Elfin Craft Christmas

Before you venture up into the loft to dig out that dusty old box of Christmas decorations, take a look at the new designs from Elfin Craft on Etsy. Ok, it's not December yet but if you want to deck the halls with handcrafted, contemporary Christmas decorations this year you'll need to get your orders in sooner rather than later!

A rag wreath crafted from strips of floral or plaid fabric makes a great shabby-chic alternative to the traditional - and very prickly - holly version, and I love the Christmas tree decorations made from brightly coloured buttons and coiled zips.

Needless to say, I've already made a head start on my Christmas shopping at the Elfin Craft shop. At only £5 for a unique zip brooch, I think they'll make perfect stocking fillers. There's an assortment of colours and styles to choose from and they look lovely pinned to a hat, scarf or coat collar.

With gifts like this to make they're certainly going to be busy at the Elfin workshop in the run up to Christmas!

Keep it Zipped

As part of Adult Education Week I went along to a free jewellery making workshop today - but this wasn't just any old jewellery, it was upcycled eco fashion at its very best!

As if by magic, we were shown how an old zip could be transformed in to a chic corsage in an instant (well, an hour or so).

I've seen zip jewellery like this before - usually being sold in posh gift shops with an expensive price tag to match - but I'd never realised how easy a corsage would be to make.

Simply take a 50cm zip and separate it in to 2 halves. Cut 6 pieces measuring 7cm and 6 pieces measuring 6cm and keep what's left for later. To make a petal, take a section of zip, overlap the ends and secure in place with a stitch. Sew the 6 larger petals around the outer edge of a round of felt, then sew the 6 smaller petals inside. Take the left over section you saved earlier and twist is into a spiral to be stab stitched into the centre of the flower. Cover any messy stitching on the back with a second round of felt, sew on a brooch back to complete your corsage and voila - you've got a versatile new accessory to add to your collection!

What's great is that you can use the same corsage design to make any revamp anything you like - attach it to a cuff or a how about a hair clip? I'm hooked!