Instagram love

I love my Iphone and I love photography and I love to mix those two things like everyone else!
It's just such a shame that the picture frames I have lying around the house never seen to fit the pictures! 

On A Beautiful Mess I saw the great idea of making an Instagram wall which I was dying to re-create. But my boyfriend didin't really take to the idea sadly.
So I thought, why not just make a mini framed collage mixing all my fave instagrams together! 

I found two mirror frames in a thrift store which are perfect for making any collage with as many photos as you like.
You do need to watch out that you use the same app, for instance Instagram, on all of the photos you have printed. If you don't you might end up with different sizes that don't all fit into the frame nicely. 

I made sure to try the pictures out first in the frame to get the perfect collage. For example I have a lot of pictures of my cat and having them all in one frame might make it an homage to her. Not that she doesn't deserve that ofcourse! But it might seem slightly odd :)

Once you have the collage you want you can just cut a piece of cardboard to fit the back of the frame and start glueing or taping the pictures onto it!

It's an easy project to make and you get to frame all the lovely instagram photos you have taken.
I had a nice little spot in our bedroom that needed that little something special so that's where I hung the frames. Check them out in the picture below!

I'm always on the lookout for other ways of framing and/or hanging my Instagrams so any other tips and ideas are always welcome!

Happy Instagramming!

xox Elena

DIY braided rug

Okay so a few days ago I posted my DIY orange chair and I mentioned some other projects that I had been working on during that week. One of those projects was my DIY braided rug. I got the idea from the blog A Beautiful Mess. You guys definitely have to check the blog out, they have amazing DIY projects, recipies, and tips for re-decorating your house! They have inspired me to do more with the items I have lying around the house and to create more homemade items!

So, I decided to start this time-consuming project a few weeks ago. It took me quite a while to finish it but I decided to take my time with it as I had a few other projects going on at the time.

What you need for the rug: - Enough pieces of fabric to cut into strips for your braids. Make sure you pick colours that go together and will match with the rest of your house. - A piece of canvas to act as a base for the rug - Textile glue - Scissors - Wool and sewing needle -Cellotape

I started with cutting the pieces of fabric into long strips to make the braids. This is the step that takes the most time and the most patience. After you have cut the fabric into the amount of strips that you want, you can start braiding!

I started making the braids sitting down but found that the braids weren't flat but round. This makes is difficult later on to glue the plaits onto the canvas. To make the plaits flat I clamped the plait I was working on onto our table. That way I was basically working toward myself and doing that pulling the plait flat.

You keep going until you have made all the plaits you need for the rug. To keep the plaits together tie the ends with a piece of cellotape to keep them from falling apart. Just a tiny bit will do as you they need to be taken off easily later on.

Cut your piece of canvas to size you want and you can start glueing the braids on! Make sure to use enough fabric glue. I found this makes the rug sturdier when finished. Glue the plaits onto the rug making sure that they stick out at least 5 cm on either side. That way if some of the plaits are longer than other you can easily make them all the same length afterwards by cutting them to size you like.

Let the glue dry properly for as long as it takes and remove the cellotape from the braids. Now you sew the braids onto the canvas by using the wool and the needle. Cut the ends of the rug so they are even on both ends. And there you have it! Your very own braided rug!

It's such a fun little project to do if you have the time and it makes such a beautiful little item for in the bedroom, hallway, kitchen or living room!

To check the original post go to ABeautifulMess.typepad.com and be inspired!

xox Elena

Memories of the past year

Okay so, I know it's not anywhere near New Years Eve, Christmas or the end the year for that matter!
But I do have a fun little way to make New Years Eve just that little bit more fun. Especially if you are like me and prefer to stay in with friends and loved ones and play games all night!!
Drinks, food and games are all within a hands reach, I mean come on what's not to love about that!

Anyway this past New Years Eve me and my boyfriend were at home, waiting for the clock to strike so we could finally open that bottle of champagne!, when we were thinking of all the things that we had been through the past year. Good and not so good. When I found that the only thing that I could think of was me finally getting through college and my boyfriend starting another band ( a very good one btw!).

Now I just knew that those were not the only things we went through in an entire year, so I thought of a fun little idea to remember all the good and the not so good things that had happend during the year. 
And all you need to so this is a jar(or box), a pen and some paper!

You do need to put the jar in plain sight otherwise you might forget to use it. Every time something happens you write it down and just plop it in the jar! At the end of the year you will have a fun little reminder of all the things happened that year and it's also quite funny because you probably won't remember writing some of them down! it's makes for a fun little jog down memory lane. 

Our jar is quite full already and I can't wait to look back on the past year! Even though it isn't even over yet..

xox Elena

'On the outside'

Despite the weather being terrible over the weekend me, my family and friends made the most of it by seeing some of the worst coverbands I've ever seen at a local festival and going for walks in the beautiful gardens of Appeltern. 

Now I'm trying to forget all the terrible David Bowie, RHCP and Sheryl Crow impressions, but I cannot forget the gorgeous gardens I went to! They gave me inspiration for when the time comes to have a garden of our own! 
Please check out some of the pictures I was able to make and get inspired (for now or in the future!)

Love this idea of stacking bricks inside the 'walls' of the shed!
I bet you could do it with flowers, pictures even mirrors. Anything your heart desires!

Aren't these just gorgeous!? And look at those blue leaves!

Love this 'love seat'! Picture this: Daquiri (insert own fave cocktail!), book in hand, boyfriend (or best friend) next to you, maybe some music, a sunset and a warm quilt for those cold nights... Dreamy!

I can see this lovely piece of furniture in my garden!

All it needs is some cushions and some flowers draping over the top and the sides! Beautiful!

Hopefully some of you are inspired! If you want to visit the gardens check out their website:

www.appeltern.nl

Don't be discouraged by these admission fee (like I was at first), the gardens are well worth the money and you can easily spent the entire day here!

xox Elena