Upcycle project ~ squeaky dog toy....

My new puppy, Jenson, has inspired my latest crafty make for the latest #CraftBlogClub upcycling challenge.

The challenge was launched by Jenniffer Taylor of the #SewingRevolution and Sewing Bee fame and all we had to do was upcycle anything.  So using an old pair of jeans and fleece jumper I decided to make a squeaky dog toy.

What did I use....

• Old pair of jeans. Denim should be hard wearing enough for my teething pup
• Old fleece jumper for the chew ties
• Matching thread
• Polyester toy filler
• Dog toy squeaker. I used Kong replacement squeakers which I bought from my local independent pet store but they are also available online.
• This tutorial by Laura Griffin which includes a template.

It was a great opportunity to dust off my sewing machine.

Laura's instructions were easy to follow and it only took me a couple of hours to make.

The Finished Dog Toy!

I think it was a big hit with Jenson! As soon a I gave it to him he ran around with it and then hid under the dining room table to play, making sure no one could take it away from him! 

I enjoyed getting my sewing machine out again, I don't use it enough. I am now on the look out for my next sewing project.

Have you taken part in the challenge? Even if you haven't taken part in the challenge but have done an upcycling project I'd love to see it, please share your links below so I can check them out.

Disclaimer: The Amazon links in this post are affiliated

#craftblogclub - Spring Clean Gift Swap....



If you read my blog regularly you will know I co-host a twitter chat #CraftBlogClub.  For those who are thinking "what is this #CraftBlogClub?" It's a friendly chat for craft bloggers, lovers of craft blogs and craft which takes place every Tuesday 7-8:30pm.

Each month we have a crafty challenge which I always look forward to.  This months challenge was to create and send a gift to a fellow #CraftBlogClub peep, only using supplies you have lying around at home. This is a great challenge for a Savvy Crafter like me!  and I love receiving post so to receive a gift lovingly made instead of a bill gives me huge excitement.

My swap-ee was the founder of #CraftBlogClub, the lovely and talented Emma from Frugally Peachy and look what loveliness I received in the post...

I was so pleased with this beautiful, knitted teapot cosy. It fits my small teapot perfectly! 

I love the flower on the front and the ribbon around the top is really useful to be able to top up the teapot without having to take the cosy off.  It is perfectly made and it will get a lot of use as I make myself a pot of tea on a daily basis to take to into my craft den.

I am looking forward to trying the herbal and fruit teas she also sent me, I have far too much caffeine!

When I received this I was so nervous about what I sent to Emma, will she like it as much as I like her gift??! I took a risk and made my gift from crochet which I am relatively new to. Thankfully she loved it and you can read what she thought of my gift on her blog here. Phew!

This is what I made....

Now I have a love for crochet, I have a collection of yarn. One of the reasons I started crochet was to be able to make flowers and I have a book of 20 crochet flowers patterns that I couldn't wait to get started on and this challenge gave me the excuse. 

I made a brooch from the retro daisy pattern which is in the centre of the card.  I also made a smaller daisy from the other pattern as an embellishment.

I had the perfect embossing folder and buttons to go with these daisies so I made a card to go with the brooch, plus I have a LOT of card lying around!  It was a card full of sunshine and everything was made from my stash.

 fizzi~jayne  x

P.S. Don't forget #CraftBlogClub is on every Tuesday 7-8.30pm, come and join in the chat.  To find out when I will be hosting, follow me on Twitter

Savvy crafting 2014 update....

I started the year with plans for 2014 and I knew being a savvy crafter would be the most challenging!

To recap, the rules were....

 I will not be buying any new....

• Card
• Stamps
• Ribbon
• Buttons

The exceptions are....

• If I need something for a specific order
• If I run out of the basics, i.e. white card, glue etc. The essentials I can’t craft without
• I worked on a project for one of my favourite craft suppliers, Handy Hippo which required supplies and I am working on another one....

So, how have I done so far?...

Card - I hadn't bought any new card that wasn't required for the Handy Hippo project, yeah! Until I saw some great offers last week :-( which I couldn't possibly ignore!

Stamps - I forgot about this rule oops! I may have bought some small ones *hanging my head in shame*

Ribbon - I am pleased to say I have kept to my rules and I haven't bought any *high five*

Buttons - I nearly caved in, I saw these really cute buttons and I picked them up but I put them back on the shelf!  However I have bought a mould to make my own buttons....

I am finding other crafty supplies that are not in the rules slipping into my shopping basket to feed my addiction, especially as I have started to learn crochet.  So I am not breaking the rules, instead I have found loop holes in my own rules! Not so savvy!

I have kept a track of all my costs which has been useful to see where my money has gone and because of that I am upping the ante!  I can't buy ANYTHING! (The exceptions will remain the same.)

The thought of not buying anything is making me feel sad and queasy, but needs must! I will have to comfort myself with some chocolate instead!

Are you still on track with your New Year resolutions?

 fizzi~jayne  x

 

 

 

Savvy crafting, a new me for 2014.....

In my post about my plan for 2014, one of my challenges for this year is to use up the craft supplies I have before buying any new ones.  This was inspired from reading Mary Emmens' blog about how she is not going to buy fabric for 6 months. 

As a general rule I will not be buying any new....

• Card (I have loads of various colours and scraps to use up)
• Stamps (I have 4 drawers full! So I should have enough for any occasion)
• Ribbon (Love ribbon!)
• Buttons (I have a button addiction!)

Love my ribbon box, although it doesn't hold all of my ribbon!

I have tended to buy any of the above because “I have to have it!”.  But things need to change as money is tighter this year plus I am running fizzi~jayne as a proper business now.

Firstly I need to have a stock take so I know what I actually have and then use what I have before I buy anything else. I will probably find things I have forgotten about.

However I still have a business to run, so there are exceptions:

• If I need something for a specific order
• If I run out of the basics, i.e. white card, glue etc. The essentials I can’t craft without.
• I am also working on a project for one of my favourite craft suppliers, Handy Hippo, (watch this space!) so I will need supplies for this. 

Not only will there be financial benefits but it should challenge my creativity.

After 6 months I will see how I have got on and see how much therapy I will need!!  Wish me luck!

Did you make any New Year resolutions?  How are they going?