This is a quick and easy present, a “pensiero” as they call it in Italian which means “a thought”. I love that expression because that’s exactly what it is, a little reminder that I’ve been thinking about someone.

As I could not find anything circular that I could use and had no time to buy anything, I took the always useful polymorph plastic (has different names) that gets malleable with hot water.

Then I took a package of lace that you can find in Pounland or anything similar. I chose a medium width and the right length to wrap the circle and secure it with super glue. As it was cotton lace it stayed there. 

the last bit is the easiest part, you just have to fold half of the lace that you’ve got (I previously cut it in different lengths) and then pass it through the ring making a knot when you fasten it. They more you pull, the flatter the knot is. Finally I added some butterflies (also found in pounland) just to give an extra detail. The original idea was to do a dream catcher but I didn’t have the appropriate thread, so that was the plan b.

As i had some extra lace when I wrapped the circle I decided to sew it to make it easier to hang, but it is not particularly necessary.

Second attempt to make baby shoes. I keep on changing stitches and re thinking the best way of making them. Still not completely convinced and unable to make them look the same, but I’m getting there ^^

After checking several designs and not being convinced by any of them, I decided to do a very simple one; I knitted 3 “branches” of simple crochet, and then made a braid. I sewed the clip and left a loop on the other side to attach the pacifier.

It is not a particular nor an amazing thing, but it is easy to make and to give as a present to let someone know that you have them in mind 🙂

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And tadaaaaa the bride’s bouquet 🙂

I hope she likes it.

Next step, sew the dress!!

T-6!!

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I’ve been asked to make the bouquets of a wedding that I’m attending as a bridesmaid. At the beginning I thought the challenge was bigger than my abilities to be honest, but thankfully, this modern civilisation has thought of lots of alternatives to make our lives easier and cheaper (and programmed to obsolete, but that’s another story). When I was told I didn’t need to work with real flowers all the perspective changed; these foam flowers look so real and pretty! Also, I wouldn’t have to worry too much about damaging them or figuring out how to keep them from rotten, so that was fine.

Here are the results of the bridesmaids bouquets, I still have to make the bride’s one, which is a bit more complicated but hopefully with this positive experience it will end up being gorgeous and that she will like it. Fingers crossed! ^^

Finally I have finished my very first slippers ^^ I’ve tried to make them as easy, original and warm as possible so I checked different ways and alternatives to make them as best as possible, according to the materials I could get access to. Finally what I’ve done is to buy warm insoles and patiently perforate them with a small screwdriver (I strongly recommend trying to get something better to do so as your fingers might get a little bit sore afterwards). Then I knitted the first row of the crochet with a thin yarn* (the main yarn I wanted to use was too thick for that) and then swap to the main yarn I chose. As I wanted to make something original and different, plus learn something new, I used the Tiny Mock Popcorn stitch, which sounds fancy but it’s extremely easy. When I finished knitting, I pasted the insole to a flip flop (I previously removed the strips so it was flat to paste the insole on top) and let it dry for 24 hours. So far they feel really cosy and warm, but to be honest I want to wait and see how the special glue goes before claiming victory, hehe.

*Note: you have to be careful with the amount of tension when you knit the first row in the insole, it has to be strong enough not to be lose but not so tight that it will curve the insole and therefore wont glue properly to the flip flop.

So here is a good idea tu avoid those thousands of pictures of the same place, at the same time and in the same positions, that are on every single social media. By default I don’t like clichés, I do accept that some places or monuments are worth the shot, but when you see hundreds of people photographing the same, it just loses interest for me. I know, I am a maverick.

The only arguments I have against this camera is, not only the internet availability but also what if something different is happening on a popular place? but then again, I completely share the idea, and far from wanting people to become more experts in photography matters, I am just standing up for people to be creative, that’s all.