friday finally

The Forest poster from here
Pirum Parum postcard from here 
Little mirror with girl and bubblegum from here 
Have a nice weekend!

let's turn page

My mind is at ease when my hands are working.

Since I'm always making something, my hands are rough 
and my nails a disgrace!
I often get comments from people that suggest me that something
has to be done  for my nails, but I'm crap at manicure and I rather 
spend the money on some material than to go to a beautician!

Lately I've been busy renovating Anita's bedroom: with a tight budget
I just re-painted basically almost everything, even the dolls house
I made for her is now white.

For the walls I used "strong white" from F&B, a very nice greyish 
shade of white that reminds me of the colour of the flour.

In Italy I bought some beautiful linen (made of linen) and that is 
my next project: a quilt for her bed. What are you up to?

Below a hint of what I did.

The sun shines and I feel OK.

today

Good Monday,

I must say that we've been through a hell of a week. 

Sometimes, I guess, you have to yield to what invests 
you and wait until the storm pass, but not in a passive way! 
In my native town, in the old quarters, there's a square where
 a battle took place and there's a building with a door with a 
tablet on top of it that says :«Frangar non flectar» 
(I break but I don't yield). 

That's a say used by the Genovese people during the battle 
against Pisa (one of the four Sea Republics in Medieval and 
Renaissance times in Italy) meaning that the Genovese have 
rather died than been besieged by the Pisans. I don't know
 why I'm telling this story here but I feel like to start the week 
with this story.

photo 3: my dad (first on the left) in 1941

photo 5: my mum (the girl with the bow)

HAVE A GOOD DAY!

memories (I came back with) part 2

My grand father was a blacksmith, I never met him.

He made that gate.

My father is very old now, that picture was taken 
on the hills of Genoa called "fasce".

The beginning of the year always starts in blue.

memories (I came back with)

1-2 The seaside is an infinite playground.

3 a clear sky helps to ease the mind.

4 Italy can be epitomized in this shot.

5 Mary Poppins played a big role in my ethical behaviour. 
Glad to see pigeon ladies are still around, although, 
nowadays pigeons are barely starving.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

last post of the year

We are going to Italy for the holidays.

Thank you, Papier Mache, for the mention in your 10th digital issue 

Deborah Beau has opened her shop, it's full of treasures like her blog.

Good times to you all.

The shop will stay open, orders will be dispatched after the 3rd of January.
I will updated it at some time in January. 
Thank you.

at home

I tried hard but I have no words for this post.

It's been a strange week.

Hope you are enjoying the holidays...

(The doll on the third photo is from Mieke Willems, I bought it for myself at the Atelier Solar Shop 
;^)

Brussels + Antwerp

Hello I'm back with a big smile on my face!

The talk went very well it was fun, the exhibition, something you must see if you are in the area (ends the 31st of January 2012) is fantastic: so well curated and full of amazing antique pieces, clothes and embroideries.

I also managed to go to Antwerp and finally met Renilde. to do some shopping at the Atelier SolarShop which I really liked it, not only for the beautiful products they sell but for the fact that the people there are so super nice too. Shame I couldn't stay longer. But still I did most of the things I wanted to do, thanks to Leonor who took me to one of the nicest area in Brussels crammed with beautiful independent shops and here to make the evening even more special for us.

THANK YOU,
Leonor, the director and the kind staff at the Museum, 
the people who came to listen to us and my friends Gordon and Sonia.

Sorry, the photos are quite snapshots but there was too much to do and very little time to think!
Brussel
The Lillicup Cafe

with Leonor 
*photo by Leonor

The making of the Xmas window at Boucle D'Or

Little Circus

Antwerpen

the Railway station.

Atelier Solarshop

to start the week

Monday starts with a rose flavour 
I have the suspicion that is not quite natural
;^)

To knit or to crochet? 

"Like a butterfly in your home" 
came this morning and brought other sweet flavours to this morning.

I'm getting ready to go to Brussels (and possibly to visit Antwerp).

Leonor and I will participate to a talk in occasion of the exhibition
"Handmade" at le  Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle, this Thursday (8/12) from 5.30pm.

Hope to meet you there!

the little apprentice

I've been waiting for this moment since the day the sonographer told me I was expecting a girl! 

She's quite keen and it's nice to have company in my solitary knitting. 

It was the same for me, my mum taught me. I started to knit and crochet when I was around 6 years old and at 7 I was selling my crochet pot holders and doilies to the ladies in the neighbourhood. My mum and I spent a lot of time knitting together, that was my play time with her. Most of the knitting things I know I learnt it from her and from her friends. Knitting is a staple of my life, something I never stopped doing no matter if it was fashionable or not.

Now I can knit without even watch it: the "nonna" of a friend of mine used to knit all day sitting outside in the balcony (in warm weather of course) and looking over us play in the backyard. I'm quite fond of those memories.

black stars white stars  textile surgery project

Ra Fa Kids clouds pillows everywhere :)