Miracles

My brother and his girlfriend are expecting their second child. What a wonderful surprise! For this little one in her belly, I whipped up a small present. A genderless monster, because we don't know what it is going to be yet. I was a bit insecure about how this softy turned out, but our girls loved it and asked me to make them one too. Inspired by the book Doudous a coudre.

Sweet and simple

Since we have apples galore, we eat a lot of apple crumble (in Dutch) these days. Every time dinner comes out of oven, I use the fact that the oven is already warm, to make this delicious desert. In the perfect Polish stoneware casserole. The picture shows unbaked apple crumble, because I don't get time to take pictures when it comes out of the oven.

Small tutorial

After the walk in the woods we glued together these pinecone-dolls. Just heat a gluegun and glue a wooden bead on top of the pinecone and than a hat of acorn or hazelnut-shell. Draw a little face on the bead. Later I added red embroidery yarn to hang them.

Autumn sun

We had a guest this weekend. Our youngest is in the bear-class at school. The class-bear stays in another house every weekend. N brought him last friday and he came with a suitcase and diary. We wrote in his diary what we did this weekend, accompanied by a series of pictures. Here you see bear in the woods.

Talking sticks

A spontanious project. As seen on Lightbluegrey. Yesterday after school we went outside to look for sticks and feathers. At home we wrapped them with coloured yarn and drew figures on the sticks. The girls loved it and the result was beautiful. A nice asset to a corner in our house.

Two addictions

We bought an iPad for the kids. But mom is enjoying it too. Instead of printing a pattern I just crochet from the iPad. Snowflakes and christmas bells this time. For the neighbourhood christmas market we are planning. The bell is stiffened with sugar water (half a cup of sugar, dissolved in half a cup of warm water, soak the bell and let it dry around a plastic cup).

Not only for pre-schoolers

When I saw these kites, via Ozowiezo, I had to try. Made in five minutes. And they flew in the air easily.

Practical presents

I overheard my brother saying that his little daughter needed some extra hangers for her clothes (yes, my brother is a real metro-man). When I came across these in the second hand store I immediately knew I could make some nice hangers for her. After cleaning and removing all stickers, I punched out flowers and hearts from magazines and glued them to the tips of the hangers. And on some of them I stamped her name. Hanger shortage is gone.

Bracelets

Till now I wasn't patient enough to discover how a magic braid was done. But when I saw this clear tutorial at Martha Stewart, I had to try. The pieces in the leather sample set (thanks Irma) were just long enough to braid a cuff. So, as you can see, I kept on braiding when I finally learned the trick.

Why didn't I think of this?

Simple ideas are the best. Just use the small eraser on your pencil as a stamp. I found the concept here at Creature Comforts, via Pinterest. My planner is now full of colourful dots.

Afterparty

We had some ingredients from the party left and I remembered to see these marshmellows at pinterest. Mine turned out less perfect. But they tasted wonderful.

vintage buttons

It is possible to crochet one bracelet while cooking dinner. That's why I like these small projects. It is easy to stop and go with crochet. Always having just one stitch on your needle. The lace-pattern is from one of these books. Only I don't remember from which one...

A day to remember

My cousin is going to get married in a few weeks. So yesterday we threw her a small bachelorette party. We started off with a brunch at my place. I enjoyed preparing it for her and the others. On the table (among other things): cold cucumber soup, thick yoghurt with pistache, mint and honey, crazy chick sandwiches, sachwich vitelo tonnato and quiche lorraine. After that we left for Scheveningen. Where we laughed, ate, drank and visited the beautiful museum Beelden aan Zee.

For Lev

A handmade gift again. A small bib this time. Whipped up easily and it is a useful present. This one came from a japanese book, but I did a quick google and came up with similar and other (this, this and this one) nice bib-tutorials.

Headache

Yesterday was not a good day. Too much to do. Work, hobby, baskets full of washed laundry to be ironed, apples and grapes waiting to be processed. Pfff... Took some paracetamol and started on top of the list. The grapes were turned into a delicious jam with pecans and cognac. At eleven in the evening I put away the iron and went to bed.

For Zuri

A cute little bag for an almost 5-year-old. N. will attend her party today. I hope she likes her new bag. The pattern can be found in Het Grote Zelfmaakboek voor meisjes. Her name and the small flowers are made with iron-on-velvet.

And more...

Most of the time I work at home. I try to keep myself to certain working hours. Otherwise I will be working all the time or work not at all. I allow myself real lunchbreaks. And during one of them I whipped up this necklace. I started with a leather cord to crochet a circle. And used two kinds of yarn to finish the pendant.

Saved

One wall hanging from the thriftstore. Someone has spend many hours sewing felt and beads onto a fabric background. I had plans to make it into a bag when I bought it. Ideas changed, with these two pillows as result. One figurative, one abstract. I love the colours. Yellow and ochre catch my eye anyway at the moment.

More crochet

A bracelet for a sweet girl, using a pattern from the same set I mentioned a few days ago. Just add a loop op 10 chains, closed with a slip stitch at the end and a button in the beginning.

Doodling

Via Pinterest (I'm addicted) I found this wonderful set of crochet patterns. Really beautiful patterns. In Japanese, but thanks to the diagrams, it is not difficult to follow the instructions. Just love the flowers. On the right a triangle. Maybe it's the start of a bunting.

A bit early

Yesterday was a hot summer day. Today it is raining. Next week it is getting colder and colder. Fall is approaching. Our wooden table-tree changed colours today. The little lampion dolls didn't survive the storage box. So I had to glue new lampions to the heads. Look at my tutorial to see how you can make these dolls too. The garland is made of felt leafs. Cut in shape and sewn by pushing them under the machine, one after another.

As promissed

How difficult it is to photographe this duvetcover! Believe me, it looks so much better in real life. And the girl sleeping under it is really proud.