Home Tour: The Fabric of Home

These days the mere sight of open shelving sends me weak at the knees. Who knows what is it, but something about the effortless, relaxed style they create appeals to me. You'll understand, then, why I jumped for joy upon finding the wonderfully creative home of Constanca. Colourful, crafty and bubbling over with personality, Concha's British home is testament to her love of all things handmade, which you can read about in the about section of her blog. This tour of her space is filled with both easy, and useful, tips for using fabric around the home. From colour coordinated jam jar toppers to screens and chair backs, Concha really has crafted her home by hand. In fact, I think it's charming how coloured fabrics stored in glass-fronted cabinets have become the decorative accessories to her home. So, even before the fabrics are used, they are already a central part of her space.

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{10 Things I Learned This Weekend...}

Stop waiting, and just go for it.

Do you really have time to second guess yourself?

1. The quote above from Apartment 513 has kept me positive this weekend.
2. This Dedon advert (above) makes me want to get all my friends together and have a treehouse party.
3. The Back-Up Plan is not a good movie.
4. I have an unhealthy addiction to crispy M&Ms.
5. Having that extra shot in my coffee isn't always the best idea.
6. I'm totally and utterly addicted to glossy magazines and not quite sure how to cure my desire for them?!
7. Zara's latest men's collection is totally rocking my world.
8. I would really like to enroll in a photography class.
9. This Caroline table lamp is too yummy for words.
10. I made bunting (below) and it was lots of fun!

Images: 1, 2. Dedon; 3. Will

What did you do this weekend?

{This weekend...}

I'm going to make my bedroom even more funky. Perhaps I'll have a go at making this super modern and delightfully colourful nightstand from ReadyMade magazine. I managed to make this last year, so fingers crossed I'll be a successful little crafter again! Do you guys have a favourite interiors craft project?

Image: ReadyMade via decoraddict

{Make, Do & Send}

Stop press! Bright.Bazaar has found a great new blog and we just can't get enough of it at the mo. Make, Do & Send is ran by Alex who has a passion for all things printable. As a self confessed lover of diy stationary, Alex uses her newly formed blog to share her thoughts and general musings on all sorts of handmade, printable loveliness.

Handmade Orla Kiely pen pots by Heart Handmade

Regular readers of Bright.Bazaar will know of our love for Orla Kiely's work, so you can imagine our excitement when Alex shared a fantastic craft project featuring none other than off cuts of Kiely's wallpaper. Alex found out about the project through Heart Handmade (another lovely craft blog), and made her own version using leftover Laura Ashley wallpaper. We recently used leftover wallpaper to get crafty with an Ikea table; it's great to discover how many other inspiring products you can create with scraps of wallpaper. Thanks, Alex!

Handmade Laura Ashley pen pots by Make, Do & Send.

Images: makedoandsend

{Craft/friends/thank you}

Thanks to all Bright.Bazaar followers over on Twitter, who have congratulated me on being the guest crafter for the Guardian's Making Time website. I really appreciate all your kind comments and generous words. After all, without all your inspiring blogs and tweets I would be without so much fantastic inspiration.

So, as a little thank you, here are some extra shots from my dining table photo shoot...

Images: Will Taylor

An extra special thank you must go to my lovely friend, Perri Lewis. Perri used to be my Editor back in our student newspaper days and the person who first inspired me to get involved in writing and journalism. She now writes regularly for the Guardian and has her own craft blog, which you should check out for a great mix of accessible and quirky craft stories/projects/pictures and more!

{Look.Book//Dining rooms}

We're going to be launching a brand new feature soon called Look.Book. It will focus on a different area of interiors each month; a virtual scrapbook to devour at your leisure. We're hoping to have a function to let you add your own finds to the monthly Look.Book, too.

Meanwhile, to celebrate being this week's guest crafter over on the fantastic Guardian Craft site, we thought it only be right to feature some gorgeous dining rooms. These yummy shots come from the website of our favourite interiors mag, Living etc. Although it may only be July this elegant and sumptuous candle-laden table is getting us a teeny bit excited for Christmas. Ok, so we promise not to mention the C word again for a month or two, but we just couldn't resist when we saw this. To redeem ourselves, here's a pick of our other favourites.

Images: Livingetc.com

{The marriage of cross stitch and graffiti}

Cross stitch and graffiti I hear you cry? Agreed, this is an unlikely union, but for pattern-cutter Phil Davidson it was the natural choice to marry his two loves. His London based company Random Monkey Design sells cross stitch kits for anyone to make in their own home. Inspired by street art and popular culture, the kits are a great way to get crafty with your home. As well as offering diy kits, Phil also takes commissions and will mount and frame them for you. Loving the personality here - this marriage of street-flavoured design and the stereotypically not-so-street cross stitching works brilliantly on two accounts; to challenge said stereotype, whilst also making for a great, modern addition to one's home. Go Phil!

Balloon Girl, Thug For Life & Barcode Cage.

random-monkey-design.com

{The thrift movement}

Over recent months I've been noticing the growing trend for thrift fashion; turning those bargain buys into treasured parts of your home. House Proud: Hip Craft for the Modern Homemaker, by Danielle Proud has just been released in softback and is bang on trend when it comes to the so called 'thrift movement'. Bursting with ideas on how to upholster a run down armchairs, through to covering a traditional standard lamp in a vibrant and seasonal fabric. I'm hoping to try out the latter on my next break from work (and check out Danielle's version, below, on the cover of her book, it's brilliant!). The book is available online and in store now and I would recommend it to anyone who is feeling the hit of the C.C. but still wants to invest in their home.

Amazon/Amelia Troubridge

Not only is this a great way to save money, it is also an exciting way to add to your home. I love that feeling of heading out to the auction, not knowing what you will return with. Then you get the chance to personalise what you've found and turn it into a piece of furniture or an accessory that is unique to you and, even better, unique to your home.

If you're a mega craft fan, then check out Make and do with Perri here. It's a fab blog about all things craft - let me know if you guys make anything for your home.