A Handmade Cottage: The Art of Crafting a Home

It’s possible to create a picture-perfect cottage frugally and simply with some creative ideas and a little DIY know-how.

Jodie May Seymour shares her projects and ideas for every room in the house using simple craft and DIY techniques.

Almost everything can be made by an absolute beginner, yet there are also inspiring projects that will appeal to the more skilled crafter. From candles and lampshades to dressers and curtains, there’s a range of projects and an introduction to some of the most useful DIY techniques, such as sanding, sewing and painting.

Restoring old furniture, repurposing forgotten fabrics, decorating your home using whatever nature has to offer ­- you too can make a beautiful home that’s uniquely yours on a tight budget.

Songwriter, musician and mother, Jodie May Seymour added crafting to her list of creative passions when she moved into her new home with her husband-to-be. She found that craft was a much-needed therapy from the stresses of everyday life and she started a community-based craft club in her town. Around 15 women would meet in the cafe on a weekly basis and so were formed The Cottage Crafters. After returning from honeymoon Jodie began her craft and rustic lifestyle blog ’A Handmade Cottage’. A few months later, Jodie was approached by her local newspaper to become their weekly craft columnist. She subsequently presented a craft segment on ITV’s This Morning. In 2018, Jodie moved with her musician husband Andy, young daughter Frankie and Jack Russell Ralphy to a large 18th-century flint stone house in the Norfolk countryside and she has been turning it into her own handmade cottage ever since.