Decoupage on fabric

I love decoupage. I wish I was a good painter, but I'm not. Decoupage lets me make beautiful decoration without being able to make pretty flowers by hand. Love it!

If you're not familiar with decoupage, it's a technique where you use a glue/varnish to stick the top layer of a paper napkin on a surface. Like on this canvas. The text is my making, but the flowers are decoupage.

I have used decoupage on multiple objects, but now also on fabric. It opens a world full of possibilities! I have made pillow cases for the couch (I made a green painting and the pillows didn't match) and decided to try decoupage when I ran out of green fabric.

I used one motif with stars and one with flowers, the one I used on the canvas. It turned out great! The glue feels a little plastic when it dries, but that's fine.

I tested to use the napkin as it was on one pillow.

Then I cut out the flowers and formed a bouquet on the front of the next pillow...

 ... and on the back I just spread them out.

I also made a new lamp shade for the window. It is a piece of fabric glued with hot glue to the wire frame. I love that I now have a matching canvas, lamp and pillows in this room!

Extreme lamp make-over

Being the second child often means you inherit things. Everything is bought new for the first child, and the younger gets what is already in the family but nobody uses. So with my daughter. Or at least, so with the lamp in my daughter's room. An old thing with Garfield (the cat) from the time before marriage even. But not anymore!

I went on a hunt in our local secondhand shop, and I found this beauty.


Well, I saw some potential there. Proud that I remembered the before-picture by the way. Usually I'm to eager to get started. I went through our paint tins and found some white in the bottom of one. Great! But I really hate paint that has to dry 16 hours before you can add the second layer. 15 minutes is more my cup of tea. At least that gave me some time to work with the shades. Dug around in my boxes and found glass beads and some pale blue paint. This is how it ended up.


Strings of beads and a pretty bulb along with a little paint. That's it!


The new owner seems to like it. But we have to change the bulbs, they light up the room so much you need sun glasses in there! B-)

Now, run off and get yourself a lamp to remake! It's so much fun!

Done playing

Yes, I'm done. For now, at least. This was fun, and I'm sure I'll make more. I love these, and I've wanted to try this for a long time.



Do you like them? I sure do. A few plates, a candle holder or something else as a foot and some good glue. Love it! I bought the pieces secondhand, so the cost is almost nothing.

I promised to show you the crochet too. (Actually, the buns are knitted.) My husband played around too, staging this.



I have been working on these sweets for a little girl who is opening a bakery shop in her garden play house this summer. Her mum asked if I wanted to make some cookies and of course I did. They are delivered now, and I hope they will be played with a lot! And as a surprise, I gave her the two small cookie plates. Thought she needed something pretty to keep some of the baked stuff on.



So, now I am free to play with something else! :)

Playing around

Today I have been playing (and some crochet, show you later). I am giving you a glue clue, can you guess what I've made?

I will show you tomorrow, when it's all ready.

Old lamp, new look

I have told you about not having enough inspiration or energy to create. Well, I guess the tide has turned! Suddenly I wanted to be creative again, and found that I had both time and energy. 

When my daughter was ill, we also tried out this tip I found on Pinterest. To mix glue and foid colouring, and paint jars with it. I intend to show you the result, but today I want to share a special creation. I had this old lamp in glass that I wanted to alter. I really wish I had taken a picture of it before... Anyway... The original idea was to crochet a cover for it, but I never got to it. So when we played with colour and glass, I remembered this lamp, and was really excited to get started. I mixed blue colour in the glue, and started painting. The result was much better than with the jars we had painted.

It looks almost turqoise. And suddenly I knew exactly what to try for the lamp shade that was stripped to bare wire. I dug out some turqoise, white and grey effect yarns waiting for the perfect project.

I cut off a piece of yarn, tied it to the wire and started wrapping. Round and round... The edges was tricky to start with, but I found a strategy that looked good and kept the yarn in place. The finished shades gives a soft light. I used a bulb that uses very few watts, to keep it cool. So cool actually, that I can hold the lamp in my hand even when it has been lit for some time. Since some of the yarns were a little fluffy, I was afraid that it might melt or catch fire if the bulb got to hot.

At first, I didn't know where to put this strongly coloured creation, but my daughter really liked it and was thrilled when adked if she wanted it in her window. So that is where it stands, in all its glory. Keeping here company during dark nights.

Playing with beads

I have tried to make this post once before, but the pictures didn't work with me so I trashed it. This time I accidently deleted one of the pictures, but nothing will stop me now! :) I use my tablet with touch screen, and some of the tools simply aren't touchable! Annoying, but since the blogger app isn't any better, I guess I'm stuck with it. But I'm telling you, it would be much more fun blogging if it went smoothly. Anyway...

Some weeks ago, I went to a blogg called pysselbacken to check it out. I found that she had made a fun and very colourful little bowl from melted hama beads. I had never heard about this before, and started looking around to see what was possible. As my daughter was ill a few days later, this seemed like the perfect thing to do together. The picture I deleted showed single beads placed on a baking sheet just like the flowers below. In the oven they went for six minutes in 200 degrees Celsius.The beads just flattened out, to beads perfect for bracelets.

To make the flowers, we simply put five beads close to a yellow bead. Put one on a hair clip, or where ever you need some happy flowers.

We also made bowls. Use a bowl that stands the heat of the oven. Grease the inside of the bowl, I used some cooking oil. It keeps the beads from melting onto the bowl forever, and it also keeps them in place during the process of placing them evenly in the bowl. The beads should cover the bottom, only one layer of beads. I put the beads with the hole up in my bowl. Very time consuming.

My daughter simply spread the beads out evenly, no matter what side was facing up. Much faster and it created a more interesting surface. I can really recommend this, if you want to craft with kids. Even fairly young children can spread out beads in a bowl. Give it a try, it's really fun! And since these beads are made to be melted together with an iron, there are no toxic fumes when they melt.

Spring wrath

I want to start this post with thanking my assistent. The first picture was taken by my daughter. Not bad, right?

I have been ill for a few days, and terribly tired. But now I'm back in the game again, and I even sat down by my crafting table today. Thought our boring door could use something cheerful. I had a slight idea what it would look like. And the finished wrath looks... nothing like that! :) But I'm used to it. I think I now what I want to make, but when I sit down with it then the materials and colors inspire me to make something different. At least it has flowers, just like my fuzzy original picture. 

I find it quite hard, actually, to stick to my first idea when I get creative. This lady who has a yarn shop in town, makes the most beautiful things in simple techniques just by mixing yarns in different qualities. I have gone to my yarn stash several times, thinking I would make something the way she does it. And every time I end up making something my way instead. Playing with colours rather than qualities. So I guess I am stuck with "my way". :) Not too bad, I reckon.

Jewelry from trash

I am not as tired as last time I talked to you, and apparently in a creative mood. I love looking through Pinterest, searching for inspiration. Especially remaking clothes, both small changes and making something completely different. Today I tried a few things from one of my boards. I have made myself  a necklace and a pair of bracelets from old t-shirts. I have mountains of old clothes saved for creative days, and I love it! I love using something "useless" instead of buying new materials all the time.

I know I don't deliver neat pictures, I'm sorry. I don't find the energy to run around with my camera, looking for a clean background and the best light. I simply put it on a blanket or a cushion and snap a shot with my tablet. And it doesn't even have a flash... But it is better than no picture at all, right? :) At least I hope so.

I'll see if I can get you the links if you want to try these too....Here's the necklace, and here are the bracelets. Have some fun!

Something old, something new

When I bought my mobile I got an extra shell. White didn't really feel like my thing, so I have used the black. Some time ago I saw a handpainted shell on Pinterest, and I really wanted to make something like that. But since my black shell doesn't have a flat surface to give a good grip, I simply couldn't. And then a few days ago I was looking for something and found my white, shiny flat shell. I could paint!

I used regular permanent markers. It looks like I had a lot of colours, but that is only half the truth. I bought markers recently. Thin ones in black, blue, green and red. At home, we had some huge markers, in the same colours (plus purple). But when I tested them today, they were much paler than the new ones. So the red looks pink... Happy me, dark blue and red flowers only would have looked dull.

I practised a little, and then took a deep breath and started decorating my shell. Permanent is a scary thing... But it turned out alright and I finished it off with a dot with my permanent silver pen in the middle of each flower. I am now seriously in love with my mobile. :) I think my daughter is too, since she keeps touching the flowers and barely could take her eyes of the back when she borrowed it to play a game. :) You really should try this, it was so much fun! Wish I had more shells...

Edit: Help, the colour is coming off! I better get some clear nail polish or something to make it stick to the shell. :-/ I guess permanent isn't always that permanent after all...

Testing, testing

Hi there! Yes, I am testing. I have been telling you about the trouble I have had, trying to blog on the mobile. The app is not so great, but since I do all other computer stuff onthe mobile, this blog has been neglected. But hopefully not anymore. 

Today is my birthday, andmy darling husband gave me anamazing gift, a surf pad. Or is it called a tablet? Either way, I am loving it already. It is easier to blog from, and way better when I search new patterns on Ravelry. I don't have to use that stupid blogger app anymore, even though itseems I will have to e-mail the pictures to the blog since I cannot get the uploader to work. But I can live with that. This will hopefully make me able and willing to post more often.

This was not my only gift. My daughter gave a lovely pair of ear rings formed like roses. And my son made me this amazing creation:

Is he creative or what? :) It says "congratulations" in Swedish, and then my age. I adore it! And I am so very happy about this day spent with friends and family, and the loving gifts I have received. I am a very happy 36-year-old in deed! 

Tomorrow is work day, so I better get myself and the kids in bed. See you!

Oh I get by...

... with a little help from my friends.
I have been crocheting like a mad lately, but I couldn't tell you since it was all part of a surprise.
Some friends of ours have had a tough time, not lately but for years. Their oldest daughter isn't well, and it has been hard for the entire family. Now, also her little sister have a lot of problems with her health. Any parent knows how it wears you down when your kid is in pain or not feeling well. And this has been going on for years...
This family was going abroad for a week (last week), and an aunt to the kids wanted to surprise them by giving them a home make-over while they were away. Her husband had promised to paint two bedrooms for them, but she thougt that if we all came together we could do so much more. So we did!
All the bedrooms got new wallpapers, two new floors were put in, a bathroom painted, a fence built, the garden was tended to, and the entire house tidied up. Things that needed to be done, but that the family were too tired to do. Friends and family helped with what they could. Time, things or money. Well, so much could be said about this project, starting out as a "please help me clean my sister's home" and becoming a real makeover. If we all come together and do what we can, great things can be accomplished!
Well, I think you can guess what I did... :) I made flower garlands for the baby sister's room with jungle theme, a soccer cushion for the brother and an african flower cushion for the older sister. And labels for baskets in their kitchen, sewed in place with metal buttons. :) And a few other things. And helped out with some broken blinders (you know, in the windows... to keep the sun out... is it the right word?)
Was the family surprised? Yes they were! And very, very happy! :)
Take this story as an example, that we can do so much for someone if we come together and give what we have. It's a blessing to be able to put a smile in somebody's face! And it doesn't even have to be a big thing that you do! :)

I love needlecases

After a period of pain, work, house tending and almost no crafting at all, I'm happy to be back again. I was meaning to share the joy over my new crochet books with you, and also the circles (becoming a bag for my kid) made from patterns in one of the books. But there was either no time or I was simply too tired... Guess you'll see less of me now, when work takes some of my time.

But now, I have something to share. I've spent the last two days organizing my (almost non-existent) needle work. Namely my beloved baskets, containing my ongoing projects.

I have made myself three more needle cases. Oh, how I love making these little things! I love choosing among my felted sheets (bought in a cheap store, no quality to speak of but sooo cheap). I love going through my box with embroidery threads, leftovers from old table cloths and tapestries. 

I start with no plan at all, letting one colour give the other, and one stitch lead the way to the next. It is ever so exiting to see the finished result. And I fall in love with them.

I love filling them up with needles of all sorts from my sewing box.

And I love forcing my family to tell which one is their favorite and why. :) Even though I can't make up my own mind. I never thought I could love a needle case more than I loved my light blue one with lilies of the valley. Now it stands between the purple and the brown. But I think I am even more in love with how different they all are. But enough bragging! ;)

I also love to organize my beautiful baskets. Each one is now supposed to have a pair of scissors, pen and note pad, needle case, measuring tape and a little jar for cut ends. Not to be removed! (Yeah right, that's just a matter of time...)

I have also made project bags. My baskets used to keep a lot of yarn from old, finished or abandoned, projects. All in a mess, entangled in each other. The plan is that I from now on don't have to carry around the entire basket when I feel like switching to another needle work, I just bring the bag to the place where I want to sit. I have placed one basket in strategic places where I usually sit. So hopefully this will be less messy, and I will always have a pair of scissors and a measuring tape at hand. Not all in one place or mysteriously missing...

I have to show you this one. The other bags were made from pillow cases, a piece of a curtain and a shirt sleeve :), but this one is more precious. I found this embroidery sample among my mother-in-laws things. I thought that I could make something of it, and so I did. I just added a back and a little canal on top for the ribbon to go through. Isn't it beautiful?

So now everything is neat and organized. All I need is some inspiration to go on with my actual projects, tucked down in my pretty baskets... Maybe my kids will help me with this. My embroidery got them inspired, so they are planning to do some of their own after school. And what could be more inspiring than to sit down and create together?

Crochet pots

It turned out to be a good thing, that I forgot to take this picture yesterday. Or I wouldn't have had anything to show you today... The planting business was a bit too intense, I guess, 'cause my poor body didn't want to hear about it today. So no planting, just a hot, foamy bath and looking through the seed catalog, trying to decide what to buy. Not so bad after all, hey? :) It took some effort to really appreciate it (since I truly was in mood for some planting), but then I honestly felt grateful for simple things as bath foam and garden dreams. It's been a good day this far!

This is what I forgot to show you yesterday. Recognize the tins covered in crochet? They really brighten up the window sill with all their colorful stripes. They even look better than I thought they would. I love when that happens!

Maybe I'll still get a few plants in new soil and pots today, as the kids wanted to join in when they realized what I had been up to. So I'll help them out when they get home from school, trying not to overdo it. I tend to get carried away, but my body needs a break every now and then. And sometimes it's so hard to listen when it tells me to stop what I'm doing! When I'm in the mood for something, I want to do it now! :) Well, my son is just like me, so I better put some plants on the kitchen table before he arrives... See ya!

A cup of...

Yes, I am still replanting, still taking cuttings. And for some reason, I find ordinary pots boring. And I haven't been able to craft as many as I wanted, so I started to look around and went with an idea I got the other day. Super cute, if you ask me!

I didn't want to ruin the cup in any way, so I took some precautions. I used some plastic film to cover the inside of the cup, don't want any stains from the soil. And some drainage, also to lift the inner pot a little and create some space between the cup and the pot.

And, of course, a little plant in a little plastic pot with holes in the bottom.

Put the pot in the cup, and there you have it! I made two of these, and on this one I cut the plastic around the edge, on the second one I just folded it down and I think that looked better. You probably could hide the plastic more, but I am terribly messy when I water my plants, so I really need the protective film to go all the way up!

I just remembered that I meant to take a few more pictures to show you (of something else), but I'll just save that for another day. Now I have three little girls here, and I have a feeling they will want a snack soon... See you later!

Birthday and flowers

It feels like I haven't been in here for ages... It's been a busy week! I usually sit at home every day, but last week I got to see the world for five days in a row! :) No big things though, a few visits at my husbands childhood home, church and stuff like that. But I liked getting out and meet people!

We also had people here yesterday, my family to be specific. They came over to celebrate my husband, who got a little older the other day... I had some plans to knit him a few things for his birthday, but since my hands were hurting last week (but a lot better now), he received a gift still on the needles and a little gift bag that I made. 

I often get compliments for my hand writing when I make cards, but there's really nothing to it. I usually write just as ordinary as anybody else, but for those special occasions I have a book to look in. It contains all kinds of different alphabets, and I simply copy them. Easier than it looks like, I can assure you! But I love the way it turns out most of the time. Best of all, these alphabets look great even if you don't write in even lines!

I've been trying to craft in other ways with my hurting hands, so I made this pimped pot the other day. Just sewed some felt together and glued some felt hearts that I cut out from scraps on it. I hurt a little though, my left hand didn't really want to hold on to anything. Guess I've been holding on to the knitting needles to tightly lately! So I've tried to stay positive, appreciating what I can do.

Today I felt that I had energy enough to start replanting my indoor plants. I started with the geraniums. They moved to clay pots, and I used some old saucers my mum gave me. I love them! Only wish I had more... I am planning to take cuttings from a lot of my plants, and I so wish I could put them all on pretty saucers! Either way, I hope to be able to continue tomorrow. Better not overdo it, as I usually do, and use up all energy in one day. I would regret that! So tomorrow I´ll be replanting... hmmm, perhaps suckulents. But now I better get dinner started!

Nothing much

I just have to show you, don't you just love these colors? I helped my daughter organizing her beads yesterday, until we realized that the little boxes with tiny compartments was not the best solution for her. So we simply disorganized all the tiniest beads into this box. We had organized them in colors, and when we poured them all into the box, we were both struck by the beauty of the colors. Like a summer meadow! And like a true blogger, I went for my camera... :)

 Oh, and look here, I finally remembered to take a picture of the scarfs I made a while ago. I also got the permission to share the picture of the... scarfs... Can't be too careful about what you share on the www, you know! ;)

I made them both with a few rows of garter stitch (knitted in the round) followed by plain knitting and then some garter stitch in the end. Thought it would work out, every time. And every time the curled up... When I made the one for the... ooops, that was a close one, I'm not allowed to say that... Hrrm... When I made the black and white one :) it stayed nice and flat for a long time. I actually thought I had succeeded, but as soon as I got to the finishing garter stitching, it curled up to something looking a lot like a camouflaged snake... But the owners love them anyway, so who am I to complain? But if I ever make a new one, I will make it differently. Maybe garter stitch all the way. But it's a practical scarf, it stays in place since you don't have any ends that can slip off or constantly get in your way.  Can't be perfect all the time! ;)