mini painting

I haven't done much painting lately,

but today I finished this tiny canvas.

It's really small ,only 10 cm/ 4inches square.

This little prince is for sale in my Etsy shop here,

and I am planning on making lots more of these mini paintings.

crocheted potholders

I love doing some real simple crochet,
which I can do while watching my favorite tv shows.
Crocheted potholders are easy and quick to make,
and I like the 'cosy cottage look' they create in my kitchen.

Here is how I made these easy potholders :

I used the following stitches:
Chain (ch)
Single crochet(click here)
Picot stitch(click here)

Start with a Chain of 52
Row 1: SC in 3rd ch fr hook, and in every ch afterwards. ( sc) Rows 2 - 40: Ch 2, turn. Work entire row in sc. (50 sc)

Add a Picot stitch to make an edging .

chain 20 in one of the corners to make a loop,

so that you can hang the potholder if you would like to do so.

purple sky ( our horizon last night )

Orange moon, purple sky,
See the dreams, the wishes floating by.
Pretty colors, pretty lights,
Make those dreams so very nice.

Orange moon, purple sky,
Makes one feel like asking why.
Many days, many years
Filled with happiness and good cheer.

Orange moon, purple sky,
The angels are singing a lullaby.
People stop, people stare,
Filled with wonder at nature's grand affair.

Orange moon, purple sky,
Our reverence for life you intensify.
Many hearts, many lives,
Have enjoyed this rainbow paradise.

by Gil Saenz

artist Karen Davis

Being a real Etsy addict I spent a lot of time discovering all the handcrafted goodness on sale at Etsy.com.
Etsy is the biggest online marketplace devoted to selling all sorts of handmade products.It still never ceases to amaze me that there are so many talented artists on Etsy. It seems no matter what you are looking for, you can always find it there.
When I stumbled on Moonlight and hares
I fell in love with the work of artist Karen Davis straight away.

I could not resist this beautiful wooden heart hanger ,
just look at al the detail on it.

She sent me the hanger ,
beautifully packed ,
with a lovely card of hers as an added gift

How sweet is that ?

There are many more amazing pieces in Karen's shop that you need to see.

Her work is stunning, you can find more of Karen's work at her Blog

...have a look for yourself!

Every workday at five 'o clock, Miss Amy on the look out

Amy !


Yess ?
I really need to be on the look out,

I want to see my 'daddy' come home from work !

I 'll bark if I see him, okay 'mammy' ?

follow me along

Would you like to go on a little stroll
around our neighbourhood ?

Just follow me along this path

Well this was just a very short walk ,
next time , I 'll show you more of where I live
Have a nice weekend !

fairytale magic

Two years ago my father-in-law

gave me some hollyhock flower seeds.

Look at the colorful fairytale magic

that came from these little seeds !

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower”

What to with.........

................some cotton yarn

........a crochet hook ( yes mine is a very croocked one )

.............and a jar of beetroot........... ?
Hmmmmm.............let me think...............
what about crocheting a cover for this tiny glass jar ?
Yep , we had the beetroot for lunch ,
(the jar had to be empty first :)

So I started crocheting ..........
The pattern is a simple Filet crochet design,
which I crocheted in rounds , so there was no sewing involved.
I than added a little crocheted flower ,
and thread a cord of chain stich crochet
through one row of the filet holes and there it is ............
a little crocheted cosy to hold a little candle.

sweet dessert

Here's another delicious recipe with the red currants from our garden

First I made some red currant compote ,
( Simply boiled some currants with a little sugar ,
and let it simmer for 10 minutes )

when cold , I put the compote in a 'fancy' glass,

added some cold custard ( gele vla )

topped it up with yoghurt

and finally added some fruit to decorate.

Yes, of course.........I made more than just one !

We all loved it :)

cheerful ballerina

Today, whilst looking through the photo's on my computer,

my eyes caught this little cutie that I made a few years ago.

I don't remember ever showing her on my Blog.

My youngest daughter loves piglets so I made it for her.

And making up the pattern while crochetting,

she turned out a cheerful ballerina .

Roedjak Rode Bes

Here is one thing I made from the Red currant I showed you yesterday.
It's a fruit-compote from the Javanese kitchen called ' Roedjak Rode Bes ' .
These are the ingredients I used :
500 grams red currants (rode bessen)
2 spoons of ketjap manis
2 spoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of sambal trassi
I put in the currants first with the sugar , brought it to the boil ,
added the ketjap and the sambal and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
I have to say it was delicious with the meat we ate.
Luckely we have some compote left .........:)

the fruit that grows in our garden

What to do with all the fruit in our garden ?

( to be continued )

I heart crochet

Just want to show you my latest creation.

I crocheted this heart and made up the pattern as I went along.

I am planning to sell these hearts in my Etsy shop soon.

herbal 'tea'

I have a real passion for herbs ,
so as you can imagine we have lots of different herbs in our garden.
For me there is nothing more relaxing than a glass of home made 'tea',
with herbs freshly picked from the garden.

Herbal tea can be made with fresh flowers and leaves,
by simply pouring boiling water over the plant parts
and letting them rest for a few minutes.
This time I used, lady's mantle, lemon balm, and mint,
these herbs will produce a delicious cup of tea, and they're good for you too.

sweet - sweeter- sweetest

Our sweet Miss Amy guarding the sweet-strawberries.

Who's the sweetest ?

makeover

One of the spare rooms upstairs is undergoing a makeover.

It's a small room ,

but still a lot to do to make it a real 'wow factor' room.

Here's a sneak preview of the colors and materials I am using.

When it's all finished I'll show you the whole room.

our cherry tree

Last year we had only three tiny cherries on the tree,

but look what we 've got this year !

Aren't they beautiful ?

color pencil

As long as I can remember I love working with color pencils.

The reason I like to work with pencil is several-fold:

the freedom to work from a table or easy-chair

without the mess of liquids,

the freedom to render pieces outdoors,

like sitting in my garden.

Another reason for my passion are the details,

and the way you can blend the colors together to form new colors.

I love the soft pastel look that can be achieved .

This little piece I made yesterday, and I had a lot of fun making it.

The original is for sale in my Etsy Shop , right here

the simplest things

This beautiful champagne glass,

filled with a creamy-white jasmine flower,

is what I found on the breakfast table

with a lovely note from my husband.

What can I say..........

it's the simplest things that make me the happiest !

Featured

I am featured on Getting to know you by the lovely Pat.

She sells textile art, but also beautiful jewelry.

Isn't this bag just beautiful ?

Why not have a look in her Etsy shop to see more of her

wonderful creations ?

'the Lemonade Stand award'

I have been given 'the Lemonade Stand award' by the lovely Shirley of Nannieflash
Thank you so much Shirley !
Shirley makes really adorable cards, the one below is one of hers.

The general rule for this award is to pass them on to other bloggers that inspire and delight you.

I am nominating the following blogs :

Jikke's

Bonjade

Simple Pleasure

Een sneller kloppend hart

G-Style

Each Blog is very inspiring in it's own unique way, really worth visiting !

this bud of love

'This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,

May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.”
William Shakespeare