Vitamin Kick

Do you remember a necklace I made some years ago?

Well, today a twin sister was born. Well almost a twin - it's orange - and a very juicy one!


















It features crocheted and felted orange beads, one crocheted flower, vintage plastic and glass beads and sweet pumpkin organza ribbon.

So here were my ingredients:

This broken necklace from the 40s!! I found it on a local flee market for very cheap, as it was broken beyond reparing.

 And these sweet juicy beads are other finding at a local craft fair. Look how they shine with color!

The little crocheted flower is a real surprise factor in this necklace!

So that's how it looked when it was ready.

In a couple of days it will be shipped to a friend of mine, I hope she will enjoy it!

Upgrading old shoe boxes

Since we have moved in into our new apartment, I am constantly collection ideas on how to improve my work room. So far I have a simple desk (even without drawers) and good old solid shelves that cover one wall. And all my supplies are lying on those shelves. Some in cute boxes I bought, some in even cuter tin boxes I got as a present, but the majority - in shoe boxes. And it's not because I am too lazy to get new craft boxes, I just believe that those shoe boxes are very useful and good quality. They are perfect size and anyway - why throwing away, when we can reuse?

But I admit, the shoe boxes do not contribute to the room decor. And so I have decided to upgrade them a bit - wrap them in paper. However, the regular gift paper is too thin and is torn easily, so what I took leftovers of wallpaper instead.

Our craftstore Kreatima sells the leftovers of fantastic designed wallpaper for super low price. And so I bought some.

 Then I took my show box, paper glue, scissors and a tape.



The first box will have the honor of being wrapped in my favorite wallpaper.

I started with cutting the wallpaper and glueing it to the bottom of the box.

Then took care of the corners - just like wrapping a gift.

Try to be accurate - you want to use those boxes for some years :)

Do the same with the locks, but don't wrap the paper on the inside of the lock, it will be too thick to easily close on the box. Try to glue and tape the paper very tight. But sometimes, when the wallpaper is of good quality and quite thick (like the one I used), it is unavoidable that the lock will be a bit too small for the box. Well, I have the cheat solution.
Cut two corners of the lock and neatly wrap them with paper and tape. It will look very neat, and your box will have a perfectly fitting lock :)

Here you go. I have done 2 boxes so far - 5 more to go.

What do I use them for?

Mainly for storing of supplies or ready made items.

And the locks are perfect to take item pictures on! Simple faded pattern is perfect for creating an atmosphere.



































And since it's not flat - it creates levels in the picture, that shows items in a more vivid and attractive way.

Lavender, orange and lime - life is perfect!

Lately I am having a "coloful earrings" mood :)
meet my new babies - all crocheted with cotton yarn. Up-cycled wooden beads serve as a basis.

Lavender :)

Orange :)

Lime :)

As always - everything is for sale in my cozy shop.
Every pair is $16.5 free shipping, but you can get any pair of earrings for freee with the purchase of two necklaces :)

Bronze and turquoise

I find this color combination very inspiring. Deep and mysterious bronze and bright turquoise.


I used small chips and bigger beads of turquoise, Czech glass beads, shell chips, wooden beads and amazing metal antique bronze-colored vintage beads from an old necklace.

As always - long crocheted string that give you thousand of different looks.

Check my shop Tom Björn Designs for more!

Lemon Curd earrings

These ones are very very LEMON :)

The beads were once part of an old necklace. I crocheted around them with ecological cotton yarn.
I love them :)

Red crocheted flower rings

At my live craft show my crocheted flower rings were especially popular. And so I made A LOT of them.
Now I am happy to show them here one by one :)

Here come the red ones.

This one is embellished with large wooden bead that adds depth to light and soft crocheted flower.

In this one I used a real turquoise bead, up-cycled from vintage necklace. I love reusing and reshaping vintage and antique jewelry and this ring is a wonderful example of how an old and beautiful bead gets a new life :)

And finally my last red one - with small tube black beads. Poppy ring :)


In all of my rings the metal base is nickel free and it is size adjustable.

To see of my rings - go here

Forest Fairy

Like a year ago - when I lived next to beautiful Hagaparken, I decided to make my photosession outside, on the stones, moss, trees. After all, that's where I get my inspiration from, so why not taking my creations back to nature and take pictures of them in their "natural environment"!

So this is one of my new versatile necklaces / bracelets - Forest Fairy.
This piece comes from a fairytale. From any fairytale about deep forests, tall trees, green moss and of course, kind fairies.
These earth colors - brown, green, beige and moss - are my absolutely favorites. And small chips of transparent crystal feel like fresh dew drops :)







See more pictures here!

Buttons are still on my mind :)

Well, well, I am preparing for Basar Under, where I will have a table for three consecutive Saturdays (December the 4th, 11th and 18th). apparently, my brooches attract more attention to my table than my necklaces :) So be it - it is a mass-brooch-production-factory in my apartment now :) Crocheting, combining, inventing new patterns, sewing buttons, taking pictures...
all this made me realize how urgently I need a proper studio, or at least a corner in a room for my shop :)

Here are two of my new creations - embellished with upcycled buttons. For more info - click on the picture and go to my shop

Buttons collection

More buttons!!

I am in love with these little colorful buttons. I bought a bunch in a secondhand shop and now is utilizing them into a new buttons collection!

Do you like upcycled things as much as I do?






I will list more items (versatile necklaces and earrings) in my "Passion for Buttons" section of my shop on Etsy

Little pumpkins in your years :)

I need some Halloween :) Do you?


Read more in my shop Tom Björn Designs

Coasters

I have been using crocheted coaster for a quite a while now. They are so soft and cozy, that they make my tea-time just the way I love it :)
And why not making them for others as well? Why keeping all the pleasure only to myself?
So I ended up crocheting several sets of coasters for my shop.

Brooches

What can be more heart-warming in winter than a cute vintage crocheted broosh?
I wear them every time I have romantic-cozy mood.

Moreover, my brooches are all created in an attempt to be more ecologically sustainable. I had a bunch of yarn leftovers - beautiful pieces, but too small for any serious project. Throwing them away would break my heart. Buying new yarn for brooches - would break my anti-consumption-phylosophy heart too. So the way out was to try and combine the yarn I have with the beads I have. And here we go!
So of the brooches are absolutely unique as the piece of yarn was just enough for one.

Pumpkin brooch with glass beads (wool with acrylic)

$13 - free shipping

White mohair brooch with glass beads

$11.50 - free shipping

Pink flower brooch with glass beads (acrylic and cotton yarn)

$12 - free shipping

More of my brooches are in my shop.