Update

Well, if anything, I have been consistent with my neglect of this corner of the Internet.

Back in November, I bought my biggest DIY yet - a house,  It has been completely re-wired, re-plumbed, re-plastered, walls have come down and been rebuilt and I spend all my spare time sanding, painting, cleaning, painting some more and I have the battle scars to prove it (I thought a glue gun was the ultimate weapon before I got my hands on a heat gun - if there is a DIY I can find a use for this, I will).

My plan, of course, was to carry on blogging as this went on, but that is proving (and I think I have proved this very well) impossible.  I'm near the finish line now, but my spare time is completely at the house and will be more and more as I actually get to move in!

So.  The plan is to (continue to) put the blog on a sun-filled and cocktail drinking holiday as I move in, get the Internet sorted out, set up my office and then resume the blog life as soon as possible.

Be warned.  SO many home DIYs coming this way.

I'd put off this post as I hoped to be able to say when that would be - but the truth is that I'm not sure, and when I do resume, I want it to be consistent again (which I loved and miss) and the blog could do with a little attention - I still have Christmas DIYs in my side bar for goodness sake!

see you soon x

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DIY Gift | Personalised Mug

Hello! [shall we ignore the time that has passed since my last post?  Great.]

Today, I bring you a DIY that is 2 months too late in the UK, but a last minute idea for many of you.  Of course, this DIY isn't just for Mothers Day - it can be personalised with any name, quote or word you like!

I picked this pretty floral mug up at Sainsburys and the porcelain pen from my second home, HobbyCraft.  In total, this DIY costs you £6.75.  Bargain.

Practice the style, size and overall look of your word on paper with pencil [if you are unsure of your handwriting skills - look at this post for some tips and tricks!] and when happy, turn your sheet of paper over and trace the word in reverse:

Place the paper, right side up, over your mug and where you would like the word to be transferred:

...scribble over the writing, to transfer the reversed tracing on to the mug [this will only be light and provide an outline for you to follow and wash away when complete]:

On to the fun [and slightly nerve-wracking] part - writing your word.

If you are brave, you can completely skip the tracing step and write straight on to you mug:

The pen just requires a good shake and a few presses on some scrap paper to get the flow going.  Have a practice on paper as well to check the pressure required and thickness that can be achieved unless you like to live on the edge and dive straight in:

[Unfortunately, it's quite difficult to do this and photograph it at the same time]

I started with light strokes, following the outline and then filling in to create thicker and bolder lines. 

[a tip I found via Google - nail polish remover can help clean any lines or mistakes up]

I left the paint to dry for an hour or so between coats - add more layers to make the finish more opaque or add an ombre effect.

Depending on the paint or pen that you use, some drying time will be required before you fire the mug in the oven to set.  This pen required just 30 minutes in the oven at a high temperature and then I left the mug to recover overnight before hand washing to see if it had worked:

Hurrah!
Party Rings optional, but will score Brownie points with Mum, or whoever you give your personalised mug to.

see you soon x

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Gifts & Wrapping