Callaloo Soup

Tuesday To-Do | Update a Tray With "Kapla" Planks

Last summer I bought a couple of trays with removable bottoms meaning to do something amazing with them. You know how you have these grand ideas right? The bottom part of the trays were made out of a kind of particle board, just waiting to be altered. Of course they got pressed into service without any adjustment whatsoever!

But one day while sorting though my hoarded, ahem stored, items, I came across two tubs of fake Kapla planks, that we'd been given for Kieran. He loves playing with Kapla, but unfortuntely, these off-brand ones didn't work well, so they were sitting idly in the garage. Total lightbulb moment when I realised I could use them for crafts!

I had managed to paint the bottom of the tray before with one coat of white paint, but that as much as I'd done. Now it was time to spruce it up!

You'll need:

Wooden tray

Wood glue

Small planks - you might have some Kapla that your kids no longer play with, or you can probably pick some up at garage sales. The original Kapla planks would render a project like this too expensive! You can also check your craft store or toy store for similar planks.

Varnish, stain or other protective finish.

Paint brushes

Hacksaw and sandpaper (optional)

Step 1.

If your tray's base is removable, this simplifies the process. First, measure and mark the maximum point where you can place the planks. Then remove the base.

Step 2

Now have some fun arranging your planks in a pleasing pattern.

 

I played with my arrangement to make sure I had as few planks hanging over as possible.

I ended up having two edges hanging over, and used a hacksaw to trim them down. Once trimmed, I sanded the rough edges.

Step 3

Use wood glue to stick all the pieces into place.

This is the point at which you might want to listen to some music or a podcast while you work, as it takes some time to get each piece adhered.

Step 4.

Finally varnish or use a protectice finish on your planks.

Once dry, which can take 12 to 24 hours, replace the base of the tray.

Time for tea!

I absolutely love my new tray!

Bookmark this idea by pinning the image above. This technique would be good for making photo backdrops too, which I plan to do next, as I have over 300 of these planks left!

 

DIY Crochet Neon Hot Pads

Did you figure out hot pads from my sneak peek last week? My original idea was to do coasters, but with the t-shirt yarn, they were bulky, and I figured that any drink placed on one would fall over. So hot pads it is! I chose to use the neon yarn because it is so summery, and added the grey edge so that it could be a bit more neutral. These are really easy to make, each one takes less than 30 minutes.

You'll need two contrasting colours of t-shirt yarn and a large hook. I used a 15mm crochet hook (US size P/Q)

You might also want to use a stitch marker to keep track of your rounds.

To start chain two.

Round 1: 6 single crochet (sc) in second chain from hook

Round 2: 2sc  in each stitch around = 12 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc

Round 3: 1 sc in first stitch, 2 sc in next stitch. Repeat 6 times to end of round = 18 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc

Round 4: 1 sc in first two stitches, 2 sc in next stitch . Repeat 6 times to end of round = 24 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc

Round 4:  1 sc in first three stitches, 2 sc in next stitch. Repeat 6 times to end of round = 30 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc

Round 5: 1 sc in first four stitches, 2 sc in next stitch . Repeat 6 times to end of round = 36 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc using new colour

Round 6: 1 sc in first five stitches, 2 sc in next stitch. Repeat 6 times to end of round = 42 stitches. Join with a slip stitch to first sc and fasten off.

These measure about 8 to 9 inches so, are great for teapots, kettles and hot dishes. I wanted to do a nice shot of them outside on our garden dining set, but the weather isn't cooperating with me this week. I can't wait to start using them!

One last one:

I'm super happy with these! I'll be posting more t-shirt yarn projects over the next few weeks. Like I mentioned Tek-Tek sent me a very generous sampling!

If you have any questions about the hot pads, please ask in the comments.

 

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Hello Happy Notebook Freebie & Tutorial

My new set of printables, Hello Happy, is now listed at Etsy.

The kit was inspired by Pharrell Williams' hit song, which has been my earworm for a few weeks now. Kieran loves it too, and every so often will burst out in song "Happy, happy, happy happy!", which to me was a sure sign that I needed to make cards to go with our photos this Spring.

To celebrate I also shared a couple freebies. The first is a desktop background which went out in the newsletter yesterday. 

Today, I am sharing another freebie with a tutorial to make a simple yet handy jotter book.

To make it you will need the free Hello Happy download for the cover, a stack of paper for the pages, and a sewing machine.

First, print the cover image out onto card stock or thick paper. I used white, but kraft would look great too.

Next stack all the papers with the cover, and fold in two

Open out flat again, and using your sewing machine, stitch along the crease

 

Cut off excess threads and there you go!

A lovely happy notebook, for keeping track of stuff. If you don't have a sewing machine you can try stapling the pages together, or hand sewing them. 

You can also mix things up, by using drawing or watercolour paper for the pages, and use your book for more artistic pursuits!

 

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Callaloo Soup Christmas | A Mini Wreath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a super simple mini wreath that I pulled together yesterday as part of my office decor. It took me all of five minutes to make.

Supplies:

Small embroidery hoop : just the outer portion

Greenery from your garden, or cut from your Christmas tree, or foraged in the woods

small sprig of rosehip

twine

ribbon (not shown)

To Make:

Use twine to tie the greenery to the top of the hoop

Follow with the sprig of rosehips

Continue wrapping twine around, to cover up the hoop mechanism.

Finish off with some Holiday ribbon.

Simple. Lovely. Done.

Tuesday To-Do | Frosty & Glittery Tea Light Votives

 

Tuesday To Do | Crochet Cushion Cover With T-Shirt Yarn

 I've been wanting to work on this idea for a while now. I had in mind a cozy type cushion cover for the winter, and making it with chunky yarn seemed perfect. And what's chunkier than t-shirt yarn?

This is pretty simple and requires minimal supplies. You could probably knock one out in an afternoon. It's made in two parts: the front is crochet, and the back is fabric. Here's what you will need

Approximately 100 yards Black t-shirt yarn and 30 yards white t-shirt yarn. (See my tutorial for how to make your own.)
15mm crochet hook
Black wool felt or other fabric
Sewing machine
Tapestry needle and black yarn (optional)

Crochet the front

With black, chain 26, or enough to have a chain about 2" longer than the width of your cushion. (My cushion is the standard 16x16 size)

Row 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook, sc in all stitches across, turn

Row 2 chain 1, sc in each stitch across

Change to white

Row 3 chain 1 sc  in each stitch across

Repeat pattern (that is: 2 rows black, one row white) until you have 4 white stripes (12 rows total)

Change to black yarn and sc in each stitch for next four rows.

Change to white and sc across for one row

Change to black and sc across for 2 rows

Repeat reverse pattern (1 row white, 2 rows black) three more times.

Slip stitch across last row.

Fasten off and weave in ends

Construct the back

Lay the crochet front onto your fabric and cut a square the same size as the front

Use the zig zag stitch on your sewing machine to overlock the edges of the fabric. If you have an overlock machine, even better! This will give you a nice finished edge. You could also opt to hem the edges; in this case cut the fabric about 1 inch bigger on each side.

Next lay the cushion front on top the fabric and pin together

 

Here's where it gets kind of dicey. To stitch the two pieces together you can use your sewing machine, or hand stitch. I started with my sewing machine, but it was just not up to the task because of the bulkiness of the t-shirt yarn. I even broke a needle! So this is a judgement call. If you have a heavy duty machine, and the right needles, go right ahead and use it. If you're not sure, opt for a tapestry needle and yarn and hand stitching.

Settle in on the couch and watch a guilty pleasure while doing this. My choice was Glee.

Stitch together three sides of the cover. Then slip in the cushion, and close up the last side.

I love it to pieces! It makes a great accent piece.

Let me know if you have any questions!

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Decorate Your Space | Washi Tape Fairy Lights

We're heading back into the gloomy season, so I decided it is time to put back up my fairy lights! When I got them out and saw that they were green, I decided that just wouldn't do. So I jazzed them up a little.

And what else is a girl on a budget to do but use washi tape? I know I might be boring with all my washi tape decor, but really, it works.

You'll need washi tape and fairy lights. I call mine fairy lights since they don't twinkle, but you could totally use twinkle lights for this too!

Start by wrapping washi tape around each bulb base.

I used the same tape for all the bases, but of course you can mix this up and use a variety of colours and designs.

Then wrap the tape around the cables. This is the tedious part of the undertaking, so you might want to load up some funny videos on YouTube to watch while you wrap. At this point I realised that the wider chevron tape I chose was not very conducive to wrapping, so I switched to a regular sized roll.

And that's it! Now hang in your space

and enjoy

Safety disclaimer: use judgement when deciding where to hang your wrapped lights, and remember to always unplug them before leaving the room.

I feel cheerier already, don't you?

Tuesday To-Do | Sticker & Watercolour Resist

I'm working on some day of the week cards for Kieran, and thought I'd quickly share the technique I'm using to make them. As for most of my projects, I use what I already have on hand.

Thick Watercolour paper

Watercolour Crayons

Letter stickers

Water

Paintbrush

 

1. Arrange stickers on watercolour paper, making sure to press firmly at the edges of the stickers

2. Colour over the entire surface with the watercolour crayons, making sure to get in between the letters. (You might remember me using these same crayons with Kieran here)

3. Using a wet paint brush, paint over the surface

4. Once the paint is dry, carefully peel the stickers off

Voila!

Next week, I'll talk a bit more about the entire idea behind the cards for Kieran!

 

Thursday Tutorial | DIY Washi Tape Clipboard

Here I am again with another way to use washi tape to snazz up an office supply. How original right?

I have had this mini clipboard for over five years, and it has gone through various looks. My last use for it was when I was preparing for Kieran's arrival. Since then it has been sitting around unused, but a few months ago I tore off the previous decor (sacrilege!) and it has been on my desk holding on to important bits of paper. I decided I needed to update it a bit. I was originally going to paint it, but was too lazy, so of course using washi tape popped into my head!

So grab a plain clipboard, washi tape and scissors!

I started with the grey chevron tape that I wanted to be the centerpiece of the design

It's a wide tape: two inches wide from (Studio Calico). If you only have the narrow tapes you can use several strips side by side to mimic this look.

Then add another motif

Then keep going like this

At this point I decided I wanted to add a pop of pink, so I went back to my stash. I'd advise just taking all your tapes out for this project. You never know where you will end up!

Even more pink

And here is my new clipboard

Perfect for my daily to-do list. Or quotations

The great thing about this is that it is customisable & easily changeable later on. Which comes in handy for a mercurial soul like me!

 

Tuesday To-Do | Prettify Your Thumbtacks with Washi Tapes

Dudes, this DIY is so simple it shouldn't even need an entire blog post, but it just made me feel so happy I had to share!

Eeek! So sweet! And you can have yourself a handful of these in about 5 minutes.

That's it. Two supplies: thumbtacks and washi tape. You don't even need scissors.

Step 1: Tear off a piece of tape just bigger than the head of your thumbtack

Step 2: Flip it over and center the thumbtack on the sticky side

Step 3: Fold tape towards center of tack, pressing firmly and smoothing along the edge of tack head

Ta da!

Now make one (or three) more in every colour and pattern of tape you have

These are making me so happy right now, you have no idea. It's really the little things.

Now use to abandon on your inspiration board.

What is it about cute office supplies that gets me every time?