Mollie Makes #81

new!

why we craft + the best summer home buys

PAPERCUT PROJECT BOOK

MAKE IT!

8 fruity illustrations

EASY-SEW

ESPADRILLES RAINBOW POCKET PATCH

TROPICAL BAG CHARM COOL

CROCHET CARDI KIDS'

TOY STORAGE GARDEN CHAIR CUSHIONS &more..

Bathing belles!

CONTENTS

54

18

ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK; MODEL: ALEXANDRA FIA

VINTAGE DOLLS

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81

Tropical cushions

INTRODUCING... LIVING

The latest news from the world of handmade

Fill your life and home with crafted goodness

9 INTRODUCING…

43 LIVING

Handpicked crafty happenings

The loveliest hand-crafted, creative buys

14 TRENDS

46 HOME TOUR

Brighten up with the rainbow look

Designer Teri Muncey’s minimal abode

18 VINTAGE DOLLS

51 FOOD COVER

Sew these sweet pals, complete with retro-style swimsuits and fun floats

Upcycle a plain cover with colourful raffia

26 TEA AND A CHAT Rebecca Thomas, founder of Bonbon Balloons, shows us around her studio

32 ESPADRILLES

@MollieMakes

issue number eighty one

54 CHAIR CUSHIONS Give your garden furniture an update with these tropical print tasseled cushions

59 HANGING STORAGE Make this easy-sew toy tidy for a kids’ room

Whip up a new pair of summer sandals in a quirky pineapple-print fabric

63 SOAP DISH AND SOAP

36 GOOD READ

Create a Moroccan spa vibe at home with botanical soaps and a concrete soap dish

The importance of crafting for yourself pinterest.com/MollieMakes

youtube.com/user/MollieMakes

39 PAPER PEONIES Hand-cut petals to make lifelike flowers

4 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 81

67 PULL-OUT PAPERS Cut, stick and paste Mia Dunton’s painterly prints to give your crafting a summery twist

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE 24 Subscribe UK

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82 Subscribe overseas International subscribers save up to 40%

83

Handbag charm

51

Food cover

93 Bean bag

LOVING

16

SUNNY DAYS

When the sun’s shining, all I want to do is go out into the garden with a picnic blanket and an easy-to-pick-up project. There’s something about making outdoors that always leaves me feeling inspired.

This issue has plenty of al fresco makes – top of my must-try list is Melodie Telliez’s tropical bag charm on page 83. For a more involved project, get stuck into Suzie Kemner’s pineapple-print espadrilles on page 32 – they’re surprisingly easy to make and go with just about every summer outfit.

If you fancy turning your hand to a new craft, delve into your free papercut project book. It’s packed with 27 new designs, and there’s something for every skill level. Share your results using #molliemakers.

Rainbow patch

Treats and treasures to fall in love with

Cath Dean Editor

75 LOVING Our pick of the most beautiful things for you to adore and make

76 CROCHET BAG Hook up a home for your yarn stash

83 BAG CHARM Add a pop of summer sunshine to your bag with these Hawaiian-style florals

89 CROCHET CARDI Make a colourful boho cover up

93 BEAN BAG

76

Crochet bag

Squishy, cosy seating that kids’ll love

98 TEMPLATES All the shapes for this issue’s makes

106 BACK PAGE PROJECT Old English Company’s Ben Treanor shares how a studio helped them grow Subscribe at molliemakes.com

Turn the page to discover your project book! Turn to page 67 for your papers

INTRODUCING trends

THIS MONTH WE’RE OBSESSING ABOUT...

RAINBOWS Sunny skies are coming your way... Brighten up with a burst of colour

Wave your hands in the air like you just don’t care. www.boden.com

14 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 81

INTRODUCING trends 01

02

01

Pot of gold, meet

rainbow. www.noton thehighstreet.co.uk/ connieclementine 02

Take your party tea

to the next level. www. shopmerimeri.com 03

Who needs Insta?

Live your life through a rainbow filter. www. skinnydiplondon.com 04

An abstrast take on

a rainy day. www.noton thehighstreet.co.uk/ 08

ingridpetriedesign 05

Because sometimes, 03

you’ve got to make your own rainbow. www. presentandcorrect.com 06

04

Aww, thanks guys

– we try! www.skinny diplondon.com 07

We recommend

getting one in each colour, natch. www. thehambledon.com 08

The ultimate

footwear for chasing those rainbows. www.vans.co.uk 06

05

MAKE IT! TURN THE PAGE TO 07

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DIY THE RAINBOW TREND 81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 15

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK

NO DIVING

Bathing belles Dream of sunny days beside the seaside with Lucy Woodrow’s vintage-style dolls

CafĂŠ

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USA READERS: SEE PAGE 82

Describe your style in a few words.

Quite simple; I love wearing black with pops of colour and I always wear Nike trainers and a gold necklace. It’s pretty pared back in comparison to our balloons!

Since becoming a mum, I’m a lot more practical in what I wear.

Following your passion with...

REBECCA THOMAS Jump in to your idea wholeheartedly with the sound advice and wisdom of Bonbon Balloons founder, Rebecca Thomas Words: LARA WATSON Photographs: INGRID RASMUSSEN

Rebecca Thomas is the brains behind the quirky, colourful balloon-in-a-box business, Bonbon Balloons. Launched six years ago on a creative whim, Rebecca’s ingenious idea to make much, much more of this run-of-the-mill party staple has revolutionised the industry.

And, since then, her confetti-stuffed helium wonders have adorned fashion show runways, the facades of stately homes and front rooms all over the UK. It wasn’t an easy start for Rebecca, however. She soon discovered no one else was doing anything remotely along 26 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 81

the same lines, so had to invent the market herself, in turn, opening herself up to copycats. But, Rebecca has made constant innovation key to her business, giving her the momentum to take things further and stay ahead of the game.

Now with plans to expand her ever-growing business throughout the country, Rebecca took time out from her busy day to share the story behind Bonbon and its success. Read on to find out how she turned her novel idea into a reality, and also the valuable lessons she’s learnt along the way.

How did you originally come up with your business idea?

I had a full-time job as a product developer at Designers Guild, and while I really enjoyed it, I always wanted to have my own business. Looking back, I was a bit crazy. I gave up my job, started up on my kitchen table, and got out my sketch books. I had loads of images saved of Tim Walker’s giant balloons in seascapes and it just gave me a lightbulb moment: “Why doesn’t anyone make cool, beautiful balloons?!” I started to think around the name Bonbon. I didn’t know anything about balloons at all, but I got a gas canister and started playing with it. It was a very quiet idea and I knew I needed to do it quickly, so I got started and got my branding, website and photography right over six months after that. There was a lot of trial and error.

What other roles or experiences led you to where you are now?

My background is in textile design.

Before the Designers Guild, I worked at

INTRODUCING tea & a chat

‘I was a bit crazy. I gave up my job and started up on my kitchen table.’

02

01

Burberry and did accessories. Working for big companies like that ingrains a great work ethic in you, and I understood how to develop a product. When you start a business, you have a naivety about you, but you need that at first. If you had any sense of how difficult it was you wouldn’t do it!

with clients, creating inspiration for an event, maybe do a site visit. As it depends what’s happening, it’s varied, and it is for the people who work for you too. I have an assistant at the studio and then a team of freelancers in London who have all sorts of creative backgrounds.

Tell us what a typical working day looks like for you.

Every day is completely different. I’ll usually get to the studio and catch up on emails. In the evening, I develop concepts

How does your creative process work?

I usually begin with an initial concept meeting and ask the client to start with a colour palette or a scene. From there I look at the environment, and how they

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03

01

A sunnier

sending out specs

workspace we’ve yet to see! This cheery

to her clients.

02

A balloon colour

desk is where

chart in an array of

Rebecca works

vibrant hues.

from, designing installations and

03

The finished

article itself.

81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 27

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK

Welcome to the jungle Give your outdoor space a tropical touch with Laura Strutt’s greenery cushions

32 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 81

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK; MODEL: ALEXANDRA FIA

Pineapple crush Meet your new summer faves – Suzie Kemner’s easy-sew fruity espadrille beauties

81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 33

LIVING home tour

Teri loves the neutral feel of her minimalist London flat, and the mezzanine level adds versatility to the space.

Teri Muncey shows us around her monochrome, minimal West London flat Words: LOTTIE STOREY Photography: TERI MUNCEY

The simplest looking spaces are often the hardest to create. And, when you rent it can be even harder. You might not think it looking at designer and blogger Teri Muncey’s minimally styled flat though, as she’s seamlessly applied the distinctive modern aesthetic that runs through her work to her new abode.

When Teri and husband Nick both ended up working from home last November, they realised they’d outgrown their previous London

46 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 81

LIVING home tour

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81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 47

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LOVING

81

OH, YOU PRETTY THINGS! MOODBOARDS & MUSINGS TO INSPIRE US

PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON EVANS

Up your mini me’s #sockgame with a pair of snazzy snake knee socks from Bob & Blossom – they’ll have just as much fun using them as hand puppets as wearing them. Check out the range of cosy tees and party tutus too – where are the grown-up sizes? www.bobandblossom.co.uk

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81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 75

Still life

PHOTOGRAPHY: KATE MATHIS

Make hand-cut blowsy paper peonies for the loveliest summer bouquet – Livia Cetti shows you how

81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 39

Al fresco living

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK

Add a kitsch-cool twist to a plain food cover with Chloe Hardisty’s colourful tutorial

81 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 51

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molliemakes.com 26 MOLLIEMAKES 3

MAIN IMAGE STYLING: KIT CHEUNG AND BECKI CLARK, PHOTOGRAPHY: JESSE WILD

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