My first ATC's

What is an ATC?
It is an Artist Trading Card and you can read all about it here. I've been trying to ignore their excistance but couldn't and decided to participate at swap-bot's First timers for ATCs *International*. One has to make 2 cards for 2 partners to swap, no theme as it is for first timers. I've used stamps from South Africa taken from letters my mom sents me.

I just love my kitchen

By now you've gathered we've moved and oh it was so worth it. I'll be showing some views in and around the house. The house was bombed in WWII and rebuild in the 1950's. It has 4 levels and the 2 lower levels were used for straberry storage. The area we live in is known for its cherry, pears, prunes and apple orchards and strawberry field. It is a house situated on a dyke and the property is between a church (1700's) an old school (occupied by a beautifull artist couple) and a "tree farmer"(can somebody give me the right term?) . The house overlooks a watery landscape, sort of overflow (haven to lot of birds) of one of The Netherlands' trade rivers. As the house was added to over the years it has a lot of character and special corners.

This is part of my Oilily/Douw Egberts crockery

The spot where I'm writing my blog

When I leave my kitchen...

Sewing update

Last week it was raining cats and dogs outside, inside the cats teamed up with (or against) the dog.
The dog thought..." if you can't win them let them join or else get out of your own basket in shame". I think the the black and white bouncer with his expensive coat is using some version of sign language to tell that there is space for no one else... The little ratty catty is trying to stay unrecognisable regardless of the paparazzi catching them in a very intimate setting.

This week the weather looks better and I odly enough I need now to finish the kitchen curtains to keep the midday sun out otherwise it gets too hot.

I've used Dutch Folk print fabric and made it retro with red fabric with white dots.

I struggled with getting everything to align (it is my second try at making curtains in my life), so took a time out and made a silly but very friendly girl. She agreed to pose at a little niche in my kitchen:

I was actually cutting a couple of dotee's and then thought if I add legs and arms it would be a dolly dotee ;-) I've made the limbs so long as little kids just love clutchable softies....only catch is....I'm keeping her! Though I made her very child friendly

What to do with Fat Quaters

I've looked up some tutorials in blogging country:

• Marmadaisy: She has FatQuater friday tutorials!folding tray, Chicken bookends,etc
• The Jolly Jabber: Binding tutorial
• Island Mama: Kid's FQ tote bag
• Crazy Lanea: Sock bag
• Focus on finishing: tuck pillow
• Buttonberry: Posh pick and mix bag and Stash buster quilt
• Dulcinea's Windmill: Fat quater knitting needle roll
• Quilter's jewel: FQ book cover
  
  ok ladies so please please add your tutorials to this post because there can a lot more done with our FQ's
  
  
  ps. Folding your FQ's for gifts/swaps:
• folding fabric fat quarter cuts to the proportions
  of playing cards.
• Folding Fat Quarter Stars
• Fat Quater gift cracker

Using your scraps:

• Cut out and keep:fabric ball necklace
• Skip to my Lou: crayon roll
• Needled Mom: fabric postcards
• Molly Chicken: lavender baby softy and fabric house
• Craf pudding: patchwork sewing basket and a fabric card holder and covered buttons(without kit!)
• Kmel's Grocery bag dispenser

sewing flowers

I'm looking for tutorials on sewing flowers for the girls' rooms, I've already found this really nice one:
Sew Blessed: fabric flower tutorial
PortabelloPixie: Rolled roses
Artsy craftsy babe: Fluffy Flower
Blair peter: fabric flower
Pixie blossoms: fabric flower
Spilly Jane: making round petals
Molly Chicken: fabric flower & Raggy flowers
Sew Blessed: fabric flower
Trufflegirls: fabric flower
Chris's creation: fabric flower
sophie stansfield designs: felt flower
I love to create: fabric rose
wiki how: silk,satin,ribbon rose here on a video clip
Kalamity Kim: fabric roses

Do you have other links or your own tutorial on making a fabric flower? Please add.


and then at crafty pod's a bouqet of links to make flowers from fabric, paper, beads & crocheted: let's make flowers

"We've moved"

I took a pic of our new house

and then drawn in my own style it over, including the birds lol.
Then I've coloured it digitally and let it be printed. I was impressed with the result and addressed all the cards today, sticked a stamp on it and posted it to family and friends with our new address information on it. I wish you can see the cards!

I've previously got a "we've moved" card from a friend with a photo of their house. To congratulate them with their new house I got the idea to draw their house in my typical style and send them a card. They' loved it ;-)
By the way as a gift I crocheted 2 crazy cloths in my friend's favourite colour.

I can make one of your photo too! For 15Euro's I'll send you a digital image you can print yourself or take to a photo or card shop to print it. Let me know ;-)
(paypal accepted)
** 20% DISCOUNT FOR MEMBERS OF CRAFTYMAMAS - which is a free membership!(must have more than 30 posts at forum) **

Gift idea?

DD7yrs went to a party of twins. As usual I'd like to make something and it must be personal but what if you don't have time or energy?

Well, I took 2 simple cottons bags from my stash and added some dotted fabric, Japanese fabric, cute buttons (hello kitty buttons bought at CraftyMamas shop!), ribbons and emboided their names on the bags. I've added a schetchbook in each bag for something extra. The photo's did come out a bit dull. Here is the one bag's pics:


close-up

Bedotted!

via swap-bot i got infected by the Dotee craze and do not want to be cured:

The guidelines for a dotee is more or less it should be around 3 inches, have a "tail", have a (felt,embroided/drawn) face and have a hanging loop. The body can be any form as this is an art doll an you can just go ballistic with embelishments! Read more about the origin of Dotee's and how to make one.


This was for the "any color theme"

This was for the "dotted dotee theme"

This was the pink/orange Dotee

This was the pink Dotee

This was the flower power Dotee

Girls' stuff

ok I've made my 7 today....
(this was 28/6)
This is how I've done it:

At craftymama's this very usefull link (see the tutorial for creating these tutu's)brought me to it:

Per tutu I used:
2m of tule (width 140cm)
Length of tutu 50cm
I used the cheap rough "tule" as they're going to play outside
(If I want to use 3m I'll think it would be best if I make it longer than 50cm)
That worked out at 28knots per tutu
I've
used the thin elastic (I had) and just measured the waist of my girls

the colors as requested by b-day girl dd5yrs, I've used as follow:
2x lilac and pink
1x purple and pink
1x lilac and purple
1x sammon and pink
1x sammon and orange
and te b-day girls got:
3m in total of orange,lilac and pink

I've had enough pink if I get sick now I would throw up in pink I think

I've cut the ends of the strips for my little curl a bit round to create the look of flower petals.