Our Summer Vacation in Corfu

 

 

Well, it's been a while since we returned from our family vacation in Corfu, and we still haven't sorted all the photos or videos. The following travelogue, which I promise will be short in wording, is a snippet of what impressed us the most and our recommendation of what you shouldn't miss if you visit Corfu.

 

We travelled by our car and if you want a complete experience of the island, we recommend you come by car, or if that is impossible or not doable, the vehicle renting business is extremely well developed in Corfu so you can rent a car, a scooter (bikes, motorbikes, etc.) at fair prices.

 

We were accommodated at a little town called Acharavi (it's  upper central on the map below), which proved to have the most amazing beaches on the island(along with the coast of Paleokastritsa). Ours was a couple of alleys away from the house.

 

The red arrow shows what part of the island we travelled / visited.

 

 

Corfu

 

Corfu, an island off Greece’s northwest coast in the Ionian Sea, is defined by rugged mountains and a resort-studded shoreline. Its cultural heritage reflects years spent under Venetian, French and British rule before it was united with Greece in 1864. Corfu Town, flanked by 2 imposing Venetian fortresses, features winding medieval lanes, a French-style arcade and the grand Palace of St. Michael and St. George.

 

The city magnificently shows its history of rule in its architecture and you'll be seduced by its warm Mediterranean charm.

 

 

Things to see: The Old & New Fortress, the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, the promenade - Liston, St.Spyridon Church, the Spianada, the shopping district which is a real gem and you can get lost there for hours on end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kassiopi

 

 

 

A small village and a famous resort in the northeast of the island. Worth visiting for its amazing turquoise beaches, small family run restaurants with amazing food, lots of unique artisan shops and adorable bars and cafes with bewitching views.

 

 

 

 

Sidari

 

Located in the north part of the island it is most famous for the coastal sandstone cliffs that have eroded over the aeons by wind and water into otherworldly shapes - more particularly by Canal d'Amour that has its own legend that says if swimming the length of the channel here, lovelorn women would gain the object of their affections.

 

The whole coast is strewn with amazing beaches, caves dented into the cliffs and as all across the island - wonderful restaurants, bars and cafes.

 

 

 

 

 

Paleokastritsa

It is a village with a famous bay that attracts tourists in swarms. The bay was said to be the place where Odysseus disembarked and met Nausicaa for the first time.

 

We rented a speed boat to explore the coast along Paleokastritsa which couldn't be otherwise accessed. It was a unique experience and we highly recommend it. Along the coast you can find the clearest, bluest, transparent water you have ever seen. The beaches are mostly sandy, with the tiniest sand that sifts through your hands like the finest powder.  We were mesmerized.

 

 

 

 

If you want to see more of these places, although not overflowing with photos, check out my instagram.

 

There will be two more posts related to Corfu, but I promise they wouldn't be boring!

Last year we visited Zakynthos, if you want to read some more.

Insta Feel: Summer Crochet

 

Happy Monday guys!

We've just returned from a friends' reunion weekend, which was awesome and unforgettable -  thank you! I somehow dared to hope I might furtively squeeze in a tiny, little bit of crochet work here and there, but as you can imagine, it was impossible and to tell you the truth I didn't have the slightest of desires to touch my crochet hook, let alone do some serious work in that direction. And it was worth it. Because nothing fills the soul better than great time spent with loved ones.

 

So now I am refreshed and ready to jump into a new week, but not before I had my cup of coffee and a jug of fresh internet ideas. As for the latter, here's what I picked for today's inspirational insta feel.

 

All relevant links can be found under #summercrochet.

 

 

 

Colorful Oya Necklace

 

 

 

 

Our latest bohemian collection will be enriched with some oya necklaces. Oya crochet has been on my mind for a while now, and finally it is being realized.

 

The frame of the necklace is made from ecru thread, while the little flowers are from DMC embroidery thread. I didn't use traditional oya (sewing needle) technique to make these - instead a regular crochet hook was used.

 

There are 10 necklaces ready which are planned for a photo shoot later this month. We have already settled for a location which we think is the perfect fit for these.

 

Sequined Clay Ring Holders

 

 

We had a nice start with Katrin's pottery on Monday, so we continue with an interesting clay project.

 

We made some mini sequined clay (not exclusively ring) holders.

To make these you need (white) modeling clay, sequins in various colors and shapes for diversity, Elmer's glue, tempera, varnish / transparent nail polish.

 

Work the clay and shape into a dish - as for the size - we aimed at a mini size. Each of these - except the orange one which is a tad bigger - fits my the palm of my hand. We also aimed at a bit of "rustic" look so they are not at all perfect in shape. 

 

 

1. Leave the clay to dry. Once dry, cover the surface with Elmer's glue and add the sequins.

 

2. With tempera paints, paint the back and make a line at the edge on the face / surface.

 

3. When the tempera dries polish them on both sides. We used transparent nail polish.

 

 

 

 

We made these as decoration for a new addition /display  we have in the dining room which, once (if I ever) I get to look the way I like, I might show it to you. Enjoy your day!

 





Katrin Moye - Childhood Memories Imprinted onto Clay

What magically drew me almost instantly to Katrin Moye's wondrous ceramics is her unique decorating techniques echoing memories of times past. She uses clay as her canvas onto which she portrays her recollections of her childhood memories growing up in England and Germany in the 1970s, embodying too the Scandinavian decorative style influenced by her Danish godmother.

Katrin's ceramics are hand made out of  white earthenware clay, with decorations hand applied with coloured slips and underglazes, using a variety of decorating techniques including paper cut resists, trailing, sponging and painting.

The subject matter includes folk art, textiles, book illustrations and handmade crafts along with herb jars, coffee pots and cushions which all take their place in the iconography of her patterns and drawings.

If you are obsessed with vintage patterns as much as I am, you'll enjoy this astonishing clay collection.

Follow Katrin on Facebook  and Instagram.
We will be dabbing into clay ourselves, so do drop back to see what we have prepared.

All My Crochet Bracelets & Cuffs

 

Bohemian Flower Bracelet

I thought it'd be fun to make a roundup of all the bracelets and cuffs patterns I made during the years to make the anniversary of my first bohemian bracelet which started it all.

On the 8th of August 2012, I made this lovely bohemian bracelet (below) that stirred such a great interest it led to the creation of all successive cuffs and bracelets to respond to demand for these eye-catching beauties.

The one that started it all!

 

My patterns are easy to follow because they are accompanied by tons of pictures and include lots of helpful tips.



 

 

Sweet Roses Bracelet

Vintage Rose Bracelet

Bohemian Bracelet #3

 

 

They are the perfect statement accessory, a wonderful, head turning addition to make any outfit extraordinary in appearance.

 

 

Boho Cuff

Mardi Gras Cuff

 







Vine Bracelet
Summer Delight Cuff

Turkish Delight Cuff

 

 

They also make amazing gifts to give to the dearest in your life.

 



Stacked Bracelets

Shabby Chic Bracelet

 

Moroccan Nights Cuff

African Violet Bracelet

 

 

Faux Tapestry Rose Bracelet

Roses in Bloom Cuff

Bohemian Bracelet #2

 

During the years I have made lots of bracelet tutorials not only crochet - for these check the pages below the header.

 

My free crocheted bracelet tutorials include these:

 

Summer Bracelets

BottleBrush Bracelets

 

 

Ladder Stitch Bracelets

 

 You can find my patterns on etsy, & ravelry.

 

Have a lovely weekend!

  

Eva's Crochet Shells Bikini

 

 



This is a bikini I crocheted for my daughter. We call it a shell bikini, because the top looks like shells, doesn't it?

Last year I started crocheting a bikini in terracotta and sherbet and half way through I realized I won't have yarn to finish it. It throw me out of my tracks, because I neither had those colors in my stash nor could I find them at my supplier. You can imagine how pissed I was. I was mad as hell because that was not the first time for me to start a project without calculating the amount of yarn I'd need.

 

So this year, I learnt my lesson (the hard way) and choose these two colors, because I have like a ton of them (ha!). Years ago I wanted to make a baby blanket with these two purples, but changed my mind and that is why I have a large supply of this yarn.

 

For the bikini I didn't use any pattern. For the bottoms I used Eva's panties and improvised with the top. It looks good on it except she's so skinny, she'll need a while to fill the chest a bit.

And with this, I am officially done with bikinis. At least until next summer :)