I've been framed!!!

Sometimes an idea for something fun comes along just out of the blue. I was at our local copyshop, having a photo printed out for a collegue's fare-well gift. The store had a massive sale on all the minature frames. And I was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. At first I thought that it made no sense, who wants to buy frames that small anyway. Then it hit me: I want them, I need them! I have loads of tiny, cute artsy things that need a nice way to be displayed, or at least a safe place to be stored.So I bought a whole bunch and am now looking for stuff to fill them with.






The first to go in was a little watercolor I made years ago.


Next might be tickets we saved from our trip to Japan, a dried flower petal from our garden, or a post-it with a message from Mr.Fleur. So many ideas, so many little frames. So many bits of Fleur on the wall. What tiny treasure would you frame?

update: stylish alarm clock

I've been hunting again for a retro feel, cheap but nice looking alarm clock for my new bedside cabinet. And it's been quite a search, because the standard radio alarm clock looks like this (sorry V&D webshop:)




Which is sooooo not what I'm looking for. Here's a overview of last weeks finds:
First up, this "leather-look" on at Kijkshop.nl



This one only costs 9.95 € (woohoo!!!!!) and you can choose using batteries or plugging in an adaptor (not included, hence the low price). I was so close with this one, I was getting ready to actually order it: it's cute, inexpensive and we really need to have something now, let's get this over with. But.......just as I'm ready to press "add to basket"....Mr.Fleur points out that there's no snooze button on this thing. Grrrrr, why did he have to say that? He's right off course. That plus the missing adaptor means: Byebye Bestsound radio. Sniff.
No worries, though, we move on to the next one: The same shop had another radio by Cresta, although a bit of a Tivoli knock-off.




No snooze button on this one either, and it's also a bit too shiny. The price is not bad, at 24,95 €, and this one does include a cord. If I'm really picky, the brand name distracts from the rest (the red "e" versus blue) and spoils the polished look. So this radio is not selling itself to me. Here's the Tivoli, you can see where the inspiration for the Cresta came from:




(available this site)
Finally, another "woody" design radio, this time from Mediamarkt




It looks ok, but even less buttons, so definitely no snooze button here. Too bad, cause at 19,95 € it would have been a good deal.
I must admit I'm starting to get really frustrated now. How difficult can it be?!
----------------------(prepare for a bit of ranting and raving)---------------------------
Never have I found so many butt-ugly or nice-but-waaaaay-too-expensive things when searching for an everyday item.
Come on people, I want a digital alarmclock with a radio and bit of style, is there not middle ground between "beep-beep-black plastic" and a complete, real wood soundsystem? This really is a big niche in today's market, I'm telling you. And if you're wondering why I don't want a docking station next to my head, it's because they have the same problem: ugly and/or expensive and usually only for an iPhone, which I don't have.
This it not over yet!!! (picture me raising my fist and shouting at my iPad like a superhero) I'm making a mission out of this! Stay posted and join my fight by sending me your finds and suggestions.

silky smooth ice blue jacket for my mother

This project was a first in several different ways:
- first time sewing with silk (expensive stuff is not for experimenting, so up to now all my projects have been cotton or other cheaper fabrics
- first time making something for someone else = my mom. She has a different body type, so I could really only depend on the dressform to check the fit
- first time making a jacket, with lining (in contrasting dark blue)
- first time I made a muslin, or a fake version, and that made me a lot less nervous about the whole project. I recommend it, even though it takes extra time. It pays off in the end!
Enough words, now it's time to let the pictures do all the talking:
The jacket pattern is from New Look and bought at Naaipatronen.nl








One of my cats, Ceder, is always "helping" me when I'm laying out fabric.




My sewing machine is a Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116, simple but very strong, accurate and easy to use.




This is the ugly mid-project shot, that shows all the things that are now nicely hidden away.
Here's the finished jacket, inside out, so you can see the lining.








Why am I showing you the lining? Cause it's all done BY HAND!!!! The ridge in the middle is there to make sure the lining is not to tight. Maybe next time I will iron in a nicer pleat......but then again, who's going to see it anyway.
Next is the outside, what it looks like when it's worn.




the side view:




And finally the front




I will try and stretch my budget a bit more for better fabric. Working with silk has made me understand that it makes a huge difference, both in the end result, but it also handles a lot better than for instance the synthetic lining, which as a similar look.
Yesssss, another project is done! I love this jacket, and most importantly: my mom loves it, too! It's a good, easy to make pattern and I'm definitely making another jacket for myself in the near future.

dress crazy

There's a special party coming up, that will be the only event this year I can really do some glamour-sewing for, knowing that the dress will actually be worn. So this is serious business.
I always like to start my search for a new project with some inspiration: A friend showed me the classic movie White Christmas. There are many wonderful dresses in this movie, but at one point Rosemary Clooney wears a black velvet dress that is TO DIE FOR!!!! in this youtube clip
Beautiful, right? To make something like that, you need a sewing pattern, so let's talk about sewing patterns that have that kind of Wow factor: like this vintage Vogue special design. SWOOOOOOOOON, I have such a big crush on this dress. every time I see it, it makes my stomach tingle.




from vintagepatterns.wikia.com
This is an actual sewing pattern, but patterns like this one are hard to get and will set you back as much as 150€ on Etsy. And then I'm not saying anything about the cost of materials and the time and skill involved to make it.
Maybe a little less glamour is more, and is also more practical too (breathing and moving would be nice. But I think I'll stay with the 50/60's retro look but make a cocktail dress instead, like this one:




from Butterick
Right now, this is the best re-print of a original pattern I could find with the the dutch website I'm used to ordering from: Naaipatronen.nl
With a bit of luck, my pattern will arrive tomorrow and I can start with a muslin (a try-out version) on the lovely lazy Sunday that's comming up.

New nightstand, new alarm clock

Now that I have my lovely new cabinet al my nightstand, I also wanted to get an alarm clock that looks nice too. The old one we have has developed a buzz that is making it impossible to have it next to the bed, but from it's current location I can't read the display. Which is kinda the whole point of having a clock. So, new, affordable and stylish alarm clock. Oh and the hubby, who's the techno-freak, says it cannot run on batteries, cause they might die on us unnoticed (like that couldn't happen if we blow a fuse or something). So far the only one I liked that is within budget (meaning as cheap as possible, I'm Dutch after all!) is this one from kitchenonline.nl. Ok and very cheap, it's sold around 15 euro in several shops, but it looks a bit too plastic, so I moved on to something better.

home made remedies: sore throat

I haven't exactly been as active on the blog as I wanted to be. But now I'm back in the game. I was feeling a bit under the weather (which has been really crappy for weeks now) and especially my throat was bothering me. So much it even woke me up at night, grrr.
I like to use natural remedies as much as possible, and this one works like a charm every time.
You need:
a glass or mug
boiled water (to fill glas or mug)
2 cm/ 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
a few stalks of thyme
organic honey

Put the grated ginger and the thyme in the glass/mug and pour the hot water over it. Add honey until it's sweet enough (about 2 tablespoons...or 3)

If you want a more tea-like taste, you can add a bag of chamomile or rooibos. Ginger and chamomile also both help to settle your stomach.
All you have to do now is relax and get well.

The two cabinets: before and after

As promised, here are the pictures of the two little cabinets I've been posting about last week.
Before


After




Before




After


I think they turned out great! And together with the new crown molding and fresh white walls, our bedroom has improved a lot. It now really feels like a nice place to be, quiet but cosy.


We also bought some bedside lamps at IKEA, so the days of having to get out of bed to turn of the lights are finally over.
Now all we have to do is find another dresser. The one we have is practical, but it doesn't mix with any of the other furniture and I just want something else. I keep you posted about the replacement.