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Monday, April 30, 2018

Insta love: Carmen Zubillaga Martinez

 
 
 

Carmen Zubillaga Martinez is a crochet clothes and accessories designer. There is actually nothing more than this that can be found on the internet no matter however hard one tries.

Her designs are quirky and unique, bold, adventurous and eye-catching. She magnificently plays with textures, patterns and colors to make exceptional statement pieces.

It is with one of her bell shaped sleeves that I got to know her and I have been following her ever since. She never fails to surprise with each new creation.


See more of her on instagram and her blog.


 

 

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Craftbusiness Feature

 
Happy Sunday all!
 
I am very happy to announce my little talk on crochet, a word or two about how my hobby turned into a small family run business and why I do love keeping up my blog which was duly noted and transferred by Ms. Angela Sara West for the Craftbusiness magazine.
 
It is exciting being in the company of some of my favourite crochet designers and reading about their thoughts and experiences. I hope you enjoy the read too. You can  download the magazine by clicking here. My feature is on page 17.
 


Friday, April 27, 2018

Irish Rose Necklace

 

Finally the weekend is at the reach of the hand and I am so thankful for it. This has been a busy and hectic week and I cannot wait to wind down and relax.

But before I wave you goodbye, I want to show you a soft piece, necklace I made for a colleague of mine. I rarely take orders, but agreed to make this one because I was to make a necklace of Irish roses and anemone which I love to crochet very much. She asked me to design a piece with my favourite flowers and how could I refuse that?



Anemones, Irish and other roses and buds are the flowers I turn to most when working on flowery compositions for a simple reason. They give such lovely texture and dimension to the composition and make any necklace (or bracelet / brooch) vivid, wavy, rich and lush. Especially if studded with pearls and shiny beads. What's most important, she loved it and already wore it to work.

For a person not accepting orders, I am also making a brooch for another colleague's DIL to match one of my necklaces she bought for her as a gift. I hope to remember to make a photo of it before giving it away. With this, I bid you farewell until Sunday. I have a lovely announcement to share!

 

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

DIY Fashion Ribbon Medal

 
 
For my newest Victorian inspired collection I made several ribbon medals. I have these amazing jacquard ribbons that I was eager to include in my work and while researching for the collection I thought they would give it a nice polished edge and a bit of steampunk air.
 
Making these is incredibly easy, so if you are into something like this, here's how I made them.
 
What you need:
 
 
  • a decorative ribbon
  • a ribbon clamp
  • a "medal" (think of trinkets, metal {or other} pendants, beads, whatnots)
  • a jump ring and a brooch pin
 
If you use a jacquard ribbon, singe the edges so that they do not fray.
 
 
Insert clamp and press it.
 
 
Attach the "medal" and slide in the pin. Told you it was easy!
 
 
 
 
 
If interested in the ribbons, you can buy them here.
 
 

Monday, April 23, 2018

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?

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

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?




Monday, April 16, 2018

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


Friday, April 13, 2018

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.
 
 
Have fun!

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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.

Monday, April 9, 2018

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.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

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.
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Bring Spring Into the Home

 
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 :)
 
 
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.
 
 
 
 
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.
 



 

Monday, April 2, 2018

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.

Sunday, April 1, 2018