DIY Backyard Ideas

I love being able to reuse, recycle and do-it-myself so when I saw these several ideas I simply had to share them here. Almost every single thing here can be made of reclaimed wood and things already at hand.

A completely easy and doable treehouse. One you can make in an afternoon. I'd love to settle there, big cushions around, reading my books...

  
Pillows, cushions and blankets in/out of a tent for backyard camping. Every kid would love this!

What a great idea to have a chalkboard outside for the kids to draw!

 

 Hula hoops and a piece of fabric make a great hideout as do

 

these lovely teepees. 

 

And of course - something for the grown ups too. A  simple bar for entertaining. Amazing!

 

And at the end of the day I wouldn't say no to this giant hammock swing:)

Happy Rose Necklaces

 

A little splash of colors now and then does look refreshing and I was itching to make something cheerful and use some of my newly bought beads. I also added some of these sweet roses.

There are some more of these in other colors, but I was fighting absence of natural light and shot these in a place I rarely choose to take pictures, so those will appear some other day.

 

 

 

Cherry Blossom Necklace

 

I adore cherry blossomed trees. They make my heart fill with happiness to the brim. So this necklace is inspired by the ever-amazing cherry blooms that beautify the streets of my neighbourhood.

 

 

I also had to try other color combinations and a simple variation of the flower pattern to make something different.

The pattern. 

Summer Bib Necklace

Well, summer is already here. 
We shouldn't have worried. 
After all that wet weather we now have a lot more sunshine than we could  ask for because here it doesn't gradually become warmer. One day is like a bit chilly and then BAM you are out, panting and sweating and it is scorching hot!
I am not ashamed to say that I am counting the days until we go on vacation. I can hardly wait!
Summer on the other hand is always associated with lovely necklaces I make on vacation like this one for example.

For this necklace I used part of this collar necklace as the foundation or the "bib" onto which I added some flowers. 

This also belongs to the category "Never see the day" - one of many crocheted pieces that do not get anywhere (the blog/shop/given as gifts) except the box they are put into.

But I guess it dawned for this one:)
I am having a cherry blossom necklace ready soon. 
Do come back to read all about it.

Beautiful quilts

I've been entertaining myself with the idea of making a quilt for years now, hoping that one beautiful day it will actually happen. I shudder at the thought that it might never happen because it would be very sad indeed.

Maybe it'll happen when I am old and wrinkled,eh?
 

 To keep the flame alive I visit several "quilt blogs" I really enjoy. Here are some of my favourites. Real masterpieces.

 

paintmewhite

  

sewmesomethinggood

 

andreasnotebook

 

 jentheodore

 

bijou lovely

 Bruce Seeds

Happy Woodland Mobile Toys Pattern

 

Remember the snails and mushrooms I made recently? Well they were for a mobile I am happy I finally finished. 

 

 

The pattern is well elaborated and detailed with lots of pictures (more than 100), schematics and wording to guide through the process of making each of these toys. 

In the shop. 

Our little escapade

 

Yesterday we came back from a little escapade. We were a party of four  - me and my sister with our husbands - and we visited sunny Greece for a little relaxation  and detachment from the everyday grinding and hectic world.

  

It was hot, it was quiet and it smelled wonderfully. There were orange trees heavily burdened with fruit  and  plants / bushes like the one below with the most heavenly smell to which I do not know the English name could be seen everywhere.

 

One of the moments worth cherishing - having a cup of coffee with your feet in the sea and collecting shells among sips.

 

  

We stayed in a charming hotel. 

 

Whenever I crossed this place I stopped to marvel at the beautiful shell lamp.

 

 There was another, quite unusual hotel whose owner probably suffers from the same door fixation as I do :)

 

The front garden of that same hotel had repurposed, old-fashioned sewing machine bodies turned into tables.

Honestly speaking, I don't like them - I think the idea is fabulous but the performance is mediocre if not poor.

 

 A beautiful, beautiful house that we are negotiating to rent for the summer.

Vintage Baby Dress and Cardigan

These are mine. I mean I wore these as a baby. As you can see they are in perfect - mint condition. My mother has kept them well, as do I for the past decade or more. These two are paired together but they are separate pieces - they do not match at all. The dress is completely knit and the cardigan is crocheted and their patterns are quite different. I guess the colors make them suitable so they were matched to be worn together. 

Both are made by my grandmother and every time I look at her work I am amazed at how impeccable it appears. Not a stitch is astray.

When Eva was a baby  she wore the cardigan but not the dress because I think it didn't fit. Eva was a chubby baby. 

After airing them for a while, they are nicely packed away again, to wait for my baby's baby one day. If she doesn't think them outdated. :)
However, it is a precious heirloom I love clinging to.