DIY – Hanging Wood Slice Decorations

Making something from nothing is something I love to do (in a craft sense). So when on a dog walk one day I saw a lovely tree stump and thought to myself, wouldn't it be nice to paint something on that! Then came the thought of perhaps finding a small tree branch that had fallen down and making it into little mini wood slices to paint... So that is what I did!

On yet another dog walk I found a nice tree branch stood up against a bin. I kid you not, it was like fate. That or its the idea that you don't really notice things until you happen to be thinking about them. No matter which, I prefer the fate idea! It was too big to disguise as a stick my dog had wanted to bring home, meaning I had proudly drag it behind me as if towing an 8ft tree branch under my right arm was a normal thing to be doing. Oh the price of being creative and on a pinch.

There are many creative uses for wood slices, the possibilities are endless. But here is a few ideas for some inspiration:

• Hanging decorations
• Coasters
• Gifts
• Gift tags

The first thing to do was to obviously - slice it up! For this I took it to my Dad who had the right equipment and knowledge on how to do so. It's important to use the equipment safely and to be aware that the wood can fling off in all directions sometimes after being cut.

We set the chop saw up in the garden and I held the branch as Dad fed it through and sliced them to about 1 - 2 cms thickness. It is totally up to personal preference on how thick you would like them to be. My idea was to make them into Christmas presents so I didn't want to make them too thick as they'd end up being quite heavy on the tree.

This was my Dad posing as I had forgotten to take a picture, hence where he has no safety equipment on

Once they were all sliced, I laid them individually out on an outside table to let them 'weather'. This just lets them breathe and colour after being cut. I found that mine changed colour around three times before finally settling.

The cut wood slices outside weathering

With the chunkier knots of the wood that couldn't be sliced; I made those into pencil pots by drilling holes into the surface. Enough for a pencil to sit into. I then sold these at my craft market.

Before painting on my wood slices I made sure to sand them down well as there was some rough bits from where the blade had gone through. It just makes it easier to paint on them smoothly, especially if you're using paint pens. 

Here is a couple of the wood slices that I had painted. I sourced a lot of my ideas from Pinterest and the rest from my brain! 

What do we think? Do you have any creative ideas for what to make out of the wood slices? If so, please share below in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Laura-Jane x

DIY - Recycled jars into handmade candles

I don't know about you, but whenever I'm throwing away a pretty jar I tend to ooh and aah about the many things I can do with them.

It wasn't till recently that I finally put my foot down and put ideas into practice. That and it being a tight Christmas this year! My idea was to create my own candles in them, something which I'd never done before. To help with this, I did a little research online into what resources I'll need and how to go about it. After researching I realised that's it's actually pretty simple!

Things you will need

• Wax flakes (I chose soy flakes as they are better for the environment)
• Candle wax thermometer
• Fragrance oils
• Wicks
• Something to glue the wick down with (I used a hot glue gun)
• Old jar
• Saucepan and bowl (to make a bain-marie)
• A wicking pin (I used an old piece of cardboard and put a hole in it)

Step one: 

First thing to do is to wash out your jars, making sure to clean them thoroughly to get rid of any smells. It can be tricky to remove the label on some jars but a good trick is to let them soak for a long amount of time in hot water, or rub a tiny amount of cooking oil over the label.

Step two: 

Step two is to get everything you need out and arranged. There is nothing worse than being half way through and not having everything you want within reach!

Step three:

Measure out your wax flakes. I found that 5oz (150g) was enough to fill one of my smaller jars. You can only really know what is best for you through trial and error. You will then want to set up your Bain-Marie. To do this you will need to fill the saucepan almost halfway with water and leave to heat. Once it's ready place your bowl on top and add your measured out flakes. (Make sure you use a bowl you're not afraid of ruining).

Step four:

You'll need to keep an eye on the temperature your wax is at, the perfect melted temperature is between the 60 and 80 mark. In the meantime, whilst your wax is melting you can prepare your jars by adding the wick. You can purchase little stickers specifically for attaching the wick to the bottom of the glass or like me you can use a hot glue gun. Just remember that you will be able to see the wick through the bottom of the glass.

I found that I needed to turn my hob up to full power as I was finding it difficult to reach the 60/80 mark

Be careful when using the hot glue gun, it can get very hot

Step five:

Once your wax is fully melted it's best to let it cool a little before putting in your fragrance and pouring into the jars. I let mine cool to around the 50/55 mark before dropping in my fragrance. It's really difficult to say how much you'll need, because I think it depends on personal preference and brand that you use. I bought my oils from Amazon, it was a basic beginners pack and included fragrances such as: coconut, chocolate, vanilla, sandalwood and rose garden. One thing I did find is that once my candles did set, is that the fragrance did die down a little. Use a jug to help you pour the wax accurately into the jars.

I used bits of cardboard to hold my wicks in place, simply by cutting to size and piercing a hole through the middle

Step six:

Once the candles are set you can then cut the wicks down to an acceptable size. In my case I found that the top of some of my candles had sunk down in the middle! I was a bit worried and didn't know what to do.

However, after googling I found a good tip to help resolve it. It said to use a hairdryer to re-heat the surface and then leave the wax to set again. I found this worked perfectly and solved everything!

Step seven: 

Now is the fun part! This part is optional but I decided to decorate the outside of my jars as I was planning to give them as gifts. On some on my candles I put glitter on the top as the wax was almost setting.

Things you can use for decorating:

• Ribbon
• Tinsel
• Glitter
• String
• Beads
• Paint

Here is a few examples of how I had decorated mine:

I decided to create labels for mine as I planned to sell a few on my craft market stall.

I haven't yet experimented with using any colouring in my candles. Have any of you used colouring before? And if so, do have any tips?

Hope this has helped, and thank you for reading!

Laura-Jane x

What to do with pretty notebooks / journals?

You’re walking down the cobbled pathway of an Italian back street, idly looking in each shop window as you pass by. Suddenly, you are hit by a strong smell of leather and you turn to see what only dreams are made of. HANDMADE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS.

If you’re anything like me and cannot resist a beautiful notebook / journal, then you may also get into the same predicament as me. Thinking, I really want it; it’s so beautiful but what can I put in it? I don’t want to ruin it!

I have been struggling with ideas for years and have an accumulation of various notebooks from different places that I am too scared to touch. However, recently  I have found myself using these notebooks each in a special way and being happy with myself. I feel that these types of books are ones which you would want to keep forever, so the only solution is to put things in them that you will be happy with later on.

For a couple of years now I have had the most beautiful notebook sat in my room waiting to be used. I purchased it in Venice, it felt like a kind of meant to be moment. The story goes, myself and my at the time boyfriend were on holiday in Venice. It was our last evening so we decided to go for a lovely gondola ride and do some shopping before heading to dinner. I visited this shop which was full of beautiful dresses and shoes in and I got lost in trying them on. My ex decided to take a seat and look after the stuff whilst I was in heaven. After, we went to dinner and it was coming up to 9.30pm when he realised that he had left the camera in the shop. We had to quickly finish dinner and try to re-trace our steps back through the Venetian streets to find it. As we were racing back we passed this gorgeous shop full of handmade books that I was dying to go into, so I made the promise that I would go in on my way back. Which I did, and that is where I found this:

My beautiful handmade Venetian book

I can’t even describe how beautiful this book looks in person. Maybe not for everyone, but for all you stationary and book lovers out there, trust me it’s a beauty. The pages are a lined yellow colour and it is around A6 in size, so perfect to carry round with you.

I have been using this book to write poems in. I would share one but they are a little personal at the moment, but I find writing them helps me to express how I’m feeling in a way that normal conversation cannot.

The thought struck me that I must not be the only one with this struggle? So I decided to create a list of my favourite ways to use those pretty notebooks / journals:

• Poems / Creative writing

This might not be for everyone, but I feel that a little creative writing can help get across your feelings. I tend to bring my book with me in my bag or pocket and when I’m feeling a little emotional, whether it  be happy or sad. I will write in a way that expresses it. It’s a good way to look back and see how you change over time.

• Mini Scrapbook

I really like this idea. I am quite a sentimental person and like to keep bits and bobs from when I go somewhere or do something. I think carrying round a nice book and some glue can make the most beautiful scrapbook. Yes it will be messy and all over the place but that’s the beauty. Did you get on the train to meet your friend for the weekend? Glue in your train ticket. Did you take a cute Polaroid together? Glue that in too. Honestly, you will look back and love it in years to come.

• Artistic Inspiration

Here is another glue it in one. If you are a creative person but lack inspiration when it comes round to it, creating a little book of ideas can be the best way to spur creativeness from yourself. You can use anything from a ripped out article from a magazine because you love the typeface, to a nice coloured leaf on the ground. Stick it in and create a collage of things you see and like. Then when the time comes for inspiration you can flick through and remember. 

• Bucket List Book

You can use your book to help accumulate your bucket list! I think having a bucket list is an important thing to have, it doesn’t necessarily mean you think you are running out of time. It just helps you put into words everything you’d like to achieve in life and give you the motivation to crossing / ticking it off. (Who doesn’t love ticking off lists). Also, it’s a good excuse to use another book as a scrapbook to document it all.

• Diary

I know diaries can seem very cliché, young girl / Bridget Jones kind of feeling. However, if you really think about it, what can be better than writing down all your thoughts and feelings. It’s kind of like a way of release, a paper councillor in a sense…

• Goals / Achievements

Sort of like a bucket list but not. Make a list of things you would like to achieve in your life. It could be at work, home, or family goals. Set yourself a deadline (or not) but most importantly, use it to make your life more positive

I think that is about all of my favourite creative uses for those pretty notebooks / journals. If i have anymore I’ll add them in but it would be interesting to know what everyone else does with theirs.

Do you have any creative uses for our abandoned notebooks / journals?

Thanks for reading,

Laura-Jane x

Open When Letters

At the moment one of my best friends has been living in Australia for the past year and soon she will be heading to New Zealand travelling for the next one. This means it will be a whole two years of us not seeing each other. Crazy! This also means a lot of occasions where we couldn’t be there for each other, resulting in the idea of sending her some open when letters. They idea came from when I received open when letters from a friend who had moved away. I thought it was so sweet and personal, a perfect birthday gift idea for my friend half way across the world. The letters fitted perfectly with fact that the gift needed to be small and easy to carry in her backpack.

Open when letters if you do not know, are envelopes or parcels that are labelled with ‘open when’ followed by a situation in which to open them. For example, open when you are bored. The idea is to fill each individual envelope / parcel with a gift or words relating to that situation as if you are there instantly to help. It’s a special thing to be given or to do for a loved one, especially in my situation when they are so far away and you are not there to do it in person. You can easily tailor it to anyone and any situation. Whether for your mum as a mother’s day gift, or even your partner. They are also a great gift for when you’re on a tight budget. The thought that goes into it can be more priceless than your average present from the shops.

Let me tell you now, there is absolutely no shortages of open when ideas online. Pinterest is full of thousands of beautiful examples. My problem and reason for creating this blog post is because I struggled to find ideas specifically tailored to someone travelling. This left me in the situation where I had to think of my own! Oh dear…

With the help of friends and family I managed to put together a nice batch of open when letters with some also customised for situations for when she is travelling. So that no one else finds themselves in the situation I had found myself in, below I will post a list of open when letter ideas and things to put inside. Enjoy!

P.S if you need help with any other ideas, for different situations then leave a comment below and I will try to help as much as I can.

OPEN WHEN LETTER IDEAS – 

Open when…

• Now

This could be a letter explaining what the open when letters are. My open now letter was a birthday card with some nice words and money for some drinks on me inside.

• You are feeling sad

Inside this one I put a little pack of tissues and a nice letter to try to cheer her up.

• You are angry

Inside this one was a notepad which I explained in my letter that it was for her to scribble her anger down on.

• You are bored

Inside this was a small puzzle book and a list of ideas of things to do.

• You need a laugh

For this letter you could include funny stories that you have together, funny pictures and what better then personal in-jokes!

• You are stressed

This letter included some bubble wrap to pop and a stretchy man to pull in frustration!

• You have had a bad day

Inside this envelope I wrote about how everyone has bad days, and that we need the bad days to appreciate the good days even more. I also included the lyrics to the song ‘Bad Day’.

TRAVEL SPECIFIC IDEAS – 

Open when…

• You feel like you are loosing motivation

In this envelope I explained how proud we all are of her, with some quotes about achieving your dreams.

• You miss me

This envelope included lots and lots of pictures of us from over the 17 years of our friendship, and also some lovely words about how much I miss her too.

• You are missing home

For this letter I asked members of her family and friends to write little notes to cheer her up (im hoping she wont cry when she opens it!)

• You are on a long journey and can’t sleep

In this envelope I put a funky eye mask and some earbuds with a note explaining that if she is going to fall asleep in public, she may as well do it in style…

For my open when letters I purchased some plain brown envelopes so I could do my own design on each of them. I got inspiration for my designs from a pin on pinterest. You can always make your own envelopes if you have the time and creativity.

Along with the open when letters I also sent a mini photo album containing some Polaroid photos. I visited all her friends and family to take pictures for the album, as well as the local area and home. I found the album in a charity shop and thought it looked cute and travel inspired with the greens and browns.

I wrapped this up in brown paper and labelled it ‘Open Now – Happy Birthday!’. This was a little extra birthday gift that she could open straight away. It is the perfect size for her to carry round in her backpack.

I hope that my post can spur some inspiration for a creative personalised gifts, along with some new open when letter ideas.

Thank you for reading!

Laura Jane x