tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48996508916686311782024-10-12T12:27:56.998+01:00Simple ideas to brighten the dayZaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-63016502825549263722013-06-06T22:16:00.000+01:002013-06-06T22:35:49.523+01:00

Last Valentines Day Mr. Hunter and I went to a restaurant in the Village and I was in love with the decoration. It used glass bottles and jars as lampshades. I haven't got a picture of it unfortunately, but I was sure I would be able to find a tutorial online with tips of how to create that... Well, here it is, we written by Britt & Tom, from the lovely and colourful Dutch Woonblog. The

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com123tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-17450262982297641092013-05-23T12:00:00.000+01:002013-05-23T15:04:13.026+01:00

I am so pleased to welcome Margaret Harrold, from the incredible Heath Barns, with this wonderful creation: Agatha, the hippo. I will let her tell you about the great story behind the project and her insights on the making of it. Enjoy! What to do with those lovely bundles of material? by Margaret Harrold, guest blogger Everyone is selling tempting bundles of material now and here is a blast

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-75836026273248090862013-05-19T21:02:00.001+01:002013-05-20T07:19:34.543+01:00

I hope you missed me as much as I missed writing here. I know Mango's posts date back from January 2012, but those are remnants of an old blog of mine. Mango as we know it, actually, only started in June last year... To be precise, the first post was on 15th June. I have to admit, I am proud for keeping up with it. I think all bloggers who don't let the ball drop should be very proud

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-3600662636858164832013-05-06T01:06:00.001+01:002013-05-06T01:06:45.363+01:00

I was always intrigued by needle-felting. I found this tutorial on Pinterest and I loved the idea, but I had never tried this technique before, so I didn't dare just giving it a go without reading more about it first. As I couldn't find the original post online - the link just led me to a Polish "Pinterest-alike" tool - I had to look for information else where. Luckily, I am a

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-20609008174088524672013-04-27T23:23:00.002+01:002013-04-27T23:25:11.260+01:00

Well, as the clay magnets two posts ago were so well received, I thought of sharing a similar post. You probably know by now I am a big owl fan, so I couldn't resist the cuteness of this picture! Photo credit: Design and Nonsense . This tutorial reminded me of one of the first ideas I ever shared here, almost a year ago, on Creative ways to decorate pebbles. And, not surprisingly, Emily, from

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-18623381535003690212013-04-20T21:16:00.001+01:002013-04-20T21:19:11.464+01:00

I had to share this. It's a-do-ra-ble. Simple, but brilliant! So M&P... Use the metal rings to secure the jars on scraps of wood or old pallets. Not sure where the original came from, please let me know if you do!

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-52220791132304634232013-04-19T23:49:00.000+01:002013-04-20T00:00:47.548+01:00

The simplicity of this tutorial and how adorable it looks made it irresistible to me, I had to write a post about it. Well, I love fridge magnets. When I was a teenager I had a giant metal frame on my bedroom wall, covered in photos and with tons of pretty magnets I collected throughout the years. But how wonderful would it be to make your own little precious magnets? Photo

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-57349713090458501882013-04-08T16:56:00.000+01:002013-04-22T23:44:56.695+01:00

I was updating my professional website - the one where I showcase my film and journalism work - when I came across some Instagram photos and I thought about how I had "phases" with its filters. As soon as I got into it I was an "Early Bird person", then something about Nashville caught my attention... For a while now I've been more into Amaro, but every so often, when I want to go for the bold

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-52599525780234381642013-04-04T20:53:00.000+01:002013-04-04T21:21:03.878+01:00

It's weird how the more we do, the more it seems we would like to be doing. Or is that just with me? When I haven't got any work on, I can hardly feel like getting off the bed - particularly when we have snow and is already April! However, whenever my diary is full on, I somehow manage to find time to add more things to it, including this post =) I was so excited this morning when I was packing

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-177756625339741032013-04-02T13:51:00.006+01:002013-04-02T13:51:54.934+01:00

The winner of last month's crafty kit giveaway is Laura Strack! Congratulations Laura and thanks for being part of the M&P community =) The next giveaway will be when we reach... 200 Likes on Facebook! So spread the word among your friends, get them to join our community, and you can be the lucky winner next time. PS: This is a quick post to announce the winner. I am pretty busy this

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-56581507338628346042013-03-22T23:46:00.000+00:002013-03-30T14:02:28.111+00:00

I know... I've been away for too long. But life sometimes decides to play tricks on us and when you see, weeks have passed! And now I have to sort of catch up, so I am starting here. Easter is pretty much a week away and if you're thinking of decorations I am sure the idea below will help. I came across this blog around Valentines, but as I wasn't planning to hang up buntings around the house, I

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-90153140647888502422013-03-12T00:41:00.002+00:002013-03-30T14:01:55.343+00:00

Post updated on 30/03/2013 - I know you're expecting the end of the giveaway for today, but I had already given a hint that I could potentially extend it for a few days. Well, I didn't realise that it would end on Easter weekend... So I thought we might as well wait until the 2nd to announce the winner. And maybe Easter Bunny will add some chocolate perks to the bag! I am sorry for

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-14511258638619738492013-03-08T23:13:00.000+00:002013-03-08T23:24:46.444+00:00

My Facebook newsfeed since the early hours of this morning was a very bright and flowery place. Although - and as like most of the posts reminded us - I believe women should be celebrated 365 days a year and instead of roses we should be spreading tools and information to stop the ongoing abuse that so many of us still suffer, I can't help but to offer flowers to my lovely and inspiring female

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-77978086297971270852013-03-05T21:18:00.002+00:002013-03-08T23:26:11.030+00:00

This has to be one of the sweetest blogs I ever came across. Yvonne Eijkenduijn - I couldn't pronounce her surname to save my life - is the writer behind the lovely and Belgian The Yvestown Blog. And she made available the crochet pattern for these jar cosies in the picture below, just follow the link for this and other cute crochet projects. I am definitely giving it a go whenever I

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-79233006058079942782013-02-26T23:44:00.001+00:002013-02-27T14:27:08.490+00:00

I am glad to welcome a guest on M&P! US based Savannah Brinkley wrote this insight on how to make your wedding look expensive without blowing your budget. Her secret is to go for one eye-catching piece - and it's more than ok to accept professional help for it! - then DIY on the details. That's exactly what I did on my wedding... With the help of my wonderful bridesmaids that spent the

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-79777365947930378572013-02-23T23:31:00.001+00:002013-02-24T16:32:49.726+00:00

This tutorial is very special to me. You know when you set yourself a challenge but end up finding reason after reason to postpone it?! I bought the felt to make this project over a month ago, but kept telling myself "later...". Well, today I did it. And I am so happy that I couldn't wait to write this post! Since when I first saw the picture below I thought two things: 1) This is so

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-69335713829098379092013-02-22T15:54:00.003+00:002013-02-22T22:14:49.338+00:00

Hiya! Just a quick post to let you know that the blog is going through some design/template updates, so apologies in advance for the weird things you might come across during the next 48 hours... I hope you will enjoy the final look in the end! =)

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-15215519079492412922013-02-19T19:49:00.001+00:002013-04-27T23:59:22.879+01:00

So here I am, a bit later than I expected - due to some intense film editing work that came along - but nonetheless keeping my promise of showing you my Valentines gift to Mr. Hunter. We swore to keep it small as we celebrate the date twice a year (in Brazil, Valentines is on the 12th of June), so I gave Mr. Hunter a t-shirt, but I put some thought into it. As he is a massive Big Bang Theory fan

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-58073010026562436432013-02-13T23:00:00.000+00:002013-02-14T00:27:43.415+00:00

Valentines, as every "meant to be romantic commemorative date", is always a struggle for me. Mr. Hunter is a guy. That should suffice and require no further ado. Whilst any cute, loving or thoughtful idea would make my heart melt - and somehow, despite knowing Pinterest exists, Mr. Hunter struggles for ideas... On the other hand, to please him, unless I surrender to the safe option of any

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-4199368366709899492013-02-12T22:11:00.001+00:002013-02-12T22:11:30.024+00:00

I am so sorry I've been away for almost 10 days! I am making up for it this week... And I should come back tomorrow evening with a proper Valentines post. In the mean time, did I say I am in love with my sewing machine?! If I didn't have so many things going on at the moment, I think it would be pretty hard for anyone to detangle me from it... Anyway, on my online research for sewing patterns, I

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-61770019695922618312013-02-03T19:18:00.004+00:002013-04-22T23:48:00.984+01:00

Ok, so I won't pretend I am an expert on Photoshop. However, I read a lot. The same way I like to know a bit about coding for the web (html, css basics) I like to know my way around making pictures that little bit more interesting. So I thought I should share the last insight of Photoshop I learnt. I love Instagram. I know I don't post pictures as much as I would like to, but that doesn't

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-72889280668473418072013-01-31T04:08:00.001+00:002013-03-27T21:36:41.333+00:00

I finished last post saying I had decided to get a new desk and that I needed to sort out the storage in our living room... Well, let's get down to it. Our desk space should be big enough to fit an iMac, Mr. Hunter's Macbook and, as I had already in mind to buy a sewing machine then, it would have to fit that as well... Last but not least, it should have some space to store my stationary! The

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-16114065696804046632013-01-29T00:30:00.000+00:002013-01-29T00:30:01.163+00:00

Sometimes I wish I could click a finger and magically turn every bit of my living room into one of those amazing looking ones we see in a home decor magazine... The ceilings are high, there is always so much light and space and even the cats & dogs in the pictures seem to go with the style of the whole thing! Well, when you're talking about a 2.5 x 5 metres space with a x amount of

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-66058015033936137132013-01-28T00:30:00.000+00:002013-01-28T00:43:52.962+00:00

Last Friday I popped to B&Q to get some paint & other basic items for some furniture DIY make-over I am about to make in my living room... (check here next week for it!) Aside from brushes, dust sheets and sandpaper, I couldn't resist, I had to pocket those cute strips with colour samples... I remember reading ages ago on Pinterest a suggestion to make little boxes with them, so

Zaira Brilhantehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04438367732597304166noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4899650891668631178.post-37172433667227158852013-01-27T01:04:00.001+00:002013-04-28T00:00:47.962+01:00

Big news!!! (an introduction to the next tutorial) When I started M&P the intention was to keep a record of not only my feeble DIY attempts, but projects I found online that seemed simple enough so that someone like me - with no craft background - could do them. This blog was meant to be a distraction, a therapy exercise to help me release the stress of my work... I could not

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