Swishing you a merry Christmas...

This December we'll be joining forces with SannaPanda & Friends in order to bring you a very special Christmas Swishing event.

We all have loads of garments we either no longer wear, fallen out of love with but can't part with or as I am ready to shamefully admit have never worn and probably never will because I bought it on a whim! We all have moments of madness!

So if you think there's no alternative other then sticking them in the recycling bag then think again...

Swishing is a great way to revive, refresh and boost your wardrobe and it won't cost you the earth! Literally it's a fantastic way to recycle so you are saving the planet!!!

At £1 an item you can drop off your unwanted clobber. We'll be receiving clothing from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. 

You'll then have half an hour to browse and try other people's cast off and then when we blow the whistle at 8 pm..."SWISH"... that's when you can grab your new fashion bounty.

It's that easy!

We accept:

Dresses (Vintage, home made and High Street)

Separates (tops/blouses/shirts/vests etc. - trousers/skirts/shorts/leggins etc.)

Jumpers and knitwear

Shoes/Boots

Hand bags, Belts, Hats and accessories including jewellery.

We do ask that everything you bring to be in a good wearable condition and clean.

*Sorry no underwear or socks!

When? 6th of December from 6.30 pm to 9 pm

Where? At the formidable Oak Studio in Hampstead Heath

Also you can grab a free cocktail (swishers only), buy some cake at "Cakes by Kath" baked goods stall and do some late shopping in the studio...there are so many gorgeous things in there!!!

Make Christmas a hand made fest...

Every time I see "those" Christmas  adverts on the telly...you know the ones...flashing lights, intoxicating music, fit inducing colour schematics screaming "HURRY CHRISTMAS IS ONLY X AMOUNT OF DAYS AWAY" I literally fight the vomit back in...
Ew, OK not a pretty image but imagine it with glitter and wool and all things that make the insides of a true crafter!!!
So Here are my tips for getting through the mayhem of Chrimble prep...
First, breath. Then...breath some more. We as a race never breath enough hence why we panic so much. We crafters are a sensitive bunch and think of this post as a gigantic "craft inhaler" and it's here to help you breath some creativity into your Christmas!
So lets start by making your life easier by choosing a few stress free, easy but effective projects which will both supply a bit of "make therapy" and provide you with something which has a use in the holiday season. Here are three that I'm currently working on...



*Try printing your own Christmas wrapping paper. It doesn't need to be expensive or complicated. Potato stamping is a cheaper alternative to stamp/lino carving so don't think straight off the mark that it's going to look like primary school art class fodder. Use brown parcel paper, make nice paper tags and even paper bows plus butchers string can make it extra pretty especially if you use the red & white stuff!

courtesy of "Ella's inspiration"

*Make your own table favours/decorations.  A lovely little gift idea and decoration which you can use as part of your table theme or use as an alternative advent calender. Plus you can use them for pretty packaging for smaller gifts too like earrings, brooches, cufflinks etc.

Click here for tutorial

*Make your own perfume...
You know it's one of those gifts that you either love or hate! Personally I love getting perfume as a gift but it's very rare that I get one which I absolutely adore. The few times I have received those little bottles of magic "Eau de Moi" have been mainly because the gift giver knows me well and knows what scents I like! Basically they have gotten me down to a T which isn't easy.
So if you know someone who loves receiving perfume imagine how special they'll feel knowing  someone else gets them too and has gone to the trouble of creating a bespoke scent in their very own ready to wear eau de perfume!
Perfect for a truly special mate or to get your other half smelling just like you like...er, cinnamon rolls, single malt whiskey and sweet tobacco?! Oh well that's how I'd like my man to whiff!

Small Measures perfume tutorial

So crafty bambinos and bambinas we hope you find some sort of inspiration and if nothing else at least you've spent a few minutes thinking what you'd like to make for Christmas instead of focusing on your panicked breathing!!!

Hello East Sussex...

We're so proud of our sister armies and after announcing that Brighton Craft Guerrilla was ceasing to opperate we can now introduce you the new Brighton team!

We're stoked to have Sam on board with her magical crafty know how, enthusiasm and all round super duper creativity! It's a hard act to follow but we believe in Sam and know she'll do a fab job taking over where the last Brighton Craft Guerrilla left off. We love them too and after a few years of doing such a fantastic job we'll miss them dearly. Thank you Emma and gang for doing such great work and spreading the CG message. We salute you and wish you luck with everything you do in the future!

I'm excited beyond belief after hearing what Sam and Co. have in store for us...on line tutorials, craft swaps, craft meetings, classes, workshops...phew, these gals will have us packing our bags and moving down to Brighton soon if they keep up all this fabulous crafting!

So check them out,stop by their blog to say "hi", tell your friends, join them in Brighton if you can and show them your crafty appreciation!
http://brightoncraftguerrilla-craft-by-sea.blogspot.co.uk/

I'm so happy that we are able to share the Craft Guerrilla ethos beyond London so if you're interested in opening up* your own CG platoon drop us a line: craftguerrilla@yahoo.com

*please note that their is a criteria and a philosophy to follow so requests will be received and considered according to suitability!

This Christmas make it HAND MADE!

This Christmas make a conscientious effort to either make or buy hand made items! As a firm advocate for all things hand made I truly believe in the worth of buying more locally made/sourced items but also by doing this you are helping out the planet.
By thinking about where products come from and how they were produced you are making a positive, informed choice and it doesn't mean that cheap mass production will cease (though it would be nice!) I hope it will show the "big boys" on the High Street that we want change. The consumer's voice has never been so powerful so show them if you believe and want a change to a fairer and more environmentally friendly production process!
Not just a good move as you're helping your local economy but also it's a lovely way to show your family and friends that you care about them and the world we live in!!!
I'm not going to bore you with the intricate reasons why it's better to buy hand made...besides  I'm sure you know all about it anyway! Here are a few choice items that I love and a selection of projects I will be getting stuck into making for my loved ones...

Material World by Perri Lewis

the aviary

http://jillybird.co.uk/

Paper decoration tutorial

make your own cupcake to gift to your friends!

Make a circle scarf or leg warmers from an old jumper!