Handmade Home Tuesday

I am delighted to say that the potholder I started last week is finished! It got to be fastest and most rewarding project I ever did for my home, even though it was hand-stitched! 

Here are a few progress shots:

What should I do next?! I think it's  time to give my old and tired ironing board a makeover! 

Have you made something for your home recently? I would love to see what you made! Leave the link to your post below so I can stop by:)

My creative space... New collection!

For the last few months, I've been sneaking in some cross-stitch and sewing for the new collection. Developing new creations, when you have orders means long hours but so much fun! I started to enjoy having a little creative space "secret" but I still find it hard not to show what I am working on to you. 

This collection was inspired by the fabric and bright colours of the ribbons with apples I had is stash. 

I designed an apple cross-stitch first, then picked all the different colours of the embroidery floss and found lovely linen colour lace for my notebook covers.... It was such a pleasure creating these items and I really hope someone who will use them everyday will feel the love that went into creating them! 

There are 6 different creations in 6 bright colours that I included in "Plushka's Apple garden" but let me show you my favourite ones: aqua, red and purple!

See more pictures of all the creations in this collection on my Facebook page! 

Visit more creative spaces here

Have a creative Thursday!

A project for my home, NY "resolution"

Hold on you your chair, my lovely readers, I finally started a project for my own home! If you've been reading my blog for some time, you probably noticed that I hardly make anything for myself. Plushka takes so much of my time and I enjoy it so much that, until today, my home doesn't look like someone creative lives here. 

Wait, you might say, there must be something! Nop, besides a few things that my mum made, there is nothing that I created to decorate our home - the place where I spend most of my time, and that's the embarrassing truth.

This year, I've got an intention, not a resolution, intention to make things for my home. I read here and I quote: "Resolutions are hard on a person, they set us up for feeling like failures when life gets complicated or our goals shift. Intentions however can be fluid and transform with us as we move forward. They are reminders to hold close throughout the year as we aim ourselves towards the place we wish to go". 

Doesn't it sounds great! I am totally on board with this and made a decision - no resolutions for me this year:)

There are a few changes that I am making in my life but let's go back to the new project first....

The idea of this project started before Christmas. If you click on that link, you will see all the fabrics I was going to use for my bed runner.  I wanted to finish it then but was too busy to even think about it. Today,  I felt suddenly inspired.

I cut out squares:

Using two Ikea coffee tables, I am now trying to create some kind of a pattern. I still need to play with them a bit more, move around so I can avoid the repeats.  

I am loving the look, the only thing I am a bit worried about is  sewing different thickness fabrics together - linen and Liberty. I am going to quilt the bed runner by hand too.

Do you think it might be tricky? Do you have any tips?

  

Sunday Stash....#44 - like I need more fabric!

This week, I've got an addition to my stash - a few meters of linen from Spotlight! I found it still unpacked and crispy new. Firstly, I checked the content 20% linen... That's good. I don't think I've seen anything like this before in Spotlight:) 
These fabrics will be great for a "Travel" collection that I am thinking about at the moment....

Have a lovely Sunday! 

My creative space....

In my creative space this week, I felt the seasons change and my inspirations board needed a change too. I took new linen by Thea & Sami and a few pictures that I can add to and move around during three month of autumn...

I picked a piece of owl fabric that lately have been used in a few of my projects. "Smile" was cut out of some scrap-booking flyer and will remind me that although summer is gone and it's getting a bit cooler outside - smiles are bringing sunshine too:)

I decided to use this moment to style the picture again like I did last week but, by choosing a bit darker colours and heavier linens, try to give the autumn feel to the picture...

Little spools with bias, Japanese linen with strawberries and lace, ribbon with different cross-stitched prints are all contribute to the inspiration sparkle that starts new ideas which one day will become a collection.....

I love using linen scraps for the buttons, especially designer ones. They will make a lovely accent on the knitted garment that, one day, I would love to make for myself. However, will most likely buy a simple one and decorate.

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo.

Have a creative Thursday!

My creative space....

In my creative space, I needed a break from the market preparation routine so I took a few minutes to practice styling pictures and marvel at things around me that I love. I took a few linen ribbons that I am taking to Mathilda's and vintage buttons. I picked a "Linen" theme with Japanese linen with birds and flowers as a background. Unfortunately, it was a bit late in the afternoon so the quality of the pictures is not the best with a few shades here and there.

Some of these buttons are from my grandma's collection and I remember playing with them as a child and it makes them so precious!

I love this jar, decorated with snowflake embroidery and twine, it's a cute little space for my special buttons.

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo.

Have a creative Thursday!

Name tag for a swap: accomplished!

I just finished a name tag for the Sew it Together name tag swap and have to share it with you!

Colour scheme: brown/yellow/orange

I used more brown and yellow with just a little bit of orange for the name that was cross-stitched on linen using French alphabet.

I wanted for the tag to have a French country feel but still have a cute detail with little squirrel on brown in the left corner.

Vintage sewing machine is another detail that I added to balance out the applique.

That's a finished project. I can not show the name on the tag yet, that a swap rule, but here it is with the cross-stitched name carefully covered:

Dear swap partner, I hope you will like it and will enjoy wearing:)

Playing with colour...

To add some colour and compliment fabric details on one of my linen gift bags, I cross-stitched heart in red. Although white embroidery looks very simple and elegant on linen, I like the colourful assent.

I made rabbits for the keyrings in colour as well. The shade of yellow that I picked was inspired by this post at Creative Mint blog.

Have a bright weekend!

We are trying to stay cool here with temperature forecasted to be 41 degrees!

My creative space....

In my creative space today, a sneak pick of my new collection that's coming soon.....

I felt like making a few cross-stitch items and start using some of the ribbon that I purchased recently. I took a rabbit pattern that I used for my gift bags and made a little hedgehog pattern to keep little rabbit company:)

I made them with jacquard ribbons instead of linen one, that would normally be my first choice, but I used it in another project that I am going to reveal tomorrow...

The grey background and absolutely charming roses make this ribbon so easy to match with any linen. I think, it looks great with Far Far Away II linens by Heather Ross. I've picked the one with roses for the back of the rabbit keyring.

You can find these jacquard ribbons in my Craftumi shop.

For more creative spaces go here.

Happy crafting!

Sunday Stash....

In my Sunday stash this week, my little French collection.

Cottons represented by.....

Streets of Paris by Kokka

Polly goes to Paris by Henry Glass & Co

Map of Paris in yellow by Yoko Okamoto

Linens represented by different Japanese fabrics by Kokka.....

Have a lovely Sunday!

My creative space....

In my creative space, my first cushion cover that I called "Cycling around Paris". Probably because I wish it was me, on that bicycle with a little kitty at the back, on my way to pick up a fresh bagette in the morning!

There are no pictures of the process or details yet as it was late evening when I finished it. I've got a a few other designs that I want to try so stay tuned!

More creative spaces here.

Have a delightful Thursday!

Gift from the heart....

Finding a perfect gif is always tricky but, when I found it, wrapping it up and presenting is my favourite part! This little project was born in an effort to find the perfect packaging for my friend's gift and I loved it so much that I made a few for myself and for the shop. It's great for keeping bulky jewelry in. This way it never get tangled in to a mess of dozen necklaces that I spend hours trying to untangle.

Rabbit and hearts cross-stitch embroidery was so enjoyable to make!

Patchwork string is hand stitched using those colourful fabric strips.

Also, I like that this gift bag can also be used for keeping aromatic soap in

(I keep a few in my draw as a sachet).

Overall, very enjoyable project. It takes some time to make due to the embroidery and hand stitching but I love the result!

Happy Australia day!

Hope you are enjoying your day!

Cupcake mould into pincushion...

I love pincushions and have at least five of them around the living room. My first effort to make a pincushion from the cupcake mould wasn't that successful....

So, I put it away and it waited until I decide to give it another go and so I did (much later then I thought). I took a smaller mould as I blamed my failed effort on the mould for being too high;) I took fabric with cute forest animals, ribbon and linen by Yardage design and this is what I came up with:

.......and I had to make a French themed one, of cause!

What do you think?

Scent of Lavender

This project incorporates so many things that Plushka is so passionate about: linen with beautiful rough texture, cross-stitch, cute Japanese linen illustrated by Heather Ross and Lavender.

Lavender is used widely in aromatherapy. It believed that if allied to the temples, lavender oil soothes oil soothes headaches. In pillows, lavender flowers aid sleep and relaxation.

That's why I used the linen with sleeping princess design by Heather Ross as it seamed the ideal illustration of lavender qualities:)

I had so much fun matching embroidery floss colours to the linen at the back. I love this hot pink one. It feels like pink dominates in my creative space at the moment with the crochet baskets, fabric and headbands:)

These sachets can be used in the draws, wardrobe, bedside table or just to decorate a bedroom by hanging on the door handle.

Do you like Lavender? If not, what is your favourite scent?

Have a great Wednesday!

Sunday Stash....PINK!

My stash get more and more different colours with every fabric delivery... I should say, red is totally my colour! Pink? It's growing on me....slowly...

This my last purchase of Flower Sugar 2 in 2010. As soon as it was delivered, it was hard not to take a picture. So colourful and bright, this fabric is perfect for the summer projects.

On the pink note, I thought why not make my crochet baskets colourful?! I do try to be brave with the colour and this time I went for the hot pink!

I should say, making one with linen was easy but then I attempted to use linen with Russian dolls.....

Do you like pink?

Have a happy Sunday!

Present wrapping and new baskets

Inspired by the Nic's gift wrapping idea, I've used her tea towel to decorate a Christmas gift for our friends.

I didn't want to leave the lovely packaging behind so I cut a little tags out, this way the packaging gets recycled and washing instructions are easy to keep in the draw for the reference!

I also made a few new baskets with handprinted linen from Yardage design.