Last minute gifts -Organza rose {a tutorial}

Ok. I have been making a lot of these beautiful organza roses lately, so I thought why not share the how- to here.

{Organza rose}

You need:
* organza
* green fabric leaves
* pins, needle, thread

Step 1

Cut a long piece of organza; mine was 1 meter / 39.4" long and about 15 cm / 5.9" wide.

Step 2

Fold in half - the face of the fabric should be inside.
Pin and sew {*}

Step 3

Turn the piece inside out.
Ruffle it! {*}

Step 4

Make the knot and roll.

Step 5

Secure it at the back.

Step 6

Sculpt the rose.

Step 7

Secure with a pin again so that it does not get loose. Thread a needle and sew through the layers. When done, take the pins out. sew some green fabric leaves onto the back. Attach a brooch pin, and that's it!

Enjoy your beautiful organza rose. It makes a great last minute gift and you can use these for numerous projects. The below picture shows a rose made in the same way, only with sturdier and shorter piece.

{*} Here you can find the instructions on how to sew a ruffle .
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Cork Necklace - Satellite Necklace 2

I have been slowly working on my cork project simply because I usually juggle 3-4 projects simultaneously. Anyway, today I managed to finish this one and put it in the shop.
The cork is embroidered with DMC cotton embroidery floss in gold and teal.

For anyone interested in making these, the tutorial is already scheduled with the Etsy blog in April and I'll let you know when it goes live.

Here's "Satellite Necklace 1" in case you were wondering about the title :)
And some more cork gorgeousness here and here

Pink House

Ever since I received the "Pink House" catalog, I have been restless.
I was quite oblivious of the brand until a friend sent it over knowing my style and preferences when it comes to dresses and skirts, and especially ruffles. Why restless? Because every single piece is gorgeous. I mean "eye-widening, heart thumping and mouth drooling gorgeous", if you know what I mean.

Fabulous! The ruffled denim jacket paired with the dress is quite eye-catching!

Look at the stunning lace on the shirt and cape!

As a person dangerously obsessed with ruffles, and a heavily tilted on the romantic side, this is my haven.
I selected the ones I like the most and really, honestly believe {and hope} to make at least one of these for the upcoming spring.

Vintage buttons

I love vintage buttons.
I am always drawn to big, intricately ornamented buttons, especially metal antique ones. But I do not restrict my taste only to metal; I love them made of wood, plastic and fabric.


Here's a glimpse of the most precious buttons for me mostly due to their emotional value.
Some belonged to my grandmothers (found in their stash);



some to my mother , some are from my clothes when I was little (the red, strawberry resembling ones above).

Most of them are pairless, but I will never throw them away. Even if I never use them in a project.

Aren't they a joyful lot?

{Mini crochet flower and leaf pattern}

Well, since today is the 1st of March, I thought it would be nice if we could celebrate it with beautiful things, so I have prepared a crochet mini flower and leaf photo - tutorial for you.

There is no schematic because I didn't have time to draw it, however I have taken pictures of the steps. The pattern is for beginners and quite easy to make.

Here it goes:

{Mini flower}

You need:
Scraps of yarn
Hook according to yarn size

{ Leaf Pattern}

Longing

Can you believe that the kids are already fed up with the winter. After having a spring like weekend, with the weather gradually getting warmer, with long walks in the park and a little ball playing, they were quite taken aback to see the snow on the streets this morning.

Well, the joy for the snow was certainly short-lived, maybe because the biting cold kept them locked inside these past weeks. Huddled on the sofa, we talked about all the things we are going to do in spring, and the places we are going to see. Since we love going for outings, the kids drew a scene we are to bring to life as soon as it gets warmer.


Did you get tired of the winter too?

Digital Crochet Pattern for sale - Tube Necklaces

 

Just a short announcement that there is an easy and intelligible photo tutorial for the crochet tubes for sale.
On etsy you can buy it here, here< or you can do so here.

The Advent of Spring

Once again, I have returned to one of my (nicely tucked away) passions - embroidery. I am sure that those who are with me longer remember the organic jewelry series I had here on my blog more than a year ago. Well, I had made a stash of embroidered corks, patiently waiting for a project and the time came for me to reveal them. As a matter of fact I have prepared a tutorial for it, but it will have to wait for a while.

This one is called "The Advent of Spring" and it reflects the departing heavy winter and the advent of the life infusing spring. Accordingly, the colors range from deep to light(er) gray and coral pink. It is pleasure for the eyes. Stay tuned.

In love with colors - purple delight

Phew! The week is finally over, and to tell you the truth I am not aware how quickly it ended.
Today I woke up thinking positive thoughts and generally being happy that the weekend is ahead of us, although we haven't any great plans for it.

For today I have prepared this lovely necklace, the same as this one, but this time in shades of purple and pink.
Have a fab Friday night!

The Ichthus necklace

I love when my creations show an inner meaning in themselves, having a vibrating and weaved feeling into the threads.

While creating this one I dwelt on the symbolism of the fish, a very powerful, meaningful symbol remarkably transcending through ages, leaving strong imprints and influence in various cultures, religions and traditions.

The Ichthus (fish) is a remarkable symbol. Some of the prime meanings it conveys is fertility, abundance, eternity, creativity, inspiration, femininity, unity, fidelity, good luck, happiness, freedom, knowledge, wisdom, faith, transformation, prophesy and flow of life. 

 The pendant is quite a unique detail crocheted in ecru which enriches its appearance even more.

Happy Birthday Valentine Girl!

Happy Valentine to you all!

We are at the verge of exploding, or more specifically my head is, since the birthday girl has been pumping it with "I want this, and I want that" and "This is what we are going to do, I want you to do this for me" for more than a week now. I am glad the day finally arrived. We are expecting a bunch of girls and a couple of boys {dear me!} at the party tonight.

However, Thank you Dear Lord for giving Her to me otherwise my life would have been void and desolate.

{Happy birthday, Valentine girl, I love you whims and tantrums and all!!}

Vintage inspired lace necklace/collar

Another piece of my Irish Lace Crochet Collection came due to see the world and this one is definitely my favourite.

It is inspired by vintage collars with that, that this one can be worn as a necklace {I imagine it with a long black, sateen dress for an ultimate dramatic effect}, or as a collar over plain dresses, blouses or shirts as the inevitable vintage detail. For authenticity I crocheted it in ecru, but it would also be perfect in white {for a wedding perhaps?}.

Flower crocheted headband

Being at home enabled me to get more things done, and thanks to the snow the insides of my home are literally filled with natural light. That means I can take a ton of pictures :)

This is one of my latest creations. A flower crocheted headband, again in the fandango purple I became so attached to. 

The images creating in this crafter's head  for the headband can be read here.

Bye!

Stuck inside

Snow.

It has been snowing for a week now. 

My snowflakes pattern on Ravelry

The sky has been shedding the most miniscule snowflakes one can imagine... they fall down as dust. So, as could be predicted, as of tomorrow school is cancelled for the rest of the week. Understandably, the kids are ecstatic for the snow day(s). This mother is worried. The temperature is expected to go as below as -20ºC, so most of the time they are going to be at home. So in order to prevent domestic uprising, I have been ransacking Pinterest to have activities at hand to engage the children with. 

More news from us soon :)

Crochet tutorial: Six -Petalled Flower

Hello!

As I announced yesterday, here's the pattern for the simple six-petalled flower.

Pattern:

Chain 6 and join with a slip stitch to make ring.

Round 1: Make 6 sc in the ring. (Work tail in as you make the ring) Don't join. 

Round 2: *Chain 3 and make a sc in the sc stitch from the previous round*. Work from * to * until you finish all 6 sc from the previous round. You will have 6 petals.

Round 3: {Filling the petals} *Make 3 sc in the loop (petal) and 1 sl st.*. Work from * to *all the petals. When you come to the last one, after making the slip stitch, make another slip stitch in the rod between the last and the first petal, cut the yarn, thread a needle, tie a knot and weave the end.

By using different hooks and sizes of yarn you will get different sizes of flowers. The projects you can use these are numerous and I hope you enjoy making them. 

If you have any questions ask in the comment section or shoot me an e-mail at mayakuzmanAThotmailDOTcom

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@ Lena: Since I know you follow me, I hope you are reading this - your mail provider keeps blocking my mail to you and I cannot send my reply. The answer is yes. You don't have to have an etsy account. Invoices can be sent through paypal. Thank you.

A new crochet flower necklace in the shop

Recently, I was sent a photo of crocheted flowers and asked if I could make them.

Well, now, I love a good challenge, and I accepted only to find myself disappointed because the pattern was quite simple. While I was working on the order, I decided to chain some of them and make a necklace and voila! 

I made these in different sizes and colors ranging from green to blue and I am working on other shades from the color palette. For those who are interested in this necklace, it can be bought here.

However, if you know how to crochet and do not like to part with your dear money, I have a special offer for you. Come tomorrow and you'll have the pattern for free. Otherwise it wouldn't be fun, would it?

Bye!