Summer is approaching...

Here in Holland we are slowly beleiving it is going to happen; Summer is approaching.
It's been lovely, Sunny weather for a good week now, not too warm, and everybody is enjoying it immensely!

 I've been enjoying my  (nearly) 4 weeks of work and went to Rome from may 27th untill June 2th. My sister and I were amazed by all the sites to see. The Colosseum was just around the corner and you can't say that very often. We visited many things like the Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Palatine, the Vatican and the Pantheon.

In between all those things we saw pittoresque little Streets, visited a small market, went to a shopping mall called Cinecitta Due (near the Original studio's) and tried to do as the Romans do.

Which is a nice saying, but very hard when you are an independent, efficient, quiet traffic rules respecting, what you see is what you get, Dutch citizen.

Let me explain; the traffic was horrendously busy. Nobody respects zebra crossings. Some Romans do NOT respect green lights AND zebracrossings. We had the constant urge to check the menu for hidden prices. And with this you had to watch out for bad pavements, they were sometimes as bad as the ruins we visited. But overall it was worth the visit. LOL!!

Here are some piccies;

Typical Italian form of transport, opposite of our Hotel Solis

 

 

Me (left) an my sister inside the Colosseum

 

 

The Trevi Fountain, tucked away in the corner on a small square.

 

 

Mosaic in the Vatican

 

 

The famous balcony where the Pope stands on special occassions

 

 

The most beautiful vegetable stall I  ever saw!

 

 

 

 

Me on the Spanish Steps

 

 

 

 June 2th Day of the Republique, a National Holiday

 

 

 

 

Since Monday the 3th I've been back and doin all sorts of things. clearing out and throwing things which were long overdue to throw away. Just enjoying "simple" things, like drinking coffee on a bench in my front garden. Doing some groceries (and enjoying the order in our traffic) Thursday the 6th was the last day of our traditional 4 day Evening Walk (Avond 4 Daagse) where all kinds of people (but especially children) walk different lengths of kilometres every evening, to earn a medal on the last evening and their families are spectators, honouring them with flowers and treats. My brother in law and my two nieces walked 40 kilometres devided into the 4 evenings.

 

(From left to right)My brother in law Etienne, and nieces Lot (10 ) and Emma (14)

 

To finish my update here are some pictures of some bunting I've made (inspired by Lucy from Attic24) and some lovely coasters for my webshop ( www.teenyweenydesign.etsy.com )

 

Decoration for my livingroom

 



 

 

Coasters Cath (matching the colours on the mugs!) 

 

Coasters Rainbow (cross section 9 cm)

 

 

I do believe it is here...

SPRING, that is...

Today was a beautiful, rather Sunny day. I write Sunny with a capital letter S, since I respect the sun very much nowadays. it took forever but it is finally here!! No more frosty nights and I believe tomorrow, in some parts of the Netherlands,  it is going to be a mild 22 degrees Celsius!!
Pity I have to work tomorrow.

Yesterday, after a short cycle trip, I bought myself some Spring flowers and put them in a
vintage terrine on my coffee table.

Two varieties of daffodils and a hyacinth

 

 

 

 

I recently crocheted a garland which I put on my short curtains and I bought some candles in the same colours. I think it looks very nice.

 

 

I have been tidiyng my attic/craft room for short periods of time and threw away some thing I hadn't used for a number of years.

 

 

Here is a tiny part of the attic before and after

 

 

 

 

Looks nice, doesn't it?!! It is such a shame I have to go to work tomorrow, because I have been busy with all kinds of things today, and I'm on a roll;  Clearing out, washing, folding and ironing. Been outside plucking weeds from my garden. Too much for just today. Now I'm taking a break after photographing and editing the pictures of 25 little crochet birds, which I needed for an add in my webshop ( https://www.etsy.com/listing/123873983/create-your-own-birdy-garland )

I'll start making dinner now, and do some crocheting tonight if I still feel up to it.

 

 

Here are some things I made over the last week...

 

 

A festive garland for the coronation of our King Willem- Alexander on April 30th

 

 

Detail..

 

 

 

Some of the pairs of Baby Shoes...

 

 

 

And some pairs of hairclips

 

 

Well, as you can see, I really don't have time to go to my regular dayjob, LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting for Spring to arrive...

Here in the Netherlands everybody is complaining about the weather. When is Spring coming?
During the day it is about 4 or 5 degrees Celsius and at night it still freezes a couple of degrees. There is a firm wind blowing, which makes the whole outdoor experience feeling much colder than it really is in degrees.

After a heavy cold, blubbering and coughing away for about a week and a half,I feel better and I am starting to be creative again. I have made a new pattern for some boy baby booties. Since aIways make things for girls this was long overdue. They should resemble a sort of "All Star" basketball sneakers.

Here they are...

 

These were made for a little boy named Benjamin (hence the "B')

 

And, since the weather is so bleak, I have made several Garlands with colourful birdies.

(For sale at www.teenyweenydesign.etsy.com and for the Netherlands at www.pieterpeuter.nl)

 

I also am clearing out old things. I had a little suitcase, from when I was a child, filled with old and battered fashion dolls (Barbie size) I kept them out of sentiment together with clothes I made for them. Crocheted of course and not really very nice. I made them when I was a child so the quality was not great. But children might like them.

I put it all in a plastic bag, together with some other things I didn't use anymore, and gave it to a scouting group in my neighbourhood. They organize a sort of fleemarket every year.

I kept the suitcase. It is a foldable one and there is even a lable on it on which my father wrote our adress at that time. I couldn't make myself throwing that away as well. Even though I'm not using it anymore.

 

 

 

This is how it folds

 

 

 

 

And here are the little suitcases when we (my sisters and me, me on the left) used them for the first time.

I gues it must have been in the summer of 1971.

 

Happy times!

 

 

 

A new week waiting to begin...

Well, the weekend is over and I worked both days.I am not complaining because last week I had some days off and I spend it, cleaning, clearing up, updating my webshop and crocheting.
I started on Fuzzy Bunny hats for Blythe Dolls again. Easter is coming up and they fly out of the door.

 

 Sold two already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made this one yesterday

 

 

 

 

 

I've created a lovely Easter Garland

 



So you see, Ive been quite the little worker. 

 

 

I also listed Friendship bracelets in my Etsy Shop. (Bracelets by Wendy)( http://www.etsy.com/shop/TeenyWeenyDesign?section_id=12293754 

She hopes to put some money to her study piggybank with the sales.

 

 

 

Here are some examples...

 

 

And these are the ones on sale...

 

 

These have 5 vibrant colours and measure 23 cm in length and 12 mm in width

 

 

Aren't they wonderful? In the shop you can view them a bit bigger. They are all made perfectly neatly in a smoke free enviroment and made with 100 % mercerised cotton yarn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful dresses...

It's freezing outside but it's warm inside. I have finally  photographed the finished dresses for BJD's.
Boy, what a labour intesive work this is. First taking pictures, uploading, resizing. Then I have to list them in my Etsy Shop. Put a discription with it (in Dutch and English).
It takes hours and the day is gone before you know it.

  

PukiFee

 

 

 

 

LittleFee

 

 

 

I also made a long Garland with Rainbow coloured Hearts

 

 

 

 

And I cut a piece of oilcloth fabric (Cath Kidston, Circle Ditsy) to size, for my little cupboard next to my kitchen.

The little blue tin was my mothers and is probably as old as I am. We kept little sweets in it.

 

 

 

Last saturday I helped my sister (who has moved to a new house in Zwolle) to put a nice cabinet together.

I put the back and the doors in the lower part and put the whole upper part together. I have a blister from the scewdriver in the palm of my hand to prove it,  but the result is wonderful.

 

 

 

The day before we ate at a sushi restaurant (MINOYU in Zwolle) and I enjoyed it immensely

It was made very fresh and you sure could taste that.

 

 

Later that evening we went to a theatre performance of the Carpenstars.

It was a show, set in a kind of Meet and Greet with Karen Carpenter. There were two women who played Karen, one played Karen who told her life story. And one sang Carpenter songs. Very nicely done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Year, New designs

With Christmas, NewYear and my Birthday over it is time for some new things.
The next festivity is Easter and also Spring is coming. So I'm inspired making things for this.
After a  period of cold, frost and snow, the temperature went up and now it is windy and rainy. I'm not bothered. I love nothing more than to sit and crochet while the weather outside is faul.

Here are some pictures from last sunday, when the last snow fell before the thaw set in.
They are taken from my attic window.

 

 

 

More News!! My sister has moved out. She lived with me for about 7 months after her house had sold (yeah, fantastic in the credit crunch!!) And her new house not ready yet.

But in december she received the key and two weeks later she moved in!

First time opening the front door!

 

Inspecting the kitchen with other sister.

 

 

 

 

 

So now I'm Queen of the house again and loving it!

 

 

 

About crocheting;
I have been muddling making a crochet birdy, which is different than all the others I see online. I succeeded in that (well I think so)
I'm totally hooked on crocheting birdies now and I already made two garlands. They are available in my Etsy Shop (https://www.etsy.com/listing/122327139/garland-birdies-and-daisies)

 

Isn't it a cutie!!

 

 

 

I also started making hats for LittleFee Dolls again and finished two of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Also clothes for PukiFee are in the making, I sometimes wished I had more sets of hands!