Do you fancy a wee bit of crafting before Christmas? Or maybe you’d in like to make a last minute personalised gift? Well, I figured I’d share a few of the fast and easy projects I’ve been making for my friends and family this year. I’ve even uploaded the files for you to help get you cracking straight away - click here.

I’m a big fan of gin, so the current craze suits me well. You’ll notice that gin features heavily in my projects ;)

Edinburgh based Pickerings Gin sell these super cute gin baubles. You get 6 multi coloured baubles in a pack and each bauble is a double measure. You can refill for next time too! I bought mine from local wine shops Cornelius on Easter Road and Valvonna and Corolla on Elm Row for £30 but I’ve noticed John Lewis and other shops have them online - JL currently have them at half price, kerching!

To personalise, I choose the Magnolia Sky font which has the benefit of being jaunty so you don’t have to be too precious when placing on the bauble (great time saver). The font size is 36 and I did a 0.01cm offset which both welds the letters together and makes it ever so slightly bolder and easier to cut and weed.

Another time saver is the vinyl you choose. Picking a vinyl that cuts and weeds beautifully even on small and intricate designs makes your task a joy instead of a tribulation. My favourite vinyl for this hands down is crafty cutter premium rose gold. This stuff is a-maz-ing.
I tend to place the the letters so that the highest point sits at the top of the liquid level.

I got some little advent boxes from Sainsbury's - 24 for £3 which the baubles and socks fit perfectly into )

A while back I posted a tutorial on foiling with a laminator and laser printer. Here’s a really effective way to make your own prints and you don’t need any artistic ability either! Simply snap a photo and use a free app that converts your photos into a sketch such as this one. Then it’s just a matter of printing your image and foiling it. Boom, you’ve got yourself a lovely foiled print in under 10 mins for the cost of a sheet of hot foil and piece of paper or card!  I've included my gunpowder and jawbox gin prints here if you'd like to jump straight to the print and foil step :)

I've been AWOL for quite a while, but don't worry I've been crafting like crazy.  I have also doing lots of home improvements, so I've lots to catch up with you about!

As its wedding season, the first project I'm sharing is my geometric papercuts, including a free cut file that you can download here.  I've included the file both in SVG and also GSD format (for those who use the basic Silhouette Studio software).

I couldn't decide whether to have the papercut floating or edge to edge within the frame, so I've included both options.  I ended up cutting both and I included the smaller papercut on a greetings card to give the choice.  For the perfectionists amongst us, the border around the smaller papercut allows you to perfectly centre the papercut within the frame.

Crafty cutter is the queen of speciality effect vinyl and she has a massive range of rose gold self-adhesive and heat transfer vinyls.  Here's the unboxing video of a giant order I did at Christmas time if you're interested in seeing more:

She now sells a new high shine rose gold vinyl which is also rose gold on the reverse - great for glasses etc.  Charlotte kindly sent me a sheet to try and I'm in love.  It cuts and weeds like a dream and I think it looks ace on this project.  It's currently priced at £2.50 per A4 sheet.

FRAME: I got the frame for £6 from BHS, which I've just seen is closing down again:(  I have seen the same frames from Boots and Paperchase, albeit at a higher price point
PAPER: I used 125gsm hammer paper from Paperchase
CARD:  I used 300gsm hammer card from Hobbycraft for the greetings card
FONT: I used the Strong Glasgow by Hero Fonts which is free for personal use

I bought some pretty Japanese Yuzen Chiyogami paper when I first came to Edinburgh in 1999.  Well, that art shop has long since closed and 18 years down the line, I have finally made something with those oh so pretty papers!

Here's the tutorial I followed, it really is very easy, not like the bow or crane ones which make my eyebrows knit!

• Box Frame

A lot of companies such as Matalan, Dunelm and Asda sell the frames complete with string and pegs, but the frames are open, with no glass.  I don't like that, so it's easy to make your own.  You just need a box frame, where there is a gap between the glass and back.  If you are framing a single dress, I would recommend the square 23cm Ikea Ribba frame.  For the washing line, I think a wide, triple aperture frame works best.  I have found two frames, one from M&S for £15 and a wider still one from The Range for £5.99.

• Background Paper

As my frame was very wide, I didn't have any paper to fit, so I simply spray painted the sheet that came with it.  My local B&Q shut down last year and I bought a massive stash of spray paints at 70% off, woohoo!  The colour I went for was Valspur Spun Sugar.  An A3 sheet should work for the M&S frame.

• Mini wooden craft pegs

These are available in the stationery department of most supermarkets, I got mine in Sainsbury's.  Here's a link to the Hobbycraft ones

• Baker's / Natural  twine

I reused twine from a parcel I received recently.  It's often wildly overpriced, but Hobbycraft are doing 27m balls for 50p.  Alternatively, a length of ribbon would also look very pretty.

• Yuzen / Chiyogami Paper

The best quality paper is made using the same hand silk-screen-printed techniques as the finely patterned kimono cloth known a 'Yuzen' in Kyoto, Japan.  I got a second stash from  here on EBay, let's hope I don't take 18 years to use these!  Amazon sell some with free next day delivery for Prime members here.  In fact, I think any paper with pretty colours or patterns will look great!

So, even if you've left it late, there's still time to whip up a pretty card or to make a framed washing line of these cute little origami dresses.  I promise they are super easy to make - I even taught my pal from memory using a napkin in a restaurant!