Summer trend: Straw bags

 

 

 

 

Straw bags! You've got to love them because their comeback is spectacular! They once modestly reigned the dusty corners of thrift shops, lying in piles forgotten by all, but managed to regain their rule and popularity out in the streets and now you can find them literally everywhere and in every imaginable shape. And they cannot be more beautiful.

 

Whether you are readying yourself  to do some shopping or arranging quick drinks with friends, the straw bag is your true companion because according to leading fashion editors they are going to be all the craze this summer.  

 

Small enough to contain the necessary things for a night out like a clutch or  one of those widely loved round bags, or big enough in the shape of a tote for a day at the beach. The choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post was originally posted on our TLT Blog and we borrowed it from here. Do visit our other blog and we would appreciate if you share your love across the social media. Thank you!

Insta Feel - Colourful Crochet

Via

Hello dear people!
It's sunny and bright in my part of the world. I hope you are also having a wonderful Monday and to make it even beautiful and inspirational I am inviting you to grab a cup of {your drink of choice} coffee and explore some colorful crocheted goodness with me. 
I am going to enrich this post with some beautiful, joyful and of course, colorful images to spruce it up. I am always on the lookout for appealing visual images with high aesthetics and instagram as such is a never-ending source. So plunge in and enjoy it!

Via

Via

       Via

Crochet Flower Rings

 

 

 

Being a crochet flower obsessed person, I never waste a good crocheted flower if I can find a way to incorporate it into my jewelry. So whenever the amount of flowers starts pouring out of the box it is time to put them to a good use.

 

Some of these are old but "upgraded" - with a layer of crochet petals or a whimsy touch of embroidery to match their fabric-buttoned hearts.

 

They are chunky, quirky and never fail to draw attention, or so I am told. I have a pattern for crocheted rings if you are into making some whimsical ones yourself.

 

 

Easy DIY Beaded Earrings

 

 

 

Hello beautiful people!

 

I hope you are in a mood for some easy crafting today, because I have the perfect, the easiest and the cutest project ready for you today.

 

Lately, I have been making tons of earrings, literally and this time I kept to the basics, so for this project you won't need any fancy and expensive materials. The key players in the project are jump rings and head pins.

 

 

Let's get busy.

 

For the Dangling chain earrings, you need:

 

1. Jump rings - {10 per earring}. Mine are 7mm/ 0.3" in diameter. 

2. Big colorful seed beads. 

3. Earring hooks.  

 

 

 

Add a bead on every second ring and make it as long as you'd like it to be. The ones in the picture are 6 cm/ 2.4" long. For a more appealing look you can add 2-3 such beaded chains in different lengths. Just saying.

 

Small Hoop Earrings

 

For these, you need big jump rings / connectors (1.5cm / 0.6") and beads in various shapes and sizes.

 

 

 

 

Just bead the design you come up with, add the hook and there you go. All done in a  couple of seconds.

 

 

 

 Dangling Headpin Earrings

 

 

 

You need:

 



1. Beads in various sizes, shapes and colors
2. Earring hooks, jump rings
3. Eye / head pins

1. Beads several beads onto a pin after working on the design and make an eye when finished. Make a couple more, adding a different design to make the earring more appealing.
2. Put all on a jump ring and attach the jump ring to the hook. And there they are in a jiffy!
 

3. If you want to add more pins, attach each onto a separate jump ring and all of them onto a bigger ring and then on the hook.

 

 

 

 

Hope you like these and make some to spice up your summer!

 

Insta feel: Lunarheavenly

 

Not the first time to be featured here on the blog. Still. I cannot resist feasting my eyes with her gorgeous crochet whenever she posts on instagram. Lunarheavenly

- a word that represents and carries wondrous miniature crochet jewelry. A word that describes an artistic feeling and the source that fuels up these astonishing creations. One of a kind. Stunning in every sense of the word.

 

 

What I Have Pinned Lately

Hi guys!
I know you are going to be surprised seeing me on a Sunday, but I have had this idea for quite a while now and wanted to give it a try. Usually I post throughout the week and reserve the weekend to freshen up, fill up batteries and give people a break from me and my musings.
However, I decided to make an appearance here on Sunday and have these What I have pinned lately posts once or twice a month and share inspiration I pinned/ loved both on pinterest and bloglovin'.

 

I don't know about you, but I have become quite attached to bloglovin lately and started to grow my tribe there too.

These collages show what I have set my heart onto - some bohemian crochet or as I've come to learn recently -they call it festival crochet. Then there is a washi tape tablecloth, styling a coffee table, and crocheting a geo pillow and a patriotic bag.

You can find all relevant links for these images on pinterest {upper collage} and bloglovin{bottom collage}.

Please share your accounts in the comments. I would love to follow you there - if I don't already.

Ladder Stitch Bracelets - free pattern

What a beautiful day we had today! Long walks out in the sun and coffee with a lake view - something I needed to let my mind roam freely.

Hands have been busy too - I made these easy bracelets which are going to be a part of a bigger piece. I named them ladder bracelets - it is obvious why, so if you are into friendship bracelets and want to try something different, this is a project for you. They work up fast and are really cute.

Pattern:

Use a 3 mm hook and DK yarn

Foundation: Ch "x" number of stitches - even number of stitches. Measure the chain around your wrist until both ends meet.

Row 1: hdc in 3rd st from hook (initial chain), next ch2 sk2 hdc in next st.

When you come to the end, chain the closure - for this you have to have a bead or a button ready so first try how many chains you'll need for it and chain the necessary amount.

Row 2: ch 2 and hdc1 in first space, next, hdc2 in each chain space, hdc1 in the chain stitch. Repeat this pattern across. When you come to the last chain space, hdc 2,ch1, hdc2 (that would be the other end where you will sew on a button) and from there, don't turn your work but continue working the other side with the same pattern: hdc2 in each chain space, hdc1 in the chain stitch.

When you come to the other end - where the closure loop is -  sc 5 in the loop/ chain and then sl st to end. Tie knots, weave ends. Fill the chain spaces with beads or leave as is.

Enjoy this and have a happy weekend!





5 Summer Crochet Crop Tops

Mandarina

Crochet top

Having a teenager at home who loves fashion, I simply must be in...knowing what's trendy and what's not and one thing I hold tight in my hand is crochet fashion.

So the trend of summer cropped tops that started a couple of years ago is not dying down. No sir. It's still as hot as yesterday. What I don't like is paying ridiculously expensive sums so that my daughter has one of those lovelies, when I can make them myself.

If you remember, last year I made her this one. But she hinted she'd like another one and off I went to search for some free goodies and I selected 5 I loved. All are basic and pretty plain in appearance except for the beige / greyish off the shoulder.

Enjoy them!

Crop Top

Off the Shoulder Top

Piper Singlet

All of these are made using basic crochet stitches. If you are just starting your crochet journey, here's a valuable source that will help you master beginning crochet stitches.

My designs at Love Crochet

 

 

Dear people!

I recently joined a site called Love Craft that is dedicated to creating a place where makers' projects are celebrated, advice is shared and supplies are offered and bought for your selected craft.

I have just a handful of patterns on the site and hopefully I'll add more in the upcoming weeks.
 

Insta love: Crochet Girl Gang

Happy Monday guys! A couple of days between us and June eh? So exciting!

I feel so relieved when June comes and start to unwind gradually, mostly because school's out on the 10th and there is no grading, no homework, no projects, nothing. Except administration work. We get swamped with all sorts of reports and what not - you wouldn't believe the amount of boring stuff we have to do up to the middle of July, but all is done merrily because we do not get to be controlled by the hellish bell. Gosh! I just can't stop blabbing. Sorry about that.

 

Today I wanted to talk about an account I am happy to contribute to that is run by Emma Potter and it is called
Crochet Girl Gang.

Emma started the #crochetgirlgang hashtag on International Women's Day 2016 with a single-minded determination for creating a space for women to share their crochet makes in a happy, vibrant environment.

She says: "One year later and the hashtag now has over 100,000 amazing crochet pictures to its credit and almost 50,000 girls in the gang. It is an incredible community and I'm not just saying that because I created it, it really is.

The support from the gang when pictures are reposted is overwhelmingly lovely; girls saying congratulations to other girls, asking for patterns, sending love. Also if I get something wrong (it happens), it's so lovely to see that girls other than the image owner will pull me up on it, so cool to see that kind of community spirit. The #crochetgirlgang makes me happy every. single. day."

Join the happy community today and share some inspiration of your own.

 

Bohemian Cuff Pattern: Mardi Gras

 

 

 

You are looking at my new bohemian cuffs and pattern I called Mardi Gras, which I am sure you can tell by the look of them.

The cuffs are going to be a part of my new summer collection that celebrates the esprit bohème, which is actually a continuation of my Frida inspired collection and traditionally, we cannot miss a summer without contributing to the celebration of the bohemian trend.

 

The pattern is very easy and a cuff can be made in about half an hour sans the beading that is. The beading is up to the maker / wearer although the pattern contains the exact number of beads I have used for it.

 

The pattern will be added to my shop and shop.

The cuffs will be available for purchase once the whole collection is ready.