Spring/Summer 2013 Marc by Marc Jacobs - Clour inspiration brought

Fashion week is in full swing and designers are showing us what to wear Summer 2013. I have fallen head over heels with Marc by Marc Jacobs playful collection. Patterns and colours are beautiful... I want so many pieces from this collection and feel totally inspired.
You like?

Images from The Best Fashion Blog and The Sartorialist

Images from Patternbank (awesome website for colour and pattern inspitarion)

I'm back with lots of DIY projects! First up is Chupi's nursery

I've been away from the blog for what feels like ages. I am so sorry, I didn't mean to be away for that long... time just flew and before I knew it weeks have passed.

The good thing about this is that I have managed to finish a lot of DIY projects and I will be posting them all these coming weeks and I finished Chupi's room.
Here is a quick preview of how it turned out.

The two IKEA Rast dressers ended up keeping their original pullers (see the previous post here for the original thought of adding Asian style pullers and more Rast DIY inspiration)
The Ikea rug I painted is a great colour adition and breaks up all the red really well (the original post on painting the rug is here)
The knitted monster travel pillow that I made for Chupi for using with our baby carrier was awesome during our 2 week trip to Sweden and Belgium in July. The 20 hour trip from Hong Kong to Sweden would have been impossible without it and a huge knitted blanket that I brought. She is still supposedly small enough to sleep in those travel baskets that the airlines provide, but that's according to the airline, not Chupi. She would not stop crying when we tried to put her to sleep in it (during the Easter trip she slept just fine in there but then she was only 3 months, now she was 7 months). So she ended up sleeping on top of me which made me completely immobile during most of the flight. Thank god for that extra little pillow and blanket to create some padding. 

I will be posting more detail photos of the nursery soon, so don't forget to check back later.

DIY shoe inspiration

Sea shell heels, photo from Jak & Jil. 
The bottom photo I am not sure where it's from, it's been on my desktop for an eternity.

Have a great weekend everybody!

DIY Inspiration - Vintage button necklace

While scrolling through Glitter 'N Glue for some DIY window shopping I came across this photo of Amanda Garrigus taken at the Marni for H&M pre-shopping party in Los Angeles.

Just look at that awesome button necklace she is wearing, so simple, so cool and totally DIYable.

More IKEA Rast DIY makeover inspiration

I still have to do something with the 2 IKEA Rast dressers from a previous post here in our living room and I just cannot seem to decide what to do with them, the fact that there are like a zillion Rast makeovers out there to be inspired by does not make this any easier.

Below are 2 more makeovers I came across when browsing through IKEA Hackers just recently.

I think the pullers on the pink one are the kind I need for the dressers in Chupi's room, not the ones that are currently on there, although cute, they don't fit with the rest of the room and now really annoy me which I guess is why that project hasn't moved forward either.

Anyways... soon I tell myself, soon I will get around to that.

For the full DIY project and more pictures visit original post here by Jenny and Louisa at For Chic Sake.

the original post for the Industrial look dresser DIY is by refresheddesigns and can be found here.

DIY kids coffee shop - Welcome to Millz

I've seen plenty of DIY play kitchens out there and an especially good source for these type of projects is IKEA Hackers.
If you're into DIY and haven't already checked it out I suggest you should... it's filled to the brim with lots of cool and a few awkward but still interesting DIY hacks of IKEA products.
In the kids section you will find loads of super cute play kitchens, both simple and very advanced projects.
Whilst not from Ikea Hackers, this is the first time that I've seen a DIY kids coffee shop.
Thought up and realized by Traci at 45Wall Design for her daughter Emilia and I think it tops the scale in cuteness and ingenuity. It is obvious that this was not just thrown together quickly one evening, a lot of love and thought and work has gone into it, making it so much more lovely.
Enjoy and be inspired...

for more details and pictures visit the full post here.

My Mood Board - Let's not forget the little boys

There's been way too much girly stuff featured on this blog.
I hope that people don't take this the wrong way.
I am a firm believer in that everything that works for boys could work just as well for girls
...and what's wrong about a boy playing with dolls? Boys also have to learn about adult life through roll playing. And lets face it, all little boys don't grow up to be astronauts or cowboys, some grow up to be great fathers and husbands and hopefully so much more.

So even though today's posts are very gender stereotype I believe in letting the children choose what colours they like or don't like and what toys to play with, without us brainwashed adults telling them what's for boys and what's for girls.

I remember very well being secretly disappointed as a little girl when my father would come home from a trip abroad bringing with him little gifts for me and my brother ...my brother's boy toy was always sooo much cooler than the (usually pink) gift I was given.

Pink was my least favorite colour as a kid.

My Mood Board - Perfect little girls room

My iPad is overflowing with interior pictures but I hardly ever look at them.
That is partly due to my iPad crashing and closing down whenever I scroll through my pictures on it
...i need to have that looked at.

To get them out of there and onto somewhere useful (and where I might look at them) I will be creating themed mood boards and post one each Thursday. 
So here we go... 
it's Thursday(!) and today's mood board will follow Tuesdays posting theme ... it is an inspiration board for the perfect (in my opinion) little girls room.

Pouffes and floor pillows DIY inspiration

I am going to sew some nursery floor pillows tat we can all use when hanging out and playing on the floor. I am considering adding a base with wheels to stack them on, perfect for moving around when cleaning and suddenly it has become a pouffe or foot stool. I love things with multiple purposes, usually I end up using multi-purpose items for only one thing but it's always a great selling point to me...by that I mean I fall for it.

Coming back to my home sewn floor pillows...
no DIY project without some inspiration

1. Frank pouffe from SCP
2. Pesce pouffe from Culture Vulture
3. Low Pixel Ottoman from Down to the Woods
4. Cameia pouffe from John Lewis
5. Anthropologie Mushroom pouffe
6. DIY pouffe tutorial by Better Homes & Garden

Pictured pillows are from West Elm

House pillows from Collected by Tas-Ka

1. DIY Girard floor cushion tutorial by tried & true

2. Floor pillow by MYK

3. Knitted floor pillow by MYK

4. DIY Jelly Roll floor pillows tutorial found at Moda Bakeshop

5. DIY Land of Nod inspired floor cushion tutorial by Living with Punks

6. DIY Hawaian Style felt pillows by Purl Bee

Make My Room - Cupcakes and Powdered Sugar

Make My Room


Today's Make My Room post will be for the Mini princesses in our lives...
this weeks inspiration is Cupcakes and Powdered Sugar
You will get a peak into 3 little girls nurseries topped off with some retail therapy
... enjoy!

see all pictures of Emily's Artsy Traditional Nursery over at Project Nursery

find more details from Rylee's dreamy nursery at Baby Lifestyles

The full feature of Scarlett's room can be found on Chic & Cheap Nursery

1. Fuchsia cotton hanging lamp from Graham & Green  - £85.00

2. Cupcake plushie from SeeSueStitch on Etsy   - $14.00

3. Printed Quilts by Auggie  - $125.00

4. Steam Pug print by Doggleheim on Etsy - $12.00

5. Custom upholstered Chakki in designer fabrics from Serena & Lily   - $450.00

6. Large Pink African Basket from EA Déco   - €100.00

My name is Simone...

Meet the über cute, quirky and slightly retro dolls by My name is Simone. 

Creator Caroline Castagna-Suarez realized after working 6 years as a creative director for and advertising agency that becoming an adult is no fun, in her own words... 

"Growing up Sucks!"

So she gets down to work and decides to spend her spare time time fighting against adulthood and seriousness. The outcome is Simone and her friends, made in the EU, of super soft 100% organic cotton and safe inks they are the perfect gift for any little girl or boy.

But this is not about Caroline, this is all about Simone and its a lot more fun!

Featured - Alessandra Hayden from Just Be Happy Life

Today I'd like to introduce you all to Alessandra Hayden, super creative full time mother and fellow blogger living in Tacoma, WA.
For 5 years she's been sharing her everyday life and her love for creating with us on her blog Just Be Happy Life
and today she is sharing why she started blogging and what she loves about it plus a very awesome scavenger hunt which is one of the many activities that she comes up with to entertain, inspire and just spend some good creative time with her kids.

Question   
What made you decide to start blogging? 
Answer
I decided to blog to make friends, get some ideas out of my head, which in turn makes me create more.

Question  
What is the most fulfilling part about blogging?
Answer 
I think it's going back and having history to one day share with my kids.

Question  
You very often feature some great kids activities and projects. Where do you get your ideas from? 
Answer  
Lots of my ideas come from Pinterest and TinkerLab

Question
Being a full time mom, how do you manage to make time for maintaining the blog and your crocheting business at the same time? 
Answer  
It's easy because the blog is a reflection of my life, I put in there what we do at home and I love to crochet, so I try to squeeze it in whenever I can, after the kids go to bed or while they nap (baby)/quiet time (toddler).

Question  
What do you wish to achieve with blogging?
      - is it a way to increase customers for your crocheting business?
      - is it somewhere to vent?
      - is it to meet others with similar interests and share online?
Answer
All of the examples! 

Question 
Is there anything else you would like to add, something you would like people to know about you? 
Answer  
I am always open to new ideas, suggestions, so if anyone has anything they would like to share, I'd love  to hear. Please contact me by email justbehappy@justbehappycrochet.com

For some exciting educational and creative activities to do with your kids check out Alessandra's blog where you can revel in ideas such as this very cool Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt she put together for her son last week. 

Details and the Scavenger Hunt printout can be found here.

Thank you for sharing Alessandra!

In love with Smantha French

Samantha French, originally from Minnesota and currently residing in New York, is the creator of these lovely works of Art below. The colours that the reflections of light create on the water is simply gorgeous. I wouldn't know where in my home to place one of these artworks if I had one but I wish I did.

DIY project - IKEA Rast dresser makeover

I have just bought 4 Ikea Rast dressers.
They are cheap and untreated and great for DIY and I am definitely not the first to DIY this dresser.
Below are some Rast re-creations from others...

1. Almost Makes Perfect
2. Me, You and a Wiener
3. IKEA’s Livet Hema blog
4. Design Manifest
5. AM Dolce Vita


I bought two dressers for Chupi's room and two for the living room as a TV stand and DVD storage etc. The ones in the living room are still plain and very ugly and I haven't decided what I want to do with them. The two in Chupi's room have already been painted and only need hardware ...that's where I got stuck.
I bought and added the hardware to one of the chests and now I cant decide if I maybe liked it better with the original knobs.

What do you think, original knobs or the oriental brass ones? 

I might go for something completely different in the end... I will keep you updated on how it turns out. 


The stripey guys on the dresser are my Sock Monkeys, I am a bit of a sock monkey maniac at the moment and have to everyone's amusement started a mini sock monkey production line.

To finish today off here are some more IKEA Rast hack by other bloggers

1. Design Sponge

2. I Suwannee

3. IKEA’ s Livet Hema blog

4. Design Dump

5. + 6. I cannot find who hacked these but they are using the  decorative fretwork panels from O’verlays

See how the other pair of dressers turned out here.

Heard of Inkodye?

I came across a post about Inkodye Lumi Printing System at Jessica Jones inspiring blog How About Orange. Yet another thing I had no idea I needed...but I do, I need Inkodye, lots of it.

It's is a type of fabric dye that is clear when painted onto the fabric but develops into hues of red, blue or yellow when exposed to the sun.

Searching images of Inkodye I came across some really cool  projects and now my head is spinning with ideas for my own projects. So many things can be done with this, clothes, home furnishing, bags and  projects such as the below photo printed onto cotton with Inkodye.

Instructions on how to do this can be found on Snapguide.

How about this amazing print done in blue from purely decorative. Plants were placed on top of the fabric while developing, so simple and absolutely stunning.

So that was my need for yet another creative tool confirmed.

DIY makeover for my IKEA rugs

I am currently researching rug patterns. I have two white Ikea rugs, the cheap one, Erslev. I intend to paint them, as many have done before me, just by running a search on Erslev I got lots of projects done by others previously...so I am not a pioneer. One is for Chupi's room (*update* this rug has been painted and can be found here) and I have already figured out the pattern, and have bought the paint, that one was very easy. The other one is for the living room and I have researched patterns for 3 weeks now and can still not decide what to do.

Some days I am thinking to make it easy for myself and do a white and brown African mudcloth inspired pattern similar to the inspiration pictures below.

I see ethnic patterns everywhere currently, on catwalks, in peoples homes, on the street and there is the risk that I will get sick of it very very soon

...but maybe not. 

Maybe the trend will pass and I will still love it and be happy with it in my home and 3 years later when the trend has passed and everyone has forgotten and is chasing another trend I will hold on to my dear ethnic patterns and love them and be unique and cooool... "in my mind" as Eddie Izzard might say (if you don't know who Eddie is then allow me to introduce you, this is he )

Other days I am completely mad and believe that I can do something as advanced as below...well I could BUT it would take forever and I have learnt to leave forever taking projects alone as I tend to leave them uncompleted and they end up in the ever growing pile of other forever projects in the closet.

The Kilim rugs are reeeaally nice though and I would love love love one. They don't come cheap however and I am in a saving mode as I in the midst of starting my own business, but more on that later. 

Just look at those lovely Kilim patterns below. I already have a few pillows so no need for that, but I love the colours (my boyfriend thinks they're a bit rough to lean against).

But if I just look at parts of Kilim rugs and forget all the 100 other patterns in it it seems quite doable again

...still, there is quite a bit of masking tape involved in something like that. Then I came across another rug on this great blog about handmade carpets and rugs.

...how cool is this. This would actually be really great for Chupi's room as well, but I have to draw the line somewhere and Chupi's carpet design has been decided so if this is to go anywhere it is in the living-room (I wish I had more rooms). Instead of painting zig zags I could sew yarn into it like above. Chevron is also very trendy and I worry I might actually get sick of that pattern for real. I have some ikat chevron fabric that I love. I love it so much that I cannot decide what to do with it, because if I use it for one thing I cannot use it for another. Anyone ever have that problem?

I could use the same concept of colourful threads though and change the pattern...hmm.

This is where the rug will be (see the white one under the coffee table? that's the one getting a remake. It used to be larger but I washed it and it shrank, which really annoys me every time I look at it. 

If only I had someone reading this who could give me advice.

Oh, and if anyone could help me in regards to what to do with the weird stone wall on the right... I cannot hang anything on the actual wall, it is huge and not very nice looking.

Going back to rugs and carpets, I also love the look in the picture I fount at apartment therapy below, lots of different carpets stitched together to help cover up an ugly floor. 

*Update* See the finished results for Chupi's nursery rug here 

A sudden urge to draw...

I came across a Adam Lester container ship painting on Anna Spiro's blog Absolutely Beautiful Things (check it out, it's filled to the brim with gorgeous colourful interior images and other inspiring pictures) and I want it... I am sure I really need it! As usual I started googling images for more Adam Lester art work and came across the picture above, creating a sudden urge to do some colourful drawing myself.
It's a scene very often seen here in Hong Kong- fishing boats, cranes, piping and other daily disturbances... and it's beautiful! I will never look at construction sites in the same way again.