Wednesday 26 December 2012

What are you going to do in 2013? (part 1)

Every end of year is the same thing. Half of me is filled up with excitement and hopes as another year is about to start and I feel fresh, full of energy to try on new things and to stick with old promises of eating less chocolate, have more time for myself, etc... The other half panics. I panic at the idea that another year is over, that my birthday is close (January 9th) and I am not getting any younger and that I am not even close to where I imagined I would be in my life & career when I was 18 years old.

I believe in new year resolutions, simply because I believe in lists. I have my daily to do list, my weekly, my monthly diary... So why not having one for the whole year? The problem is that I hardly ever remember to look at these any other time other than January and December... Which makes it hard to follow through. Well, this time I thought of turning my 2013 resolutions into a crafty post in the attempt that it will make it easier for me. And, maybe, it might help you too. :)

Resolution # 1:
Spend less time worrying and more time making things

Beautiful clock made of recycled wooden pallets
Photo by Field Treasure Designs

*** Beautiful clock made of recycled wooden pallets *** Use stamps to print the numbers and scout charity shops, flea markets or car boot sales for vintage clock hands. Add a little bit of colour to one of your pieces and it will make all the difference!
Resolution # 2:
Have a more positive intake in life

DIY Believe necklaces
Photo by The 36th Avenue

*** Believe necklaces ***
Get a couple of steel washers, write your message with a Sharpie or any other permanent marker then pop it in the oven for 20 minutes. Add some charms and a beautiful chain and voilĂ !



To be continued!

Monday 24 December 2012

It's Christmas... And I am back!

Post updated on 08/09/2013 - Hello again! I finally found out who the original creator of this tutorial is. It's Beth Callaghan, from Remarkably Domestic. You can see the pictures on a great resolution and with a step-by-step how to on this link. Don't forget to browse her site for many more craft tutorials. I am sure you will love it as much as I did! =) 
Post updated on 30/04/2013 - Apologies for the lateness of this update, but despite making films for a living, when I am placed under the spotlight I freak out a bit. It took me much longer than I originally intended to make this video tutorial, but I hope it will help you all. Check the bottom of the post for the link to the video and comments on the how to. :)

In Brazil, Christmas Eve is the big day: you meet your family, exchange gifts at midnight (or as late as you can manage, as it's hard to get the kids to wait) and have the lovely Crimbo feast.

I am not sure if in every Brazilian home it's the same, but at the Brilhante & Camara families it includes not only turkey but also bacalhau (dry salted cod), big chunks of ham that's been cooked in a peach sauce, rice, farofa (cassava flower fried in butter) and... If you're lucky enough to have Auntie Leda around for Christmas, the most delicious pasta with aliche (a type of anchovies) and the amazing "embiulato" - that I am 100% sure is not spelled this way - a dream savoury tart with provolone cheese, olives and different types of salami.

On Christmas day you sleep...

All that introduction to say that it's Christmas!!! I am officially on holiday, after three weeks working on a feature film called Panic, and this post is my Christmas gift for you that waited patiently... M&P is back, with a new crafty idea every other day. I hope you missed it as much as I did :) xx

Isn't this lovely? And sooooo simple to make... Great idea for a last minute gift!
Isn't this lovely? And sooooo simple to make... Great idea for a last minute gift!

I couldn't find the owner for this tutorial. I saw it on tons of Pinterest-like websites and I think the original post came from Poland, but this was as far as I went on my search. So, if these pictures are yours, please let me know and I will credit you here!


-------------------

>> UPDATE:

See below my video explaining how to get started. I hope you can get past my Brazilian accent. :) I've isolated 4 images that I think are the key ones in this tutorial and I refer to them on the video using these numbers.


Getting started:


The fourth picture represents pretty much the series of steps you will need to repeat until the end of your bracelet. I have a tiny wrist, so for me a 1.5m cord is about the right size. Remember you can always trim the end, but the longer your cord is, the trickier it gets to move it around. Also, bear in mind that when using three or more pieces together you'll need to keep tightening them little by little, but always as a unit and, most importantly, never losing sight of the shape you're trying to achieve.

After the first "pretzel":

Please note the little arrows in the picture on the left (I am sorry I can't get this picture any bigger, but the resolution of the original photo isn't great). Green arrows represent your tail going over the pretzel, white arrows going under.

This is the process you will repeat to create every knot after the first one and, this way, each one of the segments that make your bracelet.

Let me know how it goes.




Friday 21 December 2012

Coming back...

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted anything in a while... I should be back soon. Just finished a film job and am slowly getting back to crafty madness =) xx

Saturday 1 December 2012

{broken} Macaroni (creamy) cheese {broken}

Dear readers...

Unfortunately I had to delete the original post. Although in the blogosphere a lot of people - and I include myself as one of them - love when something they wrote gets featured somewhere else (and by featured, I really mean featured, with the writer's comments about it, proper credits & a link to the original website, not simply copied & pasted), not everyone is the same... And I respect that.

So, although I had done everything according to the "blogger's code of conduct" - that some call common sense... - I ended up unintentionally upsetting someone, and as a way of showing my respect towards their work and opinion, I removed the Macaroni Cheese recipe...

I hate when I see a post of mine copied & pasted somewhere else. But I absolutely LOVE when I see someone add their 2 cents, talk about their experience trying something I shared etc... As long as you credit it with a link to this blog and a mention, go ahead. M&P is for sharing! =)