30 Second lavender bags

Add a touch of spring freshness to your draws in 30 seconds...

I've been telling myself I'm going to make some lavender sachets for months but could not bring myself to drag the sewing machine out for such a little project, so today I decided to make some no-sew sachets which take no time at all and use up all those lovely little vintage scraps that are too small to do anything with but too pretty to throw out! 

This is all you need: Dried lavender, vintage fabric scraps 20cm square maximum, ribbon, a tea cup and if you want to add some extra punch then some lavender essential oil too.

Place the center of your fabric square in the tea cup to stop the lavender escaping! Fill with one or two tablespoons of lavender and a couple of drops of oil.

Gather up the corners and tie up tight with a length of ribbon and tie a pretty bow or a hoop to hang them in the wardrobe.

Slowly realise you've made more sachets than you have draws!

Enjoy your fresh clothes

Before and After

When I finally got my craft room sorted I came across a problem, I needed a chair....

I had a beautiful chair which I had given a make over ages ago, painted light blue and the pop out seat was re-covered in Cath Kidston fabric. Lovely. Only problem was, that chair was being used for my dressing table so I had to keep lugging it back and forth between rooms every day and night! Then on a chance trip to Watton I found this little beaut sitting outside a second hand furniture shop. I have been looking all my LIFE for a dressing table stool like this. And it was £10! Needless to say it came home with me and got the Polka.Button treatment instantly! 

Stripped off the pretty gross braid and fabric and removed all nails...

Popped to Wilkinsons 10mins before closing time to buy some pain... One coat satin in a lovely grey blue.

 And finally I covered it in a brand new fabric I had bought a couple of weeks before and had no idea what to do with it. FATE.

 

 Luckily I have a lot of trims and such so finding a Pom Pom trim in a matching eggshell blue amongst my stash was no problem! Finished it off beautifully don't you think?!

Every morning I sit at my dressing table and this little stool makes me very happy! One day I will re-paint my dressing table the same grey colour as I have rather gone off the pale pink that I painted it a few years ago. One day....

New Collection

I call this collection 'Roses and duck eggs' because of the beautiful colours. These handmade fabric buttons can be turned into Earrings, Cufflink or just left as Buttons! I think F5 is my personal favorite, I may have to make up an extra pair of earrings, as part of my stock control tests you understand....

Oh and remember these little beauts?

Well I finally worked up the courage to turn them into earrings...

The colour in the photos not great as the blinding sunlight is giving me many issues today! I only have enough of these buttons to make 2 pairs and my head and my heart are having issues trying to decide whether I myself need a pair... Hope your enjoying the blinding sunlight where ever you are!

Fruits of London

I do hope everyone had a very merry Easter, mine was lovely! Lots of doing nothing with good people, followed by a trip down to London to visit my Grandparents and Cath Kidston! I have been to a few C.K stores including Bristol, St. Ives and Covent Garden, but the flagship store on Marylebone High Street is by far the winner, two floors chock full of loveliness. I managed to refrain from spending too much, somehow I only bought exactly what I intended to buy which was... FABRIC!

Clockwise from top left: Provence Rose in Mint green (one of my favourite prints, I have matching glasses case and card holder!), Floral Gingham Blue, Paisley Blue and Spray Flowers (which I have in the form of a sewing box which I got for Christmas, I’m very lucky). The top two fabrics are more of a cotton lawn whereas the bottom too are much softer brushed cotton. They are all the new haberdashery weight fabrics, they had a lot off choice and it was hard to pick I must say, it’s a bit like going to the dog pound and finding a lovely dog but having to leave behind all the other lovely dogs with their sad eyes! Well for me it is...
I also managed to squeeze in a trip to my favourite haberdashery to buy lots and lots of self cover buttons in 3 different sizes along with some velvet ribbon, which I will show you in use very soon I’m sure! I spent most of the afternoon at my Grandparents making up buttons and endeavoured to continue doing so in the car until it got so dark I could no longer see! My hands were pretty sore after all these buttons but I think it was well worth it, they are so beautiful like Iced Gems or little sweets. YUM!

I bought these larger buttons to make into button rings, as you can see I got straight into my new C.K stash with the button in the middle (it may have to be a keeper).

I started my earrings yesterday, I’ve been experimenting with a few different glues to get the best possible finish, so all these lovely buttons will very soon be made up into earrings such as these, as well as hair grips, rings and cuff links for the lads!

Don’t forget tomorrow is my ‘buttons of the week’ feature, and I have something rather lovely to come!