How to repurpose loom bands into a DIY woven heart

I don't know about you, but we seem to have alot of loom bands hanging around the house.

I though I would share this creative way to reuse them to make a woven heart.

I created this woven heart using:
- round wood slice (I bought mine from our local wood recycling centre. You could contact a tree surgeon, or maybe use an offcut of wood)
- paper heart template
- small nails
- hammer
- loom bands, but you could use elastic bands too

First I created a heart template in paper and stuck it to the wood with blu tack. I then tapped the nails in around the shape of the template. Finally I looped the loom bands onto the nails. It's as simple as that.

My design is super-simple, so you could adapt the idea to make it more intricate. You could fill the centre of the heart with more nails and criss cross the loom bands. Or maybe go for a more elaborate shape. How about using a whole rainbow of loom band colours?

I am really pleased with the way my DIY project turned out. I'm planning on making some more to put on our allotment. I may try a star shape next or my initials. I'd love to hear your ideas...

If you'd like to see more creative projects, head over to my Pinterest...I'd love to connect with you over there!

I am linking up with Trash to Treasure over on www.coombemill.com

Autumn Issue of the UK Handmade Magazine is out now

The Autumn Issue of the UK Handmade Magazine is out now.

It features my interview with EJ the creative mind behind Hatchet + Bear.

Hatchet + Bear create a beautiful selection of handcrafted wooden utensils and objects for the home. Run by EJ, a woodworker with a background in arboriculture, she is perfectly placed to understand the visceral pleasure of crafting with wood. EJ’s work blends traditional methods, simple hand tools and locally foraged timbers to create pieces that have a timeless quality. Alongside her range of products, EJ runs regular spoon making workshops, many of which combine camping, cooking and carving. We caught up with EJ to find out more about her influences and what the future holds for her business.

I found EJ to be an incredibly interesting interviewee. I particularly like the way she felt compelled to follow her creativity which she had neglected for many years. She explains how unfulfilling her work was and the decision she made to turn her life around:

“I was not listening to or taking my creativity very seriously at all. Eventually, I came to my senses - I felt unsatisfied. Actually, I felt ill. Over time, I had amassed a jumble of design ideas and design opinions in my head, that I thought were amazing and yet I wasn't doing anything about them. I have always loved trees and being in the woods, so I went on to study Arboriculture with the Royal Forestry Society. I then went on to do an Art and Design Foundation at Trowbridge College - which was brilliant. I was on a roll so I studied further, in Product and Furniture Design at Kingston University, which taught me alot - including what kind of designer I did not want to be. I left university and tried my hand at a few traditional and heritage crafts. Green Woodworking was the one that really got me. I merged everything together, and here I am”.

Alongside Hatchet + Bear, the magazine also features Amanda J Simmons, Serena Smith, Dazzle @ Dovecot, Handmade at Kew and much, much more...

Head on over to our website to read the magazine online.

Fun on our handmade upcycled wooden garden swing

My husband made this child's swing from upcycled wood for Magoo last Summer. It's been a firm favourite with our daughter and her friends ever since. I thought it was about time I wrote about it & shared some photos of the project. We bought the wood from Somerset Wood Recycling for a bargain price of £10. They also threw in the two large bolts we needed to attach the swing ropes to the frame.

Somerset Wood Recycling is one of our favourite places to visit on a Saturday morning. They have a large warehouse full of wood waiting to be repurposed into new things. Much of the wood is donated and we like walking around looking at the crates, pallets, railway sleepers, old doors and piles of floorboards. Somerset Wood Recycling also sell a range of products made by volunteers and adults with learning disabilities. They have a fantastic selection of wooden benches, deckchairs, tables, chopping boards, garden planters and even upcycled wooden coffins.


Once my husband had chosen the pieces of wood he wanted to use, he started to put the swing frame together. Magoo helped with making holes to put the screws through. She loved being involved with the making-process.
Once the frame was complete, we attached the swing ropes and seat. Magoo couldn't wait to try it out and it was given the thumbs up.
Once the swing was in place we gave it a coat of cornflower blue wood paint.
This swing is made with upcycled wood which would have otherwise gone to waste. It also really solid and much firmer than mass-produced plastic or metal counterparts. Magoo loves her swing and has been playing on it in all weathers ever since it was finished...


I'm linking up with the lovely Country Kids #countrykids over on the Coombe Mill blog, Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk, #ordinarymoments over on www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk, Image of the Week #IOTW over on www.trulymadlykids.co.uk, Point + Shoot over on youbabymemummy.com, Trash to Treasure over on www.coombemill.com