A Year of Crafting – My Top 5 Crafts

     Okay, I’ve been making crafts for much more than a year but it was about this time last year that I really started focusing on crafts and blogging. I was finishing up in college and crafting began to fill the void that not having to study had left. Since I started this blog, I’ve made quite a few bits and pieces and so I though that it was getting about time for me to actually looked back over what I’ve made and written about so I’m going to pick my five favourite crafts and highlight them in this post.

Coasters

     I’ve made a lot of coasters in the past year and a bit so it’s hard to pick one set but I think I’ll go with the first set that I made which were a set of stone tile coasters.

     I made these stone tile coasters for Mother’s Day last year. Stone tile coasters like these are really simple to make and make really nice gifts. All you need to make them are a few stone tiles, napkins (one napkin and cover up to four 4×4 inch tiles), some glue and felt (to cover the bottom and protect surfaces).

     I made this set for my mom last year and the coasters are still being used in the kitchen. They work really well. The only problem I have with them is that I had a really, really big mug for my tea and because of the size of my mug, when it’s full of a boiling hot cup of tea the coaster sticks to the bottom when I lift it up. I don’t have this problem with normal size cups of tea though and cold things are absolutely fine. Recently, I bought a box of tiles so I have plenty of material to make more coasters if need be. The box of tiles I got has 25 in it (so I can make five sets of five) and cost €8.50. At under €2 for a set of stylish coasters, the cost of these appeals to both the gift giver and the poor girl in me!

Fabric Covered Notebooks

     The fabric covered notebooks I made last summer for my language notebooks have to be in my top five list of favourite crafts. I decorate my planner because having something nice to look at encourages me to check me to-do lists and I have the same feelings about notebooks – if it’s pretty, I’m more likely to use it.

     With the huge amounts of cute and pretty fabric out there, you’re bound to find something you love that could dress up your boring school subjects. If you click the link to the original post I have a bit of a tutorial there so check it out! It’s a simple craft to do and makes a big difference!

Upcycled Ikea Coffee Table

     This coffee table is definitely something I’m proud of (not least because I also picked up a screwdriver and put it together myself!). I had a lot of fun deciding what to do with it and because the table only cost about €12 in Ikea, I didn’t have to worry about feeling bad if I ruined it!

     At this stage, I can’t remember where the idea to wrap yarn around the legs came from but I really like it! It’s a bit time consuming but so simple – yarn and double sided sticky tape is all you need! I was also really happy with my decision to use chalkboard paint to paint the surface. It looks good but also has a very practical use. I think using chalkboard paint on your coffee table is a great idea, especially if you have kids.

     This coffee table has been in use in my sitting room for a few months now and I’m proud to say that it’s holding up well and hasn’t fallen apart (always a bit of a worry if I put something together, even if it’s the simplest thing in the world!

Sewn Scarf

     I’ve knitted many, many scarves but I wanted to do something different last Christmas for a present for my sister So I decided to sew a scarf. Really, I just fell in love with the number of pretty fabric patterns that were out there and needed an excuse to buy some!

     Of course, to sew a scarf, I needed to learn how to sew so that’s what I did: I got a mini sewing machine and I learned how to use it! This was my first (and to be honest, so far, only) scarf that I’ve sewn. It’s not perfect by any means – I struggle somewhat with straight lines and I had to get my mom to help with the last part that required finishing it off by hand but I’m still happy with the result and the scarf represents a new skill for me!

Advent Calendars

     I learned last year that I really love decorating advent calendars. I decorated three but if I’m to pick one of them as a favourite I’d pick the black, white, silver, gold and red themed one I did for my parents.

     I absolutely love these wooden advent calendars. The ones I got cost me around €23 but they’re well worth it when you consider that it’s a piece that you can customise to fit your style and it’s something that’ll last for years! I filled this calendar up for my parents and instead of filling it up with sweets I put things like tealights and small decorations in each drawer as a surprise so you can do nice things like that with these calendars after you decorate them – which is like my meditation by the way. I just decide on a style or colour I want, gather all my supplies around me and wile away a few hours in bliss as I put paper and tags and stickers together!

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     So those are my favourite crafts from the past year and a bit. I’ve done so many, it was hard to pick just five to highlight! What do you think about the ones I picked? Have you tried any of them yourself? Or is your favourite craft of mine something I didn’t list here? Let me know in the comments below and oh, while I’m at this writing lark, let me take the chance to remind you of my mini giveaway! That’s all for this week then, hope you have a good weekend.