Cotton Candy Castle

Advent Calendar DIY-ideas

2011-11-01T20:00:00.017+01:00

I want to get the christmas show on the road early this year (funny, I remember saying that last year too..) so it is time for me to start thinking about advent calendar ideas. I LOVE advent, bring it on!

Here are the best ones I came across so far, this will probably update every now and then when I find another cool idea :)

1. Boxes-on-the-wall Calendar

found at: Full Circle
I love the idea of creating the advent calender with the whole family, where everyone contributes towards the art on the box. I would probably stick the boxes on a big paper that can be first decorated as well.

2. Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar

found at: the Purl bee
This is such a cute advent calendar idea. And it looks simple enough to craft too! The little square "bags" don't seem to be roomy enough for bigger surprises though.

3. Baby Sock Advent Calendar

found at: Martha Stewart
The color scheme she used for the socks here is really cute. I wonder if I can find christmas colored baby socks in town already, must go check!

4. Advent Pocket Calendar

Made with paper and fabric scraps, chipboard, stickers, and various knick-knacks/household junk.

Activities include:
Deck the halls!
Take photos for Christmas cards
Buy a new Christmas album and listen to it
Make the house smell like Christmas
Make Christmas Cards
Read a Christmas Story Book
Wrap Christmas Gifts
Make a new Christmas Decoration
Color a Christmas picture
Build a snowman or hang up paper snowflakes
Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes
Make a treat and take it to a friend
Watch a christmas movie and eat popcorn
Go out for a Christmas treat
Do something nice for someone
Drive around and look for Christmas lights
Go visit Santa Clause
Do service for someone in need
Have a campout in front of the Christmas tree
Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song
Take gifts to teachers and friends
Read a story or watch a movie about the birth of Baby Jesus
Make cookies and write letters for Santa Clause
Read "The Night Before Christmas"
Christmas!!!

found at: Kimberly Petersen
I love this idea for the fact that the presents are activities that can be done with the whole family.
And as it is a calendar bigger surprises like going to the cinema or the museum can be nicely timed to the weekend.

5. Mitten Calendar

found at: my house of giggles
Aww cute! And the mitten pattern can be drawn up in less then 5 minutes.

6. Fabric Cones Advent Calendar

found at: Pickles
This is cool, I love cones! They are not very christmassy though so I would make sure to pick christmas colors and decorate them with according motives.

7. Pouches Calendar

found at: Sygnetcreations @Flicker

8. Sacks-on-a-twig Calendar

found at: Bombini's Cafe
I love to bring nature elements into my home, twigs are just perfect! I have one hanging above my dining table and it gets decorated according to the season we a in or the next big holiday that is coming up.
So this advent calendar idea is perfect! It only gets topped by no.11 because there are even more twigs! 8D

9. Christmas Trees Calendar

found at: Bombini's Cafe

10. Recycled Denim Pockets Calendar

I love this one so much!
found at: Cousas Pequenas

11. Cones-on-twigs Calendar

This is a nice fusion between idea no. 6 and no.8 and my favorite for this year so far.

found at: Sweet Nellie@Flicker

12. Tins-and-velcro Advent Calendar

found at: Splitcoast stampers

13. Washing Pegs Advent Calendar

This seems to be an easy diy project.

14. Hanging Basket Advent Calendar

Very cute idea, and the basket can be used throughout the year...I see easter eggs hanging off it already.

found at CAR Moebel

Update

Today is the 1st of december and this is the winning advent calendar for me:

My old childhood advent calendar!

My mum made this calendar when my sisters and me when we were still kids and it always had a special place in my heart. I remember the things she used to hang on them and how I loved the magic of this calendar appearing in the hallway. I asked her if I could have it and she gave it to me! I'm so happy, now this calendar can be our family tradition every year, and I still get to hang on to this piece of my childhood for a while longer.

If you want to cross stitch an advent calendar for your family too then here are a few links to calendars I personally like:

By the Fire Advent Calendar

Adventskalender Wichtelhaus

Christmas Tree

Santa and Elf Advent Calendar

Net find of the week - Halloween Ghosts DIY

2011-10-26T09:46:00.003+02:00

These little ghosts are so cute yet slightly unnerving in their "realism" (not that I would know what real ghosts look like, they seem to make themselfs rather scarce).
I found the tutorial at 320* Sycamore and it HAS to become my Net find of the week, it's too good not to share :)

The author of the Blog, Melissa, simply took some cheesecloth, poured liquid starch in a bucket and drenched the cheesecloth in the starch.

She then let them dry over her "ghost forms"

which in her case were bed risers with a moss ball on top and a pain bucket under one of them for a larger ghost. The moss ball gave her ghosts little green hairs so she recommends covering the balls in foil or plastic beforehand :) For the eyes she used felt, paper will do too.
How cute are they!

Thanks Melissa from 320* Sycamore for this cool tutorial, her blog is packed with good ideas, do check it out!

Net find of the week - Pottery Barn inspired Pullover pillow

2011-10-18T23:28:00.001+02:00

Now that autumn is in full swing there are lots of knitted pullovers floating around
the local thriftstores.
I found this handy tutorial on how to turn a knitted pullover into a pillow over at
The Farmer Family .
Time to start hording those pullovers!

Make sure to check The Farmer Family for more craftiness.

Cute Amigurumi Family

2011-10-14T13:16:00.002+02:00

What better time to start a new hobby then a long and rainy summer. I always wanted to crochet those cute Amigurumis and this summer vacation, in all its raininess, was the perfect time to start doing so.

Here is my little Amigurumi family:

My daughter saw Wall-E for the first time this summer and was very touched by that movie (can't blame her, so am I every time I watch it :)

When her birthday came around I found that there is ridiculously little merchandise from Wall-E on the market so I made her a little EVE myself.

She really liked her :)

There will be a wave of these little dudes crashing over my blog in the future,

I LOVE making Amigurumis, they are just too cute!

Homegrown Crafts - Steampunk, Tribal Fusion and a dedication to Otep

2011-06-01T21:51:00.000+02:00

Here is some of my recent work.
I was so busy posting tutorials of all sorts that these pictures lay forgotten on my hard disk.

Art Saves

This medallion is dedicated to and inspired by one of my favorite artists Otep.

Captured Time

Wire wrapped clockwork ring.

Tribal Fusion

Polymer clay and vintage jewlery pieces.

Net find of the week - D.I.Y. Princess sleeve

2011-05-29T22:39:00.000+02:00

This is a superb tutorial on how to transfer normal boring sleeves into princess sleeves with a twist.
Yay for next weeks to-do-project!

Check out Andrew Hanson's website to see his amazing creations.

Hack your Life - Storing bed sheets

2011-05-26T14:08:00.000+02:00

Store your bed sheets in their own pillow cases -

sometimes the most simple ideas are the best!

Thank you Martha Stewart for this grand idea.

Net find of the week - Pillow Chair from Old T-Shirts

2011-05-25T10:04:00.001+02:00

Time to collect even more old T-shirts.
I will make one of these for Kims reading corner,
stay tuned for picture updates! :)

Visit Craftzine for more great project ideas!

Stay crafty,
love,
Steffi

Net find of the week - Fabric Headbands

2011-05-18T21:42:00.000+02:00

I found these very cute and easy to make headbands
over at Biscuits and Jam
and thought I would share them with you.
There is no such thing as too many headbands!

Click me! for the tutorial on how to make them.

Net find of the week - Paper-Bag Scrapbook Purse

2011-05-08T19:56:00.002+02:00

Too cute, and so versatile!
I can see this as a short trip journal or as a birthday gift
if I give away a voucher, tons of possibilities!

Go check out more neat crafting ideas at Craft Junkie Too.

Polymer Clay Cotton Candy Tutorial

2011-04-21T20:10:00.002+02:00

How to make
sweet cotton candy charms

out of polymer clay.

1. What you need: preferably two colours of polymer clay (I went for glitter white and raspberry from Fimo), a toothpick, something to cut your polymer clay with , an eye pin and, not shown in the picture because I forgot to put it there, a wire cutter (picture 7) and a plier to bend your eyepin with (picture 9).

2. If you go for a white/other colour combination like I did then cut off about double as much white clay then the other colour.

But really it is up to personal taste what colours the cotton candy is supposed to be.

Condition your clay until it is easy to use. I found that leaving it a bit harder works rather well for this project, it gives the cotton candy a bit more texture.

3+4. Wrap the white clay around the coloured clay so that it is completely encased.

5. In a twisting motion, mix the two colours a bit until you get a nice streaky effect that resembles cotton candy. Its best to only twist in one direction, that way you get the nice spiraly streaks.

6. Form a cotton candy out of the clay. I think it looks a bit like a chewing gum ^^

7+8. Take the eye pin and cut it to almost the length of the cotton candy.

9. Bend the lower end of the eye pin into an L-shape.

10.+11+12. Twist the eye pin into the cotton candy like shown, that way it will never fall out and you don't have to hassle with glue later. Bring the cotton candy into form again in case it gets squeezed a bit.

13. Stick the toothpick into the cotton candy.

14. Baking time. Bake the cotton candy with the wooden toothpick for 25-30 minutes at

110° Celcius/ 230° Fahrenheit.

15. Take the wire cutter and cut the toothpick to your desired length.

16. I found that the toothpick doesn't come out of the cotton candy even with trying my best to pull it out again, so I didn't use glue. In case your toothpick comes out easily I would suggest using a drop of glue to get it to stay in place (jewelry glue shouldn't react with polymer clay so that is recommended.

I didn't use varnish on my cotton candies because I like the textured look it has (the glitter in the clay gives more texture to it too!)

Feel free to use varnish though, maybe with some glitter,

there is no such thing as too much glitter! : )

Net find of the week - Anthropologie inspired Squeezebox Top

2011-04-15T21:01:00.000+02:00

This week I came across this amazing tutorial over at
Whatever Dee Dee Wants.

This shirt looks amazing AND is a T shirt reconstruction...
I'm in love!

Have a good weekend,
love,
Steffi

Net find of the week - The Ribbon Clutch

2011-04-06T11:25:00.001+02:00

I came across this awesome tutorial for a clutch purse at

The Sewing Republic

this week, it's so cute with the ribbons
and will go on my (far too long) must-do-list!

Net find of the week - Ruffle Dress for kids made out of old T-shirts

2011-03-30T13:26:00.003+02:00

This week I had my absolute squee!-moment when I
came across this ever so cute dress that
Cami at tidbits came up with.

Follow this link to see the tutorial!

I love everything about it, from the colours to the ruffles to the title "Business in the Front - Party in the Back"!
Am I glad that I'm such a squirrel who has stashed away several T-shirts already, I will totally give this a go! :)

Have a good week,
love,
Steffi

Net find of the week - Tron Bag with EL Wire

2011-03-23T21:50:00.001+01:00

My favorite craft project that I came across on the
internet this week is the

Tron Bag with EL Wire Tutorial
by ladyada and becky stern.

I love electronic clothes (and accessoires) in any form.
In my mind I already see clothes which change colours through body heat, integrated IPods and GPS, clothes that let you change their pattern and colour at home via the PC...
the future is totally in electronic clothes! (or so I hope :)

So this gem of a tutorial is perfect
and a bag like this will be my long term project now.

Make sure to visit ladyada & becky stern for more amazing tutorials and great ideas for electronic gadgets!

How to make a skirt out of old jeans/reconstruction tutorial

2011-03-20T22:51:00.005+01:00

How to

make a

skirt out of

old jeans

tutorial

Finally its getting warmer outside again and my

skirt season has started!

As my favorite pair of black jeans were dying a slow death
(certain areas were getting rather see-through from all that riding around on my bike )
I decided to turn them into an A-line skirt and while doing so
make a tutorial about how to accomplish this.
Here goes, have fun.

You'll need

a pair of jeans (I guess every pair of pants will do, I'll stick to jeans here)

tailoring scissors

a seam ripper (I used really thin nail scissors)
sewing pins

thick yarn (although I used just normal yarn I had lying around it is recommended to use really sturdy yarn for denim)
a meassuring tape
an iron

a sewing machine.

1. Lay your pair of jeans flat out on a big surface.

2. Fold the legs upwards at about knee hight.

The upfolded parts of the legs should almost come up to where the zipper ends, you will need the length of that material to cover the "free triangle part" of the jeans

(see picture, I have no idea how to explain this better :p )

3. Cut off the legs at the folds.

4. With your seam ripper, open up the inner and

side seams of the jeans.

5. Here is a close up of how to rip the seams.

6. Turn the pants inside out.
( in this picture the side seams are not opened up yet,
its a bit confusing but the next picture lets you see how it should be with all seams opened up!)

7. Fold the pants so that the sides are on top of each other (pocket on top of pocket kind of).

8. Cut off the material that is not really in line with the rest.

In the back cut off to about half way up the back pockets,

in the front cut off a good way below where the zipper ends (ca. 5 cm).

(Don't cut off too much, refere to picture 10 for a better idea of where to stop cutting.)

9. Fold over the cut edges and iron them so you have neat seams.

10. You should have something like this now.

11. Take the cut off parts of the legs now.

Cut the legs open along the seams

(you can rip open the seams too but I found this not to be nescessary).

12. Half way done, two more seams to go!

13. Now all the seams of the cut off material are open,

you should have four panels like this now.

14. Take your pants, turn them the right way around and

lay them down, the back side facing you.

Take one of the fourn leg panels and

place it over the free triangle part.

15. Push the leg panel to the inside and secure with pins

(don't pin the back to the front by accident, I tend to do that ;)

Do this with all the open sides of the pants,

your skirt will start taking shape now 8D

The crotch area might be a bit tricky, if so then cut a bit higher

and overlap the material a bit to get an even, flat result.

16. Cut an even line around the skirt.

Some of the panels might be shorter then the free triangle part,

this can't be helped really. You just have to cut off enough so

that you have an even line all the way around

and no material is standing over anymore.

17. With your sewing machine and a sturdy yarn sew along all the seams.

18. Now you will determin the length of your skirt.

Note that this skirt will always be on the short side,

there just isn't enough material to work with here to make this a long skirt.

For the best result, take a measuring tape,

start measuring the front of the skirt,

measure the length that you want your skirt to be and

add 2 cm/ca.1 inch for the seam allowance

(which will make a neat edge around the skirt.

If you want your skirt to fray then ignore the seam allowance

and just leave it like it is now!).

Use your pins and mark the length+seam allowance all the way

around the skirt by folding the seams to the inside

at the required length.

Try on your skirt and check if the front and back are

about the same length.

I needed to add about 2 cm of length in the back,

the more curves the more material is needed in the back ;)

Adjust accordingly

(leave the skirt a bit longer in the back than in the front

if needed).

Now sew along the bottom seam.

You are done and should have a nice

A-line demin skirt now!

iPod Pod

2011-01-17T11:39:00.023+01:00

Recently I bought my first iPod (welcome to the new world Steffi!).
I'm a huuuge Audio book fan, I listen to them
whenever I don't have to listen to anything else
(mostly family members)
and my old mp3 player had the habbit of shuffeling the tracks,
which is really annoying when you are trying to listen to a storyline.
So a new solution had to be found, which I did, in form of my lovely iPod Touch.

The thing is great, really amazing!..with only one drawback.
It's superthin, slippery and far too expensive to be dropped on the floor.
I had to think of something to keep it safe, no matter if I'm on my bike (I live in Holland, we rarely get off the bikes here),
doing household chores, being out shopping or whatever else.
What I needed was a pod, an iPod Pod!

Finally I can carry my new toy around with me at all times
(checking my surrounding for an open internet connection
has become my new hobby)
without having to worry that it falls out of my pocket.

The next project will be a iPodPod for when I'm in bed,
so that I don't roll over it or drop if to the floor when I fall asleep.
Stay tuned!

Love,

Steffi

Lucies Necklace

2010-10-03T19:47:00.007+02:00

A necklace I made for my 'kinda-mother in law' Lucie.

Hack your Life - Cleaning with laundry detergent

2010-09-24T01:15:00.010+02:00

If you finished a bottle of liquid laundry detergent don't throw it away!
Instead fill it up with some water (depending on how much detergent is still left in there, there is always a little rest stuck to the bottle).
I use this newly won solution for cleaning all kinds of things, it especially works well on our steel kitchen counters! Never do I get them so clean and shiny with anything else, its amazing.
It seems that the enzymes in the detergent break down the dirt into smaller, more water-soluble pieces which can then be washed away more easy.
Plus, it smells sooo good! :)

Polymer Clay Cupcake Tutorial

2010-09-22T22:22:00.085+02:00

How to make cute cupcakes out of polymer clay,
ready to hang on your bracelet, necklace, keychain
or wherever you need a cupcake to go.

.
.
.

1. and 2. : This is what you will need to craft your cupcakes.
I use Fimo clay but any polymer clay will do.
The colours I used here are brown (Fimo colour:No.7, Caramel) mixed with a tiny bit of black (No.9, Black), white (No.0, White) mixed with some effect colour (No.52, Glitter White) and red (No.26, Cherry Red).
You'll need a cutter of some sort, an eye pin, a wire cutter in case you need to shorten your eye pin, some clear (Fimo) varnish and baby wipes.
I strongly recommend that you use varnish that is especially made for polymer clays as the clay can react with certain types of varnish. You will constantly need the baby wipes because it's really important to clean your hands every time you change the clay colour you work with, especially if you go from a dark to a lighter colour.
Otherwise you'll have the darker clay mixed in with the light clay,
no good at all!
Enough of it already, let's start crafting!

3.: Condition your clay. Work it with your hands until it's soft and workable.

4.: Roll your clay out into the form of a sausage, then cut off equal amounts of clay. These will be the base for your cupcake.

5.and 6.: Shape one of the cupcake bases first into a ball, then flatten the ball and roll it on one side with your finger so you get a cupcake base form (see picture 6.)
Clean your hands with your baby wipes thoroughly.

7.: Make a thin sausage with your white clay and a slightly thinner sausage with your red clay.

8., 9. and 10.: Wrap the red sausage around the white one (8.), twist the two colours slightly so you get a tighter design (9.), then roll the newly formed striped sausage gently with your hand so you get a smooth and even blend of the red with the white (10.).

11.: Make a small ball out of white clay and place it on your cupcake base.
This is your cupcake filling.

12.: Now wrap the striped snake around your cupcake filling in a way that
real cream would do (see picture 13.)

14.: At this point I noticed that my cupcake bases were way too long, they resembled flowerpots more then pastry, so I just cut the base a bit shorter.
Almost all mistakes can be fixed somehow :)

15.: With your eye pin (or cutter) make some vertical markings along the cupcake base. You have to hold the cupcake real gently, by now the clay will probably be pretty warm and soft and you run the risk that you'll squeeze the whole thing too much by accident.
If you want to make sure you get a good result you can place the clay in the fridge for a while, the clay will be a bit more forgiving then and not give way so easily.

16.: Cut the eye pin to a length that will allow it to go a good way into the cupcake, not all the way through though.

17.: Gently push the eye pin into the middle of your cupcake.

18.: Optional: If you want to place any decoration on your cupcake that is made from clay too (and that can go into the oven), now is the time.
You can make sprinkles (out of thin coloured clay sausages that you cut into sprinkle length), hearts, pearls, whatever you can think up, really!

19.: Time to bake your cupcake! A word of advice here: it's officially recommended to clean the oven thoroughly after baking polymer clay in it or even better, get a little toaster oven only used for your polymer clay. It is plastic that you are melting here after all , so best to open a window too while you bake your clay.
I bake my clay on a sheet of baking paper in our gas oven, on gas mark 1.
Make sure your temperature is not too high, especially if you bake white or
transparent clay, otherwise it will turn a bit pink.

20.: When the cupcake has cooled off you can glaze it over
with your varnish. If you like the matte look of it just keep it like it is.

21.: Optional: If you would like to add some glitter to the cupcake,
do it now while the varnish is still wet!
I personally adore glitter so glitter it is! :)

22. and 23.: Get some jewelry glue and drop a little drop of glue on the spot where the eye pin goes into the cupcake. Jewelry glue will dry clear and not react with the Fimo but it is nescessary to fix the eye pin in some way to the clay, otherwise your cupcake will fall off pretty quickly. If you're planning on working a bit more with polymer clay
I can recommend getting some translucent liquid Fimo, it willl come in handy
all the time and it can be used to fix the eye pin to the cupcake too.

You should be done now and have an awsome homemade
cupcake in front of you!
Let it dry and wear it with pride, you made it yourself!

Vintage Style Polymer Clay Pendant

2010-09-15T20:47:00.007+02:00

A reminder of times long gone...

I made this from polymer clay (Fimo in this case) and Fimo Bronze powder.

Rib cage/Spine T-shirt Reconstruction Tutorial

2010-09-13T19:17:00.003+02:00

I noticed that the link to the tutorial of my rib cage T-shirt (which I descided now is a spine T-shirt :p )
is no longer active so I made my own tutorial now.

Here goes, have fun!

1.You'll need a T-shirt (I HIGHLY recommend a 100% or at least almost 100% cotton T-shirt with as little Lycra as possible in it),

scissors (do yourself a favour and get some tailoring scissors if you are into crafting, they will make your crafting life so much more easy, I personally did this FAR too late), a ruler and a pencil for light material/(tailor)chalk for dark material.

2. We'll only work and cut on the backside of the T-shirt. To find the middle just fold it down the middle and iron along the fold, that way you'll have your middle marked.

3.OPTIONAL: I always like my T-shirts without the seams (the collar and the bottom seamline), so if you like just cut them off. Don't thrown away the leftover border, there are a million things you can do with it! (like wrap it around your arm, instant win! :)

4. For easier drawing on and to make sure you don't cut through the front of the T-shirt push a piece of cardboard between the layers.

5. With the ruler, first draw the horizontal lines over the ironed middle line. Mine here were 16 cm/6.3 inch in width and had 5 cm/2 inch between them.

Then draw lines between the center lines, not all the way to the center and the outside of the T-shirt though (see picture 6).

7. Time to make the first cut! For easier cutting you can lift the T-shirt up a bit. Cut along your lines.

8. You should have someting like this now.

9. Now for the tricky bit. We'll weave the straps under-and-over now, starting at the top.

Ignore the very top strap, the neckline so to say. Skip the next strap too and grap the third strap.

Push the strap under the second strap that you just skipped, then bring it up and weave it over. You're still holding on to your innitial strap. Now grap the fourth strap through the strap in your hand, hold on to the new strap,weave the fifth strap through the one in your hand and so forth, you should have something like picture 10 now.

I know, it sounds ridiculous, but you'll totally get the idea once you see it all in front of you, try around a bit and you'll get there!

10. see above describtion.

11. Braid all the way down the T-shirt.

12. When you have reached the end, either cut the last strap through and tie the ends to the side straps, or sew the last braided bit to the very last middle strap. I sew my ends together here.

You should be done now :)

The last picture shows the difference if you make more lines/straps, you get thinner 'rips'then.

Also, the grey T-shirt is 100% cotton, whereas the pink one is a viscose/polyester/lycra mix.

The normal 100% cotton T-shirts work SO much better for these kind of reconstructions, the straps curl themselfs up when you stretch them and look a lot better then if they have Lycra in them, then they will always spring back into place.

So try to work with a 100% cotton T-shirt.

The Key to the Asylum - inspired by Emilie Autumn

2010-09-07T13:08:00.005+02:00

Fellow plague rats!
I present to you your very own
Key to the Asylum!

It can be attached to your favorite chain around your neck,
next to the teaspoon, right?

So you always know where your safe place in life is ;)

If you're interested in purchasing this item please send me an Email :)

Quest in a bottle! Warcraft-style

2010-09-07T00:38:00.018+02:00

Feeling lost and without orientation at times?

Fear no more, for I give you the

Quest in a bottle!

If in dire need smash the glass and accept the given quest,
it will point you in the direction you'll have to go.

Levelrange 1-80.
No loot guaranteed.
If you're interested in purchasing this item please send me an Email :)

Polymer Clay Tutorials

2010-06-08T19:47:00.030+02:00

The following is an ever growing list of the best tutorials for Dollhouse Miniatures made of Polymer Clay that I come across on the net. They come in all kinds of languages so to follow them just go by what you see :)

Apples 1
Apples 2
Bacon & Eggs 1
Bacon & Eggs 2
Bananaslices
Basket 1
Basket 2
Black Forest Cake
Bowl 1
Bowl 2
Bread 1
Bread 2
Breadrolls
Cabbage (.pdf file)
Candles 1
Candles 2
Carrots
Chocolate Vanilla Cake
Christmas Cake
Clay Pots (.pdf file)
Cookies 1
Cookies 2
Door Hinges
Doughnuts
Egg Shells
Fish 1 (.pdf file)
Fish 2
French Bread
Gambas
Grapes (.pdf file)
Jelly Cake
Kiwi
Kiwi Cake
Leek 1
Leek 2
Lime
Mushrooms (.pdf file)
Mussels
Onion 1
Onion 2
Orange
Peach
Pears
Pie
Pizza1
Pizza2
Potatoes 1
Potatoes 2
Potatoes 3
Pumpkin
Plates
Rice Krispies
Soup
Sponge Cake
Spring Onion
Strawberry Cake
Tea Cup and Saucer
Tea Pot and Cups
Tomato
Truffles
Wafels
Wedding cake
Yule Log Cake

my "I heart this!" outfit of the day

2010-06-04T19:07:00.002+02:00

free spirit day van Cottoncandycastle met Wet Seal tops

Stripe Ruffle Tank - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal, $15
ROCK&REPUBLIC MRL0177 HACKER BLUE COTTON/SPANDEX -, 484 GBP
Balenciaga Open Toe Ankle Boots with Sculpted Heel, 795 GBP
Night Pearl leather clutch, $2,120
Bracelet, $735
Cecile Swarovski crystal silver-plated earrings, $300
Birds 21-pc. Wall Hanging Set : Target, $20

my new addiction

2010-04-10T20:25:00.012+02:00

May I proudly introduce you to my newest addiction:

The polymer clay aka FIMO!

Well, new, I used to play around with it when I was 13 already
(trust me, that's a long time ago)
but now I rediscovered it and I'm hooked!
Check out my new babies , I'm planning on doing some tutorials on how to do these :)
Cupcakes, Lollipops, Doughnuts, its all there, yumm :))
And the best, you can wear these cuties!
On your arm, around your neck, decorate your mobile phone
or your bag with them, oh the possibilities :)

Mamis birthday bag

2009-11-17T20:10:00.004+01:00

Mamis birthday bag

A little cosmetic bag I made for my mums birthday.

Its off to Gym we go..

2009-08-22T13:23:00.007+02:00

Its off to Gym we go..

Kim had her first Gym lesson in school
and she needed a sports bag.
Luckily I still had this charming
Pippi Langstrumpf T shirt in the cupboard
and it was PERFECT for turning it
into this sports bag :)

Sectumsempra! - Harry Potter craft

2009-08-22T13:17:00.008+02:00

Sectumsempra!

is a very messy spell.
Its perfect to print it on a scarf.
So here it is.

Yet another T shirt recon.

2009-08-19T11:24:00.002+02:00

Lucies Bag

T shirt Necklace

2009-08-19T11:16:00.001+02:00

T shirt Necklace

I had the collar left over from another project so I tried this one out,
I think its kinda funky :)

Hack your Life - Extraordinary uses for nail polish

2009-08-06T14:42:00.002+02:00

Extraordinary uses for nail polish:
In the Sewing Room

from Readers Digest.

Protect pearl buttons

Delicate pearl buttons will keep their brand-new sparkle with a protective coat of clear nail polish. It will keep costume pearl buttons from peeling as well.

Prevent loss of buttons

Keep that brand-new shirt in good shape by putting a drop of clear nail polish on the thread in the buttons. It prevents the thread from fraying, so taking this precaution in advance could save you some embarrassment later. Put a dab on just-repaired buttons as well.

Make needle threading easier

Do you fumble with your needle and thread, licking and re-licking the frayed thread end until it's too floppy to go through the eye? Try dragging the cut thread end through the application brush of nail polish once or twice, and then roll the thread end between your thumb and forefinger. It will dry in a second, and your thread end stays stiff enough to thread in a flash. Your sewing box is a great retirement home for a nail color you no longer use.

Keep ribbons from fraying

The gift is perfect, so make sure the wrapping is just as nice. Brush the cut ends of ribbon with a little clear nail polish to stop them from unraveling. This is also the perfect solution for your little girl's hair ribbons on special occasions; at least one part of her will stay together all day!

Stop a run in your hose

It's a helpless feeling, realizing that a small run in your stocking is about to turn into a big embarrassment. Happily you can stop runs permanently and prolong the life of fragile stockings with a dab of clear nail polish. Simply apply polish to each end of a run (no need to remove hose), and let it dry. This invisible fix stops runs, and lasts through many hand launderings.

Hack your Life - Extraordinary uses for nail polish Part 2

2009-08-06T14:38:00.003+02:00

Extraordinary uses for nail polish:
Around the house

from Readers Digest.

Make buttons glow in the dark

It happens all the time. The lights are dimmed, you grab the remote control to increase the TV volume, and darn, you hit the wrong button and change the channel instead. To put an end to video flubs, dab glow-in-the-dark nail polish onto frequently used remote buttons. You can also use phosphorescent polish to mark keys and keyholes and other hard-to-spot items.

Mark your thermostat setting

When you wake up with a chill and don't have your glasses, it's easy to return to your comfort zone if you've marked your dial-type thermostat. Simply set it to your preferred temperature and then make a thin mark with colored nail polish from the dial into the outside ring.

Mark temperature settings on shower knobs

Don't waste precious shower time fiddling with the water temperature. With the shower on, select your ideal settings, then turn off the flow to the shower and make a small mark with bright nail polish onto the stationary lip of both the hot and cold knob indicating the handle position that's best. Once it's set, no sweat!

Make cup measurements legible

Find your measuring cup markings faster, especially if you like to measure "on the fly" while cooking. Use a very visible color of nail polish to trace over the basic measurement levels. This also works great for those dimly lit, late-night bottle feedings, when you need to see how well Junior has tanked up. And you won't have to squint to find the correct dosage on little plastic medicine cups if you first mark them with a thin line of dark polish.

Mark levels inside a bucket

When you're mixing in a big bucket, you don't typically have the opportunity to lift the bucket to check the quantity. Besides, the bucket you use for mixing might not have the measurements clearly marked at all. Make sure you know you're using the right amounts by marking pint, quart, and gallon (or half, full, and other liter) levels with lines of nail polish. Use a color that stands out against the bucket's color.

Label your sports gear

You share a lot of interests with your golf partner, including the same brand of golf balls. Make it clear who got on the green first, by putting a dot of bright nail polish on your ball supply. This also works well with batting gloves and other items that don't have enough room to fit your name.

Label poison containers

If everyone in your home has easy access to your cupboard, prevent someone from grabbing dangerous items in haste. Use dark red or other easily visible nail polish to label the poisons. Draw an unmistakable X on the label as well as the lid or spout.

Seal an envelope

Do you have a mild distrust of those self-sealing envelopes? Brush a little nail polish along the underside of the flap, seal it, and it won't even open over a teakettle! Add some flair to a special card by brushing your initial (or any design) in nail polish over the sealed flap tip, as a modern type of sealing wax that doesn't need to be melted first.

Smudgeproof important drug labels

Preserve the important information on your prescription medicine and other important medicine labels with a coat of clear polish, and they won't be smudged as you grab them after getting your glass of water.

Waterproof address labels

When you're sending a parcel on a rainy day, a little clear polish brushed over the address information will make sure your package goes to the right place.

Prevent rust rings from metal containers

If your guests are going to peek into your medicine cabinet, you don't want them to see rust rings on your shelves. Brush nail lacquer around the bottom of shaving cream cans and other metal containers to avoid those unsightly stains.

Make a gleaming paperweight

To create paperweights that look like gemstones, or interesting rocks for the base of your potted cactus, try this: Find some palm-size, smooth clean rocks. Put about 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) water into a pie pan, and put 1 drop clear nail polish onto the water. The polish will spread out over the water surface. Holding a rock with your fingertips, slowly roll it in the water to coat it with the polish. Set the rock on newspaper to dry.

Prevent rusty toilet seat screws

If you're installing a new toilet seat, keep those screws from quickly rusting. Paint them with a coat or two of clear nail lacquer; it will also help prevent seat wobble by keeping the screws in place.

Paint shaker holes to restrict salt

If your favorite saltshaker dispenses a little too generously, paint a few of the holes shut with nail polish. It is a good idea for those watching their salt.

Tarnish-proof costume jewelry

Inexpensive costume jewelry can add sparkle and color to an everyday outfit, but not if it tarnishes and the tarnish rubs off the jewelry and onto your skin. To keep your fake jewelry and your skin sparkling clean, brush clear nail polish onto the back of each piece and allow it to dry before wearing.

Protect your belt buckle's shine

Cover new or just-shined belt buckles with a coat of clear polish. You'll prevent oxidation and guarantee a gleaming first impression.

Seal out scuffs on shoes

On leather shoes, it's the back and toes that really take the brunt of the wear and tear that leaves scratches on the surface. Next time you buy a new pair of shoes -- especially ones for a kid or an active adult -- give these areas the extra measure of protection they need. Paint a little clear nail polish on the outside of the back seam and over the toes. Rub the polish in a little to feather out the shine of the polish. After it dries, you'll be a step ahead of those perennial shoe problems "driver's heel" and "jump rope toe."

Keep laces from unraveling

Neaten the appearance of frayed shoelaces, and extend their life. Dip the ends in clear nail polish and twist the raveled ends together. Repair laces in the evening so that the polish will dry overnight.

Hack your Life - Extraordinary uses for nail polish Part 3

2009-08-06T14:32:00.004+02:00

Extraordinary uses for nail polish:
Making Repairs

from Readers Digest.

Mend a fingernail

You just split a nail, but don't have a nail repair kit handy? Grab an unused tea bag instead. Cut the bag open, dump the tea, cut a piece of the bag into the shape of your nail, and cover it with clear nail polish. Press it onto your nail, then apply colored nail polish. You'll be good to go until the break grows out.

Temporarily repair eyeglasses

So you sat on your glasses and one lens has a small crack, but you can't get to the optometrist right away? Seal the crack on both sides with a thin coat of clear nail polish. That will hold it together until you can see your way to the doctor's office.

Fill small nicks on floors and glass

Have the children been playing hockey on your hardwood floors? Fill those little nicks by dabbing them with some clear nail polish. It will dry shiny, so sand the spot gently with some 600-grit sandpaper. A thick coat of clear nail polish also helps to soften the sharp edge of a nicked mirror or glass pane.

Reset loose jewelry stones
If your jewelry has popped a stone or two, you don't have to put it in the "play dress-up" box yet. The stone can be reset using a little drop of clear nail polish as the "glue." It dries quickly, and the repair will be invisible.

Repair lacquered items

Did you chip a favorite lacquered vase or other lacquered item? Try mixing colors of nail polish to match the piece. Paint over the chipped area to make it less noticeable. Caution: You may lower the value of an antique by doing this, so you probably only want to try this with inexpensive items.

Plug a hole in your cooler

A small hole inside your cooler doesn't make it trash-worthy yet. Seal the hole with two coats of nail polish to hold in ice and other melted substances.

Fill washtub nicks

It's a mystery how they got there, but your washing machine tub has one or two nicks near the holes, and now you're concerned about snags in your clothes or even rust spots. Seal those nicks with some nail polish, feathering the edges so there is no lip.

Keep chipped car paint from rusting
If your car suffers small dings and chips, you can keep them from rusting or enlarging by dabbing clear nail polish onto the damaged areas.

Smooth wooden hangers
If you've noticed a few splinters or nicks in your wooden hangers, no need to toss them out. Brush some nail polish over the rough edges to smooth the surface again and keep your coat linings safe.

Tighten loose screws

You're not rough with your drawers and cabinets, but you find yourself tightening certain pull screws once too often. Keep them in place by brushing a little clear polish on the screw threads, insert the screws, and let dry before using again. This is also a great solution if you've been keeping a Phillips screwdriver in the kitchen for loose pot handles. You can also use clear nail polish to keep nuts on machine screws or bolts from coming loose, and if you need to take the nuts off, a twist with a wrench will break the seal.

Mend holes in window screens

You notice a small hole has been poked in your window or door screen. If the hole is no more than about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in diameter, you can block the bugs and keep the hole from getting bigger by dabbing on a bit of clear nail polish.

Fix torn window shades

Got a little tear in your window shade? Don't worry. You can usually seal it with a dab of clear nail polish.

Vintage fashion DIY

2009-07-31T09:28:00.004+02:00

Amazing fashion

A very nice link to diy vintage fashion.

Very nice link.

No more mess!

2009-07-12T10:02:00.001+02:00

No more mess

I declared war to the neverending mess in my handbag
by making this little clutch bag
that fits nicely into my other bags.
Now it is host to my lip balm, pens
and all the other stuff that accumulates in bags over time :)

A monster ate my tissues!

2009-07-12T09:58:00.001+02:00

Ahhhhhh!!
A monster ate my tissues !!

It seems to be rather friendly though, it can stay.
I will just have to feed it tissues regularly.
Hugely inspired by StupidCreatures.com

Feeling crafty? Check this out!

2009-07-10T12:38:00.006+02:00

Feeling crafty? Check this out!

ThreadBanger
Cut Out & Keep
DIY Fashion
t-shirt surgery
WhatTheCraft.com
Craftster
Instructables
DIY Network
One Hour Craft
CraftStylish
BurdaStyle
Craft Tutorials
Moda Bake Shop
Craft Bits
Blueprints
The Crafty Crow
One Pretty Thing
CraftyChica

Punk skirt

2009-06-30T20:23:00.001+02:00

Punk skirt

or at least I think its punky, hehe :)
It used to be really long grey corderoy skirt, almost down to the floor oO
So I cut it quit a bit and gave it a nice waveline and added some scraps I still had from other projects to it.
It still needs some pimping but that will happen whenever I come across something that fits nicely on the skirt, so more a work in progress :)

MP3player bag

2009-06-30T12:27:00.002+02:00

MP3player bag

I hate it when my MP3player gets slapped around in my bag so I made it a little bag all for itself.

The Capri-Sonne thing had just the right size! 8D

Kims Biene Maja bag

2009-06-24T16:19:00.002+02:00

Kims Biene Maja bag

Kim and mine first project together:)

Kim told me what she wanted on her bag

("those waves that are on presents!")

and I stitched it all up.
The bag used to be her Bine Maja pyjama that she grew out of.

cupcake pincushion ring

2009-06-22T20:21:00.001+02:00

I love it and am very pleased how it turned out! 8D
PLUS those needles won't fly about the place anymore,
how awesome is that :)

Braided rib cage shirt

2009-06-18T20:48:00.003+02:00

Braided rib cage shirt

Check out my tutorial on how to make this T-shirt here!

So I found another T shirt from my boyfriend
which I'm SURE he didn't need anymore
and turned it into my new sweatheart,
the braided rib cage shirt.

But actually I was wearing the T-shirt my boyfriend got
as a freebie from his work,
I thought the "Size does matter" print was kinda funny
so I pimped it a bit at the sleeves and the neckline.

A crafty day

2009-06-18T20:29:00.001+02:00

A crafty day

I just couldn't resist the urge to make a scarf and bracelet in cotton candy pink too.

more stripes!

2009-06-18T20:14:00.001+02:00

more stripes!

I do like my stripey arms so I wore them the next day again,
Oompa-Loompa style :)

My new necklace

2009-06-18T16:39:00.001+02:00

My new necklace

Sporting stripes and my new thrift store necklace,
what a great find that was :)

Bags!!

2009-06-18T15:34:00.001+02:00

Bags!!

My newest creation, I call her the Marie Antoinette bag 8D

Have a heart

2009-06-18T15:11:00.001+02:00

Have a heart
.
.
.

Here is the little heart I made the day before,
stuck to my newest thrift store find,
a nice black ruffel blouse which was way too small,
so I laced it up, not it fits, hah!