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.

brown paper packages tied up with strings

i love making things. i love my little shop. and more than anything else, i love packing orders. i get so much thrill in wrapping up little goodies to send off to places across the globe, and knowing that someone is eagerly awaiting each of them.

my favorite materials are brown paper, strings, stickers and gift tags. i'm a hoarder too, i simply couldn't throw things away. every envelope that arrived to me has been re-used for my shop, including every bit of bubble wrap, tissue, and any other wrapper that a present was wrapped with, i've saved them all. orders from my shop were sent out wrapped with little bits and pieces of recycled materials from my crap box. thus, the challenge for me to make something pretty out of them!

this brown paper used to wrap a pack of paper which i recently purchased. i thought it'd be a shame to throw it away when it doesn't have any tear. it sure came in handy with the shop order i received last night, and i think it looks beautiful with its worn look, creases and imperfections.

i usually finish my packages with jute twine to complete its rustic look. my gift tag was made from my old calling cards. i have hundreds of them and since i couldn't use them anymore as we have moved addresses, it would've been a waste to throw them away. to punch gift tags on them was a light bulb moment that sent me over the moon. really. i think i even made a little dance when the idea occured to me.

this paper is lovely because it's your regular brown paper packaging dyed green on one side. this was a paper bag for something i bought in a shop. shame to throw away as well, huh? i ripped off the handles, opened the sides and bottoms, and voila, i have a beautiful wrapper. gift tag was made from a card misprint.

i know some people would rather have shiny, brand new packaging. but i just can't bring myself to do that, not when i can recycle. so if you're buying something from my shop, or expecting a package from me, you can sing Maria's My Favourite Things with me. ^-^

rainbows are on my list of favourite things too. i snapped this last week, on a wet morning when the sun managed to peek through the dark clouds. it didn't last long, a couple of minutes or so, and then it was gone. i'm lucky to have a husband who loves to gaze out the window to watch the sky, because he calls me when he sees a beautiful sunset or a flock of birds or in this case, a rainbow.

i hope you're all having a great week! don't forget, my giveaway ends tomorrow midnight!


-----------
p.s.
i have a few strings on my shop.

Etsy Ireland Giveaway

hello, i'm re-posting this from the Etsy Ireland blog.
head over there for a chance to snag this giveaway!

Ok its Giveaway time at last!!! This very special giveaway is essentially a mystery box -containing an assortment of handmade items made by various members of the Crafty Ireland team! This little box of crafty Irish goodness contains a nice mix of;

♥ Jewellery
♥ Original Art
♥ Stationery
♥ Accessories &
♥ a heap of other fun stuff!

quote day

being able to do what i love doing, that is happiness.

i hope everyone's having a great weekend!

two years ago around this time

♥ picture diary ♥

my friends gave us a little party...

my bro-in-law helped me pack little wooden clogs for my wedding favors

can you guess where's this place?
mem and f and kj and me

this place is 80 hectares, around 3,000 feet above sea level, and 95% man-made!

following the tour guide...

kj took this picture of myself filming him. and look at the man beside me, do you recognize him? i can't remember his name, but he's in Pinoy movies and soap operas! ^.^

happy weekend!!!

from a grateful heart

it's our wedding anniversary month again, and i'm really glad that it falls on thanksgiving month! the year is almost over, and it seems like the last ten months has been so short, that i can gather my memories of it so easily and fit them on my pocket. life hasn't been perfect and will never be, it wasn't all fun and laughter as i've cried many tears, but it was nonetheless beautiful. for me, there is always beauty in hope, in dreams, in faith. and my heart tells me everything is going to be alright.

i have so much to be grateful for - despite of, in spite of - and my heart overflows. but for now, i'll say thank you to my husband, for everyday has been beautiful with him.

what are you grateful for today?

---------------------------

p.s. watch out for a giveaway before our wedding anniversary! ♥

postcard winner

thanks to everyone who left a comment!

i've picked a winner this morning via random.org, and because i know dolls spook her (perfect halloween treat!), i'm sending a sweet kitty postcard with it.

congratulations Jess!

let me know if you're still on the same address. ^-^

quote for monday

sweets for sweet november

yay, it's november again my sweet friends!
let's start it with some pictures, shall we?

these goodies were given to me by gracey last september during our holiday to the netherlands, and they're all deliciously pretty!

i got yarns, paper raffia, ribbons, cute bear magnets, pencil, a flower pen, stickers, a memo clip, a deco tape, crochet hook, playing cards, a fruity eraser, a flower sticky note, and a set of Jip en Janneke rubber stamps which i have been drooling for since 2006, all contained in a cute pink paper valise!

yes, i can't get enough of them. i don't know if i'd have the heart to use them too.
not in picture is the jar of alamang (shrimp paste), which i have been happily feasting on since we arrived here in dublin, and the jar is almost empty now!

i also got these gorgeous handmade bracelets from eloise, an old friend i met from a forum back in 2005 i think. she and her family recently move from amsterdam to rotterdam, so i got to meet her and gracey at the same time.

1) me, eloise and gracey 2) gracey 3) eloise 4) B & C, little sweethearts of eloise

and i love ladybugs. rotterdam city hall

rotterdam world trade centre

rotterdam city hall, taken by gracey

thank you girls for the pressies and the wonderful time we spent together in Rotterdam!
i already miss you both!

~♥♥♥~

what does november mean to you?
it's our wedding anniversary month!

how time flies!
we're going to be two years married in 18 days,
so watch out for a giveaway soon!

the knitting and stitching show plus a postcard giveaway

the knitting and stitching show arrived in Dublin again this year and since i loved my experience so much last year (despite the weather, it was a very wet day then), i bought my ticket for this year's show a few months in advance.

the weather was lovely yesterday, it was a bit nippy but it was bright with a little peek from the sun. i was on the bus from o'connell street to ballsbridge in dublin 4 with cheerful women in various age and sizes, and i can guess from their enthusiasm that we were crafters alike and headed for the same direction.

true enough, a throng of happy women stepped off the bus in front of the Royal Dublin Society, each one rushing with quick steps to reach the entrance of the building.

it felt great to be back there again for a much-needed retail therapy. as usual, i was overwhelmed with sooooo much to see and buy and drool over.

it was the ultimate girl power!

when my cash was up, i went up to the second floor to stay away from the tempting, delicious goodies before i start swiping my credit card. it was a crafter's nirvana. i was high with inspiration just by looking.

i saw Ingrid Wagner too, for the Big Knit Project. i was looking forward to get my hands on her giant needles, but she was out of wool and had to go get some first. and then i got distracted with something else (so many eye candy around me) and i forgot to go back to her. i didn't remember her again until i was home. sigh.

look at those needles! i think they're great for toning muscles as well.

on the second floor were for artists and each booth was decorated creatively with their works, i almost didn't want to leave. i'm glad i remembered to take a few pictures. this is from wendy stephens and i love her hand-bound leather notebooks! at this time, i was already out of cash and i'm still not sure if that was a good or a bad thing. because i want me a soft-leather notebook!

this booth from orla o'brien evokes nostalgia. i love the vintage feel, her use of neutrals and reds and browns, her dolls which looked sad and weathered and haunting.

i am so in love with the prints from lisa connolly. she's opening an etsy shop very soon, and i couldn't wait. it's not your usual sweet pretty prints, but her sketches of black and white are very unique and very classic.

and look at the poster, so very geeky!

i didn't splurge this time, i just bought a few basic crafting tools which i really needed. i love my new embroidery scissor which came with a free leather case, it's definitely calling out to be used. i just dumped everything in the bed, sorry, i wasn't in the mood to make pretty pictures because it was very dark here this morning.

i also bought stitch markers for sleeplessinkl, who has been knitting on top of her work, travels, 5 kids, photography and blogging. i got new knitting needles as well, another crochet needle, a stitch counter, wool for my christmas scarf, and some pins for my brooch projects.

my verdict from the knitting and stitching show? amazing. totally blown away! i wished i had more cash to spend but in the end, it didn't matter. i was filled with creative inspiration and that's more than money can buy. ^-^

cheers!

~♥♥♥~

the giveaway

so, because it was halloween yesterday, i'm giving away one postcard from orla o'brien, featuring her doll "Aisling". leave a comment on this post if you'd like this treat, and i'll close comments on monday night. i'll draw a random winner on tuesday morning.

happy sunday everyone!