Insta love - Evgenia Ermilova: Master at Sculpture Painting

One of my recent discoveries on instagram has been the work of Evgenia Ermilova.

I was lazily browsing through the search section when my eye caught a glimpse of  wonderful, lush roses enveloped in pearls. No more to say! The hook was thrown and I caught on it!

In this search process I love when the profile check click turns into an adventurous urge to see more and more. And the more I saw the more in love I fell in her work. It reminded me of decades ago when my mom used to make flower-decorated clay plates, but on a miniature scale and all those memories rushed back warmly.

So who is Evgenia?
She is the creator of the technique called sculptural painting and she creates exclusive watches, panels, mirrors and other interior items. She also runs workshops teaching this technique.

In her words: sculptural painting is an artistic direction that combines the elements of sculpture in the part of the working material - decorative plaster, and the elements of painting in the part of the technique of the palette knife, close to receiving impasto, implying the creation of three-dimensional textures and elements surface by the principle of "one smear - one element".
This technique is also sometimes called "volumetric" or "relief" painting. The names are different, but the essence of the technique is one - creating voluminous colors (and other images) from volumetric plaster with the help of a palette knife.

 I am so taken with this I wish it was possible to take one of her courses! How about you? Do you feel the hook?

Anthropologie Inspired DIY - City Trinket Dish

 

 

When it comes to styles of home & furniture, I  am a huge fan of Anthropologie. Their offer resonates deeply with my bohemian spirit and I am a frequent visitor who invariably drools over their fantastic stuff, and seeks inspiration when the days are dragging and inspiration is scarce. Which leads me to their trinket dish.

The minute I saw it I wanted to make one for ourselves. Now, I might have as well order it, for such a piece is worth having - they collaborate with some  fantastic indie designers - but the drive to make something myself usually prevails, and I was determined to give this a try.

 

Now, bear in mind that I am not a professional sculptor, clay master or porcelain guru. Just a plain person who enjoys playing with clay. I don't have many required tools, but I have a desire to create as big as a house, so I took out my polymer clay, doodled city images, applied varnish, glued it and voila!

My trinket, or jewelry dish is done!

 

 

 

I drew and painted the houses on both sides and the dishes look quite adorable.

Working on the oval plate I thought that it might be interesting to make something whimsical for the center or the side of it, and use the plate to serve cheese, tomatoes and olives in it. Would be a phenomenal conversation starter, don't you think?



Instagram Love #artvsartist

There is a hash tag on instagram being quite popular at the moment that puts the spotlight on various artists and their art. It's called #artvsartist and I jumped onto the bandwagon as soon as I discovered it.

 

You know I love instragram and although I am not fervently posting I am there and take my dose of inspiration on daily basis. So, here is just a sprinkle of what artists I discovered (and fell in love with their "art") out of the plethora of talented people.

 

 

By Sedef

 

 

genechka_djogan

 

 

ezgi

 

 

a href="https://www.instagram.com/le_mouton_perche">le_mouton_perche

 

 

vareshka



5 Weekend Projects to Try

 

Happy Friday to all that will enjoy the weekend!

 

I, on the contrary will be working, for it happens to be a working Saturday for us. And I cannot stress  enough how much I hate being deprived of my beloved Saturdays. 

It will also affect next week which will seem to just drag and drag and there'll be no end to it.

 

That means that all planned crafty projects will be put on hold, but that didn't stop me from finding some interesting DIYs. 

 

If you are lucky to be free for the weekend, do check up on these cute projets.

 

1. The Cheasepeak Shawl

2. How to Print With Leaves Onto Fabric

3. Faux Fur Pillow

4. Galaxy Marble Coasters

5. Latch Hook Hanging

 

Have fun!

Framed Poem DIY - unique home decor

 

 

This is an idea I have long wanted to bring to life and boy, am I glad I finally did. It makes me immensely satisfied that it turned just as I imagined.

Having everything at hand made it an easy project to tackle too.

How to make a framed poem decorated with dried flowers

You need a photo frame, pressed and dried flowers, a poem you love (or find an interesting one on the internet) to print onto a colored sheet of paper and white glue.

 Print the poem first. My photo frame is for photos 4x6" (10x15 cm) so I adjusted the size prior to printing. I also printed it first to see what it would look like with the selection of flowers I chose for it and worked on the lines.

As you can see, the poem stretches down to the end. Play with it to get the most pleasant look meaning that you choose the font and toy with the lines.  

 

When you have the poem printed, work on the flower arrangement.

 

Using white glue, I applied it on the stem and just added some light touches of it onto the petals. Be careful or they might get ruined / turn into dust if more glue is applied. Position them as you previously visualized them and glue them onto the paper. Press lightly so they stick.

 

Insert into frame and you are done!

 

Initially I went for one of Emily Dickinson's poems, but later decided on this one by Atticus.

 

 

 

I plan to make several of these - I have tons of dried flowers and I am curious to try other colored paper / poem / flower combinations.

Insta love - photowall

 

 

Happy Monday all!

 

A day without reading is a day wasted and I completely agree.

 

Now, since the day has reached its peak, the rays have longed caressed the blooming nature, I am heading off to do some flower reading on ancient fortress's walls.

 

The amazing wall mural is by photowall taken from here.

 

Read my review of the wondrous wall mural here.

Spring Flower Brooch

 

 

 

Stitch by stitch, rounds dance and twirl and intertwine, grow and stretch and bloom to become unscented  cotton flowers, ticklers of the eyes, powerful balm for the soul.

 

My newest brooch dressed in pearls, velvet and crochet lace because I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

 

 

 

Bring Spring Into the Home

Via

 

Whenever I start thinking of bringing spring into the home and adding a charming spring décor around the place, it is always flowers (normally!) that come first on my mind!

 

And although the season is literally killing me with pollen all around me,  (I've allergies),  I would attach a crate with upside down flowers on my ceiling in an instant. It does give the place a special feel. Like being in a  home of a forest nymph :)

 

Via

 

Another great idea - and this can be done with artificial flowers so that the whole project lasts longer is to make a flower wreath / dream catcher. I am already working on some dream catchers for girls I hope would be able to show soon.

 

 

Via

 

 

The simplest and the most effective idea is to take jars, vases, bottles, pots and buckets, spread them out through the house and put a small piece of heaven inside.

 

Via

Via





 

Insta love - petalshed

Happy Monday!

It is a wonderful and sunny day today and I can hear the birds chirping merrily out in the garden. 

Nature is slowly blooming, revealing a colorful and magnificent world beneath its spring wings. Such a world can also be found at Nattie Risdale's (petalshed) who makes the most fascinating crochet pieces.

I apologize for not being able to link up to her account to save my life. Blogger is having tantrums. Will try later.

Happy Easter!

May love prevail!

Easter Discount in the Shop

 

Dear all,

 

we want to let you know that we are having an Easter discount. 15% off everything in our esty shop. Use code EASTER2018 or just click this link - the discount will be added immediately.

 

There are a couple of (physical) brooches, bracelets and necklaces along with  mountains of crochet patterns.

 

If you are still reconsidering your Easter décor, check out these easy egg cozies patterns.

 



1. Easter Egg Baskets
2. Tulip Egg Cozy
3. Easter Egg Basket
4. Damsel & Unicorn Cozies

 

Romantic Crepe Easter Eggs DIY

 

 

 

Every year I like to change my tablescape for Easter and aside for the permanent decorations in the shape of bunnies, chicks and other Easter related stuff I try to freshen it up so this year was no exception.

What follows is a super messy activity which turns beautifully in the end, so if you are not afraid of a little mess, come join the ride.

To make the romantic pleated / folded crepe eggs you need:

* crepe paper in desired colors
* Styrofoam eggs (as many as you like)
* lace, tulle, ribbons, crochet flowers, catchy fabric, trinkets you have lying around....
* white paper glue (decoupage glue)

Cut a rectangle piece of paper (to fit your egg) and pleat it (fold it).Insert egg in the middle (spread the pleats there), close the ends to see if the size is right. My paper was a bit longer than necessary. Cut the excess. Unfold it again with the egg in the center.



Add glue on the egg and glue the sides first; next lift the sides again and glue them over the egg (upwards). Sprinkle it with cuteness. For this one I glued a dotted silk fabric and a tiny sateen flower.

To make the romantic crumpled crepe eggs:  



Cut a piece of crepe and crumple it. Add glue on the egg and glue the paper. It cannot be easier. Decorate it your way. Make many that will bring joy and cheer!

 

We are ready for Easter!

 

Easter on Instagram - insta love

Easter is at the reach of the hand!

As I grow older, I turn to memories of celebrating Easter when I was a little girl and I get flooded by rich images of anticipation, excitement and joy. I have managed to treasure that feel and I always let it run loose and skip wildly in joy as the day nears. Even now I am getting closer to my fifties.

So I went on an Easter hunt on instagram and made myself an inspiration board. Take a cup of tea and come enjoy it with me!

Inspiration sources:
mintlemonadecookies
infinyway
lardecoramado brit.silberann
casaebottegasaponi

felisianafeli finelivingconcierge
elvira_nemyrova

Easter Fun Cozies: The Damsel & The Unicorn Pattern

 

 

Easter is a special time of the year and the most exciting for the children. So this Easter I decided to make some fun egg cozies that will make children feel like being in a fairytale.

 

I present to you the The Damsel & The Unicorn Pattern. 

The first cozy is the Damsel's hair (or wig as I like to call it) with its luxurious locks that along with the hat has a sprinkle of steampunk cuteness.

The unicorn is adorned with mini flowers and has an appealing "mane" at the back.

 

The patterns for both are not complicated at all and work up really fast. The Damsel's wig / cozy is made to serve as a prop -  cozy that you can put on an egg and take it off, so because the locks make it really heavy, I give instructions in the pattern how to make it fixed using a "headband" that you actually tie below the egg. If you want to use it year after year as a fixture, than you can glue it to an artificial (plastic, wooden or clay) egg.

 

The unicorn is lighter than the wig and does not require additional attachment.

Both cozies are meant to be used with XL size of eggs (73 grams+).

 

Finished measurements:  Damsel’s hair: 7 cm /2.8” across (locks excluded). Unicorn cap/ cozy: 6.5cm / 2.6” across.

Unicorn hair: 4.5 cm /1.8”.

 

Find it in my shops: etsy, ravelry, love knitting.

 

 

Repurposing project: Chandelier Necklace

 

 

 

My grandma had a wonderful crystal beads necklace - even at the time it looked vintage and she claimed she had had it in her youth so it really was old when I was a child, but it was well preserved.

 

Sadly, I don't have it - my cousin inherited that piece, but I can vividly remember putting it on along with some of her "ball dresses" for our pretend plays.

 

The story of the chandelier necklace and the ball dresses

 

My maternal grandma was a professional seamstress and she could sew the most dazzling dresses. She loved telling us about dresses she made for her to wear at the balls and dances organized by what was called the Officer's Club which represented the most prominent building with many luxuriously furnished halls and rooms  adorned with enormous Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers.

 

Albeit the name, the club was open for the elite, the representatives of the city class and other prominent people and a  membership card verified by certain chambers and acclaimed associations was the entry to the numerous balls, dances and recitals organized by various cultural, artistic and sport associations.

 

The balls were something we, the grandchildren - all girls - were most interested in. And grandma could weave the most magical stories of those parties spent dancing in sateen and tulle dresses, wearing her glass necklace under the luxurious chandeliers in the hall. Sigh....

 

Which brings me to my necklace.

So it happened that we had a huge chandelier, heavily adorned with big and small glass beads, and when my mother renovated her place she decided to get rid of it.

 

Of course, I couldn't let her throw all those wonderful glass beads away! I thought of grandma's necklace immediately!

 

There are about 50 of the small crystals- just a tiny portion shown here and a number of big ones which I didn't save all - took just about 10, for something I will dream of. I wanted to make a crochet necklace with the big ones - I made a crochet case for one but that project is UFO classified until further attempt. 

 

 

 

Finally I decided to put those beads to use and make myself a remembrance necklace - my chandelier necklace in honor of my beloved grandma. She is the one smiling from my photo album here. The design of the necklace is simple but the effect is wondrous.

 

Now, I am waiting for my ball to wear it to.