Double Exposure Photography DIY

A couple of days ago, I spotted this fabulous post on Oh The Lovely Things about Double Exposure Photography. She links to photographers that use this look in there work and luckily she also links to the website Bubby and Bean, where there's a great tutorial on how to create your own work of arts. 

I followd the tutorial and created the images that you see in this post. It's a lot of pictures of me, but I just had to try on the pictures I had on my computer ;)

It was so much fun to do and every different background created a total new look to an image.

 

 

Images by lana

Lana's Podge DIY

I have seen many tutorials on making your own version of Mod Podge that I just had to try it myself. For those of you that don't know what Mod Podge is: It's a glue that is normally used for decoupaging, but a lot of crafters also use it for pretty much everything else, because it attaches on almost every surface giving a sheer finish.The down part of Mod Podge is, is that it's kinda expensive. It's not as expensive to not make me buy it, but for some projects I could use a cheaper version.

There are a lot of discussions going around saying that the homemade version is not the same thing as the 'real deal'.  And let me just be clear by saying that this is not the same as Mod Podge. It's a formula that has similar qualities as the real recipe, but it's not the same. I've read that the homemade version can give a yellow glow after a couple of years and doesn't hold as long as the real podge.

This being sad, I still needed a cheap glue that's similar to Mod Podge for my smaller projects. I wouldn't use this for something that needs to stay intact for many years, but it would be great for experiments and low budget crafts. 

And to finish it of, I made a fun label and gave it my own name;)

Want to know how to make my homemade podge? Here's how:

1. Get your supplies: white glue (which is children's glue, I bought it Hema); jar; paper with a fun pattern; paint brush or sponge; scissors; pen and some water.

2. Cut a fun shape out of the paper.

3. Write the name of your podge on the paper.

4. Making the podge: Take your white glue and put it in the jar. 

5. Fill the glue container halfway with water.

6. Add the water to the glue.

7. Shake, shake, shake! And the podge is done!

8. Put some podge on the back of your label and paste it onto the jar, let it dry.

9. Apply a layer of the podge over the label to seal it.

All done!

Images by lana

Inspirational Tuesday

It is tuesday again, and that means that I will show you some of my favorite inspirations! I am really excited about this one today, because I want to tell you something about Alex Prager. I just discovered her work and I'm in love with it! And I am also lucky enough that there's an exhibition with her work in Holland, so I'm definitely going to visit that!

Born in 1979, Alex Prager is a self-taught American photographer and filmmaker who lives and works in Los Angeles.

Alex Prager has recently made the Touch of Evil shoot, which is a video gallery of “cinematic villainy inspired by nefarious icons”. While the videos are amazing, the photos are also stunning. Featuring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney,  Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close and many more as characters from old films, some of the choices are much less obvious but equally interesting and it is great to see them bring the characters to life in their own unique way. 

Besides the amazing Touch of Evil shoot, she's also caught my eye with her beautiful photographs. She has different series and each one of them is just breathtaking! Please take a look on her website and be amazed!

Lana Red in Mollie Makes!

I am proud to announce that one of my tutorials is featured in issue 18 of the fabulous magazine Mollie Makes! The issue hits the shops in the UK on August 31st, and you will also be able to buy the magazine online on the Mollie Makes website.

I will post an update as soon as I've seen the magazine myself and also to officially cross it of my 30before30 list! I am so excited!

Here's a little bit about Mollie Makes:

'Mollie Makes is published thirteen times a year. We curate the best craft from around the world into a tactile, collectable and totally irresistible magazine.

We love to make – handmade is more than just a hobby for us, it’s in everything we do. 

We can’t resist hunting down treasures in thrift stores, then customising, re-covering and embellishing our finds with our endless stash of ribbons, buttons, fabrics and felt.

We’re forever on the lookout for new inspiration. Whatever we do, we’re living and loving handmade.’ 

♡ Making ♡ Thrifting ♡ Collecting ♡ Crafting

Pin Love

I keep being amazed at what an absolutely clever medium Pinterest is. In the "old days" when such a thing as Pinterest didn't exist, I saved all the inspirational images from the internet on my computer in one huge file. The file always got so big, that I never bothered to look at it again. 

But now, I can save it all online and have a peek at everyone else's inspirational files!

I know that it all sounds like a sales pitch;) But because I'm new to the whole concept of Pinterest, I sometimes forget that it exists. I catch myself saving some images on my computer from time to time, just because I am used to it. And then I remember: I don't have to! It will al be done for me with just a few clicks. And when I'm bored or just feel like browsing, I can look at other pinterest files, why? Just because I can (and it's actually fun)! 

I must admit that I became a pinterestlover and google images has been moved to a second place for me from now on..

How are you feeling about Pinterest? Are sharing my love? If you do and you think that your pins fit my style, please let me know! I'm always on the lookout for new things!

Here are some of my favorite pins from the last week:

Kate Moss for the London Eye. Image found here

 Vallerie Galloway prints. Image found here

Beautiful room, and I would kill to have a sofa like that! Image found here

Vintage bathroom wall. Image found here

Take out those backless dresses, because that are a big trend!. Image found here

Ulyana Sergeenko Fall/Winter 2011/2012 Lookbook on Vogue. Image found here

Braided Crown DIY

A couple of weeks ago I posted a tutorial showing how to make a hair bun for people with thin or shorter hair. I got some really kind replies and realized that there are of course, many like me that have not been blessed with thick long hair. Over the years I've been experimenting on how to style my hair to make it look thicker and still be able to wear it a bit different each day. 

Today I will show you my way of making a Braided Crown. There is also another way to create this look by french braiding the crown, but it's a lot more difficult and the results are very similar.

Here's how:

 

1. Brush your hair.

2. Take the top part of your hair and twist the end, like in the picture.

3. Push the twisted part a bit up against your head to get more volume at the top, secure with bobby pins.

4. Divide the rest of your hair in two parts.

5. Braid one of the parts and temporarily apply a bobby pin at the end.

6. Braid the other half of your hair, and look a bit like Pippi Longstocking ;)

7. Take both the braids and fold them over your head. Twist them around each other at the part where the braids meet.

8. Secure the braids with bobby pins.

 

Pictures by Lana

Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie DIY

School is nearly starting, so to celebrate the final weeks of summer I made this very yummy strawberry smoothie as a breakfast treat. What a better way to start your day with something pink and sweet?

Here's how:

Shoppinglist for 2 large or 3 small smoothies:

14 strawberries (frozen will also work)

2 cups (500 ml) skimmed quark

1 cup oats (250ml)

4-5 tablespoons honey (60-75ml) depending on how sweet your tooth is;)

Making the sweetness:

- Put the strawberries in a blender and blend them. 

- Add the quark and oats, and continue blending until you have a rich smooth mixture. 

- Finally add the honey and taste in between spoons to see how sweet you want it to be.

All done & enjoy your sweet yummy morning!

 

Pictures by Lana

Inspirational Tuesday

Lately I've been doing a lot of inspirational research for this blog. School is starting soon, and I want to be prepared, so that on some busy schooldays I'll still have enough inspiration to create lovely tutorials for you!

Besides looking on all the wonderful blogs out there for inspiration, I also tend to search for new art installations, photography projects and believe it or not: music videos. Some musicians have so much personal style in there videos, like Paloma Faith (shown in the video above). She's been known for her fabulous (very often vintage) outfits and I love that she mixes styles, to create this vintage looking femme fatale. 

If you have the time, please google her and you'll see what I mean, she's great and her voice is amazing!

To keep you on the inspirational tour, I decided to make this my first ever weekly post. So every tuesday you will find inspirational art, video's, fashion and much more on Lana Red!

Have a wonderful tuesday everyone!xoxo Lana

Umbrella Sky

What you see here is an art installation in Portugal, this installation is an initiative by the council in Agueda, Portugal and is a part of an art festival called Agitagueda. And I just love it! 

The concept is so simple, but it works very well in this pitoresque looking street. The colors of the umbrellas brightens the street and the people in it up, and protects them from the sun. To me, it looks almost magical and I wish I could walk underneath these umbrellas and feel the colorful vibe! I also wonder what it would be like to walk there in the rain, I imagine that it would make a lovely sound!

Images by  Patrícia Almeida

Blackberry Yoghurt Icecream

Here is a fun and very easy recipe to make your own Blackberry Yoghurt Ice cream! My boyfriend has his own kitchen garden and came up with the idea to make our own home-made ice cream! And I assisted him of course during the making process. It was very easy to do and it turned out delicious!

Here's how to make your own yummy ice cream:

Ingredients:

• 125 g blackberry
• 3 small branches of fresh mint, only the leaves
• 250 ml plain yoghurt
• 125 g golden castor sugar
• 250 ml whipped cream

Mash the blackberries with a fork. 

Cut the mint leaves into thin strips. 

In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. 

Whip the cream in a bowl and mix the blackberries, mint and yogurt loosely through. 

Put the mixture in the freezer.

Stir the mixture every half hour and place it back in the freezer. Repeat this for about two hours and a half.

 

 

Pictures by Lana & R

Lampshade DIY

Here is an easy tutorial for a yarn lampshade. I was inspired by all those lamps made out of yarn that people are making these days, using a balloon. So I thought why not make a regular shaped lampshade but with the yarn technique to make a look more unique.

I bought this lamp at a thrift store, but it's originally from Ikea. The lamp itself is pretty big and heavy, so I thought that this yarn idea would make the lamp a bit more modern.

Here's how I did it:

1. Get your supplies:

- On old lampshade, in the shape you want your creation to be.

- Yarn

- Bakingpaper

- Wallpaper glue

- scissors

- tape or a stapler

- superglue

2. Remove the top of your lampshade, or any part that holds it to the foot of the lamp(you will be needing this to attach your homemade lampshade back to the lamp)

3. Cover the lampshade with the baking paper. This is to make sure that the yarn won't stick to the lampshade. You can try to use tape to attach the paper to the lampshade, but a stapler worked better for me.

4. Staple or tape the first piece of the yarn to the baking paper.

5. Start whirling the yarn around the lampshade.

6. Mix the wallpaper glue with water and gently dab the yarn with the glue. Make sure that every piece is covered in glue.

7. Let the glue dry. This can take a while, it took my lampshade three days to completely dry. After it completely dried, gently remove the hard yarn from the baking paper.

8. Get your superglue and glue the basis back to the new lampshade, so you can reattach it to the lamp.

All done!

Pictures by lana