Homemade cosmetics boxes

I don't know why I'd never thought of this as an idea for a present before. It's a box of goodies, but all with a homemade or personalised touch.

I started out by ordering some old, interesting looking, glass jars from ebay.  This sort of thing:

I also had some of my own jars and pots - and the Lush pots I decorated with Pebeo paints.

I filled these with potions and lotions - moisturiser, bath salts, bath milk and bubbles. I added material to the top and tied string around to keep it on. I added beads and twisted wire to the label ties.













I covered two small cardboard boxes (I think these ones used to be Lush too) with Christmassy material to make little baskets to store them all in. I also added little parcels with the jewellery I'd made.

Using Pebeo Prisme Fantasy Paints

Last year, Natasha Judd gave me some bits of kit to have a go with. They were all from the London Jewellery Supplies store that she (and more recently, I) have been doing some work for.

I've never used Pebeo Paints before. They're fascinating things. You add them to the surface with a pipette and, as they dry, they create fantastic patterns and swirls. Then you drop resin over the top to round the surface and keep it protected.

As you can see from the picture - I had a bracelet and earring moulds - but I was enjoying myself so much I added it to the top of old clean Lush pots as well (Lush pots are great for decorating - here I do it with buttons and beads). They've got a nice rim around the top of their lids which makes it perfect for this kind of paint. I mixed blue and turquoise paint in different ways to add to the effect (it was all a bit of an experiment!).

After these had dried for 48 hours, I added the resin to the top.

I tried adding glitter to one lid. It was too much. I went too far! 

I put moisturiser in the pots and used them as Christmas presents. I presented the bracelet on a piece of card.

I gave this to my sister in law along with some earrings, a pot of moisturiser and other goodies in a Christmas box.

Wire wrapped earrings made with a jig.

It's been a while since I updated Patchwork Pea. In my defence I have been busy leaving my old job, travelling to America, starting a college course, going freelance (my new website clarerosefoster.co.uk is here) and finding new part time work.

But I've still had time to make a few bits and bobs. For my 30th birthday I received London Jewellery Supplies vouchers from one friend and a whole starter jewellery making kit from another.

It was a good opportunity to make use of my box of old necklaces as well - I dismantled them and started collecting the beads and findings.

I bought a beginners jig and started trying to twist some wire.









Jigs are fantastic pieces of kit. You place the pegs wherever you want to make a pattern and then twist your wire around them.

Here are some of my first experiments:










The silver one with the pink beads has a wire wrapped bead on the end. I wanted to use this shape and technique to make some earrings as Christmas presents for a friend having a Christmas party. Here they are in process:
















And here are the finished earrings, in a little presentation box with some cotton wool:

A zig zag pillowcase for Christmas presents

A friend of mine Tash Judd recently asked me to make a pillowcase for her daughter. She had made her a wonderful advent calendar full of mini toys in little red and green zig zagged paper bags.

She wanted a large pillow case in a similar design for the 25th - Christmas Day presents!

I found some zig zag material on the Village Haberdashery site and Tash ordered two fat quarters of each which was delivered in very pretty spotty packaging. I made the pillowcase green on one side and red on the other, with a fold at the top to secure the pillow (if it ends up containing a pillow not presents in the end).

Here's the pillowcase filled by Father Christmas;

And here's an excited toddler looking forward to opening them;

Apparently now every time she sees the pillowcase, she says a hopeful 'More Santa?'. Maybe next year Isabella...

Tash and Matt gave me some lovely chocolates and a Village Haberdashery voucher as a Christmas thank you. I've yet to decide what fabric to spend it on but there's loads of pretty options to choose from. Thanks you two!

Christmas cushions - some more patchwork, dinosaurs and holly

A homemade Christmas present selection wouldn't be complete without a few cushions - so here are the ones I made this year.

Patchwork for 3 year old Oliver, mini dinosaurs for 2 year old Leo

And here is other side of the patchwork cushion (of course, they weren't matching!).

Finally, a Christmas cushion for Liz to add to her wonderful Christmas decorations each year.

I reckon it could be used all year round.... :)

Mug jumpers

My only foray into knitting beyond scarves, I made these mug jumpers from some leftover wool on 10mm needles. To add the handle hole, I cast off five stitches in the middle, then cast back on again next row. The button I attached with wool. No need for an extra buttonhole as the knitting itself was loose enough to poke a button through wherever you needed it.

Christmas scarves

After a long break where I spent most of my 'making things' time on my sewing machine, I did a bit more knitting in the run up to Christmas. I'm still really only any good at knit stitch - so it's all about simple scarves. The wool for both of these came from Bibelot in Leek and they were knitted with 10mm needles. I added tassels to the end of this one for Mum, which made it look a bit more exciting. I haven't done tassels before, so I have no idea if I did them right. I cut three lengths of wool and folded them in half (to make a tassel of six strands). I then pushed the loop made by folding them in half through the wool at the end of the scarf, threaded the tassel ends through it and gently pulled them tight.

I thought Dad might like his left tassel free.

And here is Tilly the family dog modelling Dad's scarf... she's a natural.

What a good girl :)

Cycle doodles with porcelain pens

Another go with the porcelain pens, this time to make plates for a couple of cyclist friends. Jess's looks a bit better as hers was the second one I made...

Homemade and recycled Christmas tree decorations

Christmas trees and their decorations are one of my favourite parts of the Christmas period. In my family home we added more decorations, often homemade, each year. Now, decorating the tree becomes a reminder of all the Christmases and years past. Each decoration is familiar and friendly, all too easily forgotten until you unwrap it from its newspaper or get it out of its box. And everything looks great on a Christmas tree, whether an intricate and delicate bauble, a fir cone covered in glitter or a santa claus made with cotton wool and red cardboard in playgroup.

I've been very aware of what I post about Christmas after writing this blog post on Christmas, making comparisons and mental health. However, I couldn't help but share my own collection of decorations as it starts to grow. My favourite are these Christmas mice. They are made from the inside of an eggbox (a six pack of eggs can make two mice), sprayed gold or silver and then decorated with glitter, beads and wire. A pipe cleaner tail attached to the back can help hold them on to the tree.

I also really like these butterflies. I made these with craft paper from Cowling and Wilcox from a tutorial in the Guardian family section last year. Cut a circle and a square and fold in half to make an oval and a triangle. Fold the paper like a fan into the central folds of each and then squash together at the centre. Wrap wire or thread around to hold them together. I added beads and ribbons too.

The wire can be used to hold them in the tree.

And of course, your spraypainted and glittery fircone. I made one last year while volunteering at Radio Lollipop for Great Ormond St hospital.In fact, you can spray any twigs, fircones or leaves silver or gold, add some glitter and attach them to the tree!

This holly decoration has lasted three years now - the silver spray must preserve it!

This owl is made from half a strip of cut and folded old book with mince pie cases for eyes.

And here is the tree in all it's homemade glory.