And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Creative Crafting blog tour, visiting and sharing fellow crafters' blogs and leaving your lovely comments. I do hope you'll all be back for Christmas CRAFTfest when we can do it all again!

And congratulations to the lovely Joy from Beaded Bazaar who has won her very own little retro rosebud cushion cover from my giveaway.

It'll be winging it's way to you in the post tomorrow Joy, so drop me a line at gill@personal-space-interiors.co.uk with your address. Enjoy!

All aboard the blog tour - and finally...

We've reached the final stop on the blog tour with a trip to meet Kirsty at Silent Companions with her wonderful furred and felted creations.

Click here to visit Silent Companions

All aboard the blog tour - magic and mystery with Bridgit's Bell

Next we're off to Bridgit's Bell with photography, poetry and all manner of magical crafts and creations.

Click here to visit Bridgit's Bell

All aboard the blog tour - projects galore from Cassie Fairy

Pop in at Cassie Fairy and you'll find a whole host of fashion, food and frivolity!


Click here to visit Cassie Fairy

All aboard the blog tour - we're going tulip crazy!

We're off to visit Amanda Addison today with a chance to spread your creative wings and enter the tulip themed competition.

Click here to visit Amanda Addison

All aboard the blog tour - psst...did someone say Christmas?...

Yes, you heard it right. The C word has been mentioned.

CHRISTMAS!!!

It'll be here before we know it. So here's a super little tutorial for making a Scandi style Christmas elf from Lilly My Cat.

All aboard the blog tour - a drawing masterclass

Stunning work from Kristin at Pastelesta sharing her technique for her amazingly lifelike animal drawings. Pop over now and leave a comment for a chance to win some lovely notecards.

Click here to visit Pastelesta blog

All aboard the blog tour - a crochet we will go

Some gorgeous makes from Lilian at Berry Bakewell today with a step by step guide to make a beautiful crochet bookmark and gift envelope. Ooh, and another super giveaway...

Click here to visit Berry Bakewell blog

All aboard the blog tour - an abundance of beads

A visit to Beaded Bazaar today to meet Joy and find pout about her lovely new jewellery range. There's a giveaway too, so don't forget to leave a comment!

Click here to visit Beaded Bazaar blog

All aboard the blog tour - an app a day...

What a brilliant idea - a crafters' app, being created by Arlene and her son showing how to create beautiful embroidery stitches. So clever!

Click here to visit Arlene's Crafts blog

All aboard the blog tour - stunning glasswork

Some stunning glasswork today from the studio of Glasspirations, and another chance to win something beautiful.

Click here to visit Glasspirations blog spot

Welcome Blog Tourists!

Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to my blog. I hope you are all enjoying the Blog Tour and picking up loads of ideas, freebies and discounts along the way. My blog is all about my creative passions of cooking, baking and sewing. So for today's tour stop, I'm giving you a little bit of everything, a 10% discount for any purchases from my website and the chance to win a little something!



Make of the week
Inspired by the hot weather I've been making picnic accessories this week...

My cutlery roll has space enough for 12 pieces of cutlery. Perfect to pop into your cool bag or hamper. I've used Designers Guild Miami fabric here. It's a thick loose weave cotton in crisp white with a vibrant geometric print in blue, red, orange and green. I'm busy working on a matching bag, which would be finished if my pesky daughter would return my toolbox...

You'll find my cutlery roll in Homewares on my website.

Today's recipe

Just in case the weather isn't holding up, here's a lovely summery recipe to enjoy at home indoors!

This fresh fruit tart is delicious and so easy to make. You can use whichever soft fruit you like - strawberries, raspberries and blueberries would be brilliant here.

Nectarine Tart

• 1 x 18cm sweet shortcrust pastry case - either make your own or buy ready baked
• 1 large egg
• 25g sugar
• 200ml whole milk
• 25g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 2 ripe nectarines sliced, or whichever soft fruit you like (you can leave small fruits and berries whole)

1. Begin with the pastry case. If you're using ready made then you're done! If you're making your own, use a sweetened shortcrust recipe and bake blind until golden and crisp. Leave to cool.
2. Next make the pastry cream. Put the milk in a small saucepan and heat gently. Meanwhile, whisk the egg and sugar until thick and creamy. Add the flour and whisk thoroughly. When the milk comes up to boil, pour it into the egg mixture and whisk together. Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently whisking vigorously until it becomes very thick. Remove from the heat and place in a clean bowl. Whisk in the vanilla, then cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool a little then place in the fridge until completely cold.
3. Assemble the tart by spreading the pastry cream over the pastry case and top with your chosen fruit. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Don't forget to make time for Creative Crafting magazine where you'll find more of my recipes

Grab some goodies!
As a special thank you for visiting my blog, leave a comment and share my blog for a chance to win this rosebud cushion cover with fabric covered buttons.

And if you'd like to buy anything from my site or place a bespoke order click here to email and quote "Blog Tour" to get 10% off your order. Visit my website Personal Space Interiors for details of my ready to buy items and bespoke services.

Thanks for visiting everyone, it's been lovely having you. Please call again soon :)

All aboard the blog tour - a fantastic giveaway

An amazing blog today from Stitchers Anon with a fantastically generous giveaway. Everything you could ever wish for as a crafter, whether you sew, knit or crochet.

 Click here to visit Stitchers Anon blog

All aboard the blog tour - recycle that shirt!

A great stop today from Vicky Myers Creations with a tutorial on how to recycle a shirt into a swimming bag and lots of other bits and pieces.

Click here to visit Vicky Myers Creations blog

All aboard the blog tour - a spinning we will go...

We're off to Susses spindehjørne today for some beautiful naturally spun yarns and another gorgeous giveaway.

Click here to visit Susses spindehjørne blog

All aboard the blog tour - we're stopping off at Loopy's Place

A lovely tutorial today from Jane at Loopy's Place. How to make bag with brilliant pics and step by step instructions. Your chance to win a freebie too.

Cick here for Loopy's Place blog

All aboard the bog tour - first stop The Old Button

The Creative Crafting bog tour has started.

First stop the lovely Sharon from The Old Button with a great idea for a crafty swap.

The Old Button Blog

Hi Baby Bunting!

It's been a busy few weeks, hence my being MIA for a while. Between job hunting and helping my daughter move house there's been little time for making. So I'm squeezing in little and often bursts of energy at the sewing machine this week and attacking the stash.

Tis the season for celebration and all things outdoors which naturally makes me think of afternoon tea and bountiful bunting strewn across the scaffolds of drafty marquees. What if you want to recreate the look and feel, but have limited space? My mini bunting garland is the answer!

A great way to use of a fabric stash, bunting makes a fantastic finishing touch to a vintage style tea party or wedding.

Here is my retro floral bunting in cream and jam colourway. The background is ivory with a rosebud print in soft red and pink with little touches of yellow and powder blue. Hung on natural cream bias binding. Gorgeous!

And if you're a stickler for the genuine article, my vintage bunting is just the thing.

This mini bunting garland is made from vintage 1960s Burgess Ledward Frome fabric upcycled from curtains. The fabric is a light cotton in white with a fantastic floral print in chartreuse, mint and grey. Hung on crisp white bias binding.

My mini bunting makes a beautiful addition to your home too. As the flags are small, they add a welcome splash of colour and texture without being overbearing.

This luxury  bunting is made from a range of vintage and retro fabrics; Toile de Jouy, linens and florals. Instead of the usual bias binding, this bunting is made with Broderie Anglaise trim making it extra special and perfect for a shabby chic bedroom. My bedroom in fact!

I've teamed it here with a padded screen I made and covered with vintage floral cotton, a chair made by my partner's company Collingwood Sofas, and my favourite French ticking and crochet cushions.

I've also found space in my kitchen diner for a little bit of bunting!

This soft red stripe fabric brightens up my bookcase, adding interest and a touch of softness.

It's a great way to bring a scheme together.


Bunting is available ready made on (you guessed it) the Bunting page or why not have your own bespoke bunting made up? You can send me your fabric scraps or use from my fabric stash. Prices start from only 50p per flag. Click here to email for more details or to place an order.

Creative Crafting Blog Tour - Have you got your ticket?

Do you write a blog?

Would you like more followers?

How about taking part in the first Creative Crafting Blog Tour?

This Summer we will be boarding our Crafty Bus and taking our readers on a magical mystery tour of everything creative!What does this have to do with me I hear you say! Well …

A bus tour needs stops! And we don’t just have bus stops, we have BLOG STOPS!

Join us as a stop for this event and lay on something special for your guests when they arrive. You will know which day we are all coming so don’t worry we won’t turn up and catch you in your pj’s! If you are super keen you can even schedule your post ready to welcome everyone without you even having to be there. It is up to you what you do:

• A giveaway
• A competition
• A project
• An interesting feature
• A funny story

Don’t forget that the more interesting your item is, the more likely the visitors are to return to your blog over and over again. So have a think and look out for more information on how to grab your stop spot!

A full list of our stops will be published in the next issue of Creative Crafting, on the blog and on the website. There will be lots of publicity on our social networks and apps so don’t miss out and let’s have some fun! You will also receive a colourful BLOG STOP badge for your blog.

For more information and to apply to be a blog stop please visit the Creative Crafting site here 

http://creative-crafting.com/blog_tour.html

A website re-vamp for the new season

I've been a busy bee again following my post-CRAFTfest break. I felt the website needed a refresh so I've changed the theme and added content to the home page.

Now, time for me to concentrate on making new stock for the new season. I have an ever growing fabric stash which is in desperate need of some attention. So off to the sewing machine I go. If only I could escape this incessant heat, I'm sure I'd be far more productive. Oh for the joy of air conditioning!