Wishes for our beloved

It's still November but I like to send my christmas cards before the "busy period", especially when I'm sending internationally. This year I've decided to send something a bit different.

I found this lovely quote via Pinterest, and I love it so much I've decided to share it with my family overseas.

Since it would be to heavy to send a block of wood/stone, I've re-made the quote on my computer and used one of my old picture frames so they can easily put it on their fireplace or another place in their home. Little will they know that they're a picture of me and my beloved inside! (hopefully they will one day open that picture frame!)

Here's a free printable of the template I used (just save and print!) (:

Hooray!

Hi everybody!!!!

I'm back from my break and it's good to be home!

Though I cannot believe it's already mid-November and winter is kicking in! It's brrrrr cold!

But it's all good! I love to light up candles when it gets dark at night, and to curl up under the blanket and watch a movie while sipping on a hot drink! And of course it's another excuse to crochet more scarves, cowls and hats!

And look what I found on my holiday: Alize Superlana Yarn!

I got 3 colors of this kind of yarn and I just checked out the website and the lovely projects you can make with it!

Can't wait to make something with it, now to find a great pattern!

Taking a Break

Just wanted to let you all know that I'll be on holiday and I'll be back by early November!

Can't wait to see your projects and craftiness when I come back!

Happy Crafting! Lily

Crocheting and Cleaning

Hello again! I had such a busy but great weekend! I didn't have any time to blog! We cleaned out our attic and made a little space where I can make a craft corner! How excited am I ?!? It's very empty right now, there aren't even curtains! But that's one thing I love about it! It's like a blank canvas! Last couple of days I've just been dreaming of how I'm going to set it up and decorate it.. Oh what a wonderful life! ^_^

As for my crochet it's going well but slowly. I'm still working on my fall blanket and it's already big enough that I can cuddle up under it while I'm working on it! And the wool is really chunky and heavy which I like since I've never worked with such heavy yarn before. Here are some pictures of it in progress:

 I like the color combination I chose for it, though the brown is a bit darker in the pictures!

And it's literally the biggest project I've ever crocheted so I'll be very proud and happy once it's done!

And I'm also working on my Big Blue Scarf again. I hid it in the closet for some time since I really didn't like the look of it. Then I frogged the thing and started over, this time working in the width instead of the length. This way the multi-coloured yarn came out much nicer, but I'm not very convinced this'll be one of my favourite pieces.. I'm not sure whether I even dare to give it as a christmas present! This is what it looks like now:

And I have a question for you all. I've come accross a tutorial of how you can re-use your old clothes and crochet with fabric. After giving it some thought, I was a bit frustrated because I couldn't come up with anything to crochet accept for a rug. So I'd like to ask you: have you every crocheted with fabric? Any ideas on what you can make with it?

I always donate old clothes to charity but I thought maybe I could try it! I'd love it if you'd help me think of something to make!

Have a great rest of the week everybody!

See my list of Year of Projects

Making a Button Tree!

One of my favourite to-do's on my fall bucket list is "decorating the living room" for fall, because it's something that can be a continuous activity throughout fall! And that of course gives me time and options to play creative!

I have made a money tree before, but as a fall piece I thought I'd make a button tree! You can make it in so many ways, but here's my version of the button tree!

What you'll need:
- a blank canvas
- some oil paint
- glue
- buttons

Unfortunately I don't have a hot glue gun so I just used a "hobbyglue". And I went to my local craftshop to buy buttons. They always sell their left-over buttons for cheap (i.e. a can containing 20 of the same buttons for 1euro a can) so I bought 5cans of buttons in several sizes and color!

Before I started painting, I dropped some of the buttons on the canvas and started playing with them, and imagined the tree I wanted to paint.

Make sure you let the paint dry before you start glueing on the buttons! Now comes my favourite part: putting the buttons in place! I first placed all the buttons on the canvas before I started to glue. Of course that's a personal choice, you can also start with one button and let your creative forces flow!

Again, don't forget to wait for the glue to dry! Then find a nice spot in your home where you want to display your tree! (I decided not to frame my tree, but of course that also an option).

And voila! There's my button tree!



Two FO's and a Smile

Happy Sunday everyone!

One of the 2 WIPs I talked about last Wednesday is done! It's my Longing for Autumn jacket and I'm wearing it as I'm typing this post! ^-^

I haven't made better pictures yet but here's an impression of what it looks like:

 It's so nice and comfy to wear, I'm really happy with it! I used a smaller hook (because I didn't have a bigger one) and compensated with using the Large-size startchains and pattern repeats and it worked! **Smile!**

And for a Christmas Present I wanted to make the Martha Cowl scarf but unfortunately the pattern was taken down, so I decided to make a granny scarf instead. Such an easy pattern, and done before I knew it!

I'm still going to try to replicate the Martha Cowl scarf since many ravelers seem to have done so. But I'm happy I made the granny scarf as well!

So there you have it, a two FO's and a big smile!

Hope you all have a lovely week! x Lily

See my list of Year of Projects

WIP Wednesday!

Happy WIP Wednesday everyone! We had some kind of heatwave last weekend - which was really weird for October but nice though! we're back to our typical fall weather. But this year I try to be inspired by it instead of being frustrated. So next to my other fall craftiness I have two crocheting projects dedicated to fall, and they're really coming along nicely!

First, I have my Longing for Autum Jacket. The colour I chose is light yellow-ish. I'm quite happy with my choice since it's turning out to be a very soft yarn so I think I'll be very comfy in it! And I very much like the look of the pattern. I finished all the parts, but now I've got to sew it toghether and somehow I keep putting that off! I really hope I can put it together before FO Friday!

Then I have my Fall Blanket which is essentially a baby blanket but I'm making one for my couch so it's supposed to turn out a bit bigger.

I'm using chunky yarn and a 9mm hook and instead of ch94 I made a foundation chain that was approx. 150cm. I've just changed color from a dark brown to an offwhite and then I switch to a baby blue color. I do hope the color combination is nice, but I'll have to see!

My goal is to finish both WIPs by this weekend, so I can start on more christmas presents soon, the Martha Cowl Scarf and the Convertible Cowl!

Happy crafting everybody!

See my list of Year of Projects

Christmas presents!

Fall has arrived and it's the perfect time to see how far along I am with my christmas presents!

The first present I made is the Comfy Grey Canada Cowl which is supposed to be sent to my aunt in Canada. Simple, but warm and comfy!

The second is one of my favourites, my Bohemian Bobble Cowl which is so soft and so versatile to wear!

And then the Very Berry Cowl with it's urban pink color! I think/hope my mom will love it!

That's it for now, next ones up should be the Martha Cowl Scarf and the Convertible Cowl!

I think the weather will soon get me in the mood for some more christmas projects crocheting!

Happy crafting! x Lily

See my list of Year of Projects

I have been bad!

Somehow I have managed to not work on my YoP projects for weeks! I had planned to finish some of my WIP's and then start on some new projects. This resulted in exactly not that. Bad. Bad, bad, bad me!

So what have I been doing? Well... other things! I tested this scarf crochet pattern. I made two fall wreaths and a fall bucket list...

Then I started on a new crochet jacket. It seemed so warm, comfy and cozy. So typically for fall and I just couldn't resist!

But what's the point of having a list if you keep being tempted by new ideas/projects?!

I really need some advice from you guys on how to stick to my YoP list! Maybe starting on the christmass presents on the list will give me a boost? Maybe treat myself with something nice when I finish a YoP project! Hmmm....

Fall's here!

Today it's officially fall! The trees are already changing colors and leaves are starting to fall down. And have you already made a to-do-list for this year's fall? I have!

I was inspired by this list and several other lists, but I adjusted my to-do list as we don't have hayrides or pumpkin fields in the Netherlands :(

Let's go green!

Hello... How are all my bloggy friends today? I hope you are all well and continuing to be happily creative!

RecycleCindy from myrecycledbags has a great green & eco-friendly site that's dedicated to recycling and crafting and I just love her blog!

Cindy has great tutorials and patterns and comes up with the most original ideas!

One of my favourites is this crocheted bag made out of recycled bread bags, isn't is colorful?

Or how about making t-yarn from an old tshirt? I'm definintely going to do this!

Make sure you have a look at this great & delightful blog to get more eco-friendly ideas and get your craft on!

Cute Fluffies

Already posted most of these pictures on my other blog, but I just had to also post it on this one! Sorry!

I'm just a bit smitten by these cute fluffies, so I'll post some pics here too!!

Lovely Surprise ~Adorable Cuties

Today I went to feed the ducks, and got a lovely surprise!

There was a family of swans swimming around! (click to see bigger pictures, it's lovely!!)

Oh how lucky I was that I had my camera with me!

They came so close! Do you see the grass of the bank I'm standing on?
These ones are pretty up close:

It was such a lovely site! I have never seen such a big swan family from so close!!

What pretty creatures.

Lovely Little Things

We've had very strange weather lately.

At first it was raining and cold (16° Celsius), then the tempature spiked up to 30° only in one day, and the day after we had a weather alarm! We had a thunderstorm last night and today it's windy and grey again with 16°!  Brrrr.

But when I opened my curtains today, I had to smile. My little trees are in bloom again!

Every winter I have to put them inside otherwise I'll freeze to death, but I'm never sure they make it. This is the 3rd year they survived! (that's a lot for me since they're also the first plants that survived - ever!)

Bless those lovely little things!

Old Jeans + Wooden Box = Upcycle project!

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

I wasn't aware of this new term (which obviously isn't so new anymore, but to me it is) but I think my latest project falls under this category of "upcycling". This is what I've done!

1) I took my wooden "memory-box" (where I keep all sorts of memory-thingies, obviously (: )

2) Then I took one of my very old "should-be-thrown-away-long-time-ago-jeans" and cut it up into pieces (great to get some frustrations out!) and started gluing it on my boring box.. I figured, these jeans also have some memories, so why not intergrate it with my memory box?

Here's the result!

Top Cover:



Side of box:
Side & Top:
Very fun to do!

My First Crochet Pattern!

I made my own crochet necklace.. And by request of other lovely crocheteers I wrote it down! So now I have my first selfmade designed crochet pattern!

It's very simple and easy and not "oh-my-gosh"-beautiful, but it's cute and it's a start!
I have to say, I'm a bit excited and proud.. Just wanted to share happinez ;-)

If you'd like to see it, click here!

It's Friday - I'm in love

Yes I am!

Fairyhedgehog: Mind Control

Ever wanted to be more like a cat? Well, now you can be! Fairy Hedgehog showed me this great great video (click below) and I just LOVED it!!! I am totally not embarrased to tell you: I want those moving cat ears!! Give me give me give me!!

Check out Fairyhedgehog's site for more fun and wonderfull stuf!

Recycled Goodies ~ Banana Papers!

I really love this journal (and more) from Banana Paper.. This is their product of recycled goods, isn't it great?

Not only can we help the planet, we can have a cute-ass journal as well! Check out their website for more recycled goodies!

Cuteness!

I'm experimenting with the design of my other blog.. I didn't use below picture for it, but I think it's cute.. So I'll post it here! Hahah!

Wake-Up Make-Up

Yesterday's post: falling asleep, today's post: waking up! Another wannahave for me: the wake-up make-up box!

It's from Jelly Pong Pong which by the way have more cute products and I hope to buy it in the near future!

Sweet Dreams Music Box

I don't have kids, but if I would have I would definately want to buy this "sweet dreams" music box.

Isn't it cute? Maybe I will buy it for one of my friends kids, and I'll probably be jealous.. stupid huh! ^_^ What can I say.. I'll always be a little girl at heart..