It’s a catastrophe!

Ok I’m being overly dramatic and this headline is completely misleading because nothing in my life is a catastrophe at the moment – but boy do I feel like that sometimes.

Being ruled by your emotions

I’ve always been someone who is ruled by their emotions – and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m not very good at zooming out and looking at the bigger picture. If something bad happens on a Friday – it feels like the whole week was rubbish. If I suddenly feel a dark cloud of gloom appear over my head – then I suddenly can’t remember that yesterday was a fantastic day. I hate that I can have six amazing days, but it’s the seventh that sticks in my mind. Or I’ll have several people say nice things to me and one negative and focus in on the negative. Why is it that it only takes a small amount of negativity to cancel out a huge amount of positivity?

My name is Fran and I catastrophise

I am very aware that I do catastrophise and as a result I try to analyse these types of thoughts. I try and ask myself is it really that bad? Am I overreacting? Even if you are self-aware though, it can’t always stop you feeling those feelings.

Reality check

I kind of hate that phrase – but sometimes you need to stop and check in with yourself. Question why you are catrophising, face your fears – give your mind the space to explore those worries. This is what I’m trying to do with my silly mind at the moment.

Give yourself a little nudge in the right direction

Small things can make a world of difference to me and I sometimes need reminding of that. One of the things I find works for me is to write down each of my worries and address them head on. Sometimes seeing your worries written down can help you realise just how silly you are being. If they are genuine worries then it allows you to start thinking about how you can combat the worry.

Get yourself a better frame of mind

Something that definitely makes a difference for me is getting in a positive state of mind. Catastrophising creeps in very easily when I’m feeling a bit off so getting some positive vibes flowing is a sure fire way to put those worries out of my head.

So blogging friends – are you like me and make a mountain out of a mole hill? What do you do to combat it?

Falling back in love with sewing

My relationship with sewing is, I guess, like any relationship - it has its peaks and troughs. At the start of this year I hadn't been sewing at all - I was still dabbling with crafts - cross stitch, embroidery and crochet - but for some reason sewing had been put on the back burner. Then out of the blue I felt the urge to sew.

I made this little guy back in May

It was such a relief that my love of sewing had come back as I'd started to worry that maybe I'd gone off it. Sewing is really important to me as it played a big part in my road to recovery when I was suffering with depression and anxiety. 

Even now, though I'm in a really good place, sewing helps me to switch off. I struggle to turn my brain off - it's always whirring away in the background, over-thinking the smallest detail. Yet with sewing I can block out the rest of the world and just focus on the task in hand.

Since going freelance, I've found that work is either super busy or super quiet and even though I tend to suffer from freelancer guilt (where you feel like you should be working 24/7) I'm trying to just go with the flow. When a day is a bit quieter than normal, instead of stressing out about it - I get out my sewing machine.

I recently made this cute little skull apron

I think it's important that I make time for sewing - because I really love it and it seems to be so good for me. Some people find meditation helps calm their mind, others find their release in exercise - but for me sitting on the floor surrounded by fabric and pins is the answer. 

I love crochet!

Finally getting there with my Granny Squares. I am loving crochet - and am planning on turning these into a cushion cover.

I did have a go at this pattern to make these gorgeous coasters (as recommended to me by Claireabellamakes):

Yvestown
Image source: Yvestown

However I got a bit stuck, so I'm going to concentrate on getting my granny squares finished before I start on this. I'd highly recommend checking out YvesTown though as they offer some great free patterns.

I really REALLY want to be able to make amigurumi toys like the amazing Fluffernutter Crafts who made me these gorgeous skulls:

Seriously - this girl is so talented - if you don't already follow her blog you should go do it now! I love these cute little bunnies she made:

Bunnies
Image source: Fluffernutter Crafts

If anyone has any crochet tutorials they'd like to share, please leave a comment below! 

Guest post: Favourite DIYs

Today's guest post is by Skye from Even Artichokes Have Hearts - another of my top favourite bloggers. Head on over to her blog after you've read this post - you won't be disappointed - plus she's got a fantastic giveaway on her blog at the moment to win a Crafty Creatives box!

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hello! i’m skye from “even artichokes have hearts”. when the lovely fran asked me to do a guest post for her i was pretty excited, i love her blog so much!

i thought i’d post 3 of my favourite diys of the year so far, and hopefully they’ll cover different crafty areas for everyone.

DIY Peppermint Lip Scrub

first up is my most recent diy- peppermint lip scrub.

i cannot express how easy this recipe is and how amazing the results are, if you have a spare 5 minutes then give this a go.

what you need:

- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- a few drops peppermint extract (or your flavouring of choice)
jars to store

- these ingredients fill up two little sample pots- mine were from the body shop.

method:
simply mix the ingredients together in a dish and then pop into jars- it’s as simple as that!

i’ve never tried the infamous lush bubblegum scrub, but for me this scrub is perfect. i think any flavouring would work, but the peppermint feels extra refreshing, especially first thing in the morning.

DIY Cat Toy

next up is a project perfect for recycling scraps of fabric and keeping your feline friends happy- cat toys!

the knitted mouse pattern can be found here, took about 15 minutes to knit up and is so cute! perfect for those little bits of yarn left over from other projects.  

i think the best thing about making toys for your pet is that anything goes- as long as they can pounce on them i think they’re happy!

what you need:

- scraps of fabric
- needle & thread
- stuffing
- string


method:
1. cut out 2 pieces of fabric in an oval shape for the body and two smaller pieces for the ears.
2. on one body piece, sew on the ears and add a little nose and eyes.
3. placing the right sides of the fabric together, sew together the body pieces, remembering to sew in the tail and leaving a small gap for the stuffing.
4. turn the work the right side out and fill with stuffing, then sew up the gap.

and that’s the mice finished!

n.b. if you want to make a stick to attach to the mice, simply superglue 3 ice lolly sticks together and then cover with string using pva glue.

DIY Jewellery Frame

finally, here is a project that i made at the start of the year when i moved into my new flat. i have a lot of jewellery and found it very frustrating keeping it all in jewellery boxes- i kept forgetting about certain pieces, and i hated how easily chains became knotted together. i saw a similar storage idea to this on pinterest and thought that it was the perfect solution, and 8 months later i can confirm it’s a lifesaver!

what you need:

- picture frame (i bought mine at a flea market!)
- string
- nails
- hammer


method:
1. remove the glass and backing board from your frame (and save for a future project!)
2. work out how many rows you can fit on your frame, remembering to allow for necklace lengths and how far the string will drop. mark with pencil on the inside of your frame.
3. hammer the nails into the marked positions- i used the groove that the glass fit into as this meant the nails fit into the side of the frame smoothly.
4. cut your string and tie securely to the nails- if you create a loop in your knot, you can easily unhook the string to add/remove things from your frame.

and there we have it- a great storage solution and a pretty cute feature for your wall too!


i hope you’ve enjoyed my 3 favourite diy’s, and let me know on twitter (@skye_pennant) if you try any of them out. skye x

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A massive thanks to Skye for her guest post! Her DIYs are amazing so be sure to go check out her blog!

Guest Post: DIY Fabric Covered Bangles

Hello all! As I'm on holiday this week I thought I'd ask the lovely Claire from Claireabelle Makes to do a guest post for me! I absolutely adore her blog and urge you to go check it out! Over to you Claire!

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Hello! I’m Claire from claireabellemakes and I’m thrilled to be here on Fran’s blog today whilst she is away on holiday.

I’ve become a bit obsessed with covering things in fabric and yarn lately. So, I thought I’d share this simple DIY craft post with you all. Fancy trying some Fabric Covered Bangles?

Here’s what you need to get started:

• A small selection of fabric – I used polka dots
• A paintbrush
• Some old bangles - I thrifted mine for 50p each
• Craft Glue – I use this one from Hobbycraft as it dries clear and is the equivalent of Mod Podge (costs £2.99)

Step 1

Cut your fabric into strips about an inch wide. I used two strips about 30 cm in length for each bangle. You can test by wrapping the fabric around your bangle, as the amount required will depend on how chunky it is.

Step 2

Glue the end of each strip and wrap tightly around the bangle. Smooth the fabric as you go. If I do this DIY again, I would use Fray-check on the edges of my fabric, for a neater effect.

Step 3

Keep wrapping the fabric around the bangle, gluing as you go. If you glue the entire strip and then try to wrap it, you will end up in a sticky mess!

Once the entire bangle is covered, glue over the top of the fabric to seal.

Step 4

Step 5

Leave the bangles to dry and then model your new creations!

claireabelle x

 Thank you so much Claire for this AMAZING DIY! I especially love these bangles because of the polka dots - I'll definitely be doing this tutorial VERY soon! 

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Favourite Blogs: Print & Pattern

One of my all time favourite blogs is Print & Pattern. It features a whole range of surface patterns from fabrics to stationery (two of my all time favourite things!)

It's a great way of getting introduced to new designers as Print & Pattern always link through to the designer's site.

Alice Prina
Image Source: Print & Pattern

It' a perfect place to find gifts too! Of course you could just spend hours browsing through all of the gorgeous designs:

Leena Renko
Image Source: Print & Pattern

I really love these symmetrical prints by Leena Renko. How cute is this fox one?

Leena Renko
Image Source: Print & Pattern

There have been two Print & Pattern books published - I have the second one and it is amazing! You can buy them over on the site.

Print & Pattern Books
Image Source: Print & Pattern

Frustration and Injury

I'm feeling pretty frustrated this week. The reason? I've got my self a case of shin splints. For non runners - I assure you it sounds much more dramatic than it is but it's really annoying and means I can't run for two weeks at least.

Shin splints are basically pains in your shins - it feels like a dull ache at first and then gets more intense if you continue to put stress on the area. The NHS have a really good explanation here. 

Shin splints are apparently quite common in new runners, and I wanted to share my experience so other newbie runners don't make the same mistakes I did.

For the first few times I went running I didn't stretch before. I warmed up but I didn't stretch ANY of my muscles before which is a massive no no. You need to stretch both before and after. If you are unsure what stretches to do then take a look at this site.

The other thing I failed to do was to invest in some really good trainers. A good pair of running shoes will cost around the £100 mark - however, that's pretty much the only expense. You need a good pair that are suitable for your feet. Everyone's feet are different and people run in different ways. If you are interested you can read all about it in this article - if not, then don't worry - just head off to a specialist shop and they'll tell you what you need.

For readers in the Brighton area - I'd highly recommend Jog in Kemptown. You know you are in the right place when regulars come in and the shop owner gives them tips on good routes. I was a little intimidated about going to a shop and being "analysed" but the guy was great, he just made me walk on the spot and examined how I stand and walk. He then brought out a whole bunch of trainers that would be right for me and then it was down to me to choose which ones felt right. I ended up getting the Puma ones in the picture above. They are incredibly comfy.

My shins had been feeling a lot better as I'd rested for about 5 days and with my new trainers I thought I could run on grass and be ok. I was wrong - even after stretching for the past 5 days and specifically doing exercises to build my calf muscles it still hurt. I couldn't build up any pace because I could feel my body trying to avoid the pain points and compensate by running in a completely awkward way. After 20 minutes I admitted defeat and walked home.

So I'm now going to take a proper two weeks rest and then gradually build myself up. It's so frustrating because I am loving running at the moment. I just hope this isn't a problem that continues to persist. I'd love to hear from runners who have experienced shin splints and how you overcame them!

Craft Swap: The Makes Revealed!

Hi All - I just wanted to share with you some of the handmade items that were made in my last Craft Swap.

Look at this cute little hedgehog Bex from Shiny Pigeon made for her swap partner Rachel. Bex also did a vlog about the items she made and received. You can check it out here.

Rachel from House of Pinheiro made this cute little wallet for Bex. Check out her full blog post about the swap here.

Katie from Hook Line & Sinkher made this awesome sampler for Louise featuring a classic Singer sewing machine! This must have taken ages. 

In return Louise from Crafty Guider made Katie these amazing Cath Kidston style oven gloves!

Lindsay from Baking, Making & Craft with Mrs. M made Stu this cross stitched character (as he loves computer games) and turned it into this excellent magnet.

In return Stu from Stoobles made Lindsay this amazing Harry Potter cross stitch picture!

Kate from Just Kate Crafting made Jen this awesome tea cosy.

Trish made Stacey this cute little kitty, pincushion and craft bag:

Stacy from SoStacySews made Trish this cute little needles case:

Andrea from Candid Gamera made me a whole bunch of cute hair accessories and a little tea towel:

I made Andrea this Battlestar Galactica cross stitch and embroidery sampler and a cute little teapot purse:

If you were part of the swap and I haven't included your makes then please get in touch as I'd love to add them! 

Skull Apron

I saw this gorgeous apron pattern in the latest issue of Mollie Makes (issue 17).

I've been meaning to make an apron for ages - since I made this awesome batman apron for my friend Katie last year.

As regular readers will know, I love skulls. I've had this skull fabric for years - and bought metres of the stuff. I thought it would work great with black and white polka dot fabric and I was right!

Unfortunately I thought the pattern (well it was more of a tutorial) was really poor and I abandoned it halfway through and just made the rest of it up as I went along. The inside isn't particularly neat but I absolutely love the way it looks!

I covered some large buttons in a matching material which finishes it off nicely.



If I decide to make another I'd change the bib piece as I think it's too long and too narrow.  It was a great project to work on though and now gives me an excuse to do some baking!

Where I Work

So you may remember me showing you photos of my craft room when we first moved in to our home. Well now that I'm working from home, it also doubles as my office (and of course spare room when we have guests come to stay).



I really love it as an office. I'm currently using my sewing desk as my office desk. The whole room is actually on hold because I have a proper desk to work on coming very soon. The reason I am so excited, is because my Dad is making me a writing bureau! Yes you heard right, he's MAKING IT. That's just how very talented my Dad is. It's nearly completed so I should have it by the end of the month. My Dad has spent probably about 400 hours on making this - he's carved out all of the dove tail joints himself - around 240! Don't know what a dove tail joint is? This is what a dove tail joint is!

Image Source: Woodgears

So in the mean time - my sewing machine, and old Singer and sewing box are hanging out on the floor. Classy.

(The tripod looking thing - that's a telescope..and yes that's a hula hoop - it's brilliant for breaking from work!)

So far, I am really enjoying "running my own business". My friends keep telling me off for using inverted commas, but it just feels so grown up so I keep saying I'm a freelancer! Like that makes it less of a big deal or something.

So this "freelancer" finally purchased herself a new laptop for work. I bought an Acer Aspire which is an ultrabook - basically the PC version of a Mac. I completely love it. The only downside is the speakers are rubbish - but it gave me an excuse to buy this ridiculously cute panda speaker!



I'm so glad the speakers on my laptop were rubbish - I love this little guy!

So for now I'm camping out at my sewing desk - but I can't wait until I can reorganise everything around my new bureau!

Framing Fabric

It might seem a bit silly to frame fabric, but when it's as gorgeous as this - how could I not?



I picked up the tea and cake fabric from Beyond Fabrics on the Columbia Road last year sometime (or maybe even the year before?) I absolutely adore it - and what better way to admire it than hang it on my wall.

The skull fabric was left over from when I took our shower curtain up. You may remember a while back I made this little purse out of it too.

Recent Makes: A Polka Dot Clutch Bag

I recently had a go at making an envelope clutch bag I saw on the Mollie Makes blog (the origami fabric they used is the cutest).

Image source: The Making Spot

It was really easy to make and it looks cute, but from a practical point of view I was really disappointed. I used two lots of interfacing but it's still really flimsy and as a result not at that practical as a purse.




I did consider covering a piece of cardboard in the red polka dot fabric as an insert but not sure if that would work.

I also think the front looks a bit bare, but because of the big polka dots, buttons look silly.



Any ideas readers? I love the way this little bag looks and would be delighted if I could make it functional!

What makes a perfect Saturday?

This weekend, it was charity shopping in Hove. I had one of those lovely days to myself. Wandering around the cobbled streets, poking in and out of shops that took my fancy. Treating myself to a hot chocolate decorated with whipped cream and maltesers and accompanied by a very large slice of lemon drizzle cake.

I bought quite a few bits and bobs this weekend, but here are some of my favourites I wanted to share with you.

These heart shaped shoes - aren't they the cutest? I'm trying to wear heels more and at £4.99 I was very happy to take them home with me.



 #

These hilarious flamingo print running shorts. As you know I've recently taken up running, and just before I bought them I was saying to a friend I felt really self-conscious in shorts and then I go and buy these! £3 and the priceless looks on the people who get to witness me wearing them.






This cute little bag. This wasn't from a charity shop - but was in the sale and for £4.49 it was charity shop prices! This bag is completely not me - but that's why I love it so much I think. It's different.