BURKATRON

so terrazzo, when did you become the trendiest thing ever? i've always had a soft spot for the retro marble chip pattern but lately it seems to be popping up everywhere from home decor through to DIY (check out these cool examples from  brittni ,  fran ,  claire  and  marwa !) i'm pretty darn happy about it as it's a fun technique that you can try at home yourself.

the smell of incense always reminds me of when i was a kid. my sister used to burn sticks whilst playing records on dads old vinyl player so it never fails to bring back good memories! i'm all for trying out new ways to make my house smell good so i didn't hesitate to grab some last summer when it started popping up in shops.

i'll confess easter DIY's aren't really my thing. i've never made any in the past and this year was going to be no different... that was until i discovered wooden eggs at a flea market, i though they were too cute to pass up a little spring makeover.

oh hey! sorry i didn't post last week- i decided to take a week off to focus on finishing a few home updates before i jumped into making my next batch of DIY's! i have a bunch of ideas that i need to sit down and plan so whilst i'm working on them i've rounded up some v. stylish DIY's that are way to cool not to share! i'm a big fan of scandi design and these minimal DIY's tick all those boxes.. so if you're hunting for some handmade inspo go peek at this gorgeous collection:

i adore giving flowers, whether it's a special occasion or simply just to remind someone i'm thinking about them. with valentines creeping up i figured i'd share some simple ideas to wrap them as they're a super cute galentine gift option for your bff's! here are 4 easy ideas for transforming a plain old supermarket bouquet into a gift with a personal touch (for extra brownie points.) 1. DIY wrapping paper: jazz up some plain gift wrap by splattering it with with an old toothbrush dipped in black acrylic paint. in the above photo i've used white paper as i wanted a modern minimal look but it works really well on brown paper paper too. (just make sure it's dried before you wrap up your flowers!) to wrap the bouquet cut off a rectangle of paper and place the top of your bouquet in one corner. fold the opposite corner up over the stems then wrap the left side over the middle. fold the right side over and tie with string to finish! 2. mini bouquets: these are gr...

this is a perfect last minute DIY.. cause they take no time to make, hurrah. i love the idea of a more natural and laid back approach to festive decor and these simple baubles add a really lovely element to your tree or hanging displays. (you could even try making mini ones to use as gift toppers... cute overload!) 1. to make your own you simply need to grab some fillable baubles  and some fresh foliage! 2. open your baubles, cut off some foliage, berries or branches and pop them inside. 3. thread some string through the top to hang. told you it was an easy one.. hope you get a chance to make some! back soon caroline x

i like to stash all my presents until christmas eve when i wrap them in a frenzy of paper, ribbon and general excitement! if you haven't wrapped yours either this little DIY is a perfect last minute addition to make your gift wrapping next level uh-mazing.  this isn't just a festive DIY you can make these bad boys all year round for birthdays or weddings. you can also stamp anything you like on them so they're totally customisable.. pretty neat huh? i think what i love most is how simple they are. i love clean and minimal wrap and these work perfectly with my black/white/kraft paper selection! (but hey if you want you could paint or decorate them too..) i promise this is a very easy make- pop over to ehow and find out how to whip up a batch of your own stamped labels! hope you like, back soon caroline x

candles are a winter essential for me, and what better time to give them than at christmas? if you want to make your festive gifting a little more personal make your own scented candles- i guarantee it's a total winner. i've used warmer scents like orange and cinnamon as well as fresh scents like pine (..cause who doesn't love the smell of a real xmas tree?) so these are super festive smelling! pop over to ehow where i've shared the tutorial to see how simple they are to make. warning: these candles are cute stocking fillers but you'll be tempted to keep them for yourself. back soon caroline x

hey, i had a bunch of christmas DIY's all ready to share with you and then i disappeared for a month and a half, real sorry about that. i had some sad news so i had to take some time away but never fear i'm going to throw xmas projects at you for the next week to make up for it. i'm kinda hoping there are a lot of people (like me) doing everything at the last minute this year! i'm keeping christmas v. simple especially when it comes to decorating. i'm going for a more minimal look which suits my home way better. i decided to make some cute little tree decorations out of my fave material- clay.  these are crazy easy to create.. promise. materials: clay (i used air dry but polymer works too) mini star/moon cookie cutter string rolling pin  1. warm the clay between your hands then roll it out with a rolling pin until it's about 5mm thick. cut out the star and moon shapes with the cookie cutters. 2. cut out a small hole in each decoration. I used a small pen lid (b...

when i was younger i lived for buying celebrity gossip magazines (sorry not sorry.) now i prefer to invest in swish interior and travel magazines that i'm loathe to throw away! i'd grown bored of my old DIY magazine racks so i decided i needed a fancy new one to keep everything looking cute.

since the arrival of our record player i've been hunting for cute ways to display our vinyl. after trying out a few options i decided to make a simple wooden rack to store them.  i much prefer it to the big record units i don't have room for plus it doubles up as a magazine holder/kitchen dish rack if you don't want to use it for records. we all love a multipurpose DIY right? materials: two 40 x 2cm wooden pieces 1cm thick wooden dowel wood glue drill with 1cm wood bit tape measure and pencil hammer 1. take two lengths of wood (mine are 40 x 2cm.) mark a cross every 3.5cm from end to end.  2. drill along the wood where you have previously marked using a 1cm wood bit (make sure the drill bit is the same thickness as the dowel you are using or the pieces won't fit later.) don't drill through the wood and aim to keep the depth of each hole the same. give the holes a rub with sandpaper to smooth. 3. mark another hole on one side 4cm from the top and drill. repeat 4cm fr...

my favourite part of halloween is handing out batches of sweets to the kids that come to my door! this year i decided to do something really easy that would make things waaay more fun.  trick or treat bags are the perfect way to package up candy and they're crazy easy to make. (it also means you can hand out an equal amount- i have a tendency to give away half my sweets to the first 10 children that arrive and run out too soon!) they also make cool party favours if you're hosting a ghoulish halloween party. warning: these will pretty much guarantee you'll be the most popular grown up on the block this year. here's a run down of what you'll need: cellophane bags A4 black card stapler craft knife/scissors self adhesive googly eyes self adhesive letters 1. to make the topper cut a square of black card the width of your bags (mine was 12 x 12cm.) you'll be folding it in half to make the topper so measure the bags before you cut it out with a craft knife or scissors....

i'm a sucker for a clean desk but as much as i try i find bills and paperwork still sneaking their way back. i want them close to hand but i also want them tidy so when i get round to going through them i've not lost that all important receipt or appointment card! i always keep my wood offcuts when i'm working on DIY's- you never know when they may come in handy for propping up furniture or testing out power tools! turns out they're quite handy for making a desk tidy or letter rack- who'd have thought it? all you need for this DIY is plywood (i used offcuts but you can cut yours from a sheet of ply) and some wood glue. easy peasy! here's how i made my letter rack! 1. cut a thin rectangle of plywood or balsa wood to use as a base (mine measures 7 x 14cm.) 2. cut two wooden triangles (mine are 14cm across the bottom and 7cm high.)  3. apply wood glue along the bottom/base of the triangles and glue them onto the rectangle base as shown in the image above. 4. le...

I thought I'd show you a really easy little DIY for those cami tops we've all been buying this summer! it's a simple update for strappy tops and perfect wear for nights out (it's so basic even the most sew-phobic can get involved!) here's how I made mine: the most important items are a simple cami top and a length of chain, the pliers are just used to open the chain links! cut the straps off your cami and lay them out flat; use your pliers to open the links on chain and cut into two equal lengths (use the original straps as a guide to the length) take a needle and thread and simply sew the chain lengths onto the cami where the original straps were; you're just replacing the fabric straps with chain ones! there you have it; a simple twist on a basic cami top!  what do you think? would you try this yourself? caroline x

making rings is so incredibly easy and quick! it's also pretty darn fun so I decided to dust off my craft box and show you a favourite DIY of mine. usually when I make  rings I use old buttons or coins but I saw these novelty phone & cereal miniatures in my local craft shop I decided to give them a whirl (I love anything a bit kitsch!) you really only need three things to make these; rings blanks, glue and a centerpiece! to start with I removed the string cord from the phone and glued the receiver to the body (I used my glue gun but you can use craft glue like E6000 which is perfect for this project) simply dab glue on the flat ring blank disc and hold the phone into place until secure! that's it.. you're all done hurrah! I used the same process for the cereal boxes.. voila my rice crispie accessories are good to go! ring blanks:  available on eBay  here glue: sold  here miniature telephone  here  and cereal  here! this is such a quick project and ...