Double Exposure: Yellow

The sun’s rays are shining down on our new Double Exposure and making everything a little bit yellow:

Olga on the left             Carla on the right

Have you been enjoying the good weather? Got anything yellow to share with us?

Carla and Olga

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

The Queen is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this year and with all the talk of different events going on and people getting a few days off work to join in on the festivities, it seems to have brought my attention to all things diamond.

This diamond tote bag tutorial in particular looks great. Download the PDF for free from the link and get sewing to produce a bag like this:

Misusu

Alternatively, if paper is more your thing, you could make some paper diamonds following the instructions from Minieco

 

Minieco

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations mark 60 years of The Queen's reign and will take place from 2nd - 5th June. Visit the official website for more information and to find out about events to mark the celebrations near you.

The Queen

There she is! She looks happy you might be doing some DIYs to celebrate her and her diamonds.

Carla

Puzzle + pixel

Puxxle was created by two sisters, Catarina and Luisa, who are big fans of games and design.

From their design studio, Yoyo, in Catalonia they've developed a series of pixelated puzzles made up of 2x2cm vinyl stickers. Each caters to a different level of difficulty and all come with instructions which makes them very easy to put together. You'll never have too many nor too few pieces :)

Being made from vinyl, they can be stuck anywhere and will give a unique decorative touch to any corner of your home.

Don't you think they look great? My favourite is the deer but there's a whole collection of animals and another very original collection of famous people.

Olga

On getting back and getting crafty

After a move, tens of thousands of words translated, a change in country, a family visit and plenty Swiss chocolate in the belly...we're back!

A change, whether it be a change in country - like in Carla's case - or in season, always calls for a bit of re-organisation and a tidy-up. Despite my slight aversion to order, I love boxes, jars, tubs and anything that stores pretty things. And that's why I'm going to make a space for this lovely geoball - as it's called by its creator Zü - on my desk straight away :)

As you can see from the photo, it's perfect for storing washi tape to stop it from rolling around the house, or other bits and pieces.

If you want one yourself, all you have to do is download the PDF from this link, print it onto strong paper or card and glue it together following the instructions.

Images: Zü

I'm already getting to work on mine!

Enjoy your weekend and the fine weather. I'll be making the most of my time and catching up on my favourite blogs!

Olga

Get on board for a delicious treat!

Yes, it's finally Friday! I'm sure many of you will be lucky enough to enjoy a long weekend. It seems like it's going to rain non-stop however so we might end up floating like these cute little boats..

Carnets Parisiens and complete recipe (in French)

I think it makes a lovely dessert and it seems incredibly easy to prepare. You just have to make small boats with filo pastry and bake until golden brown. Then prepare a sea of  melted chocolate with cream ​​icebergs and that's it!

Isn't it a great idea for a rainy day activity?


Enjoy!

Olga

Clare Nicolson

It's been a while since we brought you the latest on Scottish talent. To follow on from our interview a while ago with AkaTombo, let me introduce you to Clare Nicolson textiles if you don't already know about the wonders she produces.

I've been following Clare's work (in a non-creepy way) for a while now and think it's about time to share.

"Clare Nicolson was founded in 2004 and has been creating textiles, home accessories and stationery ever since. Designs are heavily influenced by vintage textiles and beautiful patterned paper and ephemera. Clare is a collector of all things vintage. Her home is filled with ceramics, tea sets, linen, and bric-a-brac which all inspire her work.

The textiles combine digital printing with vintage fabrics to create extra special products which are all printed and manufactured in the UK"

Clare Nicolson

All of the items in her shop are such a delight to look at. I think they make an excellent, cheerful and bright addition to any home. Don't you agree?

Carla

Same, same but different: balloons

After recently decorating the house for a birthday party, I started to look into balloons a bit more. I wanted to find interesting ones but was unsuccesful in my attempts so I bought normal-looking balloons like these:

via

These are still very nice to look at but I realised there seems to be a gap in the market until I stumbled upon Geronimo. 

Geronimo

If you live in the US you're lucky enough to be within reach of these beauties as they don't seem to ship outside of the US at the moment. Fingers crossed they will soon! These would certainly make an impact at your party.

I also thought these Japanese paper balloons would make another nice alternative:

Olivelse

These ones are available from UGUiSU. Arranged altogether like this by Olivelse they look great (her blog is well worth a visit - lots of pretty photos).

Have you found any other interesting and different balloons? Please share if you have!

Have a festive weekend!

Carla