My DIY Portfolio

My DIY Portfolio

I started doing macramé three years ago after seeing an incredibly beautiful and impressive macramé lamp at my neighbor’s place — and since I always feel the urge to make everything myself. Why buy something when you can proudly say you made it yourself?

I then watched a few YouTube videos and quickly realized that a lamp is not only an advanced-level project, but also one that requires a planned design and leaves little to no room for mistakes. While you can redo smaller projects multiple times, that doesn’t really apply to a lampshade. However, I also knew that I wouldn’t be starting completely from scratch — I didn’t need to practice basic knots. I was confident I could handle it right away. I’m the “learning by doing” type and tend to internalize the process just by watching it once.

That’s why my very first project was a mirror — and I’ve already gifted and even sold quite a few since then. Since that first project, I’ve only worked on things that excited me — projects that challenge me, allow me to learn something new, and are also meant as gifts for others. I rarely keep the finished pieces I make.

My true passion is for bags in different designs and colors, but I also love working with other materials like wood and dried flowers. Just recently, I built an entire windowsill out of small wooden blocks, and I’m really proud of it.

This journey is far from over — I still have so many ideas! Often, I already have two projects lined up with the materials ready to go, and two or three more in mind that I want to realize afterward."

My favorite yarn to use is from Bobbiny. I use the 3mm twisted yarn for mirrors, ring designs, and keychains, and the 5mm braided yarn for bags. Despite their wide range of colors, it can happen that the specific color I'm looking for isn't available, in which case I choose another brand. However, that always carries a risk, as unfortunately, there are yarns out there that aren't of good quality. This becomes especially noticeable with twisted yarn when it starts to unravel not just at the ends. That's very frustrating and often diminishes the beauty of the finished project. With Bobbiny, I can rely on very good quality and don't have to worry about that. (No, I’m not being paid for this. It’s simply my opinion based on numerous experiences.)

It all started with this mirror, which I’ve given away many times and even sold. For this, I used two rings with a diameter of 20 and 25 cm and knotted from the inside out. The design is flexible, but the number of threads must be calculated precisely beforehand—depending on the design and whether beads are incorporated, it must be divisible by an even number. In general: the bigger the project, the thicker and longer the yarn, and the more expensive it becomes. For a 20 cm ring, I used 84 threads, each 100 cm long. Depending on how tightly you knot, you can use fewer threads, but it’s better to have too much yarn than too little, which could jeopardize completing the project ;)

Sometimes I just see pictures on Instagram or Pinterest that I like so much, I simply recreate them—completely without instructions, just by closely studying the design. I usually estimate the required yarn length blindly—but I tend to use longer strands so I don’t run out while working. I always save leftover yarn for smaller projects or give it away, because there's always someone looking for exactly that for their own creation. One example would be dyeing the threads and gluing them onto a canvas in the shape of a heart. Looks amazing!

This is a spontaneous DIY upcycling project I did just two months ago. Two years ago, I was given a simple wall clock made of wood with a glued-on design and a clock mechanism. At some point, the idea came to me to give the clock a makeover using a ring—just like I’ve used for many of my ring designs—this one with a 25 cm diameter. I decorated it with yarn and glued the finished design onto the clock.
Before that, I removed the glued-on foil and the old clock mechanism, as it had simple and flimsy hands. I then spontaneously decorated the wooden surface in a spiral or circular pattern using 5 mm braided yarn I had left over from making a handbag. The yarn on the ring is 3 mm thick and twisted. Everything was attached with hot glue, and finally, I bought a new clock mechanism along with pink clock hands that visually stand out against the natural-colored yarn. Et voilà: my new upcycled clock in a macramé look. It’s hanging in my kitchen and is a real eye-catcher.

I bought this beautiful vintage lamp base second-hand a few years ago. It's a light blue color with a cherry blossom design and a wooden base. It also doesn’t have the typical on/off switch—instead, it has a small pull chain you tug to turn the lamp on. At the time I bought it, I didn’t even know if it still worked. Luckily, it did, and all I needed was a suitable lampshade.

Originally, I had planned to just use a different lampshade, but then other projects got in the way, and I completely forgot about the lamp. Since then, it just sat in the corner—without a shade and never in use. On top of that, it wasn’t easy to find a simple lampshade frame. At least in my area, they’re not readily available, and if they are, they’re quite expensive.

After many months - if not years - I happened to come across lampshade frames while shopping for another project at my favorite craft store. That was the spark that finally pushed me to give the lamp a beautiful boho-style lampshade, since I love mixing different styles.

Everything after that went really quickly: decorating a square frame with yarn is actually quite simple, since the shape—and therefore the measurements—are already defined. I used 3mm twisted yarn and calculated how many doubled threads I’d need per side. Then I just started freestyling. Along the way, I decided to knot each side in a different pattern to add variety—because I find monotony boring.

Finally, I bought a vintage-style bulb and a ring to attach the shade at the hardware store. And voilà: my very own upcycled vintage lamp in boho style is finished. What do you think? Do you like it?

These are smaller projects I made either on the side or using leftover materials from larger projects. I recreated the Christmas tree, similar to the boho fish, just by studying the design—without any instructions. It was great practice and makes for a lovely decoration idea for Christmas. Who says the season of love can’t be bohemian?

These cute Easter bunnies were my first designs in the vertical macramé style. The fluffy yarn stands out against the 3mm macramé cord used for the background and is so much fun to work with. The colorful ribbon, perfectly fitting for Easter, gives the little bunnies a touch of elegance and playfulness. I gave many of them as gifts and received enthusiastic reactions.

These tealights made from tree slices were part of a DIY Advent calendar project I participated in for many years. In Germany, the tradition of an Advent calendar is an important part of the pre-Christmas season and builds excitement for the holiday. Personally, I enjoy it even more than the actual Christmas gifts—which I don’t really need, to be honest. From December 1st to 24th, you get to open a little door and/or unwrap something every day. In our local DIY group, the rule was that everyone had to create something handmade 25 times for the other participants, and each ‘door’ couldn’t exceed a value of 3–4 euros. Other than that, there were no creative limits.

One year, I decided to make tree slices with drill holes to fit tealights. Each individual piece was then decorated using pyrography. I had never done that before, so the designs in the photos are really first tries (and sometimes also errors). But the more you practice, the better you get—and there are some real Leonardo da Vincis of pyrography out there. I can’t compete with them, but I was very happy with my first attempt, and everyone who received one was genuinely thrilled. Afterward, I made more for my family and friends, and even years later, they use the tealights regularly and enjoy them very much. That’s the greatest compliment one can receive, isn’t it? :)

I made these decorative flower rings after attending a workshop at a crafted art fair. For this project, you use fresh or dried flowers (ideally ones that don’t fall apart when dried) and attach them to a metal ring using wire. It’s incredibly fun to do and makes a lovely decoration for walls, windows, doors, and much more. While dried flowers lose their color, they take on a beautiful vintage look and—depending on how they’re used—can last for many years.