Friday 27 January 2017

Wooden Wall Art

Happy Friday! Just wanted to show you some pictures from my latest project. Today I finished making this wooden wall art. Before Christmas I fell in love with these beautifully cut wooden shapes that I found from a thrift shop. I am quite sure that these are leftover pieces from wooden spoons. Some pieces had blue and red hues. Material was very beautiful. I have got lots of old frames in the storage waiting for projects to come and I thought it would be nice to frame these pieces on birch plywood. 

It took several hours to design how to place the wooden pieces and which two frames to use. Now I am very pleased with the result that is both modern and traditional. The surface is nice to touch and on some angles it actually looks like there would be holes and on the other angle like it would be a drawing. I love museums and I have done some other museum display inspired composition wall arts before with small kitchen tools. This wooden wall art looks like it is picked from natural history museum´s wall (eggs, shells). 

Now that I got into making mood I have got lots of other ideas what to make with frames, plywood (you know, they sell it in 1220 mm * 2440 mm boards so I still got plenty of material!) and all sorts of small artifacts. I have also been thinking about framing some of the paper yarn squares I have woven. This picture found it´s place on the living room wall above the working table (at the moment as I am typing this I get to look at the calming surface and soft color). I think that the wall may go through a transformation process now that this new piece came. I am going to look at the empty wall with this single piece for a while before I make a decision how to arrange the whole.

With these detail pictures I wish you a happy and inspiring weekend!

Sannu

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Home Decor Trend: Inspired by 90s and 2000s

We have already fallen in love with rattan, baskets, indoor jungles, velvet sofas and pastel shades like serenity and rose quartz. Even though you might have thought that you will never take anything from the 90s or 2000s imagery, 20 years make a difference and attitudes change. All of a sudden things begin to look good again. Now it is time to rediscover the past trends and make one´s own 2017 adaption.



Here are some interior and craft trends to consider to be updated for 2017:

Intense color surfaces and contrasts. Bring back nineties painting techniques that layered and sanded color making earthy, artisan looking and and intense surfaces. Use two tones from the same color and layer. When decorating a whole interior use contrasts instead of painting everything with the same color. For example grey wall, yellow chairs and turquoise table. In this trend you need to be careful with colors so that you get different colors work together.

Natural palette with beige, creamy white and brown. Grey has been a major trend and corner stone in interiors but now warm shades may take the place. Challenge is to find a perfect effect color to use with this palette because all beige still sounds a bit frightening.


Coziness. Reading nook is the new must have. Big shabby sofas and armchairs are something to look after at the thrift shops as well as tiny cozy lamps that bring warm light through a colorful shade.

Colorful artisan glass. This trend goes well in festive table settings adding a bit of handmade luxury. For more bohemian look combine with ceramic bowls and plates.


Quilts in home decor. Quilts can be cozy like granny square blankets or a piece of modern art on the living room wall.

Paper yarn wall hangings. To continue the weaving trend that woolen yarn started paper yarn makes wall hangings a bit lighter and brighter with various colors. You can choose black, grey and white palette or mix all the colors of the rainbow. In the nineties paper yarns were colorful but pale now shades are warmer and fuller.


Mosaic. Mosaic items match beautifully with hand crafted ceramics that have been trendy in past years. Mosaic is also perfect for closed system design projects because you can upcycle old pottery, glassware and tiles to new projects. Try in classic flower pots, trays and as a decorative detail in kitchen or garden. Be bold with colors and create a piece that competes with the sun.

Wood. Bare wood in all it´s colors. Beautiful big wooden tables are a luxurious element. Also side tables, drawers and chairs can be left without paint. In this trend you can go all new with most modern design pieces or save old gorgeously worn out peasant pieces to your home. Wooden tableware like spoons, knifes and bowls are also super trendy details that can be used in various styles like boho or modern.


Three was and is the number of colors. When one effect color isn´t enough you are allowed to choose three! Choose colors that can be recognized from each other easily (not just three shades of a same color) like pink, yellow and turquoise. Three sofa pillows all in different colors, three living room curtains all in different colors or three tablecloths all in different colors..

Are you inspired by the 90s and 2000s style or is it still too early?  Do you come up with more 90s and Millennium home decoration trends that could be updated this year? 

Wishing you all the best for the week!

Sannu

Friday 20 January 2017

Weaving Squares



For a person who loves crafting it is always so inspiring to learn new techniques and find different materials to use.  I found a book (100 Pin Loom Squares, by Florencia Campos Correa ) about Pin Loom weaving. The book is focused on how to make small squares. Inspired by the technique I have made experiments to weave with paper yarn.  I think that after woolen wall hangings paper yarn textiles and decorations may have a new coming in the current huge weaving trend. Paper yarn is just one part of the nineties inspired decor this year. Somehow bright colors and neat light materials feel so new again. 

This new technique I have been learning is so much fun and every time I look at the material and different ways to weave a square I get so carried away with endless possibilities and ideas what to try next. I had planned to try other trend craft, mosaic, last autumn but I run out of time. Maybe this spring or summer I get all those broken plates and mugs to pieces and create something with that technique too. Usually learning a new skill has an inspiring effect to all creative work and it is easier to find new ways of doing customary things.

I am sure that you will hear about my weaving enthusiasm more this spring. I have thought about my coming blog posts and my blogging style in general and I have come to decision that I want to show even more pictures about making processes and creative work. I hope that my pictures would inspire people to create and understand techniques as well as raise consciousness of how much time and skill handicrafts take. Sometimes in this modern instant culture where everything is ready to use we lose the knowledge about the process behind the item. It can actually be great fun to notice that things can be made by oneself :)


I would be happy to hear about you! Have you tried weaving or some other new technique lately? Do you enjoy learning about making processes?  

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Sannu

Thursday 12 January 2017

Spring Season Start with a Kitchen Update


Hope you have had wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I sure had. Although Christmas felt quite short this year and it took a moment  to notice that it is over. Now that the ornaments have been gone for few days it feels like Christmas was months ago. 

I usually put a lot of effort to the decor and after the season it is difficult to get started with the new season especially when it is still very dark and snowy outside and no marks of spring. This is why I created a light green and white corner to my kitchen. When I wake up I can get inspired by lovely shades of green, white and grey. Theme in my kitchen has been green for about an year but now I updated it a bit and took away black cabinet and red textiles. To avoid too green overloaded look I chose light grey fabric with green hues and grey paint for the table. One chair got white paint and the other one green (quite similar green that the whole table and chair group was before). I was surprised how nice and new white looked after having a pause for some years (I have had all white country style some years ago :). Cabinet has been in my living room but I moved it to the kitchen and there it looks even better. Lamp is old and misses a glass bell that got broken some years ago but it does not matter.

Painting and colors are a good way to begin a creative process. At least it works for me and now I have gotten more ideas what to make and try this season. I have also got some notes that I made before and during the holidays. I wanted to keep a project free Christmas and just relax to get all the energy for spring plans. At the moment kitchen is not the only space going through spring updates. I have tried to put away some stuff to get more space for new projects. I am dreaming of a little velvet sofa that I hope to find from a thrift shop some day. I have also got space to make wall art when inspiration boost comes. 


Happy New Year 2017 with lots of inspiration, creativity and adventures!

Sannu