What I look for at the thrift /second hand store

Very simply put I have this little list in my head when I go bargain hunting:

1. Glassware, especially known design brands, for instance Iitalla or Marimekko.
Famous for their colorfull and clean cut designs, I have been really lucky already. My parents gave me this smaller Iitalla votive (in my favorite color, yay!!!)



And guess what I found a few months ago: exactly, the big, darker blue one next to it. Retail price: €16,95. Thrift store price tag: €1,50.
All ways check the brand name:


2 .Japanese / asian influence decorative stuff:
This small porcelain box is not high quality, but it's decorative and practical: we use it to store q-tips in our bathroom.



Definitely not anything rare or expensive, but there is a mark (it probably says: "hi tourists, you just bought a fake, lots of love from Japan") on the bottom:


3. Small practical furniture with lots of details:
Like the two cabinets I painted before (read about that here
Here are my newest finds:





More on their make-over in another post coming soon.

Happy hunting!
Fleur

A trip down memory lane: Husqvarna 3600

Look at this lovely print! It's the cover of the manual of my very first sewing machine. When I first started sewing (that was 2004, not back in the '70's), I was a student. I didn't have a lot of cash to buy clothes, and I certainly didn't have money to get zippers fixed or pant legs shortend. So I decided it would be very handy to learn how to sew. My mom only knew the basics and her sewing machine was broken, but she gave me her old sewing book and she knew a shop that sold second hand sewing machines. Despite my tiny budget (around 75 euro) my mom found me one by a well-known brand, although it was not exactly last year's model: meet the Husqvarna 3600.....




In uber-trendy orange and brown.




A closer look. This makes me appreciate the clear plastic cap to show you how much thread is left on your bobbin.




The casing's all metal and it's very, very heavy. All the accessories of this machine can be used on newer Husqvarna's and that saved me quite a bit of money when I upgraded to a newer model.




Isn't that a nice detail? (Husqvarna isn't made in Sweden anymore, it's made in Taiwan now (I think))
I fought a lot of battles with this machine, but it worked out and although I now have a more modern sewing machine (a Husqvarna Emerald 116) I'm never getting rid of my 3600!
You can see how much things have changed even within the same brand. My new Husqvarna is almost twice the size, but the weight is almost the same.








If you've got a small budget, but want to start sewing, go to a good sewing machine shop and try and find a "vintage" brand machine like this one. The specialist shops usually have a number of second hand machines for under 100 euro that have been serviced and checked. They work perfectly for beginner projects.
Fleur

alarm clock saga: a new hope

Yes, I've watched too much Star Wars, but considering the last post and the looooong silence afterwards, it feels a more like a sequel than just a new post.

I could give you all kinds of excuses why it took so long to post something, but let's say that this blogs needs to be a fun thing, not an obligation. And now the fun factor is definitely back!

The Philips alarm clock that was over budget and ugly, turned out to also be very bad at finding radiostations and making them sound good. And this was Philips radio nr.2 (you can read about that here.) So when I found a cute little square radio from Grundig on the web here with 2 alarms and a snooze button, I took a risk and bought it.


And it's perfect. It also has all the wires in white, so it really blends in with the dresser. No more ugly black cables, no more bad reception. The sound is actually quite good. And no, it's not a Tivoli, but at 10% of the cost, I'm very happy with it.


Fleur

The alarmclock saga's sad ending

Just so you're prepared.....there is no happy ever-after in this alarmclock post. I'll admit it: I caved, I gave in and I'm not proud of it, but you can't win em all.
After many nights google-ing and too many depressing trips to electronic stores (talk about a need for a bit of marketing towards female clientele there, OMG!!!) I went to my local Blokker store (they sell toys, houseware etc) and bought the most decent looking alarmclock they had for a decent price.
In my case that was this one:




As you can see, I stayed true to my bargain-hunting roots and from the outside it looks like a really good deal. Philips is an A-brand and the discount was almost 50%, and that made up for the "not so pretty looking" design. Although this was defenitely NOT the look I was going for, as you can see here and here Given the price and the brand name, I was willing to compromise a bit (also check out my new mirrow!)




This not-so-bad-looking radio also had a lot of extra features that seemed very useful, but that's where things went wrong.......




Automatic scanning, preset stations, digital tuning. But....see that "gentle wake up" funtion? Seems nice, right? Well, it tuns out that the reason these radio's are getting dumped is because the alarm starts gentle, but then gets loud very fast and I don't meam a little uncomfortable, I mean REALLY, REALLY LOUD. Imagine my "surprise", waking up to the highest volume setting right next to my ear at 07:00.
And there's nothing you can do about it. Basically, they're malfunctioning and I think Philips should have made sure these Aj3551 are not sold anymore. Even worse, Blokker is selling them cheap, but other stores, like Media Markt, are actually selling them full-price. This is a good lesson, not all bargains are as good as they look, but I'm still annoyed.
And so, the very next day after buying it, I returned the Aj3551, went to the electric store around the corner and bought a more expensive model. For the full 39,99!!! I still can't believe it, but the shock of the "gentle wake up" was so nasty, I lost my resolve. This is the result: the Philips Aj3231




Yes, it's bad and I know it. I blame the obvious brain damage from the Aj3551 sound torture. And now we have an ugly, too big and too expensive but practical (two alarms and a snooze button) and dependable alarmclock. I told you, this is an anti-climax post if there ever was one. It's up to you now: I dare you to find me something cheaper yet better!

project: It's (gonna be) a boy!

The new code in "the baby scene" is to tell everybody not only that you're going to have a baby, but also whether it's gonna be a boy or a girl. At first I thought this was a real spoiler, one of nature's great surprises ruined. But from a practical piont of view, it makes it a lot easier for me to make something appropriate.
When I heard my sister-in-law was expecting a girl, | had just started sewing again. I just bought my new sewing machine and this time I was smart enough to choose a simple project and take a day course on how to make it. I made 9 hearts out of fabric, fibre filled them, used bias binding tape to finish them and made them into a banner. I had no idea whether my sis-in-law and husband would like something as homey as that, but they loved it! So when I heard baby nr.2 was on the way and due in March, I decided to make another banner, in blues and with a bit of a Dutch theme.
Here's how I made it:
Materials for 9 flags in 5 different fabrics
- 1 paper triangle (my triangle is 18 cm by 17,5cm)
- 5 different scraps of fabric, 4 pieces, each one big enough to cut out 4 triangles(back and front), 1 scrap big enough to cut out 2 triangles (back and front).
- 6 m of ribbon or bias or binding tape to finish
- enough batting or filling to line the middle of 9 triangles (like jelly between two sandwiches)
To start: I folded all my fabrics and using my paper template I cut out all my piecs with 0,5cm of seam allowence.




Here's a closer look at the template




And I did the same with the batting/filling




So here are all the fabric pieces




And here they are with the filling in between. I sewed the layers of each triangle together so they were permanently fixed to each other. The stitching went 0,5cm from the raw edge, as that was my seam allowance. Keep the raw edge, but cut off any fabric or filling that is more than half of your ribbon/tape you're using.




Next, I folded the tape around each triangle, matching the sides, so when I stitch, both sides have the same amount of tape and my stitching is on the same place on the triangle on both sides. Check this when you pin! You can also baste one side and then stitch on the orher side. With 9 triangles, I'm taking a short cut.




Now, making corners can be a bit of pain in the neck, so I'll show you how I did that:
Fold the tape to the other side and pin it. Make sure that the tape runs tight against the fabric and the natural piont is richt in middle.




You are left with an excess of fabric, fold this to the right, and you'll see a piont forming. You can move it around a bit until you're happy with it. Then pin it and also do that for the rest of the triangle.




Next up, it's time to start sewing the tape!
When you reach the end of first side, keep the needle in the fabric, lift the pressure foot and pivot to the next side. Back stitch the overlapping piece of the triangle tip, and regularly stitch the other side all the way back up.








And then the triangle looks like this:




After I repeated this for all 9 triangles, I lined them up.








Looks good already, right?




The final step was to finish the top edge. I left about 20 cm of tape on each side so you can tie it to something. Finishing the top is exactly the same proces as the sides of the triangles, except now you have on continues line. No more corners, woohoo!
And here's the end result. It came out exactly they way I wanted it look. I think my new nephew will be enjoying this for many birthdays to come.

Let there be light!

Or better said, let there be better light over our dining table! These old pendants I bought from the IKEA outlet corner 8 years ago for a few bucks. And they've done their job nicely, but in the meantime everything around them has been upped (new floor, new chairs, new table, even the wall has been replastered and painted). So, you guessed it, they need....




We had a few ideas about what kind of lamps we wanted, most importantly one that would light the table better, cause Mr.Fleur usually builds fantasy game worlds his multi-laptop workstation there. So good lighting is crucial.
I actually forgot to put this on my to-do-list, but this is one of the good things of having a blog: you see potential post ideas everywere and all the time!
Being a spurr of the moment thing, we had to squeeze in time to shop for this, but we got what we wanted anyway at Kwantum. I used to think this store is just for cheap (and rather tacky) decorating stuff, but they've been steadily adding more and more very nice things to their collection. Amongst them a great modular pendant lights. Eventually we didn't go for those, we bought this one instead:




At €99, it was definitely not cheap, but this is a nice piece. It's stainless steel, each pendant is made up of two glass bulbs and it even included 5 (1 extra) halogen lamps and a glove!!!!(so you don't get your fingerprint burned into the lamps). Call me girly, but that glove is really cute (and so small it only fits me).



All I have to do now is to get Mr.Fleur to help me get it up there. Not an easy thing on Saterday afternoon. Maybe I can bribe him with a nice dinner.Oh, right, there's also the small challenge of getting the new pendants centered above the table, which means we have to make an exstention from the current outlet on the ceiling. Right now it's too close to the wall. Maybe this will take a bit longer......
Pictures of Before and After will be posted ASAP!

easy personal gifts

I'm a big fan of going the extra mile and making a gift a little bit more personal. That does not mean that it has to be something that is really time consuming or requires special skills. It can be very simple:
Monogram it!




beautifull CD covers from a store on Etsy the online handmade and vintage store
or a door mat:




also from Etsy Etsy is a GREAT source for monogrammed gifts!!!
Why do I like monogramming so much? Doesn't matter what is, but people LOVE to have a thing with their name on it. Maybe it's the need to mark off your territory, maybe to emphasize your uniqueness. "I have a tea mug/ towel/t-shirt with my nam on it, so I exist". There are loads of things to stick/paint/print etc. letters on and many places that can do it for you for a reasonable price. Like these back packs and t-shirts:








from HEMA
For Mr.Fleur's birthday I might get him his very own coffee mug with "Awesome Samurai" or something silly on it.
Or I'll buy him personalized stationary or stamp from
The Paper Cafe.




How fancy is that!!! "from the desk of Mr.Fleur". I might get a stamp like that for myself too. They are gorgious! Look at these:








OK, I'm obsessed. And I don't even use paper, I'm on my iPad 99% of the time, why would I buy stamps? Cause I can, haha!!! I actually have stamps for making my own cards, I just haven't done anything with letters before.
Anyway, back to the subject of using monograms to turn a simple present into something special. These are just a few examples, there are loads of options, I hope you have fun with all of them! I'll show you some of my projects as soon as possible.