I just put this sheep, Pansy, in my Etsy shop!
She is the second version of a little softie I created. Polly was the first one.
There are so many nice, lovely, great things for sale on Etsy! Look at my list of favorites to get an idea (also if you're ever stuck for a gift idea for me... heehee).
update: I have entered Polly and Pansy in the Cutest Face category of the 2nd Annual Softie Awards. Keep your fingers crossed for them!
Last week I received the new book by Lotta Jansdotter, Lotta prints.
It's a nice book and we were inspired to do some fabric printing. It turned out I actually have a large collection of paint and materials for this craft. Printing is an old love, that's one of the reasons why I was drawn to the book. Also because Lotta's Simple sewing book was the first craft book I found through the craft blogging world.
Emil needed a new schoolbag so he decorated a blank one that I had lying around. Damaris decorated a piece of linen she will use for some still mysterious fashion project.
This time it was mainly Emil and Damaris that did the printing. And it was me that did the setting up and the cleaning up. I hope I can do some more printing for myself next time. Because it is a lot of fun!
I'm back! The flu is as good as gone and I've already been up to some new work this week. Here it is:
This sheep and her blue-toned (and yet to be sewn together) friend will be in my Etsy shop somewhere next week.
And it's Friday, so I also worked on my ceramics:
I even had some finished and almost finished objects from the kiln this week:
Looking at these photos I realized: I loved making all those things. It is hard to express how happy it makes me feel that I am able to do what I truly love to do. It may not all seem very useful, or even part of one body of work, but it is to me. I learn something everyday: sometimes it is a skill, sometimes it has to do with inspiration, or work ethic (just to get on with it), or acceptance, or true expression of myself. I try to value all those learning experiences. And I enjoy myself tremendously!
We wish everybody :
Happy Easter
(this little card was made by Damaris especially for the blog)
Okay, easter is coming... Time to decorate the house with flowers and color!
Damaris and Emil have already worked on colorful decorations.
Some easter ideas for myself (and you, lovely reader):
Egg cozies from a pattern on Yvestown
Stuffed fabric eggs on Olive Juice and co
Easter bread (I usually make a bread with raisins and cardamom, but this WHO bread on Soulemama might also be a good idea)
Last year I embroidered napkins with easter drawing by the kids More on Flickr
Looking at that photo of last year's Easter Breakfast Table (with capitals) makes me happy. It gives me the feeling that we will be able to cheer up in time before easter if we surround ourselves with color and flowers.
We have felt very sad this week because the little daughter of friends died after only 17 weeks of life. This weekend we'll say goodbye to her.
Doesn't every blog need a post about the blogger's cat?! Here it is!
This is Mauries posing with the Soft Turtle Buddy I already talked about.
Mauries is not called Maurice because that would have been to classy for someone born in a cardboard box. He is very beautiful though. He looks like some kind of pedigree, but he is just a lucky genetic coincidence (his parents are siblings, oops).
He's handsome, but he's a real cat. He follows his own mind and didn't pose for long. That turtle is more patient... 
Lots of work in progress this week! I'll show the results in later posts.
First of all, I was tidying up my work room. 
I was looking for the right button to finish a machine embroidered Artsy Clutch (from the Bend-The-Rules Sewing book).
A top secret project for two people who are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today (!) Update: Revelation on Flickr
A Soft Turtle Buddy from Bend-The-Rules. I did this to participate in a little Simul-Sew project with a photo group on Flickr.
Then today I went to my ceramics class, and found a whole new set of works in progress had just come out of the kiln.
More photos of everything (except for that top secret project) can be found on my Flickr.
I promised to show my new bag. I finished it today, so finally I can....
This is how I worked on it. (Also on the table is another bag I made (from a pattern, the All day tote by Lotta Jansdotter)).
The bird bag came from my own imagination. On the table is my sketchbook in which I designed the bag. I faced the lining of the bag with thick flannel after learning this from Amy Karol's book Bend-the-Rules Sewing.
I bought the bird fabric for the outside of the bag at a fabric market, here in Leiden. The red folklore fabric for the lining is a Dirndl fabric I bought at Komolka in Vienna.
For the strap I used green fake leather (skai) which I found very tough to sew. Not my favorite material... After a lot of fiddling and actually throwing out a complete strap that I ruined, I ended up with a strap I like a lot.
I added a key cord and a little pouch for my phone.
And an all important inside pocket. Made from a scrap with another bird.
Now I can take all my stuff from my old bag and put it in this new one. I'm happy!
Look, this is the new banner I put above my Etsy shop!
I've had the shop for a little more than a year and I have had some sales, but I would like to boost the activity a bit and thought I would try a more modern look and feel. I like it!
I made the banner with some help of a tool I found through the Etsy series on how-to improve your shop, which has been inspiring to me. Personalizing the banner was fun and I learned a few more computer skills, just like this blog is teaching me. I feel like a little html-wizard when I get something to look the way I want it to!
The latest art and craft news: I'm working on a new bag for myself. The previous one is in desperate need of replacement! I'll post about it soon.
Here's (drum roll...) our new couch.
The picture shows the one in the kitchen. Can you imagine, a couch in your kitchen?! When we got a new kitchen, last November, it turned out we had space left for a relaxed seating area right next to the oven! Baking is great entertainment.
This is a two-seater. In the living room (living area of the same room really) we have a new three-seater. Also green... fresh and lovely!
For the kitchen couch I made new pillows from Japanese fabric with a Swedish kitchen theme (to go with that IKEA kitchen of course). I ordered the fabric from the US (from Superbuzzy), so international!
The crocheted throw is from a thrift store. Somebody ran out of thread or got frustrated, because it isn't quite finished, but you can't tell when it is folded up like this and it's just big enough to be a nice cover. It doesn't need to be that warm; you're right next to the oven after all!
