make do

at a time when the economy is bad, jobs are unpredictable, and money is tight, a girl can make do with a little bit of shopping. here's my wardrobe update for a tenner. ^.^

i have a few more that needs some tweaking and mending but i haven't the time to do yet. for now, my thrift shop loots make me very happy.

{ yes, that's a basketfull of cable crap behind me. sorry i forgot to kick it aside. }

featured

I am so thrilled that my baker's twines were featured in two lovely blogs the last couple of days.

these are available in my etsy shop, and i have a Baker's Twine Special offer until the month of December only. Order all 4 colors now and get five (5) yards of natural unpolished jute twine for free!

thanks to wolf and willow of melbourne, australia!
what a lovely blog, truly sweet and spice and everything nice, perfect for your daily reads!
{ wolf and willow etsy shop }

thanks also to going home to roost, who included my twines in her gift wrapping feature.
be inspired with the many pretty ways you can wrap up your holiday presents!
definitely a blog to bookmark for crafty inspirations!
{ home to roost etsy shop }

my favorite corner

cleaning and tidying up my craft room took a rainy sunday morning and a slightly swollen left eyelid to finish. i needed a distraction as i'm not feeling so well because the small swell in my eyelid is irritating me big time, like a pebble on a shoe. on second thought, it feels good to get some extra loving care from the husband though!

i toiled all day today as the rain lashed on my windows, and the trees outside swayed to a fast windy track. it was beautiful, it gave me some sense of calm, knowing i am dry and safe and warm inside.

here are a few pics from my corner, it feels happier and brighter now. ^-^

have a great sunday!

what's your favorite corner in your house?

vintage find

the wall on our kitchen used to be bare. i can't get my hands decorating it because we're just renting and i might upset our landlord, who i have to say is very nice to us. when we first moved in, he left us a bottle of red wine and a "welcome home" card, and that's very sweet i must say.

after a few months though, i can't stand looking on the bare wall anymore. i agonised for a long time what i'm going to do about it, until i scored this set of brass birds from a charity shop. they're beautiful and in excellent vintage condition, and for 10euros, i know they're meant to be on my kitchen wall.

i hung them up last thursday while kj was at work. since i still haven't gotten around to framing some photographs and prints i've stashed away, i hung our wedding pictures instead and the ceramic plate and tile with Frisian quotes from Mem and a rustic wooden sign i snagged from Laura Ashley last christmas.

kj loved it! now it's a cozy homey place to be. ^.^

happy weekend everyone! ♥

thank you sooo much!

for all the greetings,
it was heart-warming to read your messages.

kj and i had a wonderful celebration. ♥

winner

hello there! i was planning to make this post last weekend, but i was buried deep in the craftroom with shop orders and making about thirty handmade thank you cards for our family in NL. i know it was a bit late to say thanks for the presents they gave us some moons ago, but maybe, just maybe the personalized touch would make up for it.

anyhoo, i have a lovely giveaway to celebrate kj and mine's wedding anniversary next week. i thought of sharing a special treat to you lovely people out there who read and follow my blog, because i have truly, madly, deeply enjoyed your company. ♥

i'm giving away one whimsical print from my bloggy friend Sinta, a swiss-filipina artist based in the UK. she blogs over at knittering about her knitting, travels, fashion, and art. do check her blog and say hello or best wishes, as this lovely girl is just back from her honeymoon! pop over her etsy shop too and bookmark your favorite print!

Red Birds are Pretty

Yarn Mice

what should happen? what would happen then?

1. leave a comment on this post AND follow this blog --> see that Follow Me button on my sidebar? yep, that's it.
2. pick your favorite print from Sinta's shop and hold on to it until i pronounce the winner.
3. comments will be closed on midnight of our anniversary, 19 november GMT+1.
4. i'll post the random winner by the 20th of this month, and winner MUST contact me within five days for his/her print of choice and mailing address.
   
5. should the winner fail to communicate, i'll draw another random winner 5 days from announcement.
6. Sinta will post your favorite print. ^-^
   

and that's all.
thank you, you may tell your friends about the giveaway as well.
happy thursday. ♥

Congratulations Kayni, you won!
please email me of your favorite print soon.

thanks to everyone who joined!

two years

Oh, the comfort,
the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pouring them all out, just as they are,
chaff and grain together,
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and with a breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
~Dinah Craik


for kj,
mijn man, mijn liefde, mijn leven

hand-knitted socks made especially for us by kj's old neighbor in the netherlands.