Christmas in Barcelona

I'm not sure if anybody has noticed but I haven't posted for a week... I suppose everybody is busy with Christmas and with Santa coming, gotta get the children ready! ;)

Well, this year.. it's more special than usual. See, my lovely partner-in-crime was born the same day as Jesus. It's also his 40th this Christmas. So as a treat, we went to Barcelona to celebrate! But we couldn't leave the children behind even if we could if we want to. We didn't want to. 

So off we went and saw the wonderful city of Barcelona with a meager "No hablan espanyol" in my mind! Thankfully, I am originally from a country (Philippines) where lots of Spanish words were incorporated and mixed in with our native language so I did kind of understood some and totally lost at most of what was being said to me!

Loved the weather, it was mild winter...10-15 degrees Celsius! And with sun..

Anyway, let me show you some of our photos...

 Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) by Gaudi

They are hoping to finish the building by 2026!

 The other side of the Sagrada Familia

 Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter 

 It was quite foggy the day I took this photo. Beside this road is the beach they made in preparation for the Olympic games in 1992 (i think, correct me if I'm wrong)

 The highest peak in the city is where Mount Montjuic is which is the mountain far ahead on the photo. The statue is of Columbus. It's also the end of the famous tourist road La Rambla. 

At the top of Montjuic overlooking the city. Foggy.

 Pueblo Espanyol (Spanish Village)

This is a recreation of how an old Spanish village would look like. The buildings are real but they are copies of buildings around Spain and they are not lived in. 

 We took the kids to the Aquarium. They loved it there. There was lots of oooh and aaahs and look!

 This was just beside the Aquarium. The Port.

 There was a dolphin show in the Barcelona Zoo! It was amazing. It was my first time to see one. I loved it.

There was also a sea lions show.

These trees caught Brynn's eyes. They're lovely now and they're probably beautiful when at bloom.

So, back to reality for us and thank God no mishaps happened. Our pockets weren't picked, we didn't get sick nor hungry or got lost. We wanted it to be a little bit extra special for the man who works really hard for us and I hope we did because we love him very much.

I hope you all had a special time with your family this Christmas. 

Have a blessed New Year to all of you!

Crochet Leg Warmers

We still have a weather warning today for flooding. It has been wet today like yesterday and the day before. I'm not sure which I prefer to be honest, the freezing cold but dry or not too cold but wet... Thinking about it, I prefer it dry. 

I'm sure the temperature changes abruptly recently. Wearing jeans and fleece boots, I was comfortable in the thought that my legs would be warm enough but nope. I was wrong. My legs were very cold. Thus, the project for today are leg warmers! Although I'm just showing you one leg warmer at the moment, I promise I'll show you later what it looks like worn! I promise. :)

Keep warm and dry and festive! Christmas is very near... and it's my beloved husband's 40th too! Hurrah! I think we'll be shining the light on him a little longer (much longer sssshh) on his special day...

Are you prepared for the festivities?

Fabulous Mirror Redo DIY!

I bought this gigantic mirror second hand online... It has been preloved for nearly 30 years by the previous owners and they were kinda sad it was going.. I promised I will look after it and put it in a place where it will be appreciated and loved too!

This is how it looked like when I bought it..

I'm not entirely sure about the color of this frame but the previous owners said it was silver which was the second reason I chose it. Well, from where I'm standing, it doesn't look silver at all. It looks gold or coppery with black gilt or something? Anyway, I looked at the back and ho! and behold! the paint was silver! So I guess this is just yellowing or they have never cleaned the poor thing.... So as you can see at the bottom, I got my cleaning tools out (unused old travel toothbrush and lukewarm water) to start with...

and then gave up after 4 hours of brushing. I did manage to get through the frame. Some parts did clean up silver, some parts didn't. That is after trying out nail polish remover & dishwasher liquid! But nope, the grime won't budge in places! Grrrrr!

So, I ordered a shiny silver spray paint and also a primer.. and a sealant...

I think she looks pretty silvered up as she's supposed to...

What do you think?

She resides in our Dining Room where it's supposed to be clear and tidy but when it's made into a substitute craft/sewing room... well, I guess I don't have to point out my mess on the table... ;)

Enjoy your DIYing! I love it!

Crochet Cardigan Finished!

I have finished this at least several weeks ago but for some reason. I never got to block it straight away.. I think at the back of my mind, once I got the iron out, I'll be ironing the rest! 

So, here it is....

There have been quite delays on the making of this cardigan... First, I didn't have enough yarn so went and ordered one! Then, I ran out again! So had to order some more and this I did order more than one. Luckily though, the yarns all had the same dye lot! So I guess it is meant to be ;)

I must say it was quick to make. I maybe have done it in 5 days give or take. That's like spending maybe 3-5 hours a day on it.  

I like it. I hope you do too!

Crochet Motif Cushion Cover

I have finished this project a couple of months ago and it is made from a vintage cotton yarn. I only 100grams each of the color so I thought I had to really make it work! After working up motifs, I decided to swap the colors over just to make sure there is enough of the yarn to make it! 

I like how it turned out... It goes with the color scheme in the guest room.. I love it...

What do you think?

Crochet Grizzly Bear Hat

I cannot believe how the temperature has plummeted recently! -5 degree Celsius at 6am this morning! Brrrrrrr... Thank God I was still in bed at that time..

So getting the kids ready for school in the morning now consists of thick coat, hat, scarves, and gloves (Ethan hasn't lost his yet this school term!). Wrapping them up as warmly as they'll let you and a rapid account of "be careful walking, it's very slippery!" precaution. Then I fall over on my knee! At least they didn't see (or heard) it I suppose.  Coincidentally, Ethan and I are sporting a matching bruised knee because he still fell over after all the hollering of warning.. Kids eh?

Anyway, I noticed that he's going to outgrow his twit-twooo hat soon so I thought I'd get ready and make him a new one! Here it is:

He loves it.. I hope you like it too!

Upcycled Plastic Bottle into a Jewellery Stand

Recycling is a good thing and it's good that everybody is joining in. I like recycling. I like upcycling. It makes me even more like it when you make things with it that is totally functional to you and a big plus if it looks pretty too!

Now, this one is made of plastic soda bottle!

Isn't it beautiful and functional? For less than $4, your time and a few fizzy burps, you can make this! To see the step-by-step tutorial, visit Epbot and explore her blog!

Enjoy!

Crystal Chandelier Statement Necklace

Remember I said I was going to do this....

 So I went about and bought the crystals and embellishments and even a sequined bag! I also acquired a silver necklace on one of my trips out and they just came together... and became like this..

What do you think?

Does it look nice?

Simple enough to put together but it's not for the faint-hearted I suppose.. It is quite a statement!

Here it is... against the sequined bag it was meant to be stuck on..

Let me know what you think... on the Bag or Necklace? ;)

Kanzashi Fabric Flower Tutorial

I have had a few scraps of fabrics left over from previous projects and I think these are the perfect project for it! 

Head out to Fabric Flower to see the full tutorial. These are great appliques and can be used for a lot of things. Enjoy!

Crystal encrusted bracelet DIY Tutorial

I've seen this bracelet somewhere and I thought, I can do that!

 So, this is how I made it.

Materials:

.8mm stretchy string
crimping bead
crystal or swarovski's. I used 200 pieces or until you feel it's encrusted enough (I used grey AB and light gold colours)
ball pins 20mm long
round end pliers
and a couple of hours!

Measure your wrist and make it so it's not too tight. I measure mine at around 7 inches and crimp. I used 2 only because I like to feel secure (or OCD for some!)
and start hanging those bad boys in.

Then wear!

I love them.. They are so elegant and understated at the same time. Let me know what you think!