Popular Posts of 2018

As one year ends and another begins it’s nice to do a little looking back as well as some looking forward.

I’ve not done this for a couple of years but I thought I’d start 2019 with a little look back at the most popular posts here at Sum of their Stories in 2018. Just click on any of the photos to see the full tutorials.

Tassels were such a huge trend in the summer and I hopped on board with a couple of different tassel earring ideas. I made myself several pairs so I have some to go with pretty much every outfit now and I’ve worn and worn them. They are a nod to the trend without being too over the top like some I’ve seen in the shops. And the best thing, they only take a few minutes to make. Yay!

I had the honour of joining with the Sew a Softie initiative this year. For my first contribution I dug out a toy I’d made for our daughter when she was little (quite some time ago, she’s a proper grown up now!) and tried a do-over. The result was this cute and dare I say pretty, Incy WIncy Spider.

I hate throwing things away that could have a good use or another life. When my friend’s mum passed away she gave me a pile of pretty cotton handkerchiefs and I set about giving them a new life. I turned a couple of the flowery ones into little travel jewellery pouches - there are a few steps but it’s really not too complicated - honest!

Early in 2018 I had a weekend with the house to myself for some reason. I spent it with a huge binge watch of The Crown and learning how to make a biscornu. Before this I had never even heard of a biscornu but they really are a lot of fun to make, and if your make a mini one like this they don’t take too long either!

Making a sock toy had been on my list for ages so when Christmas had brought nice new socks I took the chance to make a toy teddy with one of my husbands nice bright, but holey, old socks. It’s a good thing socks come in pairs as I had a few issues to start with around size of body/head but the finished result was super cute - at least I think so anyway :-)

Another craft project on my ‘I’d love to try it one day’ list was a makeover of an old jewellery box. I ended up doing 2! I was so happy with the finished results, just as good as I had hoped they might be before I started, and believe me, that’s not always the case!

Next my vegan banana cake recipe. My nephew is vegan and so when he came to visit I needed to rustle up something we could all enjoy with a cup of tea. This cake was pretty good although I do say so myself!

As a person who enjoys lots of different crafts I sometimes worry that people can be put off trying out a new craft if they think lots of expensive equipment is needed to get started. So this year I started a series to dispel the myth and hopefully encourage people to have a go at something new by listing the bare essentials needed. We crafter all know that a craft hobby can become a slippery (and costly) slope into building a massive stash but it really doesn’t have to be, most crafts can be dabbled in fairly inexpensively if you just stick to the basics. Then if you completely fall in love with it you can decide how much you want to commit later. So far I’ve covered Crochet, Sewing, Cross Stitch and Knitting - they’ll be more to follow in 2019!

So that’s it. a little look back on some of the most popular craft tutorials and ideas here at Sum of their Stories in 2018. My note book is stuffed full of ideas for 2019, I just need to tidy away the Christmas decorations and get started!