new quilt

A quilt I'm making, almost done, hence the lack of posts lately. 
I'm halfway through since it needs to be layered and then quilted. 
The picture quality is poor, it's a mix of poor light, 
my computer screen which is matt, and the fact that 
I still don't know how to use my digital camera in manual mode.
well, in any mode really. I posted other images of the quilt here.

The doll is from Mieke 

I'm glad the snow is gone and, most of all, the ice has melted, 
it's a bit warmer and I can't wait for Spring.

Have a good Monday.

for the mouse house

The restoration and decoration of the mouse house, 
the mouse house to be precise, has started. 
I've been making few more pieces. 
A asked me to make a basket to hold the magazines 
she made out of cuttings. It came out so cute that 
she asked for another one. 
This mouse house has proven to be the best toy 
I made for her, it gives me the chance to get her used 
to a certain natural style! also it's almost
four years that we are playing with it 
and so far we are never tired to do, undo and redo.

Another great little house found via Xenia

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my tumblr I keep posting inspirations found around the web.

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 the house boat of Valerie Mazerat.

winter stuff

It's quite cold and all look frozen outside, even people.

I wish I could  go on hibernation! instead, I'm baking, 
I made orange marmalade.  
I'm stitching a linen quilt, I'm making new stuff for knots and 
I'm knitting mittens.

We went to London and our friends took us to the new Unpackaged shop.
I think most of the groceries should be like that, 
unless they sell beautiful packaging made of cardboard, paper, glass and aluminium.

In one of these random pictures there's a corner of Anita's dolls house, 
as she says these days (for almost everything) "I wouldn't mind to... live in a house like that!". 
I made the mattresses to use either as a sofa or spares when 
all the lovely animals come to visit the little mouse that lives there.
I think after 4 years the house needs to be redecorate and modernised a bit.

this doll house

snapshots around the house

 

back + the winner of the fourth giveaway

Hello there, it's seems ages since my last post. 
I wish I could say we are back from Italy as we planned,
instead we are back from two weeks of flu, and it hit me 
really hard this time, so hard that we couldn't get on the plane.

Surely not a brilliant way to end a year (2012 has brought 
us many health concerns, flu aside) neither a great beginning, 
but I don't complaint, we are fine after all.

I started the year doing what it seems I like the best 
these days: de-cluttering! I feel overwhelmed and overpowered 
by the amount of stuff we/I tend to accumulate, most of it is 
there for the dust or to stay unworn forever forgotten in a draw 
or cupboard. From hoarder I'm becoming an almost minimalist! 
We also got rid of the TV, finally! We never had a TV before 
our daugther, then when I was expecting I wanted one. 
It feels such a relief without television! I started to read 
more books and listen to  music as I used to do. 
If we want to watch a film we have a subscription to those 
"rent a dvd on-line companies". Now, next to go it might be 
the sofa (which by the way is falling apart), but it seems 
I have to wait a bit before we took that step, some resistance at home.

On another note, my plants are doing fine, except for the
first one you see in the picture. I forgot the name and it seems 
that is shrinking, I tried to move it around the house, 
to give her more water, less water etc but nothing seems to work, 
it is alive but not kicking. any suggestions? 
do you know which plant is this?

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Hannna (number 16), you are the winner of the fourth give-away!
 please, send me your address.
Thank you all for playing and for the good wishes!

Cheers to 2013
finger crossed it will be a nicer year.

on the fourth Sunday of december, last giveaway

This is the last of the fourth give-aways of december, three gifts for a lucky winner:

*A classic enamel teapot (new) in cream with grey rim from my e-shop

*One of the famous potholders made by Renilde De Peuter of At swim-Two-Birds

*Three cute fridge magnets by Ana Maraz of Talking to Volcano

To enter the draw, you just need to leave a comment below.

A winner will be announced on Sunday 6th of January.

Good Luck and enjoy the Christmas preparatives to those who celebrate it. 

Remember this paper sculpture? The artist who made it somehow found my post!

To visit his website go here

I wish you a Magic Christmas and  a Peaceful New Year to you all!

I'll take a pause.

My e-shop stays open, orders will be processed from the 7th of January

on shifting and the winner of the third give-away

Today is the end of the 13th baktun in the Mayan calendar 
and the beginning of a new cycle. As usual there were many 
speculations about it, some really bonkers in my opinion. 
But the one I like the best is the theory that from today there 
will be a shift in consciousness. I don't know about the rest of
 the world, but I like to think that is what will happen to me, 
so I'm ready to shift a bit more.

This shift in consciousness urges me to say something about president Obama.

It struck me that crying after something so predictable that happened 
in Connecticut, is too little too late. Why the sale of guns in supermarkets   malls is allowed? 
Why guns are sold anyway? It's a question US citizen should pose 
to him and to themselves too. President Obama, you cried for the 
death of the Connecticut victims but what about the 70.000 estimated 
deaths of innocent children during the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine? 
Whose missiles are those? and who give orders? 
using drones doesn't make you more human. Who will cry for those children?

While keep shifting, I took the decision to end my Instagram account. 
I really didn't like the change on the privacy policy announced few weeks ago. 
Sorry to those who followed my Instagram and to those I won't follow any more there.

Anway, there are options out there. I'm just waiting for Flickr to launch the 
the app for Android phones, by the way, the app for Iphone is already available.

I uploaded part of my Instagram snaps here (it takes a bit of time to upload all) 
and blimey, the quality outside the little screen is awful.

There are so many other things I don't like and I'm fed up with, 
so let's hope that collective consciousness shift it's for real. 

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the winner of the third give-away:

Matilda, congrats :) 

Thank you all for playing along.

Thank you to the new readers and followers too.

*Image from Tumbler, lost credits, copyrights the author.

 

 

still and quiet

Less than a week to Christmas, this year seems such a big deal, 

it's A enthusiasm that is contagious.

She's been looking forward to it since August. 

It's not about the presents she received, she's reasonable, her requests to Santa are modest.
it's more about the time we spend together with her and the sweets and cakes we eat.
And the expectations to open the presents of course.

I always been reluctant to celebrate Christmas, 
especially after my mum died of cancer 14 years ago, the 31 of December. 
The last Christmas we had together was terrible. 
I stopped celebrating it altogether until A was born, 
never really done much until this year, she's more conscious of it I think.

I'm re-discovering Christmas through the eyes of a child.
 Ours it's mainly a DIY Christmas,  no frenzy, no stress, no worries.

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ps: do not forget to play the give-away still on until this Friday.

 

on the third sunday ☁ giveaway

Hello, hope you are having a fine weekend.

Today, another generous give-away offered to you by: 
Hermine van Dijck, 
MiAvril 
Fontable.

 to win :

a set of “the little things that make me happy” postcards by Hermine Van Dijck
a "clouds" garland by Mi Avril    

a "cloud" to hang on the wall by Fontable

To play enter a comment on this post, good luck! you have time to play until next Friday.

You can read more about these talented people here, here and here.

Thank you! 

in the afternoon

I caught a ray of sunshine.

The winner of the second give-away
Pomme, congrats!

Thanks to those who played along,
another give-away this Sunday.

 

learning from kids★advent calendar

I've been invited to contribute to
"Learning from Kids Advent Calendar" on Trula's blog.

Kids don't need to talk much to teach us something, 
they just do things.

Thank you Anke!