What a nice offer!

found here

Yes, I would like that very much! Thanks for offering ;-)

A Bavarian Wedding – My Outfit

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

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My friend C. is going to get married in August and as you might remember from here she is going to wear a Dirndl, a traditional Bavarian costume. So this time the search for an outfit is quite different to all the other weddings I have been before. Plus I am her maid of honour – which is a huge honour for me but also doubles the pressure to wear something extra nice. As I live in Berlin (about 500km away from Bavaria) it is quite difficult – not to say impossible – to find a new dirndl here and unfortunately I won’t have time to go Dirndl-shopping in Munich before the wedding either. Argggghhhh! So it is either wear a dirndl I already have or make a new one (but where to get Bavarian fabrics from and where to find time as a working mum). Double arrrrgggghhh!!!

Anyway, given that making a new dirndl is not an option, I decided to ask you lovely people, what I should wear. You are the best decision makers ever. You are passionate about fashion. You are honest (at least I hope you are!). So, please help me and decide for me what I should wear at my best friend's wedding:

1. A long, traditional Dirndl – brown with little blue flowers and a pale pink apron

Pro: classic, long enough (there is nothing worse than those mini dirndl!!!)

Con: boring?

or

2. A shorter, modern interpretation of a Dirndl – made of denim with a bright pink silk apron

Pro: quirky, something special
Con: too causal?, too short?

Oh well, the decision is up to you. So please vote at the poll on the top left corner of this little blog. The poll will be open until the next wedding wednesday. So please take your time to make up your mind - if you need time to think and contemplate. But please do vote. Pleeeeeaaaasssseeeee! I really need your help. Desperately!!!

Life is too short for average food!

So true!!!

Tutorial – Dummy Band

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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Today I want to share a little baby crafting project with you – something which comes in very handy when your little one likes her or his dummy and you don’t want to spend your days looking for it. In short: a dummy band.

All you need is a piece of band and a clip

Then just run in the band through the clip...

... pull the band in a double layer...

... pin it down and fold the other end of the band over and fix with a pin...

... sew both ends of the band and double-stitch back...

... sew a snap fastener  to the seams to fix the dummy...

... and voila your done!

A Double Baby Shower – The Day

Today we had N.’s twin baby shower. It was a wonderful, relaxed celebration. The sun was shining – despite predicted thunder storms. The twin-mum-to-be and the guest were all in a great mood. Kids were running around in the yard. We had a picnic with lots of yummy food.

We had bright decorations in pink and turquoise...

... and snowflakes on our cups (made from a snowflake punch and white address stickers).

I managed to finish my little photo albums in time:

We had a book full of great tips from experienced mums and lots of help vouchers, e.g. for home-cooked food, baby-sitting for half an hour so that mum can take a bath ...

...plus the bath salt for the relaxation bath.

In short – it was a great day!

Beautiful Herbs

Do you know how beautiful dill flowers look?

I didn’t until the dill in our little herb garden started to bloom.

Amazing, isn’t it?

A Double Baby Shower – Food

I love parties! I love to go to parties! I love to throw them! I think there are many things to celebrate, not only birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and Easter. Therefore I now dedicated my Friday posts to parties: to creative party invitations, to easy-to-make party food, to party decorations that make all the difference...  I hope you feel inspired by the festive atmosphere on Fridays and celebrate many small and big events.

Party food for a baby shower? Piece of cake was my first reactions. Cupcakes, sweet fruits, iced or hot chocolate...

... aehm, but never say easy too early. The mum-of-twins-to-be was diagnosed with gestational diabetes  last week. Which means no fast carbohydrate for her. Which means no sugar, no white flour, very little wholegrain pasta, no sweet fruits... actually at first sight nothing which you really enjoy eating :-(

Uhmmm, first I was clueless what to offer her on her own baby shower, but then the girls and I got together and worked on a gestational diabetes menu. Sounds horrible, but I am pretty sure it will taste very yummy.

Here is what we are going to have:

picture found here

Sticks and dips

picture found here

Mini meatballs

picture found here

Fruit crumble (with wholegrain crumble)

picture found here

Orange-fennel-salad

If you think about it and do some research for appropriate recipes, it isn’t that hard ;-)

Virtual Window Shopping: Black& White

All found here

The „Holländischer Stoffmarkt“ in Numbers

Numbers of fabric stalls: uncountable

Number of passionate sewers at the market: uncountable

Number of fabrics, I could have bought: 746

Amount of money, I spent (in Euro): 30

Number of beautiful fabrics, I bought: 5

Number of bags on my buggy: 3

Number of alleys full of fabrics: 3

Number of stalls with accessories: 2

Number of friends, I kept on losing: 2

Number of heavy rain showers: 2

Number of babies who wouldn’t leave their mama’s arm: 1 = mine ;-(

Number of numb arms after carrying her around for hours: 1 = my left one

Portions  of French fries I needed to keep on going: 1 with mayonnaise

Despite the numb arm, I am a very happy girl today! Now I can start thinking about what to make out of my new treasures. Happy days!

Fabric Shopping Spree

To all sewing addicts in and around Berlin, clear your calendars, cancel all dates and rob a bank – tomorrow is holländischerStoffmarkt in Potsdam.

Picture found here

I am already dreaming of a pram full of bags, mountains and mountains of new fabrics, overstuffed containers, and an immensely enlarged fabric stash... I haven’t been to holländischer Stoffmarkt before since I spend my sewing-addicted years down under, thus I am extremely excited and hope that my high expectations won’t be crashed tomorrow.

I hope to show you tons of new fabrics tomorrow evening.

Have a great Saturday, no matter what you are looking forward to!

A Double Baby Shower– Inspiration

I love parties! I love to go to parties! I love to throw them! I think there are many things to celebrate, not only birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and Easter. Therefore I now dedicated my Friday posts to parties: to creative party invitations, to easy-to-make party food, to party decorations that make all the difference...  I hope you feel inspired by the festive atmosphere on Fridays and celebrate many small and big events.

My friend N. is expecting twins. Although baby showers don’t really have tradition in Germany, we still decided that we want to celebrate that she will soon be a mum of twins. Therefore I am currently trying to organise a baby party with a difference. No embarrassing games. Not just throwing presents at the mum to be. Just a lovely afternoon with all the girls, yummy food, baby task, ultrasound-picture admiring, tummy rubbing,...

I don’t know whether it’s a mum’s thing or a female thing, but I just get really excited when it comes to babies nowadays. So if you don’t feel the same, I strongly recommend that you skip this post and the posts on the next Fridays. Because I just cannot stop myself from telling you all about the details. ;-(

N. is calling the little ones snowflakes, because although they will be similar, they are also unique. I think this is beautiful and therefore I already made up my mind that snowflakes will be the theme of the baby party. Although it is June and therefore mid of summer in Berlin ;-) After setting the theme, I started to do some online research and these are my favourite ideas:

Onesies used as decoration (and present at the same time)

Idea and picture found here  

Wooden baby blocks as labels

Idea and picture found here  

Pairs of animals

Idea and picture found here

3D paper snowflake

Picture and tutorial found here

 Snowflake cookies

Idea and picture found here

 Snowflake garland

Idea and picture found here

 White flowers

Idea and picture found here

Well, let’s see how much of this fabulous inspiration I will be able to realise, but I give it a go anyway ;-)

ruby Tuesday – Ice cream

Home-made strawberry ice cream with hot raspberries. Yummy!!!!

Happy parents = happy baby: Going out

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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Today’s post is all about making parents happy. What an unusual self-centred concept in the context of having kids, n’est pas? Extremely unusual, but extremely important as well, I think. Because if you are happy, your baby will be happy, too. I promise! The little one’s just know exactly how we feel and if we are all relaxed and bubbly and in a wonderful mood – they will be too.

So last Saturday my lovely husband and I went on a date – sans baby. My parents watched the little one and promised to call us whenever there was drama. I prefer being on call to having the constant feel, that there might be drama and no one tells you out of thoughtfulness. So the mobile was always within view. But still it was our evening. Our date.

First we had Thai food in one of our favourite restaurants Tajsu. We had a starter and a main. And we ate together – I mean, both at the same time. With both hands. No one needed to cut something ins small pieces for the little one, feed her, pick up her water bottle for the thousands time. We ate in peace. It was delightful!

Afterwards – since we still haven’t received an emergency call from the babysitters – we went on to have cocktail at sunset. We went to Solar, which is not just around the corner from our apartment but also the bar with the best view in town. It was perfect. The cocktails were beautiful and tasted simply amazing. We got a table directly at the window. And we watched the sun go down over our favourite city. And we talked. And talked. And talked. Uninterrupted. Not about babies. Not about organisational stuff. We had the best time ever.

When we came home, there was no change of mood either. The little one was asleep. The grandparents read. We all celebrated with a glass of bubbly, what a wonderful evening it had been. And i promise you this evening will take us to quite a number of sleepless nights, teething and other baby-related dramas.

So, go for it! Enjoy yourself. Do something just for you. Your baby will thank you for being a bit ‘selfish’ once in a while!