TWIS / DWZI #16

This week I saw...

5 years together...
My husband took me out to dinner,
I forgot to take pictures during our night out,
but I did made a picture of our half dessert ;)
And he bought me 5 beautiful roses.

A new spinning wheel...
A Louet s10,
and it spins like purring kitten....

A new project knitting socks for my husband...
It's my first attempt to knit socks,
I'm very excited how they will look when they are finished...

***

This week I saw.
Is an initiative from Roos en Daan,
there you can also see who else participates.
Inspired on Jill's Today  I Saw...

✗✗✗

TWIS / DWZI #15

This week I saw...

Loads of blackberries

We have one blackberry bush in the garden,

and every 3-4 days we can harvest a few sweet berries from it.

This was what we gathered today.

The kids having fun in the play ground.
Because of the vacation time we go every other day
to a different playground in the neighborhood.

This week I finished off a few projects.
And they turned out pretty good.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

 

***

This week I saw.
Is an initiative from Roos en Daan,
there you can also see who else participates.
Inspired on Jill's Today  I Saw...

✗✗✗

First swap

This week I did my first swap.
It's a swap from the Dutch Swappers.

On the website swap-bot

The envelope is already on it's way
so I guess it's save to post it here now ;)
The swap it self called zomer-Bloemen-in-een-zakkie-swap
what means summer flowers in a bag swap :)
I love flowers that's why I participated in this swap.
You needed to make at least 5 flowers and make a little bag to put them in,
you could choose your own way/craft to make the flowers and the bag.

And this is what I made...
5 different crocheted flowers made from 100% cotton,
a string of flowers which is multi functional,
you can wear it as a necklace or pretty things up with it.
All in pink and purple colours,
that are the favorite colours of my swap partner :)
The bag is made from 100% cotton fabric from the Ikea,
with (ofcourse) flowers on it ;)
I'm happy with it overall.
Although my sowing machine
really doesn't like 4 times folded fabric,
the machine is just not strong enough even with
a special tool for that.

Now I hope she likes it.....

I hope you have a lovely day!
✗✗✗

Monday Inspiration #17

This week I want to show you an interview with a lovely and awesome blogger.

She is creative, has her own webshop and is a very lovely person.

I asked Essie from Essies handcraft cuteness

to answer some questions for the Monday Inspiration, 

and I got a whole interview back, which is awesome!

Thank you so much Essie!

Please tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m 28 years old, living with my boyfriend and 2 cats in Gouda, The Netherlands. And there's a little girl on her way :) I love to design, sew and be creative. 

What is your motivation to write on your blog. 

To inform Readers and customers about new products, creative things that I occupy, entertain people with nice shops and things I come across. 

What is your favorite subject.

My own products ;) 

How did you discover that you have creative tendencies?
When I was very young my mum taught me how to use the sewing machine and I started making tiny clothes for my dolls.
When I became older I started drawing and painting.. 

What do you love the most about crafting. 
For me it's a kind of relaxation, I'm doing something I really like, 

my own time and (usually) without time pressure.
Coming up with new designs and creating new products gives me satisfaction.

What’s one of your favorite things you’ve made?

 I must say the cupcake tea cosies, I get a lot of positive feedback,

and they are so happy to look at. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find my inspiration in everything, like nature, magazines, 

the internet, cute characters and cheerful things.

Do you have any role models/inspirations in the area of Design? If so, who and why?
No actually not. I do not specifically like one designer more than others. I see so many cute, beautiful, cool and amazing things that most of the time I can’t even remember who the artist/creator is. 

How did you come up with the ideas for the products in your shop?
Sometimes I see a specific product I like, I imagine it in my own style and give it the Essie’s twist.
Or friends give me ideas about new products that they would like or can’t find in normal stores. It always has to be cute, sweet, cheerful and colorful. 

Which materials do you use to create your products?

Most of the time I use cotton and felt. 

Please give us a brief summary of your creative process:

 When an idea pops in my head usually I immediately start cutting the fabric or felt and I start sewing.
Most of the time the sample turns out not the way I wanted. So I make a new one and customize it a bit.
I never start with a sketch or something, I know it would be better but I’m too lazy for that. 

What characterises your products/your style?

Cuteness, sweetness, bright colors, flowers, kawaii and cupcakes

Who are your customers? 

I think girls and women ages 18-50. 

And sometimes a man who’s buying a present for his girlfriend or sister. 

What do you want to achieve in the future as a Designer/Creative?
Well, actually I’m thinking a lot about that lately and I’m not sure what I want.
I know I would still be making products and selling them in my webshop. A combination of graphical designing and making my own products would be great.
But within 2 months I would be a mommy so I have to see and figure out if it works with a baby around me all the time.

Hope you find it just as inspiring as I do! 

Have a good day.

 ✗✗✗

DWZ I/ TWIS #14

This week I saw...

Brotherlove...

It's vacation time now, they only have each other to play with this week :)

Together in a box.

 Eating a snack together.

 Our little Picasso's

 ***

This week I saw.
Is an initiative from Roos en Daan,
there you can also see who else participates.
Inspired on Jill's Today  I Saw...

✗✗✗

Monday Inspiration #16

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to find information
to make a nice post about the people behind
the awesome blogs to write about.
That's why I made a little questionnaire to make it more personal.

This Monday Inspiration is about Angelique from Lique's Handmade.
She has a lovely blog and awesome online shop.
She is always creative with the crochet needles, sewing machine, pencils .. When she is not doing that there are her pets her other passion, Berners, Burmese and rats.
And I fell in love with her gorgeous crochet and amigurumi goodies. 

Can you tell something about yourself?

I'm Lique, a thinker and sometimes a doubter, I have the will to proceed to make the things I like 

and to make others happy with it.

I love photography, wool and my pets, what is a lovely combination. 

I'm working with wool from the time that I was a little girl. 

I love to make pictures from my pets and I love my pets all together. 

(I got 2 berner sennen dogs, 2 holy birman cats, 7 rats en 1 white belly hedgehog) 

That are 3 important things in my lifs.

  

 How did you get into making crafts?

When I was young I made little Bert and Ernie hand puppets,

and that is my first memory from myself of being creative. 

On a Sunday afternoon under my loft bed with fabric, 

needle and thread ... It grew into so much more.

What is your favorite craft?

Crochet and sewing. Though I no longer sew as much as I did.  

I had for almost eight years the shop called Lique's Hangmatjes & Co 

and I made hammocks for rats and ferrets and the lot. 

I made the goods for the shop with dedication and pleasure

but the challenge was gone and I wanted to grow in my products and shop. 

With the wool, I can now grow in my own crochet products.
So crochet is really my biggest favorite. 

What do you love the most about crafting?

To create something, even if it is something small.  

Something that you or someone else makes is special and there is love and dedication in it.

  
What’s one of your favorite things you’ve made?

I have a wonderfully beautiful blanket made of purple, blue and pink shades 

laying around and that is surely my most favorite and my pride, 

but there is so much more than that.

I made ​​amigurumi's which create themselves, but also a pattern. 

  

Where do you get your inspiration from, designs / goods you make?

Often it is already in my head, and something by just thinking about it, I adapted 10 times already.

I like to look back at pictures and use my own imagination to make something from it.

 

What are your favorite craft websites?

Etsy and Dawanda! Those are my favorite website to see and experience creativity.

 And then the blogs of many people. There is much to see!
As Google is your best friend to look for pictures of the beautiful creations by people!
And of course my own forum on crochet and amigurumi's!

What is your motivation to write on your blog?

I like it that you can show what you make and what you love, to share that with others.

I love to keep track of other blogs. Giving and getting reactions on posts,

and to get inspiration from other blogs and your blog also (*note from me* That made me blush)

I also have a amigurumi and crochet forum and it's really so nice to

let people get in contact with other people on that forum true your blog.

 This is the stand from Lique's at the hip and handmade market. 

See the lovely things she makes, it's a real pleasure to just look at it!

***

 ✗✗✗

Spinning in the sun

I made a little video from my spinning wheel.

And this is how it looks spinning on it :)
The spinning wheel is an old one and its a bit wobbly,
  the sound it makes is a bit loud,
but hey my children fall asleep at the sound of it ;)

Spinning in the sun with my kids in the background playing with water. 

Material for spinning is a beautiful seacell fiber mixed with blue faced Leicester,
I dyed the wool myself on the handwerkbeurs in Zwolle (handcraft fair)
see this link.
And the wool and seacell together I'm gonna ply it with pink silk ♡ ♡ ♡

 ✗✗✗

DWZ I/ TWIS #13

 This week I saw the good things in life :)

This is actually a brooch made by LittleZ Handmade

I made a tiny eyelet in back (magnet) so I can wear it as a necklace also.

My handspun yarn 

 

A new design for bracelets, modified pattern from LittleZ

Button love 

***

This week I saw.

Is an initiative from Roos en Daan,

there you can also see who else participates.

Inspired on Jill's Today  I Saw...

 ✗✗✗

Yarn Please

Good afternoon.
It's been a while that I made a "normal" post on this blog.
And thats because there are 3 things that keeps me occupied.

One: the test results for my oldest son came along.
It turned out he has difficult learning level in this moment.
And he needs to go to a medical daycare.
That was expected, but still the test results scared me,
because I never expected that he was that far behind,
in compare to other children of his age.


Two: I had some nice inspiration for the shop,
but I struggled with the execution of it.
But nevertheless I'm gonna keep on going
until it turns out the way I want it.   

Three: I love my spinning wheel!
It's so relaxing to make yarn from
(in my case) Merino wool.
I made a few skeins and it turned out lovely.
There are some thinner parts in the skeins
and some puffiness to make it whimsical.
I think it's very lovely yarn to make accessories from. 



100% Merino wool purple colour range (100 gram, already sold)

 100 % Merino wool 75 gram, purple / pink colour range.

100% Merino wool this will be ocean colour.

 100% Merino wool this will be the other half of the ocean colour.

 ✗✗✗

Monday Inspiration #15

 Melanie has a blog known as The Crafty Cupboard.

Melanie is a stay-at-home-mom with two lovely little girls, 

living in the heat of Arizona.

She loves to sew and craft but doesn't like cooking. 

She loves all things music and interior design.
As she says herself: I am so inspired by the creative talents of others, I decided to have a place to document ideas to try in the future as well as things I attempt myself.

And it's an awesome place, with a full page of free tutorials.

Her posts and pictures are so inspiring,

if you haven't try sowing yet, 

once see this site, you want to try it all yourself.

I just love her style of writing and the effort she puts in her blog.

She makes a variety of lovely things but the most I love are the beautiful dresses and skirts for her girls, and gorgeous quilts in the most fantastic colours.  

Go take a look yourself and be amazed.
 

 ✗✗✗