We are in Istanbul!

 I may say that this trip was planned for months now and it is a dream come true for both of us. It coincided with our 14th anniversary and that really made it special, although at first we planned this to be a purely business trip. Isn't it exciting when you combine both? 

Today, being our first day, we decided  to go to the hub of all business, right into the throbbing  heart of Istanbul - The Kapalı Çarşi.To be honest we mostly dwelt on the streets around it, however one's experience will not be full if you don't visit this place. 

Our hotel was about 20 minutes' walk away from it, so we took a stroll in order to better get the rhythm of the city. On our way to the Bazaar, we couldn't help ourselves but stop every few steps to marvel at the mesmerizing shops. 

 

The entrance of the bazaar. Or the entrance into a fairy tale would be more appropriate because here you can find all sorts of enchanting things.

The girl in me fell in love with these tin boxes.Inside they treasure wonderfully smelling soaps. 

Another thing I cannot resist is the pottery - there were a ton of wonderful, colorful plates and pots and of all sorts and of course - tiles which  are little masterpieces of their own.

The hotel internet was very good, but uploading the pictures took  loads of time, so when I get back home I will upload many more on my flickr account. To be continued tomorrow:)

Japanese Flower Brooch

This is some of my older creations. A sweet flower brooch. I had it made out of that stack of crocheted bits and pieces I mention once in a while, and believe me that stack doesn't get smaller. On the contrary- it gets bigger and bigger. I used the same pattern as for this flower here, only I didn't add so many petals to this and I think it is just right.

I posted another of my mixed media brooches here.

A visit to Belgrade, Serbia

Hi there everyone!

Here I have some colorful collages I just made from our trip to Belgrade which was a combination of business and pleasure. On the craft show I met a lot of amazingly talented people with which I hope to collaborate one day.

 

There were several craft shows going on at the time and we managed to visit  a couple of them and make some useful contacts - however not all of the designers gave us permission to shoot pictures.  The loss is theirs if I may say :)

The steampunk jewelry that stole my heart is made by my namesake Maya with whom I felt as if I had known her for ages. So today I am highlighting her gorgeous collection. You can follow her work here

 

The girls behind Nit Nakit have some of the most wonderful pieces I have seen and they have a unique way of presenting them to the public. Check their site here.

 

 

There will be more to come soon. 

Grey textured scarf

Today was such a lovely and pretty hot day. A little bit awkward to shoot winter cowls and scarfs, if I may say, but we had to grab to opportunity at hand and I am glad we did. The park was not packed full as we anticipated and it was great walking around and enjoying the sun. And taking pictures :)

I am happy to report that the several cowls / scarves I made using the chunky yarn called "Mima" were as easy as a breeze. I especially like the pattern which gives them a fabulous texture. As a matter of fact, the pattern is the same I used for my warmers here.

 

Today the whole park was swarming with ducks. Which is good - environmentally speaking. 

 I tried to sneak behind a family of them to take some better, up-close photos, but alas, they were not in a mood and got away.

 

 

Crocheted flower and bead necklace - magenta

Hello guys!

We just got home from a long and tiring but inspirational window shopping, which is not completely true because I bought some wonderfully cute ribbons and wooden flowers and hearts I am soon to brag about. I thought that I might throw in another of my favourite projects. You know that I love combining wooden beads with my crocheted flowers. For this I used several flowers in pink and magenta to make one rich piece and some magenta beads.

It can be found here.

Mixed Media Rings 2

This is the second set of rings. 
For these I found my other covered buttons. I remember buying these upholstering fabric pieces on kilo and I was excited to get the bargain.

They are cute, don't you agree?

Japanese Inspired Bolero

 

I had plans to make this bolero for quite a while, and recently I made it. From the moment I bought the knit fabric I knew what I wanted with it. This was the first time for me to buy a ... hmmm... I don't even know what this kind of batch is called, but the fabric was sold (factory-made) in the form of a tube. So the tube gave me the idea of making it a bolero. I was planning to make a short how-to but was in a hurry. You see, I took this cutie with me on my trip so there was no time to meddle with pictures. But as it turned out to be a favourite for the slightly colder September nights I am determined to sew another one.

As the title suggests, it is inspired by the Japanese fashion and the Mori Girl Styling. It has all the necessary essentials that can instantly capture one's heart: an adorable mustard knit fabric ( I am insanely mad about mustard - it's a kind of fixation for me) and an intricate, wide lace.That's enough for me :)

I wear it over t-shirt /sweatshirts (some in mustard too) and jeans and for me it is a winning combination. Oh, and I mustn't forget the adorable crocheted necklace (see down below) which comes as the perfect detail for this outfit.

Fall Necklace

I believe I wouldn't be wrong to say that almost every crocheter has a stash of little projects set aside for a part into a bigger scheme.

So it happens that I have about three boxes of colorful flowers, beads and trims just sitting and waiting for their chance to beautify the world. One day I decided to finally make something out of them and created a ton of new stuff. This fall necklace is one of the chosen ones. 

For this I used my anemones in beautiful colors that bring wonderful images of fall.

I do hope this year we have a rich and colorful fall!

Mixed media rings

Hello everyone!
We've returned from our prolonged weekend trip to Belgrade but as it usually happens, the everyday grind mill took over and we got vacuumed into mundane routines. That means, I haven't been able to sort out my photographic documentation so it will take a while until I do that. However, I managed to make some photos of my new rings I am anxious to present. 

You wouldn't believe if I told you that the fabric buttons were made about 3 years ago, but it is now that I incorporated them with my crochet flowers to make these unique rings.  There are more to come. 

I also have to mention that on the craft show I met some really talented people, I mean jaw-dropping amazing, and I plan to highlight some of the finds here. So, until then, I wish you a happy day!

Boy pins

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a nice and relaxing weekend.
School having started we are slowly getting back into routines. And for the start of school we made some cute boy pins to decorate tees. 

This is an easy project - just perfect to involve your kids with.
To make these you need tiny toys and some pins.
We chose (preferably) flat-backed toys so so that it would be easy to glue the pin on. Glued the pins and our new favourite pins were born.

I like the guitar pin so much I know I am going to borrow it from Jacob very soon :)