A peek at things to come

I’m in the process of working through a pretty amazing art course book. Seriously, I am having such a good time!

I’ll post a more comprehensive review soon, but in the mean time here’s a little taste of one of my latest projects 🙂

Homemade advent calendar

I have another nifty #christmasinjuly post for you today.

When it comes to Christmas crafts I am a sucker for any craft shop. Last year I was completely blown with the advent calendar section in my local Hobbycraft store and decided to make a reusable calendar for my boyfriend and sister-in-law.

I love reusable advent calendars, it’s so nice to be able to personalise what’s inside in each drawer, and they are a lovely thing to have on display each year.

Hobbycraft have an amazing selection, I used the house (below left), but you can get the tree (right) from store now for £10 as it’s out of season. They also do a pretty incredible Coca-Cola-style truck. Of course you don’t have to get them from Hobbycraft (I must sound like I’m on commission) there are loads of other shops offering similar products. Have a browse online you’ll find a whole host of other options.

There’s no real method to making one of these. Just let your creativity inspire you. I spent a couple of hours armed with red and green paint, old christmas cards, craft paper, PVA glue and some pretty fantastic seasonal buttons.

The result was really quite handsome, even if I do say so myself.

Personalised mugs

Personalised mugs make great, affordable stocking fillers. I made these for my family last Christmas but didn’t get them finished until quite late on Christmas Eve, which, I’m sure you will agree, is no time to be making christmassy blog posts. Thank goodness for #christmasinjuly! To make these you’ll need several white mugs, a ceramic pen, masking tape, carbon paper (if you don’t have this, normal paper that has been blacked out with a pencil works just as well) and a print out of whatever design you want on the mugs (I used initials).

When it came to buying the mugs I got mine from the value range at my local supermarket for about 50p each, but you can also explore charity shops for cheaper or more varied alternatives. First, use masking tape to stick the carbon out paper (black side down) onto the mug where you want the design to be, then do the same with the design but keep the design facing up. Then use a pencil to draw over the design making sure to press down firmly, this will transfer the design from the carbon paper. When you remove the tape you should have a faint outline of your design left on the surface of the mug.

 

Using the ceramic pen carefully trace over the lines of design, if you slip or go wrong the ceramic pen can be easily wiped away with a piece of damp kitchen towel or a wet wipe. Don’t worry about excess carbon on the mugs, as this will wash off later. Once you have the designs on the mugs transfer them to a wire wrack and bake them in the oven following the instructions on your ceramic pen (normally 30 mins at 350 degrees).

After baking remove the mugs from the oven and allow to cool completely before giving them a wash, this will avoid any cracks or damage to the ceramic. Once the mugs are cool and clean you are good to go. They are lovely gifts as they are or they can be filled with whatever takes your fancy. I filled mine with chocolates, marshmallows and hot drink portions (hot chocolate for most of the family and some nice coffee samples for my caffeine addict father), before finishing them off with cellophane and ribbon. They went down a storm on christmas morning!

Color Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book

I recently bought an adult colouring books for one of my friends. She had been under a lot of stress, and I thought it would give her an excuse to do something relaxing and creative to unwind at the end of the day.

Adult colouring books have only really been a ‘thing’ for the last year or so, but if sales are anything to go by they certainly seem to be proving popular. There is no shortage of them on the marketplace, just type the words into Amazon and you will be well and truly spoilt for choice.

I was a little envious of the book I had bought my friend, so I set out to secure one for myself – for review purposes of course.

I was lucky enough to be sent this one for free by Michael O’Mara Books Ltd.

Color Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book – Cindy Wilde, Laura-Kate Chapman and Richard Merritt

My first feeling upon opening the package was one of great satisfaction – the book itself is lovely. There is none of the horrid flimsiness you often get with traditional children’s colouring books, not a single sheet of sugar paper in sight. It’s nice and weighty, with a hard cover and thick, good quality pages.

I spent a few minutes leafing through the pages and was impressed by the effort and attention to detail which so clearly went into the making of the book. A children’s colouring book would normally include a selection of crudely drawn outlines of trees, houses, tractors and smiling faces –  perfect for a child to scribble outside of the lines. Color Therapy, however, shows the sophistication that divides grown-up colouring books from their traditional counterparts. The pages are stunning, an eye watering mix of outlines, patterns, blank pages and illustrations on which to colour, doodle and sketch to your heart’s content.

Here’s a little taster of some of the pages I am most looking forward to:

Even the layout of the book pretty sophisticated – despite the introduction stating that there are no rules ‘pick up a pen or pencil and get creating…’ – it is split into seven sections, each of which focus on a different palette, fiery reds, happy yellows, majestic greens and icy blues.

I’ve spent the last few weeks taking half an hour or at the end of the day to use Color Therapy, and I have to say I have really enjoyed it. Although I should confess that so far I have only focused on the first section, Red, as it seems the perfectionist in me is unwilling to complete the book in anything other than chronological order.

Colouring in is incredibly soothing, I suppose it is a bit like curling up into the foetal position, there is something comforting about retreating back to more innocent times. I’ve been suffering from headaches a lot recently, and I’ve noticed that using Color Therapy in the evenings has helped to ease the pressure a bit, and as a result I have been sleeping better.

I’ve also found that while colouring in my mind begins to wander, it gives me time to think, but not about the stresses of everyday life. Rather, I find myself thinking about my writing. Since I’ve started using this book I have found it easier to sit down and start on the writing projects I have planned.

The following are a few of my creations – I particularly enjoyed colouring the flamenco dancer!

Adult colouring books will not be for everyone. I’ve read somewhere that the trend is, somewhat unsurprisingly, far more popular among women. That said, I would definitely recommend Color Therapy. I have thoroughly enjoyed my adult colouring book so far, and I am planning to continue using it. If colouring appeals to your arty, creative side, or if you just want an easy going hobby to unwind with, I think you could benefit having a book like this in your desk drawer.