DIY Copper Candleholder

As sad as I am that Summer has ended, Autumn and Winter bring a lot of goodies along with them! Pumpkin spices, snug nights in front of a fire, maybe even a last cheeky BBQ if the weather lets you?
For me; candles are my staple item for the upcoming cold. As soon as Autumn comes around I whip them out of the cupboards ready to display!

With my slight canlde fetish in mind I went browsing the internet for new ideas and found this lovely DIY that I just couldn't help but try!

All you need for this DIY is:
- A thin copper pipe. Bought at any hardware store.
- Tape. I used a pipe bender for the top part.
- Pliers

Use the roll of tape to shape the pipe into a round shape, making it curl upwards with a pipe bender as you go along. When the pipe has the shape you like, file or cut the end of the pipe so that you create a sharp end to stick the candle on. 

It might seem a lot of work bending and shaping the pipe, but I had it done and standing in the house within an hour or so! The hardest thing is to find a neat place to display the candle! :)

Have fun DIY'ing!

Xox Elena

Foodie DIY Delicious Ovenroasted tomatoes

I love cooking with tomatoes, and especially sundried tomatoes! Just talking about my Mum's tomato sauce is making me hungry so let's move on!
Looking at any jar of sundried tomatoes I thought the ingredients couldn't be that many, and I was right! I found this recipe for Ovenroasted tomatoes on this lovely little website and they turned out just as amazing, if not better, than the store bought ones!

Needed:
- Cherrytomatoes. I used approx. 250 grams.
- Olive oil
- Garlic. Crushed or sliced finely
- Two teaspoons of italian herbs. You can use any mix you like really but if you stick to the classic Italian herbs like oregano, basil and thyme you will get a perfect mixture that mixes well with the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 100 degrees.
Mix the olive oil, garlic and the herbs in a bowl. Place the halved tomatoes onto a baking tray and pour the oil mixture onto the tomatoes. Mix them about a bit making sure the tomatoes are completely covered in oil. Place the baking tray into the oven making sure the tomatoes are places with the sliced side upwards.

Let the tomatoes bake in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When they are done let them cool down completely before putting them in a clean jar. Top the jar up with a little bit of olive oil and place in the fridge to keep!

It's that simple!These tomatoes are lovely in a salad, on a sarnie, on top of a delicious selfmade pizza or even by themselves with a little mozzarella!

Selfmade pizza w/ ovenroasted tomatoes, mozzarela, ham and rocket. Yum!

Happy baking!

Xox Elena

DIY abstract wall art

I'm always om the hunt for new art for our walls. Be it new DIY ideas or store bought art. The thing with store bought art however is that it can be somewhat on the pricey side :( 

Luckily the big wide web has some beautiful DIY's and ideas to create your very own art. And the beautiful thing is that you have a one-of-a-kind art piece that no one else in the world has!

Here are some beautiful art pieces I found online that you easily re-create on your own with a little time and a little money! Even if, like me, you aren't a painting genius :)

Art found on the Pinterest page of onetenplustwo.com

Art and idea found on mariateorien.blogspot.dk via Pinterest

Art and idea found on likeasaturday.com via Pinterest

Art and idea found on krugthethinker.com via Pinterest

Art and idea found on danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.nl via Pinterest

Art and idea found on Flickr via Pinterest

Art and idea found on Pinterest

I absolutely love all of these ideas and I wanted to try them all out! But if I did that we wouldn't have an inch of wall space left in the entire house so we had to go with just the one idea for now..

I really loved the paintings on the first picture and decided to try and create a little something like that. I still had some paint left over from a previous project which was a mustard colour and black, which coincidentally go quite well together! I started with painting the canvasses yellow. Once they were dry I got a big paintbrush and simply made long brushstrokes onto the canvas making sure to make it a bit messy. In the picture below you can see the art I made. It's quite bleak because of the colours but because we have a bright coloured bedroom it evens it all out:)

I deliberately painted and hung the canvas in a way so that the black strokes are going in opposite directions. Just to make it more artsy fartsy ;)
Think I'm going to try and make the ombre painting next! Except in a different colour, pink just won't fly with the boyfriend! 

Cost project: approx. €10,-
* Canvas €4,-
* Paint €4,-
* Paintbrush €2,-

Hope I inspired you to make some beautiful art!

Xox Elena

#100HappyDays challenge completed!

Hello all! I'm back from a (long) hiatus and although I've not been posting and creating much, I did take on the #100happydays challenge! Yesterday was my 100th day which means I succesfully completed the challenge :)

It wasn't the hardest challenge I've ever set myself but it has been fun! Through the challenge I noticed a few friends getting in on the fun as well so the challenge has been setting foot in Holland more and more.

I keep encouraging my friends and family to participate but the only excuse they always ever give is either they don't have the time (lame!) or they don't see the point (lame!). These are two excuses that in my books just don't go.

Finding happiness in the small things around us is fun and helps remind yourself why life is fun and why you love doing what you do.
Someone said to me that they didn't think it was worth participating because they didn't think they had much to be happy about and didn't think they could find something everyday to post about!
For all the people who think like this, I've compiled a small list of fun things to help make yourself happy and create happy thoughts :)

* Buy yourself some lovely flowers. Who hates flowers? No one, which is my point!
* Start a (new) book. I am an absolute bookworm and there is nothing that can make me happier than a cup of tea and a brand new book!
* Put on your favourite record. Maybe even have a little dance while you're at it? :)
* Go for a walk. You might meet someone you know or even discover a new (happy) spot just around the corner.
* Try out a new recipe. Be it for dinner, a cocktail or a sandwich, I know good food always brings a smile to my face:)
* Clean out your wardrobe. Throw away anything you don't like, doesn't fit or you didn't even knew you owned. Good excuse for a good shopping trip wouldn't you say?!
* Take up a sport or hobby. I started painting again and have kept it up during the challenge. It's my new found passion!
* Make a list of projects you have been avoiding or haven't got time for. Believe me, there is nothing better than crossing off stuff on a list!
* Look through (old) pictures. While cleaning up my computer I came across loads of pictures of my family. There is nothing funnier than seeing a picture of your younger self, gaptoothed and all in an amazing 90's getup. I mean, come on Mum, seriously?!
* Watch your favourite film. Hook does it for me!:)
* Don't plan anything and just chill. Either alone, with friends or with your love. Don't plan anything and see where the evening takes you!

Sometimes I wasn't having the best of days, like lots of people, and these days right there are the best days to challenge yourself to find that happy moment. Be it a beautiful wildflower, a picture of your pet or even a lovely dinner. Anyhting counts and the beauty of the challenge is that there are no wrong answers. Nobody can tell you what can or can't make you happy, that's a personal thing. 

I really hope more and more people keep joining in on the challenge. So if you are already participating and you know people who are not, encourage them!! It will absolutely make a difference in your life and at the end of the day, it's just fun!
Just for laughs I leave you with some absolutely gorgeous pics that I snapped during the challenge!

Because who doesn't love Brownies?!

Me with my beau in Amsterdam!

Because cats are always funny. 

Treated myself to some flowers!:)

If that doesn't make you happy, you have no soul. 

Wish I could play this night on repeat. Over and over and over...

Xox Elena 

DIY Glitter Dish

I haven't been feeling very well this past week so I've been trying to find small projects to do that allow me to sit while making them:)
I don't know about you guys but I however sick I am I get so incredibly bored that I just have to do something and this way I am basically slowing down the healing proces... It's a vicious thing.

For all the glitter addicts I found a wonderful new project. I previously did a similar project except I used lace instead of glitter. This bowl is slightly better and slightly more awesome!

What you need for this diy:
- Glitter
- Mod Podge
- Paintbrush
- Balloon
- Two bowls

Blow up the balloon and place it into one of the bowls to keep it steady. In the other bowl mix a good deal of Mod Podge and the glitter together. You will need quite a big amount of glitter for this diy. My advice is to look around the thrift stores before you hit up the arts and crafts store where you will be paying a good deal more than thrifting it! Once the glue and the glitter are mixed well enough you can start spreading it out evenly onto the balloon. Make sure you think of the size you want the bowl to be so you can distribute the glue nice and evenly.
Get a good thick layer onto the balloon to make sure it is sturdy and so that it won't crumble once you pop the balloon!

Now you simply have to let the Mod Podge dry for as long as it needs. I left mine overnight just to be sure it was completely dry.

Once you find it's dry you can choose to pop the balloon!
And the bowl is finished!

I don't recommend putting anything too heavy in the bowl, depending of course on how thick you made it. It serves as a great eye catcher in a room and it just looks so pretty!;)
Unfortunately my bowl broke due to me dropping it... I am making another one soon because it turned out so well! But for now I have the above picture from this blog which is the same size and colour as mine was:)

Have fun with this diy and have a great weekend!

Xox Elena