MOVED!

Yeah, I've moved and my place is finally is starting to feel like home! Most of the boxes are unpacked, still trying to figure out what's the best way to store everything. Some creative DIY really helps a lot. Banana boxes fit perfect as bookshelves. And there are more DIY projects to come: I still need curtains and a couch for instance.

  

Meanwhile I will also start my textile projects again, they're sitting and waiting in the corner of my room.

I didn't expect unpacking stuff after moving would take so much time, but I'm really pleased now with the result!

Liefs

DIY COSTUME

Last week a lot of people in the South of the Netherlands dressed up in all kinds of creatures; e.g. on Monday morning I came across a gnome on my way to work. Carnival is a big celebration that happens just before spring each year. I think it's kind of nice that people show their costumes in big parades on the streets. And I can imagine that people enjoy the moment of celebrating together in the pubs.

I personally don't like this festival. The city center gets very crowded, people drink a lot and the music has this annoying, plain, continuous beat and superficial lyrics. 

Although, friends of mine convinced me to go to some sort of carnival-party; there wouldn't be carnival-music but you still had to wear a costume. As I had no costume I quickly made something out of stuff I had lying around. 

I used the shape of my favorite hoodie as basis on a piece of brown fabric. Cut a shoulder pad in half - the ears. Stitched light yellow fabric onto the hoodie as base for the face. Used another piece of brown fabric for the eyes and a red button for the nose. An extra piece of woolen brown fabric functioned as a tale:

In the end the party was quite nice, and I think the quick costume worked out fine!

What do you think of carnival? Do you celebrate it?

Liefs

DIY TEXTILE CABLE

Lately I tend to forget about my textile projects like the winter jacket. That's why I decided to give them a place in my little room where I can see them; a sort of laundry line made from braided steel wire. You can easily get a braided steel wire and hooks at the DIY shop.

This afternoon I visited my parents in Nijmegen (a little old town in Holland). We went for a bike ride through the city and came across this cosy little coffee bar with all kinds of different seats and tables. The coffee bar even has a furry regular guest; Bert the big red cat.

PATCHWORK-PROJECT

Over the past days I continued my patchwork-project. A while ago I already cut some old clothes and other textiles into square pieces. Now I brought the pieces together into a nice composition and started sewing them together.

Liefs!

NEW PROJECT | WINTER JACKET

This is my old winter jacket. I made it by hand a couple of years ago. It was the first piece of clothing I ever made. Since I did not know how to make a jacket I based the pattern-making on one of my favorite jackets (which unfortunately was totally worn out). It took me a long time to finish it, but in the end I was happy with the result.

Right now, 3 years later, I have decided to make a new winter jacket (for next year's winter). Yesterday morning I went to the market to shop for fabrics, I found a beautiful woolen black-grey textile which will be perfect for the jacket. I still had the woolen textile with the Nordic print, which I bought last October. Furthermore I will use a black smooth textile for the lining.

The jacket will be based on a pattern of BURDA that I ordered online, it has a poncho-shape. Now I have to wait for the pattern to arrive. When there's any progress I will let you know!

Liefs!

READY FOR 2013

I spend some days at my parents' house during christmas. My mother made this beautiful and tasty chocolate-raspberry-brownie-pie with whipped cream. Hope you've had a nice christmas.

I have gotten a little bit lazy due to the holidays. However today I started doing useful things again; I made the day-to-day calendar of Flow Magazine.

Flow Magazine is my favorite magazine, it has interesting and diverse articles and it offers small, creative craft paper materials. Unfortunately it's in Dutch, however they've come up with an international copy (click here to see where it's sold).

So, with the calendar completed I'm ready for 2013. Wish you all a good New Years Eve Celebration!

Liefs

DIY LABELING

Finally a new post! I've been ill in bed over the last week, but I'm happy to be out of bed now. I'm moving around again carefully and creating small things. I made these labels for my cables because I never can distinguish which one is what, they all look the same.

I used a blue checkered ribbon with a white lace on one side, a pen and a needle with red thread. I wrote the name of the object (which belongs to the cable) on the ribbon. I wrapped it around the cable and fixed it with a stitch of red thread.

The labels aren't only functional, they also add a personal twist.
Hope you are having a good weekend.

Liefs!

A FLOWERY WEEK

I got a bouquet of roses a couple of days ago. Unfortunately they started to die early. I would love to have the happy colourful flowers around a bit longer. So I cut the stalks short and I picked the dead flower leaves. I put the roses in these little cute glass jars (which used to contain organic yoghurt, yummy!) The flowers looked alive and coloured my room once again!