1. Matryoshka Kimono Dolls, 2. Colour palette: Green, 3. Tamarillo chutney, 4. Cutest of cute hats!, 5. West Coast adventure, 6. Hands-on dog food!, 7. Pirates treasure bag PART TWO, 8. Autumn, 9. My new crafting space, 10. Friendly cat toys, 11. Birthday pancakes, 12. Magical toadstools, 13. Bush bath bliss, 14. Coral, shell and bone, 15. Autumn Blues, 16. Big skies, 17. Garden meditation, 18. The joy of wood, 19. Gratitude, 20. Birthday bunny

 1. My shop is now open!, 2. Cosy Friday evening, 3. Kimono paper tape PREVIEW!, 4. Happy weekend papercut, 5. Colour palette: Red, 6. Tin can lanterns, 7. Shop update: Tom Cats, 8. Spring love: magnolia blossoms, 9. Poultry PS, 10. …and the winner is…, 11. Display jars for treasures, 12. Pin board inspiration, 13. Monday’s inspiration: Honour, 14. Happy Equinox!, 15. Fresh start and a GIVEAWAY!, 16. Paper Fan Inspiration Cards, 17. Morocco on my mind, 18. Midwinter mandarin lanterns, 19. Rainbow eggs and a basket of flowers, 20. Vintage kimono palette

1. London by night, 2. Travelling feet, 3. Poultry Show, 4. Kimono paper tape PREVIEW!, 5. New things, 6. A new season…, 7. Hand carved stamps: lanterns and blossoms, 8. Monday’s Inspiration: Creativity, 9. Rob Ryan’s shop on Columbia Road, 10. Happy Christmas!, 11. Happy New Year!, 12. Plant skeletons, 13. Header artwork, 14. Paper Fan Inspiration Cards, 15. Earth Hour 2010, 16. Contact me, 17. Monday’s inspiration: Communication, 18. Pirate’s treasure bag, 19. More gratitude, 20. Olive Harvesting

What you need to make the lanterns:

1. Used tin cans, cleaned thoroughly, with their labels removed
2. A hammer
3. Nails - I found that bigger nails were much easier to work with
4. A rolled up towel to hold the cans steady, or a vice or clamp
5. Tea light candles and matches

Step one: Fill the cans with cold water and place in the freezer until the water has frozen solid. (The ice stops the can from getting dented, and safely absorbs the nails as they are hammered through the metal.)

Step two: Use an erasable pen to draw your design onto the can – the pen is likely to smudge quite a bit because of condensation.  

Simple abstract and geometric designs work well, such as crosses, hearts, lines and zigzags, or you could be more ambitious and do flowers, leaves and birds. Because the cans I used were corrugated, it made it difficult to create more flowing designs and so I settled for very simple lines, crosses and hearts.

Step three: Using the rolled up towel to hold your can steady on its side, punch holes into the can using your hammer and nail. Once you have finished, place the can in a sink while the rest of the ice melts.

Step four: Light your tea light and place it in the bottom of the lantern – and you’re done! Please take all the usual safety measures with the candles – you may need to place a tile or small plate under the lantern if it’s sitting on a heat-sensitive surface, and it goes without saying that you shouldn’t ever leave a burning candle unattended.

I think these would look really beautiful outside on warm Summer evenings. You could even make the lanterns with wire handles and hang them in trees.

I got the idea for these lanterns for a lovely book I borrowed from the library called Homemade: Gorgeous things to make with love by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson (who very sadly died earlier this year – rest in peace, Elspeth).

Hope you all have a great weekend
Lucy x

I don’t know about you, but I’m always bringing home shells and pebbles and bits of polished glass or broken pottery, beads and vintage buttons, a patterned feather… and then I never quite know what to do with them.

Well, my lovely friend Amy has come up with a great solution.

On the windowsill of her bathroom she has a collection of large, vintage jars filled with found treasures. Once the jars are full, the lids are screwed back on, the jars turned upside down, and voila! simple, beautiful glass display cases. 

There are shells and bits of coral, a smooth pebble, mint coloured kina shell (sea urchin), and the wings of a monarch butterfly. 

Don’t you love how the lettering on the jar looks against the shells inside? She’s also used a jar to create a terrarium with a succulent plant inside.

Simple, beautiful ideas using recycled jars to preserve found objects. Perfect!

Our dogs love it, it’s got no artificial junk in it, it costs less than store-bought pet food, it’s hassle-free to make with the slow cooker, and we’re not creating piles of nasty, stinky cans. Win-win all round!

…not to mention the added bonus of playing with the alphabet pasta!