Curious Clare's Handmade Wedding - Part One

Bird bunting can be ordered here

Our wedding reception at a local village hall was the perfect venue for this handmade vertical bird bunting. It added a splash of colour to an otherwise tall and dark ceiling. The bunting decorations hung beautifully with tissue paper pompoms and lanterns. 

The bird motif used in the laser cutting is taken from the robin on my Curious Clare logo (see above!). 

I had great fun making this bunting and it looked so pretty hanging above the trestle tables at our wedding reception.

Upcycled Jam Jar Tutorial

 
-Several clean jam jars with labels and sticky residue removed

-Spray paint (I used Plasti-kote Fast Dry enamel in Sky Blue & Hot Pink from B&Q)

-Plastic toys – new or discarded!

-Strong adhesive  (Araldite works best)

-Plastic carrier bags – cheap thin ones are the most suitable

-Protective sheeting or newspaper

-Good ventilation!

-Apron to protect clothing

1. Eat lots of delicious jam or chutney.

2. Soak empty jars in hot soapy water to remove labels. Use nivea and a J cloth to remove the sticky residue (tip from my grandma!). If you do not remove the stickiness you will be left with a rough surface when you apply the spray paint.

3. Glue plastic toy to the jam jar lid using a strong adhesive such as araldite.

4. When dry, put a plastic carrier bag over the glass part of the jam jar and screw the lid shut.

5. Put on an apron and cover your work surface with newspaper or protective sheeting.

6. In a well ventilated area, spray the lid with an even layer of spray paint. You may need to apply several coats to larger toys. It is advisable to wait for each layer to dry before applying new coats of spray paint.

7. When the lid is completely dry remove the plastic carrier bag and fill. I filled mine with ribbon and wires that were cluttering up a drawer. 

8. Screw on lid and admire your handiwork! 

I would like to say that I do not take any credit for this idea. I spotted Torie Jayne’s Bunny Jars last autumn on Pinterest and pinned them to my Studio Envy board for future use. I was pleased to find another use for the many Bonne Maman jam jars that I had collected for my wedding table flower arrangements!

Wedding photography by Kelly Clarke of Imagesplash

Built Environment - Mood Boards Tutorial

This post offers advice about how to create a mood board (also known as an inspiration board). Mood boards help creative people, from fashion designers to jewellers, to start putting together ideas for a project or commission. They are a collection of photographs, drawings, notes, samples and swatches placed creatively to communicate your ideas and interests.

Mood board inspiration from decor8

The most important reason behind constructing a mood board is to focus your thoughts. This can be done by really thinking about the theme of your project and then gathering items that will help you to visualise it. You can find inspiration in many different places ranging from the paint department at your local DIY shop and haberdashers to magazines and the internet. You can often find inspiration in your own home – raid those cluttered drawers and forgotten boxes in the garage! I often photograph things and places that interest me on my phone to use at a later date.

The mood boards on this post concentrate on two of the artists’ featured in my first post and the Built Environment 1 board on Pinterest.

Eve Broadhurst’s colour scheme for her ‘Belgium from the Rooftops’ set of illustrations uses pretty pastel colours reminiscent of ice cream and lollies. I have put together a collection of objects on Pinterest called ‘Ice Cream and Lollies’ that describes the colour theme and captures the atmosphere of her illustrations.

Delicate illustration by Eve Broadhurst

It is important to think about the theme creatively and not just focus on finding images of ice cream or lollies. In this photograph, I have gathered together objects ranging from a vintage cotton reel and old buttons to modern day washi tape. The objects all reflect the colour scheme that Eve has used and the one that I would like to use on a mood board inspired by her work. I have then placed the items on an old tablecloth that my grandma hand embroidered. I have also photographed pastel sweets on a white background. The photographs shown here could be used to add extra interest to your mood board.

Jessica Hogarth and a-side studio’s illustration uses areas of bright, block colour. Their designs remind me of confectionery and I have put together a board on Pinterest called ‘Sweetie Brights’ that is inspired by their work. Here, visual interest ranges from boiled sweets to stacks of coloured pencils.

Finally, make sure that you are inspired by the items that you are placing on your mood board. Be sparing with the use of text, take care over the composition and use samples to create additional interest (such as buttons, or scrabble piece or ribbon). Most of all, have fun putting it all together!

 Examples of two pupils' mood boards inspired by Ice Cream and Lollies

 Examples of two pupils' mood boards inspired by Sweetie Brights