Blue Flower Boutonnieres

Easy DIY for Kids - Castanets

We had so much fun making our very own castanets the other day.

We got our inspiration here but I've seen other versions on pinterest since.

 They're super easy to make and lots of fun to play with.

All you need for each castanet is a strip of fairly sturdy cardboard and two bottle caps. 

Recycling diy at its best!

It's really easy to replicate from the pictures but I'm including instructions -because some days you'd just rather follow instructions!

1. Cut a strip of cardboard to your required measurements (ours is just over 13cm by 4cm or just over 5 inches by 1.5 inches)

2. Fold the cardboard strip in half. 

If desired, you can decorate the cardboard: draw on it, paint it or do whatever you latest craft-crush dictates.

(Alternatively, you can leave this step for after the castanets have been completed.)

3. Now you want to glue the bottle caps onto the cardboard.

If your little crafters are very little, make sure they are gluing them on the inside of the folded cardboard piece. 

Put glue on the jagged edge of one bottle cap and place it on the edge of one end of the cardboard strip. If your cardboard is the thick kind you can press the bottle cap into the cardboard for a better grip.

Let it dry.

4. Glue the second bottle cap on the other end of the cardboard strip, in the same manner. Make sure that it is aligned with the first bottle cap. You want them to click together when you're done, so they have to be positioned to correspond.

Let the glue dry.

If you've left the decorating-your-castanets part for last, now is the time to go wild and have fun with it.

That's it!

They are finished and ready to play with!

Definately a minimum effort, maximum fun kids craft.

If you are looking for more fun craft inspiration, you can find lots on my Kids Crafts pinterest board.

Linked to:
Annemarie's Haakblog, Today's Creative Life

Stacey's Wedding

I'm happy to be sharing some beautiful wedding pictures that Stacey sent me the other day.

Stacey and Andy tied the knot in September on what can only be described as a glorious day, and in the utmost of style.

I'm honoured that she chose my white organza FairytaleFlower hair flowers for both herself and her beautiful daughter, Kira. 

You can see lots of amazing photos from their happy day on Stacey's photography blog.

All photos by Endless Photography.

Red Poppy Boutonniere

These were a  request for a wedding.

I made about ten of them for the groomsmen. The groom's was a bigger variation of this flower but I have no picture to show.

They are very dainty and pretty and I liked them so much that I made one for myself as well......

Linked to:
Annemarie's Haakblog, I Heart Naptime, The Silly Pearl

In The Mail - Make Do and Mend

I've been fascinated by the WWII make and mend pamphlets for a long time.

It's the waste-not-want-not philosophy that used to be the norm rather than the exception that appeals to me and it's also about the practical homemaking skills that our mothers and grandmothers used to have and that most of us nowadays are blissfully unaware of.

I've hastily gone through it and I can say that it's a wonderful book full of past wisdom that we could use more of today.

I'll take some pictures of the contents at a later date to share when I've had the chance to read it through.

I got mine here if you need more info on the book itself.

Lanvin Flower Trend

Lanvin Spring 2016 rtw

 Another of the big names in fashion to feature big, bold flower accessories is Lanvin. (See the Gucci take on the trend here.)

Lanvin Spring 2016 rtw

Enormous monochrome fabric flowers in reds, blues, purple and green were paraded down the runway, worn as brooches or attached to chokers in the Spring 2016 ready-to-wear collection.

Lanvin Spring 2016 rtw

To see the full collection click here or on any of the photos above.

Raspberry Mix Flower Brooch

Linked to:

Annemarie's Haakblog, I Heart Naptime, The Silly Pearl, The Dedicated House

1940's Bra Sew-Along

Mrs Depew (aka Anna) over at A Few Threads Loose is having a vintage lingerie sew-along. A 1940's bra sew-along, to be exact. 

 I was thrilled to sign up for it and then I was pleasantly surprised to win one of the four digital patterns she gave away!!

1940's bra pattern 

For details of the sew-along and all sorts of wonderful vintage sewing techniques, tips, patterns and inspiration head on over to Anna's blog.

I spy.....The Physalis Collection

It's been ages since I did an "I spy' post but I came across this wonderful jewelry collection from Eried the other day and was positively blown away!

Eri, the shop owner and creator is a trained architect and a true artist. I've been a fan of her work for a few years now and she never ceases to amaze me with her new collections.

And her newest collection, the Physalis collection, is no exception.

There are bangles, earrings and pendants to choose from, all inspired by the physalis plant, rendered in bold, minimal lines.

Eri is kindly offering a 10% discount for OnePerfectDay readers until 30 November. 
Just use the coupon code: oneperfectday10

Etsy Favourites - Moody Woodland

emerald green tassel keyring

forest photograph

leather duffle bag

3 natural twig pencils

sterling silver green rose cut cubic zirconia

 Some of my etsy favourites with a moody, mossy, forest feel.

Click on any image to go to the listing.

Gucci Flower Trend

Gucci Spring 2016 Ready-To-Wear

Large, bold flower accessories was one of the features of the Gucci ready-to-wear collection for Spring 2016. 

Gucci Spring 2016 Ready-To-Wear collection

For anyone who knows the slightest thing about me, it will come as no surprise that this is a trend after my own heart....

Read about the collection here or click on any photo above to go to the photo gallery.

Fall Orange

A big, bold, burnt orange flower brooch for Anne.

Did you know that flower brooches are coming back in a big way?

The spring 2016 runways were practicaly strewn with them.

(OK, I may be exaggerating slightly there but, seriously, they were in the big-name shows and they were large, extravagant, beautiful and totally eye-catching!!)

Linked to:
Annemarie's Haakblog, The Silly Pearl, The Dedicated House, Homework

Sewing Made Easy by Mary Lynch and Dorothy Sara

A while back I promised to share posts of vintage sewing books for anyone who might be interested in the books themselves or just curious to get a glimpse of some vintage-style sewing and fashion.

The New Revised Edition Sewing Made Easy by Mary Lynch and Dorothy Sara, published in 1960 is the very first vintage sewing book that I read and I can't praise it enough!

I'm including all the contents of the book in photos so you can peruse all it offers.

The material it covers is extensive and if you're a novice sewer it's perfect for guiding you along dressmaking, step by step.

It takes you through all the steps needed to make a garment from the getting ready to sew stage which includes buying a pattern, choosing fabric, etc, to all the sewing techniques you will need to put together -a whole range of- garments.

There are styling tips and tricks of the late 1950s - early 1960s included and advice on building a wardrobe according to the particular requirements of the time depending on 

 wether you were a housewife, business woman, teacher, receptionist, salesclerk or hostess.

There's a chapter on taking care of your clothes to make them last longer and look their best, a chapter for remodeling clothes, one for sewing for your family and mending and yet another for making alterations to ready-to-wear clothes.

The chapter on sewing for the home includes how to make curtains, tea-towels, closet accessories, laundry bags and a whole number of fascinating projects for the home.

One of my favourite chapters is the Accessories And Gifts You Can Make one. There's a variety of bags, hats (you can see the turban further down in the photos), dickeys, cuffs, belts, a peplum, slippers and some toys!

Overall, I love this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.

It's just full of wonderful things to make and it gives you all the necessary knowledge of how to make them, all very clearly explained. 

It should be a great book for beginners but also for the more experienced sewer as well as any vintage fashion and/or sewing enthusiast, as it offers all sorts of vintage patterns and instructions for making wonderful vintage items. 

If you're a sewer -of any level- and you've read through the book review, what do you think?

Does it look like a book that has merit at your particular level?

Please share your thoughts.

I'll be posting more vintage sewing book reviews regularly on the blog. 

Please come back for a glimpse of vintage sewing goodness ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Linked to:

I Heart Naptime, Annemarie's Haakblog, The Silly Pearl, The Dedicated House

Birthday Flower

A friend of mine had her birthday yesterday and I wanted to make her a gift.

I've made her flower earrings, a flower ring -or two- and a little flower brooch in the past, so I thought it was time for a flower keyring.

It really is an easy gift as even people who don't like wearing flowers on their person welcome a flower to carry around with their keys.

I loved making this one and I adore the polka dot cotton leaves.

 Did you notice that they are 3 different sized polka dot prints?

Linked to:

Annemarie's Haakblog, I Heart Naptime, Natasha In Oz