The Writing Tree

Saving cats and stuff :)

2012-01-25T19:50:00.004+01:00

Hey there Blogland!! Forgive me for my lack of blogging this past week....

.... but I've been too busy saving cats and stuff ;)

Apparently J has collected so many records, cats now get lost in his room... ;) She was only able to climb out after she woke us up with her loud screams and we built her a ladder made of shoes...

Ah, cats! You gotta love them!! ;)

Blue Monday

2012-01-16T17:50:00.001+01:00

Apparently today is Blue Monday, and we're all supposed to feel more crappy than we would on any other Monday ;) Fortunately today was a beautiful day in my part of the world, so instead of hanging around feeling shitty, I decided to take a long, therapeutic walk into The Wild!!

There's nothing better than coming home after a long walk and making yourself a nice cup of tea (especially when it's a delicious kind of tea that tastes like spiced gingerbread!!!)...

... and treating yourself to some homemade meringue!!!

No, this Monday wasn't so bad. Not bad at all :)

I ♥ Cake

2012-01-15T16:00:00.000+01:00

I'm not saying emotional eating is a good plan. I'm just saying food can make you feel soooo happy ;) Last Christmas I got the most amazing book ever: I ♥ Cake by Trish Deseine.

Just looking at the pictures is pure bliss in itself!

Peanutbutter & chocolate cookies anyone???

YES PLEASE!!! :)

Best part is that there are soooo many amazing recipes in this book that I would actually feel comfortable making! Some are pretty complex, but most of them seem very very doable, and so very very delicious :) I started marking the ones I wanted to try, and just kept on going and going :)

I can't wait to get started!! :)

2011 Recap: October

2012-01-08T12:33:00.000+01:00

I've had quite a lot on my mind these past few weeks, and it has left me rather exhausted to be honest... I just can't find myself to spend energy on crafts, or blogging, or any of the other stuff I love. And then of course I feel guilty for not spending time on blogging or crafts, and I feel even worse!! ;)

So instead of feeling guilty I will just use my unfinished 2011 recap as the perfect excuse to blog about a month where I clearly did have energy for crafts: October!!

October was filled with creative workshops, crafting, colors and even sunshine!!

Ah, that lovely bright sunshine!! :) Makes me feel better already! ;) And to completely forget my worries for today, I'll just look at a baby weasel...

... and all is well ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! :)

2012-01-02T22:52:00.002+01:00

I hope all of you will have an amazing, healthy, inspiring and creative 2012!!!

As is tradition here on the Writing Tree, here's the Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2011, to start off 2012 in style :) Enjoy!!!

2011 Recap: September

2011-12-31T12:55:00.000+01:00

Whoops! I'm a bit behind on my recap-posts (as was to be expected of me ;) !

But what better way to end this year with a little recap of my favorite month of 2011: September!!! :)

It started busy, with a (business) trip to Paris, but soon became all about having fun and hanging out with friends, when we took a trip to Belgium! :)

Long walks, food, some sightseeing, and well... more food!!! Just the way I like my holidays ;) I usually don't post pictures of myself, but after this trip I ended up with so many pictures of me and my friends having fun, I just had to share some!

I'm reliving the fun just by looking at these! ;) Also: I'm so lucky to have people in my life who are just as mental as me!! :)

When we returned from Belgium we still had two whole weeks of holiday left. And even though it was the end of September, the weather was absolutely amazing!! We spent our days outside, sitting barefoot in tall grass enjoying picnics :)

Yes. September was a good month this year :)

2011 Recap: August

2011-12-29T18:00:00.000+01:00

2011 Recap: July

2011-12-29T10:00:00.000+01:00

July, month of color!!! :)

2011 Recap: June

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000+01:00

June was supposed to bring Summer, but instead brought rain. Loads of it!!! So I filled the month with reading books, eating soup and enjoying dew on the flowers :)

2011 Recap: May

2011-12-28T10:00:00.001+01:00

May, when I tried to make paintings with my camera :)

2011 Recap: April

2011-12-27T00:56:00.000+01:00

Aaahhh, April! :) My favorite month!!! :) Where Spring is at its best and sunshine, fresh breezes, little creatures and pretty flowers brighten up the world after the looong months of Winter!! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!! :)

2011-12-25T15:15:00.002+01:00

2011 Recap: March

2011-12-20T21:05:00.002+01:00

More cats...

More crafts...

A bit of Domo... ;)

And best of all.... A LOT more spring!!! :)

2011 Recap: February

2011-12-17T10:00:00.001+01:00

February brought a new macro lens...

... LOADS of macro fun...

and the beginning of spring! :)

2011 Recap: January

2011-12-13T16:20:00.000+01:00

Usually I'm way too busy (or lazy ;) to do any sort of recap-posts in December, but this year I thought it would be fun to look back at my year... in pictures! :)

January 2011 was a very grim and dark month, weather-wise, so most of my pictures are not worth showing. Luckily for me, there were also...

... a finished Sunburst Granny Square-blanket for our brand new niece!!

... a new hairdo (bangs, baby!!!) and the best office party EVER!! (I'm the one on the left ;) And yes, that is bunting. Yes, those are party hats. And yes, we ARE blowing bubbles! :)

... another party, containing loads of cupcakes!!

... and last but not least: the arrival of two catty roommates!!

And that pretty much sums up January! :)

Next stop: February!!

The Art of Taking Breaks (And Catching Up)

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000+01:00

The problem with taking a break is... life never takes a break from you ;) Emails keep coming in, little obligations keep nagging in the back of your mind, the dishes keep piling, blogland keeps blogging... Especially that last one shows perfectly how much I hate catching up with things: even something I love, like reading blogs, can turn into a task! :(

Another thing I'm seriously behind on is my magazine subscription...

I loooove getting my interior design magazines every month!! But for some reason I haven't read one since September... Which means I have A LOT of catching up to do!!!

So my challenge for this week is: catch up with stuff...

... without resenting it too much ;)

A nasty cold & a mustache

2011-12-06T13:00:00.001+01:00

I've been suffering from a nasty cold for days now, and it has gotten to a point where I'm completely gross and contagious :( I had no energy whatsoever for blogging, crafty stuff or the Shop-To-Be this past week, but instead of beating myself up over it, I just indulged in my own misery ;)

I did receive an early christmas present from our mailman however: my Asos dresses + my new kick-ass boots arrived much earlier than expected!! :) And before I hop unto my couch with a cup of tea and a big bowl of self-pity, here's a close up of my new dress - covered in little moons and stars! - and my brand new necklace I got from Asos ;)

A little bigger than I had expected, but ah well ;) So........

... must dash ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like... CHRISTMAS, BABY!!! :D

2011-11-30T17:22:00.002+01:00

And not because I'm busy decorating a tree, making presents for my family or enjoying my happy holiday spirit...

It's because I am window shopping....... FOR MYSELF!!!! :D

Hell, I'm not even buying stuff (yet), but looking at all the pretty stuff out there really cheers me up ;)

And before you know it...

... your Asos-wishlist looks like this...

:S

Voice A in my head:

"Don't buy anything. Save your money. Be WISE."

Voice B:

BUY

ALL

THE

THINGS

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D

I'm so weak.... :(

Sometimes it's good...

2011-11-26T11:15:00.000+01:00

... to spoil yourself! When one has had a bit of a crappy week, one might buy themselves some chocolate for example. Or a pretty dress. Or some cute shoes.

Me? I bought myself some kick-ass lino cutters!

All the way from Switzerland, baby!!! ;) They are super tiny, and extremely sharp. Which is good...

... 'cause now I can make more (and hopefully better ;) stamps for the Shop-To-Be! :)

To be continued!! :)

Goodbye Miya!

2011-11-22T13:30:00.004+01:00

Our little big lazy Miya...

... left us today after a little more than two years :( I named her after Hayao Miyazaki, one of my all time favorite filmmakers. Last night, before I knew we had to put our Miya down, I made something for the shop: a stamp of Chihiro from Spirited Away...

That one's for you, Miya! Back to your sisters you go!

Miya (09/09/09 - 22/11/11)

A Happy Moment (and some dragons)

2011-11-19T10:32:00.010+01:00

Sorry, Blogland!! I've been so busy slaying dragons this week, I forgot all about my blog ;) But in all fairness: playing Skyrim wasn't the only thing on my mind. I also made some very important steps towards something I've been dreaming of for years.... opening my very own Etsy-shop! :)

It still might take a while before I can actually get started: as always I need everything to be PERFECT ;) But now that I finally - finally!! - have picked out a name, and claimed it on Etsy, I can truly focus on the important stuff: the products :)

Yes. A Happy Moment indeed :)

Hand carved stamps!!! :)

2011-11-14T15:25:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon in a workshop learning how to make stamps. And it was so much more fun than I had expected!! I had expected to be complete rubbish at it, but I was actually able to produce something recognizable ;)

So as if I didn't have enough hobbies already...

... I'm now also addicted to making stamps ;)

Software Giveaway ~ And the winner is...

2011-11-11T17:00:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to Annika!! :) You just won the My Memories Suite Software Giveaway!! :) I will contact you as soon as I receive the code you'll need to download the software from the website of My Memories!

Thanks to those who participated in the Giveaway!! :)

Monday Morning

2011-11-07T10:39:00.004+01:00

My weekend was filled with Secret Projects, shopping, yarn, celebrating birthdays, drinking tea and eating cake :) Now it's Monday morning... and I wish was sleeping in the sun.

But alas...

... we can't all be cats ;)

Return of the Owlcoholic :)

2011-11-03T13:38:00.003+01:00

Crochet Mania!!

2011-11-02T13:45:00.000+01:00

Hey Blogland! See those pencils? I bought them for 60 cents at a local store, but it wasn't the pencils I was particularly interested in...

... it were the grips I really wanted!! :)

Put those grips on a crochet hook...

... and you suddenly become a lean mean crocheting machine!!! ;)

I finished three plushies these past few days, and my new ripple blanket is coming along great! No wonder my desk looks like a yarn bomb went off there... ;)

And what to do with all that yarny goodness, you ask? Well, let's just say I have a plan... which I will keep to myself just a little bit longer :) To be continued!!

Finished project: Destroyed Shirt Bunny :)

2011-10-30T10:00:00.003+01:00

Q: What happens when your boyfriend leaves his favorite shirt on a chair that happens to lean against your pet rat cage, and then leaves for work?

A: Well, then the rats go to work as well, with a result looking something like this:

Yes, people. That IS a shirt with its sleeve gnawed off... :) On the bright side: my rats got a very comfortable bed made out of a sleeve, and I got myself some extra fabric!! ;)

And what to do with that extra fabric, you ask? Well, let me tell you: take a cute pattern...

... and make yourself a motherflippin' bunny!! :)

How adorable is that?!! :) Honestly, I think it's so cute...

... I might just start leaving some of J's other clothes next to the rat cage as well from now on - completely 'by accident' of course! ;)

Finished project: Pencil Case

2011-10-29T10:00:00.002+02:00

Oh, how I love starting a new crafty project!! :) The process of choosing the right fabrics, prints and colors is almost rewarding enough in itself, isn't it? :)

I wanted to make the pencil case from Lisa Lam's the Bag Making Bible for quite a while now.

I love pretty lining, but I've never really used it before in any of my projects. So before I'm stepping up to making a bit more complicated bags, I thought I'd start with a pencil case ;)

I have to admit: I got a bit confused, so it took me two tries to get the lining on the INSIDE of the case ;) But here it is!!! :)

I really love it! The dots, the stripes, the soft colors and to top it off: the bright yellow zipper!! Perfect for pencils...

... or to keep my little crafty supplies in one place when I'm on the road!!! :)

Out and About (and a Baby Weasel!!)

2011-10-26T10:00:00.000+02:00

This week started with a beautiful, clear autumn day! The light was absolutely amazing and bright, and The Wild looked very pretty :)

But what I enjoyed most? Our surprise encounter with a baby weasel!

We scared it half to death when we came across it, but it wasn't our fault: it was sitting in the middle of the path!! It looked completely healthy (and in the first few moments completely pissed off as well :), so we guessed its mum must be close by and we let it be. After many hours of watching Wildlife SOS, I believe it's what Simon would have done ;)

I had to mute the video though...

It was full of Martin trying to convince me not to 'save' it and take it home ;)

DIY Gifts & Packaging Workshop

2011-10-24T18:00:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I spent my Sunday afternoon at a workshop DIY Gifts & Packaging, organized by Elle Aime.

We made pretty boxes from scratch...

... including cute labels!

And we made pins - loads of them! :)

Unfortunately for me, I don't really have great pin-making skills (apparently ;), so out of the five or so I made, I only like these two that I made with fabric :)

And at the end of day we got a goodie bag!

Owww, you gotta love the goodie bags ;) This one was filled with pretty fabrics...

... and loads of others crafty goodness :)

And yes, that IS a pink, CHOCOLATE lollypop shaped like a button standing there on the left!!! :D And boy I wish it was standing on my desk right now, being all happy and cute!.....

But people, when it comes down to chocolate....

... I have no self-control. At all.

;)

Work In Progress: Another Blanket :)

2011-10-18T17:50:00.001+02:00

I ♥ stamps

2011-10-17T11:15:00.001+02:00

All of these beauties are from Ink+Wit. And what can I say? They had me at the sock-wearing polar bear! ;)

My Memories Suite ~ GIVE AWAY! (closed)

2011-10-16T12:45:00.005+02:00

Okay people, this is exciting. I have NEVER done a Give Away before on this blog, for one plain and simple reason... I was too afraid no one would participate, and that would be kind of a bummer ;) A few weeks ago however, I was contacted by My Memories scrapbooking software to organize a Give Away, and I thought: what the heck - let's do it!

So here it goes. My Memories Suite enables you to make a digital scrapbook. It works on pc and Mac, and - normally - costs $40. Choose a design, a layout, pretty background colors, add text, a song or even a video, print your scrapbook or export to JPEG, DVD or iPod. These are just a few things you can do with the software, and I must say it's very easy to use. Check out more information here and some very positive reviews here.

Now, I don't know if I'm the typical Scrapbooking type. Or actually - that's a lie. I know I'm definitely not :) I'm not that interested in placing my photographs into scrapbooking designs or adding themes, although there are plenty to be found in the software and on the My Memories website by many different designers, including free kits.

I have however used this software the past few weeks to make photo collages - and it works great!!! Since I didn't have Photoshop I always had to upload my pictures on the web using some sort of online collage-tool - it was an absolute nightmare... It took ages and was very, VERY annoying. But it's so much easier and quicker with My Memories Suite and I absolutely love it!!! :)

So, would you like to download this software for FREE?

All you have to do is leave a comment to this post!

The winner will be announced November 11th!!!! :)

A Lean Green Sewing Machine :)

2011-10-15T18:58:00.002+02:00

Check out this funky green piece of history!!

It's a Husqvarna Zig Zag and it belonged to J's grandmother.

When she moved to her current home a while back, she was looking for a new owner, and - of course - I didn't mind stepping up for the job ;)

I love the vintage feel to it. The color is amazing, the metal cool and sturdy, and it weighs about a ton!! ;)

I don't know how old this particular machine is, but the type is apparently from 1947 and was the first free arm sewing machine.

It has a very limited amount of stitches though - most of witch are, believe it or not, different kinds of zig zags ;) - so for the last couple of days I've been looking for an upgrade.

But boy, picking one is not easy!!! They all look pretty much the same, they're all made out of plastic, and they're mostly electronic. And chances are...

... NONE of them will have these kinds of drawings in the manual ;)

My Kind of Kitty Cat :)

2011-10-09T14:30:00.001+02:00

I CANNOT BELIEVE MY HOLIDAY IS OVER ALREADY!!! :( You would think three weeks would be enough chillin'... but it really, really, REALLY isn't...

So let's just look at the adorable, blue & yellow kitty cat I made the other day, to ease the pain a little ;)

It has dots. And a bell. And it's blue. And yellow.

Now, that's my kind of kitty cat ;) Want to make your own? You can find the adorable Poiny Kitty Pattern by Wee Wonderfuls right HERE!

Also: do you like the colorful frames I put my pictures in? I sure do :) I created them with a piece of scrapbooking software that will be the star of a wonderful GIVEAWAY next weekend!!! :) So be sure to check back! And have a wonderful week in the meantime!!

In memory of Steve Jobs...

2011-10-06T09:53:00.004+02:00

... here's my favorite Apple keynote ever: the presentation of the revolutionary iPhone 1 in 2007 :)

"We're gonna use a stylus!!!" (...) "NO."

The Hidden Music Box #2: Let It Be

2011-10-04T10:00:00.001+02:00

Je t'aime... elle aime :)

2011-10-02T18:00:00.003+02:00

I feel like the luckiest person in the world: not only have we been experiencing the most wonderful post-summer weather EVER around here, I also still happen to be off from work :) So after a week of hangin' around in The Wild, enjoying picknicks and the sunshine, I decided it was time to venture into The City for a little shopping trip.

I had a lot of fun in Rotterdam, but the highlight was without a doubt a visit to Rotabs Stylecenter, an amazing concept where people can rent little shops to sell their own handmade products.

You can imagine my jealousy of a dream job like that!! ;) I especially loved elle aime, one of the little shops that sells loads of crafty goodness from several designers. Just browsing through their collection made me feel all happy and inspired! :)

And of course, I couldn't control myself... ;) Check out the pretty stuff I took home with me!

A beautiful movable cat by Jordan Grace Owens...

A pocket mirror with a little fox on it by Claire Hartigan...

The perfect button for crafters...

And three cute postcards!

How I love my new little treasures! :) I can't wait to start crafting again myself...

... right after the gorgeous weather has left us!! ;)

My Motherflippin' iMac

2011-09-29T21:00:00.000+02:00

After my current computer died not once, but twice, it came back from the computer-doctor a bit crooked in the memory department. Installing new software - like Photoshop or even Quicktime... - was a disaster, backing up my iPhone proved to be impossible and every time I turned it on it made this weird beeping sound...

So after a year of putting up with my crooked computer, I decided it was time. Time to get myself a MOTHERFLIPPIN' iMAC!!!

Apart from the fact it actually WORKS without problems - which is really, really nice for a change :) - it also looks absolutely awesome!!!

It's not just the pretty mouse...

... or the pretty keyboard...

... but the simple fact that it's just a monitor. No need for extra equipment or a gazillion wires all over the place. Just a monitor that can do everything my old computer could do, and then some. Really, what more do you need???

Exactly, Boots: nothing. Nothing at all! ;)

There and Back Again

2011-09-25T11:00:00.001+02:00

Hey there, Blogland!! I'M BACK!!!!! ;) I hope you've all had as much fun as I've had these past few weeks. (You've certainly been busy: almost 400 new blogposts to catch up with in my Bloglovin' stream!! YIKES!!!)

After a week in Paris I spent last week with J and two friends in Wallonia, in a cabin in the woods.

I cannot begin to tell you how welcome the peace and quiet of that cabin was for me!! There's nothing better than sitting on a porch watching squirrels and deer running though your garden - well, not for me anyway ;)

We even had a watchtower to keep an eye on all the wildlife!

When we weren't on our porch spotting deer, we ventured out Into The Wild to hike...

... visit little, old towns...

... and drink hot chocolate :)

I can't believe how quickly it all flew by! I'm so glad I took about a gazillion pictures to remember this trip by (of which about 99% consists of us acting completely mental and for that reason will not be shown in public ;)

And the best part? I have another two whole weeks of vacation-time ahead of me!!! :) Bring on the chillin'! :)

Goodbye Blogland! (For a while ;)

2011-09-10T21:24:00.003+02:00

I'll be in Paris this week for some business, and I have no idea if I'll have time to update. After Paris I'm going straight to Belgium for some serious relaxation, without any access to the internet! :)

So because I probably won't be able to blog for a week or two, here's a picture of a cat sniffing a flower! ;)

See you later, Blogland!

There Goes The Summer...

2011-09-08T19:34:00.009+02:00

While I'm still waiting for summer to begin...

... apparently autumn has already arrived!

And I am not ready for that. At All. Sure I love me some scarfs, warm hats and hot chocolate - but only after a lovely, warm, long summer!!! When autumn arrives after three weeks of sunny weather in april, and then what felt like four months of rain... Well, that's just cruel ;)

So along came a spider... and there goes the summer. Hope to see more of you next year!...

There's No Place Like Home

2011-09-04T16:00:00.000+02:00

The first phase of redecorating my workspace started this week when my new desk was delivered: a beautiful steel frame with a tabletop made of old wood.

I was a bit too busy organising the chaos to take any decent pictures, but as you can see...

... my new desk is already starting to feel like home ;)

Also, I couldn't help adding a little gimmick:

... a hidden music box!! :)

I'm planning on getting a few more so I'll have a whole row of them :)

Ikea Catalog 2012

2011-08-31T14:00:00.000+02:00

Phew! How time flies when you're busy! :) Only two weeks to go and then I'll be off to Paris for some business (yay!) and then off to Belgium for some down-to-earth holiday-time (YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!)!

So a quick share today: I recieved the Ikea Catalog of 2012 yesterday! :)

I always love getting this catalog: it's like getting an awesome intertior design book - for free! ;)

This is why I love Ikea: I would never get pink-dotted wallpaper for my house, but when Ikea does it, it works :)

Also, their prints a fab :)

I absolutely ADORE these curtains!!! :)

But like so many other things from Ikea, I don't need them at all... I just really, really want them! ;)

Bright ideas: ixxi

2011-08-25T20:27:00.008+02:00

I've always loved the idea of displaying my own photographs around the house. It's so much more personal and fun than putting up photographs of others, however pretty they may be. I never really liked the look of photography on canvas though, so I've been looking for the right way to display my photographs.

The other day I was over on the Yvestown Blog and saw Yvonne's ixxi print.

I had read about ixxi before, but this picture really did it for me. Doesn't it look great?? :) A collage of food pictures in your kitchen - such a great idea :)

Ixxi is a system that lets you click together printed squares and hang them on your wall. This way, you can very easily make a collage of your own pictures...

... enlarge photographs...

... or recreate paintings!

And you can do a lot more with ixxi, like using the squares as a room devider, or what about using the squares as wallpaper?? :)

So I think I have finally found what I've been looking for!!

Now all I've got to do is choose which pictures to print... :)

Craftroom inspiration!

2011-08-22T20:00:00.001+02:00

After redecorating our bedroom and rebuilding our bathroom, my sad, sorry excuse for a craftroom has been looking extra bad these past few weeks ;)

So I've been collecting inspiration over on Pinterest, and thought I'd share some of the most wonderful workspaces here!! :)

(As always, click the photographs for image sources!!)

Yes! Yes, yes, yes!! :) Ideas are slowly forming in my mind... and I see a craftroom redecoration in my future :)

A Catty Friday ;)

2011-08-19T20:00:00.000+02:00

Pretty eyes...

... cute noses...

... and BIG yawns :)

Finally... SUNSHINE!!! :)

2011-08-15T20:30:00.002+02:00

We FINALLY had some sunshine today!!! Warm, bright, lovely SUNSHINE!!! I'd almost forgotten what it looked like ;)

But trust me: with colours like this...

... the rain is quickly forgotten :)

Soup in the Summer...

2011-08-13T16:21:00.008+02:00

Where the hell is the summer, people??? :) It seems like we've fast forwarded to the fall around here, and we've had nothing but rain, rain, rain these past few weeks...

The good news though: this weather is perfect for soup - which I happen to love :) I made broccoli soup the other day, and it was so good and healthy - and soooo easy to make!

Just cut an onion...

... 250 grams of leek (about 2 or 3 stems)...

... one piece of broccoli and a potato...

... and throw it all together in a pan.

Fry for a bit in some butter, add 1,5 liter of water and 3 chicken bouillon cubes, and then cook for 30 minutes. Blend it all together, and add some cream if you like.

And there you go: easy as pie broccoli soup :)

Perfect for dinner or lunch! Especially when it keeps raining... and raining... and raining... ;)

Oops, I did it again...

2011-08-10T21:29:00.001+02:00

Buying dresses that is :)

With all the shitty things that are going on in the world these days, I tend to suffer from escapism from time to time... It is exactly what happened today, when a co-worker forwarded me a link to online store Asos and I noticed they ship for free. Two minutes and three dresses later I realised I really didn't need any dresses, but it was already too late: my order had been placed :)

And I must admit: I don't mind I didn't stop myself at all ;)

I love these colours so much!! But the one I love even more??

TADAAAAH! :D Isn't this the happiest dress you've ever seen?!? :) I tell you: it's almost as happy as me for being able to wear it soon ;)

Bring back the summer please!!! :)

Listening to: Frank Turner

2011-08-09T20:00:00.000+02:00

The sky might be grey...

2011-08-06T12:35:00.001+02:00

... but at least the flowers are yellow :)

Dear People of the Earth...

2011-08-04T11:00:00.000+02:00

... I have found my Dream Home!!!

And it's in Bellingham, Washington - apparently ;)

*DROOL*

Isn't it amazing??!! :) I sure wouldn't mind waking up there every morning ;)

It's designed by a firm called Miller Hull, and you can find more information about this house and a link to their website here.

Pin of the Day: Yes. Please. :)

2011-08-02T20:00:00.000+02:00

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Jenny on Pinterest

She makes it look so easy! ;)

2011-08-01T20:00:00.000+02:00

Tadaaah: a very colourful harddisk cover :)

2011-07-30T16:18:00.005+02:00

About a year ago my computer 'died' - twice. I did not have any backups, so I was VERY happy when it was revived by the computer-doctors on both occasions!! Flash forward to the present, and I have made backups of my files and photographs... on a four year old iPod I drag with me EVERYWHERE.........

Not good, you say? I completely agree...

So - finally! - I got myself some proper backup-equipment: a Western Digital portable harddrive!

Amazing to think this little device can store almost 500GB, isn't it?!!

Of course, considering this is now containing some Very Important Stuff, it needs to be properly protected.

So... TADAAAAAAAAH!!!

A very colourful, very cute, crocheted harddisk cover :)

I absolutely LOVE all the bright colours! 'Cause hey, when you almost need to wear sunglasses to look at it...

... you KNOW it's good, don't you? ;)

Photo Friday: Enormous

2011-07-29T13:31:00.002+02:00

Pin of the Day: Owls and dots

2011-07-28T18:12:00.002+02:00

Oh, my...

Source: amourosaur.tumblr.com via Kelly on Pinterest

I don't know what to love more: the owl-bag or the blue, dotted socks :)

Pin of the Day: The Comfort Pocket Box

2011-07-27T21:36:00.002+02:00

Amazingly sweet idea by Kim's Little Monsters over at Etsy :)

Finished reading: American Gods

2011-07-27T20:00:00.000+02:00

This book has been standing in my bookcase for ages, and I must admit: by page 10 I feared this wasn't my cup of tea...

But I read on...

... and about 600 pages later I'm happy to say that it grew on me ;) I was initially annoyed by the state of detachment in which Shadow, the protagonist, lived through the events, but when I realized that it wasn't a writing flaw but the essence of the character, I kind of came to love him for it ;)

So yes, I'm happy I finally read this book. Also: HBO is adapting this book into a series, so I'm already looking forward to seeing this story come to life on screen, and - of course ;) - comparing it to the book!!

Pin of the Day: Eames chair :)

2011-07-26T11:00:00.001+02:00

Since I'm still over at Pinterest pinning the whole, entire internets, I thought I might as well start sharing some pins over here!

So, my pin of the day is...

... a wonderful, simple workspace by the window...

... which makes me want to own this Eames chair :)

(Click photographs for image sources!)

Oops, I did it again...

2011-07-24T18:45:00.001+02:00

Buying fabric that is :)

But can you blame me?!

I stumbled upon My Fabric House the other day, and simply could not resist all the happy colours!!

Their prints are amazing...

... and the buttons are so cute!

But what really made me order all of this?

...

They were selling FIFI LAPIN FABRIC!!!!

Now come on... How could I resist that?!?! :)

Tadaaaaah! ~ Our brand new bedroom :)

2011-07-22T11:00:00.001+02:00

Two years ago this month, J and I got the keys to our current home :) It's an appartment, and it isn't even that big, but it's light and bright and has a huge garden - and therefore feels so spacious!

The previous owner had already placed a brand new floor and kitchen, so after a thorough paint job we could move right in. And now, two years later, we just finished rebuilding our bathroom... and we've finished redecorating our bedroom!!! :)

The last one was - you might have noticed ;) - on my mind a lot these past few weeks, and when you see the following before-shot, you will understand why...

It looks a bit like we just moved in, doesn't it? Well, unfortunately for us, this was taken two weeks ago ;) We just never really bothered to make something of it, but after some very intensive research and thirteen hours of Ikea-related labor... we finally have a new bedroom!!!

TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And on the other side:

TADAAAAAH! ;)

I cannot tell you how happy I am with the way it turned out. (Check out the little blue lamp!!! :)

Instead of a room hastily filled with a bunch of furniture and other junk, it now looks - and more importantly: feels! - like a home.

It is now a room in which I can read a book before bedtime, without being annoyed or distracted by all the clutter.

So yes, I was obsessed with redecorating our bedroom.

But what can I say? It paid off :)

Etsy Faves: Ashley Percival

2011-07-19T08:00:00.001+02:00

My favourite things to buy on Etsy are illustrations. There are so many amazing artists out there, and you can often get the most wonderful illustrations for less then $25! Add your own frame and you have very affordable, yet very amazing art to hang around your home.

My latest 'discovery' is the work of Ashley Percival.

His illustrations are colourful and quirky - just the way I like them ;) As an owlcoholic I am - of course - very delighted by the owls :)

Aren't they amazing? :)

You can get your own Ashley Percival-owl (or other illustration) over at Etsy.

Bakin' time: Caramel Shortbread

2011-07-17T11:00:00.001+02:00

Every once in a while I feel like baking a cake! This weekend, I thought I'd try out Caramel Shortbread :)

It's pretty easy to make actually - it just takes a little time because you have to make it in three parts.

Part one is the dough...

Part two is the caramel...

And part three is the chocolate :)

And the result? A cake so incredibly yummy...

... it should be arrested!!! :D

Seriously people. I gained weight just by looking at it ;)

Old shelves - new storage! :)

2011-07-16T17:53:00.007+02:00

I finally got my camera cable back! So it's sharing time at last ;)

As I mentioned in my last post, my crafting room is a mess. And since I have no idea what to do with the room, I thought I'd go for a temporary solution.

So in our basement I found two old parts of a bookcase...

... and transformed them into some extra storage :)

Now I finally have a good place to line up my craft books...

... and display Jenny Bird! :)

It's not perfect by a long shot, but at least it gives me some time to figure out what the long term solution is going to be! :)

The Ultimate Cabinet?

2011-07-10T20:10:00.001+02:00

Oh shoot!! I forgot the cable of my camera somewhere the other day, so I can't share any of my pics! :( Guess I'll have to share another decorating goodie then! :)

I have been looking for the right cabinet for my crafting/office space for a while now, and I think I may have found something that's very close to being the ultimate crafter's cabinet! :)

I already saw this wonderful cabinet on Decor8...

... and then again on another site...

... and another...

... and another!

(Click pictures for image sources!)

I thought: why do all these people are able to find and buy wonderful cabinets that I will never be able to own???

(...)

Turns out it's from Ikea... ;)

Of course, it's out of stock throughout the Netherlands... So I'll have to think of a temporary solution to store all of my stuff! Will report back on that, as soon as I get my camera cable back! ;)

How Creative Minds Work :)

2011-07-07T22:03:00.004+02:00

Procrastination from ism studios.

(Re)decorating the bedroom ~ Part Two

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000+02:00

Phew! It's been a busy week over here at my humble abode! Our campsite in the living room was frequently disturbed at night... by two very naughty cats! :) They chose this week to bring home moths, spiders and even a little baby mouse!!! (The last one miraculously survided - completely unharmed!)

Now our bathroom is almost ready (I will write a before/after-post when it's completely done in a few weeks) and we can move back to our bedroom!

Like I said in my last post about redecorating our bedroom, I love the Hemnes-series of Ikea, as pictured above. But all of that white needs a bit of colour... so let's look at the possibilities :)

I really love the yellow :)

The blue lamp and the pretty flowers...

... the blue and green combination...

... and this amzingly colourful bedding by Urban Outfitters!!

You can go to the image sources by clicking on the pictures. I'll be back in a couple of days, hopefully showing off a pillowcase or two I'm working on at the moment :)

Redecorating Mania ~ Let's Pin the Internets

2011-07-01T12:15:00.000+02:00

Sudden urge to redecorate EVERYTHING

+

Pinterest

=

TOTAL OBSESSION!!!

Seriously people. I need help. I'm pinning the whole, entire internets! ;)

It's great though, and I'm so inspired by all the amazing products and photographs out there! I can't wait to show you our new bathroom when it's completely finished in a few weeks or so, and I can't wait to get started on redecorating our bedroom!!!

One of the biggest challenges for me is to distinguish the good from the bad. When I'm at home looking at amazing photographs it's very easy to see what works and what doesn't. But when I'm in a store, surrounded by products, everything suddenly looks the same! I often end up leaving with nothing at all, because I can't make a decision.

So as a little interior design exercise, I went to our local second hand shop today. There's A LOT of stuff in that shop that is very obviously NOT for me (or anybody else for that matter ;), so the challenge was to find something that did work :)

So here it is...

... a little blue lamp! :D

I'm pretty proud I found it amidst all the other stuff they sold, and I love this little lamp so much (the colour is perfect!) - it's actually a bit pathetic... ;)

Next stop: finding the right lampshade! :)

Etsy Favourites

2011-06-28T08:00:00.002+02:00

Sometimes all you need...

... is a smiling whale :)

(Re)decorating the bedroom ~ Part One

2011-06-26T12:46:00.011+02:00

Wow - I'm experiencing a bit of a decorating overload at the moment... and I'm loving it! :)

Tomorrow is the first day of the reconstruction of our bathroom and since our bedroom will be more of less uninhabitable due to all the dust, I have decided this is the perfect time to plan some redecorating!

Our bedroom is about as uncosy as it gets. It basically consists of non matching, leftover furniture, a big ass ancient television set and A LOT of (mostly my...) stuff scattered around. I can't even show you a picture, it's that bad ;)

So the first step of my redecorating plan is to determine what I* like.

*I could use 'we' here, but considering the fact J doesn't really give a damn, who would I be kidding? ;)

Love the colours!

Love the prints! (Check out the lamp! :)

Love the yellow! ;)

Love the simplicity!

Aren't they beautiful?? :) I love the combination of simple white furniture and wonderful, bright colours! Also, I love the Hemnes-series of Ikea, and I've got a sneaky suspicion...

... it will do the job very well ;)

Next week: accessories! :)

I ♥ Decorate

2011-06-19T14:27:00.012+02:00

When J and I moved to our current appartment, we had to buy A LOT of new stuff. Our last appartment was about half the size of the new one, so we had a lot more space to fill. (Thank God for Ikea!! ;)

Two years later and it's clear that some of our choices work (I love our hallway drawer and my beautiful red, wooden bookcase) and some do not (I hate our messy bedroom and my completely uninspiring crafting/desk space).

So it's time for some changes, and this time - I want to do it right :)

Meet Decorate by Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick (pictures by Holly Becker over @ Flickr!):

Holly Becker has an amazing design blog called decor8, filled with inspiration and the most beautiful photographs!

Decorate is her first book and it contains design ideas for every room in the house.

There's even a chapter on creative spaces :) The photographs are by Debi Treloar - and they are absolutely incredible!! I tell you, I almost drooled on several occasions ;)

So with a little help from this book, I now find myself officially in phase one of my new decorating adventure: Preparation!

And I intend to stay there for as long as it takes ;)

Playing the piano... Affirmative!!! :)

2011-06-17T12:54:00.000+02:00

After teaching myself to knit and crochet, I like to believe you can teach yourself anything as long as you put your mind to it. So when I heard this song by South Korean composer Yiruma I thought: what the heck, let's learn how to play the piano!

And even though it seemed impossible to play the piano (!), with both hands (!!), at the same time (!!!), I am proud to say that after a few weeks of practice I can now play the majority of River Flows In You!!

Of course, when I play the song, it sounds like it's played by a ROBOT...

... but I'm working on that now ;)

A little gardening...

2011-06-13T12:10:00.006+02:00

... and a little bouquet of flowers to cheer me up! :)

Yep. Worked like a charm :)

Mollie Makes

2011-06-10T13:39:00.005+02:00

I am having the slowest start today... I can't stop yawning and I just want to curl up in a heap of blankets and sleep for 24 hours!!! :)

Fortunately there's this delightful add for new UK craft magazine Mollie Makes to keep me awake:

I'm loving this so much! :) I am seriously thinking of subscribing - the magazine looks so wonderful and inspiring!

Also, it makes me want to join a craft group! Why can't we have a Makery in my town?! Oh, wait. Let me rephrase that: in my COUNTRY!

(...)

That's it. I'm moving to Bath.

;)

5 things...

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000+02:00

... I did on a lazy Sunday! :)

1. Eating raspberry yoghurt for breakfast

2. Practising my piano "skills" ;)

3. Reading...

4. ... and reading some more!

5. And last but not least...

... knitting more squares for my new blanket :)

Finished reading: Twilight Robbery

2011-06-05T12:10:00.004+02:00

I always prefer my books the way I prefer the weather or my state of mind: happy, bright and leaving me buzzing and inspired. No endless monologues on the weight of life for me - I'm gloomy enough as it is, thank you very much! ;)

Back in January I finished Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, and what I loved almost more than the book itself, was the fact that there was going to be a sequel! So, as soon as it came out, I ordered Twilight Robbery (also known as Fly Trap) and devoured it withing a week :)

The verdict: it's even better than the first! Fun and adventurous, written with so much wit and energy I just couldn't put it down! It made me wish I could write like Frances!!

Unfortunately for me, I can't. So now all I can do...

... is hope for another sequel :)

Moodboard & a WIP!

2011-05-29T12:57:00.010+02:00

These past few weeks I've been slowly (SLOWLY!!!) recovering from the pain in my back. I'm still not there yet, but I have learned that the key thing is to keep moving, and to avoid sitting in the same position for longer than 45 minutes at a time. Which turns out to exclude A LOT of things I love to do...

I love to craft/crochet/knit/sew, I love to blog, I love to read, I love to watch movies. I do not love the need to exercise ALL FREAKIN' DAY LONG. So this weekend, with the weather being bad anyway, I decided to reward myself with two crafty activities.

First I made a moodboard:

I LOVE these colours!! Love the orange wooden cabinet, the fabrics and button, the postcards, and especially my latest Etsy-purchase: this amazing illustration by Nan Lawson!

How cute is that?? :) Having this on my desk is truly inspiring! I'd love to own a bigger moodboard one day, but this will do for now :)

So the next thing I did was making a start to a new knitted blanket, in the same colour scheme as my moodboard! :)

I've never knitted a blanket before, so I'm really curious to find out how these squares will look once they're all sewed together... (I'm hoping for something great, but I'm suspecting something wobbly ;)

It'll take me a while to find out though: 2 down, 30-or-so more to go!

And at the rate me and my creaky back are going, I'll be done in December... :)

Finished reading: Pride and Prejudice

2011-05-24T08:00:00.000+02:00

Memories...

2011-05-18T20:32:00.004+02:00

... of sunny days :)

Jenny Bird! :)

2011-05-13T21:32:00.004+02:00

As I said a few weeks ago in my Birthday-post, I still had a few presents coming my way :)

This week the first one arrived: a very special gift from my parents.

They gave me this amazing illustration by Natasha Newton/The Blackbird Sings - custom made for me!!

Check out the name:

How cool is that? ;) Also: Natasha is now SELLING this illustration as a postcard!!!

So if you want to own a Jenny Bird, check out Natasha's Etsy store!!

Down came the rain...

2011-05-10T11:52:00.007+02:00

As I said, my timing is often impeccable. After weeks and weeks of the most beautiful weather, rain has arrived - right in the middle of my holiday!!

I would have no trouble at all with entertaining myself indoors... if it wasn't for my stupid back!!! No crafting, no more than 30 minutes of computer-time a day, no activities that involve me standing/walking/sitting for over half an hour straight - even reading a book is painful!

But enough with the whining. Let's focus on a thing I was able to do: take pictures of a few rain-loving creatures in my garden! :)

There were slimy snails... (I counted 60 of them!!!)

... freaky flies...

... ambitious ants...

... and a ginormous rabbit!!

Even our cat...

... was a little intimidated :)

Etsy Favourites!

2011-05-08T21:19:00.005+02:00

My back has been absolutely KILLING me these past few days! It was bad before, but it has gotten to a point where I'm constantly in pain. The only moments I'm not, I'm asleep...

Oh, and the best thing: this is all happening during my holidays!! My timing is - as always - impeccable...

So because I cannot craft at the moment, and beceause I need some cheering up: here are a few of my Etsy-favourites I came across lately!

A Pocketful of Black Cats by Amy Blackwell

Mix Tape Buttons by Buttonhead

Holga Camera by cutcopycreate

Love all the pretty, happy colours!!! :) I feel cheered up already!

Happy Birthday... to me! :)

2011-05-01T20:00:00.001+02:00

This weekend I celebrated my 27th birthday!

I know loads of people don't like their birthdays after a certain age, and I must admit I always get a little melancholic on mine...

... but when you consider the alternative (not aging - living - at all) another birthday suddenly doesn't seem so bad if you ask me.

Also, there are gifts! ;)

This year I got a truckload of lovely gifts from my friends and family!

There were cute cards, filled with many memories...

... mint plants...

... owl hand cream (it's a hoot! :)...

... chocolate...

... a Blue House...

... and a year of inspiration! :)

And you know what? This is only half of it! The other half is on it's way in the mail...

... which means in a day or two I get to celebrate my birthday - all over again!!! :D

Big Little Monster

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000+02:00

Sunny Days (at last! :)

2011-04-25T20:08:00.009+02:00

Hey! Psssst! Blogland!

It's me! I know I haven't been the best blogger lately... but it's not my fault - I swear!

It's that darned weather, you see... It's been sunny and lovely and bright! And I spent almost all of my spare time in The Wild, far away from my computer!

But don't be mad... I took pictures! :) Check out all the creatures me & my macro lens have been hanging out with these days!

Aren't they amazing?? And I've got tons more to share!! :)

(...)

Which I will, as soon as it starts raining ;)

Attention all readers!!!

2011-04-24T08:00:00.000+02:00

This blog is now officially Facebook-ready! I've added share buttons to each post!! :)

I ♥ Spring!

2011-04-23T18:10:00.016+02:00

Hope you're all enjoying your Easter Eggs? :) The weather has been amazing here these past few weeks, and I've spent as much time as possible outdoors. After months of winter it feels so GOOD to finally walk in the warm sunlight again, admiring all the beautiful, bright colours!

Since blogging or crafting is a bit difficult while you're on the move, I've been focussing on my macro lens instead. And oh how much I love my macro lens!!! :)

It allows you to really capture all the crispy freshness that is Spring! Look at that lighting! Look at those shades of GREEN! :)

And I suddenly find myself utterly obsessed with all creatures small...

... and smaller! :)

So if you don't hear from me, I'll be in The Wild!

The Tulip Transformation

2011-04-19T07:00:00.002+02:00

April 1st:

April 15th:

All creatures great and small

2011-04-14T08:03:00.001+02:00

Still lovin' my macro lens :)

Finished reading: Victory of Eagles

2011-04-14T08:00:00.001+02:00

And I shall call him...

2011-04-09T12:36:00.000+02:00

... Made From Clouds! :)

The Sunny Sunday Sunshine Bag ~ update

2011-03-27T11:10:00.006+02:00

Remember the Sunny Sunday Sunshine Bag I made last week? I was pretty happy with the result, until I started to feel like something was missing... I tried to figure out what could be wrong with a very happy, very sunny tote, and then it hit me: it was just too damn sunny! ;)

So I decided to add...

... some RAIN!

Okay, so it's cute, yellow, dotted rain...

... but it's rain nonetheless! And you know what the weird part is? I think this bag just got a whole lot sunnier because of it! :)

Bye Impi!

2011-03-23T17:21:00.004+01:00

Impi...

... Builder of Nests...

... left us this week after 2,5 years. She had a great (and long!) life and kept building till the end ;)

Bye Impi, we'll miss you! Back to your sisters you go!

Impi (07/08/08 - 21/03/11)

The Sunny Sunday Sunshine Bag!

2011-03-20T17:29:00.014+01:00

I don't know if it was the sun or the scent of spring in the air, but today I felt like making a bag!!

Considering the fact I've never made a bag before, I decided to start slow and make myself the first (and easiest) bag from Lisa Lam's The Bag Making Bible: the Versatile Book Bag.

So off I went choosing fabrics...

... measuring, cutting, pinning, ironing...

... and sewing!

While Boots slept in the sun...

... I made a modest bag...

... with sunny handles...

... and sewed them together.

The result? One very happy...

... very bright...

... Sunny Sunday Sunshine Bag!!! :)

If I wasn't ready for Spring before, I surely am now! :)

It ain't easy being green!

2011-03-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

Oh my!! I've been such a bad blogger lately!!! Due to back pain I tried to spend as little time in front of my computer as possible, which did wonders for my back... but not so much for my blog :)

So here's 5 random things I've been up to these past few weeks (for some odd reason all containing the colour green... ;)!

1. Me and my new macro lens are still obsessed with dewdrops...

2... and cats :)

3. I decided to declare my Love For Dots by buying this super cute Cath Kidston saddle bag! :)

4. Pimping my iPhone :)

5. And last but not least:

DOMO LOVES YARN!!! :)

Once upon a time...

2011-02-23T17:55:00.003+01:00

... there was a practical, yet very ugly, camera bag.

Instead of throwing it away its owner decided to add a little colour to it, in hopes it would become Less Ugly. So the owner got out some tools...

... and made the Ugly Bag a beautiful happy strap!!! :)

It was yellow...

... and had dots on it!!!

And even though the bag is Still Ugly...

... they lived happily ever after anyways! :)

The (rather pointless ;) End.

I ♥ macro (and my new lens :)

2011-02-18T18:33:00.003+01:00

Remember me telling you about ♥ing bokeh? Well, I also ♥ macro! :) And this week, after a year of using my Canon EOS 500D, I finally bought myself a MACRO LENS!!!

A Canon 100mm F/2.8 to be precise! Finally, no more restrictions!!! :)

And the results? Let me put it this way:

Marco...

+ Bokeh...

= *DROOOOOOOL*!!!!!!!!!! :)

What can I say?

I even ♥ the ones that are out of focus :)

Why I love eBay

2011-02-16T18:32:00.004+01:00

One word...

... DOMO!!!!!!!