Old and expensive

Bit of a dubious title ;)




















Today we went here.
Michel heard about this place that sells old building materials that are saved from demolition.
It was quite a magical place. Old treasures stacked up everywhere. You simply didn't know where to look first. Very expensive stuff though (I held on to Simon tightly!).

Staircases.




















Lots of beautiful tiles.




















Amazing doors.




















The main reason why we went there was to look for a dining table that they make from different kinds of wood. We loved the tables: simple, old, solid. Prices varied from € 700-€1400. Something to think about.















Here I am on the road:















And we haven't booked yet, but we're definitely going to England in April :))

A bright day

This was today:















And this was last week:

Nothing changes like the weather, right?!















When I came home from work, I received this wonderfully sweet present from Amy. Amber complained: 'Oh no, not ANOTHER package for mum!' Such a lovely Valentines gift, thank you so much Amy!! You and your stash are just the best! And I can assure you that the fabric will be put to good use. Like the other fabrics you sent me:


I made this little princess tote for Amber last week.

It really was a bright day today, filled with sunshine and signs of spring approaching. I just had to take some garden photos...what will the garden look like in a couple of months time?!















This tree was filled with ladybirds. A little get-together to discuss their plans for the summer (we did just that today and will hopefully be going to France in August)?!

A day of fun and inspiration

Yesterday we went to Deventer, a town that we love to visit.
Michel in fact loves it so much that he always shouts that he wants to live there.



We had lunch (a healthy salad!) in a wonderful cafe that serves delicious high teas and real English food like crumpets.

We then went shopping in the little streets off the main shopping area. We came across such delightful shops selling such cute things!



I thought these lights looked wonderful so I took a photo. Later I saw that they were Tord Boontje...check out the website because this Dutch designer makes the most beautiful things.

I bought a couple of metres of oilcloth from Kitsch Kitchen and even managed to find some new shoes (not my favourite thing to do)!



We then had dinner at oma & oma's. They're leaving for Australia today to visit Michel's sister who lives there. I am worried about their flight though, because we're experiencing some very bad wheather here today (storm). Hopefully they won't be delayed too long.



And I've been tagged to share six weird things about myself, but since I think I'm the most normal person in the world, I need tonight to sleep on it ;))

Goodbye Sinterklaas!

Thank you for all the lovely presents, Sinterklaas! Have a safe trip back to Spain!!



Read more about this traditional Dutch feast here & see some more photos of yesterday's fun here.

*Is there something wrong with Bloglines? I know others had problems before and then I was fine, but now my blog is not showing up?!*

Beauty & the beast

This horrendous creature is my husband on his 30th birthday (yesterday). Welcome to the club, darling!!
I believe they say that men grow more handsome as they get older... let's hope so!!

Six years

Today is our sixth wedding anniversary.
Yesterday evening we were thinking back to that beautiful day, and we still agreed that it was perfect. Our wedding was exactly how we wanted it and completely in our style.















After 6 years of marriage (2 children, 2 moves, 1 graduation, 3 new jobs) I feel blessed that I'm sharing my life with a fantastically amazing man who supports me through thick and thin. I hope we'll have many more years together.




















Lunch 6 years ago (yum)















Lunch today (yum)

Party pillow

Today our little cousin/niece Sarah is one year old!
Happy birthday!















Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the party today, because I have to work, but I will add to the heap of presents with this cushion I made.















Green and blue are the colours in her room, so that's what I used.
I bought the fabric from the back for a summerdress for Amber about two years ago. Shame on me for not having made a dress yet... there is enough fabric left for the dress, so next spring I'm definitely going to make one :)
















I hope Sarah likes the cushion (doesn't a one-year-old like anything that's wrapped in pretty paper?!) and that she'll have a great birthday today!

Peace bringing angels

Hello folks, I'm back!



We enjoyed a lovely quiet holiday in Germany.
We did exactly what we wanted to do and so we relaxed like there was no tomorrow. And I'm so happy to say that it all did us worlds of good. Michel and I were both feeling exhausted and unwell when we left and the children both had an awful cough. But after some much needed sleep, our health improved and our heads cleared. I really feel energized enough now to face the busy times that lay ahead of us.

Anyway, I'll write some more about our holiday soon. I just want to show you the crafting that I've been able to do. At the last minute I had packed some felt and embroidery thread not knowing what I was going to do with it. However right on the first day I knew I wanted to make Christmas decorations, so that's what I did.



I made 12 Poppe-angels that will probably go in the Christmas tree when it's time for that (seems such a long time from now!).
They were so much fun to make and I really enjoyed the freestyle- embroidery I did. I really don't know how to embroider at all :)

I want to keep these little dolls as remainders of my peaceful time on holiday. Hopefully I'll be able to recapture that relaxed feeling even when things start to become more stressful around here.
And just to proof they really are angels (or half-angel/half-fairy as Amber states)... they have wings!

Oh to be a Pampers' baby and lie around all day!

Sorry for the unexpected mini-blog breaks I'm taking lately. I'm not happy about it, but 'normal' life keeps getting in the way of my blogging and crafting.
I'm on my way to work again right now, but in three days time we're going on holiday!!
We all so need this break... we're going to relax as hard as this Pampers' baby!!
I'll try to post before we leave. Hope you're all well!

*edit* I didn't manage a new post. We're off to Germany tomorrow; hope to be back next week, rested and full of new energy!!

Yet another milestone!

Some weeks we have so many milestones to celebrate that it overwhelms me a bit. The children seem to be particularly clever/witty/grown-up/sweet etc. lately!

This Thursday Amber went to her first swimminglesson, something that she'd been looking forward to very much. This is her and her friend before the lesson with the fish they just picked out (pink naturally). This 'rainbow-fish' will be gradually filled with coloured scales as they'll be preparing themselves for their diplomas.



The lesson started off swimmingly (sorry).



The girls dived right in with the other children, but after about 30 minutes Amber suddenly started to cry saying that she didn't like it and didn't want to do it anymore. Oh dear! I'm still not quite sure what was wrong, but I suspect it's the teacher who has quite a loud voice and an American accent. Even when she's giving out compliments, she sounds as if she's angry. Nevertheless, I managed to calm her down and the rest of the lesson went fine.

Here is Amber showing off the fish with their first well-earned scales while Simon is playing hide-and-seek in the lockers:



It was disgustingly hot inside the pool while we were watching the lesson. Poor Simon had to be still and quiet while we were there. At one point he got so bored that I caught him chewing Amber's fish... he actually took little bites of foam!! We distracted him with a chocolate-drink before he was able to eat the whole fish :))

Cushion extravaganza

This weekend I finally finished the three cushions that I started oh so long ago!



I had some doubts about the colour-combos and wasn't sure whether they would turn out to my liking. Suddenly I realised what they needed though... a yellow border.
Now they are as bright and cheerful as I wanted them to be. And they make my shabby sofa not look so shabby anymore :))



For Simon's birthday I just had to make him a cushion as well. Why? Because I made one for Amber's birthday too, of course! Michel was a bit worried that I was going to make a girly cushion for him, but he can relax... this cushion is perfectly suitable for a boy, isn't it?!


I wanted to make an I spy cushion, because Simon is really starting to talk (a lot!) right now. He is literally learning new words and sentences everyday. He is able to identify all the images on the cushion... even if it is just broom-broom and clack-clack sometimes!


By the way, almost all the fabrics I used I received from Amy a couple of months ago, for which again I say thanks!


Until so far this cushion extravaganza, but since I LOVE making cushions, I'm sure there will be new ones in the future!


For other people's cushions see the Flickr-group.

Happy birthday, sweet little monkey!!