Category: Craft ideas
On March 18th, 2013 by Pippa Jameson.
I am currently the prop stylist for a gorgeous new book called ‘Children’s Party Food’, published by Kyle Books and shot by the talented Jemma Watts. If we stay on track, it should be on your shelves by September 2013. The very delicious recipes are by Hats & Bells (Hatty Stead and Annabel Waley-Cohen) and tried, tested and produced by Gee Charman.
We are half way through the book and my waistline is fast expanding, on the plus side, my children are beginning to LOVE my job, never before have they received such delicious treats on a daily basis! Below are just some of the gorgeous homeware accessories from my vast prop room! Many thanks again to VV Rouleaux for your gorgeous ribbons and China & Co for your endless props!
Click here to take a look at our last book with Kyle, Cook on a Shoestring by Sophie Wright.
Posted under Craft ideas, Design post, Home accessories, Interior Styling, Vintage
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On January 23rd, 2013 by Pippa Jameson.
Having just come back from Interiors UK , I had the pleasure of visiting Pitfields Pop up shop and cafe (and sampling one of their blueberry muffins – very good!) Attracting the creative and curious and based in the heart of Shoreditch, Pitfield London is an eclectic emporium of beautiful, unique and attention grabbing homewares. At the show, they managed to create a stylish and homely space using lots of their signature pieces, including enamel teapots, mugs, vintage floral chinaware, chunky knit throws and brightly upholstered furniture items. The cafe and seating area was simple yet creative. Marked out with bright yellow steel supports, the area was busy and colorful. Up-cycled apple crates were padded out with large blue glitter cushions and for the seating area, shipping boxes had been stacked together to create several vintage looking breakfast bars, but to top it all off, they had a £7,000 copper octopus suspended over their product display! (see image below). If you are in the Shoreditch area any time soon, I strongly recommend a visit to their shop where you will discover vintage finds, designer wallpapers and carpets, reworked furniture, inspiring gifts and much more…
Posted under Craft ideas, Ethical Interiors, Events, Furniture, Trend Stories, Vintage
On January 14th, 2013 by Pippa Jameson.
Have you ever revamped an old chair? As trends change, the furniture we once loved can suddenly look ugly, dated and very shabby, which is exactly what happened to my set of dining chairs (image below). My husband was insistent that we took them to the skip, but I had other ideas ;0) Nothing gets skipped in our household until I am sure it can’t be up-cycled, free-cycled or painted! On this occasion it was an up-cycle procedure.
I had some gorgeous mustard fabric left over from a fashion shoot, and so I thought I would have a go at re-upholstering (similar fabric found here). I would like to point out at this stage, I have never re-upholstered a chair like this before, but seeing as nearly every household owned one just like this in early 2000, I thought it only right to have a go. You now have the option of bringing yours into the 21st century…!
You will need
- A chair
- Staple gun
- Scissors
- Gloves (if you have a lot of chairs to do as it helps to protect nails)
- Fabric of your choice, it needs to be fairly thick
- Cut out a rectangular panel and drape it over the back rest , leaving about 3 inches all around the edges.
- Push fabric ends into the crease, where the seat meets the back of the chair.
- Pull the fabric taught at the sides and top to create a smooth appearance. Now staple down the sides and top to fix this panel in place (don’t worry too much about neatness as this will be covered, it’s just important to pull the fabric tight!)
- Now cut a seperate piece of fabric to cover the back panel, leaving about 3 inches around the edges.
- Start at the top and fold the fabric in on itself, then staple. Next do the sides, keeping the fabric taught at all times, leave the bottom hanging down.
- Pull the bottom panel down tightly and turn the chair upside, then staple it to the underneath of the chair.
- Take care to make neat folds at the corners (see image ref).
- Cut a square large enough to cover the seat and again, tuck the fabric in to conceal the ends.
- Pull the fabric taught at the sides, turn the chair upside down and then tuck the fabric under to make a neat edge.
- Staple all around keeping the fabric taught, making sure the staples are nice and neat.
Posted under Craft ideas, Ethical Interiors, Interior Styling, Livingroom, Trend Stories
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On December 31st, 2012 by Pippa Jameson.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. If like me, you feel a little flat after all the festivities, then try to think about things that make you happy for 2013, through images…
Image 1: A long walk always blows away the cobwebs and is often where I find so much of my inspiration. Image 2: I love throws; cashmere, mohair, silk and wool, I think I have one in every material! I see it as an essential accessory for every bed and sofa ;0) Image 3: I will try to be as creative as I can at home and at work, I thought this picture demonstrated how something so simple can look so stylish. Image 4: A log fire makes me feel so happy, the crackle and smell of the burning wood brings back Childhood memories from the house I grew up in. It’s amazing how something can bring so much comfort. Image 5: Spring planting, this is the year when I plan to start my vegetable patch, a little way of I know but I love the idea of using these little sticks in the ground. 6: My family inspires me every day xx
What is your inspiration for 2013…?
Credits: Winter photo by: Haute Faves Deux. Selection of throws by Pale & Interesting. Creative Art by Sarah & Bendrix. Rustic log baskets by Pale & Interesting. Spring planting: Image by Brenda Hillenius. My family
Posted under Christmas, Craft ideas, Design post, Ethical Interiors, Fireplaces, Home accessories, Shabby chic, Vintage
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On October 24th, 2012 by Pippa Jameson.
It’s one week to go until Halloween which means it’s time to start planning the party! Don’t think that the dressing up and decor is just for the kids, we’d like to think our shoot below is tastefully set up for both! The photographer on this shoot was Jemma Watts and the stylist was myself. We used a selection of 3M products for hanging items on the wall. Happy Halloween!
4 Tips for creating a Halloween themed party!
- Think about where you are going to be entertaining friends and family, this set-up would work perfectly well in the kitchen, dining room or living room, as all you need is a table for food/sweets and a wall/ceiling to hang accessories. There are so many fun Halloween pieces to choose from when it comes to decorating your space, we chose items such as lanterns as they’re fun and add drama to the room.
- Once you have decided on your items, you’ll need to work out which Command products would be most suitable. For our Halloween lanterns, we used the small decorating clips from Command; they are perfect for most Halloween decorations and novelty string lights.
- Our Halloween board is a fun addition to the wall; you could always use a chalkboard and write your own Halloween menu or cocktail menu for the adults! To hang it on the wall, we used the clear medium hooks from Command. Before you hang anything from the hook it is important that you check the weight that it can hold by looking at the front of the packet. This hook can hang up to 2 pounds, or 900 grams.
- The small newspaper bags are a quick and easy way to create some fun props for your party and best of all, they are made from recycled items. Using an old newspaper, cut out a rectangle shape, then fold it over and stick the side and bottom, cut up strips of black paper and fill up your little bags leaving little spikes sticking out of the top. To attach them to the wall or desk then we would recommend the poster strips from Command, they are also great for attaching unframed pictures or photos to your wall.
Credits:
Paper lanterns, Hanging board, both Asda, Plates: Myhaus.com, Cards: Gettingpersonal.co.uk, Beetle labels, napkin, cards and tea towel, Warbeck & Cox.co.uk, Moth Mug: Myhaus.com, Skull: Asda
To find out more about 3M Command™ products, visit their Facebook page or check out their youtube channel.
Posted under Craft ideas, Events, Featured, Home accessories, Interior Styling, Trend Stories
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On August 28th, 2012 by Carrie Graham-Clarke.
When the sun finally came out this weekend, I decided I’d make the most of it and spend some time in the garden. In my garden there is a small patio area which is used for an outdoor seating area, and a kitchen garden with herbs. The patio is fairly packed with wooden planters, a rusted old bench, and plenty of the same old terracotta pots.. oh, and a garden gnome! It’s undoubtably a lovely area but it lacks in colour and character. I wanted to make changes that 1, wouldn’t cost too much, 2, would add colour and 3, would be quick and easy!
My first quick fix was to update the wood and wrought iron bench, which I sanded down then painted in a sky blue, outdoor gloss paint. Next on my list was the boring planters for the various herbs and flowers. I raided the garden and greenhouse – collecting lots of different shapes and sizes of terracotta pots to paint. I sealed the insides of all the pots before painting them in different colours. So as not to waste paint I had several 250 ml tester pots made up in my selected colours at Homebase – they only cost £2.50 and they go a long way. I chose bright colours with the intention of using contrasting coloured flowers for each pot. Once all the painted pots are dry I will mix them into groupings with different pots already on the patio.
Apart from the terracotta pots I wanted to find other planters that would add further interest – first stop, my local charity and antique shops. I was in luck and found a gorgeous old green metal watering-can which is now a planter for fresh mint. I was also hoping to come across a couple crates or wine boxes with interesting type or design, that I could line and use as a planter, but I wasn’t so lucky this time. From looking online, I’ve seen that Not On The High Street offer a fabulous crate which can be personalized with font and colour – click here to view.
Below are the images of my days work in the garden…
Posted under Craft ideas, Outdoors, Paint/fabric/wallpaper
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On April 2nd, 2012 by Meghan Plowman.
Bedroom furniture, like any furniture, is a really personal choice and will determine the kind of look you want to give your place of rest in the home.
Recently I have seen some really creative and interesting ways to incorporate bed heads into a room, and they aren’t necessarily expensive or your typical idea of what a headboard might be. These inspiring ideas are a fantastic reminder that things can be done in a different and inexpensive way, to achieve stylish and unique results!
Credits: 1.Framed bed head idea 2. Lovely, inexpensive and personal project by House Tweaking 3.A cool stencil 4. Shelving in place of a bedhead – functional and pretty, 5. Reclaimed doors to create height, My favourite – a great use for an old palette!
Finding a bed that is exactly what you are looking for can be difficult. However you can find a wide variety of beds online at dreams.co.uk which should make it that little extra bit easier.
Posted under Bedrooms, Craft ideas, Interior Styling
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On December 6th, 2011 by Carrie Graham-Clarke.
One of my favourite blogs to read has to be Sweet Paul, written by New York City based, Norwegian, Paul Lowe – a food and prop stylist. His craft creations and yummy recipes are used in many editorial and commercial projects; but most notably in his own online and free publication, Sweet Paul Magazine.
Paul’s Oslo heritage can be seen in all aspects of his work. Cleverly working light, texture and colour in an effortlessly chic way. Crafting also comes naturally to Paul which gives him the edge to think out of the box and create something truly special. His beautiful images and food creations will not only make your mouth water, but they’ll leave you inspired. Sweet Paul’s recipes are easy to follow and due to the rustic, fun nature of the images – you don’t feel intimidated to try them. The elegant recipes are for home, friends and family; rather than Masterchef professionals! All 172 pages of the Winter 2011 Sweet Paul Magazine are brimming with original and festive ideas for you to try. Personal favourites from this issue include ‘Make Your Own Paper’ Pg 28, ‘Christmas Pudding Cupcakes’ Pg 37, and the feature on a homemade ‘Natural Christmas’ Pg 53. The feature on crafting your own wreaths {Pg 118} offers a creative option to the old classics. Oh, and the Divine Chocolate feature {Pg 160}!! There’s just too make great features to choose from.
To view the Winter 2011 Sweet Paul Magazine please click here.
Posted under Blogs we love, Craft ideas, Design post, Interior Styling
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