Another idea for a TShirt

I was inspired by this necklace that you can find on etsy.


I loved the chunkiness of it, the two colours, the way you see the different strands of 'yarn'. But I only had one T-Shirt left to use, and once cut up the strands were too small. And then I remembered something I was addicted to when I was younger - making scoubidous with plastic strings and wondered whether I could apply the same technique (for a round one) to my 8 strands of yarn. Here are some pictures of the process and result.



Here is a close up of it when I came back from work on Monday. Scoubidou rules!

Blog Banner {Tutorial}

Haha... Finally.. Someone... aka That Girl.. That Quilt.. revealed it all.

I, MOI, ME could create my very own banner ON MY OWN. Yes, I could. And here it is. Displaying four of my favourite, hand-picked ( mmm .. easy to upload from my Facebook acocunt) pictures (which is why it is so random but supposed to have a summer theme to it).



The tutorial is so amazingly clear that I copied and pasted it - I had to make a couple of changes, in bold below. Go and see the blog of Jennifer and check out her banner too. So here is the tutorial.

1. First, go to BigHugeLabs to make your photo mosaic.

2. Change the columns to 4 and the rows to 1 if you want a layout like mine. Leave all the other settings the way they are.

3. Scroll down to where you can enter the URL's of your pictures. I chose all of mine from (Flickr) Facebook.

4. Go to (Flickr) Facebook and click on the first individual picture you want in your banner. Copy and paste the entire link into the space provided on the BigHugeLabs site. Repeat for the 2nd and 3rd pictures.

5. (If you want a blank space to write in like I did, leave the 4th URL space empty.) I did not leave a blank space but you may want to...

6. Click create and you are almost done with the first part of your banner!

7. Your banner will be shown and if you like it, click the save button above the picture and save it to your computer.

If you don't want any writing on your banner you could be finished now... if you are, resize your image on your computer, skip the Flickr steps, and pick up at step 12 to upload your banner to your blog.

8. Next, go to Flickr and upload your new banner to your Flickr account. Open the picture in Picnik.

9. Add text... add a frame... etc.

10. Now it's time to resize your banner. Most blogger headers measure approximately 940 across {you(might) will have to play with this a little}. In Picnik, click on Resize and change your first dimension to (940) 900.

Important: make sure the keep proportions box is checked so that your images don't end up all stretched and weird. (Save the image and you will automatically be directed back to Flickr.) I saved it on my desktop.

(11. Click view all sizes and choose the large image which is the original dimensions you saved when you resized the banner in Picnik. Save this image to your computer and we are almost done!)

12. Log into Blogger and click design. Click edit in the box where your banner goes.

13. Remove the current image and choose browse your computer to open your new banner. Let it load into the box and click save. You will be taken back to the design page and from there you can go back to your blog and admire your work!

I am feeling smug...

Homemade home - T-Shirt coasters

I have had to get rid of to a few items in my closet. The new wardrobe is just too small and they are items that should... well just not be there anymore (or make it in in the first place). Face dwith the reality of my new wardrobe, I was finally prepared to get rid of my clothes, and thanks to pinterest, I came accross this tutorial. What, I can make coasters out of my discarded T-shirts??

Yes, you can, and they can look really stylish - I suprised myself. Here is my first attempt - took max 2 hours, which I thought was a very effective way to spend my time and 2 T-shirts.


I know you have some T-Shirts that would be happy to become your latest homemade projects... Let me know if you try it!

Home Inspiration - Creating Moodboards

I love free softwares - they are free and usually a bit more basic and easier for me to use.

I have been looking at creating moodboards for a while - not just for the house but also for new handmade projects. We are currently considering the colour of the curtains we want in the main room, and sometimes it is just easier to have a board to visualise the project.

So when I ended up on olioboard, I was very excited. And it was really easy to use. I added a lot of items - as by doing a moodboard after the room has already been decorated meant that it was less about inspiration and more about trying to match one new item with the rest of the house.

The only criticism that I have is that I could not add any words to the moodboard (it may not be the done thing... ). I added some in Picasa (another wonderful free tool).

Here is my moodboard for downstairs, hopefully ensuring that M is convinced that blue curtains are the way forward. My username is frenchgrenouille, add me if you sign up to it!

News from the house

I finally managed to upload new pictures of the house. You will remember the state of it from my post back in February. Well, the ground floor is fully functional and it is nearly finished - we need to add a painting and pictures and we should be done.

Here is the state of it now!

You will have noticed that some of my inspiration items did make it to the wall (shelf and wall light). The sofa is an old IKEA one which used to have a charcoal cover. I bought a new set of covers from savemysofa.com - much cheaper than a new sofa!

The kitchen is looking much better without the blue wrapping. It is really functional and I LOVE it!

I cannot believe we are actually in the house. There are still so much to do - it is the little things that seem take forever (or choosing curtains). Hopefully will post some pictures of the upstairs soon..

I am a fruit and veg lover - for my home (home inspiration)

Hello everyone! I am really sorry it took me so long to come back, but we have been SO busy since moving in and I think it took more time than expected to get settled. Pictures of the house, which is permant work-in-progress to come soon. I love it!


Anyway, it is Thursday and it means home inspiration posting. And may I present, the Reversed Volumes by Mischer Traxler. And my favourite the cauliflower ceramic bowl.

I need to work out a space for it, I have an idea but it needs to show the pattern properly. I am officially in love with a cauliflower bowl. Can you resist this little chou-fleur?

Time for a break...

We are about to move in... Whoohoo! But this also means no internet, no TV or no phone for at least two or three weeks. I will keep taking picture and there will a review of progress when we are connected to the world again. But till'then, I hope you all have fun! Speak to you soon!