Something nifty today:
Curly grosgrain ribbons!
So cute!

I happen to fancy doing this today. Besides making darling wreaths with them, curled grosgrain ribbons are ideal to embellish a bunch of creative projects I’m working on. You need them too?

How to Curl Grosgrain Ribbons

The traditional recipe of baking curls has been around for ages:

• wrap ribbon around long pin & secure,
• soak in water,
• sprits starch
• bake in oven for 1/3 hr. 

and VOILA: a mountain of curly grosgrain ribbons.

Doesn’t that look tidy?

Ode to Nikki !!

Nikki, In Stitches, explains how to make curly grosgrain ribbons in some more details on her blog, Nikki in Stitches, and then shows how to make your ribbons into whimsical Valentines Day Wreaths.

In one word: adorable.

Image credit: Nikki’s.

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Oh, and the things you can do … with beads. And I’m referring to those beads that are iron-able and shape-able into pretty much any thing you fancy, called perler beads.

Creations Made with Perle Beads

After you’ve made Zhu zhu pet food from beads, and a beaded jewelry set with necklace & bracelet for Barbie or Bratz, and you & the kids still haven’t ran out of steam, .. then here are some more Perler beading ideas for you:

• Funky Bead Coasters for your kitchen or to cheer you up at your desk
• Bead Frame (s) to match the coasters, also for your desk
• Beads Ornaments, balls or stars, for the Christmas Tree of Year-round
• Doll Rug for Barbie’s house ( I like that … very creative)

Perler Beads

These colorful shapes are lovely, aren’t they? These perler beads make for a lovely no-mess afternoon crafting, and I highly recommend them.  They are inexpensive and you can order online. You’ll need to buy 3 things: Perler beads, pin board shapes, and iron-on sheets.

For more info on how to iron them together, read the tutorial to make play food for zhu zhu pets.

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Last week, we stopped by this fun and funky antique store in Trastevere, a favorite downtown area in Rome. This antique shop is a rare breed. It reminds of American lifestyle fashion furniture stores which also sell  (vintage) Oriental furniture. Such shop is a rare find in Rome.

What makes this shop more special is its pairing of stylish recycled furniture with refined Roman antiques, like these gorgeous lamps.

Etched glass lantern

Vintage Italian colored glass  lantern in kitchen

When you look at the scrap wooden furniture pieces, I know you are all thinking: “I can so make this myself.” And this is true.   The question is which one to make, it’s a toss. These driftwood chairs are winners: functional & foldable, frivolous and fun. 

The favorite however is the recycled wood cabinet.  These recycled wood furniture pieces were expensive, but I know you all can whip up your own recycled boat wood cabinet at a budget.  Salvage some old painted wood. Leave it completely distressed and just hammer it onto an existing cabinet whose front is blah.. 

Recycled Wooden Cabinet.

Recycled Can Flowers.

Mixed-matched painted wooden panel makes for perfect backdrop.

Antique hobby horse, tucked away at the back

Hope you enjoyed this Italian home decorating eye-candy, aka starry-night iPhone photography (smile).

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Mercury glass is so popular right this minute and I’m fully supporting this trend.
I love its shabby chic look, and how you can transform plain glass object, from vase to goblet, into a magnificent vintage silver mirrored home accent.

Eg. Look what I picked up : two darling glass candle holders.

Add this magic wonder: Looking Glass, which is a glass spray that make glass look like vintage mirrors, and voila. This antiqued metallic finish creates a shimmery, reflective surface which enhances the candle’s light. Perfect for candle holders for the holidays, parties, and weddings.

I bought all this for the holidays, but I still have them around and I think these silver mirror votives are pretty year-round. Yes, it’s Mercury glass galore throughout my house.

Mercury Glass Design Ideas

Here are some other design ideas for you that you can either purchase online as is, or make your own:

Shabby Cottage Chic Mercury Glass Votive Set Silver	Shabby Cottage Chic Scalloped Mercury Glass Votive
Large Gold Globe Mercury Glass Votive (star motif) 4.5 “ x 4 “ (diameter x height).	Gold Mercury Glass Votive (flower motif)
Lazy Susan Fluted Silver Mercury Glass Hurricane	Antique Fleur de Lis Garnet Pink Mercury Glass Votive
Fuchsia Pink Mercury Glass Candle Holder (with rhinestones)	Antique Fleur de Lis Dark Pink Mercury Glass Votive-Large
Chic Vintage Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs, Drawer Pulls & Handles 4pc ~ Style #K5 Kitsch Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs with Nickel Hardware

What I like about the last three candle holders is the idea to paint on the inside of colored glass votives or drinking glasses.  Adorable.   And I’ve added the last picture of the cabinet knobs to get your creative juices going: you can spray any kind of home accent.

Make Your Own Mercury Glass Home Accents

How to use this product is simple:

0. Do read the instructions on the can and follow them.

1. Prep your working area: choose a well-ventilated, easy to clean-up location

2. Spritz your glass with water;

3. Spray with Krylon "Looking Glass" spray paint.

Wait till paint is cured before usage.

Materials Needed

First up, get yourself one or two  6 oz. cans of  ‘Looking Glass’ Mirror-Like Spray Paint, which you can buy online for $12/each.

Next, to make your own mirror-like mercury glass candle votives,  look for used glassware at your local Sally Ann, or get inexpensive new glass votives & candle holders at your local home ware or dollar stores.

This one here on the right is just $1.99 at Ikea, for example. Now is a perfect time to look for some candle holders as they are on sale everywhere.

Creating Cool things with Mirror Paint – Next Step….

You can actually achieve two looks with this ‘Looking Glass’ spray:

1. the mercury glass – look that I talked about here, and

2. the regular mirror-look that I’ll talk about in an upcoming post.  The method is the same in that you spray the paint on the back of glass and let it cure dry, however, you do not need to add the water first.  You work on a dry surface instead. When it’s cured, paint over it for a smooth finish and to avoid scratches in future.  But, more about this later, as I want to show you an actual project using this.

One drawback of this is that this product comes in an aerosol can, which, ahum, is not environmentally friendly.

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2012 comes with a commitment to myself it to live more soulfully and to reflect that on the blog. So, out with the paraffin candles and in with the soy candles. 

Let’s make some candles! Here’s the howto.

Soy Wax Candle Making Supplies Needed

1. soy wax flakes  (European readers / I get it here: Soy wax flakes
2. wick
3. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils (Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Orange, Peppermint, Tea Tree)
4. Clean recycled glass or terracotta containers, such as marmalade jars, lemonade glasses, pretty little terracotta vases or vintage porcelain cups ‘n saucers
5. Double-boiler
6. Pitcher, with spout
7. Sticks to hold wick in place
8. Blow-dryer

Step-by-step Candle Making Instructions

a. Preparation: Cover a table with a oil cloth table cloth as your work table.

b. Pre-warm your molds in a warm (not hot) oven for 10 minutes before you need them. Leave them in the oven until right before you pour your soy wax into them.  So, at this point, you turn your oven on to pre-heat it.  Or, you can pre-heat your molds by heating it up with a blow dryer just before use – see later.

c. Tie the wick to the stick, and lay the stick flat on top of your glass containers. measure the length of wick where your wick reaches the bottom of your container and cut it to size. Lay sticks with attached wicks next side by side each container at your candle cooling place.

d. Melt your soy wax flakes with a few drops of essential oil in the double boiler.

e. When your wax is completely melted, set it aside to cool down for a few seconds.

Tip: if  you haven’t put your molds into the over to preheat, you can now pre-heat your glass containers with a blow-dryer for a minute so they become slightly higher than room temperature. By preheating the molds, the wax will cool more evenly. Wax poured into a cold mold will give ‘drag lines’ along the sides of your votives.

e. Place stick  on top of each jar, with wick in the center. Pour the soy wax into your containers. Make sure the wick goes all the way down to the bottom of your container, and is in the center.

f.  Let your wax candles cool for a few hours until solid. 

g. Rather than cutting the wick, tie a colored bead in it for decoration.  

h. Label each jar with its scent, content and maker, and perhaps a message of love.

Tips

Tip 1. Add tiny color code tag to jar before pouring to easily identify scent later

Tip 2.  There are  no natural candle dyes on the market. As candle dyes are synthetic, it’s best to go without it. If you insist on a dye, then tint it in the color of the flower essence you are using as that will at least ‘feel’ most natural.  And always use special candle dye rather than ‘crayons, food coloring, etc, etc.’

Tip 3. The double boiler method is the safest (but slowest) way to melt wax, but NEVER leave your melting wax unattended on the stove.

Tip 4. Soy wax will hold the fragrance of the essential oils better than paraffin wax, so you’ll need less oil.

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How novel. Recycle 3000 clear drinking straws, and you can make this wonderful lamp. According to designer Tim Fishlock, it takes 7 days to complete. Like it? Make your own?

The Howto

1. Tim does not give us a clue as to how it’s made other than sharing that he interconnected all straws into one continuous length.

2. As the end result is to have a 80 cm diameter, I’d begin with a slightly smaller circle.  You probably want to draw a circle with this diameter on the floor and start.

3. I’d use dozens of twist ties (that you recycle from your store-bought bread bags) to secure the first few circles of the sphere.  You will want to remove these ties later, but to create the initial shape, I’m pretty sure you’ll need these. I’d do about 10 circles, at various degrees, so as to make a relatively stable sphere. You may want to stop there for a day and glue all joints.

4. The next day, make another layer of the sphere, and so on.

5. In the end you may want to get creative and secure straws differently, going in and out of the various layers of the sphere.

And there you go.

Get Your Lamp Ready-Made

Make your own or order yours at TimFishlock.com, but be sure to check he uses only recycled  materials (washed of course)…. Otherwise, what’s the point!

Straw Spheres for Summer? Start Recycling Today.

I can see that for a fun summer garden party, you might like to make a couple of smaller ones in fun colors, that are perhaps not as densely woven, but are more open spheres. So, that means, start saving your straws today, so you’ll have enough when summer rolls around.  Get your friends and neighbors to help you collect straws. 300 is a lot of straws, let alone 3000!

Amazing & Recycled Lamps

(beyond this article)

cascading chandelier from plastic bottle bottoms

glass baby food jar chandelier

ultra-modern plastic bottle lamp

Other unique & recycled lamp projects & ideas

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: I spotted this darling French country kitchen lighting and just have to share it.

Vintage funnel + bit of wire-cover fabric + 3 string ties made a plain light bulb into an exquisite shabby chic kitchen lamp. You can do it.

It’s a winner.

source: Tattered and faded

Designer Lamps / Lighting Ideas

Black, Feathered Unique Art lamps ~ Found in-Paris

Clay-covered Wicker French Country Lamps

French Baccarat Chandeliers

More Lamps Found in Paris: crochet or fumbled paper lamp shades & Venetian antique

Recycled bottles Designer lamps

DIY Lamp Designs w Tutorials

DIY Scrappy Lampshade

Curly Tube Lamp + Upcycled Driftwood Dangles – lamp , Designer Home Style, Rieti, taly

Recycled Wool Cable Sweater Lamp

Baby Food Jar Chandelier

                                       … and MORE lighting ideas ..

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: shabby chic tassels like these are handmade home accents that transform a house.

This tassel is 100% recycled, and made of remnants of a sheer curtain & a shirt sleeve; a tiny bit of pre-used ribbon; and a broken bead spacer for the top.  The white ribbon from which the tassel hangs from an old shopper.  The only ‘new’ elements are 5 seed beads for a cheery finishing touch.

Click here for more

Home Decor

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This handmade romantic bolster pillow is so authentically French. It looks like the most sophisticated, delicate hand embroidery. Yet, Nan, from ‘You Could Make That’ showed us how to make this so-French pillow by simply printing the design onto fabric.

Easy-to-make accessory for a romantic bedroom!