Friday, October 30, 2015

Fast and Easy Halloween Projects

Tomorrow is Halloween and if you are still behind with decorating {points to self}, here are some fast project ideas you can do with your kids before they go trick or treating, some to decorate your home and of course, it wouldn't be Halloween if there are no sweets.

Home Décor



 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kids' projects


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Halloween Sweets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No Bake Cookies & Cream Mummy Pops
 
 
 
Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Doppio M - a Creative Workshop

 
 
 
 
 
Hi guys! Today I want to introduce two immensely creative girls whose hands make wonders.
After seeing their creations I am sure you're going to fall in love with their work!
 
Without further ado, who is the creative force behind Doppio M?
 
Doppio M is represented by two girls, Mihaela and Monika, who after being acquaintances for ages, decided it is high time they merged their creativity and desire for expressing themselves through various forms of crafting.

 

 

 
What does your brand stand for?
 
Doppio M started as a creative workshop where we mainly made clay brooches, using our own original design. In time  ideas and products increase in number so now one can find many jewelries and accessories like necklaces, decorated jars, greeting cards , wedding favours, the lot.  

 

Where does inspiration come from?

We are swarmed with new ideas every day that come naturally and spontaneously. Often we do what we want to see for ourself in a material form, and we do that with immense pleasure. We help each other so that our ideas and wishes are not left confined in our heads, so with unreserved help and team work, we inspire each other.




What motifs most often appear in your creations?

The jewelry we make is mostly inspired by flora and fauna - we make clay animals or paint sceneries in a cute and entertaining way by which they are recognized as bearing our own signature.

 
What materials are your favourite to work with and why?
 
Ever since the beginning, the clay proved to be our trusty friend. We use white, stoneware clay that dries naturally, so when dried we paint our illustrations or clients' wishes. Besides jewelry, where the clay is the main component, we also use it to make bookmarks, decorations and small detailed work. Clay makes our inspiration tangible so we have to single it out as the material we are strongly linked with.  
 



What part of the creative process is the most fulfilling and you take most pleasure in?

Every part of the process is dear to us, starting from shaping the clay to packing the final product. Each stage brings its own magic, so each gets our undivided attention and focus. Creating "something" out of "nothing" is an incredible gift we give ourselves, hence we enjoy its uniqueness from start to finish.



 
 
What's trending at the moment? What products are most wanted?
 
We always have different orders and that makes us incredibly happy. People are so creative so we listen to their wishes with great pleasure. They always have interesting ideas we transfer on our brooches, necklaces or cards. All our creations proved successful so far, so we cannot single out any most wanted.
 
 

 
 
Is there a technique or a style you'd like to try in the future?
Of course. We are both enthusiastic about learning and trying out new techniques, so we have our eyes open to new inspiration.
Doppio M's palette is never final - there is a lot of place in it for many new things.
 
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
We are Doppio M in our free time. All daily responsibilities end at the moment we put our hands on work materials. When you love what you do and feel that you receive while you give, the task losses its name and turns into freedom.

Thank you so much girls for this wonderful interview. I wish you loads and tons of success in the future.

You can follow Doppio M on instagram and FB and maybe have something made for yourself.




 

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Clay Ring Holders

 
 
 

These past weeks in Art classes Jacob had to work with clay. Since the pack is too big for the projects they do, he usually shares it with a friend so that there is no clay to be thrown away. But last time his friend was absent and he came home with half of the clay unused. It was already beginning to dry and was very hard to shape, but we decided to save it and make something we can use. So we made ring holders for Eva.

We painted them with temperas and afterwards I applied nail polish.  The bowl/ saucer like holder is red and navy, the other purple with red flowers, but the light did not do them justice. They are much prettier in reality.  
 
 

Monday, October 26, 2015

Little Rosettes Flower Neklace - Free Pattern

 
 
  
crochet flower pattern
 
Hi guys! I hope you are having a great start of the week!
 
Due to a national holiday we had a prolonged weekend and almost didn't feel the daylight saving time this morning. But it sure got a lot darker earlier in the day, so I will have to adjust to it and manage time better so that my photo shoots happen in appropriate natural light available.
 
Ok. Enough of that. I am a talkative girl... cannot stop myself sometimes. I was going to tell you about the flowers I had ready for you today. A pattern to be more specific.
 
The pattern for this rosettes is so easy you will be making tons in no time.
 
The pattern:
 
Ch 5 and join to make ring.
Round 1: sc2 in each stitch round (10)
Round 2: sc2, sc1 (15)
Round 3: ch5,sk1,sc1. Repeat this around. You will get 7 "petals".
 
Cut yarn and weave ends.
 
You can use these to make various jewelry pieces. For the above necklace, just stack / arrange the rosettes the way it appeals to you the most, sew them, add jump rings at the sides, attach them on a metal chain and you've got yourself a lovely necklace.

crochet flower pattern

Here's another example for an interesting necklace.

crochet flower pattern


You can also use these rosettes to make hair pins, rings or bracelets .... (imagine all the possibilities!)
I've decorated a blouse with these, but I am keeping that for another time.




Thursday, October 22, 2015

Sweater Weather - eye candy

 
 
 
 
 
 
I won't lie to you. The minute I saw these sweaters I screamed in delight. They are absolutely gorgeous. Especially the ones in the board above - I wouldn't mind wearing all those flowers on me.
 
How about you? Do you wear colorful cardies and sweaters?
I hope these bring lots of inspiration to you! I might use it for my next refashioning fit :)
 

 

 
 


Disclaimer: I found this amazing shop on taobao, called never-say-never but I was not compensated to write this post. I am merely posting these photos as inspiration and I cannot guarantee the quality of the sweaters if you decide to buy from their shop.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

How to Read Crochet Charts: Autumn Leaves

 
 
 
 
Lately, I 've had several requests for crochet leaves patterns and since they are all the rave right now, I found a chart I thought would be nice to include into my "how to read crochet charts" series.
 
 
Here's the chart. It employs the basic stitches and works up really fast.
 
 
Prepare your favourite yarn and recommended hooks. 
 
Round 1:
 
Ch 8. Starting from the 2nd ch, sc across (7). Repeat this 2 more times to get 3 leaves.
 


Round 2:
 
 
Join all three by sc in the 1st st of the 1st leaf. Next, hdc, dc3, hdc, sc, ch 1 (at the top of the leaf) and repeat the above pattern (sc, hdc,dc3, hdc, sc) for the other side and for all 3 leaves.
 

 
Round 3: edging
 
ch2, sc in all stitches around all 3 leaves.
 
Tip: If you want the leaves to be more maple-y instead of those 2 chains, make a 3-ch picot.
 
The chart does not include the stem, but I added it. To make it, do not cut yarn when you make the final leaf. Instead ch 12 (10/8) and sc back. For the orange and brown leaves instead of sc the stem I used the hdc.
 
And the leaf is done!
 
Now, experienced chart readers will find out small changes I made, but I tried the chart version and then did it on my own.  Mine looks better, I believe.




 Enjoy the tutorial and make yourself some leafy decorations!