Crafty Students

Owl iPhone Sleeve. Hoot Hoot!

2012-01-31T02:12:00.004Z

Combining two of my recent knitting obsessions, owls and iPhone sleeves, I created this little fellow for my dear friend Matthew. Matthew is a gifted artist whose work can be seen here. Check it out. It's inspiring!

It's nice to make things for friends, especially things that you know they will use and carry with them. Spreading the knitted love is a good feeling!

Have a wonderful week y'all!

Love Bríd x

Lovely iPhone Sleeve!

2012-01-21T02:15:00.004Z

Hoot Hoot! The Owls Have Arrived.

2012-01-06T00:09:00.012Z

I woke up one morning to find a little posse of owls residing in the small forest in my home. I was not quite sure where they came from or why they chose me but as they are quite adorable, I didn't dare question it...

However, after a little while of living with me and bringing me happiness, the little Owlets, Frederick, Esme and Eliza told me that they would soon have to spread their little wings and fly off to other lands. They needed my help to do this.

So I parceled them up in lots of cuddly tissue paper and brought them to the local post office and sent them off to the special people in my life who would appreciate their fluffy company!

Esme is now in Dublin, Ireland. Frederick is now in Nuremburg, Germany. Eliza is now in Swansea, Wales. I think they are all very happy in their new homes.

If you would like to create your own owl posse, you can find the pattern on The Knitting Pony. Melina creates such wonderful things. Be sure to check out her blog for inspiration and ideas!

Gary Sundt took the photos for me. Such a wonderful friend and photographer!

Happy 2012 everyone. May it bring you all love and light.

Love Bríd x

Nigella Lawson's Custard Creams

2011-12-30T18:59:00.001Z

These look far better than they taste. I used Nigella Lawson's Custard Cream recipe from her book Feast. They were lovely. But not up to placing them in my cannon of regular baking go to recipes, as they didn't have enough crunch. I won't post her recipe here but when I get it or another amended to a great custard cream I'll post that.

Natalie

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

2011-12-28T23:40:00.002Z

I was eco-conscious this year and decorated with real holly leaves and berries as opposed to the usual array of plastic decorations I buy and discard. A massive bunch from the flower sellers on Camden Street for only a fiver. Win.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T16:59:00.002Z

Merry Christmas to all our readers!

With love and light for 2012,

Natalie and Brid

xxx

Homemade Christmas Cards

2011-12-27T16:46:00.004Z

I made a set of these cards for Christmas this year. So easy, it only took me a few mins. I got the image from a website called The Graphics Fairy. In my opinion the BEST source of non copyright vintage material on the net. I have done so many crafty things with spoils from this site. Make sure and check it out - and bookmark it too!

Natalie.

Vintage Teacup

2011-12-10T21:31:00.005Z

Love this snap from the Flea! Thank you to Ross McSherry for it! More to come soon. You can check out more of his work here.

Happy out.

Nat
x

Crafty Students is Pleased to Announce...

2011-12-07T22:27:00.008Z

Our handmade bunting is now being stocked by Shotsy Vintage of Temple Lane South, Temple Bar! Check out the images below of one of the fabrics from our Christmas range.

The bunting will retail at about €10. Pop in and get a strand - the perfect quick fix Christmas gift. Supporting Irish craft and business will give you a warm fuzzy feeling, we promise!

You can contact Katie of Shotsy (and have a browse of their fab vintage finds) at

http://www.facebook.com/ShotsyVintage#!/ShotsyVintage?sk=wall

http://shotsyvintage.tumblr.com/

xxxx

Natalie

The Dublin Flea Sunday 27th November Stall Preview

2011-11-26T16:40:00.003Z

Hi!

We're very excited for the fun times to start rolling tomorrow check out some of the things we'll have for sale! :-)

Bunting Tutorial

2011-11-22T22:45:00.013Z

I'll have some different types of bunting for sale this Sunday (27th Nov) at the flea. Below you can catch a preview of some of the material I've used. Here's a guide to how I've made the bunting. Try it yourself and see how easy it is!

Start by making yourself a template. Draw a triangle (or whatever shape takes your fancy) on an A4 sheet and cut it out.

2. Next place this template on the fabric you want to use. Draw around it with chalk. You can brush the chalk off later. Cut out the shapes. I've used a pinking sheers, this stops the fabric fraying, means you don't have to bother with a hem and creates a lovely decorative edging.

3. Take a long piece of ribbon and pin it to the top of your fabric shape.

4. Sew the Ribbon to the fabric. Keep adding as many pieces of fabric to your ribbon for as long as you like - the more you use the longer your bunting will be. Remember to leave some spare ribbon at the start and end so you can tie your bunting up.

5. Enjoy!

XX Nat

The Art of Decoupage: A Crafty Students Easy Guide

2011-11-21T20:55:00.010Z

Hi All!

I've been working on some hand crafts for the upcoming stall.

I'm nearly finished two chairs which my brother and I have 'made new' by decoupaging them. One is covered in old Beano comics and the other in American and Canadian 1930s period stamps.

They're looking brilliant and in the spirit of this crafty blog I've decided to share my technique with you all!

Below are some photos of my work in progress with the stamp design chair and my finished Beano chair. Enjoy!

Start with your item - whatever it may be and make sure it is clean and dry. You could apply this technique to literally anything - boxes, furniture, frames ect ect.

Choose the paper you want to design with. Think of things that are image heavy such as maps, magazine cuttings, stamps, sheet music or whatever else takes your fancy. Cut these up into little squares.

Get an old jam jar that has a lid and put three parts PVA glue and one part water into it and give it a good shake.

Paste an area of the surface you want to Decoupage with this mixture using a paint brush. Apply your squares of paper, leaving no gaps, and then paste another layer of your mixture over the paper. So your images are sandwiched between a layer of the PVA mixture ontop and below. Make sure you don't have too much mixture on your brush at anyone time as this will result in a soggy mess. You want to work thinly and evenly.

Allow this to dry and then get a clear gloss varnish and apply this evenly all over your item. This seals the paper. You may need to do a couple of coats of this to get a nice even finish.

The stamp chair is obviously a work in progress, we'll be posting photos on completion so keep an eye out!

Feel free to comment below if you need any help or advice with this technique - I'll get back to you as soon as I can. And if you end up with some proud results let us know and we'll post them.

Both chairs above will be available for purchase at The Dubline Flea this Sunday 27th and you can check out some other items and get info about the stall here.

Happy Crafting!

Nat

The Dublin Flea Sunday 27th November

2011-11-20T23:24:00.005Z

Hi All!

Crafty Students are delighted to announce that we have a stall at the next Dublin Flea Market.

Come on down!! Your incentive is free cupcakes! As featured here.

We'll have lots of vintage and retro bits and pieces such as:

Vintage luggage of all shapes and sizes
Handbags for the ladies (Some great vintage brands such as Mappin and Webb!)
Man bags
Old Radio
Mantelpiece Clock (30s)
Typewriters
Tea sets (various designs, periods and colours)
Frosted lemonade set
Leather ties - 60s and 70s
Briefcases
Smoking cases
Crockery
Champagne bowls
Records
Cake plates
Tea cloths and other table linen
Cricket Jumpers

Ect, ect, ect!

There will also be some handmade www.craftystudents.blogspot.com goodies like decoupage chairs, Christmas cards, bunting, and lots more!

We hope you can make it!

We'll be posting this week with some previews of the stock and crafty projects we've been working on.

Love,

Nat
xxx

Make Up Bag!

2011-11-14T21:34:00.006Z

This is a little something I rustled up for a friend's birthday. It's a sweet little make up bag. It was quick and easy to make. I decorated it with little ribbon roses that are cheap and easy to find in any craft shop!

It was a simple process of knitting a rectangle, lining it, sewing in a zip and then sewing the whole thing up! A nice afternoon's work.

Photos by Gary Sundt once again!

Happy Monday and enjoy the rest of the week!

Bríd x

I Made A Bag!

2011-11-07T18:15:00.009Z

A little while ago, I was lamenting the fact that I had no handbag and no money whatsoever to buy one... So I decided I would make one! An impoverished lady's gotta do what an impoverished lady's gotta do.

Here's how I did it: I didn't use a pattern, it was free-styled knitting. I essentially just knitted a large rectangle. I made some little hearts out of wool scraps I had lying around and sewed them on with a little bit of stuffing in each one and glued on some whacky googley eyes. I needed something to line it with so I just cut up an old top of mine that had fallen victim to the damages a dryer can do. I sewed in the lining, sewed in a zip, stitched the whole thing up and sewed on a handle I had knitted!

It cost me about $6 to make, $5 for the wool and $1 for the zip! A pretty good bargain if you ask me. I can't complain. Plus, I have lots of wool leftover and am currently working on another project with it... Watch this space!

I'm pretty pleased with it all in all. It tends to made people laugh a little when they see it. I suppose it is a little odd and creepy but that's part of the charm. It certainly is an individual design and I doubt there's anything like out there in retail-land. A proper Bríd Doherty original!

Photos are once again taken by my friend Gary Sundt whose awesome blogs you must check out here and here.

Have a wonderful week!

Bríd x

Exhibitionist Coffee Cup!

2011-11-03T05:26:00.011Z

This is a little something I made over the weekend. She's proper cheeky alright. A coffee cup who likes to expose herself to the world. She's a fast girl so she is. The idea popped into my head as I nursed a merciless hangover while in work. I was staring at my coffee cup, unable to function otherwise owing to the pneumatic drill that was assaulting my head. In my hazy state, a coffee cup somehow morphed into an exposure enthusiast... God only knows how or why! Then I just went for it and crafted this saucy little minx. I gave her to the coffee shop nextdoor where she is still standing proudly and giving a giggle to those who pass through!

Above is a picture of my friends Chance and Mariana. Their unicorn masks were my absolute favourite things I saw all Halloween. Would you like to know why? It is because they made them from scratch. Yes, that's right! They got a cow hide, cut out the shape of the mask, baked it in the oven and then painted it. So clever and creative! It's definitely something that I'd like to try at some point!

Above is me in my Halloween costume. The dress was a $10 thrift store find and the rest of the accessories didn't cost much either. Plus, the entire ensemble made it to Burning Man and back so I think that adds a certain charm right?

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! Now the next thing to look forward to is my first Thanksgiving. Bring it on!

Love and light,

Bríd x

Pumpkin Soup

2011-10-31T20:54:00.002Z

Happy Halloween!! I've been busy making pumpkin soup today. Delicious, healthy and in season. I've based this recipe on one by the famous Ballymaloe School but made changes to the method and ingredients because I'm lazy and wanted a quick fix! Ha!

Dice one pumpkin, one red onion, one white onion and 3 cloves of garlic.
Place in a baking dish and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
Pour one litre of chicken stock over your veg and toss.
Stick in the oven for about forty mins at gas mark 5.
Toss the veg three times so that it remains moist.
Take from the oven and add to a blender. Blend till you get a smooth consistency. You may need to add some boiling water to your soup as you blend.
Pour into bowls and swirl with cream. Plate up with thick slices of buttered brown soda bread. Enjoy!

Nat

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T22:33:00.012Z

Crafty Students are officially back in the game. After a lengthy hiatus, knitting needles are clicking once again, sewing machines have been dusted off, crochet hooks have been dipping in and out of balls of wool! Yup, it's fair to say that the pair of 21 year old grannies have returned!

Here are the results of my pumpkin carving and decorating endeavours:

Photos are by the wonderful Gary Sundt. You can see more of his talents here!

Have a fun and spooky Halloween!

Bríd x

Seductive Knitting...

2011-03-25T00:58:00.000Z

RAWR.

Spreading Some Love.

2011-03-02T17:48:00.003Z

A long time ago, a very dear friend asked ever so kindly if I would knit him a pair of gloves. After putting the task on the long finger for quite some time, I finally got down to casting on some stitches and clicking away until a pair of gloves lay in my lap.

They are incredibly easy to make. I knitted two flat pieces and then sewed them up leaving an opening for the thumb. They are also super quick to knit which is always a plus considering how lacking I am in patience!

This photo was taken by the recipient, the talented Heber Hanly. You can check out more of his photography on his blog.

I also found this absolutely charming knitting-related video below. I have never seen anything like it before. It's truly fantastic.

Have a wonderful day.

B x

The University Observer Takes a Leaf Out of the Crafty Students DIY Handbook

2011-02-17T18:30:00.004Z

Click on the images above to read the Crafty Student's spread for the fashion section of otwo, The University Observer's culture supplement.

Chocolatey Valentine's Love

2011-02-13T22:45:00.004Z

A little Baking

2011-02-05T12:55:00.004Z

Ball Dress in Progress

2010-12-12T01:44:00.003Z

Hello all!

Below are a few pics of a work in progress. Have done the mock up of the dress but haven't finished the final sewing. Not sure about the shape of it at the moment, any suggestions? I'm in need of inspiration, this project has been my baby for quite a while but its high time I got it finished up!

Brid and I are in exams at the moment. Stress. But expect lots of christmas posting after they're out of the way.

Luvies,

Nat

The Clangers have arrived...

2010-11-24T20:20:00.010Z

I have always been a fan of 1970s children's television shows. I like them more than your average individual does. In a serious way. There's is something so lovely and special about them. My flame for these saggy characters and tinny music has been reignited of late with the reintroduction of exams into my life. I would much rather watch Bagpuss and the mice clean some newfound item than stare for hours at a dull book about some form of abstract and incomprehensible law. Likewise I would prefer to hear Sweep squeaking away than learn aeons of case names off by heart.

However, my absolute favourite of these television shows is without a shred of doubt, The Clangers. I just love them. They are just such awesome little creatures. I just dig the idea of little mice stop-motioning around a planet making some kind of strange hooting noise while that quintessential vintage BBC voice narrates their actions.

What I love most about The Clangers though is the little mouse-like creatures themselves and the story behind them. The Clangers were hand knitted and dressed. by the wife of Pete Firmin (model-maker, illustrator and animator for The Clangers). I find it so lovely that her hand-knitted creatures became such iconic television characters who have lasted through generations and retained their charm and appeal.

Bagpuss

Sooty, Sweep & Co.

I have my own Ambitions to knit a little Clanger friend for myself. Unfortunately with these exams I won't be able to accept the challenge until the Christmas break. However, once Christmas arrives, my time will be devoted to Clangers. I am planning on fabricating an entire family of Clangers and making a little Papier-maché planet for them to live on.

Below is the original BBC pattern for my pink mousey friends. Isn't it amazing? I'm literally so excited to try my hand at knitting one.

If you are looking for something nice to watch, I actually recommend having a little perusal on youtube and tracking down some vintage children's television shows. They are adorable and a real pleasure to watch. The stop motion animation is also remarkably impressive.

The simplicity of the Clangers is so appealing. The storylines are so endearing and uncomplicated. I think in part I find tv programmes these days a little dull, it tends to be the same tired old sitcom over and over again. I prefer crazy pink mice running all over planets. Yes I do.

Enjoy!

Bríd x x

Banksy Knits

2010-11-21T18:25:00.006Z

We rate!

Do You?

An array of Knitted Niceties!

2010-11-04T14:55:00.002Z

Here's a little selection of some of the pieces I made for the flea market:

Hope you like them.

Instead of post in detail about them now I am planning to give individual instructions and patterns for each of the items so you can try and make your own! Watch this space.

Have a wonderful day!

Bríd x

The University Times Features Crafty Students

2010-11-03T20:01:00.009Z

Crafty Students has been featured in UT Culture, the culture supplement of The University Times, winner of last years Student Media (Smedia) newspaper of the year award. Many thanks to The University Times and to Beth O'Rafferty who wrote the article.

The Knitting and Stitching Show!

2010-10-29T14:24:00.004+01:00

Here at Crafty Students we take it upon ourselves to keep the Dublin population informed of all craft related events taking place in our rainy little city.

This weekend the Knitting and Stitching show is on in the RDS. It always makes for a fabulous day out. There are classes running throughout the day where for a mere 8 euro you can learn a whole new skill.

It's also a great place to pick up all kinds of crafty goods at a reasonable price. Often, you will be able to find things there that you won't find in Dublin craft shops as traders from all over the UK descend on the RDS to flog their wares.

There are also exhibitions of craft gracing the walls of the hall. It's fabulous to see what fellow crafters across the Emerald Isle are doing. You never know, maybe one day you'll see a Crafty Students exhibition having pride of place!

Even if you're new to knitting and crafting, the Knitting and Stitching show provides the perfect inspiration and place to pick up all that you need to get your knit on!

Here's a link to the website:

Knitting and Stitching Show

Enjoy!

Bríd x x

Stop Motion Knitting

2010-10-26T18:39:00.003+01:00

Feast you senses on this Natural Gas commercial, aired in Belgium this year, which uses stop motion and knitting to create a visual representation of cosy warmth.

The project's simplistic concept is the the key to the films success, a clever and emotive production of TBWA Brussels, directed by Olivier Babinet produced by Lovo Films.

Don't be fooled, however by the simplicity of the concept. This is an example of labour intensive and skillful production. Only after a month of preparation, 4 days and nights of shooting, a professional crew of over 40 men shooting live and in stop motion with 4 different cameras did the project come to fruition.

Below is a short video documenting the making of the commercial. I was struck by how it captured the satisfaction of the men working on set in their artistic process. It seems such a wonderful creative environment.

More Flea Market Photos and Graphics

2010-10-21T12:56:00.030+01:00

Below are a selection of extra photos not included in our main Flea Market post and some of the promotional graphics I did as business cards and price tags. :-)

Natalie

Sharing The Love

2010-10-20T21:05:00.007+01:00

Here are a set of fantastic little hearts. They are ready to radiate lots of love and make you or someone dear have moments of heart-skippy happiness. The challenge is on you to knit them. Should you choose to accept... I have provided the pattern!

I got the pattern from a wonderful blog called Mochimochi Land. Give it a glance when you get a chance, it'll be worth your while!

Here goes:

Abbreviations: 

CO = cast on 

BO = bind off 

st = stitch 

k = knit 

p = purl

kfb = knit into front and back of stitch (to make 2 stitches where there was 1) 

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together 

p2tog = purl 2 stitches together 

rep = repeat

Pattern starts here! 

CO 2 st 

row 1: kfb, k to last st, kfb 

row 2: p 1 row 

rep these 2 rows 6 times total (14 st)

row 3: k2 tog, k5 and turn, leaving remaining 7 st on the needle 

row 4: p2tog, p2, p2tog BO 4 st, cut a long piece of yarn (about 10″) and weave through back of piece to reattach to other side (where you left off when turning) 

row 5: k5, k2tog row 6: p2tog, p2, p2tog BO 4 st

Repeat the above pattern for opposite side of heart.

Good luck to all my knit-wits!

Thanks to Anita Murphy for the photo.

Bríd x x

Getting Rich Fast, Crafty Students Style!

2010-10-19T15:23:00.015+01:00

Hello all!

Here at Crafty Students we have been extremely busy recently with our latest project, holding a stall at the Dublin Flea Market (http://www.dublinflea.ie/). The following is an article I wrote for The University Observer about the experience. You can read the original at http://www.universityobserver.ie

/2010/10/19/o-two-attempts-getting-rich-fast/. Thanks to Bridget, Paul and Killian in the Observer office for all their encouragement and for giving me the column space in their culture supplement, otwo which is always a great read every fortnight, check it out here! http://issuu.com/universityobserver/docs/otwooct19. Many thanks are also due to Anita Murphy of http://anitamurphyphotography.blogspot.com/ who came along on the day of the Flea and took some fantastic shots and kindly mastered them to vintage perfection. We are indepted to Anita.

Natalie

Getting Rich Fast!

Money. Glorious cash, light of my life! Provider of overpriced coffee, unending credit, lavish nights out, new phone, new haircut, new laptop, new car, seasonal wardrobe, sun holidays, concert tickets and whatever else my heart desires. Oh wait, that’s right, I’m a student.

Right so, scrap all of that and replace with cracked screen Nokia, Tesco value rum and an age-old bicycle with flat tyre, no breaks and mind of its own. I was brought up on the famous seanfhocail: “Is fearr an tsláinte ná na táinte,” meaning health is better than wealth. I had never thought to question my resolute adherence to this phrase until the year I began UCD when my belief in its practicalities began to wane.

Due to the pressure of mountainous student bills, I’ve tried my hand at numerous jobs over the years. I’ve worked as a waitress, telephone operator, sales assistant, babysitter, house-sitter, dog-walker, food promotions girl, legal secretary, dance teacher, choreographer, corporate dancer, unqualified hairdresser for my nearest and dearest and more.

All and all it’s been completely rubbish and at €8.65 an hour, just not worth it. I’ve had my fill tidying tables and always under the watchful eye of some demanding manager or other. There is, however, no getting away from the pressing matter of money, cash is king and I’m a stuck in the role of courtier.

Whilst having a grumble about the above in The University Observer office recently, the o-two editor saw an opportunity to create some havoc and challenged me to an o-two Attempts. Get rich fast, or die trying.

Teaming up with my best friend Bríd Doherty, we took our first steps down the road of becoming self-made women. Settling on a business model took little effort as it grew from the roots of a blog, which we jointly run.

We both sew and knit and the blog follows our attempts in the world of the handmade. We decided to translate this into a stall at the Dublin Flea Market, which hosts a huge event on the last Sunday of every month in Newmarket Square, where over sixty stall holders sell their retro wares. Our stall, we decided, would compose of handmade items and a selection of retro and vintage goods, all of a kitsch style and under the brand: Crafty Students.

Trekking around Dublin, we eventually sourced such items as a as a baby blue and cream record player from the ’60s, a number of beautiful vintage typewriters in a variety of styles and colours all in full working order and with their original carry cases. Not to mention a variety of oh-so-kitsch tea sets from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, a vintage, original Bush radios, a Soviet globe, some authentic cricket jumpers (which could not have been more preptastic!) and boxes of records and slates.

Getting our sewing machines, knitting needles and crafty brains out, we made floral hairslides and hairbands, preppy rosettes for blazers and bags, numerous lengths of decorative bunting in different styles and colours from sailor stripes to granny floral, hats and fascinators, knitted woolly scarves each decorated differently, make-up bags and pencil cases.

Spurred on, we even used decoupage to cover the entirety of a chair in vintage Beano comic strips and made housewife style aprons out of a pair of vintage curtains we had picked up.

The run up to the Flea was a time of extreme nerves for us both. With so much time, effort and money invested, the only option was for the day to be a success, but with no previous experience, we had no idea what the outcome would be. We began to promote wildly, on Facebook, our blog and through business cards but with a niggling fear that all those virtual “I’m attending”, promises on Facebook wouldn’t translate to reality.

On the day, our stock spilled over the edges of the table and engulfed the floor around us. To our relief, we were swamped with custom as hagglers argued over who had seen which tea set first and literally grabbed various typewriters, claiming them as their own.

Neither of us ate all day, not that we didn’t try to tuck into two massive falafel kebabs, but so constant was the flow of people that we were unable to take more than one or two bites. Reflecting that my favourite seanfhocail seemed to be taking ironic delight in my situation by furnishing the two of us with terrible flus, we fought on.

At one point, a frenzied bargain hunter seemed to be fussing over our stock more than anyone and I asked her if I could help. She subsequently revealed that she was a scout looking to source quality vintage stall holders for a new flea market she was setting up and pressed us to consider joining her.

The Monday after the flea, I marched into the Arts Café, now able to afford their over-priced coffee and saw a guy walking in the opposite direction proudly sporting one of our preppy cricket jumpers. Crafty Students had arrived. Roll on the good times!

Galway Races Hat Commission

2010-10-07T21:33:00.009+01:00

Below are some photos of a commission I did for the lovely Ann O'Rafferty. Apologies for the sub standard photos, they were all I had time to take before the hat the was whisked off to the Galway Races. Hopefully I'll get a chance to have some proper photos taken so you'll be able to see the detailing (victorian glass button and centre motif of stripped stem peacock feathers) which are obliterated in these pics.

Natalie

A Monster Post to Defeat the Fairy Cake.

2010-09-27T09:08:00.002+01:00

Dearest readers, I trust you are all well and enjoying that lovely September sunshine which heralds back to school and college. As you know I have been fostering a little love affair with cupcakes since before the conception of this blog. My cooking endeavors will all to often end in whipping up a quick batch of cupcakes for some friend or other who needs some sugary love at that particular point in time. Although this is beyond a pleasurable activity I do feel that this has held me back in my cooking explorations as they are such a handy failsafe. So much easier to produce something you know from a recipe you trust than reaching up to the mountainous pile of cookery books opening at random and running with it. I’m making a vow with myself not to produce anymore batches for a little while at least, in order to force my self to branch out and must ask you wonderful friends to call my bluff if I ARRIVE BARING A TRAY OF THEM!

Hence this last monster post to get them out of my system. Read on to learn my secret recipe and the tips and tricks I’ve learnt in my time as a cupcake baker. I hope these little beauties will continue to be made… just in other peoples houses.

The cupcake mix:

Mix:

125g butter

125g sugar

2 eggs

125g flour

a heaped tea spoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

together using an electric beater

Add:

a generous splash of milk and mix again.

Bake for 15 to 20mins @ gas mark 6.

For the icing:

I use loads of different recipes for this depending on my mood but your basic yummy one is simply 150g unsalted butter and 250g icing sugar with a little vanilla essence and a few drops of food coloring. Use an electric beater to whiz this all up and there you have your icing!

These will give you about 12 cupcakes.

Your key to the perfect cupcake:

The temperature of the butter you use in the icing is absolutely vital you're looking for butter that's soft but not runny. I usually stick it in the microwave for a sec but you have to watch it carefully as the second it goes runny there's no point using it as the icing will turn out horrible.
Don't open the oven while they are baking as they will sink.
The icing on a cupcake is its crowning glory. Never ever slap it on with a knife, the result looks child like and totally ridiculous. Cupcakes should be small perfect moments. The should NOT looking like they’ve been smushed because your icing decoration skills aren’t up to par. use an icing bag and tip (the largest of the metal kind with zig zag edges) both available very cheaply from kitchen shops such as Kitchen Compliments on Chatham Street - http://www.kitchencomplements.ie/kc/Main/Home.asp or Stock on South King Street.
Guide the tip of the icing bag with your left hand. Twist the top of the bag with your right in order to push the icing out.
Never use synthetic vanilla essence. Its horrible. Most shops carry natural and synthetic and although the natural kind is considerably more synthetic bare in mind that it is the predominant flavor of your cakes and your icing and one can always tell the difference instantly.
When spooning the cupcake mix into the cases poor a boiling kettle over the spoon that you use so that the mix slides of the spoon without any effort at all, creating a perfect shape.

Ich Mag Wolle. I Love Wool.

2010-09-05T16:06:00.008+01:00

The German capital recently suffered an invasion of the Crafty Students variety. We had a fabulous time and as each day of our trip passed, our love for Berlin grew and grew. It is definitely a city that we will return to! We spent our time foraging through all sorts of vintage/thrift shops, exploring museums and galleries, sampling the buzzing nightlife and of course keeping our eagle eyes alert for good craft shops.

We happened upon a lovely little shop called "Handmade in Berlin" The ladies who worked there were lovely and helpful. We ended up staying there for quite some time having wonderful chats about knitting. We vented our anger about the terribly overpriced stance of wool in Dublin (as we love to do) and admiring all that the shop had to offer.

What we found very interesting was the surprised expression on their faces when we explained that knitting isn't fashionable and widespread in Dublin. In Berlin it's a very popular activity among all age groups. Sometimes I think I live in the wrong city! Berlin is chockablock with artists and people who appreciate creativity, as a result, all over the various districts of the city exist art & craft shops. It truly is an inspiring city to spend a weekend in.

We couldn't resist taking some photos of the sumptuous skeins of wool, spools of ribbon and well stocked bookshelves. There was also an adorable little lace loom. I was in crafting heaven. It was lovely to spend time in a city that holds knitting and crafting in such high regard and facilitates crafters with a great variety of sensibly priced wool and other crafting necessities.

For the past while I have been looking out for the appropriate wool for one of my upcoming projects and I managed to find it there. It's rather exciting indeed! More on my next venture to come soon! Upon completion, I think it might just be my Knitting Sistine Chapel to date...

Above is the adorably stickered-shut bag containing my purchase. Very exciting!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Love Bríd x

Cookie Cookie!

2010-08-22T21:20:00.003+01:00

I decided to get my cookie groove on today for two reasons. The first is that I've been very sick with a gastric flu over the past couple of days and was feeling significantly better today and NEEDED to do something after being bed-ridden for what seemed like an absolute age! The second reason was due to a little purchase I made while down in Cork in the beautiful O'Conaills chocolate shop. It is a haven for all chocolate lovers with a fantastic variety of different chocolates and divine marshmallow-endowed hot chocolate. Anyway, I'll stop my salivating! I bought a bag of milk, dark and white chocolate drops while ogling the chocolate wonders that surrounded me. It would have been criminal not to have made cookies when I was so laden with chocolate chips!

Due to the recent fragility of my little tummy, I decided not to risk tasting them! I think dry toast will be my daily menu for another few days. So I decided to parcel them up in some cellophane, embellish them with a ribbon and write a little note on some pretty Daintree paper. I gave them to two of my best friends and the last one to the boyfriend. My sister ate the other half of the tray and gave them her seal of approval!

Thanks to my sister Clare Doherty for taking the photos for me. I was very sleepy and she swooped in and clicked away. I think she did a fabulous job. Merci bien ma fille!

Here's the recipe:

Makes about 25 Cookies.

Ingredients

300g Butter at room temperature
1 Egg
375g Caster Sugar
450g Plain Flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
250g Chocolate Chips

Method

Beat the butter, egg and sugar until completely combined.
Mix in the flour and the baking soda.
Finally add the chocolate chips or fruit if you prefer.
The dough should stick together. If it is too crumbly, it means the butter was not soft enough to begin with, so beat for a little longer. If it still does not combine then add two tablespoons of milk.
Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for one hour.
Roll out on a floured board to 5mm thick and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in an oven preheated to 170C/gas mark 3 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Go forth and bake some cookies!

Have a good week.

Love Bríd

Cake-Off!

2010-08-13T10:26:00.007+01:00

Over a warm cup of tea in our favourite haunt, The Tea Gardens, Yasmin, Darryl, Rosa and I came up with a new concept for an evening of fun. While discussing all the cakes we like to bake and different kinds of baked goods that set our world on fire, we decided to have a cake-off. Essentially a baking competition.

I spent the following week leafing through numerous recipe books trying to find something suitably awe-inspiring. However, on the night I was suffering from a raging hangover and needed something fast but delicious. Nigella, I now worship at your altar. Everyone brought something tasty and we had a meal followed by en masse cake indulgence. However, after indulging in so much cake, we really lost sight of the competitive element due to complete lack of energy and severe over-fullness. We just enjoyed eating such a variety of cake.

It was a lovely evening and I really enjoyed seeing what other people made and what cakes tickle their fancy the most.

It's so awesome to get together with people and taste a bit of everyone's homemade delights. I must say that I have very talented baking friends. What more could a girl ask for? Nom nom nom.

Here's photos of some of the cake delights:

Darryl's bubble gum flavoured Panna Cotta with lemon mousse and small smatterings of meringue.

Rosa's Vegan Coconut cake. Deliciously moist and sweet. This totally changed my views on Vegan baking. Usually I don't have much time for the idea of it but this cake was so fabulous that you wouldn't have known it was missing the classic ingredients!

Conor's Brownies. Absolutely delightful. I really enjoyed these. Soft, sweet, great texture. Nothing like a good Brownie.

Here's Fionn and James's contribution to the evening. A coffee cake "containing amphetamines" as the sign on it shows. Hee hee!

Here's the fruit of my labour, Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Malteser cake. I love this recipe. It's definitely one of my new fail-safe recipes. It's delicious and the Horlick's in the icing makes it taste lovely and malty and is definitely a new slant on the classic buttercream icing!

Get your bake on over the weekend. There's nothing quite as satisfying! :)

Bríd x

An Evening of Knitting, Chatting and Dessert.

2010-08-11T18:26:00.003+01:00

Two scarves and one leg were avidly worked on as we received strange looks from other restaurant munchers. Lovely evening of in-through-the-bunnyhole, around-the-big-tree, out-through-the-bunnyhole, off-pops-he!

Thanks to my Knitwits Clare and Rosa for all the fun :) x

Dinner Chez Beth!

2010-08-10T18:14:00.005+01:00

Our wonderful friend Beth over at Aesthetic Delights had her Crafty Students and a few close friends over for dinner a little while ago. She cooked up a mouth-watering array of food. Every taste bud was tickled and every single person at the table was salivating. It was a perfect evening. A room bathed in candlelight and a table laden with delicious cuisine made for wonderful conversation and many satisfied tummies.

The pizzas above were made topped with pepperoni and sausage. Others were endowed with delicious roast peppers. Nothing like carbs and cheese. I swear by that epic combination!

There were also a delicious courgette, mint and pea salad which was fabulous. Classic roast potatoes and home-baked bread satisfied our comfort food needs. Then there was a selection of cold meats as well as asparagus wrapped in parma ham. Quite the variety it must be said. It's always so nice having dinner cooked by someone who isn't afraid to branch out and try new things!

Above is the delicious Feta, Tomato and basil salad. ALWAYS a favourite of mine. It was so tasty and fresh!

Feast your eyes on the delicious trifle. Nat cooked this delectable chocolate and star doused treat. It was fantastic. Nothing like a good trifle to quell the desires of my sweet tooth!

All in all, a sensational evening. A foodie like myself was in bliss. Thanks Beth!

Have a lovely dinner tonight friends!

Bríd x x

Peruvian Chic

2010-07-29T00:04:00.007+01:00

As most of you undoubtedly know, I spent the month of June venturing across Peru and Bolivia cohorting with Llamas and Alpacas as I went. Peru, it must be said, is straight out of any Knitwit's wildest dream. Every single street or market is filled with an array of knitwear made from the softest Alpaca wool. Every single colour under the sun is on show and most importantly for a Crafty Student like myself, the luscious knitwear also comes at a rather lusciously cheap price.

Pavements in both Peru and Bolivia were lined with stallholders selling everything under the sun from torches to sweets. Regardless of what they were selling, they always had one thing in common, all the women would be knitting. They were making beautiful things employing some of the most complicated intarsia I have ever seen. It was fabulous. Unfortunately most of them were quite shy and didn't want their photo taken. But I have a lovely mental picture of it all resting safely under my ginger mop!

Here are photos of me modelling my Peruvian purchases. Unfortunately I was unable to coax anyone else into strutting it for the camera so it is my "wonderful" face that you will have to look at. Not one of the jumpers cost over €9.00 and the hats and hairbands were about €2.00. I'm thrilled with all the jumpers. I know they'll help me to fend off the chilly Irish winter, I'll be safe in a Peruvian snuggle-land! Enjoy:

Have a great day everyone! Enjoy the summer x

An Adventure in Stallholding, The Bretzel Bakery

2010-07-22T05:40:00.004+01:00

I don't doubt that all you loyal readers have noticed my obsession with baked goods over the course of reading posts here at Crafty Students. You will not be surprised therefore to learn that I have recently been working for a bakery. Dublin's institution, the Bretzel Bakery have recently begun selling their bread at The Point Village Market (http://pointvillagemarket.ie/) and I have been working on the stall.

Walking into the bakery at eight AM the first morning to collect the bread I was wonderfully awoken from my groggy early morning stupor by the thick, warm, comforting smell of hundreds of loaves of freshly baked bread, waiting on rows and rows of racks waiting to be delivered to the kitchen tables of Dublin's bread lovers. Having packed the car with numerous different types of bread including beauties such as the turnover, the Bretzel twist, country store, , whole grain, sourdough, sourdough rye, granary and 100% rye I set off for a day full of interesting people and tasty nibbles of bread samples. The white fluffy turnover won my heart over the other more exotic choices... I'm clearly a traditionalist, ha! listen to me, bread choices reflecting personality, maybe thats going a bit far? I realize that my descriptive choice of calling these loaves "beauties" might seem ridiculous especially to those belonging to the white sliced pan brigade. However, I assure you it is completely fitting to bread that has been carefully baked in a small bakery on a side street of Portobello, using real ingredients (no dodgy stuff whatsoever) and recepes akin to those used traditionally by Dublin bakers since the bakery's inception in 1870.

Check out the Bretzel on facebook: (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bretzel-Bakery/99516837141?ref=ts)

Blogger's Kindness

2010-07-22T04:56:00.002+01:00

The lovely Beth over at Aesthetic Delights has kindly featured us in a post! Click here and check it out: http://aestheticdelights.blogspot.com/2010/07/crafty-students.html. Thanks so much Beth! :-)

A spot of afternoon tea... Hippie style!

2010-07-10T10:50:00.005+01:00

It is always nice to find a spot where a knit-wit can find shelter from the tumbling rains of Dublin, kick off her saturated shoes, cuddle up on squishy cushions, peruse through a twenty page long menu of tea, pour from the most beautiful teapots, sip from tiny tea bowls, knit a few rows and play a furious game of scrabble.

That place is undoubtedly the Tea Garden. It's on Ormond Quay and here's their website http://www.tea-garden.eu/. It's a lovely place to relax and you can stay there for hours upon end without any hassle sipping on cup after cup of fantastic tea. It's amazing to find a place where afternoon tea consists of sitting on the ground with crossed legs surrounded by earthy teapots rather than the traditional prim and proper hotel setting!

I have also heard through the grape vine that there's a knitting club in the Tea Garden so I'm about to do some sleuthing. I couldn't imagine a more perfect place to get my knitting groove on. Watch this space! As soon as I know the details of this elusive club, I shall post.

I just finished off the scarf I'm knitting in the photo below. I bought the wool at the Knitting and Stitching show in the RDS a couple of years ago. It was a dream to knit. Thick wool and big needles meant that a ball of wool became a scarf in a mere two days. Fabulous!

Thanks a million to Yasmin Ahmed for taking the photos. She has quite the talent for making my not so wonderful camera work some magic! I think we definitely have a budding photographer.

Here's the picture that Sarah did for me as her part of the craft swap in my earlier post:http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/07/assortment-of-crafty-gifts-for-crafty.html

I absolutely love it! I asked her to do it as a present for Mi Madre who adored it. She gave it pride of place in the kitchen which is the centre of our house and is delighted to show it off to anyone who comes in! Thank you Sarah, you are far too talented for words :)

I hope all you Dublin-dwellers survive the rain! Enjoy the weekend.

Love Bríd x

Dessert Delight!

2010-07-06T17:42:00.004+01:00

Spring has rolled into summer causing college exams to fade away and law books to be placed at the back of a dusty cupboard not to be opened until September arrives bringing with it the challenge of finals. Oh joy! Most people choose to enjoy the summer, relax, recuperate and maybe do a little bit of work. Unfortunately I happen to be a lady with her mind on the money. Delightfully capitalistic I am! To feed my desire for cash, I'm currently working three jobs. By day I'm working in a solicitor's office, by night I'm a waitress and by weekend I'm working in Past Times. It's a hectic lifestyle for someone as small as I!

Naturally I have absolutely no free time so when I have to bake I need something quick that will also offer a high level of nom nom. In my world, the quality of a baked good is based on the scale of nom nom. The more times you nom when eating it, the better it is :) Mars Bar squares have proved themselves worthy of my love, admiration and nomming. Fabulously delicious and fat-filled. They are rocking my world at the moment. I baked them twice in one week for Sarah's present and to bring to our friend Rachel's bbq. They're quick, easy and delectable. They have the Bríd seal of approval and are befitting of a baker with no time on her little hands.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

6 x 65g Mars Bars

200g Butter

200g Rice Crispies

250g Milk Chocolate

Method

Cut the butter and Mars Bars into small chunks and place in a saucepan. Put over a low heat and stir with a balloon whisk until melted.
Add the Mars Bars/butter mixture to the Rice Crispies in a large bowl. Stir well until all ingredients are combined.
Put into a lined tin 30cmx20cmx5cm and press down with the palm of your hand until firm.
Melt the chocolate either in a microwave on low for one to two minutes, or over a saucepan of simmering water.
Pour over the biscuits, spread evenly with a palate knife and leave to set.
When set turn out on a board and cut into squares.
Et c'est fini!

Most importantly, the answer to the question is ALWAYS to nom!

Enjoy!

Love Bríd x x

Stay Up And Make Something

2010-07-05T13:20:00.005+01:00

Today I am a sleepy mess as I stayed up for hours last night working on my newest headpiece. The headpiece is a commission so my perfectionism was having a wild old time while my weary body shuddered in the knowledge of the long drawn out night ahead. During the night good old Brid linked me to the picture below. Very apt indeed and cute too so I thought I'd post it. Pictures of the headpiece to follow on completion... if that ever happens! *shudder*

I do feel though that this image should be intrinsically linked in cyber space with this one below. If you do burn the midnight oil remember...

Natalie :-)

An Assortment of Crafty Gifts for a Crafty Lady!

2010-07-04T22:25:00.005+01:00

The following crafty combinations are a result of two recent events in the life of Sarah! Firstly Sarah and I engaged in another of our much loved craft swaps. Then it was her birthday so a collection of little gifts was most certainly in order.

I was totally inspired by Nat's compilation of bows as seen in an earlier post: http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/hi-everyone-below-are-some-bows-i-made.html Shopping for ribbons was such a sumptuous experience. So many different textures, widths, colours and styles to choose from. Sarah has the most amazing long dark hair which definitely helped to incite my newfound bow fetish. Nat kindly inducted me into the world of bows by sitting down and giving me a little lesson about looping, tying, sewing and sticking the swathes of organza, transforming them from vertical lines to an adorable little bow.

Sarah is an avid fan of L'Occitane's rose scented range so I had to get her another item to add to her fast-expanding collection! All I'm going to say is that I bow to L'Occitane's wrapping skills. Wow, just wow. They certainly know how to wrap a present!

The next part of the present is the shopper bag. This bag comprises my first attempts at both using a sewing machine and at cross-stitching. A little while ago I was bored and eager to embark on new adventures in craft-land so I decided to dabble in some cross-stitching. To be completely honest, I wouldn't see myself as a cross-stitch convert. I found it a little dull and repetitive but I must admit that I do love the end result. The neat little lines appeal to the OCD in me! In short, I'm not a fan of the process but I do like the finished product. My jury is still out on cross-stitching. The Machiavellian question remains... Does the end justify the means? Hmmm!

Then my crafting guru, Nat, once again imparted her wisdom onto me and introduced me to the wonder that is the sewing machine. Oh wow. I cannot believe I have lived my entire life to date not knowing how to use one of these babies. After about twenty scraps of material filled with wonky lines and appalling tension later I was sewing straight lines. It was a beautiful moment. All I can say is that Nat has the patience of every saint in the bible combined! Then we moved onto the material for the bag and I was managing grand and sewing away like a proper little seamstress until we reached the framing for the ladybird. Then things got ugly. I won't go into it. Craft stress ensued. All of you crafters will understand the horror that is craft stress. There's nothing quite as terrible as that feeling of frustration, stress and anger when crafting isn't going your way! But with Nat's fine-tuned skills and patient instruction, I managed to give my little ladybird a frame to live in. Must say that I'm very pleased with how he turned out and I was almost tempted to keep him for my own use but I knew Sarah's shopping needed some ladybird lovin' and so I parted with it!

I have to admit that my seamstress within is itching for release once again and because the weather in Dublin is currently sort of sunny I'm thinking I need to make a little sun dress to celebrate the rare lack of rain!

I felt that a craft present from Bríd wouldn't be quite right without one of my trademark roses. Sarah is quite the fan of pink so I knitted the flower in pink and then did the leaves in wool with an Eastern vibe running through which complemented the pink perfectly. Then I sewed it onto a brooch pin and thus a brooch was born! Thanks to Rosa for being my model.

Here's a picture of Sarah with her pile of Bríd craft:

Now I shall continue to ponder my next venture with my NBF (New Best Friend) the sewing machine. I think I'm also about to Zzzzzzz...

Night Night my dears!

Bríd x x

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

2010-07-03T15:55:00.010+01:00

These brownies were made for the adorable Rachel Mac Cann who threw an epic summer BBQ last Friday.

And for your own personal enjoyment, here's the recipe. Get baking!

AVOCA'S INSTRUCTIONS:

BROWNIE LAYER:

200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

200g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar

4 eggs

110g plain flour

Melt the chocolate and allow to cool a little.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Continue to whisk adding eggs and flour gradually. Stir in the melted, partially cooled chocolate. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a 22 x 22 x 8cm tin. Be sure to grease it first.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE TOPPING:

400g cream cheese

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 drop of vanilla essence

120g raspberries

Whisk cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Spread ontop of brownie mixture. Sprinkle raspberries over the top.

Cook @ gas mark 2, 150C for 45 mins.

MODIFICATIONS:

The suggested amount of raspberries delivers only one or ocassionally two raspberries per slice. I reccomend using half again as much.

It is vital not to get frustrated with the low heat and resultant long cooking time required. 45 minutes as suggested was not sufficient for the brownies to cook through. Whatever you do DO NOT up the heat in quest of a quick result as this will undoubtedly result in a burnt cheescake layer and a soggy uncooked brownie one. Be patient! Don't forget to preheat your oven try cooking just the brownie layer for ten minutes before you add the topping in order to give it a little head start and prevent a soggy base to your little gems.

Instead of 100g 70% solids chocolate I used 50g 70% and 50g dairy milk. The recipie is a rich one, a brownie recipe calling for four eggs and no rising agent is unquestionably going to be dense, no point making it too rich also or it would be unenjoyable.

There is no way one drop of vanilla essence is enough, the taste would be utterly overcome by that of the cream cheese. Use one teaspoon instead.

PHOTO CREDITS:

First two photos courtesy of Mr Ross McSherry, check some of his stuff out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rossmcsherry

Nat

Humble Crumble

2010-06-26T17:27:00.000+01:00

I have been telling anybody who'll listen (or even just pretend to) over the past few weeks about my steadily growing rhubarb plant. Yesterday marked the culmination of much anticipation as I harvested, baked and ate the juicy bright red stalks. Pictured below is my rhubarb and lemon custard crumble. I feel like a proud mother, content in the maternal glow of her love for her highly achieving offspring whom she has cared for diligently. Its ridiculous.

Natalie

Summer Bakin'

2010-06-15T13:32:00.000+01:00

Normal people give photoshoots to other people or clothes or some such thing. But weirdoes like me spend hours straight experimenting with a camera and a set of freshly baked blueberry and bittersweet chocolate summer cakes. Then they get way too excited and upload numerous snaps of the same thing to their blog. Just because they can. That's self publishing baby. I'm sorry...

These beauties are going to beloved friend Clare who is currently in the throws of the Leaving Cert. Good luck my little favourite, I have great faith in your skills of cramming. Hehe...

For everyone else, well, enjoy salivating....

;-)

Natalie

Birthday Bike Makeover

2010-05-23T21:18:00.000+01:00

My moments of contemplation and then, if I’m lucky, inspiration are almost exclusively drawn from time spent on my trusty bike (http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post.html). I Regularly cycle from point A to point B and upon arrival have no notion of the journey which I have just undertaken but have some new crafty idea or a mental list of twenty things to tell my Knit Wit in crime, Brid. Contemplation of what to get Brid for her 20th birthday followed this pattern and you will understand, therefore, how I came to the conclusion that her gift should involve the pimping of her own aged bike, a purple and rust Falcon Cheetah bought for her tenth birthday. (See below)

However, a particularly vile episode of facebook rape was fresh in my mind. Perpetrated by none other than said birthday girl the contents of which I shall not repeat here but reactions from friends included such comments as; “I took a screen cap of this, it'll haunt you forever now Nat HAHAHAHAHA!” I thus ended up scheming my way into the construction of a plan ending in much deserved payback, but also not so wonderfully a Garda report.

Pocketing Brid’s spare lock key one day from her house I snuck back to her gaff when I knew she had a shift at work and “stole” it. Bang on twenty minutes after her shift had finished my phone buzzed and sure enough Brid was on the other end swearing and blinding about the “***** ***** ***** ****** Pikey” who had just nicked her ride. Sudsing her bike down in my yard whilst simultaneously pontificating about the rise in crime in South Dublin these days proved sweet retribution (dulled a little when I realised that Brid had marched down to Donnybrook Garda station and filed a full report… oops!)

Personal scores settled, I moved on to the business of the day, the filling to the sandwich. Operation bike makeover. I sanded the frame with black grade sandpaper. Any rougher sandpaper, the hardware shop man told me and I would have a “dodgy situation on my hands”. Next I covered the parts of the bike not to be painted such as wires with masking tape to protect from paint slips. Cracking the Pot of “Deep Green Hammered” paint the hardware man had recommended as “the queen of the metal paint world” (what a legend) I proceeded to work on the bike frame. My trusty brother Jonathan (see below) joined me and attempted to direct operations, leading to a messy paint fight but also a finished bike. A mere 9Euro for a whole new bike body, crafty to say the least. owe you one!

For the basket I wove fake flowers through the wicker and added a horn purchased at the incredible price of 5Euro from a bike shop on Camden Street. The shop had lost the attachment to secure the horn to the handle bars but a friend’s boyfriend stepped in and conjured up a make shift version which works perfectly, Thank you McSherry…

The final touch was a toy swan placed in the centre front of the basket with its wings outstretched. I wanted to imitate the quintessential Rolls-Royce trade mark, The Spirit of Ecstasy (picture below). Drawing a parallel with this emblem seems to emphasize the bikes transformation from a rusty old yoke to the Rolls-Royce of pimp.

Brid and I had a joint birthday BBQ. The sun shone, the drink flowed and the BBQ smoked. Everything was perfect and the summer was ushered in with style. Half way through the BBQ I gave Brid her revamped bike. Her face was absolutely priceless. The utter disbelief which turned to delight as she realized that her Garda report had been for naught which played across her face was magnificent. Our Friend Anita, an aspiring photographer caught her expression perfectly, see photos below.

We were absolutely flattered by one friend who drew a comparison between our collection of friends and food to the idyllic Bulmers ads which are so crucially a part of a Dublin summer. Win. See the big mosaic of photos below, some of the highlights of a lovely afternoon.

Natalie

Knitting is undoubtedly a sexy activity... RAWR.

2010-04-25T22:45:00.000+01:00

My sister found this picture on the ever so vast world that is the interweb. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was destined for our blog. What could be better than a voluptuous red-head wearing a half-knitted top with a saucy slit up the side of her skirt surrounded by wool? Nothing I say!

I love to see the stereotypical image associated with knitting being thrown out the window. I'm sick of it being associated with grannies sitting in a rocking chairs knitting working their needles through squeaky acrylic wool.

Don't worry my friends, I shall be continuing this rant at a later date but right now the Law books beckon and the knitting must be formally abandoned.

Just announcing to the followers of the knit-wits that for the next two weeks the blog shall be residing in the "lockdown" zone. With these exams looming closely on the horizon we must devote ourselves to our studies... Don't worry we shall be back in a fortnights time with lots more knitting, baking, crocheting, sewing and we shall be introducing tutorials!

Have a lovely two weeks and to those doing exams, g'luckzys!

Smooches

Bríd x x

Manly Knitting.

2010-04-22T20:25:00.000+01:00

This scarf was a mere WIP (work in progress... Hahaha! Knitting acronym) back here: http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/01/college-knitting.html I made it for my severely awesome amigo Niall who is kindly being my man-hunk model below.

The scarf consists of a classic vertical drop of knit two purl two in my much-loved lamb's pride worsted. Always a winner!

Knitting for a man is a difficult task to undertake I believe. You never know if they'll like it. They are fussy in ways that most women I know could never be! You have to get it right or else the fruits of your labour will lie in a crumpled heap under a pile of smelly socks at the back of a wardrobe that hasn't been cleaned since lord knows when. There's nothing more disappointing than spending hours making something and then never seeing the recipient wearing it. Most frustrating thing a knitwit like myself can experience.

I think that when knitting for a man, the most important thing is to keep it nice and simple. I am usually a huge fan of little embellishments on a normal basis. But on this occasion I had to put that aside to make something wearable. I don't think a man would appreciate a little smiling heart or a cluster of woolen flowers in the same way that I would! Also, the wool is super important. Most of the men I know are far too blunt to sport a horrifically itchy woolen wonder even once or twice for the sake of your feelings. There's a science to this I say!

Now that I have inducted Niall into the world of knitting by making him a scarf maybe I can take his knit-witted-ness to the next level and teach him to knit... Now there's a plan!

Apologies for the current spell of inactivity in knit-wit land. Summer exams are approaching and we both have an entire semesters work to cram into two weeks. Lamentably, crafting must reside on the back burner until the old zim-zams are finished... *sigh*

Have a great weekend.

Le grá,

Bríd x

Another Sunny Day. Another Scarf!

2010-04-09T19:13:00.000+01:00

I knitted this piece of neck-snuggling loveliness up recently. I bought the wool in a little shop in Bruges in Belgium. It's a deliciously light cotton and proved to be the perfect component for a spring-time scarf! It must be said that there is something oh-so-wonderful about going on a little wool spree in anywhere but Ireland. I could honestly rant for days about the extortionate price of wool in the Emerald Isle. Don't worry, I'll spare you all an ear-full!

Once again, I must thank my sister Clare for being such a wonderful model. Anyone who offers to roll around in semi-damp grass for the sake of a photo deserves some sincere gratitude! However, as Dublin decided once again not to be rain-soaked, I felt it necessary to take some more outdoor shots!
This scarf represents my first proper experiment with the domain of crochet. I used an old book of my Mum's to help me tackle some shell edging and the flower below! I must admit that I found it rather difficult at first but as soon as I got the hang of it, I was in AWE! I cannot quite believe how quickly crocheting transforms a ball of wool into a little flower... It's like knitting coupled with caffeine pills! Hahaha!

I think I need to give the scarf knitting a rest for a while! As I said in the last post, the monotony drives me somewhat insane. However, while in the throes of study for summer exams where the brain is working overtime, it is quite lovely to switch off and do relaxing and mindless knitting!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Bríd x

Something to keep you nice and warm!

2010-04-05T22:11:00.000+01:00

This is a little something I knitted up for my friend Yasmin. I knitted it to match the gloves I knitted for her in an earlier Knit-witted moment (shown here: http://craftystudents.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-keeping-with-my-current-obsession.html) My sister offered her sexy self to be my model. You may not believe it but yes, this is in fact a sunny day in the typically rain-ridden Dublin!

I knitted this using Lamb's Pride Bulky! I am such a fan of that wool. Moss stitch was once again the stitch in the spotlight. A little rose served as a perfect embellishment piece to match the gloves. The little beads were a lovely souvenir from the sunny wonderland of California. I picked them up in a craft metropolis called "Jo-Ann". It's literally a supermarket for craft, aisles are filled with everything one would need no matter what they intended to construct! I was in paradise and that's putting it mildly!

I must admit that I am always happy to finish off a scarf. Row after row of the same stitch makes me go a little bit insane. It always takes So LONG to finish as well. I think that now I need to do something that will be quick and easy to make. Quick gratification is needed! Or maybe I just need a little dose of patience. Hahaha!

Hope you all had a lovely Easter!

Bríd x

A Little Bit of Love!

2010-04-01T22:44:00.000+01:00

I know I said I wouldn't post another... I know I promised you all that I was overcoming my addiction to these little entities. I know I announced that I was moving onto other knitted wonders However, one of my favourite ladies in the entire universe, Beth, needed something in which to put her little pieces of cosmetic joy. The temptation overwhelmed me and I was powerless to resist it... Yes my friends, here is yet another make-up bag!

Nat gave me this red wool from her very own massive stash-pile. It's a nice cotton that proved very easy to work with. The pattern for the knitted heart came from this fabulous blog: http://mochimochiland.com/weblog/2007/02/free-pattern-hearts/ However, I only knitted one half, sewed it on, stuffed it a little and then glued on my beloved googly eyes (I am a devoted fan of these eyes).

The minute she asked me to make the bag, I knew I had to have a little heart on it! She's one of my closest friends and she introduced me to this quote: "Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings". If that doesn't deserve some love then I don't know what does! Hahahaha!

I parceled him up and gave him to Beth. She seems to be quite pleased with him indeed! There's nothing quite like making someone happy with your Knit-Witted work!

Sleep well everyone!

Bríd x

A Bow For Brid

2010-03-31T22:49:00.000+01:00

I have expressed before my sincere love for the colour combinations of baby blue and brown but I can't help it, I've arrived back to crafting with this combination. The way it looks so classical yet fresh gets me all hot and bothered!

I whipped up this little hairband when I saw these two bits of ribbon lying waisted at the bottom of the craft mess which constitutes my room and gave it to Brid as a gift. :-)

Natalie

A Little Housekeeping

2010-03-29T23:10:00.000+01:00

Hello to all our lovely blog readers!

We are in a wonderfully chirpy mood here at "Craftystudents" as we have been shortlisted for the Smedias Blog Of The Year Award. Yay. :-) Thank you Smedias!

Bear with me just a moment as little birds pull back the strands of my hair, falling on my face, into a neat bun and tie the ribbon of my apron in a perfect bow behind me with their little beaks, Disney style. Just one more second as I fill my lungs with spring air that is heavy with the scent of daffodils and as I rest me arms a moment, weary from my housework on the windowsill.

Can you hear me singing so sweetly through the window, across the ethernet and into your sitting room? Why yes! I do believe you can! Now listen closely, I have much to tell...

First of all I have a huge announcement to make! "Craftystudents" are embarking on the world of video tutorials! We will be telling YOU exactly how to make your favorite "Craftystudents" items and showing you step by step too so even if you've never picked up a sewing needle before in your life you'll soon be joining the Disney hall of fame for your immaculate housewife skills and be satisfying your recession riddled back pocket too. The first tutorial will feature rosettes for bags, lapels and hairbands made out of your dad's old tie and for no cost at all! What could be more crafty than that? We will be posting in the next few days, so keep checking back.

Lastly, in honor of our new found technical skills we will shortly be featuring a guest post in the form of a video tutorial featuring none other than the ravishing Elaine Lavery, cook extraodinaire and recent 1st place prize winner of UCD's healthy food competition. Mmm...

Have a lovely week, do something wild! (If you really wanted to topple the boat you could follow our video tutorial later this week, hehe.)

Natalie

Yes, another Cosmetic Bag...

2010-03-28T22:59:00.000+01:00

My love affair with moss stitch has been upheld in this make up bag. I made the embellishment out of a tie by twisting it and sewing it in place. It's akin to the little rosette that Nat made in an earlier post. The tie is another American thrift store purchase. I think that what I love most about this bag is that it cost me approximately €2.50 to make. ($1 for the wool, 25c for the tie, €1 for the zip and I already had everything else). That makes me wonderfully happy!

I lined it using the leftovers of the Ikea curtain material once again. I hold my hands up and admit that I am far too cheap to invest in proper lining.

I promise that since admitting to my make-up bag addiction yesterday, I am taking steps to quash this addiction. No more make-up bag posts for a while. I PROMISE.

Have a great week.

Love Brid x

The Cosmetic Bag Obsession Continues...

2010-03-27T21:39:00.000Z

The world of Brid has most definitely been invaded by an incessant need to make more and more little make-up bags. I made this particular one as a present for the Mother of the boyfriend. Brownie point moment *cough cough*. Hee Hee. She was rather pleased and even showed it to the Grandmother of the boyfriend who used to knit matching jumpers for all of her flock of kids. Needless to say, when someone as knit-witted as that likes your work your chest definitely has licence to swell a little with pride!

In an earlier post, I tried this bag in a different stitch (Knit one, purl one). However, I have a love affair with moss stitch. I love the way it feels and how it looks. As you can also see, I love love love knitted roses and this colour combination makes me rather happy inside!

I must now formally admit to my addiction and announce that there is another make-up in the pipeline. The obsession does not seem to be waning! Pictures shall be making their presence known soon :)

Heber Hanly photo credits.

Bonne nuit!

Brid x

A Happy Little Teddy Bear!

2010-03-25T11:13:00.000Z

I must admit that it took me quite some time to muster up the courage to do this post. As some of you may have instantly noticed, this little fellow bears a rather uncanny resemblance to something both loathed and abhorred by the Knit Wits... The Panda... *shudder* I love this pattern though. It really has the feel of a vintage toy like the ones I see in photos of my Mum when she was younger.

This little fellow was knitted by Clare, my younger sister. She click-clacked on her needles to make this lovely little teddy for her best friend's birthday. I must say, the perfect tension and precision of Clare's knitting never fails to impress me. I gave her a hand with the sewing up which resulted in insanity and temper tantrums similar to those provoked by the Panda (see earlier post). Except in this case it was I alone who had to weave my needle and thread to transform a pile of knitting into a Teddy Bear. He looks so lovely though. Well done Clare!

I wasn't allowed to post about this little fellow until she had given him to her friend. Mere moments ago I received a text saying that her friend had cried when she opened up the parcel containing a little snowy teddy! It's always so lovely to know that all your work was worthwhile and is loved by the person you gave it to.

I think there's always something both lovely and special about a teddy. Hugging a teddy is always comforting. It's always pleasant seeing a teddy propped up in your bed before you're transported off to the land of nod. Adults love teddies just as much as children. It brings you right back to childhood and reminds you that something as simple as holding a snuggly bindle of handmade joy will make you feel that little bit better :)

Thanks to Conor Barry for taking the first photo and making my not so excellent camera do great things!

Ciao,

Bríd x

The Perfect Asset To An LBD

2010-03-23T20:20:00.001Z

This hair piece is attached to a hairband so it's nice and secure and comfortable to wear. No big stressful monstrosity perched atop your head here. I made this hat for a wedding some time ago, it has been lent out to numerous friends but has survived!

This is a forget you're even wearing it kind of hat which provides a bit of polish and originality to your twenty times worn dependable old black dress. I stuck to a strictly black theme there but finished it off with a silver feather shaped broach.

Thanks to Heber Hanly for the photos and also to our model Emma Hughes.

Natalie

Feathered Comb

2010-03-20T18:32:00.001Z

There's nothing like the electric colours of a peacock feather. The green that shimmers with a hint of gold, the brown and the bright blue. I decided to keep things simple with this comb setting of the peacock feather with a background of black.

The feathers are individually attached to the top of a comb using thin black satin ribbon which is wound between the prongs of the comb and over each feather tip.

Credits to Heber Hanly for his stunning photos. Thanks Heber!

Knitting For Natalie

2010-03-18T16:13:00.001Z

This is a scarf that I knitted for my beloved Natalie back in the day when my knitting obsession was only just beginning to blossom. After a trip to Liberty of London, my bag was filled with beautiful Rowan wool. My knitting interest was fresh, my enthusiasm was overwhelming! This scarf was in fact my first ever experiment with purling. I must have ripped it at least ten times before I was happy with it! There are major disadvantages to being a devoted perfectionist...

I crocheted a little flower out of some beautiful Rowan merino wool. I must admit that I am pining for my pre-student days when I could afford to buy luxurious wool!

I gave the finished product to Nat because I knew that she of all people would appreciate the lengths I went to to get such neat knit and purls. Isn't that exactly what best friends are for? Haha!

When I saw her wearing it a couple of days ago, I thought it would be nice to put on our blog. After all, it's little things like this that are the reason we're blogging today :)

Photo credits once again to the fantastic Heber Hanly!

Love Brid x

Pretty As A Button

2010-03-17T00:24:00.000Z

There was no particular inspiration behind this hat it more just happened out of messing around with some milliners fabric.

The glass button which is the focus point of the hat is a victorian cut glass button I picked up in an antique shop at some point or other.
The placement of this hat is crucial. It looks best place to the side of the forhead only just on the hairline. This means that the curls of milliners fabric stretch over one eye giving the hat it coquettish quality.

Brid modeled for this hat, her beautiful short bob of red hair suits the hat to perfection.

Credits for these photos to Heber Hanly. Thanks Heber!

Natalie

Miniature Top Hat With Peacock Feathers and Embellished Veil

2010-03-16T20:30:00.000Z

First of all I'd like to say a huge thank you to Heber Hanly who kindly brought myself, Brid and our model Emma Hughes into IADT on Monday and gave up his studio time to us in order to get this set of stunning photos. Thank you Heber!

I trimmed the hat with brown velvet, cream organza (with a slight olive green tinge), dark blue satin and hand dyed gold silk ribbons. I fixed the peacock feathers in place at the back of the hat using a corsage made out of the above mentioned ribbons with a real Victorian glass button embellished with gold paint at the centre. The button belonged to my great grandfather's sister. The veil (which was my dads idea) I embellished with small black beads. This proved very difficult as it required perfectly neat sewing as noting is hidden from sight as the actual veil material is so fine.

I attached the hat to Emma's head using a hat pin with brass top which belonged originally to my great great grand mother and can be roughly dated about 1900 but may be somewhat earlier.

The hat is inspired by the baby top hats of the music hall dancers of the late 19th century which have undergone a recent rise in popularity due to the resurfacing culture surrounding burlesque dancers.

I have always admired Tim Burton's aesthetic and this mixed with the darkly edged world of Lewis Carols "Alice in Wonderland" has lead, of course to inspiring results in Burtons recent adaptation. I wanted to include some nod to this in the composition of the hat which lead to my choices relating to lines and angles.

Watch this space!! Heber shot much more wonderful things for us in the IADT studios and I will be blogging about them soon.

Natalie

Hippy Knit Hand-Warmers!

2010-03-15T12:26:00.000Z

In-keeping with my current obsession with roses, I made these little hand-warmers for Yasmin who is kindly supplying her pretty face for the picture below. Our wonderfully talented friend Heber Hanly took the photos, sometimes it's wonderful to have a photographer who can take great photos even on my sub-par camera! I have to say that my chest swells a little bit with pride whenever I see her wearing them. Being my usual incredibly skint/thrifty self, I used wool I bought in a charity shop for about 50cent a ball. The red mohair for the rose was bequeathed onto me by a lady who was offloading her unwanted excess wool. The green was just lying idle around my house waiting to be transformed into a pair of luscious leaves.

I freelanced my way through them. No pattern, barely counting the stitches. It was complete and utter hippy knitting. I sewed them up leaving a little hole for the thumb. I am rather fond of the hand-warmers it must be said. The product of a night of getting in touch with my inner knitting hippy leaves me feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside. Usually I am a hideously-horrible-knitting-perfectionist, it was nice to know that I could throw it all out the window. Patterns were burnt, stitch counting was shunned! I must say that it was rather lovely to let loose and see what became of it...

I'm staging a knitters rebellion! Haha! Have a great day and let your inner neurotic knitter go :)

Bríd x

Craft swap painting!

2010-03-11T10:23:00.000Z

The torture, toil, terror and tribulation that occurred on Panda night all seemed worth something when I saw what I was to receive in return. I am completely in love with the painting that Sarah did for me. Awesometastic does not quite begin to describe it...

When we planned this swap, Sarah asked me what exactly I would like on the painting. I said I wanted Chinchillas and Toadstools. Undoubtedly the most "unique" request Sarah's ever received for a painting. But as with all good friends, they love you for just how weird you are! Hee Hee. I love the tree and the little flowers done out of gold leaf add such a special touch to it.

This craft swap has set me salivating. I want to swap my little handmade goods for those of someone else. I want to have a collection of things made with the love and attention of my friends. I'm currently trying to negotiate a craft swap with a friend of mine involving an elephant tea cozy for a birdhouse. We'll see what comes of this... Oh the excitement!

Sarah is currently planning on setting up a blog and etsy shop so when she does, I shall post a link to it and you can enjoy more of her amazing art work. I love my oh-so-talented friends.

Have a great day everyone. It is one of those rare occasions where the sun is shining in Dublin. I think I'll just have to go out and soak it up! Make hay while the sun shines eh? x

Time For Tea For Two

2010-03-01T12:14:00.000Z

This batch went to a friend Alannah's Dinner party and as Yui's birthday gift also.

But not before Mum and I had stolen some and had tea for two.

I tried out blue icing for the first time this week. I have stayed away from it until now as I really think there is something not very appealing about blue food. But these get away with it, there's sparkles and they're edible, enough said.
Ok I think i'm starting to OD on cupcakes. Too much of a good thing so I promise no more cupcake posts. Next stop wedding cakes. Watch this space!

Nat

Panda Panda Panda

2010-02-23T17:54:00.000Z

The story of the Panda is one of torture, toils and tribulations... It involved 3 girls, a VERY late night, considerable amounts of alcohol, crying, shouting and arguing. I must take responsibility for the Night of the Panda. The burden of the blame must be carried by me. Here's where the saga begins...

I decided to engage in a craft swap with one of my friends from work. She loves to paint and I love to knit so we struck a bargain, a painting for a panda. Oh what a wonderful idea it seemed like at the time. I found a pattern for a teddy bear on the "Prima" ladies magazine website. I alternated between black and white wool for different body parts to transform him into a Panda. In a move so typical of me, I left the sewing up until the night before! Fooled by my own blissful ignorance, I believed I could sew him up in a matter of minutes. Oh how wrong I was!

After receiving a text from the leading man in my life, I decided to meet with all my friends in the local for a solitary drink. I emphasise that a SOLITARY drink was my intention! Three hours later I stumbled up the road home with my beloved sister and Nat. The unassembled Panda lay in my bag. Drunken reasoning told us that we'd manage to combine our skills to sew him up in a few short minutes. Alas, if only.... We sat at Nat's kitchen table for 4 HOURS trying to sew up the loathed panda. Hangovers were setting in by the time we were half way through. There was shouting, anger and insanity in the quest to put this little guy together. But finally at 4.25am he was finished and all sewed up! I have blanked many of the in between events, my brain cannot handle the memory of them.

Between us three girls, the panda is an unmentionable thing. It causes shudders and sparks of anger. How could something so cute with an adorable "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" look cause such a hideous uproar! We are not allowed to talk or ever refer to the panda. The words "panda night" have become a synonym for a terrible event. We now use it to describe the unpleasantness of burning the midnight oil for an essay or an unsuccessful night out. Hahahaha!

A lesson for all: DON'T LEAVE YOUR SEWING UP TO THE LAST MINUTE.

Have a nice night! Pics of the painting I received in return are coming tomorrow :)

2010-02-22T12:54:00.000Z

This little project combines three of my recent crafting obsessions... Chunky white wool, roses and cosmetic bags. Hahaha! It was totally easy to knit up, quick and painless! I used some of that amazing American thrift store wool. I seem to have a never ending supply of it. Not that I'm complaining about that! I'm pleased with how it turned out and it made a lovely little project for a lazy weekend.

I lined it using some leftovers from the curtains my Mama bought in Ikea recently. Cheap and cheerful I say! I actually love the curtain material so much that I'm thinking of having a Sound of Music moment and making myself a dress out of the rest of the surplus material. Oh the excitement! If only I lived in Salzburg and could run around the place sporting some curtains and singing with Julie Andrews... *chuckle*

Happy Monday! I hope all your crafting is going well. Have a good week :) x

Snuzzle Cat The Second!

2010-02-19T12:31:00.000Z

A new friend for the Snuzzle cat has now been completed. He is another cylindrical bundle of kitty cat joy. I was rather happy with the way he turned out. A big fat cuddly cat. It must be said that there's nothing quite so wonderful as that. Hee Hee.

He's knitted in Lamb's Pride Bulky which is quite possibly the most wonderfully easy wool out there to knit with. He's lovely and soft. He was very well appreciated as well by his new owner!

Have a fabulous day and weekend everyone! Thank god it's friday :)

Cupcake Frenzy

2010-02-17T12:01:00.000Z

Hi everyone!

So as I said in my last cupcake post it is time to up my game on the icing front. This resulted in a dirty apron clad, frizzy haired insane version of Natalie up till 3am on two nights in sucession trying to make magic happen!

Below are my mini mouthfuls of joy.

Went with a black theme here and used a piping bag for the first time.

The pink glitter on this set of cupcakes is edible! Very exciting... yum yum.

Got Milk?

2010-01-30T11:32:00.000Z

My younger sister, a very talented knitter, knitted this fantastic little specimen for her best friend's 18th birthday. She found the pattern onhttp://knittedtoybox.blogspot.com/2009/05/milk-cookies.html I think he turned out rather fantastically well. Her friend instantly fell in love with this calcium-rich creature!

However, the creation of little milk carton was not all plain sailing... Sewing him up proved INCREDIBLY challenging. My sister and my mum spent about five hours sitting at the kitchen table the night before he had to be finished attempting to figure out the sewing instructions. The tension at the table was PALPABLE. But in the end he was all finished off and looks rather awesome!

The snuzzle cat is all sewed up so pictures are coming soon! Have a fabulous weekend :) x

Rosettes

2010-01-26T11:33:00.000Z

Thrift stores are a beautiful thing. While on holiday in California this summer Brid and I indulged in hour after hour of crazed shopping. I had the idea to use old mens ties to make these rosettes. It was great fun finding out the Prada, Ralph Lauren, Dolce or just generally deadly ties each costing about 25cents and making new things out of them.

The ties are twisted and then curled around themselves sewing as you go along to hold them in place. Then simple attach a saftey pin to the back and your done. You can make them in any size by finishing off at the back and cutting off the excess tie for a smaller version. Here i've made tails for them out of the left over pieces of tie. If you want detailed instructions, that's no problem just comment and i'll post them.

I've used the tie rosettes mostly to embelish gifts for people, they look brilliant attached to handbags, makeup bags, on tops, the lapel of a suit and on hairbands.

Nat

Homemade Happiness!

2010-01-23T00:19:00.000Z

Mum got a lovely gift of these beautiful cupcakes today from her friend in work Alison. They are so beautiful they had to go straight up on the blog! Thank you Alison! Handmade gifts are really so special, knowing that someone has made you something from scratch makes you appreciate that thing 100 times more.

Alison's cupcake decorating without a doubt blows mine out of the water... I'll have to up my game. ;-) xx Nat

College knitting...

2010-01-20T23:22:00.000Z

The land of the two Knit wits has been invaded by a terrible event... The return to college... All the festivities are now over and we are faced with looming exam results, the daily uphill struggle on the bicycle to college and the "joy" of lectures.

I now find myself SWAMPED with stress and law books!

All I can muster up in the crafting stakes at the moment is some simple and monotonous scarf knitting... Row after row of gentle relaxation There's nothing quite like it for a good de-stress! It's the best kind of therapy.

I made this scarf out of some wool I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show in Dublin a couple of years ago. I knitted it in a night! Then I knitted up a nice little rose to jazz it up a little and I must say that I'm rather pleased with the result. The wool was a little difficult to work with. Good tension proved to be quite a struggle to achieve. But I love the texture the uneven wool creates!

As the stresses of tackling a law degree continue... I can't quite deal with the challenge of increasing, decreasing, intarsia or cables! So I'm continuing with nice and easy scarf knitting!

I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky and LOVING IT! It's so easy to knit with. I got this big cone of it on ebay for $20. Quite the bargain indeed! I think a Lamb's Pride love-affair has commenced :)

So I shall continue to alternate between digesting legal waffle and working on my lovely scarf! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Love Brid x x x

Bows, Bows Bows!

2010-01-20T13:45:00.000Z

Hi everyone!

Below are some bows I made as a gift for my lovely mum. She has amazing thick long brown hair and I have tried to use colour combinations that would suit it. The bows are attached to hair slides and made using ribbon from Rubanesque and Hickey's. If you haven't already died and gone to heaven as a result of the absolutely stunning stock at Rubanesque (Powerscourt Centre, Dublin) you need to get yourself into that shop... quickly! I'd go as far as to say it is the most inspiring shop I have every been in. EVER. My only complaint with them would be that their prices are a bit high (especially for the impoverished student) But there is no place with the quality and selection they have so it seems worth the cost. They have a big selection of photos at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Rubanesque-Ltd/76754714791#/pages/A-Rubanesque-Ltd/76754714791?v=photos.

Nat

Baby blue and brown bow,

One of my favourite colour combinations.... Helps me forget this is fake synthetic lace (shudder)

White velvet bow

Regency style bow,

Vera Wang uses this brand of ribbon on her wedding dresses, can't think of the name right now will post it when I do.

Crazy oversize bow,

The brown and gold ribbon is hand woven so it has a great weight and texture to it.

Bikes, Baskets and Blooms

2010-01-19T18:33:00.000Z

Back to college yesterday so back to the disgusting cycle uphill to Clonskeagh, my daily tourture. Thought I'd make things nicer so I've woven some fake flowers into the wicker basket on my bike. Got the flowers in The Camden Casket, that place is amazing they have everything a cheapskate craft girl could ever want! 2 bunches for 4Euro.

Next stop painting the bike a retro colour... hmm that could be interesting! I'm thinking maybe a nice pastel yellow or maybe a red like the royal mail postage colour. Though I saw some very tempting gold spraypaint on Camden Street today which was only 5 yoyos and says it can be used for metal. More photos of the completed project soon! XX Nat

2010-01-18T18:13:00.000Z

Little bit of crochet today. Just started these cute little flowers. The plan is to make a load of them and stitch them together using some antique lace as a little border to make a lacy scarf.... more photos soon. Nat.

There's nothing quite like pink icing...

2010-01-18T16:48:00.000Z

Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1gfZwejPv8. If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake sung by the great Eileen Barton. Very appropriate musical setting to get your baking groove on to we feel. Sexy stuff indeed. ;-)

Some lovely multicultural cupcakes above! Dotty cases from London, Icing stars from California, ingredients from Dunnes stores Dublin, Ireland. "Always better value". Yummm. Nat.

Team Effort

2010-01-18T11:55:00.000Z

One of the things that's so fantastic about crafting is that there's always something new to be learned. No matter how accomplished a knitter or crocheter you are you can always develop your craft that little bit more. The best way to learn a new craft skill isn't from a book or a video, the best way is to sit down with someone and have them teach you. Once you have been taught something well, you know it for life. I love that crafting brings you closer to people as you have that common interest (well obsession in our case.. hee hee). But to me, there is nothing quite like sitting down with another crafter and have them pass their knowledge and skill onto you.

In the case of this little make-up bag, a team effort was the theme of the day! We made it for a friend of ours, Anita, who kindly provided the photos. I knitted the bag but was clueless as to how to sew in a zip or how to line so Natalie did that part. She cut, ironed, placed, pinned and sewed as I sat and watched. This was a lovely project to work on. Not only did Anita get a present with combined Twit and Purl love but I also became a Jedi Master of zip and lining installation thanks to Natalie's flawless tuition and patience.

This project unleashed a Bríd obsession with crafting make-up bags. Armed with my newfound lining and zipping skills... There was nothing to stop me... Be prepared for a torrent of make-up bag posts. Hahaha!

Also, Snuzzle-Cat The Second has been knitted... All he needs is some sewing up and then he'll be ready for some snuggling and nuzzling! Pictures coming soon...

Have a great day. Love Brid x

Snuzzle Cat!

2010-01-16T11:45:00.000Z

I would like to introduce to you... The Snuzzle Cat. This little fellow is a cat that loves to be

snuggled and nuzzled. A very easy pattern to knit, and using big wool and big needles it goes up very fast. The wool I used for it came from a thrift store in California. I got around 17 skeins of the same wool for about $8.00. It must be said, there is nothing on earth quite like an American thrift store!

I found this pattern on a website called http://www.cabbagepatchtreasures.co.uk. This is an awesome website, a really great find! It makes vintage toy patterns downloadable for free. The snuzzlecat is part of a trio of other crazy creations called the Knit-Wits.

I started to knit the cat for a very dear friend who would love nothing more than her very own big fat cat. His arrival created quite a storm! As a result, another snuzzle is currently on the way for another cat-lover!
He's still a work in progress but I'll keep you updated!

Have a great day! Brid x