Narrow down time & a very useful link

Happy Royal Friday!!

Friday at last, and not just an ordinary Friday, but the Royal Wedding Friday.!!! Are you celebrating somehow? I know that in U.K. today is a bank holiday {lucky lucky guys--3day weekend:)}. But what I loved the most from this whole experience, is the inspirational crafts that have been featuring all over the blogland this week!!! 

Like this quilted flag Lily has made over at Lily's Quilts.  Isn't it awesome??

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or this cozy pillow from Julie over at Less than Perfect Life of Bliss. She also has a tutorial on how to make this cutie!!

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p.s. Fish Chris would you like it for your sofa?? hehehe

Anyway to return to my ordinary life, I've narrowed down my favorite projects for Mother's Day to 4 or 5 or maybe a bit more. 

I was thinking that I should definitely give the mug rug a try!!! Thank you Sarah for opening my eyes and providing me with the most useful link Mug Rug Madness from Two more seconds. 

And now about this useful link, while I was browsing the net the previous days, I stopped by this wonderful blog Chasing Cottons.  Rebecca has started a free online quilting class 101 for beginners!!! Needless to say that all you ladies are awesome quilters, but for a beginner like me, this is a quilter's paradise!!! She posts her lessons every Wednesday, and she is already on Week 4---Sewing, fact which means that I have a lot of reading to do!!!

Well, I'm off to watch a live broadcast of the Royal Wedding!!!


Hope you have a Happy Friday and a sew lovely weekend:)

 




p.s. I have a new signature!!! yippe!! 

Happy fabric scrap Thursday

Good morning everyone:)

I just wanted to share with you that Sarah from Fairy Face Designs is having a A fabric scrap GIVEAWAY!!! Her baggie will weigh apr. 650 gs, that's a lot of fabric!!! 

             Scrappy scrappy heaven!!!

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So, if you want those scraps... just head over to her lovely blog to enter:) I'm so happy that she ships worldwide!!! 

Have a great day:)

-xo

Eleni

Mother's Day Inspiration

Hello everyone,


Hope you had a great day so far:)

I was thinking today that Mother's Day is so quickly approaching, and I haven't thought of anything to make for my mother.  Here in Greece, we celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May... So, it is officially very close, and I haven't done anything yet.

Earlier in the morning, I was browsing through Pinterest (which is such an obsession), to add all things inspiring on to my Mother's Inspiration Board. I searched for aprons, or pot holders, or mug rugs, or quilted coasters, or pincushions, or pillows (of course there would be pillows, what did you think???hehehe). 

Here's is what I've found...

and also this...

So many inspiring choices out there (and also very new to me)!! It's kind of overwhelming...

I will definitely have to narrow the selection down to 5 maximum so I can make up my mind soon!!! Will you guys help me??? pllleeeaaassseee???

Oh thank you thank you thank you:) 

xo

-Eleni

p.s. If you have any tutorials on mind, please link them up!!! I will definitely need them..

Tuesday things I love

Happy Tuesday everyone:)

Today I'm going with a theme!! Mr. H., Fish Chris and I watched on Sunday Red Riding Hood, which was a great movie considering the fact that we couldn't figure out who the Wolf was till 20 minutes before the end of it!. 

Today's post will be all about this lovely fairy tale!! It was one of my favorite as a kid?? Was it for you too??

Check out these linen fabrics!!! Amazing or what?? Wouldn't they be great for a baby quilt?? 

By the way, I have a question, would you use linen for a quilt? Or, the most appropriate fabric is cotton? 

1. Zakka Cotton Linen - Little Red Riding Hood from himenana

2. Little Red Riding Hood Cotton Linen Blend Fabric from FabricBubble

3. Little red riding hood linen from nesshome

How about these adorable hand woven dolls from Erganiweaving.  Eleni is a super talented Greek girl, who is using the traditional loom combined with contemporary designs. 

Wouldn't you love these little dolls for your little loved ones??

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I love this print away she went from Corid Dantini. Her work is so amazing!!! Pure inspiration!!!

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This Red Riding Hood necklace from cartbeforethehorse is so unique. They used a method I've never heard of before. The fabric they used was quilter's muslin, which was painted and sanded, which gave the tinny doll a patina that feels like old leather... Isn't it a little piece of art?

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I just love this Little Red Riding Hood Jewelry box from littleblackcrow. Her expression is so beautiful, don't you agree?

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I'm so happy that with Tuesday things I love I can share my inspirations with you!!!

Hope you have a great day:)

xo

-Eleni

We are the champions my friend!!!

Happy Week everyone!!!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.  Mine, was all about hanging out with friends, coffee, family meals, lots lots lots of sweets, a championship, and a new discovery...

But first things first!! Today Mr. H. and I visited my parents, who live outside the city, to have a family lunch. While, we were playing with our dog Ivan, we heard a squeak sound.. we followed it.. and we found this!!!

Four newborn kittens, all so cute and adorable fitting in Mr. H's hand!!! See that little black-grey fighter... he was attacking us!!! Then, their mama came along to feed them, so we left the scene of the crime immediately.. 

When we got back, I jumped right in to finish the second part of my weekly challenge, so with no further ado, here it is THE CHAMPION (hehehehe)!!!

Front side

Back side

On my couch

I am super excited with this pillow, I just love it!! The colors are so bright and Springy!!! Love, love, love!! I think it turned out a LITTLE???  BIT thick.. but overall I'm so pleased.

Like it??

You should DEFINITELY try this!!! Just head over at Cluck Cluck Sew to get the tutorial.

And now that this is over, what next?? There's something on my mind, but I'm not sure yet.. We'll see!!!

Thank you all for being so supportive, I'm really thankful!!

xo

-Eleni

I'm joining Blogger pillow party + Happy Easter to all of you :)

Happy Saturday everyone:-)

I hope that you are having an awesome time this weekend, with your friends, family, loved ones!! Remember, not to eat too much chocolate, remember not to eat too much chocolate... I keep repeating that just in case I can do it!!! (hehehehehe)

Today, I discovered the Bloggers pillow party, and I want to join all those pillow lovers like myself. So, I've decided to enter with my latest "Tea time" pillow, which is inspired by the beautiful artist Syko {Kajsa Wikman}, and is one of the too many lovely projects in her book "Scandinavian Stitches".  

When, I first saw that pillow, I fell in love with it.. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  I had to make it, and it was the fist pillow I ever made.  The raw applique method that she uses in her projects, was something very new to me... but I loved the way it looked at the end!! 

So here it is a again once more... Ohhh if only I could have it in my couch!!! Hopefully my mother's friend will love it as much as I do:-) But we'll know by Monday if she does, since tomorrow is her name day anniversary!!

So, wish me luck!!!:-)

Happy Easter everyone!!!

xo

-Eleni

P.s. The sprocket pillow is finally stuffed up, and ready to be closed.... finally... 

Work in progress part 2

Good Morning :) 

Today is such a lovely day:) So sunny and warmer!!!

I have made some progress last night with the pillow. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to give it a go...  I know I know, when my mind gets stuck on something... there's nothing I can do to stop it...(hehehehe)

Would you like to take a small glimpse of how it's turning out??

I still got a lot of stuffing to do!!! Hopefully today I will have it ready to set on my colorful (hehehehe) couch.

So, after all, making this pillow was not so difficult. The trickiest part is to connect the stripe to the round front and back... This was a little stressful... but I managed:)

Well, have to get ready for work!!

Hope you have a great Friday :)

xo

-Eleni

Work in progress!!!

Hey everyone:)

How was your Thursday till now??? 

This morning we had a lot of contests going on in our home..  I know you're thinking what is she talking about??? I'll explain everything, don't worry!!! You will see for yourselves... grab your coffee... this might be a little bit long, bare with me pleaseeeeeee!!!  !!

So, I've started working today on the sprocket pillow from Cluck Cluck Sew. The tutorial (which you can find here) is awesome by the way, very easy to follow (me very happy!!!)

First contest was, 14'' or 16'' pillow... And the winner was... 

After that, I had to decide on the fabric!!! Major contest there!!! The contestants were 13 .... but only 12 would make it!!

After cutting, I had to decide on how to arrange the pieces... I have tried at least 10 different versions.. but I'll try to keep this as short as possible... 

so version 1 was..

and version 2 was... (see the difference??)

and since I could not decide on how to arrange them... I asked Mr. H. for his opinion!!

Mr. H.'s version was.... THE WINNER... and you can see on the left bottom corner the eliminated contestant.. poor thing... what will it do now all alone... maybe join in another pillow???? mmmmm tempting...ooohh we'll see!

After all those contests, the Road to the Finals was easy (sort of speech)!! I sew the pieces in pairs and after that in halves,

the two halves together ...

and finally after four hours (hehehe I'm a really really slow sewer) the front side of the pillow was looking at me!!! We were both so happy to be joined together... now we could make it to the finals!!!

I'm really happy that I finally made it... I was so intimidated by this pillow!!! Although, the centre is not so perfectly aligned..here see!! But it will be covered by the button!!! Thank God:)

Now, I have to cut the long side stripe and the back... so stay tuned for the finals!!!


Tell me what you think!! I'd love to know, do you like it so far?? I'm in love, I'm thinking of taking it to bed with me... if I see Dido near it sniffing it... I will KILL him... my precious precious front cover...


Thank you ladies for baring with me on this long long long post... I just wanted for you to see it, like you were here having a coffee with me at home <3:)


-xo
Eleni

Wildflowers & Whimsy: Skye Reve Fabrics Giveaway

Hello lovely blog friends,

I just found out about this awesome fabric giveaway from Skye Reve Fabrics and I wanted to share it with you lovelies :-)!!

They're giving away one of their Sweet Nothings Bundle (1/2 yards of each).  Isn't that the cutest fabric??

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Now why don't you head over to Wildflowers & Whimsy: Skye Reve Fabrics Giveaway to enter this giveaway which ends on April 27.

xo

Eleni

p.s. Thank you for your lovely comments on the Tea time pillow!!! You make me really happy:-)

One part of weekly challenge done

Good day lovely people!!! 

So, as you see in this post's title, the "Tea time" pillow my mother asked me to make for a friend of hers is already packed and sent off with the best courier man (my dad) to the (hopefully) happy recipient.  

Would you like to see how it turned out?

front side

ribbons detail

back side

I think it turned out OK, I really like the color combination, and the patterns combination. The pillow form measures approximately 45X45 cm (17''x17''), and the cushion's finished size is 42X42 cm (16,5''x16,5'').  On the back side there is a little tag (Natural Style Handmade)..ohhh I love those little details... If only I could take better pictures so you could see it better!!!

And as for the packing I opened up a big paper bag from IKEA, and I re-sew it from the opposite side and attached with two buttons one of my fabric easter eggs and a little tag saying thank you for caring... I specifically asked my mother not to touch or tear off the bag!!She's a bit more traditional...you know...

What do you think?? I know that I should have better pictures... but there was not enough light... these days the weather here is really bad.. it's like March again :(

Now, off to the next part of the challenge the Sprocket pillows !!! I'm so anxious about this... it seems to me like a huge project. I don't even know if I have enough fabric, how I will make the color/pattern combinations... ooohhh I'll breath in breath out, breath in breath out.. and I'll jump right to it!!!

Hope you have a great day!!

p.s. I forgot the most important part!!! How silly am I!!!

Kyla over at Funky Polkadot Giraffe has started a craft bookmark challenge.  All you have to do is make something from your bookmark list and present in on her cute blog on April 28th.  So, what do you say?? Are you challenged??

I know I am... OOOhhh I heart challenges!!:-)

xo

-Eleni

Tuesday things I love

Happy Tuesday to all of you!!!:) I can't believe that we are already in Easter week!!! Ohhh time sure flies!!! (and I'm already behind with my weekly project....)

Now, on to my favorite lovely things!!! Grab your coffee and here we go!!!

Darling Amy at Little Country Bumpkins is giving away this wonderful bag.  It's so girly and springy!!! I'm in love with it!! See, see, see!!! Isn't this bag the cutest?? 

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Just go over to her lovely blog  where she shares so many amazing projects and leave your lovely comments!!!

Now, how about this gorgeous fabric from yardsandyards.  

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Ohh I want this fabric... I love the color combination and the patterns!! Ohhh that sparrow is too cute!!! Right?

Anna from YardsandYards also has a great blog where she shares tips on sewing and so many wonderful projects. 

Now, take a look at these little guys from DollsandDayDreams !!! Ooooohhhhh just darling!!!

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P.s. You should definitely check out Skook's Playground version on her new woodland friend... She's so talented!!!

Now how about this Stick Kitty Necklase from marmar !! Isn't it adorable?? Me want it...Mr. H. do your hear me?? 

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Well, I'm off to return to my sewing:)

but before that... Just a sneak preview of my progress... I'm almost done with the Tea time pillow.... just have to sew it up... make the buttonholes... and sew the buttons... 

Thank you all for your tips and advices on my non-stop questions!!!

Hope you have a great day!!

xo

Eleni

Have a great week+ weekly challenge update

Good Day to all you lovely people:)

Hope you had a great weekend!! I was out of town visiting my parents!!! It was so relaxing, not having anything to do, just chatting, playing with Sheba (our lovely Soupline smelling cat hehehe-it's true that he smells like fabric softener, he's always under the bed sheets so he always smells so fresh!!!hehehehe), pure fun!!.

I'd like to thank all of you for your help on what to get to Mr. H. I've placed my order early this morning, for the Faux boix tee (2) and the retro sunglasses (5) {hehehe double surprise}. He will look awesome!! Let's just hope that they will arrive on time.

Since I was out of town, I didn't manage to do any sewing.  So until now, I've managed just to cut and pin the front side of my Tea time pillow. I've also cut the teacup and the teapot.  Fish Chris helped me to pick out the fabric for this pillow. Since this is for an older lady we thought it would be nice to go with an English side type of fabric. I think that fabric and color are well combined. What do you think?

So, I'm off to continue with my projects!!! Thank you all for your help:-)

Happy Monday:-)

-Eleni

A little help from my friends

Friday at last!!! Weekend ahead!!! Me running to buy fabric, cut fabric, cook, go to work... I'm in pure stress!!!  Remember a few days ago, I told you that I would need your help on something. Well, I need your help big time. I can't make a decision!!!

It's Mr. H's birthday this month on April 28, and I haven't decided yet what to give him as a present. I have to place my order the latest tomorrow, so it might arrive on date!! Ohhh I'm so late as usual!!! 

Here we go!!! I know I know so many choices!!!

1. I PICK YOU Sterling Silver Guitar Pick 

2. Faux Boix Owl Tee

3. 70s Polaroid sx-70 one step land camera 

4. Peace Dove Tee

5. Retro 80's Black Sunglasses {He's an 80's guy!!}

6. Wood Stove Hoodie

7. Whale Wallet

8. Retro Polaroid 600 LMS Sun 600 Land Camera - Instant Film

9. Jellyfish Tee

Just to give you some clues!! Mr. H. has wonderful blue eyes, and he looks sssooo good in any shade of blue tee... 

He is a vintage lover, I really do hope that those vintage cameras are in working condition, so he could use them... 

He loves all creatures, but hearts especially whales!!! 

He enjoys playing guitar (self-taught!!)

Even though he's turning 45 he's a casual look lover 

He is the best guy I ever met, my best friend, a man with a huge child-heart (my guy <3)!!!

So, can you help me decide??

Thank you thank you thank you:-)!!!

-Eleni

p.s. Fish Chris, pls don't mention anything to him!!! thanx :-)