Zakynthos: a Pearl in the Ionian Sea

Its actual nickname is The Flower of the East given by the Venetians and it stands true to its name. The whole island is astonishingly picturesque. It is literally enveloped in flowers - most prominently by bougainvilleas and oleanders. They make the scenery incredibly beautiful and unique. A less known fact is that there are over 7.000 species of flowers. Can you imagine that?  

Zakynthos, also popularly called Zante, is the third largest island in the Ionian sea. It is endowed with fertile valleys and a temperate climate. Its landscape varies from white sandy or pebbled beaches in secluded coves with amazing turquoise and light bluish water to rugged cliffs and dark blue waters.

The city is charming and steals hearts at first sight. The Solomos Square is surrounded by buildings featuring traditional architecture and it is a common gathering place for people - especially at night where you can listen to bands playing, entertaining people.


Nearby is also Aghios Marcos Square which stretches out to am amazing street filled with all kinds of shops, cafes and restaurants. This was our favourite place to be.

Facing the sea front is the coastal road known as Strada Marina, which is one of the most frequented streets of the city, also strewn with cafes, bars and restaurants, and it goes from the Solomos Square up to the church of the patron-saint Aghios Dionysios.

The most popular beaches that attract tourists from all over the world are located around Zakythos. But I am having a special post about that soon. Stay tuned :)

Bohemian Summer: Bags

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fashion trends regarding bags this summer tilt to the bohemian style. How fortunate for our series :)

The designs follow the general bohemian style - burst of colors well mixed together based on Oriental designs and elements, intricate, bold embroidery accented with pom-poms, tassels, beads and coins.

Equally popular are the big - beach style bags as well as clutches and pouches. Choose your favourite!

All relevant links can be found on my Boho Board here.

 

Embroidered Apron Top

 

 

 

When I saw the gorgeous, jaw dropping apron dress from urban outfitters, I knew I had to make something like that for Eva. I had a linen skirt I didn't wear any more stacked away for a future project and it was the perfect choice for the job.

 

I cut the shape of the top out, added a cotton trim all around, added ties at the back and at the sides and finally I needle stitched the motif.

 

I used the picture of the abovementioned dress as guidance to stich the motif and it was really satisfying to watch the appearance  of it, stitch by stich.

 

We don't have a picture of the back - Eva's back has got sun marks from the bathing suit and we decided it's better we don't include any pictures for the post - so we are sorry about that!

 



An Interview with Tamara Lance from Musing Tree Studios

 

 

In line with our Bohemian Summer Series, browsing through etsy, I came upon fabulous bohemian jewelry that immediately caught my eye and when I learned that it is made of vintage tins I was already in love with it. I couldn't help myself and contacted Tamara to be a guest on my blog and tell us more about her designs, which to my great excitement, she readily accepted. So without further ado, here's Tamara!

Hello and welcome to the blog! Please introduce yourself for my readers. Who is Tamara Lance? 

 The basics are that I am a 36 year old lady in the birthplace of sweet tea, Summerville, SC. I have a wonderful husband, a teenage daughter, a five year old son, two crazy dogs and a couple of rats. We live in a very cliché suburban neighborhood on the edge of the national forest.

Beyond that I am a creative person. I grew up in a creative family and my art was always encouraged. So as an adult I find that everything I enjoy doing is a creative pursuit and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love cooking, writing poetry, photography, painting and of course, making jewelry.

I also really love nature, the outdoors, hiking and camping. We have a camper that we take out whenever we get a chance. We love to go for long meandering drives and one year were even lucky enough to go on a cross country road trip to Washington state twice. My wanderlust inspired a tattoo on my right arm that says, "Blame My Gypsy Soul." (Did I mention I also have two full sleeves of tattoos?)

Your shop on etsy is called “Musing Tree Studios”. What is the story behind the name?
When I started Musing Tree Studios we lived in the country about 45 minutes from where we live now. We were surrounded by trees on seven acres of land and I knew that my business name would have to have something to do with trees. As I said before, I love nature and I do try to incorporate a sense of that into my jewelry whenever possible.
 

I met you through your enchanting tin necklaces. How did you start working with vintage tins transforming them into extraordinary jewelry pieces with bohemian quality?

I used to run a vintage shop on Etsy and would go to estate sales a lot to get my stock. On one occasion I came across a random estate sale with a treasure trove of vintage tins. There were tons and they were all collectible English tins with amazing designs. I had to have them all. So I asked the guy how much and he said $30! For 50+ tins I now know how very lucky I was to come across this.

Anyway, I got the tins home and eventually I started thinking about what else I could do with them. I thought the patterns were so amazing that maybe I could make jewelry with them somehow. I had no idea what I was doing, but I went and got some tools and some beads and went to work. I listed my first pair on my vintage shop and they were so popular that I decided to start a new shop.

Musing Tree Studios was born.

 

 

And judging by the sales and wonderful reviews, it is a very successful shop. Where does inspiration come from?

I find a lot of inspiration in antique jewelry, jewelry around the world, and sometimes even home décor. But a lot of the time the tin itself inspires me and somehow designs just build around the colors and patterns in them.

Can you describe an ordinary day working on your jewelry and accessories?

 I usually start working on jewelry in the early afternoon after I have had a chance to catch up on regular business and household tasks. I try to make five pieces a day if possible. I listen to music or let Grey's Anatomy reruns play in the background. I spend most evenings listing and promoting. I will occasionally take a day or two off to refresh. 

What part of the process is the most enjoyable? Is there a particular place where you like to work? Or a particular material you’d like to try your hand at?

 I have a room for my jewelry making and it had a lot of things in it that inspire and appeal to me. It kind of helps to have a place to go to just let my creative juices flow. My favorite part of the whole thing is seeing a design come to life. I kind of enjoy seeing the photographs of my jewelry afterwards as well.

I am going to BeadFest in Tacoma, WA in October and I am taking a few workshops. So I am looking forward to learning soldering and how to work with resin.

Tell us more about your digital art and photography.

 My formal education is in graphic design and I have been creating illustrations for many years. I create a lot of surface patterns for stock illustration. I also LOVE photography. I am mostly into nature and macro photography, but more recently have been doing a lot of lifestyle photography. I can go out for hours on end taking photos. My photography website is at Tamara Lance Photography.

 

 What do you do in your free time?
I love to play with my son, cook, paint, do photography, write, go camping, go for random drives, watch TV shows (I have way too many I follow), and listen to music. 

 Your plans for the future? I take each day as it comes and hope that I get to continue to have an awesome life. It has been quite an adventure so far! :)

You can also find Tamara on Instagram and Facebook.

Her shop on etsy too if you missed it above.

Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse of your life and work with us Tamara! I wish you loads of success and many new tins reborn as jewelry that will steal hearts away!

 

We are in Zakynthos!

Guys - we are over the moon!

This is our third day here in Zakynthos (Greece) and we are beyond excited to be here in this heaven on Earth. We've been exploring it, documenting our adventures thoroughly and I will post more pictures soon! Happy weekend to all!

Ribbon and Pearls Necklace - a DIY

 

 

Hello  guys!

 

I just finished my new collection of textile jewelry and I am sharing one of the pieces for which while working I took some photos and created this short photo tutorial so you can enjoy making it too.

 

What you need:

 

1. Decorative braid (ribbon) and a velvet ribbon (this is optional - you can use whatever type of ribbon / braids/ cords you like). The length is optional too - mine are 23.6" or 60 cm each.

2. Organza strip - (optional too) about 7.9" or 20 cm. 

3. Pearls - I used two colors a total of 66 (23 of each color) for the strands, plus 3 more for the rose.

 

Let's start:

1. Gather your supplies

2. Place the ribbons side by side and pin the organza strip over them

3. Roll it and when satisfied with the roll, pin it to the other side.

4. String your pearls. Explained in 5.



5 - 7: Insert sewing needle at one side, make  a tight / strong knot (or sew a couple of stitches to make it strong), then string the pearls, roll the strings around the strip and sew on the other side. Repeat for the second string.
8. To hide the stitching tie an organza bow at the joints.

 

To add a bit of a charm, make an organza rose and sew it over the bow. And you are good to go.

 

I hope you like this. It is pretty easy and fast to make and it can be a charming last minute gift.

 

Bohemian Summer: Saving a Vintage Leather Pouch

 

 

This is a leather pouch my mom had as a young girl so it's about half a century old. I use it as a wall decor in my studio and this year I decided to give its life back. 

So I washed it up - yes you read right, using good old soap and water and a lot of gentle scrubbing. I reckoned there was nothing to lose and I was right.  

The glue at one of the sides had worn off so I glued it with a liquid silicone. As you can see it is a plain, ordinary pouch so I just added a string of colorful wooden beads, some pom-poms and it already looks much better.

When we get tired of this look, we will think up of some new embellishment.  

Sew Your Own Retro Swimsuit

 

Retro swimsuits happen to be all the craze nowadays, especially the ones with bra tops and high waisted bottoms.

Personally I find them attractive and cute and although my petite physique isn't made for wearing one, I love pinning and stacking them onto my board here.


If you don't mind getting a '50s glam beach look, I selected some fabulous {and free} retro swimsuit tutorials for you to sew.

 

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Summer Sea Necklace

 

 

This is my newest necklace. Remember my famous box filled with crocheted flowers and trims to the brim? Well, I am slowly and steadily sorting them out, separating them by colors and since in summer I suddenly  start getting affectionately and obsessively drawn to blues - which means the sea is calling me by the way -  I gave way to the urge, selected these greenish / blue trims and flowers to make this bib necklace.

 

I have new patterns coming along too so stay tuned!



Make Crochet Art

Hi guys!
Don't you think it would be lovely to start Monday with lovely flowers! My thoughts exactly!

The project I am showing you today is so easy you'd love it!
I first caught up on the idea of making crochet art when I first posted about my crochet flower kits.
For this project you need (lots of) different crocheted flowers and leaves. Click here for some free crochet flower patterns.  

Arrange your selection onto a canvas and when you like the looks of your art, glue the flowers or pin them.

 

Or you can fill some empty frames to beautify spots around the house.

 

 

And that's it!

Hope you get inspired to make some yourself!

 

6 Free Crochet Beach Bags Patterns

 

 

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Happy July everyone!

 

In two weeks' time we'll be away on our well deserved holiday! Can't wait!

When it comes to beach bags, I'll be carrying this one (again)! - I am simply not able to part with it - however that does not stop me of fantasizing about crochet bags I'd have at the beach.

 



 

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How about you? What is your favourite beach bag?