Appreciation

One of J's best friends had mentioned she really would like to have a best friends necklace with her. So when we saw one in France J bought it. At school J's other best friend saw the piece of jewellery and asked disappointedly if it meant that they weren't best friends any more. J assured her she still was her oldest best friend. I tried to find a solution to make it right again. Felt key rings, one for each, for their bike key. J made a remark that the dividing line should have been fluent. She's right. But both girls were still happy with this token of mutual friendship.

In 's-Hertogenbosch

This weekend my husband is responsible for the practical organisation of the main location of Jazz in Duketown. A weekend of hard work and late nights.We went there to get a glimps of him. And to hear trumpeter Eric Vloeimans playing with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Quite exciting and impressive. When you are only slightly interested in Jazz you should go there tonight. Gregory Porter will be performing with the Jazz Orchestra of the concertgebouw. And after that, Vloeimans is giving another concert.

For decoration

Just two simple crochet stitches for this garland. Chains and single crochet. Makes it a perfect beginner project. Going to try crocheting it with the daughters. This particular, almost fluo, yellow garland was left behind in France.

Chalk creations

J got a set of stone carving tools from her grandparents for her birthday. Before we knew it she had carved a polar bear. I thought it would be a nice activity for our holiday in France. So just before we left I bought a bucket full of French chalk on Marktplaats for almost nothing. A good idea, because we have spent quite some time on this new hobby. Both girls saw immediately what animal was hiding inside a stone. J made a dolfin and N carved this cute birdy. I helped her a little bit, but with very exact instructions from the artist. Amazing, don't you think?

Consolation mice

To thank Trixs' mother I made her some mice to play with and divert her thoughts. Fabric scraps, felt ears, rope tail and catnip inside. The smell of the dried catnip makes the toys attractive for cats. Of course I also sewed some toys for our Trix. I didn't use a tutorial, but there are several of them on the internet. For example here and here.

Pretty pet

Although she looks quite big in these pictures, our kitten is only nine weeks old. So cute. We picked her up last friday and she felt at home right away. Luckily Trix comes from a family with many children, because our girls can't stop caressing her, picking her up and playing with her. Trix is fine with it and loves to sleep on their laps. A perfect companion.

Mothersday

A la mere de famille: from the mother of the family. What more apt title could a mothersday gift have? Traditional recipes by a famous chocolatier from Paris. I chose to make the hazelnut financiers right away, since I had bought a mold for financiers last week in Limoges. I like the simple shape. The financiers turned out really, really tasty! Non of the 40 cakes made it to the end of the day. Here you can find a similar recipe. Any mold for small cakes will do.

2 in 1

Same fold over bag like last time and also in graphic Ikea fabric. When I had cut out the outer pieces I suddenly discovered that when I turned one piece upside down it would give two completely different looks to the bag. One side became a sunset above the sea, the other side a green early morning landscape. I searched online for silhouettes of a dolphin and rabbit and ironed them on either side. It's a present for Sterre's birthday. Congratulations!

Lovely Limousin

Just what we needed after some very busy months, a stay in beautiful France. No planning, but doing what feels good at that moment. We often go to my parents little railroad house, but we're never bored. This time for exemple we visited the beautiful city of Perigeux. Next to a beautiful medieval center it also has interesting roman sights. We had never been to the Vesunna museum, designed by Jean Nouvel, before. A museum literally built around the remnants of a roman villa. A very well designed exhibition, that brings roman life very close. We can recommend going there when you happen to come in the neighbourhood.

Escher

A question I often get is 'where do you get the inspiration for your stamps?'. Well it's simpler than you might think. When I'm lost for inspiration I just grab any book with pictures in it. Any kind of picture can lead to a good stamp. Childrens' books, comics, books about art or nature. Or just type a word in google images and see what images come up. That's how I found the idea for the Escher birds.