New crochet skirt

Want something new for upcoming beach season?
Make it yourself!
Crochet this wonderful beach skirt. So sexy and comfortable! Wear it as cover-up with swimsuit on the beach and you will have a lot of compliments! Ties on left when worn.
I crocheted this skirt for me and of course I made a pattern so you can make it too!
You can buy it here.

Decorate bottle in shabby chic DIY

Many people like the Shabby chic style. Me too, so I want to show you how you can create with your own hands details for the home in this style.
How to decorate wooden furniture I already wrote here. Today I'll show how you can quickly and easily decorate the bottles.

It can be any bottle, even from marmalade)
You will need a bottle, strip of burlap, lace ribbon.

Pull out a few threads from the edges.

Wrap burlap around bottle, then wrap the ribbon and tie a bow.

It's ready! Is it nice and simple?

How to make crochet ball

How to make crocheted beads in a few easy steps. Many time people asked me to write this tutorial and finally it's here.

These crochet balls you can make in all the colours of the rainbow and in any size.
It is a very good idea for beginners to start out with thick yarn and a large hook so they can practice before going down to the skinnier threads and crochet hooks. 

Used terms: stitch (st.), single crochet (sc), single crochet 2 together (sc2tog) 


A wooden bead is perfect as a core of a crochet ball, but you can use acrylic beads as well. Use proper size of crochet needle for the yarn you chose to use for the bead.

Take a bead about 2 cm diameter.

Make a loop a few inches from the end of your yarn.
Take the loop where two threads overlap, between your left thumb and forefinger.

Insert hook into the loop from front to back.

Draw up a loop.
Make a chain.

Insert the hook into the loop, so you are crocheting over a loop and the yarn tail.

Draw up a loop to begin your first SC.

Complete the SC.

Continue to crochet over a loop and the yarn tail until you have 6-8 SC (quantity depends of diameter of your bead and thickness of yarn)

Grab the yarn tail and pull to draw the center of the ring tightly closed.
Begin your second round by crocheting into the first stitch of the first round.

Ball is made as a spiral. Please count your rounds. You can put little thread – marker of safety - in the first stitch of every round.
 R2: inc in every stitch of the first round.
R3: Move the marker up to the first stitch of the round. inc, sc in every stitch  of the second round.

R4: 2 sc, inc in every stitch around.
R5: 3 sc, inc in every stitch around. Take your bead and fit it. It should fit well. If it fit tightly you should unpick 1-2 rounds and make more inc. If you have big bead you will need to repeat R4.

R6-R7-R8-R9: SC around. Quantity of this step depends of diameter of your bead. Take the bead and thread tail into the hole. Put the bead inside the finished part of the crochet bead.  Now you will crochet around the bead.

R10: dec , 6 sc around
R11: dec, 4 sc around
R12: dec, sc around
R13: dec around

When the bead will be whole covered, cut your working yarn leaving a long tail. Pass the tail in the last loop and draw tight.

Tie both tails of yarn, cut them 1 cm and pass using hook through the hole of the bead to hide them. If you can see tails on the other side, cut them again.

Shabby chic DIY

Shabby chic home decor is gaining popularity because it is romantic, frugal, and creative.

Are you a fan of beautiful vintage style shabby chic home accessories and giftware? Do it yourself!

What you'll need:

• work space (depend of dimensions of your piece)

• smaller paintbrushes for detail and large for larger areas (you can use also one for all if the piece is small)

• primer color

• main color

• candle

• medium grade sand paper

• matt varnish in spray

Make sure the surface you are going to work with is clean. Remove any drawers and associated hardware. Wash with warm, soapy water. If it’s new piece you don’t need to do anything.

Paint the piece with your color of your choice: brown, light brown or other. This paint will do two things.  It will act as a primer, AND it will give the illusion that the piece was painted this color originally.  Let it dry.

Rub with wax places you want to see primer color - along the edges and around corners (I used usual candle).

Paint the piece of furniture with the main color. May be you will need to paint again.

Allow the paint to dry completely.

Use medium grade sand paper and rough up the edges. Try to sand spots where the piece of furniture would have been bumped/scraped/hit naturally

When it finished cover piece with matt  varnish (I used in spray) to keep your newly distressed piece of furniture in tip top condition. shiny varnish will not look authentic and shabby chic!

Creative gift wrapping ideas

Do you always think how to wrap a gift to your special person for Chrstmas, Birthday, Valentine's day?
Here I present some ideas of gift wrapping.
These presents were for Juventus lovers. I used simple white paper and black and white ribbon attached on the back with scotch.

Pastel edition for baby gift:

http://www.minieco.co.uk/woven-gift-wrap-pastel-edition/

If you already packed your gift with normal gift paper - add a final touch with cute gift tag

Give an elegant look to your gift wrapping it in simple ecru paper and then in amazing lace and atlas ribbin with bow:

http://www.gisforgift.com/something-meaningful-fo-the-newlyweds/

This idea is for sewers - to use stitching in your gift wrapping! A piece of recycled paper bag or book page makes for a great surface to stitch stripes. Create a matching card by layering book pages and paper and sewing them together with a zig zag stitch.

http://alisaburke.blogspot.it/2010/12/stitched-gift-wrap.html?m=1

I love the idea of using fabric for wrapping gifts. Just wrap it in a peice of fabric and it will be sure cuttiest gift! To secure the ends, tie them in a simple knot or secure them with a cute pin, button, or pretty ribbon to give the package an extra special touch.

http://www.merrimentevents.com/2011/05/all-wrapped-up/

Flowering Peach Tree

Feel of spring ... There are first soft sweet-smelling flowers and of course peach and almond begin to bloom. Bright, elegant and delicate flowers of peach tree - the byword of spring.

Peach tree blooms in early spring, here in south Italy usually in February or beginning of March. The flowers are white, pink or dark red. Flowering begins when there are no leaves so the tree seems pink cloud on the background of the blue sky. Then flowers wither and leaves appear. This is a short-term beauty, just about a week or two we have to enjoy the flowering peach and almond trees.

Replacing charming fragrant flowers on branches of peach tree soon will appear equally attractive small velvety fruits. But it is - then ...

  First flowers under olive tree

New digital collage sheets for craft and scrapbooking

For too long time I did not make any new collage but this week I had a lot of inspiration and made many new images. Most of them are backgrounds for scrapbooking that can be used also for labels, greeting cards and other projects. But I make also circles for jewelry making.

Vintage postcard with roses 5x3.5 inch

 Vintage Clock Face Roses

 Vintage paris fashion

 Old paper Vintage Backgrounds

Vintage Floral roses digital paper