Thursday 30 March 2017

Bag Maths


Sometimes bag / knitting patterns are no different than crazy maths. This pattern was very confusing as it is 3 dimensional and has lots of color combo's but flat and black and white it was har to follow.


I colored the squares, cut out the pattern and glued it in the shape it was going to be knitted in.


This way Mum could easily follow the pattern without the need to figure out the colors or next row.



The result was pretty cool once finished.



And even cooler once felted! Dried around a little bucket to dry in shape.


I sewed a lining in place and added straps.


And voila a super cool geometric bag!


As it is felted it is firm and water resistant. I love the pattern and the color combo, cheerful and unusual.


The bag is available at StarBags.

Monday 27 March 2017

Newly Listed: Sea Urchin Spine Jewelry


Sea Urchin Spine Earrings and Necklace, Natural Beach Jewelry by StaroftheEast
The light on the beach, Original photo, Zen spirit, people that like walking on the beach by ARTEeMATERIA
Morris Island Lighthouse, Charleston Photography, Nautical Beach Folly, Fine Art Lustre Print by FlashForward
Tropical Decor, Hawaii Art Print, Beach Decor, Landscape Photography, Palm Trees Photo by EyePoetryPhotography

Thursday 23 March 2017

Birds Bring Spring


A fun little experiment gave some lovely results. Yesterday I burned some copper scrap wire to remove a plastic protection layer and give it a rustic vibe. They have these funny wiggly shapes as they were tests from our course from 2 years ago where we had to exercise making sharp hooks :)
After that the entire mass got cleaned in the tumbler.


After a few hours of figuring out these adorable earrings were the result.


The flowers and leaves are very fine mother of pearl. The eggs are pearls and finally vintage plastic birdies.These pretties are available at StaroftheEast.


They are one of a kind and I can't get over how cute they are :)


Funny enough I had this book right near me when I made it but I did not realize how much they matched before mum pointed it out. I did not look at it so it is just a fun coincident.
As a Potter fan I had to have it of course :)

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Newly Listed: Kaleidoscope Hobo Bag


Kaleidoscope Hobo Bag Crocheted Flowers, Colorful Boho Purse by StarBags
dark botanical_no_52 by kariherer
Flower Photography, spring wall art floral branches botanical print Photograph, Nature's Palette by CarolynCochrane
Flower photography, Pansy flower print, nature, fine art print, whimsical, wall decor by IngridBeddoes

Monday 20 March 2017

Newly Listed: Sequins Lamp


Sequins Lamp, Accent Lamp, Table Light, Romantic Floral Lamp made with Vintage Sequins by StarHomeStudio
Cloud Photography, nature sunset photography sky pastel pink orange purple art home decor by Briole
She made a wish in weeping rain by GordanaPhoto
Nature Photography, In the Clover, fine art print, macro clover leaf, home decor by MsBellePhotography

Thursday 16 March 2017

The Ultimate Transformation


We loved this chair the moment we found it. Not the dark brown paint or the old fashioned fabric but the shape was fabulous, especially the cute curly arms.


The paint work was horrible, dark brown with a very hard and shiny varnish on top, cleaning it off took several days as I could not continue too long without hurting my back or wrists, but eventually it got clean.


Already looking better once the brown mess was gone. The skeleton needed some fixing and strengthening but not much.


Now it was time to brighten it up with bright and happy colors.


Painting those red lines are the hardest, painting and varnishing took even longer than sanding and cleaning.


The last days I was working on it, it was very dark due to a storm so I worked with a lamp in my hand to not miss a spot :)



Once the painting and varnishing was finished it was time to add new foam filling and add the pretty embroideries. We had chosen the embroideries before I started to paint, that is why they match so nicely.


The 3 parts at the front were a challenge to do, and there is no do over when the fabrics are vintage embroideries, you can not rip it off and start over like you can when you work with fabric.


Finally the last step, covering the staples with trim, by carefully hot glueing it. Not a fun job but necessary :) The trim is vintage too, only the green fabric and foam and paint were new.


And the final result!


Our new favorite, so full of color!


Eventually the weeks of hard work did pay off.


The chair is pretty from all sides, a total of 6 vintage embroidery pieces were used.


What a huge difference from how it was, isn't it?!


The chair is available at StarHomeStudio, among other one of a kind furniture pieces.

Monday 13 March 2017

After a Winter Sleep


As soon as the weather gets warmer the mountains become greener, poppies and daisies appear and the turtles wake up from their Winter sleep and you see them everywhere.


Our house is at the end of a dead end street, no traffic and in front of our door is our garage which is open but only our car gets there so it is private and calm. We often get turtles in Summer there, I'm guessing that as it is at the end of the street they plan to go down the mountain in search for water but instead end up at our front door.
I always give them food and water. For the past week we had one right near our door, which is kind of unique as normally they eat and go, but she stayed for a week, most likely as it rained for 4 of those days so she was hiding in her little house.


Today a second one arrived, clearly younger as it is smaller but also the shield shinier and not roughed up yet :)


One plus one makes two :)


And a love story began... 3 makes a crowd so I left them in peace and gave them their privacy. A few hours later both were gone (without a goodbye *sniff*), I guess she was waiting for her prince charming :)

Thursday 9 March 2017

Newly Listed: Druzy Amethyst Earrings and Necklace


Druzy Amethyst Earrings and Necklace, Hand formed Copper and Bronze Statement jewelry by StaroftheEast
Purple Passion Basil by SeedsAndSwine
Purple Door Print, Paris Photography, Gray, Purple, Plum, Rustic, Architecture, Travel Photos by Raceytay
Lavender art print, rustic floral art, farmhouse decor, purple flower, botanical french country decor by dullbluelight

Thursday 2 March 2017

Woodworking


On Tuesday I went with a friend to Izmir, a city of about 6 million people and the place we usually go for our supplies and IKEA. It is about 3-4 hours to drive so back and forth take 6-8 hours, not something you do often.
We had a long shopping list for IKEA, and just today we discovered that we wrote the wrong numbers and that I bought the wrong cabinets so I will be going again in a few days.


But beside IKEA we also went to some woodworkers as we wanted some wooden feet for ottomans and  such. Among the many wood shops there was one that was quite special.


It was old school, entirely hand made woodworking with only hand tools.


The place was tiny but very organized and fascinating.



Compared to the work their prices are very reasonable so maybe one day soon we can commission something from them as it is so special.


It is these kind of old fashioned treasure shops that I love from cities in Turkey, you never know when you'll find one :)