Lampshade making doesn’t have to be an off the shelf craft and can be as creative as your imagination will allow, a fact that’s proved over and over again, in Elizabeth Cake’s Make Your Own Lampshade book. Using her knowledge of collecting vintage fabrics and her passion for upcycling and recycling, Elizabeth has put together 35 projects that stretch your imagination and see what’s possible using everyday objects and second hand finds. Think clashing fabrics, cute crosstitch and even metalwork and you’ll have an idea of the book’s style and concept. After making a shade for herself, by researching and bringing back to life old patterns and instructions, Elizabeth went on to set up her lampsh

It’s nearly time for the festive ritual of putting the Christmas decorations (although we’ve seen a few up already and we say ‘why not?’). Making new decorations for your own tree or as a gift for a loved one is a lovely family tradition, and our 'Little circles of bright' are fun, cheerful and simple enough for everyone to join in and make. They are even small and light enough to send in the post. We’ve gone with bright pops of colour, but there is nothing stopping you from adapting your decorations to suit your own themes and colour palettes, just like our lampshade making kits! What you’ll need to make your ‘Little circles of bright’ Christmas decorations 3 x 10 cm plain rings 3 x 70-80 c

Are you hunkering down and making shades? It seems you are with another bumper month of entries into our October #memadeshade Instagram competition, made up from our lampshade making kits. We love that this month's winner from @natashasmarttextiles reflects this time of the year - cosy and warm, with a soft flickering back ground glow! Natasha has talents aplenty and not only makes these beautiful lampshades using wet felting techniques, but also makes bags, pouches, bowls, and art works alongside teaching wet felting courses at her studio in North Devon. Natasha will receive her #memadeshade prize of a £100 voucher to be spent at Dannells. We chat to Natasha to find out more about her craft

Did you know DIY gifting has double the benefits of buying shop bought? Not only are you making something thoughtful and handmade, but indulging in a little crafting is good for your wellbeing, helps you learn new skills and gives you something positive to focus on! We've taken one of these handy wooden tea boxes from our Paintable Products Range, normally used to store and display paper packaged tea bags and turned it into something that will make every crafter swoon - STORAGE! A neat craft space is a productive craft space and with a little bit of creative decoupage, our tea box has been turned into a cute and fun way to hold sewing essentials. We think it will make a welcomed handmade Chr