It's been ages

I know. I've been rather busy with work, if it's any excuse.
But I'm slowly getting back on track again. I even opened a new shop.

On DaWanda this time. It's sort of the European version of Etsy, and so far, I'm liking it.
There's still much work to be done, off course, and I don't want to neglect my Etsy shop either.
But right now, I'm full of energy, so hopefully, I'll get a lot done today (both on- and off-line ;) )

Cream Flowers

Cream Flowers
Originally uploaded by monevor

I went to the university botanical garden in Ghent today, and for the first time, I remembered to bring my camera ;)
(I can only take 12 pics since I've got a very small memory card, but I'm going to fix that tomorrow ;)
I love that garden.
I grew up in a place that prides itself to be 'a town of parks', everywhere you turn there's green, and then 4 years ago i moved to the city, where everythings a grey mass (don't get me wrong, I became quite the city-girl and wouldn't want to move back for the world). That doesn't mean I I don't enjoy a spot of green, though.
And since my terrace/backyard (of about 5m²) looks like a building site, it is great to have a gigantic private garden around the corner (literally).
The picture is one I took today, just outside the Victoria/subtropical/tropical greenhouse, of an enormous plant with lovely off-white flowers. The picture doesn't really do it justice, however the floral part (from the top to the bottom flower) is about a meter tall.
Brilliant me forgot to note the name of the plant, howver, so I'll have to go back tomorrow to check it (as if I need an excuse to return, lol).

Edit: name of the plant: actaea ramosa, Eng: Branched Bugbane (aka cimicifuga), Dutch: Christoffelkruid

100 hearts

100 hearts
Originally uploaded by monevor

First of all, sorry for not posting regularely, despite my promise. I'll explain why immediately, but first this:
Monevor got 100 shop hearts on friday morning (a friday 13th, no less!) (and it's up to 101 by now ;) )!!!!!!!!!!
It really made my day, especially since I've been neglecting the shop (making/posting new items, promoting...) for the last 3 weeks. I didn't choose to neglect it, I just don't have the time at the moment because I'VE GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!
Yes! It was brilliant ;) I went in one morning, without an appointement, they said 'come back tomorrow for a trial run' and an hour and a half into the trial run, they came and asked if I could come back that afternoon, because I was hired!
It's been a very steep learning curve (and a stressful one) the first two weeks, but I'm finding my footing now. I've got really odd hours (weekend shift mainly), but I'm getting used to it and the best of all: my workplace is literaly a 3 minute walk from my front door! No commuting stress! And I've got great colleagues too!
So, I'm hoping to get into a better rhythm in the next week or so, and be able to do a few things for the etsy shop.
In the meantime, I'm reposting some items, mainly fashion doll clothing (which won't be moving to a new shop soon, like planned before. I just don't have the time and energy to start and promote a whole new shop.)

My Greatest Treasure

First of all this: sorry about the lack of posting (again). Just when I make good intentions (like posting regularly, ha!), I become ill. And when I’m finally on the mend (but not really), there’s the family stress. I hope I’m back on track now, feeling better and some problems solved….



But I digress. Today’s post (a quite long one) will be, as the title said, about my greatest treasure:

Can you guess what it is? (Okay, granted, the picture is not that mysterious. It’s my teddy bear. Meet Bram:

He’s been with me ever since I was born (over 23 years ago ;) ). Once upon a time he had a very soft fur, but it has become felted and slightly scratchy from all the hugging.

He was always with me when I was a kid: we watched TV together, the obligatory tea parties and he always slept in my bed. I wouldn’t take him with me when we went on holidays or when we visited friends whom I didn’t really know because I was frightened of forgetting him somewhere and losing him forever. So each time we went out, (I actually even did that before we went shopping) I would carry him to my room, fluff the pillow on my bed, put him on it, cover him with my blanket and kiss him goodnight.

The toughest time was when I just moved out of my parent’s place. I moved to a completely different city, to a house that needed a lot of work (but I really love living here ;) Ghent is the greatest place on earth, if you ask me ) and I (deliberately) left Bram at home. I missed him terribly, but didn’t want him to be in the dusty and dirty environment that my house was at that time, in the midst of the renovations.

When I finally did bring him with me (after some months), it was sort of the official sign that I considered my place in Ghent as ‘home’ and not anymore the house where I grew up in and lived for 19 years.

Bram doesn’t sleep in my bed anymore now. Not because I think I’m too old for him (I’ll never be, he’s a part of me), but because I got a new bed and he kept falling out at night. So I got him his own little bed ;) (yes, I’m that silly).

So now you know all about my greatest treasure (and some about me). Hope you enjoyed reading ;)

19 of 365 - Dandelion

19 of 365 - Dandelion
Originally uploaded by monevor

I just love dandelions! I know most people regard them as weeds, but I think they're great.
Their flowers are like miniature suns and when they're done blooming, well who doesn't love to blow those seeds away ;) And the new green leaves are delicious in a salade or chopped very fine and added to a herb dressing...

Weird Crochet Flower?

No, it’s a stack of Urban Spring fashion doll hats, that still needs the ends woven in and a flower on the side!

I’m stocking up because our Fashion Doll Clothes, along with other doll clothes and our Dollhouse miniatures, will be moving to a new shop (at this point, the name is still undecided).
Y’all be the first to hear the precise plans right here, so check back ;).

Yes, I'm back

I’ve been quite busy and blogging moved to the backburner.
But now I’m back and post more regularly again ;) Or at least, try to, lol.

This is going to be a very short post, however, just showing off the latest addition to the shop :

More to come soon! See ya ;)

Treasury West

Just a quick post to show of the treasury I made on Treasury West:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=2955

My very first one, btw! Enjoy ;)

I know I’ve been slacking

With blogging, that is. This is what I’ve knitted since my last post:




And it’s exactly why I haven’t been posting. I didn’t want to bore you with yet another set of scarves. But here I am doing it anyway ;)
So, top to bottom:
- a Spring Green Fishnet Scarf (already in the shop , btw),
- ‘Sea Storm’ in a horizontal textured stripe pattern (the colors of the yarn are awesome. The pic really doesn’t do it justice, it’s got a great dark seagreen shade in it that I seem to be unable to catch in my pics.),
- a Bamboo stitch scarf in a lovely dark Raspberry
- and another Bamboo Stitch Scarf in a lovely rich dusted teal.
As you might notice on the teal scarf, I still have to weave in some ends ;)
And to prove that I can mention other things than knitting, I bore you with a picture of my dinner last night: homemade meatballs with black cherries and brown bread ( a real classic here in Belgium, ‘Ballekes met kriekskes’ ) (P.S.: the funny red thing in the middle of the meatball is not raw meat, it are some black cherries I put in before baking it, like Scotch eggs):

Yay and Nay

Yay and Nay - Or Wax Spills and Gift Guides

So… First the nay: I was cleaning out some used tea light holders to re-use them and of course, being the clutz that I am, I spilled some wax on my shirt:

After the necessary cursing I thought I’d use this opportunity to show you all how to get wax out of clothing ;)

First, you let it dry through and through. Than you gently peel off some of the larger pieces, but without straining the fibers. If it doesn’t come off easily, leave it.

Then you take some brown paper (from a bag, for example. But any absorbing kind of paper will do. If your using kitchen paper, make sure you use 2-3 layers on each side). Put one piece under your fabric and one on top.

Take your iron, put it on low or medium (depending on your fabric. I wouldn’t recommend the highest setting even if your fabric can take it.) and gently iron the wax spot through the paper. The paper will absorb the wax, virtually pulling it out of the fabric. Move the brown paper regularly. If you don’t see any wax spot forming on the paper anymore, you’re done!

The wax filled paper:

Et Tadaa: the wax-free shirt!

And now to the Yay!! Part.
I’ve been featured in the Gift Guides on Etsy with my Baby blue Bamboo Scarf!!! *does happy dance*

It might be silly, but that totally made my day.

Isn't it funny how bad things seem so huge and then the get overshadowed by a little ray of sunshine?

(I know, weird wording, but I think you get my drift ;) )

P.S.: Happy Valentine’s Day!

Buttons... And Another Scarf

I found these little buttons (they’re 1 & 2cm tall) 2 days ago…

The picture’s not one of the sharpest, but I think you can still make out what they look like. The duckies will be perfect for doll clothes (they’re even small enough to use on Barbie clothes) and the Snorks ones… Well, I just couldn’t resist.

Oh, and I finished the aqua fishnet scarf (the one on the needles in the previous post). It turned out longer than the red one, because I used a different brand of yarn. It’s still 100 percent cotton, but I like the new brand better. It’s a bit softer and lighter in weight. A lovely summer scarf and the color is just yummy.

Yarn Score

I bought some yarn today (as if my stash isn’t big enough already ;) )

No, that’s not a new scarf on the needles….

Oh, well all right, it is.

You’re wondering what happened to the other two? Not much.

Didn’t do a stitch on the bordeaux one, and the grey one… I ripped it back 4 times already because I was trying some new things and they didn’t work out like I planned. It’s banned to the UFO basket until the yarn learns to behave itself.

Scarf Crazy

Who? Me? Nah. I don’t like scarves….
Okay, just kidding. I finished these 2 days ago (but didn’t manage to take some decent pictures).
The red one & the blue one are knitted, the grey butterfly scarf is crocheted.

And I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t already started another scarf… or two, lol.
The grey one’s in moss stitch, the bordeaux one has a simple eyelet pattern.

With a bit of a delay….

May I present: 65 inches (165cm) of scarf goodness aka The Baby Blue Bamboo Scarf.

And to prevent withdrawal symptoms from scarf-knitting, I started another one (with the same yarn ;) )
Meet Baby Blue Waterfall (or more correctly, the first 45 inches (115cm))

Progress

The scarf’s coming along nicely, even though I didn’t spend much time knitting today ;)

Another Bamboo Scarf

Not from bamboo yarn, but in bamboo stitch. It’s one of my most favorite knitting stitches: it’s lacy, with the hint of a cable and so flexible it’s just ideal for a scarf.

Not sure whether I’m going to keep it for myself or whether it’s going to end up in the shop. The yarn (100% acrylic) is so incredibly soft and cuddly… But then again, I already have quite a lot of scarves ;) I guess I’ll decide when it’s finished in a couple of days.

Some furniture…

I finally got around to finishing these…
Before:
And after:

In Action:

They had been lying around in my closet for some time since I sawed & glued them. They just needed a bit of a buff and some paint and I never seemed to get around to doing it. But now they’re done and I’m happy with them. Off to make some more stuff to fill them up ;)

Teal, pearl & dragonfly jewelry set

I made this a couple of weeks ago:



I saw the Mother of Pearl beads in a shop and just HAD TO use them in a project. I thought of putting the set into the shop (Etsy, see left hand bar ;-) ), but I just can’t part with it. The color is amazing.

The hanger (lower left) was designed to be a pendant, but I’m liking it better as a brooch (with a simple safety pin as fastener).

It’s also the first time I’ve used a toggle clasp. I was a bit doubtful whether it would work (although I’ve seen thousands of bracelets with toggle clasps) and scared it would undo itself, but now I really love the system…

Crocheting Coasters

I really enjoy making these coasters, they’re my unwind project (no pun intended) for late evenings:

Changing the colors is a bit fiddly, especially the first couple of rounds (the threads easily tangle), but it’s really fulfilling seeing the pinwheel develop.

And they’re dead useful. I’ve been using one of these for a couple of years now, and it still looks presentable (even though I’m a caffeine addict):

Excuse my bad manners

I didn’t really introduce myself, did I? I’m the girl of a thousand crafts.

Knitting, crochet, parchment craft (aka Pergamano), beading, polymer clay, cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, paper crafts, glass engraving, woodwork, soldering, cooking… I’ve tried it all and keep doing it (some things better than others, but I enjoy the learning), most of the time giving the techniques my own twist.

I want to share some of my efforts (both good and bad, but hopefully more good) with you & hope you’ll enjoy it. Welcome to my little world!

Entering The Blog World

I (finally) decided to join the blogging world and this is (obviously) my first post. Yay!

It’s exciting and a bit frightening, really. Will anybody read this blog? Will anybody like this blog? Will I ever figure out all the features I can add to the blog? (rather unlikely, with my tech skills, lol)

Ah, so many questions…. I guess I’ll find the answers on the way and for now, just jump into the deep end.