Radiant Orchid

Pantone®is a USA company, a worldwide authority on color. It defines color standars, identifies colors, classifies them and it is a reference point for designers.

Each year, from 2000, Pantone® choices the color of the year. For 2014 it is Radiant Orchid.

I've played with the colors that, according with Pantone®, match Radiant Orchid and I've obtained interesting palettes, I hope they may be inspiring :)

Radiant Orchid comes from these colors

Complement colors of Radiant Orchid

Radiant Orchid combines well with these colors

Neutral colors that Radiant Orchid lives up

Interesting palettes

Hair tie I've made in Autumn 2013, the button in the centre comes from Il mio bottone and it contains Radiant Orchid. I love so much the combination green - purple.

Faux zinc

In the previous post I've written about the faux zinc candle holderhouse, well, I've create another house, this time in miniature.

I've drawing it on the base of the bigger one, there are some differences between them such as less windows and no window to introduce a light. It is possible to make a hole on the bottom or on the back of the house to elettrify it.
Near there are an alder fruit, that looks like a tiny pine cone, and a juniper berry, that looks like a deep red apple.

Another faux zinc item, that I've made after a long time, is the candle holder. This time I haven't use a polymer clay candle but a thin plastic one, so white and perfect to have a lovely contrast with the candle holder.

I'll make other faux zinc miniatures, I've already work on some of them, sure I'll match faux zinc with flowers and vintage labels.

You can see the little house and the candle holder on my shop on Etsy.

My warm home

White, light grey, red and all the colors of the winter Nature and a lot of light! This is the style of the northern Europe, so stylish in the latest years also here, in the sunny Italy.

It is difficult, even if not impossible, to find items that fit this cold but sweet style. For example the zinc houses to hold tea lights I've fallen in love with.
I have find them only on the web, Christmas was near and I've wished to create one of them for myself. This is the result.

I've realized the template with Adobe Illustrator after an inspiring surf on the web. I've printed the template on a 300g cardboard, painted it in black and then in silver with irregular brush strokes.

The tea light is a LED tea ligth, no real candles for the paper house ;)

In the dark of the night I've changed the tea light with a short LED chain, the effect is warm and inspiring.

If you'd like to do the house, here and here the tempate in PDF, winter is long and a warm light is always welcome.

For personal use only, commercial uses prohibited

Christmas trees in miniature

Alfredo Cattabiani in his book "Florario" writes that till the Ancient Egypt the fir (Abies alba) is considered the tree of the nativity. In Greece ot was sacred to Artemis, the Moon. In North Europe and Northern Asia the fir is considered a Cosmic Tree, tied to the winter solstice.

In the Middle Age in Norse and in ancient Germanic territories, a fir was brought inside home and decorated with wreaths, painted eggs and sweets. Only in 1840, at French Court, the fir became the Christmas Tree.

Also this year I've made Christmas trees in miniature, some very little, protected under glass domes, some larger, always in 1/12 scale.

I've covered the trees with white paint, decorated with beads, bows, tiny glitters; a very useful pick up tools, with a sticky tip, helped me: the Pinflair, you can see it on Joanna Sheen website.

These little trees are better than my real Christmas tree, maybe I'll post some picture of it... maybe.

Merry Christmas 2013

1. Crochet Christmas Hanging Decoration - Vumap
2. Crochet bells – Gomitolo E Uncinetto
3. Christmas tree garland – The Soul of theRose
4. Pocket Journal Christmas - Quor

Old, tired Holyday, harbringer of light in spite of everything.

Holly leaves #2

Holly again! This time as a lovely bobby pin :)

You will need

• paper (250 gr)
• air-drying clay or wooden balls
• light and dark green acrylic paint
• red acrylic paint
• ivory acrylic paint
• protective varnish
• bobby pin
• pencil
• scissors
• paint brush
• embossing tool
• shaping mat
• white glue
• cyanoacrylate glue

Follow the previous project HERE up to green painted leaves.

1. Paint the edge of the leaves with the ivory paint.

2. Before the white paint dry, coat with the light green from the edge to the inner part of the leaves.

3. Glue the red little balls.

4. Cut a strip of paper and paint with green varnish.

5. Put the strip o paper inside the bobby pin.

6. Glue the holly leaves to the paper strip.

Arrange the holly pin in your hair.

Only for personal use, commercial use is not allowed.

Holly leaves #1

The question mark in the last post was hidden this project :)

A simple decoration to fix on Christmas wreath, gift boxes, nice corners in your home.

You will need

• paper (250 gr)
• air-drying clay or wooden balls
• green acrylic paint
• red acrylic paint
• protective varnish
• magnet (optional)
• pencil
• scissors
• paint brush
• embossing tool
• shaping mat
• white glue
• cyanoacrylate glue

1. Draw three Holly leaves and cut out with scissors.

2 . Put the leaves in the shaping mat and press the edge with the embossing tool. The thorns will rise up.

3. Paint the leaves on both sides and let dry. Paint with protective varnish on both sides and let dry again.

4. Mould by hand three little balls from air-drying clay, let dry.

5. Paint the balls with the red varnish. When dry, paint with protective varnish.

6. If you like, glue a magnet on the back.

Have fun! :)

Only for personal use, commercial use is not allowed.