The perfect dress?

The Skater Dress by PolkaDotLighthouse featuring high heel wedges

I wasn’t familiar with the name given to this dress but it is a dress I have seen around a lot lately in the shops, magazines and blogs...and it’s no wonder because look how versatile it is. You could easily dress it down for everyday wear or dress it up if you’re going out or even to a wedding. I know a lot of people will be going to weddings this time of year and I think a dress like this would make a nice outfit that you wouldn’t need to spend a lot on and that you could wear again after. Depending on the accessories you paired up with it as well, you could get a variety of different looks.

What about you - are you searching for a perfect wedding outfit? Would you wear any of the above? What do you think about wearing white/black to a wedding? 

Every country has their own traditions when it comes to what you should and shouldn’t wear and we know we have readers from all over the world, so it would be lovely to hear your thoughts on the topic.

Have a great weekend!

Carla

The best soundtrack

Today's post may be simple but it is as beautiful as a summer's day when a blue sky is shining brightly and you wake up with bags of energy all set to do a million things. Like this list that I am itching to draw up:

Seen at Happy to Create

And to accompany this, the best soundtrack of all: Medelia. I will leave you with a song that I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. Wishing them all the success in the world...it's only a matter of time before they make it big. Their wonderful record "Non places" is warming up in the oven as we speak and is going to revolutionise the most exquisite of musical tastes. :)

What about you? Do you have a list of plans for the summer?
Or a soundtrack for special days?

Olga

Same, same but different: polka-dots

Having recently subscribed to Vogue magazine after finding a rather bargainous deal through Groupon, I was happy to receive the first issue recently and most pleased to read that polka-dots are going to be in this Autumn/Winter. I enjoy reading fashion magazines but am by no means a slave to trends. I think you're better off sticking to clothes that suit you and your shape and colours that flatter you without worrying too much about whether it's the season's must-have. I won't deny though that it's nice to hear that something you like anyway is going to be hitting the shop floors big style. As you know by the name of our blog, Olga and I are big fans of the spotty pattern so what better to feature in this month's 'same, same but different'?

The Nifty Fifties

For-redheads

Life

Carla

Customise your walls

Using wallpaper to decorate our homes is back in fashion. There are a whole host of designs, possibilities and brands to suit everyone's tastes, but the one we're showing you today goes one step further. This wallpaper made by Znak can be completely customised and is also very easy to apply.

You stick it, paint it and then tear off sections to create the shapes you like the most. Even the youngest in the house can get involved in the decorating, as we can see from the photos, they might even come up with their own Picasso.

The end result is lovely and above all, unique! Don't you think?

{Seen at design milk}

Have a good week or, for those of you lucky enough to be reading the blog from some idyllic beach somewhere, enjoy your holidays!

Olga

Today's spotlight is on...Carol

Our post for today is very special as we’re launching a new section! Every now and again we’ve been sharing some of the things we make in our spare time like the glass magnets, the decorated plant pots, or the home-made bokeh filter. When we prepare the posts, we’re always wondering whether you will like them, if the ideas will come in useful for you or inspire you to make your own projects and we let our imagination soar…
We know a lot of you are big fans of handicrafts and DIY projects so we would love it if you shared your projects with us! It could be something you saw on PolkaDot Lighthouse that gave you an idea or any of your own projects that you fancy sharing here - we will welcome you with open arms! :-)
And we’re launching in style with an excellent project we loved by Carol, a friend and follower of PolkaDot Lighthouse.
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Hi! I am so happy that Olga and Carla have invited me to be part of PolkaDot Lighthouse with this little project I did a few weeks ago. I hope you like it too!
It all started when a friend told me she wanted to decorate one of the walls in her bedroom with many pictures, with frames of different sizes and colours. I then thought, why not decorate frames with lace? (Don’t ask me why, but my mind makes some very strange connections sometimes…) And this is what I made! 
First things first, what do we need:
• Frames. They can be old or new (like the basic ones from Ikea I used), as long as their surface is flat.
• Lace. You can buy it at any haberdashery or handicrafts shop, there are lots of colours, shapes and sizes, and it’s really cheap!
• Scissors, small brush and white glue.
• You can also add beads or adornments (I chose butterflies for one and a skull for another one I wanted to give as a present to a rocker friend).

What we have to do first is measure all four sides of the frame. You can do it with a measuring tape or, if you are brave, you can place the lace over the frame and cut directly, but don’t forget the corners have to be cut diagonally!

Move the lace you have cut and add a first coat of glue over the surface of the frame. Carefully stick the lace onto it, making sure it’s not creased and that it’s in line with the corners. I prefer to do each side separately, so I can cut the corners of the lace to make their pattern match.

When all the sides are done, add another layer of glue over the whole frame. Don’t be frightened because it’s white, you won’t see it once it dries!

If the lace is wider than the frame, you can cut it or “tuck it in”. You will be able to work better if you remove the glass and also you won’t stain it with glue, (but if you do, don’t worry, it can be easily cleaned with water).

What I like the most about this DIY is that you can combine as many colours or patterns in one frame as you wish, the possibilities are endless!
And what about you, do you have a technique for recycling old or boring frames?

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Aren't the frames great? Carol is bursting with creativity!
You can let us know what you think of this new idea to strike up a creative dialogue with you. We would love to find out what happens on the other side of the screen! The frequency of the guest posts will depend on your response but we would love to make it a monthly feature like all the others. Like we said, if you feel like sharing any project, version, photo, etc., our lighthouse is your lighthouse. All you have to do is send an email to us at polkadotlighthouse {at} gmail {dot} com.


Have a nice and creative weekend!

The art of cut and paste

Zim and Zou is a French graphic design studio that has left us wide-eyed with its latest project: Back to basics. Its creators, Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmerman, work in several disciplines but their greatest skill undoubtedly lies in paper sculpting. 

In Back to basics they make replicas of classic technology (yes, there is such a term) that already form part of our memory to the finest detail. Truth is, I would liked to have had a Walkman as colourful as this. :) 

 

We can see them in action in this video, working by hand with miniscule parts. The technique and precision are enviable, especially given how difficult it is to mix paper and glue without getting the sticky stuff everywhere...Plus they use recycled paper and make the most of the off-cuts. What more can you ask for?

Back to Basics - Behind the scene by Zim and Zou on Vimeo.

If you want to see the entire collection, look here.

{Via: Colossal Art and Design}

Olga

Wish list

Wish list by PolkaDotLighthouse featuring a crinkle blouse

These are a few items I've had my eye on recently. I'm a big fan of the Fjallraven bags but there are so many nice colours to choose from that it's difficult to decide which one to get. The same goes for the Toms shoes. The variety is overwhelming for someone as indecisive as me. Maybe one day I will sit down and make a choice on both fronts.
What about you? Are you more decisive than me?

Carla

Apricot and cherry tarts

Even though it’s so hot outside and most of us don’t feel any need to switch the oven on, there are times when it is worth doing and this is one of them. We already showed you how much we like summer fruits in all their varieties here so we just had to include some delicious “home-made” cherries and apricots in today’s recipe. Plus the touch of lemon in the pastry (extremely easy and no need to knead) guarantees a very refreshing flavour.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

225 g butter at room temperature

100 g icing sugar (a little more if the fruit is not very ripe)

Grated rind of one lemon

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

200 g plain flour

110 g cornflour

1 pinch of salt

For the filling:

Chopped up nuts

Apricots, cherries or any other sweet summer fruits in fine slices

Honey

Method:

Mix the butter and sugar well. Add the lemon, vanilla, salt and bit by bit the flours until you get a mixture that is not too dense.

Distribute it into the baking tins, shaping it with your fingers. Leave it to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Place the nuts and dried fruits on the base and add a little bit of honey if you want to make it sweeter. This time I made some tarts with walnuts, some others with almonds and I also mixed cherries and apricots. Cover with the slices of fruit and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180º C. Once cooled, you can decorate them with icing sugar, honey or more nuts.

Bon appétit!

Olga