Pencil Holder from Household Can -Tutorial

 I have made this  small project over the weekend. I used a fruit can. We had all the fruit for lunch the day before and the size and shape was perfect for my pencils. After washing and drying I just covered it with fabric and it all turned out really well. So well that I thought that I will share it here in pictures. Hope that it will inspire you to have a turn and make your own. If you do please share it in the comments with a link!!!Happy stitching!! Click on the pictures to enlarge.

 

 The embroidered word means pencils in Hungarian, but you can embroider anything on the felt.

ON?....OFF!!

I decided to take the weekend off. I was full of ideas and made the best discovery last weekend at my grans ( will write about that sometimes later in the blog) but I just feel so. . . weighted down. I just feel completely drenched by winter cold and the dullness of grey winter days. It's raining since days. It’s windy, and cold with rain and snow. Still I am sure that spring is on its way. Cannot wait for that fresh start.

I used this weekend for lying in and taking time for self-indulgence in my self-pity. I don’t really write much about myself. Moreover I try to keep things balanced in the blog about good things that I make- and might be inspiring for others. Still now I decided to change that. I know I am not the only one but sometimes it is just takes a lot out of you to fight what life throws at you from time to time. For me it is the worst when people come to you on FB or in snail mail with messages that turns the knife in you which has already been there for more than a year. I know they don’t want anything wrong, or to hurt me. But they do… What do you say to them? I do not mean to be rude but I just feel that people just being so insensitive sometimes and I just want to say anything without hurting them. But I just can’t. I feel soul destroyed lately. I hope that I get the chance for the fresh start I am looking for very soon. As I feel really shredded lately and disconnected with who I am and who I want to be.

I feel the biggest need recently to turn my up to now successful little crafty business into something bigger. I just not sure that I am ready to take the step to turn my hobby something that I love and makes me relax into something so serious as a real business. It mightn’t time for it as yet as I am not sure that the constant pressure of making enough money to support myself would be something I would find easy to deal with on a day to day basis.

I love to come up with new lines of products and then turning this creative thought into doodles and turning those into reality: products. Just getting inspired by buttons or materials even ribbons that I find anywhere. Sometimes it is hard to get things realized due to limitations of materials but I love challenges like that at all times. The most important ever is: nevertheless sometimes I make series or things alike all should be to a certain standard of craftsmanship and quality. I know, what I make come from the heart. I make all things with all means with the labor of love. Every seam is earnest and done with the best intentions. I honestly do my best in every product and I am proud of that. I will see if I am always successful in my Viri-ish style. Still I know I will have to balance my creative job and my real job for some time on. I know this all might seem to be a kind of a monologue full of complaint but I do not think of it as such any more, more like a personal debate that I can constantly learn from. Something that inspires solutions for the future…. Whatever that might be for me.

Outside of the above I used my time to do a bit of surfing for inspiration and ideas. I do keep up with my usual internet surfing with blogs that I am subscribed to on a day to day basis. Outside that I do not do much surfing other than keeping up my own sites which seems like more than enough sometimes or even too much with my office job. This weekend I found some quiet hours to look at other people’s sites. I just admire them and ask, "How do people find time for this?". “I wish I ever had that!” The craft blogs out there are just so beautiful! For years I have been collecting magazines like Country Living and Interiors. When I can get my hands on anything of that quality I treasure it. I would read it over and over again. Flip through the pages several times to make sure I take in all the colors and dreaming. Dreaming of how I would use it in my home or sewing. Even when I did not have a home I used to do that for a long time, since even after we got married with my hubby we did not have our own home for years.

Craft blogs are the same for me. I love to hunt for ideas, look at color schemes and read all articles on anything. I enjoy every minute when I discover something new….it keeps me going even at hard times…. Like this weekend.

Winner Announced

I would like to thank everyone who has taken part at the game for the 30$ voucher mainly on Facebook. I have gathered all the likes, shares and comments .The winner is Zsófia Lakos!!!!!Congratulation! I'd like to thanks all who took part, for them shortly a new game will follow.

Cross Stitch Rose Pillow

I love to do cross stitch embroidery. Unfortunately the one on the picture was not made by me. I wish I was this good in it. But I adore the person who has made the effort.The miniature crosses are embroidered with sewing thread and  I know it is defiinitely done by hand as it has some small flows. Unbeliveable. I fount it in my favorite charity shop. Back then it was a shirt. Some whitener and a good wash and it was as good as new. Ready to be re-thought as a pillowcase, better than ever...Love it!

Win!!! Win!!! Win!!!

You can win a Tubaroza design vaucher worth 30$!!!! Vaucher can be used in my Etsy shop for any item or custom listing. All you have to do is leave a comment here and like  Tubarozadesign on Facebook or share a link to my contest on your blog. Anyway you will have to leave a comment here. I will have a draw on the 26th January and will announce the winner the same day.

Best of luck to all of you!!!

Due to lack of comments I will involve all facebook share and likes.

New Year Resolutions

I don’t believe in new year resolutions. I admit it I tried and failed several times miserably ( I guess I am not alone with that)pushing myself to do something new I thought will make me better. I just had to come to terms that they weren’t for me as I hate to be restricted .I know I had been quite sporadic in the last months, due to the amount of time I had to put into my day job. December is always so busy work wise. Still I can feel that this year some unsaid resolution is on the way for me. A real one. One I actually can keep and one that is a lot of fun . It is not something I have decided but something that just comes to me day to day without deciding or wanting it. It feels good and calm more structured. What do I mean?
I try to take it easy and let things go more easy and be much less rigid on things if they do not work out perfectly. I am much less stressed in years and it feels perfectly fine. I hope I don’t ruin it by tagging it as a resolution but anyway I have said it out aloud.
The only thing it isn’t working on is my crafts. I can start something over and over again a million times if I think it is not good enough if it is not up to my standards. I always keep in mind that I want to do something that someone else would love to use for years sometime putting too much pressure on myself. Still I don’t think it is a bad thing to do. I actually find this inspiring and something that makes me improve my trade from product to product.
The other discovery that ended in a resolution is a bit more adventurous. In the end of November I come across a lot of lovely things for my sewing. By accident I was passed on some beautiful lace, handmade lace-like crochet, vintage buttons (some form the 20’s mother of pearl) and fabric. All vintage. Mostly from my gran and her friends . What I like the most about them is every small bit of fabric came with a story to it. I have listened to all, from simple stories about friends and family occasions to war memories.
The more I heard the better it all got. I got the bug. Even before I loved foraging in the antique shops for fabrics, buttons and any sewing accessories but from now on I want to make sure each product I make will have a bit of the past.
It just adds so much even to the simplest thing and the textures…oh… heavy but in a nice way. Back then they knew how to add weight with lace and embroidery. I love to touch things and feel the fabrics. It means a lot to me to come up with a product that has more to give not only pleasing for the eye but for the soul too.
From now on my shop will have products with a little bit of extra special additions. I will try to include some stories here too. I don’t want to turn into some history expert just share some of my discoveries as an amateur who has a great interest in happenings of the past. Love stories of wives , lovers and outsiders and tales friendships and great escapes of course together with the finds. I kind of feel that I owe this much to these people for their kindness. I have already incorporated some of the buttons in the bag that came out in my shop some days ago.I think they work quite well with the contemporary design. Have a peep in the shop by clicking here.

{ Tubaroza Etsy Shop}

Getting Ready for Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I was coming in this morning to work and I noticed that all the shops on the way have been decorated nicely for the season. I couldn't help getting excited and some where from the corner of my mind a soft melody lurked ....It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas E'wery where..... I was sitting on the tram and just couldn't stop myself humming very quietly until I got in. I will be off soon and will be laying in watching lovely Christmas movies. Oh and of course the best thing to do will be baking endless trays of cookies and sewing lovely pressies for friends and family.Just cannot wait only 11 days to go....... hmmmmmm.Until then here is a small bit of lovely red decorations from nastrierocchetticountry.blogspot.it:

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Clay Christmas Decorations

I love white especially at winter. Reminds me of the endless fields of white snow where we used to play in the winter time when we small. I love to use this color to decorate at Christmas too especially mixed with red. Blunt and simple.

I have seen a lot of variety of the clay decorations for Christmas. I have tried making them of clay I bought at hobby shop but it was not the best I have to say. I have found a lovely recipe for the clay which I tried and worked perfectly for me.

It is fairly simple and does not require a lot of preparing.

 {Inspiration from Google pictures}

Clay Christmas Decorations

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

3/4 cup water

Making Clay

In a medium sized pan combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water. Put it on the hob and stir the mixture over medium-low heat. After a couple of minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken when it has a smooth texture remove from heat. Spoon the dough into a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth until it's cool. When it's cool, knead it on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.

Rolling, cutting, and baking

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out clay to 1/4 inch thick on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Transfer shapes to baking sheet. Poke a hole in the center top of each decoration. Place them in the oven at 175 degrees for about an hour, turning them over halfway through cooking.

Decorate them and thread a piece of ribbon, twine or yarn through the holes.You can also use rubber stamps to add a bit of color. Best used on trees but I love to put it inside cards that I send out or hand over to friends.it is also perfect on presents, like boxes or vine.This year I will be using it as an advent calendar stocking stuffer.

Advent Cross Stitch Projects

I was going through some of my old magazines and found these beautiful projects.I usually not that drawn to cross stitching as it takes quite a lot of time for the  images to form but these are really neat and so easy to make. You will fly through and not realize that you are stitching.
 I have photographed two projects from the magazine for you one is a fabric framed NOEL bunting which is made by using heavy paper and fabric. The other one is actually not one but two small  Christmas themed illustrations to use with cards or ornaments. All color codes are supplied below. Happy stitching!


 Noel Bunting

A hint: Do the letters first with generous spacing and make the frame accordingly to fit the size.

 Ornaments and Cards