Hooked On Sunshine Blankets

I’ve been making Hooked On Sunshine Blankets this year having joined the group quite some time ago. Nessa’s patterns are absolutely beautiful, intricate designs that are written so well even I figure it out through brain fog eventually! I hadn’t blogged for a while so I figured I’d show you all what I’ve been up to.

Atlanticus

To start with I made the Atlanticus for Izzy, she loved the pattern and knew what colours she wanted. I’ve made blankets before but never this complicated and stunning. I did doubt myself ever finishing this but somehow I did in just a few weeks too!

Liliana

Next I made the Liliana for the lovely and very pink celebrant Berni! She was so patient even though this blanket took me a little longer than the Atlanticus and so appreciative when I was done it really gave me a boost in confidence.

Phoenix

My third HOS was the Phoenix for the very talented author and one of my besties, Fiona Morgan. She’s had quite a rough time being hit by covid and some personal issues that I wanted to make something really special as a (late 😅) housewarming gift.

Thankfully Crochet UK had the perfect yarn for a Phoenix blanket and I couldn’t wait to get started. This took me a little longer than the last two blankets, mostly because summer holidays with two kids is hard work. But I eventually got there and then decided to delay further by making a bolster cushion to go with it haha!

For (the sake of it)

While waiting for materials to finish the cushion my fingers got a little antsy and I already had the For pattern ready to go and some lovely cotton yarn I really wanted to try out. I sat reading the notes as always and like the idea being that we always crochet For something/someone but me being me decide this was the blanket I wanted to make For the sake of it.

My mental health has been wobbly, with my past and my chronic pain battling for headspace I’ve felt too guilty to do things just for the sake of it. I have so much encouragement from the Mr, family and friends to just rest or do something for me so I decided alongside braving the therapy that my For the sake of it was going to be exactly that for as and when I just fancy crocheting for the enjoyment of it. No deadlines, nobody in mind to gift it to. When it’s done I may well gift it but until then it is just For the sake of it.

I decided to do something I don’t often do and just let it do it’s own thing changing colours naturally too. Normally because the yarn had short colour changes unlike the yarn for the Phoenix I would worry it looked messy. So far I’m at round –  and can’t wait to see the finished piece when I can buy more yarn in the new year!

Craft, Mental Illness And Happy Post

.Relentlessly Purple covers, Craft, Mental Illness, product reviews and more. Blogging gives me a creative outlet, an excuse to craft and show it off across different platforms. I love hearing how others do the same and seeing their makes. I especially love the idea of Happy Post which I’ll let Katie tell you more about.

Craft, Mental Illness And Happy Post

Craft, Mental Illness and Happy Post

I have always been very creative, right back to my childhood days and before mental illness really took hold of my life but even then I found it relaxing and something I could really get in to. I have taken craft with me throughout my life and now have an Etsy shop, where I sell my makes Katies Cabin Handmade. Crafting is like a part of me, if I didn’t have it, I am not sure who I would be, it’s almost built into who I am.

Craft and Mental Illness

I have had a very long battle with mental health issues starting with self-harm when I was 14. In my late teens I started struggling with anorexia and later in life was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Throughout these times creative activities have been extremely helpful. They really help to focus the mind on one activity rather than the million thoughts going round my head. If I am depressed and struggling to do anything, sometimes, if I can just get myself to do something small but creative, it helps me to feel like I am being productive. Crafting can boost a mood, if only slightly.
Craft is a very mindful activity and always helps me to just zone out to everything else going on around me. Within craft groups and communities that I am part of it seems that a large proportion of crafters actually struggle with mental health issues. They use craft for this very reason whether they then go on to sell their makes or not, so there must be definitely something in the fact that crafting does help mental health issues!
People may think “I’m not creative” or “I couldn’t make that” but you really don’t need to be a crafting genius to benefit from crafting. It can be an adult colouring book or doodling – these are also very mindful creative activities. If you wished you could teach yourself a craft such as crochet or knitting – something that interests you! There are so many tutorials these days on the internet and even books that learning a craft in today’s day and age is easier than ever and it’s so rewarding when you finally manage to make something which in itself is a real mood booster!

Happy Post

Happy Post

I decided to put my crafting to good use and offer ‘Happy Post’ to those struggling with mental illness.

I make and sell a lot of prints and so I decided to make “quote cards” with an inspirational theme. These are to send to those currently having a hard time with mental health issues. The smallest of things can sometimes help when you are in a dark place. I wanted to offer a little bit of hope with the aim to make people feel less alone.
I also blog about mental illness and am in the process of writing a book of my own experiences to try and help raise awareness.
You can see my blog, about me and nominate someone for a happy post at www.mentalhealthjourney.co.uk
If you’ve never tried a craft then give it a go! You never know you may just find something that you love!

Thank you for sharing your Craft, Mental Illness and Happy Post with us Katie! I love the idea of Happy post. I know this will put a smile on many faces that need a little something to brighten their day!

5 Easter Crafts Using Posca Pens

We’ve tried 5 Easter crafts using Posca pens over the last few days. Posca pens are paint pens designed to be used on many different surfaces. They are perfect for so many crafts! We received 2 packs of Posca Pens to help with our Easter crafts. We received an 8 pack of standard and an 8 pack of sparkling Posca Pens. Posca Pens are a Uniball product with a large range of colours & tip sizes for different projects. Posca Pens are water-based and non-toxic, unlike alcohol-based pens the colour doesn’t bleed through paper/card/fabrics.

5 Easter Crafts Using Posca Pens

 

5 Easter Crafts

Decorating Plastic Eggs

Decorating Plastic Eggs With Posca Pens

Our first Easter craft was decorating hanging egg decorations using Posca pens. Eva is a big fan of Posca pens having discovered them at a MetalArts event and loved them. She quickly pretended she couldn’t paint properly with paint and a brush after spotting new Posca pens. She decorated an egg using some of the new standard colours and a few left over from my last pack and came up with this design.

Using the pack of standard colour Posca pens to decorate an egg myself, I was impressed with how well they covered the plastic. As you can see both eggs turned out really colourful and the Posca pens work brilliantly on these plastic decorations.

Easter Crafts With Posca Pens

Colourful Egg Cups

 

Next, we decorated egg cups using the standard Posca pens. Cheating slightly as the flowers were part of the egg cup design, we got to work. We started off colouring those & adding more details & colours as we went.Decorating Egg Cups With Posca Pens

We then added some colourful Easter eggs all the way around the bottom. I was impressed with how easy it was to use the Posca pens to decorate the egg cup. Posca pens are fantastic for such a range of surfaces!

Deocrated Easter Egg in Easter Egg Cup Using Posca Pens

Easter Cards

Mrs Mactivity Easter Card Printable & Posca Pens

Of course, it wouldn’t be easter without a lovely card so we visited Mrs Mactivity’s site, we love her printable resources designed by Polly Love. We found this lovely Silhouette Easter card which the girls think is really cute! We printed the card out on to pink card and used the Sparkling Posca pens to brighten it up. I also used the white Posca pen from the standard pack for the bunnies fluffy ears & chest.

Happ Easter Silhouette Card From Mrs Mactivity Coloured With Posca Pens

Numbering Bunny Footprints

Posca Pens are great, even for simple things like numbering bunny footprints for an Easter egg hunt! They are so bright & vibrant, you can’t miss them!

Numbering Bunny Footprints with Posca Pens

Easter Masks

Posca Pens & Face Mask

Masks are something the girls really enjoy decorating for all kinds of occasions. These had a felt texture on the top & the Posca pens worked really well. I had expected the colour to seep across a little but we didn’t have this issue which was a relief! Eva decided to make her’s a rainbow & bunny mask. Face Mask Decorated with Posca Pens

Admittedly that bunny does remind of the Hell Bunny Logo haha! Eva is really happy with her mask and loves being able to use all the colours without them running into each other. You kind of expect paint pens to leak and run everywhere but Posca pens are amazing & once you get the flow going, so easy to use. They are so brighht & vibrant and we are totally in love with the Sparkling Posca Pens, you will no doubt see them featured on the blog again soon!

Have you used Posca Pens for Easter crafts before?

 

 

Rustic By Marney – How creativity helps me manage my anxiety and depression

Rustic By Marney was set up by Melissa Marney who crafts the most beautiful pens! Like many of us Melissa suffers anxiety and depression but found crafting and letting her creativity flow very therapeutic. I’ll be sharing my thoughts and images of a gorgeous purple flower pen she made for me, on the blog tomorrow! Keep an eye out! Until then here is Melissa’s story in her own words.

Rustic By Marney – How creativity helps me manage my anxiety and depression

Looking back on my childhood I now realise that I’ve always suffered with anxiety and depression. At the time I didn’t know anything about mental health issues, and I just thought it was normal behaviour and everyone felt the same way, but I just struggled more with my emotions. I covered my emotions and symptoms well, and looking back had a number of coping strategies, which I wasn’t aware were helping me, to cope at the time.

Hobbies

My favourite hobby when I was younger was ballet. I used to attend two classes a week and looking back now it was a way to shut my mind off, detach myself from uncomfortable feelings and emotions and silence those scary, intrusive thoughts.

As the years went on and I grew older I stopped dancing and didn’t replace this with another hobby. Having nothing to focus my energy on, my negative thoughts became louder and more uncomfortable and my symptoms worsened. Dealing with day to day life – working, paying the bills, maintaining relationships etc. It all became so consuming, and I knew something wasn’t right at the time but tried my best to conceal it (and I did a fantastic job at it!). I didn’t want anyone to know how I was truly feeling or that I was struggling to cope. There were times where I just wanted to scream out for help, but always remained silent and carried on with life.

Shutting Down

It wasn’t until a year ago, Steve and I got married in Cyprus, (which was the best day of our lives, very cliché, I know!) things changed. I pretty much arranged the whole wedding myself and in the lead up to it was unaware of how much stress I was putting myself under. Having perfectionist tendencies I wanted everything to go well, and was deeply involved with the all or nothing thinking. I also wanted to ensure everyone was happy and was having a good time.

While I was busy thinking about everyone else and my ‘perfect’ day I neglected my own needs my health was suffering as a consequence. When Steve and I returned from our wedding I didn’t feel myself at all. I put it all down to the ‘come down’ from the high I had been on the past few weeks. Nevertheless, I powered on and tried to get back into the real world. Unfortunately my mind and body had other plans. Two weeks later I had a breakdown, I completely shut down physically and mentally, I became an empty shell, I was just existing and not living. I knew things weren’t right and something had to change.

Recovery

It took me a while to accept what was happening. It took approximately six months to dig myself out of that ‘hole’ and get myself back on the right track. I’m still in recovery now, but having the right support, and a change in my thinking and attitude has helped me to accept it’s now just a part of me, and adjust to living with anxiety and depression.

During my recovery I found a new love in crafting. Throughout the years I’ve always told myself I’m rubbish at arts and crafts, I can’t do it and I believed it! It wasn’t until I started crafting my own place cards, guest book pens and jars for my own wedding where I realised this was all total rubbish! Silencing that negative voice in my head was a great victory.

Crafting To Cope

I’ve always been ambitious and dreamt of owning my own little business, and finding a purpose in life. During my breakdown Steve had mentioned to me about crafting again, however at the time I didn’t have the energy. As I slowly started getting better I took his advice and I started making my flower pens again. Slowly in time my passion and creativity started coming back, I was starting to feel my bubbly, confident self again. Crafting has been my biggest inspiration and I truly believe it has helped me cope over the past few months. Crafting has refocused my attention and reignited my passion.

Now whenever I feel anxious or have a bad day, however hard it is I grab all my crafting gear, sit down and get stuck in. I’ve found crafting extremely therapeutic and a way to ‘shut off’ from the stressors in the world. Turning my hobby into a business has given me great comfort as I now believe in myself. Having a passion in crafting and weddings, and combining the two is the perfect combination and therapy for me! There’s also that extra bonus of helping other brides have the best day of their lives. When they do then my mission is accomplished!

I recently saw the quote below which sums up my whole experience and filled me with comfort:

 Rustic By Marney - How Creativity Helps Me Manage Anxiety & Depression

Rustic by Marney can be found over on Facebook & Twitter. Whilst she does focus on weddings her gorgeous pens will brighten up any desk. You can find out more about Rustic by Marney and see the gorgeous pen she sent me too!

Do you find crafting therapeutic too?

Burnished Chaos

My Ever-growing Yarn Wish List

I have an ever-growing Yarn wish list right now. Whilst I do have 2 projects on the go right now, a granny square blanket for myself and one for my brothers cat Mia. I’m still using up all my sparkly yarn but I’ve been eyeing up some lovely new colours and brands I’ve discovered.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to crochet and I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to different yarns but some are just sooo lovely! I love self patterning yarns, anything purple, grey or super soft. The girls regularly point out yarns they like and want used on a project too but this list is just for me.

My Yarn Wish list

 

Caron Cakes

Anyone who loves to crochet or knit has no doubt heard of Caron cakes, self-patterning yarns that come in a glorious array of colours. These are fantastic for a range of projects and look especially lovely when used for shawls. Here are my favourite 4 Caron Cakes.

Yarn wish list- Bumbleberry caron cake

Bumbleberry

I love the gorgeous combination of purples in this Bumbleberry Self Striping Aran Yarn. I could use this on so many projects for myself!

lilac frosting caron cake

Lilac Frosting

The Lilac frosting would make a lovely scarf for winter with just a hint of lilac throughout. I usually avoid lighter colours but I do love the way this Caron cake turns out.

 

Mixed Berry Caron Cake

Mixed Berry

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous Mixed Berry Caron cake since I first discovered them. I think this would be perfect for a project for Eva. Maybe a nice cardigan if I can work out how to crochet one!

Faerie cake caron cake

Faerie Cake

The last yarn on my Caron cake wishlist is this gorgeous Faerie Cake. I just love the colours in this, I’ve no idea what I would use it for but I definitely need it in my yarn stash asap.

 

purple fizz

Purple Fizz

Stylecraft Wondersoft DK Merry-go-Round in Purple Fizz is another self-patterning wool which I would love to make some cushions out of. I want to funk up my sofa soon and have a few different cushion cover ideas.

candy

Candy

King Cole Flash DK Knitting yarn in Candy is gorgeous. I would love to make some cushions for the girls room. Ok I know I said this list is for me but I couldn’t help but slip one in for the girls too!

What’s on your Yarn wish list right now? Which of the above yarns is your favourite?

Woodland Garland – Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

I’ve been making a woodland garland after receiving the Crafty Creatives Subscription box to review. A fun crafty box with creatives in mind. Crafty Creative boxes are £15 plus p&p (£2.95) each month. My box contained everything needed to make a woodland garland, felt, threads, eyes, stuffing and templates.

Crafty Creatives Subscription Box

Crafty Creatives

The woodland garland looks so cute and I knew it would be something that would no doubt end up in the girls room. I decided to start when the girls were in bed so I definitely wouldn’t get disturbed as I’m not great at sewing. I love to craft and crochet is usually my go to but I couldn’t wait to see how I got on with the crafty creatives box.

My Woodland Garland

I started with the Squirrel, cutting out the templates first then finding the correct felt. With so many shades of brown I was a little confused to be honest. I think a colour chart would have been quite helpful. Once I had got over my colour confusion I got to work pinning the templates to the felt. I then cut out each piece & stitched the details on. Finally I stitched the back & front together adding stuffing as I went.

Squirrel

The instructions are easy to understand and in no time I had made my first stuffed animal for this fantastic woodland garland. I was quite proud of myself as sewing isn’t my strong point yet following the simple instructions I managed to make something that actually does resemble a Squirrel.. yay me!

Stuffed Squirrel - Crafty Creatives subscription box

Seriously, how cute is that Squirrel!?

I made each one in order so I didn’t get too confused or mix anything up. It was lovely to see each one coming together piece by piece and really enjoyed making them. I usually find sewing stressful but everything is so small and cute I found it quite relaxing!

Woodland Garland - Mushroom

I loved that I only needed scissors and pins to complete this project. Unfortunately I ended up having to use a little of my own black and white thread. That is highly likely to be down to my poor sewing skills in all fairness. I tend to find the back of my work looks an absolute mess when I sew. Making the woodland garland has made me consider sewing a little bit more as I really did enjoy making each one.

 

Woodland Garland

Crafty Creatives work to put together a new box each month and collaborate with small businesses to do so. I think this is a fantastic idea and I would love to see what they come up with next!

What do you think? Does the Crafty Creatives Subscription Box sound like something you would enjoy too?

 

Eva’s Blanket Is Finally Finished (For Now) 

You may have seen me crocheting Eva’s Blanket if you’ve been following my blog  or especially my Instagram. I’ve been crocheting a colourful granny square blanket, letting Eva choose each colour/shade as I go. I’ve been working on it for quite some time now doing a few stitches most evenings, even taking it on the bus with me to work on!

The finished product –

Eva's blanket - finished

We ended up adding 16 different colours/shades to Eva’s blanket and she is absolutely over the moon for it to finally be finished (for now) and able to use it around the flat and on her bed.  Last year I knitted Izzy a soft fluffy blanket but it took quite a bit of time and hurt my hands although I did enjoy it. Crochet seem’s much easier, faster and calming to be honest.

I had one very happy girl last night, Eva settled pretty quickly snuggled up under her blanket and when she woke up this morning it was the first thing she grabbed to bring through to the living room where she snuggled up on the sofa until breakfast!

Eva's blanket - in bed
Sneaky photo of Eva snuggled up falling asleep

I’m feeling quite pleased with myself to be honest. It’s such a lovely feeling finally completing such a big project and seeing Eva so happy with the result! Eva wants me to continue adding on to it as she grows so I haven’t added a border.. yet!

I’ve already started on my next project too! A colourful scarf for Eva using the same wool she asked me to finish her blanket with. I tried knitting the scarf but was unhappy with how it looked. Instead I’ve gone back to my trusty hook and crocheting her a scarf!

 

Have you finished a project lately or are you currently in the middle of one? If you love crafting don’t forget to link up with #CraftingIsMyTherapy too.

Me You and Magoo

 

Purpling My World With Dylon Dyes – Part 1: Sack The Lego Supervisor

I’m not really sure if many of you know this but I have a teeny tiny obsession with the colour Purple.. I know, I know, I hide it well! The problem is not EVERYTHING  is in purple.. yet! So when I got my hands on some gorgeous Dylon Fabric Dyes in Intense Violet in exchange for an honest review I couldn’t wait to get started on purpling my world… I mean at look at them!

I LOVE the Intense Violet and just knew I had to dye the bedding we recently bought that I wasn’t keen on being white..

 Bedding before

Lego Supervisor - failingI was so eager to get going and purple thing’s that even under the watchful eye of the Lego Supervisor and Izzy I managed to make the ULTIMATE mistake. I DIDN’T quite read the instructions properly.. until the washing machine was on of course (I know, I know the Lego Supervisor is totally getting the sack for slacking!). So here’s a head’s up, when using Dylon dyes ALWAYS read the instructions fully to get the perfect result (One box covers a DOUBLE not king-size duvet cover!)

 

Of course having too much material in the machines & not enough dye doesn’t result in an even covering so instead I had this pretty awesome (but not for this project) tie-dye effect that I had to fix sharpish before my brother ran out to buy a King-size duvet and stole it from me!

Ooops

After admitting my mistake I was sent out another 2 boxes of the Intense Violet machine dye to see if I could put things right again. This time I made sure I had definitely read the instructions before pouring the dyes & 500g of salt into the washing machine drum under the Mr’s supervision this time.. He had to be better than Izzy and the Lego supervisor.. Right?

 

This time I was happy with the result! My camera seriously doesn’t do it justice it is AMAZING in person and I cant wait to see it on my bed and purple my boring bedroom some more!

Purpling my world
Hanging to dry.. Now doesn’t that look better!?

Dylon fabric dyes are definitely an amazing way to colour your world your way.. Providing you read the instructions 😉

I still have the French Lavender dyes to use next so keep an eye out for part 2! Fingers crossed this time it all goes right the first time as these dyes are absolutely amazing when you read the instructions properly 😉 haha!

In the meantime don’t forget to check out Dylon’s Instagram & Twitter page aswell as their website to see other colours available! 

Have you used Dylon dyes? What’s your favourite colour & best success? Let me know in the comments 😊

Also I just noticed that this is my 100th blog post!! And it’s a purple one!! Yay!! 

Handy Hobby Holster’s 

I received a Grey Hobby Pack by Holster brands which you can buy HERE recently to try out and review and I have to admit I absolutely love them! They have been so handy when I’m crafting and so easy to use too. I love how they can be moved about to where you want too.

Handy Hobby HolstersI received the Lil’ Holster & Hobby Holster in exchange for my honest review and I am really impressed!

They come in a range of colours and I received these grey ones which is actually my second favourite colour and I am little obsessed with using them on my kitchen worktop whilst I do things like drawing.

The Lil’ Holster

lil' holster

They are basically handy little silicone pockets you can hang off of ANY smooth surface as long as it is clean and dry. The Lil’ Holster has draining holes in the bottom so it can be used by the sink I love using the Lil’ Holster for holding my Posca Pen’s I’ve recently won to stop tiny hand’s getting hold of them (again) whilst I’m drawing. You could literally use it for anything though.. I also found it quite handy to pop my glasses in at night as I often knock my glasses to the floor & struggle to find them haha!

They are so easy to use just lift the flap (they come folded) make sure the surface your using is clean and dry and press it down and your good to go! If your having trouble getting yours to stick simply wash it with soapy water and let it dry completely to remove the dust and dirt preventing it from sticking. They are dishwasher safe too! (Upto 120°c) Once they are stuck down it’s fine to get them wet, they still stay in place!

Hobby Holster

The larger Hobby Holster is amazing for crafting. Although I don’t have one (yet) they are ideal for holding hot glue guns as they are heat resistant up to 200°c! It also has a built in ruler which has been pretty handy with some of my crocheting recently as I can measure my stitches. We also used it to measure my brother’s coat rack as we had measured wrong to begin with and couldn’t find a ruler but needed to cut it down a bit!

Hobby HolsterTrying out the Lil’ holster and the Hobby Holster has been brilliant!

If you have a small desk & need somewhere for pens, stapler’s etc in. It’s handy for holding crochet hooks/knitting needles in too, these Hobby Holster’s really are handy little things!

How would you use your Holster?

Challenging My Crochet Skills

Somehow over this summer holiday I have managed to fit in a little bit of crochet in between the chaos and been trying to challenge myself a little more.

My first project was the crochet flower heart wreath Eva had spotted over my shoulder whilst I was scrolling through Pinterest.

The wreath Eva spotted on Pinterest

I hunted around the flat and found some gardening wire to make the heart shape and quickly got to work crocheting 18 flowers & 18 leaves, letting Eva pick the colours and sequence of the flowers.

Once all the flowers & leaves were finished we got to work attaching them to the wire to see how it looked and after a bit of neatening up we ended up with the wreath below…

Next time I will use thicker wool/yarn to make the flowers sturdier and a sturdier wire too as it is fairly floppy but sits well once hung.

Eva decided she didn’t want any buttons or extras added in the end and it is currently hung up on her bedroom door.

I really enjoyed making the wreath and definitely want to try a few different ideas soon!

I also managed to crochet Izzy a little handbag big enough for a fruit shoot & crisps/fruit bag for walks to the park which she seems to love!

I’m really enjoying getting creative with crochet but only knowing the basic stitches was starting to bore me so I decided to have a look around and find a new stitch to learn.

After a little look around I decided to try out the 4 point star stitch (Marguerite stitch) which is really easy once you get the hang of it and look lovely!

My first attempt was quite loose but with a different hook I think it will look much better now I’ve worked it out.

I love how quickly you can learn a new stitch especially with such great tutorials on the internet! I decided to start again with my favourite hook and was much more pleased with how the 4 point star stitch turned out.. What do you think?

Have you learnt any new stitches recently? What’s your favourite stitch?

 

The Secret Diary of Agent Spitback
Me You and Magoo