Ideas for decorating children’s rooms

When it comes to decorating the walls of a child’s room, it is often very hard to find something   worth buying, either in terms of quality or aesthetic value.

You may find a variety of prints but original works of art are either rare to find or very expensive. So, why don’t you try to make something of your own that no one else will have!

 I will share with you today three different ideas of ‘paintings’ on canvas that I have created and I believe you will like them and why not , make something similar yourselves!

 Idea No 1 : Stencils and painting on canvas

 You can find a framed canvas, at very low prices at art and crafts shops or even at toy shops.

Most of us have some stencils at home from previous artistic attempts J.

If not, you can make your own stencils, drawing and cutting out the patterns  that you like. You can use a transparent A4 plastic sheet, neither very thick nor very thin, so that you can handle it easily.

 For my ‘painting’ I used stencils that I had and I also made some more myself: butterflies , flowers and birds.

After copying the patterns using the colours that I had chosen , I added details to some of them . I drew eyes , little beaks , feathers , pedals and buds, thus breathing  more ‘life’ to my little critters!  

 If you are not good at drawing, you may avoid adding details to the stenciled patterns. They will look equally good.

Idea No 2: Left over fabric on canvas

 I’m sure most of you keep pieces of fabric that you like and wait for the right time to use it. This is the time, my dear friends! Use them on canvas to make a fabric painting! Little houses in rows, birds, butterflies, little boats, toys, flowers, can easily be made with a little patience !

 For my fabric scene I used some fabric with stripes and dots and made these gigantic looking butterflies , a little neighbourhood and some bunting , for this extra happy look!

 Idea No 3: Decoupage , fabric and acrylic colour on canvas

 Choose a paper napkin with a scene   that you like and use this easy and impressive technique (decoupage) to transfer  the scene on canvas. 

 I used  a topic that I love: a bike and a valley of lavenders and a stone house in the background.

To give it  a richer texture , I added some fabric bunting and I painted  over the pattern, using my acrylic colours. I also used a piece of string to ‘hung’ the little bunting from.

This little colourful ‘place’ adds colour to the room and attracts attention!

I  hope you liked my ideas and make something similar for you. If you do so , I’ll be very happy if you let me know! It is always very good to hear that you are inspired by the things you see in this blog.

I wish you all a creative weekend and week ahead.

My love to all,

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thinking of Summer !!

After  the abundance of bright, happy,  spring colours that have emerged in my recent posts and my desire to celebrate the beauty of spring , the dream of summer has very recently and secretly visited  my mind and heartJ

 

   

I have missed the warm, salty, sea air and the unique feeling of swimming in crystal, turquoise-blue waters, the happiness of hanging out on the beach , letting the  vast ,blue sea ‘absorb’ my thoughts and feelings.

Some time ago, I took these photos of the reflections of fluffy clouds and sailing boats on the blue, sea water of a little port. I   was   amazed at the beauty of these incredible, paintings created by Nature and I wanted to share them with you.

Sea shells   never cease to make me smile, when I discover them on the beach, among the pebbles and the sand. The day I took these photos, I was very lucky to detect quite a few and in good condition. It was March back then , and the beach was ‘recovering’ from the invasion of the huge, winter waves that brought along drift wood and little treasures, like these  little ‘pieces of art’  .

I don’t know what created   this intricate etching on this pebble, but it definitely did a great job !  What do you think?

As I have written before in my posts, Nature never ceases   to amaze me  with its beauty, which appears in all shapes and forms and gives me an inner tranquility and calmness …..

Enjoy the weekend , then dear readers and I hope you come across  little, hidden treasures of  Nature that will fill your heart with happy feelings.

My love to all,

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A crochet blanket for spring and summer

I learnt how to crochet when I was at school  and from time to time I made little things  just to  keep my hands busy, but I had never crocheted anything  special . Then, I forgot all about it for many years .

When, I  found out that there is a vast new world out there , called blogland and   started reading the blogs of some very talented ladies, I was reintroduced into the magic world of crochet!! 

I bought a hook and some yarn and started creating my first granny squares.

It didn’t take long for this practice to become some sort of addiction and the little granny squares                   ...........multiplied ‘dangerously’! 

 The more I made, the happier I felt and I soon started thinking about how to best put them to use.

Cushions were the obvious choice! I made about 4-5 cushions for the sofa and the armchairs and then I took the big decision: a blanket would be the next step to my quest!

 That first blanket started in autumn and had been completed by the end of winter. It was a warm, wool, white , winter blanket. But spring came soon, and my fingers felt uneasy and ready for another project: a spring - summer blanket!

  I went shopping again and the obvious colour choices for a spring time project were, what else: bright orange and candy pink, grassy green and sunny yellow, turquoise, white and light blue.

I used soft, cotton yarn with a silky texture and started crocheting granny squares   using three or four colour combinations for each one.

 I used colours randomly. I just wanted to have fun without caring so much about making identical squares. I felt like a child drawing with new crayons!

This crocheting journey lasted for some months. Most of the work took place while I was on holiday. I used to wake up , make  some filter coffee and take my crochet to the backyard . I spent some wonderful, relaxed and happy hours there, sitting in the shade , playing with colours and piling up more and more granny squares.

  I remember this lovely activity with nostalgia. It was one of my best summers ever! Apart from crocheting I made lots of other crafts and this fever of creativity and excitement tired me physically but made me very happy!!

When summer ended ,most of the work was done, but I had to make some serious decisions that needed   courage: how to combine all the squares  to make the best of the colour and shape combinations!

When autumn came, I was ready, and started spending  many hours and days as a matter of fact, arranging and rearranging, sewing together , crocheting some granny stripes around the first central combination of  granny squares , adding more squares around them and  finally putting together  a lovely , sweet , happily coloured  blanket  .

I love this little blanket! I never tire of looking at it and I adore its candy colours.

 As there was some leftover yarn, I made some little cushions to go with the blanket.

Cushions are never enough!:)

Well, I hope you liked this little story of crochet   and I will leave you here my dear readers, for the time being , wishing you a lovely , warm and sunny May weekend .

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Welcome to May

May is here with its abundance of colours , the aroma of the tree blossoms , the brightest of greens and reds in flowers and fields.

In Greece, on the first day of May,  people go the countryside to pick up flowers and make wreaths, to have picnics under the trees , sing and dance and welcome the new month!

It is a lovely occasion for family and friends to gather together and share some hours in the arms of nature, experiencing the beauties of the natural world that those of us who live in cities and towns sometimes forget.

We had a lovely time yesterday and I made two flower wreaths using twigs of ivy. I added marigolds, roses and greenery from bushes and aromatic plants, like rosemary and oregano and finally added green and pink ribbons.

I think they look great. Do you agree? I used simple things that I found around me and the result made us all smile.

All in all it was a lovely, warm and sweet spring day and I am so grateful for the nice moments it offered us all.

Have a wonderful new month ,wherever you are in the world, dear readers.

I’ll be back with some more colourful things to share with you.

Enjoy the weekend ,

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx