Still here

Hello there,

Has it been long or what? On the edge of 2012 a little message from me. With a little reflection on the past few months. I might not have been blogging here, I have been elsewhere. With my friend Sara I started a 'brand' called 'Le Lapin Blanc', named after the white rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland'. We are making all kinds of stuff, from home decoration to jewelry and from stuffed animals to pretty envelopes and notebooks. You can check us out here if you like. We also present ourselves at several markets through the country. And it is going pretty well.

I'm also thinking about starting a new blog in Dutch to give my photography a platform, but I'm not sure about that yet. We'll what the new year will bring. I do hope that you all had a wonderful christmas and I wish you all the best for 2013. See you soon!

A day out with the girls

Yesterday I had my first niece-day. Together with my mother, two sisters, aunt and niece we visisted my other nice in her rebuilt house in Utrecht. After a little lunch we had a guided tour into the Dom Tower, where we had to walk 465 stairs to reach 97 meters. And that made me claustrofobic and acrophobic and the same time, but it was worth it. 

Stained glass window form the 70ties

One of the bigger bells, dates back to 1505 a.d.

The carillon with 50 bells

The top! At 112 meters

View at Utrecht from the Dom Tower

Antoher stained glass window

  After all the hard work, my niece made reservations at a really nice place for an extensive high tea.

My sister Sanne :)

 

Busy bee

Even though I am not writing as many blog posts and letters as if I would like, that does not mean that I spend my spare time sitting on the couch doing nothing. With my friend Sara I'm crafting my hands off lately.. We are preparing for the Hip & Handgemaakt Markt in Hengelo this september where we will have our very own booth :) Down below some things I've recently made.

 

Spring flowers

Even though we had the same temperature today as on Boxing day 2011 it is spring out there. 19 Days from now the summer will start. To get in a sunny mood I would love to share some flower pictures with you, which I made lately. 

Arnhem feels like home now

It is more than 9 months ago since S. and I moved from Nijmegen to Arnhem. The two cities lie less than 20 km from each other but are completely different. Nijmegen is an university town, with lots of students and bars. Arnhem has an art school, which gives the streetscape a different look and feel. And even though I would consider myself more an art type then an university girl, it took me some time to sattle down here.  But I think it has happened now :) The other day I was wandering through the streets (bumped into a great sewing supplie store) and I found these images. And you what they say: home is where the heart is.

I (heart) U picture

Birds flying on the wall

Heart shaped tree

Yay 40!

I (heart) Instagram

Not long ago I (finally) got myself an iPhone. And I very much fell in love with the Instagram-app. I don't have so much inspiration to write right now (even though I had a great May-break). I think I'll let the images do the talking :) 

Former almshouse in Groningen. I visited this town with my mother during the May-break. I also lived for 2,5 years in this great city in the north of the Netherlands

Love is on the street in Groningen

Beech hedge in Groningen. Part of a hidden garden called 'Prinsentuin',  in the middle of the city centre. Including a  tea garden

I'm really into crocheting lately

My sweet sweet kittycat Saartje

I made this satchel out of an old blouse and a belt

Detail of my kitchen

Geraniums and tomato plants on my desk, which happens to be the sunniest place in the house

A self-crocheted potholder

Kitty feet are sweet

Saartje...again

I bouight this great tea set on the fleamarket on Queensday,  on 30 April

Hooked!

A few weeks ago my friend Sara learned me the basics of crocheting and ever since I am hooked! Unfortunately my neck kind of disagrees with me crocheting for more than one hour at the time, but that's ok I guess. I am especially fond of making granny squares, just not sure if I can bring it up to crochet over 50 squares for a blanket or so.

^ My first granny squares!

Mail & Easter & Flowers

When I came home from work last Friday there were two letters laying on my doormat. It was such a welcome surprise, because I didn't feel well at the time. Reading them and enjoying the beautiful bits and pieces which accompanied the letters made me feel so much better. Thank you ladies!

I've been looking forward to this lettter from Sally for a long time. Can't wait to reply to it!

Another great letter from Martina, Croatia

My Easter tree. I love the old pagan traditions and stories around Easter. Since prehistory eggs are for example the symbol of the invisible life force that brings back new life, it is the symbol of infinity. The help of the egg was invoked in acts for fertility. Then the Easter bunny is in the Netherlands not a bunny but a hare. The hare, because of its reproductive capacity, was the symbol of Aphrodite. And hare meat is said to be an aphrodisiac....

With Easter boyfriend S. and I visited his grandmother. Traditionally the whole family comes together for brunch, egg decorating and egg hunting. New this year was felt :)

Bunny egg

Goose egg

Those tulips have had their best time I suppose. But with a little bit of myself and a little bit of Photoshop they still look pretty to me.

These flower cards add the needed colour to our hallway. I've found them in an antique bookstore years ago. Now they finally have the place they deserve.

This is a detail photo of a tablecloth I bought two weeks ago on the Sunday Market in Amsterdam. It was great to be there again (I've been there in February 2011) and it was way bigger than the first time. I also bought some little pieces of retro fabric and ribbon *happy*

Saartje the Cat was totally fascinated by a plant. No one knows why and the good thing is that she didn't jump :)