Plant Doctor
Chris said it would never work. To be more precise: He laughed at me. But when Sarah came in, sad because she fell flat on top of her sunflower and it broke off, there was only one thing to do.
We used patches, rope and a stick to splint the broken flower. Ofcourse we didn't know if it would survive and to be honest.. at first it didn't look that good.
But Sarah persisted. She kept talking to it, watered it and stroke it's leaves. And when we woke up the next morning:
And it's still here, growing and even starting to form a flower. Yes, we've got a little plant doctor in Sarah!
Quietly Enjoying
Sometimes, words are superfluous...
Olivier. Photo by his oma Riet.
Magical Moments
It's hot. It's sunny. It's the ideal weather for the children to spend all their time outside in the garden and on our street. Living magical moments. It's the ideal weather for a magical summer dress for Sarah.
A while ago my mother in law gave me a little lace dress she bought at a flea market. The dress has been hanging in Sarah's closet for a long time, because it was way too big for my tiny little girl.
But this morning, whenI saw it hanging, I decided that today was the perfect day for such a dress. So I took it to my sewing machine and tweaked and tuned it a bit, made it smaller and added some pleats to make it a better fit for Sarah.
And it fits. It's the perfect dress for magical moments in the garden...
... for dancing and twirling...
.. for finding treasures with your brother...
.. and ofcourse for blowing magical bubbles.
Yummy, Yummy, Delicious
This must be our all-time-favourite summer meal. Well, we like it not only during summer, but I think it really is a great summer dish: It is easy and fast to whip up, so no long hours in the kitchen when it's hot enough already. And the way the flavours combine.....It's really 'yummy, yummy, delicious', as Sarah said this evening. Here is the recipe, so you can try it out for yourself.
Couscous with salmon and rucola
Ingredients:
- 75 grams couscous
- 1 orange
- 50 grams rucola
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 25 grams pine nuts
- 125 grams salmon filet
Weld the couscous in a bowl in 125 ml boiling water for about 5 minutes. Peel the orange and cut it into pieces. Chop up the rucola. Mix the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil through the couscous. Also add the orange, rucola and pine nuts. Flavour with some salt and pepper.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and bake the salmon in about 2-3 minutes per side until it's just done. Put the salmon onto the couscous.
Bon appetit!
Superdad
Did I ever tell you I have a Superdad? No? Well, I should have. Becauses Superdad (also known as superopa around here) can fix almost everything. Is there a case of a broken toy? Who do you call? Superdad! Is Chris away for work and am I alone with a rebellious washing machine? Superdad comes in at the right moment, has a good talk (and does some magical things I don't really understand) with the rascal and there you go; No excuses for delaying laundry anymore. (Hmm, now I suddenly wonder if I should be so happy about that....)
What Superdad also can is 'Make Things'. Not just any things, but real beautiful things. Like furniture. Like desks for our little ones. Like the pergola I grow my roses on. Like this wonderful, HUGE, table...
The table is big enough for dinnerparties with not only our little family of five, but also friends and family who come along.
It's big enough for letting me sew on it (I do have a lovely crafting room at the attic, but when I'm alone with the little ones, it's more practical to install myself at the dining table) without having to take on the whole space.
Isn't it beautiful? And the best part: He made it all, from scratch, by hand. I love it!
Yes, he really is my Superdad.
Pretty Purse
Sometimes I suddenly feel a need for some sparkles, some glitter, some gala. Some days I really need to make a pretty purse to accompany me when I'm in such a mood.
A purse with some glitter. With flowers and with sequins. With embroidery. With silver buttons and a soft handle. A purse with a romantic touch..
I think this one will do just fine..
Sprouting..
As for many people these days, times are a bit rough for us. These are times in which a lot is uncertain and that can feel very instable. I have to admit that I'm not always that good at coping with insecure situations. Being the perfectionist and controlfreak that I am (I know, I am learning to let go, but I'm not there... yet :-)), that can cause a lot of stress with me.
Something that always relaxes me is working in our garden. The physical activity, the smell of nature around me, the wind through my hair, the sun on my skin, it all makes me feel... grounded. So the last few days I have been spending a lot of time in the garden. It was necessary too: It was a chaos. Weed everywhere, fallen leaves. So I weeded. And planted. And cut and watered. And it was great. Even though the weather was strange: One moment it poured from the sky, the next it was too hot to be in the sun. I guess it fitted the situation.
All that chaos in the weather, the alternating sun and rain, and a little bit of my efforts, made our garden grow, sprout and bloom like crazy. And how beautiful it is now. Those colours! Those scents!
Today I wandered through our garden and was thinking about the similarity I saw between the garden in these last couple of weeks and our life. How from chaos grew beauty. How rain and sun combined with some weeding and a little bit of love made this a place of peace and colour. And for the first time in a while I felt calm. All will be oke. We just need to get through the chaos with a little trust, some hard work and a lot of love. The future will be beautiful. Today already is beautiful.
Today is future's flower bud.
Mama is a wimp
It was planned a long time ago: Lucas and Sarah were going to have a sleepover with my parents. And they were looking forward to it. Oh yes, they were..
This morning, inmediately after they had breakfast, they started packing their little suitcases. They knew exactly what to bring: Their toothbrushes, pyjamas and a little stuffed animal each. After packing, they put on their coats and waited. It didn't matter to them that I told them that their grandparents were probably still asleep. It didn't matter to them that I told they would get very hot, wearing their coats in the house. They just held their suitcases tight, smiled, and waited.
A little while later we went to my parents. And there they are now. I am sure they are having the most wonderful time. I am sure that they are playing, having fun, eating the things they love the most and will be sleeping like angels. And we, we have had time today to do all kinds of things we often want to do, but don't find time for.
But I have to confess: It's only been a couple of hours since I saw those two little ones and secretly I miss them already. It's official, I am a wimp.
Showtime
Because Sarah and Lucas were going to spend the weekend with my parents, we decided to celebrate Fathersday a little early. So this morning, they jumped out of their beds, jumped into ours and very proudly handed papa his presents. And boy, did they spoil him!
Lucas made a lovely pictureframe with a picture of himself in it. And ofcourse he created a card, with a heart and a little poem. Sarah painted a case for magazines in every colour she loves and also made a lovely card, with poem and lots of kisses. Chris already gave his present a prominent place on his desk and loves every bit of it.
And ofcourse there was the secret project they worked on yesterday:
His new t-shirt. With Olivier's little feet on them (oke, I measured his feet and then painted them, so I cheated a bit there) and Lucas' dangerous animal claws and ofcourse Sarah's kisses.
The children and I totally agree: They have the best papa in the world. And not only because he has been proudly wearing this new t-shirt all day, but because... well, you know... he just is the best papa.
Happy fathersday, love!
Ssshht..
Did you see that huge bag that Sarah brought home from her playgroup?
And did you see that colourful thingie that Lucas sneaked into the house?
And did you hear the soft, excited, whispering voices of our little ones, while they were very busy planning and making this?:
I bet you are curious, love, but you'll have to wait just a little bit longer.. ;-)
Thinking about..
.. the presents I want to make for my brother-in-law and his soon to be wife, who are getting married next month. They are also going to move to Malaysia, so I'm thinking about making them a whole package of little (Dutch) presents. Just in case they wander by this blog, I better keep the ins and outs a secret for now...
.. the dresses I want to make for Sarah and myself, for that same wedding. For Sarah I plan to make a Feliz, a pattern by Farbenmix. I'm a little in love with the fabrics by Heather Bailey and for the Feliz I was thinking of this combination:
Hmm, have to ponder a bit more on that. What pattern I'm going to use on my own dress I haven't decided yet. I do love the colours of this fabric by Erin McMorris:
I realize now that the dress I'm going to wear has got some restrictions: Since I'm still breastfeading, and Olivier drinks a lot, there are some limitations as to which patterns I can use. Maybe it should be a dress with some buttons? Or maybe it shouldn't be a dress after all, but a skirt instead?
..the outfits for the boys. Chris is going to wear a suit, ofcourse, and I don't think I will be ready to make him a suit anytime soon. Although I have to admit, that after seeing the fabrics at this shop, I am kind of tempted to see it as a challenge. But that challenge will have to wait for some other occasion. There is just too much to be done in too little time right now. But then there are Olivier and Lucas. What will they be wearing? Shall I make them some nice shirts? Some more trousers? Another Xavier?
.. some baby gear for our neighbour, who is due in september.
.. the blankets I want to make for Craft Hope.
And then there are all those other things I want to try (quilting, for example!), learn (knitting with a real pattern), and do. Tons of things. So I better stop thinking and start making!
But let's be honest: That thinking part of the creative process is half the fun, don't you think?
Paper and Ink
Our house is filled with all kinds of modern things we use to cook, bathe, communicate and relax with. I feel like a woman of my time and must confess that I'm not sure how I would react if all this luxury would disappear all of a sudden. I think I could handle it, but I bet I would miss my hot baths and mechanical helpers in the household. And ofcourse I love the fact that through the internet we can get in contact with people all over the world, people who I otherwise probably never would have met.
But somewhere, inside of me, lies an oldfashioned girl. A girl who wants to go to balls, who fantasizes of strolls through a rosegarden, with a little parasol in her hand, dreaming of her charming admirer, who sends her poetic little notes.
"A young lady writing a letter" by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
I know, I probably read too many romantic novels when I was a girl ;-) But, even though we live in these modern times with all those fast and technological means to communicate with eachother, I still think nothing can compete with an actual handwritten letter or card. I love sending and, ofcourse, receiving them. There is just something magical about that combination of hands, paper and ink.
I made some cards yesterday. After the fabric-puzzle-painting I wanted to play some more with the combination of fabric and paper. So I made these:
Now I only have to decide who to send them to...
Craft Hope Project #3
Craft Hope launched their third wonderful project today. For this project, they partner with the Miracle Foundation to supply blankets, beanies and booties for newborns in India.
Photograph from crafthope.com
If you want to help with this lovely project, go to craft Hope and drop a comment. Because every baby deserves soft blankets to get wrapped in, to keep them warm and make them feel sheltered.
Very First Frock
Most of the times during a week I craft for only a few minutes at a time; When the youngest little ones are sleeping at the same time (which is pretty rare I can tell you), when the children are playing and don't need my attention for a little while, or when I find ways to craft together. But sometimes in the weekends, Chris sends me to my crafting room and I get to spend some lovely and blissful hours of non-stop crafting. Like this afternoon.
I have sewn my share for the little ones, but somehow I was a bit hesitant to start sewing for myself. I don't really know why. I guess I was a bit intimidated by the idea of those large pieces of fabric.. But today I tried and I am pretty pleased with the result.
Since I don't fit in a lot of my tops these days (because of the breastfeading and the particular growth that comes with that) I wanted to make a frock that was wide enough for my chest, without looking like a tent. With the pleats at the front and the elastic at the waist, I think that mission is accomplished.
And what I'm particularly thrilled about is that I made this out of one of my grandmothers vintage sheets. If you would have told me a few years ago that I was going to make my clothes out of sheets I would probably have thought you were insane, but now I love the idea! I can't wait to show this to my grandmother!
When I finished my sewing a nice dinner with the rest of the family was waiting for me. Chris had made a delicious chickensoup and after putting the little ones to bed we did a little fotoshoot with me and my new frock.
Yes, it was a lovely day indeed.
Little ladies need little pouches
Remember my first knitting project? I did knit a bit at school when I was little, but after that I didn't touch any knitting needles for years. Until now. I remembered I still had a basket filled with pieces of yarn (all left-overs from other projects done by other knitters) and I thought that would be perfect to practice my knitting with.
I decided I wanted to make a little pouch for Sarah. First of all because ofcourse Sarah, being the little lady that she is, loves pouches and second of all I thought I could make one without using a pattern (to be honest: I never worked with a knitting pattern before and they kind of scare me). Sarah picked the colours and then some serious knitting happened:
Et voila.
For other knitting-nitwits like me who want to try it too: I just knitted a rectangle large enough so I could fold it two times, to create a front, a back and a little flap for closing. Then I folded it wrong sides together and closed the side seams. After that I turned the pouch, finished the buttonhole with a blanketstitch, sewed on a button, and knitted a long, small handle, which I sewed onto the sides of the pouch.
Really, even little ladies can't have too many pouches..
Family Treasures
Our house is filled with family treasures. I like looking at something, holding something, and knowing that someone in my family made it, or used it long ago, or just loved it before me.
There is the furniture my father made (and still makes. A table is in the making right now. A dining table. A HUGE dining table with enough room for the five of us AND guests. I love it already. I can't wait!), the painting that belonged to my grandparents, the knitting needles that my grandmother used, her vintage sheets, my mothers yarn-basket...etc. etc. I love all of it. I love the sentiment behind it.
Yesterday, when we were having dinner at my parents house, my father gave Lucas some binoculars. Not just binoculars, but binoculars that used to belong to my late grandfather. Lucas was thrilled, ofcourse. And wants to look through them everyday.
And there is a lot to explore this way, ofcourse. Like the flowers and the birds outside. The bees and ants. Papa's glasses, mama's nose (not sure how I feel about that, by the way ;-)), Sarah's eyes and Olivier's tiny toes.
And ofcourse the sky, that big, big sky...
"Mama", he says, "with these binoculars I can float with the clouds".
A treasure indeed.
Roxy
For Sarah I made a Roxy, a pattern from Farbenmix. I think it's a cute pattern, although, again, it was too wide for my tiny girl. But I fixed that and she looks adorable in it. She is turning into quite the model, by the way. When I pick up the camera, she already starts 'striking a pose'.
I used fabric I bought online for over a year ago. I'm trying to be a bit more thrifty these days and use the things I already have lying around, instead of buying something new for every plan that comes to mind. Feels good!
Talking about being thrifty, I really want to try out this tutorial one of these days. Chris has lots and lots of shirts and some of them he never wears anymore, so why not find a better use for them than hanging in our closet? Yes, good plan!
Hm, I probably should ask Chris first, before diving into his closet, huh?
About the boat that wanted to be a train..
My big little boy is growing so fast. And every day again he shares this process with us, by telling us his thoughts and feelings. He is turning into quite a little artist, that little one..
Our garden and street are being used as one big canvas. Colours and drawings everywhere, beautiful! This particular drawing he made this weekend. When he showed us, he told us he wanted to draw a boat. But while he was drawing, he said, the boat rather wanted to be a train. So that's what it became.
Oops.. and back again
Uh oh. My blog hopped offline for a while. Some problems with the connection, or something like that. Luckily, since I don't know a thing about that kind of stuff, I am married to the man who created this blog and always knows how to fix it :-) So.. I'm back again. Thanks love.
Ofcourse we didn't sit still in the meantime. There was some playing with fabric and some thinking about what to make with it...
.. and some pattern tracing and cutting..
.. some necklace making with Sarah..
.. and some knitting, but that I will show when it's finished. My first knitting project, hurray!
Fabric Puzzle Painting
While I was expecting our youngest son it was impossible for me to sit behind my sewing machine, because of some problems with my hips. But still I wanted to make something. Do you know that feeling?
I decided to create something for the wall in my baby's room. But the problem is that drawing and painting are things I find to be very, very difficult. It's something about that flat surface that makes me all clumsy. I need to feel something, to be able to walk around it and to touch it to know the right proportions of a piece. I'll keep practicing though, so who knows..
Anyway, I decided to play a little with the scraps of fabric I had lying around. And made a little elephant, that is now hanging in olivier's room.
What I used:
-
scraps of fabric
-
glue for textile
-
scissors
-
pattern paper
-
a pencil
-
a painters canvas
First I drew a simple elephant shape on some pattern paper. This one I drew myself, but ofcourse you could use all kinds of simple pictures, for example from a children's colouring book.
Then I traced the elephant on another sheet of pattern paper, so I had two of them. Both elephants I divided into pieces with my pencil.
After that I took one of the elephants and cut out all the pieces. The other elephant I didn't touch, because it will be used as an example, when piecing the fabric elephant together.
It was then a matter of choosing fabrics and pinning the little pieces of the elephant onto the different fabrics and then cutting them out. Using the paper elephant as an example, to make sure every piece was in the right place, I glued the fabric parts onto the canvas, creating the elephant shape again. Just like making a puzzle.
This time I added some green flowery fabric to suggest some grass around the elephant (I didn't use a pattern for those, just cut them loosely out of the fabric), but looking at it now I think some background could be nice too, either out of fabric or drawn with pastels or something. The possibilities are endless!
Here I already have some orders for new puzzle-fabric-paintings: Lucas wants a dinosaur for his room and Sarah is begging for a castle in the clouds for hers. So I guess I better get busy!
Have fun!
Beauties at Grosgrain
Do you know Grosgrain, the blog on which Kathleen makes and shows beautiful creations, from herself and others, and then gives them away? I love to browse through her pages and look at the beautiful pictures (like the one below) she takes. They inspire me greatly (and they make me want to buy a better camera. Someday, someday).
Click on the picture to take a look yourself!
http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/05/vintage-wedding-refashioned-frock.html
Little Red Dress
When I asked her what kind of dress she wanted this time, the only thing she said was it had to be red, because that day red was her favourite colour. I realised that it was quite possible that when I finished the dress her favourite colour would be blue or yellow, but oh well, a girl has the right to change favourites and because of that she has got to have dresses for every favourite colour in her book, don't you think?
I used a pattern from knippie and the fabric I bought online, a little over a year ago.
Visual Love
In the summer the children spoil me with lots of handpicked flowers. I love those wild bouquets. Let's be honest: No professional flowershop could compete with this:
Gambian Girl
My parents went to Gambia last year and brought home some dresses for Sarah. They were handmade, ofcourse, and since that really suits our philosophy of trying to only bring handmade things into our home AND because they are really beautiful AND ofcourse because our little girl looks so sweet in them, I wanted to share a picture:
My name is Karin. I sew, cook and
take pictures. I tell stories. I dream. I love books, fashion, hot
baths, conversations that make me re-think my ideas and opinions. I
fantasize and realize. And above and beyond all, I am mama to
Lucas, Sarah and Olivier.
