My Favorites of 2012

The end of 2012 is here! As I'm celebrating the final hours of this year, it's the perfect time to look back on this year's highlights.

For me, this year was full of milestones and big changes. In June I turned 25 and got my Master's degree in psychology. I was so proud of myself for getting my degree while pursuing my dream of becoming an opera singer. You can read more about my story here.

Starting this blog was another big leap I took this year. I've been blogging for a couple of years now, but so far my blogging had been sporadic to say the least. By now, blogging has become part of me and I couldn't have imagined how much fun it can be. I love sharing my ideas and connecting with you! There are so many talented bloggers out there, I'm just lucky to be part of it. I have great plans for this blog and I've already mapped out my goals for 2013, but those will remain my little secret. I just hope I can inspire you and share some great projects to add little handmade touches to your style and your home. Here are my top 5 favorite blog posts of 2012:

1. I love love love the whole wardrobe reinvention series. I have learned so much about my style through these posts. And the 1 skirt 6 ways post is still one of my very favorites.

2. The lace heart cutout t-shirt is my favorite DIY project this year. I've worn this tee so much, and I'm not really a t-shirt kind of girl.

3. This was my favorite jewelry project aside from those made for my shop. It so easy, yet so glamorous.

4. The button embellished clutch is my go-to bag at the moment. There are so many festivities going on, and it's the perfect size bag to hold all my necessities.

5. And the top 5 wouldn't be complete without the sweater socks. These seem to be the all around favorite of the year. I love them and have been wearing them quite a lot during this cold month. I have some pink sweater sleeves lined up for another pair of socks.

And then there's one projects that I just have to mention because I'm so proud of it. It's not one, but 4 blog posts that make up Pearls and Scissors' Fall lookbook. It was a huge undertaking for me, but I love how it turned out. You can see the whole book here.

I can't wait to find out what 2013 has in store for me. 2012 was full of surprises and wonderful moments. And I have the feeling, that 2013 will kick 2012's butt.

I wish you and your's a wonderful New Year's Eve with lots of laughs, fun and surprises!

Sunday Spirit: Holiday week

I think you can already guess that this week has been all about the holidays and being around family and friends. As much as I love being home in the countryside, relaxing, eating and socializing, I'm beginning to feel the need to do something productive. So, last night I mended two bags that were ripped. Got to start somewhere, right?

I can't believe we've had permanent snow for a month now. I mean, the coldest months are still ahead, and I don't know how many snowy pictures you can stand every Sunday (lol). But it was the perfect weather on Chirstmas Eve. Snow has always been super important for me during Christmas. We've had  green holidays in the past, and the spirit is not the same without snow.

We spent half the night at my parents' on the 24th and half the night at Tamar's parents'. It's been like that for 10 years already. We thought about choosing one or the other, or bringing the families together, but some traditions are hard to change. Each family wants to stay home for Christmas, and since the distance is only 7km, we can't skip neither. Oh well, I guess time will settle everything.

I hope you're having a wonderful last weekend of 2012!

Tamar's Knitted Infinity Scarf DIY

The past week has been full of fun with family and friends, but I'm beginning to miss this blog and my sewing machines back in the city. Since it's going to be another week before I'm reunited with my sweeties and can start sewing again, there will be more knitting and style posts than usual over the course of next week.

Knitting is actually my second most favorite craft next to sewing. Every year I get the knitting itch as soon as the weather gets colder. Oddly, that didn't happen this year, and my knitting urge didn't kick in until November. I guess I had some catching up to do, because in December I've already knitted a hat for Anneliis, a scarf and wrist warmers for my teachers, and this cozy infinity scarf for Tamar as a Christmas present.

Since this infinity scarf was so simple in design, I thought I'd share the knitting process with you, so you could recreate it if you'd like. This would make a great first knitting project because it's pretty fool proof and uses only the very basic knitting techniques and stitches.

Click "read more" below to see the full pattern.

Happy knitting!

Sunday Spirit: Merry Christmas!

I hope you're all having a magical Christmas! I'm back at my parents' to be with mine and Tamar's family on Christmas. I loved waking up today and realizing there's nothing I have to do, only things I want to do. I hope this time is filled with good people, good emotions and good food wherever you're spending your holidays.

I'll be back after the holidays with new diy ideas, inspiration and creative fun. Merry Christmas!

DIY Pom Pom/Bobble for a hat

I used to wear bobble hats when I was a kid and I remember loving my huge bobble. Somehow, that love faded over the years. But now, bobble hats are making a big come back and I'm wondering why I ever thought they weren't cool. You can turn any hat into a bobble hat by making your own bobbles/pompoms.

I made this a few years ago, but haven't been wearing it much. I guess it lacked a bobble. I'm loving it now.

Click below to see the tutorial!

Taking a Knitting break

If you wondered why there wasn't a refashionista post yesterday, it's because I spent 9 hours yesterday knitting my voice teacher a shawl. And the day before that I was busy knitting pair of half mittens/wrist warmers for my accompanist, and the day before that I knit my friends a hat for her Birthday. Phew! I can't remember was the last time I knit that much.

If you're interested, here's the pattern to the lovely Annis shawl. It took me "only" 9 hours to complete. But it does look really pretty.

I didn't use a half mitts pattern for these, I just knit the way I would knit a pair of mittens, leaving the fingers open. I used a lace pattern to create visual interest, and I thought I'd share it with you as well.

So, if your interested in using this pattern, here you are:
The pattern is 15 stitches long and 6 rows high.
1. row: knit 2, k2tog (knit 2 together), knit 3, 1 yarnover, knit 1, 1 yarnover, knit 3, ssk (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over the knit one), knit 2, repeat if necessary
2. row: purl all stitches (or knit if working in rounds)
3. row: knit 1, k2tog, knit 3, 1 yarnover, knit 3, 1 yarnover, knit 3, ssk, knit 1, repeat if necessary
4. row: purl all stitches (or knit if working in rounds)

5. row: k2tog, knit 3, 1 yarnover, knit 5, 1 yarnover, knit 3, ssk, repeat if necessary
6. row: purl all stitches (or knit if working in rounds)
Repeat from the beginning.

There's a lot of secret Santa stuff to take care of this week, so my blogging may be a little more sparse than usual. I love making handmade gifts, even if it takes me 9 hours to complete. Off I go to finish another knitting project!

Sunday Spirit: Deck the halls

Although we're spending the Holidays at our parents' I still wanted to decorate our apartment to make it more Christmassy. I didn't have much holiday decor at hand and I didn't want to spend a ton on decorations, so I just worked with what I had.

The tiny Christmas tree is a few years old. I made tiny ornaments to hang on it. It's really small and fake, but I love it.

I made this center piece from a branch wreath I got on sale and painted golden. I added a red bow and two roses from my last concert.

These candles were the easiest thing ever. I just bought a few glasses at a local thrift store, put a candle inside, and tied a green bow to them.

It's not much, but it makes all the difference in the world. I really feel it's the holiday season at our little humble abode. The weather couldn't be more wintery. It's snowing and it's cold. Just like it should be on Christmas.

I hope you're all getting into the holiday spirit! I'm so busy making presents - I'm obviously behind on my gift list this year. It's going to be a very busy week before Christmas.

DIY Leather Heart stud earrings

After making a patch of leather earrings for my shop, I knew I had to experiment more with leather jewelry. So when the idea of leather hearts popped into my head a month ago, I knew it had to make these. They are super easy and quick to make. So they're perfect as last minute gifts when you're out of ideas, but need still want to add something handmade into the gift bag.

You could make these in different color or switch from leather to felt. And might I mention how cute they look! I'm definitely going to make more.

Click below for the tutorial after the jump.

My style: Winter greys

grey jacket: thrifted / knit vest: refashioned / ring: made by me

It's been snowing every day for the past week. It's the season of layering with sweaters and vests and jackets to keep warm. As much as I love snow, the cold is making it harder to get dressed in the morning. You have to think about  being warm, but having the ability to take something off indoors, and feeling good on top of that. I really need more warm cardigans to get through this season.

How's the weather where you're at? Are you sporting fur coats or light jackets?

Refashionista: Lengthening the hem with lace

Sometimes all a blouse needs is a little bit of extra length to make it wearable again. That's where lace come in handy. It's a pretty and easy way to lengthen a garment and add a little bit of flair.

Place the lace on the right side of the garment, near the edge/hem and sew in place with a straight or zig-zag stitch. Connect the two ends of lace by overlapping them about 1 cm and zig-zag stitching them together. And your done! This method can also be used with stretchy material (like t-shirts) by choosing stretchy lace. And it could be a perfect solution for short sleeves as well.

I hope this gives you another clever idea to remake an unused garment in your wardrobe.

(P.S. Thanks to my lovely model Marita)

Guest DIY: Printed tea towels with Randomly Happy

Happy Monday, my friends! I have a special treat for you today as Elena from Randomly Happy is here to share a very cool DIY with you. These printed tea towels would make a wonderful Christmas present. They're practical, pretty and have a touch of handmade. And why not make the tea towels yourself as well? 

Hello Hanna's lovely readers, I'm Elena from Randomly Happy. I'm so chuffed to be spending some quality time over here on Pearls and Scissors. Like Hanna I'm always on the look out for a way to personalise things.

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share an idea I've been cooking up for ages - a simple way of printing your drawings and images onto tea towels. It's quick to make, takes few materials (just a scanner, printer, and special printer transfer paper), and it would make the perfect personalised gift for anyone on your Christmas list.

I used a drawing I made on the computer, since I wanted it to be very simple and graphic. But it would be just as easy to do this with a hand drawn image (if only I were that talented). Or you could even write out an old family recipe and transfer it in the same way... how nice would that be for your mom, aunt or someone whose celebrating Christmas in a new house? Seriously, there are so many possibilities... I wish I'd bought more paper now.

Sunday Spirit: At the craft fair

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of rest and holiday cheer! My weekend was colorful to say the least. Went to a craft fair (being sick and feeling horrible the whole time), and sung in a concert in a very cold church. The concert went pretty well and the people there were so sweet. I love small town people. They are something else.

I wish you all a happy new week!

Handmade Gift Ideas

I'm in full craft show mode, so sorry for the radio silence yesterday. But, I really wanted to share some handmade gift ideas from the Pearls & Scissors archives with you before the weekend. I always love getting a handmade gift, so why not give someone you love something made by you.

Make some button hairpins with this tutorial.

Or a braided recycled bracelet.

A memory necklace is a perfect gift for a good friend. You could assemble some things that have meaning to the two of you and make a necklace out of them. A very special gift.

This memory wire necklace is a quick and easy project and who doesn't love a stunning bracelet for Christmas.

If you're not much of a knitter, you could upcycle an old sweater into a cute pair knit socks.

Talking about upcycling. Why not give someone a green gift so they can make their lifestyle a little bit greener as well. Turn an old skirt into a shopping bag.

Repurposed and handmade - what could be better? Turn old tin cans into candy cans or jewelry boxes with this tutorial.

And finally, something for the guys as well. This unisex braided infinity scarf would fit perfectly into any wardrobe.

Have a creative weekend!

Wardrobe Reinvention: Sweaters with a twist

Sweaters are an essential part of any wardrobe, especially for us living in quite far in the North. The winters tend to be long and harsh, so we spend most of the year covered up in sweaters. This means, that knowing how to get the most out of your sweater collection becomes important. It can be boring to wear the same sweater the same way for  weeks. So, here's two possibilities to spice it up!

Buttoned up sweaters can be worn upside down, turning it into a big-collared shrug. Sweaters with a simple cut work best for this.

This sweater was my grandmothers, passed on to my Mother, who passed it on to me. It's basically a family heirloom. I love the lacy texture of the knit. So cute!

I totally stole this idea from a very stylish girl from school (Hi Kadi!). I think this is a genius idea. Just a few years ago low V-necks were so in, and we probably all have one or two of them in our wardrobe. I haven't worn mine in a long time, but this idea has brought it right back to my favorites.

I especially love how the v-neck creates a beautiful low back. And the front has a somewhat retro feel to it. Perfect with a brooch and a narrow belt. 

What do you think? Would you dare to wear a sweater upside down?

DIY: Braided Infinity Scarf

The holidays season is a very crafty time for me because it's the time to make handmade decorations and gifts. The last is not always an easy task, especially when the recipient is a guy. You can't really go wrong with a gal when giving her something cute and pretty (and perhaps sparkling). But it's a whole other story with the guys. This is where today's DIY projects comes in handy. It's an easy to make unisex braided infinity scarf. Quick, easy and guy approved!

I made it from a couple of old black t-shirts, but you could just buy a meter of cotton jersey. Be sure to click "read more" to see the tutorial.

Refashionista: Chanel inspired jacket

Today's refashion in inspired by the famous Chanel style jacket. We all now it, it's a classic, and it's always in fashion. It's like pearls - something every women should have in their wardrobe. I must confess that this one did not go into my wardrobe, but was rather just a garment inspired refashion. The jacket is sadly too big for me. But I hope it finds a new owner soon.

This refashion was super easy, although the ribboned lace was a little bit tricky to sew on. Just had to go slow and steady, nothing too complicated. I simply adore the result! It looks so much more sophisticated.

If you'd want to replicate this look, here's how:

Hope you like the refashion and get inspired to try out your own version of the Chanel jacket. I'm definitely on the lookout for a base jacket for another refashion. This time one that fits me. 

Have a great start of the week!