Tag: craft

Categories / Cars and Bikes, Food and Drink

Ice Cream Van model kit from Finch and Fouracre

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Ice cream kit

With the August bank holiday just a week away, here's a final taste of summer – an ice cream van kit from Finch and Fouracre. 

Finch and Fouracre are a Scottish based company who normally specialise in model of tenements houses and other architectural landmarks. Here they've turned their attention to a spot of summer whimsy, with a wonderfully retro ice cream van. The kits slot together so there's no need for glue and once that's done you can decorate the van with stickers, including the essential Mr Softie sign. 

The kits have been made in limited numbers so, like the summer, make the most of it while it's still around. The kit costs £9.50.

Buy it online

Categories / Kids

Jane Foster Tilda doll kit

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Jane Foster Tilda

Jane Foster's designs are no strangers on this site. So it's no surprise that when she designs something as simple as this Tilda doll kit, she injects a bit of retro style into that too. 

Like the Clothkitty doll of old, it's a flat design printed onto linen cotton you then sew together and stuff yourself. Less stuffy than your average doll though – this design with her long hair and stripy Breton dress is a bit Jane Birkin-esque or, at the very least, the doll looks like she dresses with some 60s style.

The doll kit costs £20. 

Buy them from the Jane Foster website

Categories / Homeware

Knotted Melati hanging chair at Anthropologie

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Melati hanging chair

The hanging chair was an interior staple for the swinging sixties. This knotted melati hanging chair from Anthropologie gives the look an 'update', courtesy of the favoured 70s craft of macrame. 

The result is a chair that looks perfect for relaxing in on a summer's day, with the green, blue and white of the macrame adding to the laid back look. 

You could try knotting one yourself, or this chair costs £548 to buy. 

Buy it from Anthropologie

Categories / Design and Interiors

Animal handprinted A6 notebooks by Nell Smith at Etsy

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Hoot

Etsy is always a good source of things unique and indeed, with a retro twist – like these Animal handprinted A6 notebooks by Nell Smith.

'Hoot Owl' is above, but you can also opt for 'Hello Lion' or 'Miaow Cat', all with those retro-styled graphics and font, complete with smooth brown cardboard cover, grey spine and 30 white lined pages. A6, if you're wondering, is around 4 x 6 inches.

Available online, they sell for $7, which is just over £4.50. Alternatively, the designer has a studio on the first floor of the Manchester Craft and Design Centre.

Find out more at the Nell Smith Etsy website

Categories / Books, Design and Interiors

Make It! Mid-Century Modern on-line ‘how to’ book

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MCM-eBook-11-0911

It's hard to keep track of the hundreds of mid-century classics we've featured on this site, alongside the contemporary pieces that use them for inspiration. However, all too often the style comes with a hefty price tag. If you like the look, but not the high costs involved, you may be interested in 'Make It', a how-to book on mid-century style that's available on-line. 

The book has been put together by the people behind the Curlby web community and features twelve different projects ranging from how to make a Nelson-style clock, as shown above, to recreating your own Calder-influenced mobile or Girard-inspired Ottoman. The text also has information on all the designers highlighted. 

With templates and patterns included, if you're craftily inclined, it sounds well worth the $9.99 for a downloadable colour pdf or $18 for a full colour printed version. 

Find out more on-line

Categories / Cars and Bikes

Camper van needlepoint kit

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Camper van needlepoint

Long gone are the days when craft sets focused on reproducing only twee images of kittens or flowers. There's an increasing range of kits featuring more contemporary designs that you might actually want to have in your home when finished, such as this VW camper van needlepoint kit.

You'll probably recognise the illustration as one of Pearl & Earl's, now recreated in wool, complete with a colourful stripy background. The kit contains everything you'll need to recreate it: 10hpi (holes per inch) canvas, which is great for beginners, wool, needles and chart and, probably most importantly, instructions.

The kit uses high quality materials which is reflected in the price of £60. 

Buy it online