Treasure vase

It's totally not my idea. I have seen something like this in colonial Williamsburg museum and somewhere on internet. So if you see this and recognize your idea you are very welcome to comment here and say "Hey, I am a person who first came up with this".
But this crafty creations is perfect one because it is impossible to create two identical ones.  Let me explain why.
Everybody has some box/jar/shelve there is a lot of different stuff is collected: buttons, keys, nails, screws, coins, shells, beads and more and more things you never throw away because you always think: "I may need it sometime". I named my box "treasure box" and here is some stuff I had there

 And below what I have created using this stuff, plain glass cylindrical vase, some glue and paint:

 Also it is easy to create such vases with theme - nautical, technical, etc, etc...
 Come and check out this vase on my etsy shop.

Shabby Chic Cake Box

Today we are going to create box in shabby chic style. This box looks like most delicious cake you have ever tried but have no calories:-) One more bonus: this cake will be good for years. 

So lets start with ingredients:
- nubby velour;
- polyester batting;
- carton;
- corrugated carton
- lining cloth
- fabric
- glue (transparent), multi-purpose glue


Preparing carton base. Cut from corrugated carton two circles (diameter 7,5 inches) and 4 strips (two - one inch wide and 2 - 1.8 inches wide). Remove one top layer from strips (the one without lines).

Put two plates together using multi-purpose glue and paper strips. Fasten sides by strips we removed before.

Covering base by fabric. Сut out circle from sheeting (diameter 7.5 inches + some extra space for seam 0.1), 2 stripes (wide 2,8 inches and 3.2 inches, length - 26 inches). Sew down parts of cake's bottom and cover carton on top as its shown on picture

Put together prepared details of bottom part and under velour put thin polyester batting strips.

Preparing "cream". Cut off tree circles. One - from white paper,  diameter 7.5 inches; one polyester batting circle - diameter 7.8 inches, and one circle from pink fabric, diameter 8.3 inches. The fabric should be elastic. Sew cloth to of cake bottom and velour.

Decorate your cake using roses, flowers, etc. You can prepare it using cloth scraps.

The "cream" line can be done from narrow jersey strips. You should stretch it simultaneously it intertwists. All you need to do - sew it accurately.

Stuffing cooking.  For "stuffing" you need two circles cut off white carton, diameter 7 inches. Also cut off strips, width is 2 inches. If your carton is not white in addition you should use white paper. The same details should be cut from polyester batting. Take a lining cloth and cut off strip 4.3 inches wide, and two circles - diameter 10, 2 inches. Sew out carton parts with cloth putting under it polyester batting.

And finally - last step. Using glue put together all parts of box. You are done! Enjoy!
This master class was originally prepared by Galina Maximova, you can find it here. Also check out Galina personal page  and blog - you can find more lessons and crafty creations from Galina.

Maryana Ostroglyad - my favorite stained glass artist

Today is Wednesday and it's time to introduce to you another artist - Maryana Ostroglyad. She is an Ukrainian artist, she is really talented and I believe she is really great person. Her art works are like a first sunny spring day - warm and sweet. They give you a smile and piece of happiness.
Her artist specialty is  stained glass. She is creating big paintings as well as small magnets. But if we talk about art its better to see than to read about. So the first painting I would like to share with you is "Sun"

Lets continue with sun theme and next series of her art works is named "Sunny friends"

I love magnets as well as I love cats, so here is my number one: magnet with cats

 and one more magnet - with giraffe

You can find more Maryanas works (and other great handmade staff) here. Or you can contact Maryana directly by email. She sells her completed works and can create custom one.  

Another table - Lighthouse

This is another table hand-painted by me. I love to travel and I visited a lot of lighthouses. So this table is some overall summary from all my visits.

This table for romantic room in nautical style. It's vintage and I saved it from being thrown out. All painting is new and covered by vanish so you can put anything you want on it and the painting will not be damaged.

The sand is real send and taken from beach near lighthouse. So its true lighthouse's sand:)  Shells are also real but not related to any lighthouse.

This table is like a wind from summer that is ending now. It's great to seat near such table when its cold and dark outside with cup of hot chocolate/coffee/tea and remember sunny summer days.

Here is more detailed picture of the painting:

This table is available in my etsy shop. If you would like to take your table and create something like this and you have questions - you are very welcome to ask. As well as you have questions about any other my crafty creation.

Halloween ideas: lighting

And lets continue with weekly columns. Each Sunday starting from today you will find some holidays decoration idea. The nearest big decorating event is Halloween. No, It is not too early, it's just on time:-). Especially if you decorate your home with handmade stuff.
So lets start with very simple ideas.
1) Scary holders for tea lights.
They looks really scary and really simple to create. Take a cylindrical glasses and black paper.
Measure height and round of glass. Trace the rectangle on the paper. This rectangle should has height as your glass and width = round of glass + half an inch. This extra half of inch you will use to put edges of rectangle together. Cut the rectangle.
Draw on paper anything you want. Some ideas spider network, bat, pumpkin, ghost, which, cat. If you have no drawing talents its not a problem - just find pictures you like on internet, print it out and cut it. Then put in previously prepared rectangle and outline it using pencil.
Take a paper knife and cut out drawing from rectangle. Wrap the glass with paper and using glue put edges together.

2) Bloody candles. 

All we need its couple white candles and red candle. Drop red wax on white candles and you are done. 

Thats all for today - good luck with your scary lighting.
The materials from the following web-pages were used during preparing this post: http://www.cosmo.ru/; http://sdelaipodarok.ru/

How to: renew your favorite(or hated) bag using decoupage

This week is week of innovation:-) So yesterday I started new column - weekly invited guest. Today I am starting another tradition - weekly master class. So here we go.
Every girl in her closet has her favorite bag. But... the more you love something the faster it became worn. Or maybe you have a bag that you totally don't like? Or you changed your style?
So here is old bag.

The following stuff is needed for giving our bag a new life:

1) White and black acrylic paints
2) Glue for decoupage
3) brushes
4) Transfer medium (Transckryl)
5) Pictures
6) Acrylic base
7) outline


So take your old bag wash it very well and let it to dry.

Next step - its time to decide how do you want decorate it, what parts should be decorated and what pictures you want to use. Cover places you have choose to be renewed with white acrylic base.

The following step - decoupage. On top part of the bag you can see pattern from paper napkin. It’s easy: take a napking, remove layers without a picture, put it on the place you want to decorate and cover with decoupage glue using whide brash. Let it dry then covet it with transfer medium - it will save the picture from erasing.

Now we should prepare pictures for main part of bag. They were selected from old wall calendar and Paris postcard and became a keynote of bag.

It is hard to glue thick pictures so we need to work on them using Transfer medium. In this case was used Transfer medium producted by Lefranc&Bourgeois. Сover previously cuted picture using Transfer medium. You should create 2-3 layers of it. Each layer should dry 20-30 minutes. After you done with all 3 layers, let it dry for 24 hours.

Now your picture is like rubber. Put it to bowl with water for couple minutes.

Back side of picture soaks and exfoliate. Previously covered with Transfer medium front side stays nice and stable. Accuratelly remove paper from back side of picture till you get thin elastic film with picture. Let it dry one more hour.

Add glue on the place covered with acrilyc base and film with picture. Put it together. Remove air bubles under picture and take extra care about edges.
Let it dry for couple hours or overnight.

Using outliner add some smoothness to bodrer of bag and picture. Using actrilyc paints add emphasis where it’s needed.

Last step - pendant. The one below was created from keychain and beads.

Your bag is renovated and redecorated. Its looks like new and you can be sure - no one in the world has the same one. Here is the result of our efforts

This master class was originally prepared by LiveJournal user nastik_art. I would like to say great thanks to her for materials and pictures.

Foot Stools with feet

Starting from today each Wednesday in my blog you can see the new column - "invited guest" or "my favorite handmader".

I love unusual and custom furniture. So today I would like to introduce you most funny foot stools I have ever seen. They all are custom designed and unique. They are not just ordinary foot stools you can find in any shop...They are definitely art work.

Each of this amazing foot stools have it’s own themed design with matching shoes. It can be perfect personalized gift.
For men, for kids, for women - for anybody and anywhere.

Below you can found my favorites.

For sport lovers:

For men

For women

And my number one - for kids:

More and more foot stools with can be found right here - Feet stools shop or in etsy shop.

Road trip - entry way furniture.

This is most favorite piece of furniture in my apartment.  I spent over two months to transform ordinary used IKEA bookshelf to an funny entry furniture. I named it "Road trip"

I starred from drawing canvases for licences plates on back wall. Then using acrylic paints I colored them.

All license plates have real size, real font, and are the copy of old plates from different states(over 40). 

Next step - putting mirror. I have broken two ones before this was done. Using decoupage, red, white and blue yarn, glue and a lot of patience I reworked an old rack.

Of course - no road trip can be without denim. My old jeans, my boyfriend jeans and jeans of my best friend now cover sides of this piece of furniture.

Final step outside side panels - one of them has map, and other has a road and traffic light. Real working traffic light but smaller than real one :-) 

Now it is standing in my entry way and inspire me to new road trips. 

Money- box for corvette fans

I am collecting pennies for a while. So I needed a storage for them big enough to hold at least 50 dollars :-)

Also I have a dream - blue Corvette Grand Sport 2010. So... glass jar, acrylic paints and couple hours of time and here we go:

I believe such money boxes can be a great gift:-) I can do it in different sizes as well as put any picture you want on it. Here is the link - etsy.

Wall Decor or New Life of Old Cookware

Do you have any unused, old or not liked by you cookware? Or you have some that you LOVE but it is unusable anymore? Do you believe that cookware can became unusual and unique wall decor for you kitchen? It can! Here are photos to prove it:-) 

And as usual: you buy it here, or you can can use my email to buy it without etsy or you can order any custom picture and size.