happy birthday dad !

My father celebrates his 75th birthday today. 
wishing you a fantastic birthday, dad !

home made christmas decorations - zelfgemaakte kerstversieringen

I have finished decorating my house.  This year I was planning to keep it very simple, like in those fine home decorating magazines.  No tree.  No frills.  No sparkles.  Just a delicate touch of reds and greens and a few nice objects to create the festive atmosphere.  But then the eldest son was complaining : when we were kids, you used to make it really cosy, mum.  (he means the excess and overload of frills I was guilty of in the past...)  Hmm.  Then I got this great idea :  I told him that if he wanted a xmas tree filled with balls and lightbulbs, he'd have to do it himself.  Being a 19-year old boy, with a big talent for making a mess of his room and very little talent as a decorator, I never expected him to actually do this.   Think again, mum...   So now there is - again! - a fully loaded xmas tree in our living room.  And to be honest, I am quite pleased with it.  I suppose the chique minimalist design that I love so much in magazines is ok for other people's houses...
This one however is now again filled to the roof with all the stuff we accumulated over the past years.   Many of it is crafted by the kids when they were little, and some of it by me.  May I invite you ?

styrofoam with small pieces of fabric pinned to it

I made some muffins too...

years ago I was in a patchwork frenzy...

with left over red buttons you can make this

a gift from my niece when she was little

the doily is hand knitted lace

Christmas cat...

I just want to sleep...

Merry Christmas to you all !

button wednesday

Inspired by the 'Button Lady's' of Zsazsazsu, Fleur Fatale and Kraplap, I had a go at making some rings and brooches with old vintage buttons.  Some of them belonged to my grandmother, and I am proud that I can wear them now.  It was fun to do and gives me the good  feeling of recycling and using some of the stuff I keep in boxes, labelled 'one day I will make something really nice with this'.

these are 2 brooches. 

the little button on the top is made of Czech glass

Thanks for the idea ladies !  I really enjoyed myself making these. I told my mum, and she said she had a box filled with old buttons too.  So maybe there will be more of these...

As you can see I used a better camera this time.  In stead of my super simple and rather outdated camera, I used my husbands  sophisticated camera with a billion little buttons and menus that keep confusing me.  Sometimes I am very blond... I know...

tilda snowmen christmas decorations

Dear readers,

some time ago I bought a book showing me how to make the most beautiful Xmas decorations.  It was written by a Norwegian girl called Tone Finnanger.  Unfortunately the text was also in Norwegian... But the designs are clearly explained with step by step 'how to's and besides, I'm quite used to reading patterns.

don't you just love this ?

So this weekend I tried to make the snowmen on page 22.

It wasn't very hard work : the patterns are small, but correct.  I enjoyed making the little pijama's.  To colour the faces, I used some of my  blush, and a special textile felt tip pen in dark brown for the eyes.  I haven't made the noses yet : still trying to figure out how I can make a small carrot nose...
 
this is the result :

If you like these, be sure to visit her website !
in Dutch : http://www.dehandwerksite.nl/Webwinkel-Page-80405/Over-Tilda.html
in English : http://tildasworld.com/
in Belgium : many of her patterns and fabrics are for sale at 'De Banier'.

warm hats - gebreide muts

Oostende is met z'n -14°C officieel uitgeroepen tot koudste plek in Europa !  Lucky me...
 Maar dat wil zeggen dat iedereen die zijn neus buiten durft steken, een warme muts op heeft, een dikke sjaal en stevige schoenen.  Mijn warme mutsen hebben succes !    Mijn zus had een mooi (gratis-) patroon gevonden op ravelry : de 'Opus Spicatum' ontworpen door Kate Osborn. Een prachtig kleurenpatroon, ik was meteen verkocht.  Het is een 'tam', dat wil zeggen zo'n doorzakmodel dat een beetje op een baret lijkt die je achteraan op je kruin draagt. Ik heb er  2 gebreid, op naalden 5, dat gaat lekker snel vooruit. Heel goed gelukt, en super warm !

Well, my hometown Oostende is now officially the coldest place in Europe.  We are not used to this cold at all !   - 14 ° C was measured this weekend.  That means everybody is wearing protection : warm hats and scarfs everywhere.  So my hats are very much in demand right now.  I knitted 2 more.  My sister found this great free pattern on ravelry, and I was immediately fond of the nice pattern.  it's called opus spicatum and the designer is Kate Osborn. I found it very quick & easy :  2 skeins of wool and needles nr 5.   The model is a tam, very fashionable amongst the young.  So here are the pictures :

If you are keen to try one yourself : click here for the free pattern :
http://www.kelbournewoolens.com/opusspicatum.html

lavendelzakjes - christmas gifts

hallo iedereen

het is véél te koud om buiten te lopen, dus heb ik me geïnstalleerd aan mijn werktafel en heb 2 kleine kerstcadeautjes gemaakt.  Ik had een maand geleden de laatste restjes lavendel van mijn plantjes geknipt en te drogen gelegd.  Dat is nu helemaal gelukt, het geurt heerlijk.  Ik was van plan om er geurzakjes mee te maken, en die onder de kerstboom te leggen voor mijn moeder.  (ma, als je dit leest, sla dit stukje even over, anders is de verrassing eraf...)  Ik heb een restje aida stof gebruikt en wat vilt en dit is het geurige resultaat :



Hi everybody,

It is freezing cold outside, just right for an afternoon of crafting.  A few weeks ago I cut off all the lavender in my pots and spread it out to dry.  That worked fine, it's now crispy dry and smells delicious.  I made a few little scented sachets as a small Xmas gift for my mum.  (Stop reading mum, it'll spoil the surprise...)

zahia workshop briolettes

Hi everybody,

Last Saturday, I was thrilled to bits.  I was going to follow a workshop at Zahia for the first time.  Zahia (*) has only recently opened a new shop in Brugge, and that's only a 20 minutes drive from my place.  I had visited their shop several times, and admired all the beads and necklaces.  Unfortunately, the prices are rather high, a bit much for my poor miserable wallet.  (That's one of the reasons I try to make my own stuff, it's much cheaper) But their prices may be high, their beads are amazing and inspiring.  Vintage glass beads, Venetian handmade pieces, mouthwatering colours...
The workshop I booked was all about working with briolettes.  Those are glass beads shaped like a droplet.  The tiny opening is in the tip of the droplet,  so you have to work horizontally.  The beads are also cut in facets, and sparkle in the light.  Sylvie was a very patient teacher, and we set off for an hour of diligent fiddling with tiny silver wires and tweezers.  I made a pair of lovely earrings, I'm quite proud of myself.  Here they are. 

I choose 3 big beads and 1 small, all in 'muddy' colours

(*) Zahia was started in 2001 by 2 sisters, they sell beads and give workshops.  They have several shops in Flanders now.   Check out their website on  http://www.zahia.be/