Map Bunting DIY - Recycled Crafts

 

 

 

 

 

With the start of the school year Eva complained that her ragged Atlas she uses for her Geography lessons is not good any more and upon closer inspection I discovered that it was in almost pristine shape - only that some pages were loosened and the hard cover in a really bad condition. Otherwise the majority of the pages were just fine.

 

We decided to get her a new one, and use this one for whatever DIY I am going to dream about. And the first thing I wanted to make is a map bunting.

 

Making a map bunting is a very quick and easy project.

First you find an old map and cut out the pieces - I have a very lovely bunting template I used to trace these. This is actually what will take most of your time.

 



Next comes punching the sides and inserting the thread and voila!

 You have an interesting bunting in a fraction of time!

 

 

I  made this bunting for my son and while I was taking the pictures Eva kept saying that this could be so cute if we made it for a girls' room too. So although I have tagged it as a boy's room idea, this actually is not gender limited. And I agree - this would be lovely to make / give to girls who love to travel.

 

I hope you like the idea and reuse some old maps too!

Bohemian Fall Inspiration - Native American Motifs

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday all! Today inspiration comes from Bohemian fall clothes with Native American Motifs.

 

I enjoyed compiling these images together and concentrated on soft and appealing hues and colors - something I wouldn't mind wearing myself.

 

Enjoy the selection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, you can find all the respective links on my Bohemian Fall board/a>

How to Clean and DIY Sea Shells Projects

 

 

My collection of shells in browns and greys

 

 

Summer officially over, days on the beach numbered or nearing the end, and if you are as fervent as collecting sea shells as me, then you've got your bags full.

 

 

We make shell colleting a  fun family activity and every summer we try to collect as many different shells as we can. The above is just a fraction of what we've harvested over the years.
 

 

 

How to clean sea shells

 

So you have your shells back at home and they might retain their natural foul odor. I clean them by washing them in warm water - I just let the water run over them for a couple of minutes, and then leave them in  the water - just enough to cover them -  and add  3-4 soupspoons of apple vinegar. Let them soak for about 15-20 minutes, wash them again and let them air dry or towel-dry them. While they soak you can use an old toothbrush and give them a nice brushing to remove any residue. The smell should be gone. If you can still detect the odor, repeat the above procedure. After drying them, polish them with coconut oil.

 

 

There are some fantastic projects you can use shells for. Personally, I love placing them in jars or scattering them on my bookshelves. What I would love trying my hand at is some shell embellishing.

 

 

These are gorgeous - you have to agree! Painted, sharpied or beaded!

 

 

 

Or even gold dipped.

 

 

 

Use them to make wall art like this

 

 

 

 

 

Do you  collect shells? What kind of projects do you use them for?

I hope this post inspires you to use your shells. You can find all the respective links for the images used on my board here.



 



Flower Garden Crochet Pattern- How to read crochet charts

 

 

Well. I had something completely different planned for the "How to read crochet charts" series, but this lovely pattern stole my heart and I decided to write about it first.

The pattern is called Flower Garden and I had it pinned on my pinterest board for quite some time only recently giving it a try. I am making warmers with this pattern and I love it!

If you find it pleasing too, sharpen your hooks and let's start.

Flower Garden Crochet Pattern
The pattern uses multiples of 11 +7.

 

 

Ch 34+1

 

Row1: in 10th st from hk tr1, ch5, tr1 in the same st, ch 5 (counts as the 1st tr) and (bobble st) 2tr, sk 2 st and make a 3tr bobble in the 3rd st, next ch5 and tr2 to make the 4th petal. Sk3 and bobble 3(tr) in the 4th st. Sk 2 and in the 3rd st tr1, ch5, tr1 in the same st. Repeat flower pattern. Sk 2 and in the 3rd st tr1, ch5, tr1 in the same st.Ch 1 and tr1 in the last st.

 

 





 

Row 2: Ch 5 + 5, sc in the "V" chain below, ch 7 then make a 3tr bobble st in the center of the flower, ch 3 and make another bobble st (I liked the looks of the  flower with 5 petals only, so I skipped 1 in this row -instead of 2 petals, I made just one). Ch 7, sc in the "V" chain, ch 7, repeat the petals pattern, ch 7, sc1 in the chain, ch 5 and end the row with 1 tr.

With this we completed one row of flowers.

Row 3: next row of flowers. Ch 5 and repeat first row of flowers.

Row 4: repeat 2nd row of flowers.

The pattern works really fast when you get the hang of it. Using DK and bulkier yarn makes the pattern really stand out.

 

 

For my warmers I used mohair yarn and had to increase the flower pattern to 5 tr instead of 3 to gain on size and texture. I would recommend you use heavier yarn for this pattern.

Also if you are more of a visual  type and understand Spanish, Esperanza has a fantastic video showing this stitch which you can see here.

 

DIY a Boho Tassel Necklace

 

 

Hello and welcome to a new DIY! Today we are making a long tassel necklace. It is a fast project and will take you no more than 10 minutes to make it if you have everything ready.

 

 

 

What you need:

 

1. A fabric piece / strip (rectangular - the shorter - the cuter);

2. A fabric bead (use this tutorial to make it);

3. Embroidery floss;

4. Metal jump rings, chain, 2 clasps, eye pin and a cap.  

 

>Fold the fabric strip and press the clasps.

>Fold the floss in half. Take a thread and tie the floss tightly. Make a strong knot.

 

 

 

> Insert the thread through an eye pin, and tie another knot around it, to secure it well.
>Next push the pin through the center, add the cap. You can push the thread under the cap and hide the ends on the inside.

> Using round nose pliers, cut the pin to the desired length and make an eye.
>Cut the lower part of the tassel and trim it.
> Add a jump ring to the tassel, a very short chain and attach the bead. Next add a longish chain to the bead and attach the clasped fabric piece.
> And finally add the chain. I made it quite longish - you work on the length that best suits you.
And that's it. In no time you have a perfect necklace for you and the best gift for somebody that you love!

 

If you make it I would certainly love to see it, so tag me!

 

Bohemian Inspiration on Instagram

disfunkshionmag                           ajrakcraft

Although I set the end of the Bohemian Summer Series to the actual, calendar end of the summer, somehow I don't feel inclined to stop there, so most probably it will stretch all throughout the year.

As I love starting Mondays with inspiration boosts, here's a selection of fabulous bohemian related Instagram accounts. Enjoy!

                emonkibiza                              inali_campbell

                      artphangan                                       rossioroos

 

Faux Tapestry Crochet Cuff

 

 

Well, I cannot tell you how tempted I was whole summer to try tapestry crochet! The internet was (and it still is!) swarming with gorgeous patterns and with my overburdened schedule I didn't dare think of undertaking a new project.

However, I thought I might twist things around and make a faux tapestry crochet. I had this cuff ready to be flowered with my crochet flowers but instead I decided to cross-stitch a rose. The closest to tapestry crochet I could allow myself to get for the time being.

 

I love how it turned out and I believe I will indulge in more projects like this one. Cross-stitch is close to my heart because that's how I entered the craft world - cross-stitching a bunny gobelin at the age of 7 or 8.

Have you tried tapestry crochet? Do you like it? On my pinterest page I have pinned several bag projects for future crafting if you like to check them out.

 

Hairclip / Brooch DIY

 

 

 

 

Hello to another fantastically easy DIY.  What you look at is a  hairclip that can be used as a brooch too. At first glance, it may appear ridiculous to have them both at the back and I thought that too. I believed that the brooch pin is going to get tangled in my hair, but surprisingly, it doesn't.

Don't you think it's great having 2 in 1? If you do, gather your supplies and let's make it.

 

Supplies:

1. a crocodile hairclip

2. a brooch pin

3. tulle / satin rosettes and crochet flowers (instructions given below)

4. beads

5. a felt piece

6. glue, sewing thread

 

 

 

To make the tulle and satin rosettes use this tutorial

To crochet the flowers follow this pattern

 

 

 

 

 

1. Take a strip of felt and glue it over the top of the clip to cover it lengthwise.

2. Cut out a round piece of felt and cover the upper part of the clip. Mark where the clip ends and cut it again to make a half moon shape - in my case it was way to bigger so I cut it out to the size I thought would be best for it.

3. Remember to slid it under the lower part of the clip.

4. Pin the two sides together (or not) and prepare to sew them. 

 

 

Using a sewing thread, I sewed the felt cover with the blanket stitch. And on the lower part sew the brooch pin.

Design the look of your new hairclip / brooch. Sew or glue the crochet flowers and the rosettes.

 

 



 

 Add beads for extra glam.

And that's it. Hope you like it!



 

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting!



10 Inspiring Bohemian Instagrammers

the_boho_bungalow                           fleamarketfab

 

As it often happens on Mondays here, I love featuring Instagram content I find inspirational and fulfilling. To enrich the Bohemian Summer series I selected 10 IG accounts I believe will inspire you too.

 

 bohemiandecor                                      villastyling

labohemehouseofthewishingtrees         amberskiesaustralia

 

 

rentpatina                                               bohoside

 

sadies_lovely_life                             apartmentf15

Lily Pad, Butterfly and May Blossom Necklace Pattern - Thumbelina Collection {Summer}

 

 

 

 

It took me a while to make the continuation of my Thumbelina collection, but since summer's end is not due for a couple of weeks' time, I didn't hurry to publish this pattern.

This necklace pattern was inspired by the summer of the story. It takes as a focal point Thumbelina's escape from the obnoxious toad on a lily pad, pulled away by a butterfly and I also added a May blossom flower which is actually the name Thumbelina is given when she meets the fairy prince.

For those of you who have missed the idea behind this project, here's the summary: The Thumbelina Collection is composed of 12 crochet pendant patterns - 3 for each season and each featuring a different design and carrying its own part of the story.

Check out the first three patterns here.

Buy the lily pad necklace pattern here.