Love

"...and love comes in little droplets because it is concentrated and you must just enjoy it when you do bump into it and then live on it for a while..."

this was from my conversation with a cyber friend feeling down. I thought I'll put it on my blog. If one can feel pain the other side of the coin is that one can feel love. If you don't want to feel pain one will barricade your heart and then the beauty of feeling love cannot enter when it arrives.

No calories garanteed

I'm going to be on a market this coming Saturday....my 2nd in my life. So..of course I started too late and as I'm thriving on deadlines my creativity sky rockets. Pity there's still only 24hrs in a day lol.
I've been painting on 3 table cloths. This one is 175x142cm and a whole bundle of fun. I was thinking wat to paint on it that I can do free hand (saves time). The challenge for June at Crafty Mamas gave me an idea with the theme: Calorie Free sweet treats. Mjammie!

The treats are painted with textile paint onto the table cloth and then heat set in the tumble dryer and just to make sure: ironed on the back (have to iron the cloth anyway). The treats are large: 40x40cm and not shown on the photo is the golden liner I used and they have glitter sprinkles!

I took a quick photo on the coffee table where it was drying (yes wet paint all over the house on tables and chairs). A photo on our picknick table in the garden would've been more picture perfect but you get the idea.

ps. while we were eating my 6yr old was telling the story she was reading and said: "...he murdered the room and they called in the police..." I said:"what??"

Lol she meant he wrecked the room (naughty boy)

Knippie Idee Zomer 2008

Oki I have this STASH of fabric and I convinced myself it was time for an overlocker though I've never sewn a piece of clothing before. Not really. Well a little beanie for a baby doesn't count and also not the stuff that I tried but didn't really work out. I mean like seriously following a pattern from a sew mag and actually be proud of it.
Well, now I understand what people were talking about when they say: I can't imagine my sewing life without an overlocker. Quite right. I thought I'd buy one when I'm one seriously good sewer but no! Luckily I didn't wait untill then. I might become one mega sewing girls BECAUSE of my overlocker. What a lovely thing it is to be able to cut and overlock wowee.

Well, I tried a pattern from Knippie Idee zomer 2008 (Dutch mag). The difficulty level was 2 dots. Meaning any experience in sewing. I thought I had that. Well maybe my Dutch is not good enough but I just couldn't get it. And...how do I know how to ruffle the skirt part and it will fit the bodice? Well, I have a ruffler foot and ended up doing it again by hand... snif! snif! Any tips? What is the ratio?
I just pushed through and in the end it made all sense...

only thing is I made it like 2 sizes too big lol! didn't realise that with an overlocker one can easily reduce the size of the extra seam while cutting the pattern... Well maybe it'll fit next Summer lol!

White washed

I was sorting out the dirty laundry then the telephone went upstairs, when I returned some white wash was added lol! This is zizi our maltese after a trim

Dress from t-shirt

I've been wanting to try the tutorial out: making a dress from a T-shirt.
I is a very easy to follow tutorial from The Crafty Mama herself: Cinnamum .
It is my first try at sewing a "dress" and one has to start somewhere and quick. I have 3 girls, love being creative, love to buy fabric and am a sahm...so I tried.

Next time I will know that if you sew a t-shirt where you cut it off, it will stretch...yes very logic. Didn't get that one, now I know how to make lettuce edges...lol!
Well in the meantime also got an overlocker so the differencial feed will sort it out for me ;-)
I've used fabric from I think Stenso I bought last year. If someone recognises it as something else please let me know. I've made a double casing to pull ribbon trough but it is not very clear on the photo what I've done there lol. The model is dd8 and it is taken on the Dyke we live on.

Little bag of tricks

I've made another little drawstring bag

and this one is for sale in my dutch shop "Kadotje" (top right)

but if anyone else is interested(international) then please let me know

I sell it for 3.75Euro

and the postage will be cheap as it is light.

size:17x24cm

What I like about these little bags is that they look pretty and unique(because they're made with love of course), you can add something personal (marbles, crayons, chocolate, candy, bath fuzzies, etc) and make someone feel very special.

The bag can the be used for something else as well by the receiver.

I don't make any 2 exactly the same as that would be to boring for me ;-)

and that is the trait of handmade ;-) and creativity I guess

Front:

back:

Little bag

Another b-day gift and I started the sewing part and hour before the party started....
of course I could have had this done 2 weeks ago...

but there is propably no kick just like working towards a deadline lol

I'm also way behind on other gifts so I really have to pull up my socks and start sewing away.

My cold is almost gone, baby has her 2 teeth(!), the most of the ceiling work is done (dh) so I hope I can get back into the creative mood and just start.

No shortage of idea or statsh anyway lol

The back looks like this:

I was in such a hurry making this that drew nothing but just started cutting and sewing away. I couldn't find my magic pen anyway....

I've added in the bag a little box to make a pudding from Lillifee.

Lillifee is from Germany and my youngest dd just adores her. Her mother too lol!

Gift idea

A friend's dd8 had her b-day and I had to come up with something.
I painted a premade unbleached cotton drawstring bag. On the photo's the pink/orange looks a bit bland, sorry about that.

I painted a cherry and stenciled a butterfly on the one side, lined with gold.

I made a rosette with her initial on top of it with felt, a check fabric and a cherry fabric (which came all the way from Australia's Twospunkymonkeys from Crafty Mamas), embroder's thread, white lacey buttons and a satin ribbon.

I wanted to put a recipy with an ingredient mix in the bag or marbles (it is now the in season) but didn't have time. I've put a handfull of thick colouring pens in there which will always be used. When te little girl saw it she was so happy as she wanted a bag for her marbles...her mom said "maybe it is to beautifull to use at school" lol! I'm happy when a gift is received in such a way.

Ruffled skirt

It worked
I'm made my first cute ruffled skirt for my girls using 3 Bizz kids fabrics in purples and reds.
The ruffling is a lot of work as I do it by hand but I'm quitet chuffed with myself:


I used this tutorial from Kuky ideas.

New baby on board

I've resolutely told my husband this was our third and last baby....

so as he can't have babies himself he went and

took another mother's baby and brought her home.

I couldn't refuse:

Her name is Cinder untill we can find a very suitable name.

We actually want an eay to pronounce Afrikaans name.

Defenition of cinder according to answer.com:

burned or partly burned substance, such as coal,

that is not reduced to ashes but is incapable of further combustion.
A partly charred substance that can burn further but without flame.

I thought it fitted her looks.

Cinder is a Boerboel pup. Boerboels are the South African Mastiff. I grew up with these dogs on the farms. They're guard dogs as well as family friends and are very sensitive. Read more about boerboels at wikipedia.

So at the moment I'm changing nappies and newspapers!

(My baby is 3 months older but they're born in the same year)

sewing away

Well my new year's resolution is going just great!
I've finished 2 covers for dd8's lamps

and it the dotty fabric is the same as I used to make for her pillow cover and acute that is resting on her bed. I intend to sew her curtains from the same fabric but don't have enough at the moment. I'm so proud of mysef. The first time I've tried it and it looks gorgeous. In the evening with the light on it gives a blueish glow. Cute!

Watch out: Gorgeous Model!

and....this is how she pays her boarding and lodging by showing my creations ;-)
I've crocheted a scarf using 2 types of pink and a raspberry crocheting yarn (cotton mix called Paris).
I've added the basic granny square and my favourite daisy squares at the end of the scarf.
I WANT ONE TOO!
I've also tried my hand at making a bib! My first using this tutorial, it is a bit too small (maybe I've printed it too small?) Well it is good for my confidence so I'll make more. I HAVE to make more as this girl eats carrots!

you can see the dutch print pillow I've made for my kitchen chair. I've promised you a photo and you'll have to do with this one ;-)

Monushka

It has been a white again since I've posted but I haven't been idle at all.
I've painted a painting in Acryl 50x40cm for my dd6:

I've been painting an order 40x30cm:

The gold and silver 3D liners I use alway photographs badly, pity about the photo then but you get the idea ;-)

frilled

'Here is the promised photo,

I've based the pillow on a well known tute (which I now can't find! grrrr) but kind of then went my own way.

The pillow without the finge is 50x50cm and as this was for the room of dd8 it was made with the same fabric as Acute

Happy B-day

Yes, my friends cute little girl turned 2! I made her a pillow. One of my New Year's resolutions (and the only one) was to try my hand at sewing this year. I've already made a pillow for my dd8 (still owe you the photo) and now made one for Strawberry Shortcake. Lol the little cutie had a red birth mark on her forehead and out of sweatness I called her Strawberry Shortcake. The red mark dissapeared and she had the cute little head of Strawberry ;-) I wanted to make her something with a strawberry but as always starte WAY TOO LATE!

The backside is cherise pink with small white dots and a green bias binding. Actually more funky looking than te front. I made a little pocket and wanted to add a little felt animal but it was already too late in the evening and then my eye fell on the little sun so I added it. The fabric comes from one of my swaps. I think from the Flickr fat quater swap but I can be mistaken otherwise it is from a crafty mama ;-)