Happy 1.Advent

picture found here

My first snow...

... in 3 years!

I woke up this morning and the roofs were white. The clouds were full of more snow. And I felt like a little child. SNOW!!!

I love Australia, but in the long run, I just couldn’t live without this:

Happy winter to all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

picture found here

YourJewel

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes. And since it is Wedding Wednesday as well, this pressie is something particularly for all brides-to-be as well.
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picture found here

for the bride, the groom, the bridesmaids, the mother-of-the-bride, your best friend, your lover, your daughter, your goddaughter,...

how choose a jewel (bracelet, necklace, earrings, etc.) * choose a metal (gold, silver,...) * choose a style * let the artist engrave something meaningful (new name, pet name, date of birth, wedding date, christening date, etc.)

buy e.g. at La Bella Jewels

YourBook

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes. And because it is (Oh Baby, it’s) Monday as well, today I show you a present that the little ones would love as well.
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picture found here

for passionate readers, children,...

how choose your genre (love story, thriller, children book,...) * add personal details (names, location, profession, hair colour, etc.) * order book * enjoy stunned faces of the new book hero or heroine

buy at Personal Novel or at Dein Krimi or Penwizard or Its my Novel

A present to myself

At the little craft market I couldn’t resist this beautiful, handmade, unique piece of art aka Christmas postcard.

It is made by my amazing talented friend Gabriele Boulanger (and she would hit me if she knew that I rave about her in my blog, because she is not only extremely talented, but also extremely modest).

I am afraid that none of my friends will ever get this postcard. Instead it will hang above my new crafting table. And I will smile every time I look at it. And try to work out how to create a hairdo like that ;-)

More about her work here:

Galerie Josephski-Neukum

Or here:

Galerie Pich

Gabriele will also have an exhibition of her latest works of art in Issing (at the Ammersee in Bavaria) throughout December. So if you are in the area, you can look at them ‘live’.

Little Craft Market

A friend of mine is an artist (by profession and passion) and tomorrow there is the rare opportunity to see her pieces of art, because she is taking part in this lovely little craft market:

picture and more information found here
Where Koch-Atelier Gudrun Schmidtke, Planufer 91, 10967 Berlin

When tomorrow Sunday, November 21th 2010, from 11am to 6pm

With what art, ceramics, jewellery, food goodies, pillows, books and flowers plus home-made cookies and mulled wine

I’ll be there tomorrow to do some Christmas shopping and support the creative ladies. And I am sure there will be lots of inspiration in the air. I hope to see you there.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

YourBelt

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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for slipping pants & fashion statements

how create a unique belt by choosing the width, the type of leather, the print and the colour of the belt and the style of the buckle – from simple&stylish to flashy&glamorous

buy at Buckles & Belts

YourChocolate

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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picture found here

for choc addicts, sweet tooth people,...

how choose your favourite chocolate (white, milk, dark) * add your favourite ingredients (nuts, orange, strawberries, red pepper, spices, etc. ) * get it wrapped in a customised pack * I am sure this will put a smile on every small or big child. Promised!

buy at Ritter Sport Bunte SchokoWelt in Berlin

YourStamp

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes. And since it is Wedding Wednesday as well, this pressie is something particularly for all brides-to-be as well.

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for brides and grooms, for stamp-collectors, for new parents,...

how go to the website * choose the stamp (national vs. International, postcard vs. letter) * choose the stamp design (romance vs. nature) * load up your picture * pay * get the stamps delivered in a couple of days

buy at Australia Post or for the US here

YourCard

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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for far-away friends, almost-forgotten relatives, last-minute Christmas-card-receiver

how go to the webpage * choose your theme (graffiti on the wall, street signage, etc.) * add names, special wishes, etc. * send card directly to email address or save as picture and print it out

make at Letterjames

TOP 5 New Thrillers

It is the 15th again – so it is time for reading. And time for sharing my favourite books with you. This month it is all about new thrillers – books that will send shivers up and down your spine. Guaranteed.

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Split (deutsch: Freiwild) – Tara Moss
Written by an Australian author and former model. For whatever reason I started with her second crime story, but it didn’t really matter. The characters are well developed and introduced for those who haven’t read ‘Fetish’ (“Der Fetisch-Moerder”) first. There are also more crimes to read about in ‘Covet’, ‘Hit’ and ‘ Siren’. Ah, I love serial writers ;-)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (deutsch: Verblendung) – Stieg Larsson
I cannot wait to read the remaining books of this trilogy ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ (deutsch “Verdammnis”) and ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest’ (deutsch “Vergebung”). By the way I love the English titles so much more than the German ones. Who the hell has translated them into these banal, characterless terms.

Whispers of the Death (deutsch: Leichenblaesse) – Simon Beckett
By the same author like ‘The Chemistry of Death’ (“Die Chemie des Todes”) and ‘Written in Bone”(“Kalte Asche”). Very vivid again – you won’t eat the cookies you have prepared with your tea, it is just this type of book, in which you can almost smell the corpses and after which you cannot sleep too well. But you cannot stop reading either.

Dead Heat (deutsch: Abgebrüht) – Dick and Felix Francis
My all-time-favourite thriller author has worked with his son on his latest book. And it didn’t do any harm. Gripping and exciting till the very last page as always. And as always the thriller takes places in the world of horses and races, but this time the hero is well-known chef who has to fight first for his reputation and then for his life.

Shimura Trouble (deutsch: Brennender Hibiskus)- Suyata Massey
My favourite heroine Rei travels to Hawaii this time. But of course she cannot enjoy a relaxing holiday. Instead she gets caught up in a difficult family secret dating back to the days of WWII. A perfect combination of thriller and American-Japanese history.

Any other thriller recommendations for my Christmas wish list?

YourLabel

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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for fashion designer, crafting queens, extreme sewer, fashionistas, children

how choose size * add name * choose font * choose colour of font and label * add icon (heart, scissors, sewing machine etc.) if you want * sew or iron into your pieces of art * be proud!

buy at Dortex

YourSteak

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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picture found here

for Aussies, BBQ master, foodies, cowboys and -girls

how choose between Classic, Western, College, Nascar, Hunting, American, Number, Mini and Personalized Irons * fire up your Barbie * impress your guests ;-)

buy at Steak Branding Irons – where else ;-)

12 on the 12th

My favourite blog initiative ever. On the 12th of each month, bloggers around the globe take 12 photos of their daily life and post them. Not only great for getting to know other bloggers but also as a personal visual diary. So please join the fun with Caro here:

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I have never realised how many white, light balls I have in my apartment. 12 to date. So these 12 white balls are my 12 on the 12th today:

1 in the corridor.

1 in the living room.

1 in the bathroom.

1 above the kitchen table.

1 on the kitchen table.

1 in my bunch of flowers.

1 on my kitchen sink.

1 in the girls’ room (that is my and the little one’s room).

1 in the box with the Christmas decorations.

1 in the bedroom.

1 on the bedside table.

And 1 waiting to be hung.

Amazing! What is your interior geometry?

YourCalendar

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes.

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for art lovers, travellers, chaotic daydreamers,...

how choose personal theme or passion (e.g. sunsets, Melbourne, graffiti ...) * choose 13 pictures or photos (for 12 months plus cover) * print photos (on your printer or at the copy shop) and stick them into a DIY calendar OR create the calendar online * Voila – 12 beautiful months!

make at your crafting table or online at Vistaprint 

YourDress

   

Most of my November posts are dedicated to special, unique, customised, personalised, custom-made presents. Hopefully there is some inspiration for your Christmas shopping or crafting, so that we can all enjoy the last days before Christmas with the wrapped pressies hidden in our cupboards and wardrobes. And since it is Wedding Wednesday as well, this pressie is something particularly for all brides-to-be as well.

for brides-to-be, mothers-of-the-bride, bridesmaids and all other wedding guests, but also best-friends, sisters, mums, favourite grannies, everyone in search of the perfect little black dress, an amazing Christmas-party-dress

how Choose your fabric, your dress elements (collar, top, middle, bottom, belts, bows, etc.), your lengths, your style, your size... and get it made within a week or two.

I tried Styleshake when I couldn’t find a dress for my wedding at the registry. The ordered dress was amazing – the silk was soft, the size perfect (without any fitting), the workmanship impeccable, the price unbelievable (EUR 90 for a silk dress!), it arrived after just 2 weeks (from the UK to Australia!) and it was truly MY dress. Designed by me. Oh, and you can also design your very own skirts, tops and accessories. So what are you waiting for!

buy at Styleshake