I set up Crafted By B Studio after retiring from writing a blog for over 10 years on chronic pain. As a chronic pain sufferer myself I had always used art as a way to relax and take me away from my pain and stumbled upon paint by numbers by fluke. I was hooked from day one and went into custom paint by numbers as I progressed with my others. Over the past 3 years I have completed over 20 pieces and also made some of my own unique pieces. I am happy to help anyone who might like a custom picture made into a piece of beautiful art using this type of technology. I am also interested in lots of different types of crafts which I enjoy with my 4 grandchildren so my site will have lots of links and posts on mixed crafts and arts.
Welcome to Showcase Sunday, where we share the gorgeous projects you all have been making using Aurifil threads. Want to be featured? Simply share your photos on Instagram or Facebook using the tag #Aurifil or #AurifilThread. We love seeing what you all do with the threads we lovingly produce. *Click on the images below to read more about the…
According to Why Christmas, mince pies, like Christmas Puddings, was originally filled with meat, such as lamb, rather than the dried fruits and spices mixed as they are today. They were also first made in an oval shape to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby, with the top representing his swaddling clothes. Sometimes they even had a ‘pastry baby Jesus’ on the top!
During the Stuart and Georgian times, in the UK, mince pies were a status symbol at Christmas. Very rich people liked to show off at their Christmas parties by having pies made in different shapes (like stars, crescents, hearts, tears, & flowers); the fancy-shaped pies could often fit together a bit like a jigsaw! They also looked like the ‘knot gardens’ that were popular during those periods. Having pies like this meant you were rich and could afford to employ the best, and…
We are all a lot more aware of what we are buying nowadays and the lockdown seems to have given us more time to think about what we want to buy that is more eco-friendly. So, for this Christmas why not try a few different ways to create your own eco Christmas.
Start by making your own gift wrap by using new or recycled brown paper and customize it with your own designs or rubber stamps. The Works has brown recycled brown paper rolls perfect for wrapping presents at only £2.00 for 4m.
Instead of using wrapping paper use fabric instead. Try furoshiki. the Japanese Art of wrapping with fabric. You can buy it in lightweight cotton, chiffons, off cuts, and organza, the list is endless.
Check out stores on Etsy, Hawwl Store & Folksy for original gifts. Also, the Ethical Superstore for Fair Trade, has eco-friendly and organic gifts and brilliant cleaning and household products, eco-friendly alternatives to the current cleaning brands on the market, providing simple products to encourage your home to become more eco-friendly. Eco cleaning & laundry from Method, Ecover, Guppyfriend, OceanSaver, Bio-D and more.
Another good site is Conscious Craft UK offer a massive list of products for every age with lots and lots of wooden toys for children but you could spend a day browsing this site and still not seen it all.
You could make your own decorations from wood, natural fabrics and yarns and recycled glass as glitter and tinsel are not recyclable. The website Make Use Of has Christmas Decorations you can easily make from recycled materials, like recycled cork wreaths. Or head down to this Pinterest Board
And don’t forget to go for LED bulbs for your tree as they consume up to 90% less power and are safer as they do not heat up.
Make your own Christmas cards using recycled cards and envelopes available from a number of places and on Ebay and Amazon, or buy some plantable seed cards and envelopes or paper and envelopes and make them yourself. These Christmas Deer plantable seed cards are perfect to give with a small gift (two presents in one). Give a gift that’s more than just a card. Each pack contains 6 cards, which are fully biodegradable A6 eco-card embedded with wildflower seeds. Simply wet the card and place in the soil to transform into flowers loved by bees and butterflies. Instructions are printed on the back of each recycled paper card. Includes kraft paper envelope.
Or these fun seed paper from UK Seed Paper, Seed paper is a nifty invention that’s been around for about ten years. The idea is to take traditional paper and combine it with seeds. Then, when it’s time to start planting – all you have to do is stick the seed paper into the ground and keep watering it. In no time your flowers will be blooming!
Plantable seed paper is a fun and sustainable way to give back. It’s not just about planting flowers, though! Seed paper can be used for many different things such as wedding invitations, holiday cards, and thank you notes. Find out everything you need to know about this innovative product.