A place for my pens! [Recycling + crocheting]

Oh, yes, of course, I'm still alive!

:)

I had a lot do far for the blog and also my crafty life is a bit neglected right now, but all is ok. 

I'm fine, I'm happy, I'm still walking in my self-expressione journey!

I'm dedicating myself to some quick and easy projects these days.

A lot of crocheting involved in them!

Mum visited me in the first days of april and crocheted some Moleskine covers and pencil cases for my shop and I've completed them with fabric, zippers and/or buttons (if you are curious... peach Moleskine case with floral flap - red Moleskine cover with gingham flap - red pencil case).

But I was also feeling the urge to crochet something by myself (I looooove to crochet!!! So relaxing!) and I decided to make something useful for my bedside table, always covered by my things (do you remember it in 2012?).

This is what I did:

• saved from the trash can a little glass bottle (it was for black pepper and I like its shape) 
• removed the plastic dispenser from the top
• washed
• covered with three stripes of crocheted yarn in colors I like

Ta-daaa, finished!

:)

Now the pens I use to write with while I'm in bed have a nice place where to stay! Nothing so important, but pretty!
You know, I like covered bottles!

I also finished some sewing projects recently.
The only one I've photographed is the bag I've made for Vera's birthday!

Vera bought two of my bags in the past, the sand tulip bag (pattern by me, altered a bit) and the grey tote (designed by me on her needs).

She liked my work so much, that her boyfriend decided to order me another one, totally new, designed by me.

He was in love with two Ikea fabrics, so I mixed them to make something unique for my sweet friend. 

I know she appreciated; this is the most important part of my work :)

*     *     *

Bags are not quick and easy projects like covering a tiny bottle, but I enjoy a lot the process.

I have a long list (in my brain) of new bags to make soon, mostly using recycled fabrics. And of course I want to sew other bags like the one I've made for Vera, because I like the result and having a new pattern designed by yourself, you know, is amazing! :)

But I still need some quick and easy to fill those 15 minutes I have here and then in my busy days.

Probably I'm going to find new projects in my Pinterest boards "things to try" and "inspirations".

But first I'd like to hear from you: what do you make/do if you have no time for big projects, but feel the urge to create?

Simple happy things - July 2015

Last year I worked on a little project and documented every single day of July (I've called it "July in 31 photos").

Not the same, this year. 

July is very hot, I feel like I'm very down on batteries and I am not doing special things to capture with my camera (although I think that there's something special for us everyday and that happyness is hidden into simple things). 

But of course I took some snapshots here and there.

They make a sort of visual diary of this month. Simple things in my life.

Critters around the house...

A super secret project I can't wait to share with you...

Some hard and satisfying work at the sewing machine...

(completed this month: 5 bags + 2 wallets + 1 moleskine cover)

(bags 1 e 2 uploaded in my esty shop)

Summer yumminess...

Important birthdays and lovely birthday gifts by the kids...

Testing new tools (rivets!)...

How to display little embroidered works (the not professional way)

In my latest post I wrote about the fact I've decided to display my little embroidered fox and showed you the result.

While working on this project I've taken some snapshots of the process. What do you think about converting the whole bunch in a sort of tutorial?
Great idea, I know :P

I'm calling it "How to display little embroidery projects". It's not a professional way to display or frame pieces of embroidery. Only my way.
Hope it will inspire you to pull out the drawer some unfinished embroidery projects (I'm sure they are lovely) and display them in your home.
I think it can be a smart idea to give a new life to some old/vintage pieces of fabrics.

What I like of this process is that glues are not included. Only fabric, felt, needles, thread and recycled cardboard!

Let's go!

First thing to do: cut a recycled cardboard and round the corners (it will help to get a finer result). The cardboard has to be a bit smaller that the piece of embroidery you are working with, of course.

Second step: place the carboard on the back of the fabric and fold each corner in the way you can see in the photo-collage below.

Help the fabric and the corners to stay in their place with some hand-stitching. You can notice that I've connected the opposite sides of the folded fabric with some long stitches. This trick made on the back helps to have a tight effect on the front.

Step 3: cut a square of felt (synthetic in my project) and decorate it (optional; I've embroidered '2013', because I was sure I've completed my fox two years ago, but I was wrong).

Fix the square with some stitches made by hands. I suggest to use blanket stitch (love its delicate look), but you can use different methods if you prefer.

Step 4: it's time to hang up your work of art. Simply fix a little noos on the back and find a nail on the wall.

But if you (like me) are in the mood for arranging it on a shelf you can alter the shape of a paper clip and insert it between the felt cloth and the cardboard. It will do the work of a frame foot.

Interesting, uh?

:)

Love to have my fox in my studio's bookcase :)

Other methods to display or frame embroidery used by other people (but a bi tmore expensive than mine):

- into bought frames

- into wooden embroidery hoops

- on canvas

- on canvas again

- using an old window frame (!)

- with glue, cardboard and paper

Let me know if you like this tutorial and share with me your embroidery masterpieces leaving a comment!

My embroidered fox as a work of art

I wrote a long summer list of things to do at the beginning of June and I wrote the word "done!" beside a lot of my aims this week. 

Very proud of my self and my productivity!

The funniest thing in the list was to give a purpose to a little work of cross stitch I finished last year: it's a  fox face, important for me because foxes are a sort of totem for me.

I could make a soft key-chain, like I did with other little squares of embroidered fabric (here the tutorial, if you're interested), but I was in the mood for something different: my will was to transform that little piece of embroidery in a work of art, something I can display in my studio and see everyday.

I'm going to write something about the process soon (I've taken a lot of snapshots while working on this projects that I can write a tutorial), but today I'm showing you how cute my fox is.

I've arranged it on a square of recycled carboard and finished the back with a square of red faux felt. Then I added a cord to hang it on my studio's walls, but I decided soon to like best a different solution: I found the way to make it stand-up on one of my bookcase's shelves, near Carina and Lucia.

This isn't the only one fox who lives in this part of the home, because there is also Felix the fox paper doll near the door!

Love this tiny piece of art in my studio! :)

Easter in bloom

Hope you've enjoyed Easter like me!

I had sun, deep blue sky, warm wind, tasty food, family time (oh, the kids!!!) , some good news (a little cousin is on the road) and flowers everywhere!

I've started to take snaps of the flowers we have in our garden on saturday (the sky was cloudy, so perfect for good photography!) and haven't stopped yet.

This is a little selection of my favourite.

[purple tulips! what a surprise!]

[the elegance of calla lilies (we have 20 of them) + the rustic simplicity of wild hyacinths]

[yellow daffodils on our balcony... they smell so good!]

[the big red tulip]

Of course we are sorrounded by a lot of species of little wild flowers, too! 

I can enjoy their company while walking to work everyday.

I love this season for the flowers!

I can remember my dad picking up a big bunch of fresh flowers of our garden every saturday for mum in spring. A sweet memory.

Advent signs

At mum's home in the North for some holiday days.

The sky is so grey and gloomy here (100% usual for this part of Italy in december) that I feel a bit like I have dark clouds in my brain. But my heart is singing, like under a happy sun.

I'm spending special days with mum, AuntFran, brother, big cousins and friends!

Also enjoying the advent atmosphere.

I can't believe december is here. Again. 2014 is going to the end. Really???

I'm having fun capturing advent signs here and there with my camera.

Not those showy Christmas decorations that are everywhere right now, but all the little things that make my frugal Christmas.
Let me show them with you.

 

A couple of cute tiny angels for my Christmas tree I bought yesterday at "L'artigiano in fiera" (a big fair in Milan):

 

 

They come from Lithuania and I can't wait to show them to S.

 

Other angels I photographed visiting the fair. They are made of crocheted cotton and wooden spheres for the heads.

 

 

A recycled paper nativity I bought for mum in a craft fair  last november (look where S. and I have been in a sunny november sunday!).

It's now part of her collection.

 

 

Mum loved it at first sight. I'm happy her collection is growing with my contribute, too!

 

Some advent craft: I'm making new synthetic felt ornaments. Not only embroidered stars! These are for cat lovers (like me).

 

 

Pam's ornament for mum is in its place: mum decided to hang it to her kitchen's door, so she can see it everyday!

 

 

I'm updating my Pinterest boards almost everyday, filling them with ideas for a rustic Christmas or for all people who like snowflakes (like me!) as winter symbol. They are full of other advent inpirations, take a look!

My cats sleep on damask

My cats sleep on damask. Velvety damask. 
They are very lucky cats!

This is Carotina (Macchia's child) yesterday in the afternoon sleeping on the damask pillow I made for my cats. 

I've placed it between the glass door and the shutter of the kitchen while I was tidying up after a family lunch.

He had a very good sleep, I suppose. 

When he woke up this was his face:

So satisfied by his nap!!! :)

The pillow is a novelty for Macchia and Carotina.

We needed a pillow to insert into the "kennel for cats" we bought in a shop some days ago. 

Winter is coming and, although sicilian weather is mild even in winter, nights can be very chilly and windy and wet for our cats who live their wild life mostly outdoor. 

We bought a very practical plastic kennel to offer them a dry and warm refuge, but it hadn't a pillow (and all people know how much cats love to sleep on pillows!). So I made it by myself recycling some upholstery damask and other materials.

I'm happy when I can make things I need using my hands and skills, saving money and recycling materials I already have.

Here are some snapshots I took while making the pillow.

I sewed together three different pieces of old upholstery damask to make a rectangle. They are yellow, but one has a pattern of green leaves.

Then I stuffed the almost ready pillow with other recycled fabrics (you can see one of the sample I've used on the left of my sewing machine).

I can't use these fabrics for my bags and accessories, because they are too lightweight and soft. And transparent, too (they are for decorative curtains making, I suppose).

But they are perfect for stuffing a pillow :)

Then I closed the open side with pins and sewed.

This is the pillow in its place, into the bottom of the kennel:

I'm happy this project is ecological, 100% made of recycled materials.

And I'm happy my cats immediatly appreciated the pilow I made for them. They look very pleased to have a confortable place for sleeping :)

(I'm in love with this little cat and his green eyes)

Simple happy things: late summer edition

Although almost all of you are probably into a very autumnal mood, here in Sicily we are enojoying the last days of mediterranean summer.

Yes, we are still wearing t-shirts and sandals. It's still summer, but fresh air and some rain here and there are announcing that autumn is coming soon.

So this edition of "simple happy things" is about late summer, like last year in october.

I've collected some photos of little beautiful things that make me happy recently and I want to share them with you.

My favourite snapshot: this tiny bird called "african stonechat" ("saltimpalo" in italian). It lives in the (still dry) fields behind my home.

Tiny (but very hot) peppers S. grew in our garden:

Acorns! S. picked them up during our last trip to Selinunte archeological park: 

If you want, you can look in my Flickr album at some snapshot I took in the western part of our region we travelled some weeks ago (Greek temples, Palermo, great panoramas from Erice ... you have to scroll down to the bottom to see them).

This acorns were green, but I wasn't enough fast in taking a photo, so now they are dry and brown.

A handmade paper rose S. brought to me after work (a colleague made it):

My first crochet-covered bottle is a good place for it, isn't it?

Books about craft bussiness on "patchwork pillowcase n.2":

Now that I'm out of work, I'm working to improve some aspects of my shop, but I'm also reading a very big novel by Ken Follett ("Winter of the world").

I'd like to listen something about your simple happy things in this period of the year. Leave a comment! :)

Happy nostalgia

I'm looking back to my holidays today and I'm into a happy+nostalgic mood.

Yes, it's possible. 

Human feelings are so complex that happiness and nostalgia can walk together.

I'm looking to all the photos I took during our holiday at mum's home in the north and I feel so grateful for those happy days together with my friends and family! 

My batteries plenty recharged. I did all the things I love best (not only drawing and embroidery, of course!) and reconnected with the real me.

We explored the country by bycicle several times and enjoyed nature and ancient monuments.

We stayed in the garden, a lot. 

Picked up vegetables and fruit and cooked them. Discovered new (to me) species my brother is growning (did you know purple basil?). Fed the turtles everyday.

I've read a couple of novels and learned something new about nature thanks to my brother's books about trees and plants. I love to have good books near the bed!

We made some works for mum with dad's tools and found them very beautiful in the backlight.

And at the end of our days there two special ones got married :)

You can say we did nothing special this summer.

Yes, we haven't explored the world and hadn't great adventures to tell you.

But we enjoyed all that little things that speak special words to our hearts. This is important to me :)

Other photos on flickr!