Talking with birds - Style Advice

Does my new yellow top goes well with my hair?

Unfinished Projects.... Babette update 3

It's been a long long time since I worked on my Babette Blanket.
My last update post about it was in August 2008!
I now feel really inspired to work on it again, since I started crocheting for Miss Poppy.. and I must say... I don't know why I stopped working on it...
Oh yeah.. I remember.. I started sewing!
Be on the look out for a sewing post later this week :-)

Fearless!

With her I don't have the fear to mess up a self designed crochet/knitted/sewed project because it is sooo tiny! So when I screw up I just try again or take it apart. This is not my favorite thing when I make something for myself so I am totally enjoying design freedom with this doll because it doesn't cost as much time nor money... which is a good thing, because I spend enough already on the doll itself haha :-)

Meet Poppy :-)

Thanks everybody for helping me find a name for her :-)

Mothersday present

so if you thought that scrapbooking was already a bottomless pit for spending your money... please don't make sewing your new hobby!
I recently discoverd this great webshop with only japanese import fabrics and patternbooks... well...what can I say, take a look for yourself on
www.superbuzzy.com for some of the cutest fabric prints in the whole wide world!

I expect to receive this cool mother/daughter patternbook any day now, isn't this the cutest (corniest) mothersday gift you can think of? I know it will make daddy really happy to see his wife and daughter in a matching outfit....

4 years of marriage...

and time flies when you're having fun :-)

It's finished schatzie!!

Ingredients:
Alexander Henry - fabric "Jewel Mobile"
Ikea - green canvas
Market - Purple Linnen for the lining of the bag
Pattern - "Alles Dabei" from Farbenmix

I hope you enjoy it dear Nat, it has got my and your favorite colour combined.
A great combination I must say!

She's arrived :-)

Now let's think of a name for her... any ideas?
I have a strong feeling that her name has to start with a "P".. don't ask my why!



I ordered her at Miss Blythe's store, THE european Blythe shop, based in Portugal.
Very kind and fast service!
Please don't laugh at me, but this doll is making me smile everytime I look at her... :-D!

I play with dolls too

She is coming my way :-)

Are you hungry?

You will be after looking at this gorgeous kimono dress (Farbenmix Pattern Pearl).




My personal model wasn't too happy about the design though and refused to stand up for mommy so she could make a proper picture of the dress....



When she finally got up she did everything she could to hide the dress from the camera....



Fabric by Robert Kaufman, ordered HERE.

Is this cute or is it cute?

One thing....

... leads to another. It is only logical that I am now experimenting with stamping on fabric :-). I finally found someone in the Netherlands actually selling Versacraft. Even specialized stamping shops like Art Journey or Stampingback don't sell it. So I am really happy with this craft shop that does sell it, and a lot of different colours as well
First results:




First lesson learned: make absolutely sure your piece of fabric is ironed/steamed very very well. Unless of course you love a crackled stamped image on your dress ;-).

For me

I make stuff for me too... and lately I am in love with black and white combinations :-)



Pattern is by Farbenmix (Frida). Click HERE for more "designbeispiele" :-).
I like my version best...obviously.

Fabric is by Alexander Henry called "Roboskulls" & "Paseo de los Muertos"

The solution...

... for having enough time to cut, paint, glue, tare any piece of paper or fabric is winning the lottery and quiting your job....
At the moment, this is my favorite fantasy :-).
My current frustration is that with the time I have left between mothering and working I have to choose between paper and fabric. Because I am still learning it's logical to choose fabric, because practice makes perfect. In the meanwhile my head is overflowing with ideas for scrapping, atc's etcetera... but then... how can I resist those prints? NEED MORE TIME....NOW!



Fabric rules.... Check out www.fabricparadise.com for example, I guarantee you will start to make up all kinds of excuses, so that you can order just a few yards of cool fabric. Come on... you know you want it!

Still alive....

... very much alive indeed. I was just bloghopping and read the following:

i need to start posting more often. i think i get caught up in all the things i could or should be sharing and get overwhelmed.

It so stupid that I simply don't take the time to blog once in a while, because I do love it. It is very comforting though that there are (a lot!) of people who have the same "problem".

What I have been doing the last month? What do you think?


For this dress I used the same pattern as for Bincke's birthday dress and the Duckie dress. The fabric with the print is (again!) from Alexander Henry called "The Perfect Pattern".

This cutie dress was sewn as a present for a little baby girl, born on the first day of Christmas...


Sooo...I have been enjoying myself, have been sick for almost a week too.
Have booked a great vacation: we will be staying in a house in Dahab, Egypt for 2 weeks in June :-)...yay! No mass tourism here, which is good, very good!!
Besides snorkeling...I won't be doing anything here :-), except petting the occasional camel or goat that comes by our house haha...
Googling Dahab I found someone saying:

"Dahab - Tourist trap at the Red Sea. It took us 30 days to escape."

:-))))))
I soooo can't wait until its June!
Did you already book your holiday?

Another birthday girl...

This photo was taken exactly 1 year ago on the "babyshow" from the pregnancy yoga class



Last month little Frieda celebrated her first birthday. And to help her celebrate I made her this dress. It is the same pattern as I used for Bincke's birthday dress. I must say Frieda's piece is more beautiful than Bincke's; practice makes perfect :-)



.

Fabric is by Alexander Henry, called Rub-A-Dub Ducky.
So...if you are looking for a cool birthday present for a baby girl...you know where to find me ;-).

Typical

This law is what we in Europe call a typical example of good old fashioned American overreacting.... pfff...
Please take your time to read the whole article under the provided link.

13 months....

already! Her first birthday was not as much fun as I hoped and I won't discuss details here, but sometimes family can be such a pain the ass!
Luckily for her she too young to realize what a stupid birthday it was and
her first year here on earth will be remembered forever with this dress I made her. I am sure she will treasure it when she's old and grey :-) and I will lie to her about her wonderful 1st birthday party :-).

Saturday evening...

.... the doorbell rings. DH answers the intercom to see who's there; a parcel delivery for miss D. de Jong. Hmm...wonder what that could be, I didn't order anything (not this week). DH goes downstairs to pick up the parcel (the postguy is not allowed to go up, we have to come down).A few minutes later he returns with a HUGE parcel.
Luckily I have a little helper nowadays who is VERY eager to open and close whatever is at hand. I haven't been sooo excited to see the content of a parcel for a long time now, because normally you order something and when it finally comes to your house, you already know what is in it. This parcel however is a complete surprise and so is the content!



DRUMROLL as she opens the big box of goodies:



I could not believe my eyes! Inside these box were like so many different goodies..wow... meant for scrapbooking originally I guess, but I also noticed some items that I can definitely use for sewing as well! The also included art-guerilla book has been on my wish list a long time...
I must honestly say that what looks like a kilo of scrapbooking papers (mostly Rose Moka :-)...) is a bit intimadating now that I hardly do any scrapbooking at the moment, but... I felt the scrapbook itch the minute I looked at them, one by one beautiful papers.
Lots of tags, ephemera and crocheted flowers.... I can't describe all the things that were in the goodie box.

THANK YOU DEAR NAT for remembering my birthday and acting upon it :-)))).
Thank you, everyone else who send me text messages, emails, cards or called me to congratulate me! Love you all!

(BTW...it took me almost 2 hours to make this blogpost...that's the effect having a baby has on time, so now you now why I hardly blog lately).

Okay....

.... not blogging for a month now, I just saw the following on Danielle's blog and I just HAD to do it!

Have you ever:

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more that you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyland (once and several times do Paris)
8. held a praying mantis
9. climbed a mountain
10. sang a solo ( Christmas play at school ....don't laugh!!)
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo's David
41. sung karaoke
42. seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling (in an underground cave with bats :-) in Yucatan
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold Girl Scouts Cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. got flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets of plasma
65. gone sky diving (no sky diving, but I did take a dual leap "parapenting" off a mountain and sailed through the sky. btw: wasn't afraid of heigths then)
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar, and it's gross!
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the Guards in London (a lot)
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper (more than once actually :-)..)
85. read the entire bible (the childrens version....)
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous (Dutch Royals on holiday in Curacao..1993... having a great time)
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cellphone
99. been stung by a bee
100. read an entire book in one day

Just copy and paste this entry and highlight the ones you've done.
Enjoy!!