If spring doesn´t come...

Brr... it´s so cold in Germany. This doesn´t feel like spring at all! I can´t wait to lie in the garden and eat some sweet strawberries, but for a start I had to content myself with some nice strawberry-prints.

So, I sewed some dish towels and made some rubber-stamps...

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But there is a whole story behind it:

Two years ago I discovered the amazing world of rubber stamping and was fascinated. I searched for ideas (and found a lot), then I looked for suppliers to buy all the stuff I would need to make my own stamps. But I had to realise that it is impossible to get the carving blocks in Germany. Although I knew the producers, went to crafting-fairs and contacted big suppliers nobody could help. Many of the American suppliers don’t ship to Germany or the shipping costs are extremely high. So... I resigned and worked with small school rubbers... (but secretly I dreamed of my own huge import business for rubber-blocks and the enormous fortune I would made out of it, waaahaaahaaarrr :-)

But then... two weeks ago as I was dandering through Madrid the miracle happened:

I walked by a small art supply shop and saw a carving block on the showcase! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Overwhelmed I bought a few of them and couldn`t wait to get home and try them out!

( I was so happy that I had enough space in my suitcase!)

So... here are my first experiments with the big carving blocks:

And as I told you - Strawberries in my garden!

Spring! Finally.

Last weekend I was at the botanical garden with my family and enjoyed it a lot.
I made some snapshots just for fun with my mobile cam and was surprised. Obviously the lens was dirty but I must say I like the result in some way. It looks kind of romantic. But see for yourself:

Hey! I haven't written in a while because I was busy at work. So I coudn't even think of creating something nice. But yesterday was my brother's birthday and so I took the time to realise at least a small crafting project and made him a notebook-cover.
Although it was very, very hard, nothing is green this time :-) ... But at least I have some dots! What do you think?

Cooookieees !!!

There have to be familiy ties between the Cookie Monster and me... I love cookies as much as he does, only his blue colour makes me doubt a little bit... and of course the fur :-)
I made some Shortbread Spring Cookies today. The recipe is from Martha Stewart.
Aren't they cute?

Another one!

Although it looks like my last patchwork-blanket, this one is totally different. I made it as a birthday present for my friend who loved the colours of the cover I made in January.
But I had much trouble with my first cover because it was too thick and it had two different fabrics (fleece and cotton). It was very difficult to sew and impossible to quilt because of the slipping and streching surfaces.
So this time I used only cotton fabrics and it worked so much better. And I didn´t make it so thick. I chose the thinest batting. This means, of course, that this blanket isn't quite as cozy as the last one - it rather is a spring and sommer blanket, but I was able to quilt a little bit for the first time. Nothing special... only some squares, but I was so happy that it worked out.
And this time I didn't sew it inside out. Like this it was easy to adjust the two parts of the cover and the batting. But of course that means that I had to figure out a nice finish for the edges - I chose a satin ribbon as you can see below.
I've learnt so much with this cover that I´m really looking forward to the next one now!

The Creative License

What a great book. I´ve just finished it: "The creative license. Giving yourself permission to be the artist you truly are" by Danny Gregory.
It´s about overcoming your fears and allowing you to express yourself in a creative way. No matter if you draw, sew, sing, dance or cook. Forget the voice in you that´s saying "You can't", "You never will" or "You really suck" and start being creative. Don´t be afraid of failure and try something new. Release the artist in you and find out what makes you happy.
Really inspiring and motivating!

My first selfmade earrings

Here they are. And surprise! They're green ;-)
They look like little olives...
I like simple copper earrings with a single bead. They are comfortable to wear and easy to make.