovely fiance won't mind you borrowing one of his wheels...

Bicycle Wheel Clock - Upcycle that

When I think of my friend Lucy, two words spring to mind - Dinosaurs & Baking. Could this tutorial be any more perfect!

Dinosaur Serving Dish - Three Little Monkeys Studio

Every year for my boyfriends birthday and Christmas his eyes light up as he knows his Jack Daniels stock will be replenished and before you know it the empty bottles start piling up as we all help him drink it through the festive periods. I will definitely be making this soap dispenser for my kitchen - it's quirky and a great way to recycle those empties...guess what you are all getting for Christmas next year :)

Soap Dispenser - Curly Birds

Since I was a wee nipper, my best mate Louise has always been there for me so I was over the moon when last year I could repay the favour and be her bridesmaid.

Louise planned her wedding to a T and it all paid off as it truly was a fabulous event! Her mum was like a crafting superhero and worked tirelessly to make her little girls day memorable and one of my favourite memories was the wedding breakfast. I remember walking into the room and being wowed by the amount of effort she had gone to and how beautiful the table looked. I especially loved the tissue pom poms she made and these coffee filter ones reminded me of them

coffee filter flowers - a subtle revelry 

Fireman Neil is my geek mate. Be it music, computer games or the new Game of Thrones season - he's round on our couch in a flash to geek out and unwind after a hard days work, so when I saw this picture I thought of you...

Skyrim Picture - Insomnia Studios

An NHS trolley upcycled with vintage magazines - this could only be for my brain box bestie who has worked up and down the country to help keep improving the health care we all receive. I can just imagine Catriona and her gorgeous girls baking on top of this.

NHS Trolley - Handmade & Vintage

You know that friend who is always there ready with a glass of wine when you have had a horrible day, well mine loooooves giraffes! This is an awesome tutorial for an awesome friend and I can't wait to keep collecting those corks with you Corinne.

Cork Sculpture Giraffe - Lil Blue Boo

Last but far from least a tutorial that reminds me of my best friend in the world - my mum!

When I was little my mum was always making things for or with me and I owe my crafting skills to all the encouragement she has given me over the years. From letting me paint my own mural on our playroom wall to cutting up her own wedding dress so I could play dress up with my friends, my mum had an endless supply of ideas and activities which meant life was never a dull place. 

I remember one of my primary school friends was leaving for OZ and was having a woolly jumper party. Everyone turned up in their best jumper but I stood out from the crowd in my brand new dress - made from one of my mums jumpers. This one reminded me of you mum, love you a million times over xxxx

Jumper Dress - Make it Love it

I've had the lovely walk down memory lane as I was looking through these tutorials and I hope you have enjoyed a little insight into my life and the amazing people I have around me. Of course, I couldn't mention everyone I love, but don't worry - I'll be blogging about you one day, you can count on that!

My plan was to inspire you with the people who inspire me - so get searching on the web for tutorials that remind you of your loved ones and make them something really special this year.

I'll be back xxx

Blackboard Photo Frame

As promised yesterday, here's my tutorial on how to make your very own Blackboard Photo Frame.

I love blackboards! Maybe it's because I work in technology, but there is just something really satisfying about leaving someone a blackboard message, rather than sending them a text. I'd seen the idea of using a photo / mirror frame with a blackboard in a local pub and couldn't wait to get home to try it out.


Before you can start, you'll need

• A frame which can be any size an shape you want
• a MDF board cut to the size of your frame (some B&Q's etc will cut it for you) 
• blackboard paint (again I got mine from B&Q)
• glue gun
• hammer and nails

Step 1
Paint one side of your MDF with the blackboard paint, giving it a couple of coats and leave to dry

Tip: whilst this is drying - if you also want to change the colour of your frame then it's a good idea to paint them at the same time so your drying time isn't doubled!

Step 2
Put glue round the back of your frame - if there is a grove where the glass would have fitted in, then you can glue this part so that the board sits flush in the frame

Step 3
I was worried about hanging the blackboard as it's something that we would be drawing on all the time so I didn't want it to be wobbly. I ended up holding it up on the wall and my boyfriend hammering a nail into each corner of the MDF (inside the frame). This means it doesn't move at all but if you are worried about putting that many holes in your wall you could screw in picture hooks and string it up like a normal frame but it won't be as sturdy.

Then you are good to go - it's really as simple as that!

Happy Crafting xx

Upcycling - Start with something simple

About to through out that old piece of furniture or sick of your old clothes, well STOP and think about all your upcycling possibilities before you do!!!

Upcycling is a great way to vamp up those unwanted items and you feel extra proud of not only your creative skills but also doing your part to help the environment by recycling. Some people fine this quite a daunting term but it doesn't need to be complicated. Today we are going to start of with something really easy but can totally change a room...Picture Frame Artwork

For a while we have thought our livingroom wall was quite plain and we were looking for a large piece of artwork to fill in all that blank space but everything we loved was quite expensive. I loveeee photographs so we decided to come up with something using all the photo frames we had lying around as they had started to make the house look a bit cluttered (not going to lie - we had to by a few extras as well) and the end result looks like this:

We started buy painting all the photo frames black so they matched (I found for the more detailed vintage style frames it was easier to spray paint to get in all the nooks and crannies) and then filled them with a mixture of black and white photos and our favourite home made pieces of artworks our friends have made us.

Using the mounted television as a central point we started putting the frames on the wall, taking turns at stepping back to make sure it fitted well with all the others we had already put up. I love the finish effect as it's a piece of art that is personalised to us and our loved ones - which is priceless!

REMEMBER to check the walls for cables etc before hammering so many nails

Or if photos aren't your thing - you could pick up wall paper samples from your local DIY store and place them in frames to make your own piece of art

Here are a range of tutorials other people have made with their own take on this idea

Bedroom Wall Gallery - Doodlecraft

Chalkboard Seating Chart - "I Do" it yourself

Artwork Peg Board - Make it & Love it

Earring Stand - House to Home

I've also made my own blackboard photo frame which I'll be putting up a tutorial for later in the week

Well I hope this has inspired you to look around your house and see what you could transform into something new. Please comment on this page or send me and email at craftalavista@gmail.com if you would like ideas on transforming a specific item and we will see what we can come up with!

Happy Crafting xxxx