What's always great while traveling...

...a cute note-/adressbook to gather all those email adresses, phone numbers and contact information! I love mine and it's so easy to make ;)

*Click*

DIY {phone make over the 3rd}

No crafts for weeks. I know. No one else feels more sad about it than I do. So here we finally go with some craftiness. A small 10 minute project involving only some masking tape and your phone(cover).

I made a cover for my phone this summer, but travelling made me use my phone even more. As a result it fell down. A lot. I put it out and in my pockets. A lot. I had it on hand. Always. So there was this point where all those tiny pieces of foil started to come off. So as much as I loved it, I had to change. Here we go:

Easy peasy lemon squizzy!

Take your phone back off. Wrap it with washi-masking tape. Put the back, back on. Easy as I said.

And all those tiny bits that you'll cut off: So useful for all this tiny stuff you have to stick in your diary/calender/notebook...

Not mind blowing but an easy solution for a tiny bit of color ;)

The Nightmare before Christmas {Aka my very first own pumpkin carving}

So this Thursday turned out to be my "free" day of the week. Thing is: I get too excited about those rare free days! I start planning and planning and adding To-Do's one after the other that I end up with my "free" Day being the busiest of the week.
My plan for today was: Buy a gift, rush home, skype, do my laundry, go shopping for groceries, bake, answer my mails, read, clean my room and go to bed early.

It started with my skype-date telling me she didn't have time. So I did my shopping and just went home. I did buy all the ingredients for my baking but it just never happened...because:
I discovered that carving pumpkins is actually FUN! Like really fun! So no chocolate cookies, no answered mails, no detailed plans for my following days and no reading so far but two awesome pumpkins!

Here we go ;P

You'll need:

•  Pumpkins
• Marker
• a cutter
• and coffee ;)

My original plan was to carve one of my pumpkins and just paint the other one. So let's start there.

(Ups pictures got mixed up!) So cut the top off first. Remove the stem and the seeds. Than I drew my face on with a marker so cutting would be easier. And this is were the problem started! Carving is addictive! So here goes my warning before you start ;)

Jack halfway through...I sort of like his messy appearance

Smile!!

So no painting but just carving!
Btw: I didn't want to go with the normal huge pumpkins and I was looking for a cheap option so I ended up buying actual pumpkin-pie pumpkins. The carving worked just fine. I'm not sure though if they will hold as long as a normal pumpkin would. I'll keep you updated.

I tried deep-cut-carving and just scratching-the-surface-carving I guess I like both though the second one  probably only starts to look cool once you insert a light (and I forgot to buy some) but, oh well.

Definitely my favourite!

Scratching-the-surface-carving

Mixed

Deep-cut....BOOO!

I really like my end products! So if you didn't do it yet: There is still time you know! ;) Go and get some pumpkins!
(Oh and you can roast the seeds if you want (and aren't to lazy like I am...))

Happy Happy Halloween!

DIY {calender}

Despite everything what is new and beloved here I miss being able to craft as often and with whatever I want to. I miss it a lot actually. It sort of moves over to other things (Have a look at my calender for example. It's crazy. I'm actually proud that I still can find my appointments in the mess of doodles, graphics, sentences and whatever else...) or at my constantly changing nails (I should SO have brought all my nail colours with me...not only 4...) well I guess you learn stuff, right?

So I'm thankful for every opportunity that pops up for me, to get around to be a bit creative again. This time it was for my teacher.
I was just doodling in my calender again  and she made that comment on how cool it would be to have a calender just like mine (well not that cool but whatever).
I made her one. Fun times :)

So here you go with an easy peasy calender tutorial....(just because I feel not just like making stuff but actually I also feel like posting stuff I made :P It's not really really a tutorial....)

You'll need:

• a book (any size/shape/colour...works)
• a pen
• optional: ruler and marks

Busy streets while I worked...

1. Spare your first page for personal information 2. (which should actually be 3. -.-) get a bit creative ;) 3. (our actual 2.) Decide on a design for your pages. Either have one page for one week, or two for one or one pager per day, make it simple or fancy, or, or, or (endless possibilities on that one) 4. I added tags to distinguish the months 5. Add a few notes/lists/plans 6. Make a label
Easy peasy as it is :)

Starbucks is awesome to be at!

Nothing fancy but definitely useful ;)

Birthday present for a friend

If you can't find crazy, cool and unnormal oven mittens...make them special yourself...

DIY: Instagram Photo diary

Another little DIY in between which I prepared back home.
I love journaling. Writing my diary sort of helps me to get my mind organized. And it's also the best thing you can take with you home from any trip!
Anyway. What I really was aiming for: I love to take pictures. And since I got a decent mobile phone this year(♥), things got even worse. I then discovered Instagram...good bye dear world without taking pictures every single day (ask people. I'm totally annoying with that. And I get those questions a lot: "Are you really taking a picture of your food (../feet's/meal/hand/place/....)"
Yep. I do!

However (I got carried away again) I have to do something with all my pictures. So for my last trip I made an Instagram Photo album/ diary. Here we go:

• take as many pictures as you want
• organize them (I used Picasa. Simple collages of 6 pictures per page)
• make your diary/album

You'll need:

Printed photo pages, masking tape, sharpie marker, glue

The concept is quite easy:

1. Assemble two pages by gluing them together back against back
2. Apply masking tape to the "inner" side 
3. Add to another pages "inner" side
4. Turn page and repeat

After you did this with all your pages it should look like this:

Finish it with masking tape, applied to the back of your book.
With my sharpie I went through all the pages and added little quotes or memories I had. This way I'll remember events more clearly and it's also fun for friends, who look through your albums.
Enjoy ;)

...I'll probably end up doing this every Holiday from now on. I'll certainly do it for my 167-Days-In-Canada Photo challenge.

...or if you want: Use your pictures for a photo clutch or instagram bookmarks ;)

DIY: Clothespins-bag

Our next door neighbours have this funny clothesline. When I first arrived I had this though about my dreams when I was a kid in which you would use such a line to carry little notes from one window to another (or chocolate, or toys, or little feathers found somewhere in the woods). As a kid I always wanted to have such a thing. But a) there was no window I could have sent mails to and b) I wouldn't have been able to built one...I guess....
Anyway. Looking at the clothesline made me think of a recent DIY I did for my mum and since it was really easy (I didn't think it would be that easy actually) and fun to do and practical I thought I might just share it with you as well ;)

Here we go!
Make your own clothespins-bag

You'll need:

• fabric
• scissors
• coathanger
• something to sew

I used our old clothepin-bag as a template (The actual hanger-thing was broken) and made a sketch on how I thought it would work.

Looks logical, doesn't it?!

So, you have to cut:
One big front-and-bag-piece (Stoff 2) and one small front-piece (Stoff 1). The size will depend on the size of your coathanger.

    Start with seaming both ends of both fabrics.

Then, assemble both pieces (picture one). Only sew about one quarter of the line at both ends (see arrows).
Fold your (no one) piece half, right sides together, and sew at both sides up to the top. Leave the top open (see arrows).
Cut, turn inside out and add your coathanger. And you're done :)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. 

Outofpeonies und die Doppelgänger

Als Einstieg für die Woche gibt es heute Mal nichts aus Kanada aber dafür meine erste Blogkooperation! Und zwar ein Probenähen für die doppelgänger (Danke!)

Ganz kurz im Vorraus sollte gesagt sein: Meine Nähkünste sind eher bescheiden! Ich hab bei meinem ersten Täschchen vor einem Jahr einen Schnelldurchlauf-Grundkurs in Sachen Nähmaschine bekommen und danach das Reich der Nähmaschine hauptsächlich nach dem Prinzip blindes-Vertrauen-und-Mut erkundet. Und natürlich mit der Hilfe von wunderbaren freien Tutorials, die man heutzutage ja überall findet. (Traut euch, das funktioniert gut!)

Ich hab mich also wirklich riesig über die Anfrage von den beiden gefreut, ob ich denn nicht was mit einem Stoff von ihnen ausprobieren wollen würde. Klar will ich!

Also lag als bald das hier in der Post:

Anbei noch einer der wundervollen Linolschnitte...*hach*

Und so viel herrliches Goldgelb

Ich muss gestehen, dass ich noch nie in meinem Leben so aufgeregt war einen Stoff "anzuschneiden"!! Schließlich durfte hierbei das Produkt nicht in ungesehenen Tiefen verschwinden, sollte mal eine Naht nicht sitzen.
Aber wer liebt nicht ein bisschen die Herausforderung!?

kreative Ordnung vor dem kreativen Chaos....

Und ich muss gestehen...ich mag meine Endprodukte ;)

Schlüsselanhänger, Notizbuch, Mäppchen, Täschchen

Die Täschchen Idee kommt von Noodlehead. Ich hab einfach das Endprodukt als Vorlage genommen und meine eigene Nähweise benutzt, aber es gibt auch ein tolles Tutorial von ihr für alle die lieber mit Anleitung arbeiten.
Für das Notizbuch habe ich einfach eine Seite des Stoffes gesäumt und die andere nach dem Aufkleben mit Nagellack verschlossen.
Das Mäppchen ist einfach und schlicht mit Futter. Hierfür habe ich leider kein Tutorial aber das hier dürfte dabei sehr behilflich sein.
Und der Schlüsselanhänger ist ganz einfach ;)

You'll need:

• felt
• fabric
• lace/ribbons (optional)
• key chain

Sew your fabric to the felt. Cut. And add your key chain (optional: Lace and ribbons).
I have to admit that I'm not too fond of the lace and ribbon thing but you can just easily remove them afterwards (scissors!).
So fast and so easy ;)

Ganz vielen Dank für das Vertrauen mit dem Stoff. Ich hoffe die Endprodukte sind akzeptiert ;)

DIY: Shoe Makeover II

So. I brought four pairs of shoes to Canada. One pair of Flip flops, one pair of ballerinas and two pairs of trainers. One pair was only for the purpose of getting coloured at the Color Me Rad since it did not really fit me anymore. The other one was, well, my all-around-three-season-shoe-pair-for-Canada. Turned out I need this pair of shoes a lot. So much that I had to buy another one since dust and dirt does not come in handy at school or while going shopping.

Anyway. I didn't want to spent a lot of money so I went for the easy option:
Buy a pair of cheap shoes. Craft and Upgrade :P

It turned out ok I guess. I especially love them when I wear them and after all, they are 14$ shoes so who cares?! ;)

So if you attempt a cheap shoe upgrade you'll need:

• (cheap) shoes
• fabric
• glue
• fabric paint
• additional: Go for glitter (always good! Ribbons, real doilies, lace....) 

 Easy peasy lemon squeezy: Apply your fabric (for more details just check my last shoe post). Paint with your markers. Let dry and follow your specific paint instructions.

 See the world with new ey...shoes! ;)