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Learn to celebrate the little things.

Be inspired and creative

Spring/Summer

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Bring colors to your life.

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c ra f t / f u n / c re at ive l i fe / DI Y / photo g raphy

We are here to inspire.

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hello

Life without dreams would be boring, don’t you think? We certainly do!

That’s why when an idea of an online magazine was born in our heads we decided to chase that dream and make it true. We’re happy to give you this read today and share with you our hobbies, passions and dreams.

Our goal was to create something that

would be inspiring not only for as but for you as well.

Hopefully you’ll find here an ample dose of inspiration, good photos and ideas for better, colorful and creative life.

Thank you for spending time with us and have a good day.

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credits:

Hi my name is Anita and I probably suffer from some artistic obsessive disorder.

I maniacally try to make my surroundings more good looking, I’m addicted to blogging and flea market finds. When I’m not busy with crafting I feel empty that’s why you’ll always find me doing something like sewing, decorating, uplifting or painting - meaning: I am not bored :)

Hello! My name is Agnieszka but online people know me as Marysza. My adventure with art started in high school and continues until now. I tapped in many things such as stained glass, photography, calligraphy to find a thing I like the most, and when I discovered sewing I knew it was it! Now I cannot imagine my life without my machine and colorful textiles.

My name is Mira Jurecka and I live in a wonderful city Wroclaw (Poland). I’m newly made wife with my head in the clouds! I am an scrap addict since 2008. Most of the time I create layouts, but I also love mini albums and Project Life. I adore colorful projects with lots of layers and all the tiny details. What else can I say!? I love working with the scrapbooking kits - it always helps me to get out of my comfort zone!

My name is Emi and I’m the author of NOOMIY blog. My mission as a human and a blogger is to share beauty of the World with other people. I follow the words: “I’ll make all around me beautiful, this will be my life”.

On regular basis I try to share the magic through my cards, photos and flower arrangements.

Hi! My name is Kasia.. I come from Poland, lived in London and currently for 3 years now I call Istanbul my home. I’m a paper lover and DIYier. I love capturing everyday moments, let it by with my phone or camera., and when I have free time I put them on scrapbook pages and in my Project Life album which I share on my blog.

My name is Nina Ostermann, I´m 34 years old and I live with my husband and our two kids (Jonna 9, and Leon, 13) in Germany. I am scrapbook since 2007 and I can´t stop it. It´s so great to hold on the amazing memories, to make lovely people a joy, to do something special. Everyday crafting is my way to reduce the pressure inside me.

My name is Aga a girl from Krakow, who is absolutely in love with good food photography. Although I have two left hands when it comes to cooking I’m doing my best to change it and catch my efforts in pictures.

I’m Nina and I’m a graphic designer from Denmark. I have an amazing boyfriend, Steffen, and a wonderful daughter, Ada who is 3 years old, and they’re pretty much the center of all my scrapbooking.

My name is Monika. Making things always filled my head. My mum thought me to love sewing, I learned knitting from my Granny and I solved the puzzle of crocheting on my own. As early as primary school I tried tinkering with the above.

Now I added blogging to this mixture to share the things I make in my spare time.

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My name is Weronika but people call me Grochu (”Dot” in En.). I crochet, knit, make photos, stitch and constantly seek for new ways to give some relieve to my artistic soul :) But my biggest love is paper. I’m an educated paper specialist and I can talk about it for hours if you only want to listen.

I joined the team of Chasing Dreams magazine as a photographer to bring girls’ visions to life. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

My name is Kasia and I’m a happy crafty girl coming from the city of Lodzźlocated in a very center Poland. I’m in my 26th year of life. I’m an art student now but I majored in something entirely different. Recently I’m starting my freelancing career in design.

Craft, art and photography are my biggest hobbies but I’m not only limited to these. I love to share my creations on my blog to inspire others and now I’m excited to bring this magazine for you!

Editor and Layout artist Katarzyna Przybyt

Photography

Weronika Mierzynska, Magda Mizera,

Text & Translation:

Magda Mizera & Katarzyna Przybyt

I’m Magda, 27 years old living in a beautiful city in Poland Cracow. I have a great passion for all crafty things! Scrapbooking took my whole heart over 3 years ago and is still my beloved hobby. I’m a young, natural light photographer who loves to capture beautiful moments in life.

I can easily describe my style, both scrapbooking pages and my photographs are bright, fresh with pops of colors here and there. I’m happy to create this magazine for you.

Thank You note:

We’d like to thank you dear friends for your help and making our dreams come true.

Thank you for your beautiful works and words of wisdom. Thank’s to you we know that all the hard work is totally worth it!

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9 36 16 30

Contents: page 10

Where our dreams are born Have a look In our craft rooms

Pretty Baked.

We talk with Agnieszka about food and photography

page 16

page 34

Chasing Dreams moodboard inspiration 6

page 30

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Time for green refreshing smoothie

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78 42 66 56 page 36

page 66

Tangled girls. Story of friends connected by yarn

Start running your own home gallery.

page 42

page 68

Celebrate the little things. page 56

Build your own Teepee DIY

page 60

Stay inspired and creative.

Tips for when your mojo is gone.

Make your own abstract painting DIY

page 76

Learn to needle felt a colorful garland DIY

page 78

Scandinavia with a pop of color.

page 82

Organise yourself with DIY fabric basket Chasing Dreams #1/2014

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“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”

Vincent Van Gogh

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Where our dreams are born photo by: Weronika Mierzynska

Come and have a peek into our crafting spaces.

See for yourself where we spend our free time on making our paper projects. We’ll show you that you don’t need a big studio to be crafty.

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Kasia:

My craft space is in our living room so I keep things organized in drawers

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I have to say I count myself as a lucky one. Maybe I don’t have a craft room, but still having a crafting space only for myself is a blessing. My creative nook is just a desk and a cupboard next to it, but sometimes our whole living room is transformed into one, especially when I start painting or doing some heavy DIY stuff :) On every other day when I’m not gluing paper this is my day to day working station. y crafty space evolved a lot since it was created. I have a corner of the room just for myself so I moved the desk a couple of times to make it feel right. It used to face the window, but now it’s back to the wall.

Thanks to this I can have a clear look on a moodboard I created. With some washi tape I stuck several flower photos and paintings to the wall, plus some motivational quotes. Lately I love everything floral so having these above

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my head every day makes me very inspired. his year I made a major upgrade to my space. I used to have a wood like desk top and finally changed it to white. Now it feel like a clean sheet of paper that has to be filled with various, new project every day. This is very motivating for me, so it doesn’t stay empty for too long. know that many scrapbookers and artist of sort like to keep things nicely organized in jars and boxes somewhere on top of the desk, but it’s not me. Because my space is part of our living room I want to avoid visual clutter. I try to tuck as much as possible into the drawers of my trusty ALEX. In there I have everything nicely organized, so when I open them I can easily reach what I want and put it back when I’m done. aybe one day I will have a room only for myself, but for now it’s all I need.

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The white desk top is like a fresh sheet of paper that I have to fill with new projects.

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Magda:

My craft space is rather small (‌) but this is my most favorite place in house.

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My craft space is rather small - all I have is just a desk and a corner of our bedroom on the antresol. But this is my most favorite place in the entire house. You probably can guess that I love lots of white space, it makes me feel very comfortable and cozy. lthough my only crafting spot is my desk it’s a big one. I love that it fits my computer and there is still lots of space left for my little addiction: a collection of small boxes and jars. I like keeping my scrapbooking embellishments in small and aesthetic containers all over the craftspace, always at hand whenever I want to make some paper magic. I know people can feel a little bit lost for the first time being here.

Boxes here and boxes there, but I can help it, I simply love it. I always know where to find the right embellishment I want, so it keeps me organized.

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ince it’s not our own apartment (we are just renting it) I cannot make any big changes to my little space, but moving the little things around gives some refreshment anyway.

I dream that one day I’ll have one big closet which I can close and keep everything inside. hat I love the most about my craftspace is that my desk is almost in the middle of room. So when I sit at the table I can see open space in front of me, no walls, no boarders, my mind is open. For now, I try to simplify and keep clear my craftspace as much as I can. I try not to hold on to things. If I’m not using or needing something, I simply give it away. I find myself as a neat person so I try to keep my space clean and comfy all the time. I cannot work in a mess :)

W

I like keeping my scrapbooking embellishments in small boxes and jars.

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photo by: Kasia Przybyt

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“Inspiration exists but it has to find you working” Pablo Picasso

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MOODBOARD

Poster - Kasia Przybyt

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photography - Magda Wasiczek 16 Chasing Dreams #1/2014

Pillows - Depeapa ||

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Embroidery - Sedef

Photography - Amanda Rydell ||

Photography - A Beautiful Mess

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photo by: Anita Rusin

in a mood for moodboard

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oodboard is nothing else than a collection of photos, graphics, patterns and clots that are put together to inspire us to create. But there’s something magical in it too when all the shapes, lines and shades start to play together in one harmony. All together although comes from different authors, starts to act as whole - everything fit’s together. Working with a collage like this is pure pleasure. We take from it the best details, the ones that inspire us the most, and the rest of the collection brings us harmony helps us compose our new project. Here at Chasing Dreams we love too observe how one mood board inspires different people to create diverse works.

Our Guests Nina, Marysza and Mira together with us - we were all inspired by the same set of colors, and pictures to create different projects. Have a look and enjoy!

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Magda Mizera I love using moodboards as an inspiration for my projects. First of all, it helps me create a well-suited color scheme on a layout to achieve a cohesive look. In our moodboard you will find warm, pastel, spring colors - mint, green, peach, light blue and yellow. I love those colors - they make me think of sunny day, flying butterflies and free time spent on crafting. So basically, this is what pop out of the moodboard for me, in the first place. You will also find a handwritten alphabet on my page inspired by the scrip we used on the moodboard. The last but not least thing that inspired me was the picture of tulips in left bottom corner - it’s reflected with a light pink flower on the butterfly on my page.

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What popped out in the first place from our moodboard were the colors.

They inspired me the most.

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I like the contrast between soft pastels and black bold handwriting so I focused around it.

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Kasia Przybyt I love looking at moodboards, I even have one above my desk, but I use them mostly to get me in creative mood. They work like an ignition for my mind, I look at them and then boom! The ideas are born and I go in my own direction. But now, when we were creating this moodboard I decided to use it as a source of inspiration for design end colors of my page. I took what I liked the most and composed it into one layout.

I like the contrast between soft pastel colors and sharp lines of black had writing the most so I focused around it. The second piece of moodboard that spoke to me were circles. They are in the photo, and all over around it creating movement. Last but not the least are the florals I put here and thereto add more dimension to my project.

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Agnieszka Pietras When I think about moodboards I have to admit I never considered them in my works before. And it’s a mistake. I like that they are not only a color inspiration but also a pattern and design one. I had to think for a little bit longer before I chose the right fabrics for my project.

Working with Chasing Dreams moodboard was a real pleasure and I think it’s a good idea to look more for inspirations like this in the future.

Mooboards give you some challenge but also lot’s of inspiration.

In my opinion the CD’s moodboard has a perfect color combo and inspiring patterns. When I first looked at it I knew that it can inspire me to many projects. Finally I chose the soft pastel colors and floral motives, found the right fabric in my stash and sew a springy wallet.

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Soft pastel colors and floral motives inspired me the most, so I grabbed the right fabrics and created this wallet.

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I love the spring mood (...) and hand written elements.

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Nina Ostermann Moodboards are one of the most inspiring things for me.

Every time when my “mojo” is on a trip far away from me, moodboards are helping me to find a way to create a project.

Mostly it´s the color scheme which inspires me to take new combinations. When these colorful things are laying on a piece of bright white card stock I´m the most happiest girl in the world ;-) I have never done a professional moodboard by myself because there are so many beautiful ones to find in the internet and I like to use my free time more to scrapbook. In the “Chasing Dreams” moodboard I LOVE the spring mood color combo as well as the handwritten elements. It´s a real eye candy!

It inspired me to create a page about my most loved spring flowers.

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Mira Jurecka To tell the truth I never really worked with a moodboards. A simple sketch map, a color combo or a photo were just enough for me to start a project - they gave me some directions for colors and composition.

But it doesn’t mean that I don’t like moodboards. I love them (especially to look at them) they are like a small compilation of what’s inside us, what’s beautiful and fascinating. Inspiration in a pill. It work’s on my imagination in 200%! I think moodboards are a good starting point for every project.

The Chasing Dreams moodboard caught my heart entirely. On my LO I tried to use each of the lovely colors that girls have proposed. The next thing I focused on were the round paint buckets’ shapes - circle is my favorite geometric figure so I decided to use it in my background. What to say more? I’m waiting for the next moodboards created by CD team! Thank you for inspiration.

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I tried to use each of the lovely colors from the moodboard.

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“Ideas come from everything” Alfred Hitchcock

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photo by: Agnieszka Piatkowska

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Pretty Baked It’s not a secret that both, me and Kasia, love Agnieszka’s blog - delightful photos, beautiful arrangements and absolutely great writing style! Her blog posts simply charm us from the very beginning to the end and let’s be honest they make us hungry! In this issue we talk about celebrating everyday and Agnieszka will prove us that food isn’t just what we need to live, that it is also a way of life. interview by: Magda Mizera

photos: Agnieszka Piatkowska

Tell us, how much photography and baking let you break the daily routine and work?

First of all, I’ve met so many wonderful people because of my hobby! Everyday I stay in contact with other bloggers, many people write me to ask about my recipes or about my photography. Every morning while I go to work I don’t think about boring hours at the office, but rather about few nice e-mails waiting for me in my inbox. There is no better feeling than knowing someone loves your work :) During the week I have also time to think about my photo sessions which I’ll do during the weekend. Maybe one day food photography will be my only job and I will forget about daily routine for ever.

What’s your best recipe to cheer up the day?

I try not to cheer up by eating. Besides photographing food I’m also very active and it doesn’t really go well with curing griefs with salted caramel;) That’s why in worst moments I don’t run to kitchen to start running a small cake shop. But, there is no situation I wouldn’t smile at my mom’s cake with nuts - it’s just perfect!

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Tell us about your dream kitchen!

Do we have enough time? ;) Any moment now I’ll be arranging my own apartment so I’m thinking of the smallest details now. It will be white, rather traditional, with a big wooden table, wooden countertops and floor. There will be lots of day light perfect for photography! I’m really waiting for the moment I can cook and snap photos in the same room (right now I’m cooking in one space and snapping photos in the next room). Try to imagine this mess - half of my apartment covered in flour and fruits… Of course, in the center of my kitchen there will be a place for vanilla Kitchen Aid. Or red. Or mint. And this is the only thing I can’t decide on right now, I think ;) Where do you find inspiration for your photos?

I try to be follow my favorite culinary blogs and it’s not a secret that Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration too. But lately I don’t have as much time for browsing the internet as I used to. Mostly the best ideas hit me at the last moment - even if I plan something, it comes out different at the end :) For example, last time I photographed Pavlova dessert I suddenly took it off the table and placed on the broken tree among branches. I love Linda Lomelino from Call Me Cupcake and Katie Quinn from What Katie Ate styes - they are my all the time masters.

Tell us more about your styling - how many accessories you own, what color schemes you use. Where do you find your accessories? Do you prefer vintage style or rather modern design? Or maybe you mix those styles together?

Once I dreamt about countless collections of old porcelain and silvers. But when I find time to go to a flea market I can’t find basically anything nice! That’s why I only have a few old accessories in my stash. On the other hand I have no space for more of those lovely, pastel bowls and Scandinavian pottery. It’s not a secret that I love Bloomingville style! Their products have lots of charm and style, they are a mix of original and tradition design. You won’t find any modern, restaurant dishes at my place, for sure! When I prepare for the photo shoot I add accessories that make my photos Chasing Dreams #1/2014 31

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look homely. I switch electric machines with wooden spoons, vibrant color kitchen cloths with natural more gentle fabrics. I love showing the mess that happens while baking, airy mood in the kitchen while playing with food - we all spilled, broke, melted something at least once in the kitchen, right? ;) When it comes to colors I try to keep the scheme within two or three major shades. Which ones? It depends - on what I bake, the whether outside, my mood.. ;) Tell us about your funniest kitchen adventure :) Usually I’m very careful and precise in the kitchen :) I know that if I want to fit the time with baking and photographing I can’t let myself to make time-consuming corrections. My last disaster was when I tried to make chocolate bowls with balloons - it looked like a frame from “Pinterest disasters” series - when the balloons popped it wasn’t funny to see the walls covered by small drops of chocolate! But my warmest disaster memory is when I was a kid I begged my mom for some popcorn. Instead of bowl full of popcorn I received an instruction how to make it myself. So I prepared a pot, spoon of oil, corn and - voila! Nobody expected that instead of oil I’d grab a bottle of.. vinegar and almost burn the kitchen! It took a long time till my parents let me do something in the kitchen again ;) Thank you Agnieszka.

If you want to see more of her beautiful photos and try her recipes visit her blog prettybaked.pl, and on the next pages she’s inviting you to try her new recipe for a fresh green vitamin bomb.

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Green Refreshing Smoothie

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photos & text: Agnieszka Piatkowska

Together with blooming spring we can finally switch from warming beverages to juicy cool cocktails! Smoothie with fruits and spinach is not only a vitamine bomb but it’s really a refreshing energy booster.

Recipe: (makes two portions - 0,7l) 2 ripe pears 1 ripe banana big handful of spinach juice from 1/4 lime 100ml water some mint leaves Mix all together in blender. Drink straight away or cool down in the fridge.

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W: crocheted triangular purse; M: machine sewn hand bag

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tangled girls

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Two optimistic girls joined by their passion toward yarn.

When they met for the first time nothing showed that they could become best friends they are now. Monika and Weronika will tell you about their love toward hand made and how they promote the crafty life style. text: Weronika Mierzynska & Monika Piechowiak photos: Weronika Mierzynska

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onia, creates and writes as Moniszka. She got her love to handmade from her mum and grandma. Knitting, crocheting, sewing are in her life since early childhood. It’s 100% true to say about Moni that practise makes perfect. Years spent on sewing made her trained to sew even the most complicated bag.

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erka – known as We Grochy (in Polish it means “dotted”; ed. note). She crochets for two years now, knits and sews for a one, but it’s scrapbooking that took her into handmade for real. Creativity flows through her veins. She probably inherited it from her grandparents. Her grandma was a crafty tailor and grandpa an artist and their artistic talent is intertwined somewhere in her genes now.

M: hand stitched bag

M: knitted colorful necklace W: crocheted Peter Pan collar Chasing Dreams #1/2014 37

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Friendly rivalry W: LO with yarn; M: hand made kindle case

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e first met together at a handmade fair just before Christmas. We had our tables next to each other and the products we were selling were almost the same! We didn’t looked at each other friendly being a competition to each other.

It wasn’t a good moment for making friendships. Fortunately our common love to handmade broke the ice between us and we’ve become great friends since that moment. Our love to yearn is what connected us - it was a very first topic of our conversation! Next meetings, obviously with yarn in our hands only convinced us that we’re made for each other. Since that day (1,5 year ago) we meet regularly and spend our time knitting, crocheting and crafting together.

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e both write blogs that revolve around yarn topics.

We share our hobby to show that knitting, crocheting and crafting is a perfect way to spend free time for young people. It expands our creativity, teaches how to be precise and patient. It’s a great way to relax (it’s better than yoga!).

We actively promote yarn love in our city of ŁLodz (♥), that’s why we’ve run several events called YarnMeeting. On those meetings we not only bring together creative souls but also expose our passions to the world. It’s a wonderful feeling to see together ten girls sitting in a pub or cafe - all of them with needles or hooks in their hands. Other people smile at us friendly. This makes us proud and fills with energy to create!

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W & M: hand made cowl and scarf Chasing Dreams #1/2014 39

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photo by: Weronika Mierzynska

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“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are (…) those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

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Celebrate little things

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Our daily life isn’t really rich in big reasons to celebrate. During the busy day we often miss those ephemeral, moments that disappear in a blink of an eye, that flew by us like a butterfly. We miss them. It’s a pity… These are the moments for our mind to get some rest, giving our mind a break. A little smile from someone we love is a like a little present from the universe. We should care about them because they are the most precious gifts we will ever get. We should keep them in our hearts and minds :) When you start noticing these little moments, beautiful details, when you learn how to remember them your life will become truly beautiful! Believe us, every day can be beautiful and you can celebrate little things. What we eat, what we do day by day, who we are - it’s sour life, it’s worth remembering so we don’t get lost in between the grey shades of routine.

On the next pages we will present you different looks on this topics.

Together with our guests we prepared for you an inspiring mixture of photos, paper projects and words of wisdom. We hope that If you’re not celebrating the little things already you will give it a chance. And remember everything can be inspiring :)

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Our sponsor:

Give away!

We would like to hear from you about your ways of celebrating the little things in your life.Tell us what are your favorite rituals to celebrate the little details in your day to day life.

Check out Gossamer Blue blog or GB Facebook thread for details of our givaway.

On 05.23.2014 we will draw a winner and the prize is

one May kit by Gossamer Blue.

Together (Kasia and Magda) we used lovely May GB kit’s to create our mini-albums in which we closed our favorite little moments.

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Magda Mizera Inspiring everyday. Yes, it’s possible to be inspired by our everyday activities. My days are almost the same: I wake up, I run, I make dinner, I work. Carrying a camera with me everywhere I go helps me to capture every little piece of good things that happen somewhere in between the daily routine. People often ask me how I make my days so interesting and cool on photos. Well, I simply love little things: pretty flowers in a potful, delicious breakfast, afternoon tea, walk with my fiancé. I think it’s very important to celebrate these little things in our lives. I try to remember all the good things that happen to me - this is why I take photos, create scrapbooks, write a blog. I try to remember all good things. It affects our attitude, mood and thoughts. I believe that if we think good, we will have a good life too.

I think it’s important to celebrate the little things.

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Kasia Przybyt

If it wasn’t for the care for simple things and little details, every day would look the same.

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If it wasn’t for the care for simple things and little details, every day would look the same. But when we try to make things meaningful good life begins. I like taking care of these little details, I like changing a simple meal into a colorful food for body and soul. Some may say that it’s complication of life, but I don’t. I will remember better the good time we spent by the table when I look at a colorful photo of our breakfast or dinner. I will remember how nice our trip was when I see the flowers I took pictures of. I don’t need a photo of big must see monuments, I remember I saw them, what I want to remember are the moments we had together. What we ate, how we felt.

Thanks to noticing the small details in our life I’m finding happiness in them. I enjoy the rain, sun, cloudy days even.

I enjoy colors and shapes in my surrounding and catching them on photos makes them last forever. Whenever I’m blue I can look at my pictures and feel better. I also find joy in sharing my details with others to inspire them as well. I think that when we start celebrating the little things we are better at being good human beings.

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Snapping everyday photos (…) is my way to stop just for a moment during the busy day.

Every day moments, short flashes somewhere in a busy day - why really care about them? Everyone of us eats breakfast, does work, reads something and has some hobby - so why am I catching them with my camera like a little maniac? It’s because it’s these little moments, here and now, define us and help making the mundane chores more interesting, creative and unique.

What we do, who we are, what makes us tick, where we run and what’s our favorite coffee mug - this mosaic of photos reflects our life much better than styled pictures form birthdays and other important events. These captured memories, small details work like little keys to everyday stories that otherwise would have been forgotten.

Snapping everyday photos of details is my way to stop just for a moment during the busy day. When making a photo (doesn’t matter if it’s a cam or phone) I need to slow down just for a moment, think a little, and be creative - move this and that just before pushing the button - for me it’s relaxing and when I’m done I feel a rush of positive energy.

So without further ado grab your cameras and act! Snap the little things because it’s them that makes us who we are!

Kasia Tomaszewska

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It’s the little things that add depth to our life, so celebrate them with full heart.

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Mira Jurecka Everyday things - ordinary moments... I am a full time worker plus I’m working on my PhD. degree at the university. This means my day to day life is simply boring.

At the beginning it was hard fro me to come in to terms with this fact. But then I learned to start appreciating this simple ordinary moments fro my life - because really, who experiences an everyday dose of exciting events. Our stories are more ore less simple. Wake up, shower, food, work, sleep and over again, but thanks to photographing everyday moments I have a chance to notice the details, think about them a little bit and celebrate them like they are something bigger and more important. It’s these little things that add depth to our life.

My “everyday” scrap tells a simple story how I can appreciate even the simplest of my husband’s smiles. I love his sense of humor a lot. Pawel is a person who makes a lot of little jokes and smiles often at me. Unfortunately sometimes I treat this emotions for granted, but I’m working on this. And here’s my advice to you, or maybe it’s more of a wish really: I wish you to be happy from every little thing in your life with your full heart, and to never, ever lose interest in it because its common. Let it bring you joy like it’s for the first time!

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I love savoring everyday life. I’m not the one who lives for the weekends – I want my every day to be special and so I make sure that it is!

My favorite way to make notion of the little things is by doing Currently lists. Currently lists are a clever invention by my sweet online friend Kristin and it’s a kick ass project that is so easy to do and keep up with.

Every week I answer the prompts on the cards that Kristin designed and I keep them in my little Currently list mini book. Having done Project Life on and off for a while now I’m done with it and ready to put my energy elsewhere. Doing lists of prompts helps me document small everyday things. And it’s a great way to include more of ME into my scrapbooking.

I also need to mention that getting started with Currently lists is totally free. It’s a project not a product. Just make your own little cards or get the free downloadable card from Kristin’s shop. Have fun!

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NinA Christensen

I love savoring everyday life.

I make sure that every day is special.

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Weronika Mierzynska I started photographing when I was a student. It began with finding my dads old analogue Zenit camera somewhere at home. Unfortunately I was really busy during studies and I had to put my new hobby away for some time. But since I met my husband I came back and my love for photography grew stronger.

Nowadays I find my normal camera too heavy, but what are phones for, I love that it’s handy and I can take it anywhere with me. Thanks to Instagram and Vsco apps I’m taking daily life photos and it brings me lots of joy.

To tell the truth it’s thanks to them that I started focusing more on daily details, even the smallest ones. I try to make my photos interesting by arranging the space with small objects from my life to show how nice they are.

Photographing everyday is like keeping a diary for me, thanks to this I can remember both the important events as well as these simple ones. I’m taking daily pictures to prove myself that these little things, common moments and my way of life are interesting and inspiring. Thanks to this I realize that you don’t need much to be happy :)

Thanks to taking everyday photos I realized that you don’t need much to be happy

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“It takes a very long time to become young.”

Pablo Picasso

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photo by: Magda Mizera

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DIY Teepee photos: Magda Mizera text: Magda Mizera & Kasia Przybyt

One day on Pinterest I found an adorable simple thing made with sticks and lace… yes, a tepee. It’s a beautiful and easy project to make. I’ve made one for my spring/ summer photo sessions with kids, but it can be used as a simple tent for your backyard. It’s easy and cheap. Let me walk you through the process of making your own tepee now.

You will need: • 5-6 wooden poles, at least 150 cm long • 2-3 sq meters of lace (I used IKEA curtain) • strong string • drill

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1 Do you have all the materials and tools gathered together?

Yes? So let’s start crafting!

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1 With a drill make holes on one side in every pole approx.

10-15 cm from the end. Using strong string bind them all together and tie a knot.

2 All you need to do now, is to set up your teepee on the

ground and cover it with lace curtain from every side leaving one “wall” open. You may need another piece of string to tie the curtain at the top. And your done!

Teepee TIPS • The longer poles you take the bigger tepee you can make.

• Line the ground with comfy blanket, throw some pillows and organise a sweet play date for children and grown-ups • Teepee is an amazing playing spot for children at the grown-ups meeting (grill party or even wedding)

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“Creativity takes courage” Henri Matisse

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Stay motivated stay creative Us crafty girls, we’re almost always blooming with fresh ideas, but sometimes the dark clouds come and it seems like nothing is right. Sometimes our creative mojo leaves us and even if we want to make something everything falls apart. Or we simply burn out. What to do when this happens? Our friend Emi comes with ten great tips on solving this problem. And we vouch for photos: Magda Mizera text: Emi Parczewska them 100%!

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WRITE DOWN YOUR IDEAS. Sometimes in everyday hurry we don’t have enough time to realize our ideas. That’s why it’s a good to carry a notebook with you everyday and everywhere you go, to note down new thoughts , plans and creative thoughts that pop up in your head in unexpected moments.

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TRY NEW THINGS. Sometimes we feel tired of our hobbies - it doesn’t inspire us anymore. Sometimes I simply have enough of making cards and layouts day by day (don’t get me wrong, I love it), I just need to skip it, to think about something different. Instead I try other things.

I start drawing, painting, knitting and many more. It helps to refresh my mind and brings new ideas.

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VISIT ART EXHIBITIONS AND MUSEUMS. There MAKE A MONTHLY ‘TO DO’ LIST. Not too long, are some moments in our life when works of other but not too short either. Think about 4 things you artists inspire us a lot. It can help us especially when we’re always wanted to do. Every week focus on one of them. trying new things, making first steps into a new field of art. Creating and reaching goals make you grow.

And where we can find more inspiration than in an art MEET PEOPLE. Meet them in some beautiful places, museum? :) such as cafe, park, lovely restaurant. Meet your old LET YOURSELF TO BE ALONE. With your friends, fellows or family. Arrange those meetings and notebook ;) This is the time when our thoughts clear make them real. You have no idea how these meetings up, and new ideas hit our brain. Nothing and no one is can fill us with positive energy! buzzing over your head and you can focus only on your READ BLOGS, INSPIRING WEBSITES. But be thoughts. careful. The line between inspiration and copying is TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYDAY THINGS. It’s an very thin and easy to cross. Don’t let your inspiration become awesome idea to carry your camera with everywhere too much. Don’t spend all of your free time following one you go. Try to learn this. It’s a great way to keep artist. It’s important to be yourself. remembering things and places better. It focuses you on PRACTICE SPORT. Why I am talking about this? details so you can enjoy those little things later. The photos Well, it’s one of the best way to clean up your you made will be a great dose of inspiration in the future! brain out of unnecessary thoughts! Pump up your body Share them with others to inspire your friends as well. with lot’s of energy. After a good run the blood is flowing WALK. A lot. Discover new places, visit unknown faster and your head is clear and you’re ready to work on and enjoy every step. I, personally, love to watch your dreams. people while walking. To watch their relations with others, their faces, emotions, talks they make. This is a great dose of inspiration for me and after such walk I always have a lot of power to create.

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“Colors are the smiles of nature.�

Leigh Hunt

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let in some art photos: Weronika Mierzynska text & concept: Kasia Przybyt

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It’s not big news that colors have a big impact on our life and well being. You can spruce up your space with some colorful pillows on the coach, so why not embellish your walls with some art as well. And what’s better for your walls than something painted by you?

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Home gallery

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You don’t need a big space to start running your own gallery.

photos: Weronika Mierzynska, Kasia Przybyt, Magda Mizera text: Kasia Przybyt

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t’s not big news that colors and art have a big impact on our life and well being. Vibrant and warm color ranges can put us in active mode and cold, muted ones calm us down. When finishing your home decor you can spruce up your space with some colorful pillows and blanket on the coach, add bright nick nacks on shelves, so why not embellish your walls with some art as well. You don’t need to invest in expensive paintings (they are certainly nice, but not every one of us can afford them) look for some cheaper alternatives or make some art yourself.

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f you don’t have too much space, or you’re a renter and cannot put holes in your walls consider using adhesive tape to put some graphics on your walls. It’s a good idea for a moodboard. Look at Kasia’s work space - she mixed some paintings and photos together, paired them with motivational quotes and warm color wheel to obtain an inspiring collage that she can look at everyday while working.

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nother way to bring some art into your home is by putting some frames on the walls. When creating a frame gallery decide on it’s color in the beginning. Using one color of frames (white, brown, black) will help in obtaining a more cohesive look. The same rule applies with adding white mat to the pictures in your collection. When choosing photographs look for something meaningful, that will bring you joy whenever you look at it. You can also look for some inexpensive

art graphics. Ask around your friends maybe some of them are art students and are willing to sell some of their works.

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ast but not the least look on the internet, there’s plenty of online shops offering either ready prints or printouts you can make yourself. The latter are usually cheaper but with the ready ones the artist will choose just the right paper and size for the project, plus it will be printed on professional machine. After you get ready print you only have to choose the fitting frame.

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ut art doesn’t really need to be hanged. If it’s a canvas art or even a frame you can simply put it on a shelve, or on your desk. Also there are ready made narrow shelves made just for art. You install it once and change the exhibition whenever you want, there’s almost no limit to shapes and sizes of thing you can put there.

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o if art isn’t your guest already we hope we convinced you to invite it into your home. Let it be just a simple moodboard or a bigger frames collection it’s really good and inspiring too to start running your own home gallery. We encourage you to get creative and try making some art on your own. If you’re not sure that you can do it we come to you with help.

Read on to know more.

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DIY a simple abstract painting

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3 You will need: • canvas • a couple different brushes • acrylic paints - your fav colors • palette • water • some foil and paper towel

What’s better on the wall than something created by you? “But I cant’ paint nor draw!” you’d say. No worries we come to you with a really simple solution to your problem.

Abstract painting made by you probably won’t qualify to MOMA but it will definitely brighten your indoors and if you train some more it would also make a perfect gift for someone you like.

much paint on the palette. Look at our small dot’s it was far enough to make some tests and actual painting.

3 If you’re new to painting make a trial of brushes and

paints you have. Flat brush is good for thick sharp lines, it’s smaller brother will be good for dots. Round brush is nice when you want to paint lines and a flat rounded one will be good for softer dashes and painting shapes. Don’t forget to wash your brushes in between, if you leave it loaded with paint it will dry and become unusable.

On a spare sheet of paper try to paint some different dots and lines. If you feel comfortable with them go further, think about some simple forms like square, circle or irregular shapes.

You see? It’s really not that hard :) 4 Now it’s time to move on to your canvas and repeat

1 For starters gather your materials and prepare your everything you’ve learned. If you don’t have an idea for

workspace. Line up the background with some protective foil (we just cut an old plastic bag), prepare a jar of water and have everything at hand.

2 Squeeze out some paint. When you’re working with

a small canvas, like we did, you don’t need to put too

composition, try to copy ours, but soon you’ll realize that inventing your own is really fun. If you’re interested with the painting process from start to finish we have a short video for you. Just click the play button and you’ll be redirected to vimeo in a new tab.

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Tips and Tricks • For beginning you don’t need many colors. Blue, yellow, red and white plus a couple of your favorite ones will be enough for starters. You can mix them together to get other ones.

• When you mix paints do it first in small batches and if you like the color repeat it in bigger amount. This way if something goes wrong you don’t waste too much materials.

• Acrylic paints darken a little bit when they dry so when you go for light tones make them even lighter when mixing paints.

• If you want to fancy up your painting try using neon colors. If you mix them with white they will become paler but will still remain luminous.

• Paint the sides of your canvas with some bold color to add another dimension to your art.

• If you want to make a small series of paintings line up some canvases side by side and paint on all of them at once. Start a shape on first of them and then continue on the next one.

• And last but not the least, have fun!

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Spruce up your home gallery with your own artwork Chasing Dreams #1/2014

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proposes

Moje miasto Michelle Carlslund kapibara.com.pl

Bright stars of northern sky Bieroza pl.dawanda.com

grafika Lesser pakamera.pl 72 Chasing Dreams #1/2014

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Krakow Juliuszowo decobazaar.com

We searched the internet to bring you a selection of colorful artworks for your wall.

Here are our fav picks.

Modnisia Michalek pl.dawanda.com

Yes (No) Pawel Jonca pl.dawanda.com Chasing Dreams #1/2014 73

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colorful felt garland Add some colors to your space with this bright and adorable hand made garland.

Play with soft wool and learn how to needle felt. photos: Weronika Mierzynska text & concept: Kasia Przybyt

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Needle felting is not as hard as it might look. When you gat the hang of it everything will become easy, but for starters let’s see how to make something simple and easy.

very soft. When you squeeze it your fingers will almost touch in the middle.

2 Form a very loose round

5 Squeeze the ball if it’s

4 While

you’re needle felting the ball is becoming smaller and more firm in touch.

1 For starters take some loose You don’t have to make it very wool. Pull it from the bundle of hard because it’s only for a wool in small portions to get garland. You’d want to make around the same amount as it firm when it’s for bijouterie for example. shown in the photo. shape and delicately help yourself with a needle to start the initial ball. You can see it better on the short step by step video we prepared for you.

Just click the photo on the right side for a better look.

You will need:

3 Pin the wool with your

• different wool colors (10g =~5 balls) • felt needles • foam • scissors • stitching thread • stitching needle

needle evenly from every side, by flipping it constantly as you work. From the beginning try to keep its ball shape. At the beginning your work will be

getting smaller by less than half that mean you’re done. With scissors trim the loose hair so the felt is smother. Now collect as many balls as you fancy and string them together on the stitching tread with a needle.

Choose a bright colored thread for an extra cheerful effect.

Hang your garland in visible place, decorate your crafty space or child’s’ room. It’s a perfect pop of color that fits everywhere.

From a lump of wool to a round ball

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Click the photo above to watch the How To video on vimeo in new tab.

Tips and Tricks • when you’re at the end of felting and the ball isn’t too round roll it in your hands for a moment to shape it better • you can hand wash the felt balls in lukewarm water with soap; after the wash reshape balls in your hands and cut off extra hair that stick out • use the felt balls for other craft projects like felt acorns or felt coasters.

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Scandinavia with a pop of color

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Anita is a girl of many talents. She sew, she knits and has a very keen eye for home design.

Today she’ll tell you more about her love toward scandinavian style and handmade. photos & text: Anita Rusin

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fter years of living in a small space with a 4 person family I felt overwhelmed. Now in a new home I prefer that less is more. I’m drawn to neutral tones that let me breathe and a pop of yellow color is my optimistic sunny accent in life. Only my children’ rooms are filled with plenty of colors.

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draw inspiration from my surroundings (it can be a restaurant we visited, or a florist arrangement I saw somewhere) as well as from scandinavian style interior blogs. Especially I love those that promote upcycling which is really close to my heart and I’m trying to follow it’s rules.

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love handmade things. I sew, I knit and crochet and I am proud that I can do something for myself and our house. Also I try to promote handmade as much as I can by being on the buyers side. I value the unique objects and I think that such things have a soul. You can see that the maker put his heart into their work.

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hen I sew I choose simple practical objects for the home: pillows, baskets, small laundry sacks, second breakfast bags, toys and decorations for kids. I’m convinced that children should play with nice and well crafted toys. In our house you’ll find many upcycled things as well. From old yarns I’ll knit a cover for a bean bag, I’ll use an old lamp shade just to strip it off from fabric and turn into modern geometric one just like those you see on the internet. I like when nothing is wasted and old objects get new life.

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very day my love for home made things and neutral design grows stronger. I wish people started noticing this positive trend and support the handmade community, or even join it for themselves.

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photos & text: Anita Rusin

You will need:

• cotton fabric in chosen color • heat adhesive interfacing • thread • scissors • paper pattern • pins • iron • sewing machine

Keeping neat and organized work space is a must when you want your mind be more creating. Trying to thing in a mess is hard. If like me you like handmade I have just a right thing for you. With this DIY fabric basket you’ll have your things under control. It will also work great in a kitchen or bathroom. Whenever it gets dirty just give it a wash and it like new. So what are we waiting for, let’s get to work!

1 Lets start with gathering all the necessary materials.

You need to make a paper pattern first. In the picture above what you see is half of it. Fold your fabric in half and with a pencil trace the shape of the pattern. You have to repeat this twice for outer fabric and twice for lining. These will be your basket walls.

2 Cut the walls out with scissors and unfold them. Take

the outer walls and using iron reinforce them with heat adhesive interfacing. Now you can sew the walls together (like shown in the picture - just follow the yellow lines).

3 You’ll also need a rectangular bottom to your basket outer and inner walls. It’s size will depend on the size of your pattern, but don’t worry it’s easy to make. It’s longer side is equal to the length to the inset you see in

Get yourself organized with this textile basket 4

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the photo. And its shorter side is double the length of the flank (see the blue line). Don’t forget to leave some excess material to fit the seam.

4 Sew the basket’s bottom on. While the walls are laying flat first sew the longer sides (the yellow line), then unfold the basket (like shown in the picture) line flat together it’s sides and add seam (red line).

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7 The last step is to sew outer walls together with

lining. To do it, roll in around 1 cm of material to the inside (in between the layers) and hold it together with pins. When it’s done jus add a seam or two around the whole basket, cut off all unnecessary threads and you’re done!

Now you can fill you basket with whatever you want. I use mine in my crafty corner. It stores loose 5 Repeat this process to the inner walls, just skip the spools and fabrics for other projects. The other one is in part with reinforcing with heat adhesive interfacing. You bathroom for clean hand towels waiting for use. Also such basket will make a great gift and it’s child friendly, want your lining to be softer. no sharp corners and it can fit small toys and bricks. You 6 To make ears for your basket sew two stripes of can choose whatever colors you want to make it perfect fabric together, turn it to the right side and sew it to just for you. Good luck! outer walls like it’s shown in the picture below.

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c ra f t / f u n / c re at ive l i fe / DI Y / photo g raphy

Thank you!

We would like to hear from you!

Write us at chasingdreamsHQ@gmail.com and tell us what you would like to see more in our magazine.

Or maybe you have some ideas of your own?

Are you a scrapbooker or craft maker and want to contribute?

Don’t be shy, we’re waiting for you :)

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