my unhealthy obsession with Pinterest

“what is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?'"
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Ch. 1


If you have any creative bones in your body, chances are you are also hooked on Pinterest.

If you haven't heard of Pinterest.................there are no words!!

                                  

Here are some of my boards and favourite images to date - I love that i have a GO-TO website that inspires me and encourages me to keep on making beautiful things.

i love that it doesn't judge me like facebook does, or that it's not about how many people like my stuff like instagram - it's just a lovely place to catalogue all your favourite parts of the internet, in a visually enabling way.

As creatives we are all about the visual - so it's nice to see things in a visual format.

No wonder it's one of the most popular social networking tools in the world............now if only i cared enough to use it for that purpose...........

In the meantime, if you want to find me, I'm usually on my tablet late at night, adding items to my most biggest board, aptly named, "if only I had more time..."

Come join me, won't you!?!!

http://pinterest.com/vicki_sinclair/

finished #4 - upcycled ottoman

ok - this isn't going to be a tutorial, but I'm really happy with my first prototype, and might eventually make a few more of these to sell at a market some time.

100% upcycled

Fabrics from a BrisStylers destash sale were used for the top & sides.
And old wooden button was recovered & handstitched on to tidy up the messy points, and the same fabric was used to edge the main pattern and create the sides
the base was reclaimed from offcuts from a shop fitout (yoink!) and the legs were bought from a recycling centre, cut down & sanded back

           

The only things i bought new were the staples to fix the fabric to the bottom of the base, even the scuffs were leftovers in a packet from our dining table chairs.

So there you have it - warts and all!!  I'm not a sewer by any feat (and obviously not an even stapler either,) but as first goes go, I'm pretty impressed with my efforts!

next time I might try for some autumnal colours and maybe some greys to blend in - WHO AM I KIDDING, RAINBOWS ALL THE WAY!!

finished #3 - tie mobile phone holder

mobile phone holder from a tie

I'm a self taught sewer (translation, I'm very bad and not willing to pay for lessons cause I won't retain the information) so I'm only ever good on the machine for straight lines, or the occasional zig-zag when i'm using it for scrapbooking (did I tell you I like to scrap too? Jill of all trades, master of none)

SO............when I added this pin to my pinterest board I thought I'd tackle the project after christmas while I had some down time.

http://pinterest.com/vicki_sinclair/if-only-i-had-more-time/

sadly for me the link no longer works, so i had to create my own tutorial.

SO HERE IT IS!!

What you need
a tie (duh!) preferrably one your hubby is no longer using (unless you've had a fight with him) but if you don't have a bloke partner or a tie, the local op shop will always have a spare few going for $2 ish
Scissors
a sewing machine
a key ring attachment (is there a technical term for these!?!!)
needle & thread
snap fastener (or button)

What you do
size up your desired tie length by slipping in your phone of choice into the bottom of the tie, and folding over the top so it can be fastened with a snap pin or button at the end.  Mark the bottom and cut it, allowing for a 5m hem

Now is the best time to pop on your keyring attachment.  cut a small section from the thin end of the tie, sew it closed, fold it over and sew up the ends together.  then you need to make a small slip on the side of your tie to slip this into.  pin it in place before going to the next step.

Next, decide if you're going to have a pocket for business/credit cards etc (i started with one then ended up not including it for this,) and sew around the sides & bottom (depending on if it is going to be folded over for the pocket or not) remembering to sew the keyring attachment into place at the same time.

NB - if you did want to include the pocket, at this point you would need to sew to the bottom of the phone holding section (are you still with me!?!!) and then unpick the tie from there, stretch the side to sit in line with the wider part of the tie, turn over & hem the end, stitch the side and then hand stitch the top of the pocket to allow space for credit cards......i might have to do a second example and include that in another blog






ok - starting to take shape now..........time to turn it inside out, pin the open sides of the tie and handstitch them together - remember to try and keep it neat if you don't have a pocket, as this is the part that will be on display if there's no pocket to hide the handywork

Once that's done you simply need to add your fastener of choice.  I have a box of snap fasteners here so I used one of those.  you could always sew on a button and use your fancy button hole foot on you sewing machine (maybe that's a blog I need to find!) or use a hair tie to stretch over it.  I'm happy with my pearl top button fastener though!

That's it - if I can do you , you can!!

it's always fun doing the first one, but maybe the next edition will have a pocket and a button, just so i can say that I did it!! 

What colour should I do next?

finished #2 - chalkboard blocks

they said it couldn't be done



Who are THEY anyway!?!!  THEY sure have alot to answer for!!

the other day I found an old piece of wood in the garage - made sure hubby wasn't planning on using it for anything special (after ignoring his eye rolling and his statement, "you're making WHAT now!?!!")  and I had a post on pinterest (http://pinterest.com/pin/234468724319494394/) that I'd always wanted to try - PLUS i had all the required materials, and a few spare hours (just kidding, i fed the kids toasted sandwiches that night!)

it's like all the planets aligned!!

Chalkboard blocks

Materials
length of timber (i prefer to buy my wood from recycle centres & tip shops, just sayin)
acrylic paint in the colour of your choice
superfine white grout (THIS you have to find at a hardware store, unless you have a tiler friend and know that it's the super fine stuff) the other tutorial mentioned non-sanded grout, so check the packet for that too.

What to do
Cut your wood into block size pieces - I am lucky enough to have a husband with a drop saw, so i just get out there and cut cut cut...........others could probably go to a hardware store and get them to do it (for a fee I'd suspect,) or find a decent neighbour with a power tool collection, because doing each one with a handsaw is a MUGS GAME.

once you're all cut up - you simply need to sand the blocks so they're all lovely & smooth.....too easy!

now you're ready to paint - the quantities are a bit like making icing - you want it to be a gloopy consistency but not too hard and not too runny - if it's a bit grainy it might need a little more paint or a dribble of water.  I tend to use 2 level tbsp of grout to 1/4 cup of paint - have a play with it!

paint 3 sides of your blocks with the paint and set them out to dry - give it at least an hour and then paint the other 3 sides.  If you want to make it a proper professional job (ie if you're selling them,) then do them again, but it's up to the consistency of the paint & your decision to see if it's ok with just one coat)

Once they're dry you're ready to rock & roll - you can use your chalk on them straight away and put on heaps of messages - I have some that I use for christmas time, and then other times of the year they sit on the cupboard in the boys rooms - when it's time for their birthdays they'll come out again so we can share the love with any visitors.

i put some in the shop on Friday, and sold all but the display pieces on the Saturday - so i'd be get back to making more!!

finished #1 - pacman cookies

 

na na na na na na na na PACMAN!!!

 

 



The happy birthday boy (and his little brother,) gets his cookies ready to take to school

My oldest son turned 9 today - as it was a Saturday, it's been on the cards for a while that he'd have to take something sweet for his school mates.  He was very happy with the end result, but maybe not as excited as I was!!

 

I recently went along to a cookie decorating course run by Linda Van Der Meer of Bubble and Sweet http://bubbleandsweet.blogspot.com.au/

If you can get to one of her classes I highy recommmend it.  If not, get your hands on one of her books (you can find it via her blog, I'm only new at linking on blogs, sorry!)

 

I had so much fun learning about decorating basics, that the next week I bought 6 cookie cutters and got straight to work!!

 

When i say these cookies have been on the cards for a while, it's because when I was a little girl, this was the type of thing i'd fantasise about.

 

Not the wedding dress or prince charming - but the cakes I could decorate when I had kids.  Mum had 3 old skool books, all different covers (red, blue & green,) and all had great ideas for decorating cakes inside them.  I still remember the jelly based cakes, as well as the trains, etc.  The more recent decorating books still pay homage to the basic cake decorating shapes, but these cookies are a whole new genre for me!

 

I enjoyed playing with colour, form & shape - and it was a few lessons learnt in regards to cutting depths, as well as making sure you're not caught short with the royal icing (cue icing sugar being made to cover 4 naked cookies, just 4 out of 45!)

 

So that's one project finished - pacman cookies for a 9 year old - yay for me!!

 

Have you finished a project recently?  I'd love to see your blog about it!!

So this whole blog thing isn't new for me....................if any of you are just like me, you get distracted or overwhelmed with how much you have to do - and so you don't

Well that crap stops here - I'm leading by example to get it together and show you that you have more time than you think - and that if I can do it, your excuses are null & void!

So - about me - you might know me as Vicki from in.cube8r brisbane.  I'm a pretty busy girl over there running the pink gallery.  It's been 2.5 years and I'm still very much in love with the concept and what it represents............

But this blog isn't about the shop - if you want to find out about it google in.cube8r brisbane and you'll find me there somewhere!

On top of running the business (small business in a hostile retail environment with a state in the grips of an unknown future due to carbox taxes, job slashing premiers & online being all too easy but still lovin it)......I am also a mum.

My boys (or cavemen as you may have heard me refer to them before!) are 9 & nearly 7 - early years of school, boisterous & smelly, and growing up before my very eyes.  Best I start to make some more time to dedicate to the cuddles they give before I get hit up for the car keys. 

Then there's my husband - 11 years of wedded bliss (not all bliss and not all bad, but that's for another blog!) he sure puts up with alot being the bread winner - i still sometimes wonder why he puts up with me - then I remind myself of how awesome i am and it all comes flooding back!!

BUT THIS IS ABOUT UNFINISHED CRAFT PROJECTS - or UCPs - sometimes also known as UFO's - unfinished objects......

AND I HAVE A HOUSE FULL OF THEM!!

So, if you have a spare 10 minutes every few days, and a sense of humour, as well as no ability to judge me - then I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!!  It won't always be craft related - I do like to cook & every now and then I venture out into the garden - or on holidays - or onto pinterest.

It'll be a fun ride, and maybe one day it'll generate into something bigger.

In the meantime, it's just me and my UCP's - won't you join me!?!!