Dream Interiors | Shed to Craft Room Make over!

Im beginning to become slightly obsessed with "interior makeovers" as I am in desperate need of a dedicated craft room. I stumbled upon the most inspiring make over I have seen in a long time.... 

This is the shed after the makeover... its so cute and gorgeous! A perfect little haven belonging to Artemis Russel of Tales of a Junkaholic!

Book Review | Gizzis Kitchen Magic

I ordered this a few weeks ago, giddy with excitement I opened the book and read through each page to choose my favourites - and there were many. I love this book.. It has gorgeous imagery throughout and a beautiful image of Gizzy herself as soon as you open the book. 

Flickr Group | Hidemi Ceramic

Heidemi Ceramic Design Specialises in Plates and bowls in a gorgeous white ceramic with different patterns.As soon as I saw this work I fell inlove!! I had to go noseying through her Flickr profile,  obviously, as I was itching to see if she had an Etsy Shop or a Blog... What I found out was far more interesting! (Disappointed I cant purchase these here in ireland).

How perfect are these lace effect bowls? I want to learn how to create ceramics!! Forgive me, I digress.... back to the wonderful world of "Hidemi Ceramics" background!

Weekend DIY | Paper Circles Garland | Guest Post by Kathryn Stephens!

Hello lovelies!! Its the weekend again and I have the cutest little DIY from Kathryn Stephens from Kings Among Runaways Blog.

Kathryn's Blog is intensely cute and as soon as I saw this DIY for a paper Circle garland I had to ask her to post it up here at Heart Handmade!

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Learning To Crochet | The Treble Stitch and a Potholder Tutorial!

Ok so.. I did do this tutorial BUT like a numpty... i cut the ends of the thread so when there was tension it ripped a little. SO i have had to start again!!

If you guys are just starting to learn to crochet and joining in check out the tutorials here for how to chain and double AND learn the lingo :p

oh btw.. It REALLY HELPS if you have an assistant... just to help with that really hard task of unravelling yarn...

the only problem with some assistants is their drool control... drooly yarn is gross

Dream Interiors | Major Makeover In a Scandinavian Spare Room

 From trawling my interior design blogs and my new love for Google translator and scandinavian blogs... I discovered this the most gorgeous but rather large make over undertaken for a dark little spare room.

I love how this has turned out!! The before images are below and you can see such a difference!

Cute Overload!! | Crochet Patterns

Ok so I am almost addicted to this etsy store - I have been trying to find cute crochet patterns and voila....

Is he not the cutest little kitty cat out there?

Learning To Crochet | How to Hold Your Yarn

ok so, I realised that there are a few things I forgot to Include with some previous posts.. Important Information like Learning to Hold your hook and your yarn. I learnt in my own way.. I totally hold yarn and hooks wrong after seeing this diagram!! And this diagram is for right handed folks!!

*How To Crochet - Right Handed

Crocheting has long been a folk art that is both functional and beautiful. This How-to was written to give southpaws the basic stitches and their abbreviations often used in standard crochet with left-handed images. You may find that it is helpful to use this information as a reference guide, especially since most guides are for right-handers! The instructions are designed for a beginner or for someone coming back to the art after a long period. I hope you enjoy using the information!

Flickr Group Fave | Tanya Mac

Hey guys! Welcome to this weeks Flickr Group faves :) 

I was so pleased to see some new faces in the group and I fell head over heels in love with the crafts of this expectant craft mother!!

Weekend DIY | Fabric Labels for Stitching

Ok so this DIY is to make your own Fabric Labels! With your logo, icon, name etc. For this bad boy I used tshirt inkjet printer paper because its cheaper than buying Canvas or Fabric paper for the Inkjet. 

 This was my little version, I should have made my name black to make it stand out but I can fix it! 


I made this up as I went along but Im almost 100% certain there are other versions of this!

 What you need - 
Scissors
Cotton Twill Tape 
TShirt Transfer Paper (i dont recommend a particular brand this was just in the house - to be honest this one wasnt great. The Canon version is a lot better)
An Iron
A computer editing program where you can measure your "logo" and flip the image.


and an Inkjet Printer

DIY Journals | Doodle Journal Vol 1

Two posts in one day! how lucky are you ? :p I thought I would share images of the doodle journal i made from my sick bed at the start of the week!

Its a catalogue I tore apart - trimmed the edges and sewed up together with leather necklace cord.

Learning To Crochet | The Granny Square

Ok so If you have been with me the past couple of weeks you now know this is the week if the granny square!! Below is an image of the little basket i keep beside my bed to store the granny squares I make for my blankey!

There are many different versions out there and different tutorials. The stitches you need to know are the Chain Stitch,  slip stitch and the DC Double Crochet Stitch. If you dont how to do either of these click the links to check previous posts for instructions!! 

I will also be posting some more basics for the Learning To Crochet Page for people who are joining us late! These include Holding the yarn, changing colour and tying off. Its so difficult to organise these posts properly but I am getting there!! on to the square!

Product Love | Romantic Kitchenware | Pricewars

Ok so... I am really loving the romantic kitchen ware and cuteness that is about online at the moment... 

 I cant wait for the release of Selina Lakes new book! 

A wedding on Friday...

so yes! We went to a wedding on friday.. just the reception for a short time but it was nice to get dolled up for once. It's been a long time! 

What is with the dorky teeth? My mum shouted at me because i dont show my teeth in photos.. this was the attempt!! I got my hair put up in the hair dressers for the first time in a long time.. I loved my hair style! My hair has been super short since i was about 14 so Ive been growing it this year for both weddings i attended. I plan to keep it this length for such times as this because i can have it curly or up.. done and done. Although, I was a fire hazard and when i took it out this morning it looked the same from the front but CRAZY at the back. Like something from alien.

Flickr Group | Pilli Pilli Love

Theres been a great response on the hearthandmade flickr group!! Im really pleased :) lots of people have joined and people should definitely post more!! Thanks to this group i discovered some fabulous new crafters i absolutely adore!!

No.1 for this week is...

 Pilli Pilli... she has a fabulous Etsy Store and I am so in love with this embdoiered garland hoop and the little sewing kit along the side!! 

You can find her on...
Flickr
Etsy 
Pilli Pilli Blog

I have added so many new items to my wishlist after finding some lovely new folks on the flickr group!! Keep adding photographs and wait for next weeks fave :)  

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Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Weekend DIY | Upcycled Tshirt Fringed Scarf

So here is one super duper easy afternoon DIY!! You can have the weekend to gather supplies though if you need to :) 

Click to read more...

Learning To Crochet | Crochet Double Stitch

Ok so here we are on week two of the double crochet stitch!! I will tell you now... Rachel Denbow is the reason I learnt to crochet... through our summer camp there was a tutorial to make the most adorable floor rug... 

 but i couldnt crochet... so a learning i did! Im not up to the stage of making this at all... well i could but i found it very very difficult to do with tshirt yarn! So off to youtube i went and learnt how to do the double crochet from this video!

Dream Interiors | The Perfect Dining Room

So this month.. I have decided I am fed up with the dining room.. its at the back of the house and there is absolutely no natural light in the room during the day. Originally my studio was in the front room with lots of light and it was beautiful but now thats the living room... the dark dining room is so... uninspiring.. and doubles up as a place for me to work... BUT.. I was hoping that could change...I am hoping to use the spare room for doing work but it depends where the bed is going!! This week I was trying to find lots of tips to brighten/decorate a dark room and of course... Mirrors and white paint..the obvious...

My love! my inspiration!! after i saw this photograph i bought a milk glass planter as soon as i found one!

 My chairs are white, the bookcases are white... shouldnt be a problem? We have light blue on the walls at the minute and its so dirty! just from hands etc touching the wall.. and where the table has been against the wall... i think it needs fresh paint but i am not looking forward to having to clear out to get it painted!! Although its rented accomodation it is definitely worth putting fresh paint on the walls.. its nice to look at!

So with white in mind..Scandinavian followed... so i went searching and pinning on my favourite site pinterest :) 

Shop Focus | CSN Stores

Im really excited to be able to tell you I am soon doing a product review for CSN Stores!! So now to choose the products! 
Recently I have been after lights for the house.. a new desk lamp after seeing a bright green one in a magazine and a new floor light for the living room because the cat knocked over the one we have from ikea and now theres a hole in the paper! 

Luckily for me CSN stores have several different sites in the UK so I have been browsing... and trying to think of things we *need* for the house more than the items i really really want! 

http://www.csnstores.co.uk

http://www.allmodern.co.uk/

http://www.cookwarebycsn.co.uk/

http://www.furniturebycsn.co.uk/

http://www.lightingbycsn.co.uk/

http://www.tvstands.co.uk/


Decisions decisions.. ive seen a lamp and a possible tv stand... the tv stand we have at the minute was propped up on one side by several dvds once upon a time.. I think that would be a better investment possibly!

Then there's le cruset.. which CSN stores sell.... there are the most adorable soup bowls with lids!! Perfect for a photo prop and winter soups... or the teal collection...


For some reason blogger isnt letting me include photos so I will update later!

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Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Inspire Lovely Art Class | Pages 1-3

My class for August was the Inspire Lovely Class by Debee Campos, It was a great steal at $20! Debee is so inspiring but its hard work keeping up with the new challenges everyday!!

 This page was created using watercolours, spray paint didnt really work as the white turned a bit yellowy so I used artists ink and a drip technique. These acetate frames I received in a swap a long time ago.. I cannot find anything like them in the UK and it is really really frustrating. I tried using my sewing machine and it TORE THE PAGE! broke my heart... so i resorted to hand embroidery. 

Stupid sewing machine. I love this page!

The second class was about creating mood boards.. I chose the colour yellow and got collecting and shooting. I found styling my pieces fairly difficult. I need to get into the habbit of it i guess!

I really like the concept of moodboards.. I may continue :) 

I love my daisy and this fabric behind is my absolute favourite!

My second layout consists of these printed moodboard pictures and i printed the black frame from google images and cut out! Also used the artists ink here too.

The third page! An inspiration board on paper :) again the sewing machine wrecked the bottom of this page! I used chalks on the background and aritsts ink. The pink doily was dyed last month with food colouring for my birthday party. 

Shop Focus | Made By Mo

I havent done a shop focus in quite some time... possibly because I had to stop shopping before my birthday!! Well now its back... and Im in love with these goodies by one of my fave crafty bloggers Work and Process .

This is the most adorable deer stuffie i have found and a total bargain at 12 Euro!

 This lil Reindeer is available in White, Black and Grey. You can view the listing here. 

Who doesn't love clouds?

How about when they are magnets? These are fabulous!! Available in different colours :) 

 View the listing here.

This is a gorgeous handmade felt journal...

 And those lil wooden guys are brooches. 

This cushion is adorable!! 

 I also adore this scarf!! Check out the shop for more felt bird magnets and other scarfs and bags :)

Weekend DIY | Framed Dry Erase Board

This weekend we have an incredibly easy DIY! Who doesnt love a dry erase board?!

Join The HeartHandmade Flickr Group

Hey guys! I am so pleased to announce the Hearthandmade Flickr group is up and running! I set it up because I am SO SO happy that i inspire so many people and I am very grateful to all of my followers and I want to see where the inspiration takes them!

I get inspired by you guys on a daily basis and I love looking at images at what other people have created!

Please post the following types of images to the groups -

art journals

crochet

knitting

sewing

embroidery

tutorials

tutorials you have followed (along with credits) 

art

Craft rooms

sewing rooms

anything you have made yourself!! 

I cannot wait to see what you guys post! Im so excited to share this with you all and finally I will get to see more Pot holder Memo Boards if theyve been made!

See you soon lovelies! Leave a comment to let me know you are signing up! xoxo

Indie Business Tips | Effective Online Selling Intro

*Note: This is an original post by Ashley Paul of Indie Pretty Projects.

All credit for this post goes to Ashley and I thank her for posting such a fantastic series but i find it so difficult to read on her blog as all links click into new pages and i cant save as a pdf I have decided to blog... so i will read while posting and hopefully continue to refer back to. This is an ingenious, simple set of instructions that should be well read and retained!  I will be continuing this series and posting up links as long as i need to keep learning and growing and feel confident in myself to be a kick ass small business owner.

There is a lot of information out there, and personally, I don’t feel there is any need to have to purchase it from someone when there are literally hundreds of people out there who are willing to help you out for free. Of course, this means that not all advice and information may be good or sound, but you have to take it all with a grain of salt and use it as a stepping stone to research the important things yourself.

Right now, there are a lot of resources readily available to crafters and indie businesses, for free. Examples are: indie business blogs; indie business-oriented websites; crafting social networking sites; crafting venue forums, such as Etsy, which even have mentor lists for one-on-one attention. The amount of information out there is endless, but the problem is that it isn’t consolidated and you have to do a lot of searching yourself.

I've decided to write and compile a series of blog posts aimed at alerting, informing, and educating indie sellers and crafters. I have never purchased a guide that will tell you how to better your shop, start a shop, market better, use promotional tools, or anything else, so I cannot attest to their usefulness or truthfulness. It is for this reason that I have decided to start my own, free guide here on this blog, based on my own personal experiences, and what I have learned over the past 19 months selling my craft online. Each lesson will be a different blog post, and I will also provide a printable version if you’re the type that likes to take notes and check things off. The lessons will range from beginner to experienced, so some may interest you and some may not.

I am not claiming to be an expert or all-knowing, nor am I claiming to be better than those guides for sale or that my free guide will be all-inclusive. What I am hoping is that someone can find some applicable information and not have to spend hard-earned money to attain it.

I have three Etsy shops, an Art Fire studio, and a 1000 Markets shop. I have already posted a tutorial for selling on 1KM, and I plan to do the same for Etsy and Art Fire. When there are topics I don’t know about, I won’t just b.s. the info – I will have expert input and interviews with those who are trained or have experience.

The Lesson schedule is as follows. I may add more lessons, or prioritize them as I go:

1. Writing a business plan
2. Setting up an indie business – legal issues, supplies, organization
3. Tax Time – an interview with an accountant
4. Setting up Shop on Etsy (Basic Beginner)

• User names
• Banners and avatars
• Shop Categories
• Shop Announcement
• Artist Profile
• Shop Policies
• Notes to Customer
• Listing an item
• Shipping profiles

5. Setting up a studio on Art Fire (Basic Beginner)
6. Creating a cohesive shop look – the essentials
7. Your Brand Image (With advice from an industry expert)

• What does branding mean?
• Your public image
• Logo
• Slogans
• Business cards, packaging, etc.

8. Promoting and Marketing – Expert interviews

• Where to promote
• How to promote
• Costs
• Media / Press kit
• Getting yourself featured
• Word of mouth and grass roots ideas

9. Etsy Basics Part 2

• Re-listing
• Renewing
• Sold Orders
• Conversations
• Browsing Etsy fl Ways to shop
• Treasuries
• Shop Local
• Etsy Minis

10. Pricing your time and work – expert interview
11. The United States Postal Service – tentative interview with a postal worker

• Shipping a package
• USPS rules
• Rates
• Print shipping from home
• International Shipping

12. Shop Statistics – where your customers came from, how they got there, and how many are visiting
13. Having a sale – getting the word out, making it effective
14. Giveaways – on your own blog, someone else’s, or sending out samples
15. Branching out from onlines sales: Selling in a Brick and Mortar Store

• Wholesale
• Consignment
• Community Markets
• Tradeshows and Craft Fairs – expert interviews

16. Social Networking sites – The Good, The Bad, and the Overwhelming

• Twitter
• Facebook Business Pages
• Myspace
• Squidoo
• Ning Sites

17. Creating your own website
18. Setting up a Blog

• What to blog about?
• How to keep it fresh
• Where and how to attract readers

19. Life balance - Scheduling your time and organizing your life
20. Photos - taking well-lit, focused, and interesting pictures (tentative expert interview)
21. Online Tools at your disposal

• Google Alerts
• Google Base
• Craft Cult
• Craftopolis
• Google Links
• More!

Please feel free to post comments, questions, and criticisms at the end of each lesson, if you have them. What works for some may not work for others, and if there is something that you yourself may know a thing or two about, please share your thoughts and ideas with others.

Additionally, if you feel you are an expert in any of these categories, please feel free to contact me before I post the lesson and I would love to add your input and perspective as well (you'd be credited, of course).

Learning To Crochet | Crochet Basics | Foundation, Chain and Double

Ok so.. Since you have all been so wonderful with me learning to crochet and I have had a lot of questions about where I learnt I thought I would share links and details!

Credit - Good Knits

The initial link i went to for learning how to "cast on" (I dont even know what its called in crochet!!) was at About.com. I did not like this tutorial at all so i did not link it.. but that was just me personally! Read on for better instructions.

I then discovered the fabulous Purl Bee instructions on Making a foundation Chain although, they assume you know what a slip knot is. I did because of knowing the basics of knitting but I know many who are starting from scratch. If you dont know what a slip knot is or how to make one......

1. 
   
   
   
   Pick up the yarn approximately 12cm (5") from the end with your left hand.
   
2. 
   
   
   
   Create a loop by taking the long end of the yarn (attached to the ball) and winding it over the top of the shorter end. Hold the point where the yarns cross, creating the loop, tightly between your left thumb and forefinger.
3. 
   
   
   
   Use your right hand take the long end of the yarn (attached to the ball) and put it under the loop and up through it, creating a new loop.
4. 
   
   
   
   Take the new loop with your right hand and pull until the first loop has tightened
5. 
   
   
   
   Place this new loop over the end of your knitting needle or crochet hook and pull the long end of the yarn to close the loop over the needle.

Credit for slip knot tutorial: Wikihow

And now for your foundation chain..

Begin with a slip knot on the hook.. which you should have done if you checked above!

Wrap the yarn around the hook from back to front.

Draw the original slip knot you started with forward.... (keeping the yarn you just brought from back to front under the little hook)... over the hook. So your original slip knot is now the chain and the yarn you brought from back to front is now the loop on the crochet needle.

and just repeat the process.. Once you have figured this out you are set. My original issue was that it wasn't posted in lamens terms. I am no idiot, not at all, im actually quite smart... but when you have two pieces of yarn on a needle and the instructions say "draw the yarn over the yarn" I sat in my living room shouting at the laptop and the crochet needle until my MALE housemate showed me what to do because he had seen his mum do it so many times! So i simplified it! Basically, the pictures are from purl bee, I ammended the instructions! Picture credit here.

So then came the double crochet stitch... say what now?

Exactly!

Enter the video tutorial....

This video was perfect. I did it slowly, it took a couple of gos but i got it in the end and man i have not stopped!!

Although I will warn you.. this was my first Double Crochet row....

"emmmmm... what? Is this right?"

dont worry lol the tension was too tight! I straightened it out and did the next row and it was fine!

This was the progress!! i got really confused because I wasnt paying attention properly and ended up stitching down the side and everywhere but I kept the mistakes in to remember my first crochet project :)

Here is how it turned out.. I love it :)

It has now been framed lol. (I intenetionally made it 6x4 so i could frame it, i just used a postcard for sizing questimations!)

There are lots of little projects you can do with these stitches. I did several until i was confident that i could do these stitches. I then learnt how to do granny squares but thats next weeks post :) The bad thing about the tutorials I used.. is that i can only read american patterns which means uk books will be quite useless to me.. I should have thought about this!