DIY Friday – copper blanket hanger

It seems like forever since I blogged a DIY project so I thought why not ease myself back into the swing of things with the most simplest of DIYs. Seriously simple, guys.  
The inspiration behind this project came from a blanket my grandmother crocheted for me. For the past couple of years I’ve unfortunately been storing it in a cupboard. I wanted to display it in some way, and here’s the kicker, in a way that would KEEP KITTENS OFF OF IT [as it’s white, their fur shows up to no end on it. Kitties have plenty of their own blankets so they’re not deprived]. A lot of thinking went into it, and I eventually thought “why not hang it up?

I wanted to keep this hanger idea very simple. Copper is very big this year so I quickly came to the conclusion of using a copper pipe and some rope to create an incredibly basic yet pretty hanger. I did a quick mock-up using some thick black ribbon I had laying around, and I think I actually prefer it. I think it works better with and compliments the blanket vs. using a piece of rope that might be competing in texture and attention. 

FUNNY STORY – I kinda managed to blag this piece of copper pipe. As I was leaving a restaurant I noticed a gentleman working outside with quite a lot of copper pipes. I plucked up enough courage to ask if he had any leftover when he was finished, would he mind keeping a piece aside for me. We got talking and it turns out his other half also is forever collecting random pieces for projects, so he was well used to such requests o/ We were discussing sizes of pipe etc. when he found a piece about 2ft / 60cm long. “Here, just take this piece. Maybe hide it in your bag …“, so off I went with 2ft of copper pipe sticking out of my handbag and headed home! [thank you again so much, Donnacha!]
It’s a pretty self-explainatory DIY so I figured there was zero point in photographing steps. But just in case, here’s what to do … 
– get copper pipe
– get some heavy ribbon or twine
– thread through and knot securely
– hang up blanket
– the end

So there you have it! Really simple, but [I think] gives a big impact. Happy Friday, homies! Hope you have a lovely weekend lined up.

Crafty Christmas tutorial link-up

As promised in my edible Christmas ornaments post, here is the list of all the projects involved in Lupin’s Christmas Link-up! The perfect little projects to get you in the mood for the encroaching season … 

ROW 1 – felt house gift tag holder by i ManuFatti, Christmas trinket mobile hoop by Carina’s Craftblog, felt polar bear ornament by La Creature and You, and Christmas Hoop by Claire Payne.
ROW 2embroidered Christmas mug rug by Button Button, polymer clay star ornaments by Saraccino, and knitted Christmas stockings garland by Knit Me a Cake.
ROW 3DIY Christmas ribbon by Adventures & Tea Parties, embroidered mistletoe ornament by Bugs and Fishes, scented salt dough ornaments by Retro Delicious, and crochet Christmas tree decorations by Homemade@MyPlace. 
ROW 4Christmas cross stitch raccoon ornament by Hugs are Fun, polymer clay Christmas tree by Little Creatures, Christmas wish-list felt envelope by Jumbleberries, and felt Christmas tree toy by Pinwheels and Stories. 

ROW 5let it snow embroidery pattern by A Little Happy Place, festive wanderers embroidery pattern by Unexpected Kitty, festive felt and fabric coasters by Betz White, and holiday ribbon pillow by Mrs. Saint Nick.
ROW 6felt gingerbread man gift tag by Grace’s Favours, crochet Christmas star jar covers by Dinki Dots, and edible Christmas ornaments by moi! 
ROW 7cross stitch Christmas trees by Made by Mrs M, secret love letter Christmas gift tag by Crafts of Texture, applique love Christmas card by Halcyon Threads, and Christmas mini mitts by The Crimson Rabbit. 
ROW 8felt reindeer ornament by Pickle-Lily, Christmas carousel by Aura Verde Crafts, embroidered Christmas stocking ornament by Cocojude, and stenciled Christmas embroidery hoop by Angharad. 

Enjoy! xx A 🙂 

Lovely mention – the Irish Independent

A couple of weeks ago I got a surprise e-mail from the lovely Gabrielle from the Irish Independent looking to include me in an upcoming feature; she was writing about ladies who are ditching cosmo’s for crochet hooks and getting crafty at home {for the record, I am partial to a tall, cold G&T or a healthy glass of wine}. I of course agreed {nervously}, and later that afternoon I spoke with Gabrielle about all things thrifted and handmade throughout our home. From items made from scratch, to revamped thrifted pieces, to crochet, knitting and cross stitch, we talked about it all. And when I say we, I mean I rambled on for some time.

A word of warning ladies – when you’re as pale as me, if you hold a lamp up to your face, your eyes will look like two piss-holes in snow. That is something I have now learned. Aside from that, I am giddy with excitement about my little feature and would like to thank Gabrielle again for being so cool, down to earth and for letting me prattle on about handmade stuff, and Ronan the photographer for making it a fun and relaxed mini photo shoot in my living room, because cameras terrify me and all I do is make dumb faces. 

For anyone who would like to creep the online version of the article, check it out here 🙂 xx A

p.s. I LOVE LAMP. 
Also featured – lamp revampfancy footstool