Cheerful Painted Plant Pots - Tutorial


And now for something entirely different....

It seems the summer seems to be eluding us again this week however in an optimistic bid to bring back the sun I thought I'd share a mini tutorial.

It's been a bit finished sewing project heavy on here of late (although to be fair it is a sewing blog) so I thought I'd throw a bit of gardening crafts into the mix!

Not that you really need a 'tutorial' as such for this but here's how to pimp up a regular terracotta garden pot...

You will need:
  • Spray paint (suitable for outdoors)
  • Metallic paint (again just check its suitable for outdoor projects)
  • Plant pots
  • Brush
  • Something protective - polythene sheeting or some scrap cardboard


I chose a turquoise blue and...what I thought was coral, but later turned out to be baby pink - hence why that colour does not feature again in this post in plant-pot formation.

Get set up

Choose somewhere safe to spray! Ideally not indoors, if you do check the spray is safe to use inside and ventilate the hell out of the room. Best just to do this outside....
I found a giant bit of cardboard going spare so used it as a backdrop to protect the grass and fence.




Get spraying

Keep it nice and even, not too close to avoid drips and off you go! Then be patient and let it dry overnight.....


Add the band

I chose a metallic gold to put a contrast colour around the rim of the pot - this stuff was not soo great - it did take about 4 layers of paint to get a thick even finish. You can see the brush strokes but let's call it 'rustic'. Let it dry overnight again.


Plant up!

Find some lovely plants and get potting...making sure no-one eats the goods first. My back was turned for all of 10 seconds and THIS GUY got amongst it. Loves a viola...




There's tons of great ideas for designs and stencils on Pinterest - happy sunny days :-)

Come and say hi on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin too :-) xx

Little Bit of Joy

Helloooo...I didn't have a chance to do a blog post this week as I was digging our garden and getting it tortoise friendly. So in the meantime I thought I'd leave you with a little pic of Clyde loving life on Saturday and having a head stroke from his dad... Simple things :-)


Wishing you all a lovely week. In the meantime come and say hi on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin too :-) xx

Sallie Jumpsuit - Oh! so good...

Due to being en vacance for a couple of weeks, blog posts took a brief interlude but now its baaaaackkkk.

Whilst I was away Heather Lou of Closet Case files brought out a new pattern - the Sallie Jumpsuit and Maxi Dress! The pattern was made as a nod to her friend Sallie-Oh, whose blog is also rather beautiful. As soon as I saw it I fancied giving it a go. I have NEVER worn a jumpsuit in my life - despite having been tempted a few times with RTW. It's not something I thought would suit me or be very practical however I was sold on this one immediately as its all elasticated, very comfy and most importantly easy to get in and out of.

So merci to Heather and for being a muse Sallie because Oh! this jumpsuit is a dream! They weren't wrong about #secretpajamas

Getting the Clyde toe bite of approval
I opted for the kimono tee version and cut a Size 10 bodice and Size 12 bottom half - I made absolutely no alterations to this pattern at all with the exception of taking 2" from the hem of the trousers (I'm 5ft7 - there was a lot of fabric!)

Never having sewn with clear elastic I found that a bit of a struggle and had to rip it out about 4 times - the first attempt worked however after that it just bunched the fabric up and ruined it a bit. I used the elastic lined bodice piece for the front just in case it made a big difference to gaping. Turns out it does! The back, unelasticated (is that a word?!) lined bodice pieces do sag a bit.

Seriously wobbly clear elastic sewing!
I used a ballpoint needle for the straight stitch work and just used the overlocker for the rest of the seams. The needle makes a massive difference to the sewing machine chewing up stretch fabric, highly recommended.


There is a great tie strap detail on the back - I love a good V-back dress/top - and it keeps the shoulders nicely in place and prevents the front gaping open.


The fabric was from TiaKnight - big jersey knit seller her in the UK. Its t-shirt jersey fabric, which is almost too good a quality for this because due to the bodice being self lined - feels quite thick and warm! A jumpsuit for a breezier cooler day perhaps - the equivalent of wearing 2 t-shirts and some jogging bottoms.  I've bought some thinner jersey from GirlCharlee (who now have a UK and Europe site!!) lined up for the maxi dress vest top version.

Celebrating my first ever venture into jumpsuit wearing

I enjoyed making this project and again learnt some new techniques - using clear elastic, enclosing shoulder seams in lining - and would definitely recommend it. It was also a lot of fun seeing everyone's different versions appearing on Instagram and social media! 

Instagram - work in progress
Anyone had a go, thinking of making this? Come and say hi in comments, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin too :-) xx