λουλούδια - A Shiny Day

31 May

Natural watercolor paint from…flowers!

Natural watercolor paint from...flowers! Yes, you read right! Today is World Art Day and here at A Shiny Day we celebrate it in a handmade and completely naturalistic way! Would you believe me if I told you that you can make the most beautiful red-orange natural watercolor paint at home only from flowers? It's true, and in this article I will show you how! The backstory Oh how much I love the colors that nature so generously gives us! The more I experiment, the more colors I add to my plant palette. So, the idea for this article didn't require much thought! On...

14 Jan

CRAFTS, DECOR, REVAMP

Painting a glass vase using eco-friendly paint

15/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
decoration, DIY, glass, glass vase, non toxic, vase, διακόσμηση, λουλούδια, οικολογική βαφή
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An old and somewhat boring glass vase can turn it into a beautiful and modern vase for our flowers, just by using the right materials. The backstory : Recently, I had to use some glass jars as props in a photo shoot. The photo shoot wrapped, the vases remained. Plain, boring glass vases. So I decided to transform one of them! The result was very pleasing, that's why I'm sharing it with you! With that being said, if you have a boring glass vase at home that you don't really and can't wait to get rid of, think again! There is a...

13 Jan

CRAFTS, PLANTS, STYLE

T-shirt printed with real flowers

15/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
cotton, DIY, flower print, δημιουργίες, δωρο, λουλούδια, ύφασμα, φτιάξτο μόνος σου, χρώμα
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Just like everything I try to create and it succeeds, the first time I tried to print real flowers on fabric, I was thrilled! I tried all almost everything you can print flowers to and one of the items is a boring white T-shirt! The backstory : A few months ago, I shared with you how you can print flowers on fabric. It's true! You can decorate any cotton fabric with all the wonderful pigments that real flowers produce! You can read the technique in detail here. The flowers and leaves of plants can give us wonderful pigments to decorate...

13 Jan

CRAFTS, DECOR, PLANTS

Frames with dried flowers

After learning how to dry flowers, let's see what we can do with them! In this article, previously shared on A Shiny Day, I share my secrets on how you can decorate a wall of your house with framed dried flowers. Spring is here, as colorful as always, and I look forward to sharing with you all the wonderful ideas I have prepared for a spring full of flowers. Full of crafts that showcase and praise nature. For this easy craft, you will need : Double glass metal frames. These frames are quite hard to find especially in Greece. However I...

13 Jan

CRAFTS, PLANTS, TIPS

How to dry flowers

13/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
dried flowers, environment, spring, λουλούδια
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In this article I share with you one of my favorite pastimes! I will show you how easy it is to dry flowers at home. I love to pick flowers and dry them in my special press or in a thick book. I may be from another era, but I consider this #slowliving relaxing activity is truly magical. Isn't it somewhat poetic that we can extend the life of flowers by drying them? Once you put them in the press or the book, you need to completely forget about them for a few days and then come back to see how...

11 Jan

LIFESTYLE, NUTRITION, PLANTS

Vegan carob pancakes with edible flowers

My special tribute to spring and its wonderful flowers continues with delicious vegan carob pancakes with edible flowers! The backstory : As you may have already seen in other articles, I love making healthy pancakes and I always like trying something different. This time, I tried to make them using a little carob flour. The result was very pleasing, both in taste and visually! This idea is the perfect way to brighten your mood on a hazy morning or to surprise someone you love! These pancakes : Are vegan : do not contain dairy, eggs, honey Have minimal gluten: For this recipe, I...

11 Jan

DECOR, ECOLOGY, UPCYCLE

Flower vase from reusable materials

11/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
DIY, upcycle, διακόσμηση, δωρο, λουλούδια, φτιάξτο μόνος σου, φυτά
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In this article, I share with you a cheap and easy way to take advantage of two things you most likely have at home: A plastic bottle that you are about to throw in the trash and a piece of fabric. This is the optimal way to spend your time creatively, make something useful for your home and do something good for the environment. All in one! The backstory : At the moment, I really enjoy crafting. It isn't only the peace of the house that allows me to, but also that I am challenged to make the most out of the...

08 Jan

CRAFTS, DECOR, HOLIDAYS, KIDS

Christmas ornaments using wooden embroidery hoop frames

08/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
christmas, DIY, διακόσμηση, λουλούδια, φτιάξτο μόνος σου
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I’ve been trying to find a way to start this article for hours. I’ve been trapped in a circle of typing and erasing everything. The point isn’t if I like Christmas or not, or the fact that this year I decorated the entire house earlier than ever. The point is this ornament that I crafted using a piece of fabric, a basil leaf and a wooden embroidery hoop frame. It’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with it and by the end of the Christmas season I may load my Christmas tree with a bunch of these. The backstory : A...

08 Jan

CRAFTS, DECOR, UPCYCLE

Flower vase made from a plastic water bottle

08/01/2021
Posted by Alexandra Diona
DIY, reuse, upcycle, zero waste, διακόσμηση, δωρο, λουλούδια
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I was thinking : Do you know what can transform from a single-use petrochemical product to a gorgeous decorative flower vase?The plastic water bottle that we used for 10 minutes and are already trying to throw out! Greece takes last place in the European Waste Recycling rankings. Since the know-how and infrastructure are missing from the equation, it doesn't matter how much effort citizens put into recycling. Which is very upsetting, if you ask me. I hope that this is only temporary and in a few years we will be able to recycle, knowing that what we throw...

30 Aug

CRAFTS, KIDS, LIFESTYLE, PLANTS

Flower Pounding: Printing fabric with real flowers

Today I will be sharing with you a cute & easy as abc construction that you can either gift to someone or just for funsies! Before we begin, I would like to express my immense joy that A Shiny Day is finally live! Yay! I’m even more delighted that A Shiny Day has been inspiring and illuminating your day, as well as mine! I’M SO HAPPY I WANNA SCREAM! AAAAAHH! No exaggeration here. And before I start crying, let’s get started! This is a relatively effortless and cheap gift idea, or even a gorgeous decoration for your house! It might as...