Inspiration from Pinterest

One of the reasons for my lack of posts recently is Pinterest. If you've not encountered this site as yet, the above cartoon is a pretty accurate representation of what happens.

I love Pinterest; I go on it every single day and now have several inspiration boards for topics ranging from crafts, sewing, style, home decor, food and even a wedding board (even though I am currently single - a girl can dream). I raved about it so much that both my housemates joined. I love trawling blogs for inspiration, but the benefit of Pinterest is that you can find a whole host of amazing ideas without much effort. 

Here is a round up of the sewing and craft stuff I've pinned to my boards in the past few weeks:

This scarf is amazing. Just wow. 

The crotchet PDF pattern is from Beeskneesknitting and is available for purchase here.

I love vintage style and often come across real fur coats at vintage fairs which look stunning. Upon encountering said coats I then enter into a moral debate about the ethics of buying real fur. I'll normally rationalise that the coats are ridiculously cheap, that the animals won't get anymore alive if I buy the coat. At this stage I'll try on the coat, I'll like how it looks. In fact I'll love it. Then as I reach for my purse I'll brush my hand against a paw. A PAW. The coat inevitably goes back on the hanger.  With this scarf I have none of these dilemmas, but all of the quirky vintage style. I will crochet this eventually.

Next up is a tutorial for gathered dresses from Very Purple Person which you can find here. These are lovely and my initial read is that this is a simple make. On the list to try sometime soon. Or soonish.

Another excellent tutorial find is for these tap pants featured on Craftzine (designed by Haley of The Zen of Making). You can see the tutorial here. These look comfortable and classy, and provide a solution for those unfortunate moments when you unintentionally overexpose yourself. You know what I mean; when you're swing dancing, running down the stairs for the tube, gusts of wind, getting out of limousines, or standing over a subway grate ala Marilyn. I'll definitely be making these. At some point, when I have time and an overlocker.

It's not just crotchet and sewing pattern tutorials on Pinterest. Nay, there is a feast of crafty gift ideas! This hexagon explosion box is a lovely way to combine a greetings card and small gifts. The tutorial can be found here. I'd be blown away if I received something as lovely as this and will try to make two for the housemates next Christmas.

Pinterest has really widened my sources of sewing patterns. I've been completely unaware of Victory Patterns to date, but I am now consumed with sewing lust for their amazing vintage inspired patterns. The pattern above, Ava, has really caught my eye. I love the hem length and the sweetheart neckline. You can purchase here. 

Decoupage! A type of crafting that I have only just become aware of. If, like me, this is the first time that you have heard of it; decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing coloured paper cutouts onto it with special paint effects (such as gold leaf). Lou Rata's chair (above) shows the amazing up-cycling that you can achieve with this type of decoration and I really want to learn more. A local charity shop sells very cheap furniture and I'll keep an eye out for a good piece to try this on. With all the projects I have in progress it will be a while before I get to this, but it is on the list. You can see more of Lou Rata's work here.

I love this bear because he looks so sad. I want him for me, and I want to make him for my friends' little girls. This knitting pattern is available from Purl Soho, and is aimed at beginners. Again this is on the list, but I need at least one lesson before I try as I my knitting skills are very rusty. 

Nautical? Check. Playsuit? Check. Lots o' buttons? Check. Vintage flair? Check. Yep, this pattern from Wearing History brings together many of my favourite elements. Marked for purchase.

I'm pleased to have come across this doily lampshade tutorial because I've long wanted to replace my rather lacklustre nightshade in my bedroom. The tutorial is from the Dos Family and looks simple enough to me. I'll be keeping an eye out for some doilies in the local charity shops.

Oooh pretty and reusable fabric wrapping paper! I have stacks of muslin so this should be an easy one to take forward. I also have a reason to visit the stamp seller in Greenwich market. Sweet!

 The tutorial can be viewed on the Stylist website.

A tooth fairy pillow. What a lovely gift for small children - I'll be looking to gift this to friend's children next Christmas. Yes I'm planning Christmas craft gifts now, I am a SLOW crafter. Martha Stewart's website provides the instructions for this pillow.

I agree with the sentiment of this label. A lot. There is nothing speedy about sewing. I've long planned to get labels made for my homemade makes, although I am yet to decide on the words. I'm a little bit sad that these have already been done. I'll be consulting by books on wartime thrift for inspiration.

There'll be more from Pinterest in due course, now back to pinning....