Mary Jane's Blog
With all these street parties and Jubilee events in the offing you're going to need a right Royal fascinator with which to wow the crowds!
Rather than spending your hard-earned cash, why not make and decorate your own little hat for a completely unique look?
You could even organise a get-together with tea, cake and bunting whilst your crafting your little hats.
Follow these instructions to make your own Jubilee fascinator.
You'll need a sinamay fascinator base; a piece of bunting; some royal ribbon; garden wire; a clip; some craft felt; charms to add to your fascinator; glue gun or glue; scissors, wire cutters, pins, needle and thread.
1. Cover your fascinator base with the piece of bunting and pin in place on the reverse of the base.
2. Sew the fabric down with largish stitches on the reverse and tiny stitches on the front. Trim back the excess fabric.
3. To make the bow, place two strips of ribbon back to back and stitch down each long edge with a sewing machine or by hand using small stitches.
My ribbon strip was about 75cm long.
4. Now cut a piece of garden wire the same length. Bend back each tip for safety and thread through the open short ends of the ribbon.
Sew up each short end of ribbon enclosing the wire.
Arrange your ribbon into a 3D bow.
5. Using a glue gun, stick your ribbon (ends pointing upwards) and any other charms to your fascinator base.
6. Cut a piece of craft felt to fit the reverse side of the base, cut two slits and thread through your clip.
Cover the whole of the bottom of the felt with glue (Uhu all purpose glue works well) and stick to your base.
Allow it to dry, clip into hair and go out and party!
x
So this is what people in the countryside get up to of an afternoon!
Long live afternoon tea.
I often find shop windows terrifically inspiring and yesterday I spotted this display in the window of Oasis in Birmingham.
I'm really loving the Princess & the Pea styling - and it struck me that it would be pretty simple to
make your own mattress just like the ones in this window (after all, that's just what they've done!).
Just buy some foam pre-cut into the size you require (you can get this done cheaply at a number of places - just Google your nearest supplier).
Make a fabric slip cover and put a strip of velcro at one end so you can open it.
Great for the garden in the summer or a make-shift daybed anytime.
PS - the Oasis collection of vintage-style dresses is wonderful. A bit pricey - but stunning designs - great for weddings.
x
Am really pleased that The Washington Post 'gets' my book. Hope it catches on out there! Click on the link for a read.
x
If you're looking for a craft-friendly place to stay in London then check out Sinead Geary's B+B as featured in my April Stitch in the City column in Sew magazine. No cream and beige here - instead the warm aroma of freshly baked scones and mismatched china!
You can find Sinead at Dolly Divine (where you'll also be greeted by wonderful birdsong!).
There are also tips in the article on creative boltholes in Cornwall and Brighton. Just click here.
I was left in charge of assorted animals this weekend in Warwickshire where I'm currently living writing my next book. There's nothing like looking after someone else's livestock to make you feel responsible. So imagine how I felt when the river started flooding! First job was to move the duck, currently sitting on no less than 13 eggs (unlucky for some?!) in the rather smart house you can see here. Thankfully with the help of some lovely people in the village we shifted it away from the water - if we hadn't, the duck and her eggs would have been bobbing around in the muddy stream you can see forming along the side.
Next the chicken run. Water edging up under their hut. Luckily they clung to their roosts.
I managed to get the two rabbits out - fortunate really, as they've not learned how to swim yet.
And now I'm arming myself for further rain with storm-defying sequins.
I find them of great assistance in dealing with many of life's minor emergencies!
It's the 1st May and my book launches in the US today under Penguin. Do let me know if you spot it somewhere and
please spread the word!
Thankyou MJ x
My friend Melissa has come up trumps again this week with her cheap chic paper decorations. Simply get yourself
a decorative paper punch, cut out shapes from old books, or sheet music etc, and stick together to
create these fantastic baubles. Simple, effective, fun!
Glad to hear that Deptford is featured in Time Out's guide to vintage.
Here's the result of a recent trawl - all for just a few pounds.
I think you saw the swans in the recent Cheap Chic Tip of the Week, but the patchwork was another brilliant find.
When my friend Melissa unpicked some of it (she's planning to make it into cushions) the pieces of card
used as patterns were works of art in themselves.
Take a look below!
I love the way the maker used old greetings cards - what a lovely array of colours.
1970's methinks?
I feel quite nostalgic!
This week's delightful "cheap chic tip of the week" comes courtesy of my talented friend Melissa. Regular readers will know that she came over from France for a trip to Deptford flea market (well, she was actually doing a piano exam in London too!). Anyway, lying unloved and separated from each other on random junk stalls, we stumbled upon these quirky plastic swans. Stained with nicotine and looking pretty filthy, they were snapped up for less than a pound.
Back home in France my determined friend gave them a good scrubbing and no doubt disinfected them too. And haven't they come up a treat?!
Here they are - no longer ugly ducklings - but very fine swans indeed!
Bedecked with ribbon and filled with Easter treats they make a fabulous present or table centre-piece.
Any unloved ornament, egg-cup, mug or vase could be similarly made-over.
Well done Mel!
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