Ninotschka

In 2012 I am looking forward to...

2012-01-05T20:11:00.002+11:00

... 2 weddings of my nearest and dearest

First of all the big wedding of my best friend, who celebrated her Standesamt wedding last year in Bavarian tradition. The big party will be in the Bavarian countryside, but I think it terms of style it will be quite different. More traditional bridal. Which means I can wear a new dress ;-) I am her maid of honour so there will be a lot of wedding planning, crafting and sewing, I promise. Yippee!

Then later in the year my sister will have her wedding. I am super-excited about this. My little sister. And my favourite brother-in-law. At the moment they don’t know whether it will be in a small castle in Bavaria or a ski lodge in Austria – I don’t care, because I know it will be a unforgettable celebration and party. No matter where.

... writing a book

I always wanted to write a book. Not for others. Not because it could make me rich. Or famous. Just because I would love to see something I wrote printed in a real book. I always thought it would be a crime thriller, but recently I think of something else. I think I could really do it. I would love to. Let’s see whether 2012 will be the year of my first book ;-)

... sewing more

I have so many sewing projects in mind that I honestly do not know where to start. Another one of my favourite shift dress? Another wrap dress? A Jackie-O-dress? A cape? Another hat ? A Carnival costume for my little one? A dress for my best friend’s wedding? And for my sister’s wedding? Finally something made from Jersey? More skirts?

... looking better after myself

My lovely husband just started a new job. Great challenges. Great colleagues. But 300km from home. So me and the little one are on our own during the week and see Papa just on the weekends. Very strange feeling. I have had long-distance relationships before – which I didn’t like particularly either – but a baby really gives this a whole new dimension. Anyway, I better stop whinging and start to look at the positive sides. No compromises on the evening TV programme! Evening after evening on my beloved sewing machine! Vegetarian dishes for dinner! ... Well, I cannot think of much else at the moment, but I am sure that I will discover more along the way. Right? Right!

... getting better at juggling work and my little one (or at least with a bit less running)

I know life won’t get less hectic, especially with my lovely husband not around every day. But I will try my very best to take it less serious. Walk instead of run. Be more pragmatic and less perfectionistic. Get a babysitter. Not look at the dust bunnies too closely – at least they are quiet pets ;-)

... and an unexpected present

I have no idea when to expect this. Or from whom. Or what it will be. Whether it will be big or small. I just hope I will recognise it whenever it will come my way. Because that is what my New Year’s Eve fortune cookie promised me. And of course, I believe in fortune cookies J

Oh well, 2012 looks pretty good to me ;-)

Home Improvement Day

2012-01-04T23:58:00.000+11:00

Instead of making big New Year’s resolutions which I break after a week anyway, I decided to just start doing something. Today. Without much of a plan. I just walked through the rooms of my apartment and started with what I found most annoying.

Taking out the trash – the empty Adventskalenders, tons of used wrapping paper, glass bottles,...

Cleaning up and sort things in boxes – a box for the flee market, a box for the summer house, a box for charity

Eating all leftover Christmas cookies ;-)

Ahhh, I feel so much better now. What do you find most annoying in your house or apartment?

Christmas Cards? No! New Year’s Cards!

2012-01-03T22:20:00.003+11:00

Even though I had some time off in December, it still got hectic. I think I just cannot avoid it with all the things I want to do before Christmas. Baking cookies. Getting great presents for my loved ones. Going to the Christmas market. Decorating the apartment and and and... It is 100% my own fault, so instead of complaining I decided to do what I wanted to do and not stress about the things I didn’t had time to do. Like Christmas cards. I didn’t even send out Christmas cards. So after the Christmas days, I decided to send at least some New Year’s cards to my lovely friends overseas.

So I took some aluminium foil from the kitchen and made a 2012 out of it, I blew up a few balloons, bought some shiny hats at the dollar store and forced my family to dress up one day prior to New Year’s Eve. Then my lovely husband set up his camera with remote control and we shoot some photos of our little family. It was so much fun, seriously, and it only took 10 minutes or so. You don’t have more time than that with a 1,5-year-old one J

And voila: we had great photos not only for our New Year’s cards, but also for us as a memory of New Year’s 2011/2012.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T19:56:00.000+11:00

I wish you all a happy, healthy, successful and merry 2012!!!

May a lot of your dreams come true in the New Year and may you always have time to spend with your loved ones!

Good-bye 2011

2011-12-31T20:52:00.003+11:00

I cannot believe 2011 is almost over. It was mostly a good year! It was also sometimes a bad year! You know, it was just a year with up and downs – like most years are ;-) – and it was definitely a crafty year for me!

In January 2011 I rediscovered the good old Strickliesl and remembered how much fun it is to produce meters of “Strickliesl sausages”: here and here and here

In February 2011 I took part in Me-made-February, a wonderful initiative by Cat, and discovered how many me-made things I own, although not nearly as many as the other participants.

In March 2011 I made delicious Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes.

In April 2011 I worked on my balcony – to transform it from a triste concrete place to an urban oasis.

In May 2011 I saw parts of my little one’s christening outfit, including crawling pants and sunshade cap.

In June 2011 I made a lot of decorations and pressies for the twin baby shower, I organised, e.g. this dummy band .

In July 2011 I continued making little baby things like this onesie.

In August 2011 there was little time for crafting, but I managed to make at least some great food like these spaghetti vongole.

In September 2011 was a failure in terms of crafting. Too much working didn’t leave a minute for DIY L

And the same was unfortunately true for October 2011. Don’t like!

In November 2011 I finally got more time for crafting: my little one’s first lantern and starting my dress for Cat’s Christmas dress challenge. Yipee!!

In December 2011 my creative juices really went crazy thanks to a few days off work: cinnamon balls, lemon-rosemary bath salt, a ‘stolen’ piece of art , a leather necklace for my aunt, ginger-almond-crossies and of course my Christmas dress.

Wow, what a wonderful DIY year! I wish 2012 will be equally productive, creative and fun!

Wish you all a great New Year’s Eve! With great food, friends, bubbly and of course spectacular fireworks!

For me made pressies

2011-12-30T18:14:00.005+11:00

Paula had a wonderful idea. She shows us not only what beautiful presents she made for her loved ones, but also what amazing self-made presents she got. And believe me creativity runs in her family. I love the idea to show how great and creative your family is and how much you like the gifts you have gotten.

So here is my tribute to my wonderful creative family:

My husband turn one of his beautiful photos into an amazing piece of art by getting it printed onto Alu-Dibond.

My little one made beautiful drawings, ok let’s say scribbling, for her grandparents.

My mum made me a beautiful hand bag. With my choice of fabric (top and bottom), my choice of handle, my choice of interior fitting (room for my mobile, for my calendar, my keys, my pens...). That is real luxury: something which caters for your individual needs and aesthetics.

My mum also knitted me another one of these wonderful warm scarfs. I never wear them outside (no need to this winter so far anyway), but love to wrap them around me when I am sitting at my sewing machine or laptop. It feels like a big hug.

My sister is also a kitting champion and made this beautiful woollen flower brooch for me. I love its vibrant colours and the combination of something so cosy and spring-like at the same time. I could never make something as delicate and as knitted.

My brother is a passionate photographer and made some amazing photographs using a special lens that makes the photos like a miniature landscape has been photographed. A bit like these ones. Real pieces of art.

And my dad made us all dinner. A family tradition, but still we appreciate your efforts every year, dad.

Thank you so much for each and every of these wonderful pressies, dear family. I love them more than any diamond ring and I thank you so much for making them for me.

Fireworks Sale start today!!!

2011-12-29T21:09:00.000+11:00

picture found here

Just a little reminder for all the other firework addicts in Germany: the fireworks sale starts today.

I know many think it is a waste of money! Just dangerous! And over in a second anyway!

BUT

I am so excited!!!

Aldi? Lidl? What do you think? Who has the better offer? I am big fan of the Aldi website, because you can have a look at the fireworks virtually beforehand. Which saves you a lot of time and pushing in front of the shelves in store. Which is what I DON’T like. I just want to get in, snatch MY fireworks and leave this crazy-grocery-shopping-because-there-is-one-public-holiday place as soon as possible.

So I better go. The early bird, ... you know ;-)

Christmas again

2011-12-26T20:10:00.000+11:00

Today we will be celebrating Christmas with my lovely husband’s side of the family. I love that the distance between my family and his family ‘forces’ us to celebrate Christmas twice. I simply cannot get enough of candles & stories and beautiful presents & great food. In both our families our dads are responsible for the great food by the way.

My dad cannot cook a lot of things, but he makes the most amazing chicken dish on earth and therefore it has been our Christmas dish for about 10 years (and hopefully for the next 10 years as well): Lemon Chicken. Slowly roasted in the oven. With a golden crust. And lots of soft vegetables and apples. Fresh and light thanks to the lemon juice. The exact ingredients are his secret, since everyone else is so engaged in the other family traditions that we hardly drop into the kitchen.

In my husband’s family cooking is always dad’s job and thankfully my husband kind of inherited this family tradition and loves to cook, too. They don’t have a special Christmas dish, but whatever my father-in-law makes, it is always delicious. Therefore I now quickly pack our pack of presents, my little one and my lovely husband and then we are off to a delicious, relaxing and festive afternoon and my in-laws.

I hope you enjoy your Boxing Day, too! Hopefully not in the Myer’s Christmas sale, but relaxed with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T22:18:00.001+11:00

Finally time to open up your presents as well, dearest readers, who didn’t celebrate Christmas last night. I hope you have a great time with your loved ones, with great food and great music.

I started the day with another of my favourite traditions: staying in your PJs all day. Later on, however, I will have to break this tradition, because like so many other people we will travel today to celebrate with the other side of the family tomorrow. So my wishes go out to everyone who catches a train, a plane or drives to go into the second round of Christmas celebrations tomorrow.

Have a safe and relaxed trip!

Frohe Weihnachten!

2011-12-24T23:05:00.024+11:00

To all my German readers and those all over the world who celebrate Christmas today: Frohe Weihnachten! Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale! Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

I won’t be able to post a lot today, because December 24^th is full of traditions in our family. Some traditions are old. Some are new. But we all love them dearly and nothing can keep us away from celebrating them ;-)

One of my favourite traditions is decorating the Christmas tree. My two siblings and I have been doing that for the past few years and it is always a celebration in itself.

First we get all the Christmas boxes from the basement. It takes us three to four trips before we have all the collected decoration treasures which my mum has collected over the years.

Then discussions start about how the tree should look like this year. Monochrome? Colourful? Traditional red and green? Full of memories? Bad taste? This discussion is part of the ritual although we always end up throwing everything together. A bit of handmade ornaments from our kindergarten years. Some shiny Christmas balls. Lots of real candles. Some folk art. Some glitter.

And one thing is never missing. Our collection of obnoxious ornaments. We always add something new each year and it is really astonishing what is available. And they mean it seriously, don’t they?

Anyway, these were last year’s ornaments:

The most decorated hippo in the world.

A Yorkshire terrier.

A garden gnome.

I cannot wait to see what my brother and sister have ‘unearthed’ this year. I have to admit mine is a bit lame this year. But how could you possible top last year’s highlights ;-)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Christmas traditions – whatever they are – and I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas Eve!!!

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Finale

2011-12-23T19:13:00.002+11:00

Hurray! A highlight right before Christmas. Today Cat and all the other fabulous Christmas-dress-sewing-girls finally show their beautiful Christmas dresses.

Here is mine:

After looking for a fabric so long, falling behind and a bit of panic, I am really happy with it now. It fits me very well without too many adjustments. Due to its wrap front it is adjustable in width, particularly important when you love to eat (on Christmas Eve and other foodie occasions). It is not too transparent (despite being off-white). I love how softly it falls, when I walk or dance.

I am sorry that I cannot show you my Christmas dress properly i.e. on me, because today I don't have a personal photographer but only a curious little one. And the photos in the mirror doesn't do this dress justice at all.

Nevertheless the dress looks much nicer on me than on the hanger. Great, because that is what dresses should do. Not the other way round (i.e. look nicer on the hanger than on me) ;-)))

I have to go now because I cannot wait to see your dresses!

Homemade Christmas: Ginger-Almond-Crossies

2011-12-21T23:55:00.010+11:00

It is almost Christmas. Unbelievable, but so true.
This year I decided to make my Christmas as homemade as possible.
Because I love crafting and doing lots of crafts as decorations and presents
make my day uhmm December. So I try to share one idea for a homemade Christmas with you
as often as possible and hope that you feel inspired, amused or simply festive.
Happy Christmas time to all of you!

I have one last Christmas recipes, because if you are anything like my family all the other cookies have been eaten by now. It just seems impossible for us to save some cookies for Christmas ;-)

Anyway, this is one of my favourite recipes, ever since I learnt it from my friend Anna a couple of years ago. It is extremely chocolaty, a bit tart, crispy and so easy to make. In short, just my piece of cake.

For about 100 little pieces you need:

600g dark chocolate couverture

70g crystallised ginger

200g almond slivers

200g cornflakes

Roast the almond slivers in a pan (without any fat, so you have to pay close attention, stir it constantly and quickly get it off the heat before they burn). Let them cool off a bit.

In the meantime melt the couverture in a big metal bowl over a pot of boiling water.

Cut the crystallised ginger into very small pieces and mix it very well into the melted chocolate.

Add toasted almond slivers and cornflakes and mix until everything is coated in chocolate.

Fill baking tray with mini muffin papers and then add a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture to each little paper cup. Be careful because the mixture is very hot. As tempting as it might be to stick your fingers into the bowl: please don’t do it. With 100 paper cups filled there will be enough for you to try once they are cool.

Let them cool for a couple of hours and voila. Simply irresistible, I promise. And please don’t worry about the colour differences in the chocolate. This is only due to the fact that I put it into a box before they were completely cool. So don’t do that if you want to give them away as a present. If you ‘just’ want to eat them yourself, don’t worry about it. You will eat them so quick that you don’t even shoot a glance at how they look ;-)

Happy chocolate mood!

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Panik

2011-12-19T13:49:00.004+11:00

I am calm. I am happy. No tears. No panic whatsoever.

BUT

Oh dear, there was panic along the way of sewing my dress for Cat’s Christmas dress sew-along.

First of all I have to admit that I am a pragmatic sewer. Well, actually I think that I am a pragmatic person anyway. Therefore I knew I would only have time and passion to make one dress – alas no ‘Probekleid’, it was the real thing from the start. PANIC!

Plus I am not a very experienced sewer. Little things here and there, sure. But a Christmas dress is a different pair of shoes. So PANIC again!

So those were my general points of PANIC, but of course there were also some others which jwere created during the process.

PANIC No 1:I was so clever to choose a wonderful fabric with a very distinct pattern and only 20cm more than the amount of fabric recommended on the pattern. And somehow I thought that “allow extra fabric to match plaids or stripes” wouldn’t apply to me, because my fabric is neither striped nor plaided ;-( So cutting the pieces were more than a little challenge, but somehow miraculously after lots of shuffling around I was able to cut all necessary pieces from my fabric with virtually no leftovers – puh!

PANIC No 2:Despite all the shuffling around of the pieces on my fabric and despite a lot of hard thinking on my behalf, there was more panic related to the distinctive pattern of my fabric. First of all: how would the darts look? Answer: surprisingly good except the one I show you above, but that is the one which is almost completely hidden by the wrap. Lucky me ;-)

Panic No 3:You surely guessed it – there is more trouble attached to a distinctive pattern. Note to myself: just buy plain-coloured fabrics in future! The skirt's side seams. There was simply no way to adjust them, especially with my mere 20cm extra fabric ;-( Therefore I decided to focus on aligning the front and just ignore the side seams. Pragmatic approach, but to be honest you don’t see the mismatch if you wear them because of the extreme width of the skirt and the flowing nature of the fabric. Okay, then keep on going, no major disaster, yet. No reason to throw the dress into a dark corner and forget about it.

PANIC No 4:

Ehhhmmm, such a disaster happened about 2 hours later. When I wore the dress for the first time in front of the mirror to be precise. Pure PANIC because there was no way that I could comfortably close the wrap. There just wasn’t enough fabric. Or too much boobs (which I doubt). Anyway, my pragmatic me decided just to extend the fabric in front my adding the contrasting front band the instead of sewing it on top of the wrap part. Thank goodness I had planned for a contrasting band like in view A anyway. And hurray, it worked beautifully.

Panic No 5: Compared to the other PANIC moments, this one is almost not worth mentioning. At a new round in front of the mirror I discovered that there was a big hole in the front of my dress. Close to the newly attached sleeve, which I was so proud of to have mastered. To cut a long story short, I had to detach the sleeve again, open the seam, close it properly (with a lot of backstitching!!!), attach the sleeve again. And voila, a mere hour later or so the hole was history ;-)

Oh girls, I hope you have had less PANIC moments in the course of your Christmas dress sewing (or at least solved the big and little problems by now) and I cannot wait to see your dresses on Friday!!!

Happy 4th Advent!

2011-12-18T16:37:00.003+11:00

I am about to go to an Advent invitation, but I nevertheless wanted to wish you a happy 4^th Advent.

I hope you enjoy your Christmas decorations, some cookies, some Christmas music and most important of all some peace and quiet.

Have a great Sunday!

Homemade Christmas: Leather Jewellery

2011-12-17T23:23:00.000+11:00

I know it is really unbelievable how fast time flies in December. Just another week until Christmas Eve. And how are you doing with presents for your loved ones? I feel quite well-prepared this year – oh well that is not an achievement when you have time off in December ;-), but anyway. I haven’t finished all the shopping and all the crafting, yet, but at least I have ideas for all my loved ones. Because I hate nothing more than running around through shops without having a clue what I want. For me that is just a waste of energy, extremely frustrating and stressful.

Because I want to spare you this situation as well, I today want to share an easy but fancy crafting project with you, which would be a perfect gift for your mama, your sister, your best friend or – like in my case – for my favourite aunt.

I saw a necklace decorated with leather pendants a couple of weeks about at COS. While I loved the style of the necklace and the idea, I wasn’t too fond of the colour and the price tag. Therefore I had a close look and made something very similar myself. It is really easy, not too expensive and something really special, I promise.

All you need is a little piece of leather, a glass, a pen, scissors, a small circular punch, transparent fishing line, some beards (optional) and a fastener.

First I drew as many circles as possible onto my piece of leather. I used a water glass as pattern, but you can use every round object. Just remember the leather pendants on the necklace will be a quarter of the size of the original pattern.

Then you have to cut your circles…

… fold them in half…

… and then in half again, so that you end with a quarter circle.

Then punch a hole into the top corner of the quarter circle (where the two straight edges meet). This is the hardest bit, because punching through four layers of leather requires some ‘oomph’.

After unfolding your leather quarter it should now look like this. A bit like a four-hole button. Then you repeat the same for as many other circles as you want – or have.

Now you just have to bead the folded circles onto fishing line...

... and adding beards is optional. I added some translucent beards to keep the leather pendants apart from each other, but that is really a matter of your own design.

At last you just have to adjust the lengths of your necklace and finish it off with a fastener. I used a magnetic one, because I hate to fumble with the little screwing ones.

Voila, that’s it. It won’t take you more than an hour and you might have a lot of the ‘ingredients’ lying in your craft room anyway. At least if you are as crafting addicted as me ;-)

Happy crafting!

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Sewing

2011-12-12T23:11:00.004+11:00

Cat, I couldn’t agree more with you. Without the pressure of the creative challenge Christmas dress sew-along I would never finish my dress. But so the deadlines hang right next to my desk and ‘remind’ me that I really have to get to work with this beautiful dress. So here is the update on my Christmas dress:

I am not finished (hoho, not even close).

I am not nearly as far as you, Cat (Probekleid? Auftrennen? Einsetzen? Kragen? Oh, not yet sir)

BUT

I have finished all the annoying bits last night: buying all supplies, cutting, bordering all raw edges and so on. Which is a big thing, because once these things are done, I am enthusiastic about sewing and manage to finish the dress in a couple of hours. Or days?

When I read on the pattern it was easy, I thought: okay just a couple of hours.

Then I read through the instructions and counted the necessary steps (57!!!) and thought: oh no, days!

Then I counted the number of pieces, which need to be sewn together (8), and thought: hours!

Then I thought about the lining, which I need because the dress is mainly off-white and thought: days ;-(

Oh, well there is no point in further trying to do the maths. I just have to start. So without further blahblah and just a quick look over to your dresses, I am off to my sewing machine. Keep your fingers crossed that I have something to show you next week ;-)

Homemade Christmas: ‘Stolen’ Piece of Art

2011-12-09T23:58:00.000+11:00

I know stealing art is not nice. Actually it is forbidden in most countries I know and there are certainly good reasons for that. I did it nevertheless. Well, of course, I didn’t storm into a museum or gallery and took my favourite piece of art away without paying. But I stole a great idea for a piece of art and recreated it at home. Still ‘stealing’ but not in the real mean way ;-)

I have always admired this beautiful collage – so much that I took the magazine it was in with me back from Australia to Germany and believe me my criteria for things to come home with me were strict (given the charges for excess luggage).

The original is made of antique doilies, but unfortunately I didn’t inherit anything like that. So I had to work with paper ones. Fortunately I already had a broad variety of shapes and sizes (please don’t ask me why, I just found them beautiful, they were not expensive and I didn’t had a clue what I would use them for when I bought them). I also had one fabric doilie and I have absolutely no idea where it came from ;-)

Apart from the doilies the only other thing I needed was a white picture frame (which I had stacked behind my desk) and a black background which I just made out of heavyweight cardboard.

So I simply grouped and re-grouped and re-grouped my doilies until I came up with this combination. I quickly stuck the three ‘finalists’ with a bit of double-sided tape on the back to the cardboard and put it in the frame. Voila!

I think it looks almost as nice as the original. And since there is no way that I could have afforded the original by Fleur Wood, an Australian fashion designer, even if all proceeds for this piece of art went to charity, I think it is great.

So while I don’t want to incite you to steal your favourite piece of art, I want to encourage you to make your own piece of art. Maybe it is inspired by something you saw. Maybe not. But the most important thing is that you (or the person you give it to) love(s) it. Because for me the key purpose of art is to inspire you. To make you happy. To brighten your day.

And that is what my doilies art will do for me every day from now on.

Homemade Christmas: Lemon Rosemary Bath Salts

2011-12-08T23:21:00.026+11:00

Today, I finally want to show you another of my homemade Christmas craft projects.

It all started, when I was looking for little Christmas presents for the ladies at child care. They are notoriously underpaid, yet they are incredible motivated, lovely and enthusiastic about their job. And therefore I really wanted to show them, how much I appreciate what they do to keep my little one (and all the other little kiddos) happy every day.

Something homemade I had in mind. And something they would really enjoy. Something for themselves. And not just another child’s painting. My mum is a paediatrician and therefore I know that you can keep just so many pieces of art and that you can only enjoy that many child-made cookies every Christmas ;-)

Somehow the idea of a relaxing bath ticked all the boxes and therefore I started to do some research on home-made bath salts. There are a lot of lovely recipes online, e.g. at Martha or ehow. After a bit of searching and a little research on the effects of different plants and fruits, I decided to do a lemon rosemary bath salt, because rosemary is said to be particularly relaxing and lemon helps against stress. Plus I found the fragrance combination simply delicious.

I tweaked the recipes which I found online a bit and came up with this recipe:

Lemon-Rosemary Bath Salt

8 tablespoons of basic oil (olive, rapeseed oil etc.)

1-2 tablespoons of rosemary essential oil (depending on the desired intensity)

Lemon zest of 4 lemons

A few dried rosemary leaves

6 packs of baking powder (about 15g each)

2,5 kg coarse sea salt

Mix basic oil with rosemary oil and lemon zest in a non-metallic bowl, add coarse sea salt and baking powder and mix thoroughly with a wooden or plastic spoon. Sprinkle a few dried rosemary leaves for the visual effect. Fill into resealable glass containers. Voila!

This mixture is enough for six jars of bath salt – yes, I am sure you will need that many: your cleaning lady, the ladies at school or daycare, the nice postman,... they all need a bit of recognition and relaxation during the Christmas holidays – plus don’t forget to keep one jar for yourself. You deserve it too ;-)

It is actually quite nice to have coarse sea salt in different sizes. I bought different packs from different brands, because I haven’t bought enough in the first place, but when I stirred them together, I liked the differences of the salt in shape, size and colour very much.

I tied a little wooden spoon to the glass preserving jars for a little touch of spa, a little red band for the Christmas feel, a sticker describing the content and most importantly a little Christmas cards with a big written thank you.

And since I didn't had enough preserving jars I also filled two big sugar sprinkler. Looks quite good, too, doesn't it?

Quick and easy, not expensive, but pretty impressive, ne?

Happy soaking!

Nikolaus was here

2011-12-07T23:50:00.001+11:00

I know it was very quiet here. Despite my promises to post everyday and share with you lots of homemade Christmas ideas. Reason why as so often – a sick baby and then a sick me. Yeap, this time I couldn’t avoid it. I had to surrender, lie down, watch stupid daytime TV, drink pots of peppermint tea, even take paracetamol to bring down the fever... Oh, well, I am sure you know these stories... on to something more pleasant.

Nikolaus was here. My little one checked on her stocking every 5 minutes after she understood that there might be something in it later on

But then she suddenly and quite unexpectedly fell asleep at the dining table. So she opened her little present this morning. And it was ...

... a xylophone. What a delight! She almost refused to go the day care because she loved hammering away on it so much. Well, let’s see when our neighbours come around to confiscate this means of pleasure (or pain?) ;-)

Homemade Christmas: Cinnamon Balls

2011-12-03T23:16:00.001+11:00

After talking so much about food – one of my favourite topics yesterday, I want to share a wonderful easy but super-yummy cookie recipe with you.

Cinnamon balls

I rediscovered the recipe in an old Christmas crafting book of mine (approx. mid 80s by the look of the fashion items ;-)) on Thursday, then I made them yesterday, because my lovely husbands love hazelnuts, and then I found them in Katinka’s blog today. So either cinnamon balls are in fashion – the trendy cookies of the season – or they are just meant to be shared with you.

Here is the original German Brigitte recipe...

... and here is my clumsy translation for all my English speaking readers:

Cinnamon Balls

For about 45 pieces:
3 egg whites
250g icing sugar
2 packet of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
300g ground hazelnuts
Grease or baking paper for the baking tray
Whole hazelnuts for decoration

1. Beat egg whites with a hand mixer until semi-stiff. Add icing sugar and vanilla sugar and continue beating until the snow is shiny and firm, but still elastic.
2. Remove half a cup of egg white mixture for decoration, then mix the rest with cinnamon and hazelnuts.
3. Make walnut-sized balls out of thus dough with 2 teaspoons (dipped in cold water to stop the mixture from sticking to the spoons) and put them on greased or paper-lined baking tray. Brush egg white mixture onto balls and top with a hazelnut each.
4. Put cinnamon balls in a cold oven (middle shelf) and bake at 130 degrees about 20 min. Take them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

Voila, that is it. Super-quick, super-easy and I love them.

I added more cinnamon, because for me you cannot use enough cinnamon and I rarely completely stick to recipes. They don’t look as neat as in the recipe book – well, I call them cookies with personality J – but oh man do they taste good. Strongly recommended!

Homemade Christmas: Adventskalender

2011-12-02T23:38:00.001+11:00

Today as a start I will share the Adventskalender, which I made for my little one this year. She is just 1,5 so I am not sure whether she enjoys it as much as I did putting it together. But she loves the daily unwrapping anyway ;-)

I love Adventskalender as I told you yesterday probably in too much detail. I love the anticipation. I love the surprise. I love the chocolates. And I love that my little one’s face lights up every day when she gets one of the little pressies and rips them open at once.

Following Catherine’s creative challenge ‘Christmas dresssew along’ and her wise advise to refrain from sewing millions of little bags for Adventskalenders, I simply bought this adorable one at Ikea

Simple – stylish – in my favourite colours – well, not self-made, but self-bought and giving me hours of extra time for more satisfying crafting.

Since the little one likes to eat as much as we do and started to imitate our action in the kitchen with whatever she could find and that was not an awful lot...

... we decided to give her a play kitchen for Christmas. And that of course gave us the greatest possibilities to fill her Adventskalender:

Here is its content in detail:

an apron and oven mitts with red-white polka dots and an oh-so-cute Christmas dog

empty metal containers from my kitchen cupboard

other empty containers to be filled with healthy snacks and the like

a set of wooden fruits and veggies which can be cut with the wooden knife thanks to Velcro

a set of wooden spoons and a plastic fish (with a plastic letture leaf I guess)

a bag of apples and a bag of oranges (her favourite fruits – at least I guess they are her favourites, because they are the only ones she can say until now ;-))

The Ikea breakfast set: with felt knife and board, bread, cheese, pancakes, sausages, bacon and eggs. Initially I wanted to make felt food myself after these wonderful examples of Schokoli. But then I completely ran out of time. Why is Christmas always coming so soon and so unexpected ;-) Anyway, make sure to have a look at all the amazing things Schokoli made for her little one and his little shop. It takes your breath away.

two fruit bowls

Of course she also gets a few things which have nothing to do with cooking. Or eating. Or pretending to cook. Or pretending to eat. Well, a few anyway. They are all truly home- resp. me-made and I am going to show them in more detail in the next couple of days.

Now, I will get myself a lovely glass of red, because it is Friday after all. Have a great start of the weekend!!!

I ♥ Adventskalender

2011-12-01T23:58:00.000+11:00

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is the Adventskalender. I guess it is a very German tradition since there seemed to be not even a translation into English.

So for those who know what an adventskalender is, please just skip this paragraph. For all the others: the idea behind the Adventskalender is to make the wait for Christmas a bit sweeter for all the big and small children out there. Therefore you are allowed to open a little present or a paper window on your Adventskalender filled with chocolate or a picture. It all starts on the first of December and finishes on December 24^th, Christmas Eve, because then we celebrate Christmas here in Germany. With presents, candles, too much great food and the like.

Picture found here

My late grandma always made fantastic Adventskalenders for us children. First filled with Lego and Playmobil – basically a big box spilt up in 24 little parcels. So we might get the Playmobil nurse on the first day, the hospital bed on the second and the patient not before the 15^th of December. And since the parcels didn’t have any number (as opposed to traditional Adventskalenders where each parcel is attributed to a certain day) and we were allowed to choose which one we would like to open on the day. I can tell you, there was a lot of squashing and shaking going on before we would decided each day which parcel to take.

Picture found here

Later when we had outgrown Playmobil and Lego (though you never really outgrow the fun of these wonderful toys, I guess), she changed to riddles. They were quite difficult to solve in order to keep us excited for as long as possible and revealed in the end the ‘big’ present we got from her. The exciting thing was that we would get the big present as soon as we were able to solve the riddle. So there was a chance to get the big one before the siblings. And this bit of competition made it all the more thrilling.

In short: I LOVE ADVENTSKALENDERS...

... and I cannot wait to show you the one I made for my little one tomorrow.

I know it is mean to water your mouth and then say that you have to wait until tomorrow. But that is the anticipation that made my childhood Adventskalenders so exciting and unforgettable J

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Cut

2011-11-28T18:56:00.004+11:00

Although I had the best intensions I am already falling behind in the Christmas dress sew along creative challenge. The reasons are manifold of course (job, little one, lovely husband, other crafting, Christmas decoration,...), but the real reason is...

... that copying the pattern is my least favourite part of the whole dress-making process. And I am glad to read that I am not the only one who thinks that. Anyway, I therefore procrastinated it as long as possible (as you do with things you don’t want to do or as I do at least :-))

Anyway, I am very proud to announce that I have taken that hurdle.

Voila, that is the visual proof. 8 pieces of pattern copied in the right size. Well, I hope it is the right size, since my measurements seem to fit with none of the suggested sizes: breast medium size, waist medium to small, hip largest size. I guess that is what you call an hour glass figure ;-) Anyway, I decided to make the biggest size and then make the dress tighter in special areas if necessary. And after all it is a Christmas dress – so it should still fit even after a month of great food, sweets and no sports.

Additionally to copying the pattern which I only ‘survived’ due to a glass of red and Hector und die Entdeckung der Zeit, a great audio book , I managed to wash my fabric. So since I have a few days off at the end of the week, I am positive to catch up and show more of my soon-to-be-Christmas-dress next week. Although this not even one of Catherine’s deadlines. Which means I might even be ahead of the class ;-) Hurray!

So, I am off now to have a look at what you have been up to.

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Fabric Choosing

2011-11-21T18:39:00.000+11:00

Oh dear, only the second round of the Christmas dress sew along, my favourite creative challenge at the moment and...

... I already have to draw the PANIC card. And that is supposed not to happen until the 19^th December ;-(

found here

Choosing the pattern was easy, but choosing the fabric seemed impossible. My lovely readers Doris, Christiane and Wiebke suggested ‘Viskosejersey’ or ‘Merinojersey’ as ideal material for my pattern and so the decision was made: I am going to sew my first jersey dress.

And then I had a look around and all I found was...

... cheery stripes...

... weird camouflage patterns...

... cute children patterns...

... and boring unis.

All fabrics found at Stoff & Stil and believe me those were the ones which were still quite okay. I want to spare you the horrible flower, batik, punk-style jerseys which I found elsewhere.

No fabric for an elegant, vintage-inspired Christmas dress ;-( Unfortunately I also haven’t had time to go to the Stoffmarkt or Berlins Welt der Stoffe, so I had to turn to my beloved stash – full of fabrics which I simply loved without having a project in mind. And guess what I found. The perfect fabric. Right there before my nose.

It isn’t jersey, unfortunately, so there will be lots of ironing involved in the making as well as the wearing process, but I am willing to deal with it. I LOVE this fabric, because...

... it is elegant (the black and white is a bit Chanel, n’est pas?)...

... it is a tiny bit ethnic (if you look very closely you can see little chamois bucks jumping out of the tendril pattern)...

... it is unusual (not something you could find at H&M and the like)...

... and the pattern will look gorgeous with it. Ummmh, well I hope it will look gorgeous and I hope that I can refrain from swearing during the sewing process, because white fabrics means, I will have to make a lining dress as well, I am afraid. Oh well, it is a challenge after all ;-)

Ahhh, I cannot wait to see what fabrics you have chosen. And I am particularly curious whether Friederike has decided to do the same dress like me or not. I hope she did, because I would love to see which fabric she has chosen and how the same dress looks in two different variants. So I am off to browse...

I ♥ red shoes

2011-11-20T07:06:00.000+11:00

found here

Weihnachtskleid sew along – Pattern Choosing

2011-11-14T23:59:00.000+11:00

Decision made. It was not easy but it is done. I have decided which will be the pattern of my Christmas dress in the Weihnachtskleid sewalong. It is a pattern that I wanted to do for a long time.

First I didn’t had the pattern. I almost ordered it in the US, but luckily asked my sewing girls-friends whether I should order something for them as well in order to make it worth the international postage. And guess what? My friend J. had exactly the pattern I wanted and she offered to borrow it to me. Not only that, she even sent it to me by mail. How cool and lovely is that? Now she is in Minnesota for 9 months and you can read here what she is experiencing there. Thanks again J. for lending me the pattern. I will treat it very well and when you are back you can choose one from my stash of patterns.

Ok then I had the pattern, but I hadn’t had time to get started: work, baby, blah-blah...

And then Catherine came along with her brilliant idea of the Christmas dress sew along. And then there was no doubt, it had to be this dress.

Now the next challenge is choosing the right fabric. It needs to be soft and swingy but not too thin and transparent. And I need to buy new fabric (what a shame ;-)) because in my huge stack there isn’t one of 3m lengths. And that is what you need for the circular skirt.

Butterick suggestes the following fabrics: crepe, matted jersey (too casual for my liking!), soft linen (too summery, I also want to wear the dress with tights at Christmas), soft faille (not sure what faille is ;-(), crepe de chine, cotton (too much ironing!), cotton blends...

Any suggestions from your side regarding the perfect fabric are very welcomed!!!

Sickie

2011-11-12T21:49:00.000+11:00

Oh well, I wanted to blog day and night after I finished my big project at work… and now I wash constantly, change bedding, cook potatoes and rice... in short I have a sick child at home. And I can do nothing but trying to comfort her and do the washing. Again. And again. And again.

Well, see you when she is better ;-(

Wedding Anticipation Set

2011-11-09T23:10:00.004+11:00

I am so excited! My little sister is getting married next year. She and her boyfriend just came back from a trip to South Africa and announced the good news. I am so happy for her. He is a great guy and they are a wonderful couple (for more than 6 years). So I think it is wonderful that we will celebrate them and their love big times. Because that is what weddings are all about, isn’t it.

picture found here

Since we live 800km apart, sharing anticipation and taking part in the preparation is not easy, but I still wanted to let her know how excited I am and to give her reason to dream and plan. Therefore I sent her a little

Wedding Anticipation Set

It contained:

A bridal magazine – most of them are horrible and consumption focussed, I know, but I think they are a great way to see what is out there in bridal world (which can be a scary world I can tell you) and make up your mind about what you want and most importantly what you don’t want.

A blank notebook – for taking notes of all the beautiful things and amazing ideas which you come across during your bridal research, I lost a number of papers with fabulous ideas because they just got lost in my stash of paperwork, therefore I love to have everything bound and in the same place.

Post-Its – to mark the page with the beautiful idea in the magazine full of things you don’t want to read or see again or for little ideas, but please make sure to stick them into the notebook, they will get lost otherwise, I promise you

The list of my favourite 5 wedding blogs – which you can easily find at the righthandside of my blog, I like them because they are different to the fairy-tale-pink-princess-stuff that you often find in bridal magazines, they offer warm-hearted, affordable, creative and alternative ideas which makes a wedding so much more beautiful

The Ultimate Wedding To Do List – I know you can find such extensive To-Do-Lists in every bridal magazine, but I found them always quite daunting, they included millions of things which I didn’t want to do, traditions I have never heard about, but forgot important legal things which are mandatory in Germany, therefore I created my own version and offered sister to use it as a guide and change it into her Ultimate Wedding To Do List

Unwanted advice – yes, I already started with this slightly annoying tradition, just to help her get used to them J, no honestly I think most people give you advice because they want to help you and it is really up to you what you do with them: ignore them, take them into consideration, forget about them, act on them, discuss them with your loved one,...

Of course you could also add a bottle of bubbly, chocolates or the like, but I wanted to give the post no excuse to delay the delivery and it worked. They delivered it into her office in record time ;-)

Weihnachtskleid sew along – what a great idea!

2011-11-08T23:56:00.000+11:00

A new creative challenge – that is exactly what I need. A reason to get off the sofa and onto my sewing machine. Fortunately Catherine provided me with exactly what I needed – a charming, challenging, creative kick in the b***. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Catherine.

So, let’s start making something beautiful for us, girls. I know we tend to craft 24/7 for our loved ones and most of the time they appreciate the time and effort we put into making Adventskalender (advent calendars) and presents, but... we deserve something beautiful, custom-made and unique as well. So, for a change, please just think about yourself and take part in Catherine’s big creative challenge: “Christmas dress sew along”.

I already have a very special pattern in mind which I would like to make, but since I still have a week to decide on the pattern, I will start looking around for inspiration right now. So, see you later...

St.Martin’s Day

2011-11-07T23:55:00.002+11:00

On Friday it is St.Martin’s Day. I know most of you won’t be familiar with this celebration. It is a very German thing, I thought, but after reading this I think it is a very European thing.

Anyway, in Germany it is not a super-duper important celebration either, except for Kindergarten kids. I still remember the excitement I felt when I was little. You crafted lanterns at Kindergarten before, and then you were allowed to go out at dark and run around with your friends (and parents). Sometimes there was even St.Martin himself on his horse accompanying the lantern procession. One lantern or other would always go up in flames. And in the end you got hot chocolate and a cookie. Kids adventure pure.

Now my little one is about to celebrate her first St.Martin’s Day. I am not sure whether she is ready for the whole adventure, but I cannot wait ;-). A few things seem to have changed in the past 35 years, however. First of all the lanterns are not crafted at Kindergarten anymore (or maybe just with children who are already able to either use scissors or a glue stick). Also candles are not allowed due to security reasons. You have to use LED-lights nowadays, so I guess the going-up-in-flames bit won’t happen anymore. I just hope St.Martin shows up, otherwise I will need a double shot of hot chocolate to overcome my disappointment ;-).

Anyway, since I have been raised with a new self-made lantern every year of my childhood, I just couldn’t buy a lantern for my little one. I had to make one. Since she is only 1,5 years, she wasn’t a great help, but she did pick up the waxed paper from my stash ;-)

I started off with a cheese box (as you do ;-)) and then just added waxed paper and some dollies (basically to cover the bottom bit since I didn’t had enough waxed paper and I didn’t want the cheese box to be visible). It is a bit more girly than I would normally like, but somehow I was in a sweet mood. And I guess it makes up for the lack of girly clothing on my little one. Maybe people then recognize that she is a girl even if she wears jeans and neutral colors day in and out. And I cherish the years that I can get away without a Princess Lilifee lantern. Maybe it is just this year anyway ;-)

Ahhh, I cannot wait for Friday!

What‘s next?

2011-11-06T15:57:00.000+11:00

I guess, you cannot believe your eyes. Two new blog posts in a row. Whoa!!! I know it is quite a change from the past months, but I am back. Truly back and I am bursting of creative juices and I have so many things to tell you that I don’t know where to start.

Unfortunately I cannot show you any finished projects at the moment, because I haven’t had time to do any things-I-love-to-do in the past weeks – oh well, I know I am melodramatic, there were a few things but not nearly enough for my liking.

Anyway, but I have great plans:

· Build a play kitchen for the little one as Christmas present (making the play kitchen will be my Christmas present to myself, I cannot wait to get the compass saw out of the basement)

· Sew a ton of really cool scarfs for Christmas (I have a very cool pattern for a children scarf which I want to enlarge to make it adult size)

· Bake a ton of cookies – seriously, I cannot wait to unpack my cookie cutters and this year I want to go beyond the tried-and-tested-and-much-loved butter cookies.

· Make wonderful relaxing bath salts and using them ;-)

· Get my hair cut and coloured (there is a time when plucking your grey hairs isn’t a solution anymore and my time is NOW)

· Have a lot of mulled wine at Christmas markets (after 4 years abstinence due to our stay in Australia and breastfeeding)

· Finally sew a shift dress of the wonderful houndstooth fabric that has been lying around forever

But before I start with all of these projects, I try to get well and send my warmest wishes to the fabulous bloggers who meet in Berlin today. I don’t want to spread my germs otherwise I would be with you that is for sure. Have a great, inspiring afternoon! I know you will have anyway ;-)

Hurray, it is done!

2011-11-05T23:13:00.000+11:00

It is unbelievable, but it is true.

I have finally finished this huge project at work which has tied me up for the past couple of weeks, no really months.

I am so glad!

That it is over. That I have a life again. That I can sleep at night.

I am so proud!

That the presentation went so well. That I managed to finish it on time despite working part time. That I haven’t forgotten how this job works during my maternity leave.

And of course I am sick!

Nothing serious, just one of the nasty colds that my little one seems to bring home from child care every week. Only this time, it caught me ;-( Maybe because I slowed down a little bit after the presentation. And then the bacteria or virus of whatever it was, caught up.

Anyway, I am happy. I am relaxed (amazing what 2 days of doing nothing can do). I am full of energy and I cannot wait to do creative things, to bake, to read and to tend to this little blog of mine. I missed it soooo much.

Hope you are still there. And hope that you have a good time as well at the moment!

See you soon! And with soon, I mean, tomorrow. Hurray!

Still alive – but under the pump

2011-09-30T17:56:00.002+10:00

Girls, I am very touched.

Your comments have shown be that you still come back to this little blog of mine, although I haven’t written anything for more than a month. Actually for more than 1,5 months. And there is nothing worse than a blog without any updates. Well except old mussels maybe ;-)

There are so many reasons why I neglected this beloved blog of mine that I don’t even know where to start, maybe with

a baby girl that had been ill 3 times in a row in 3 weeks (love those child care germs)
a huge project at work for which I am solely responsible (with a very demanding client who doesn’t seem to have a private life himself)
a business trip to London with my lovely husband and my little girl
a best friend who had twins 6 weeks ago
another friend who had her first baby just a few days ago
a wonderful Bavarian wedding
a few relaxing days in our little lake house (without internet, TV,...)

Well, I don’t want to bother you with more details (and I have to get back to work as well), but I just wanted to tell you that I am still alive and thank you very much for sticking around and checking on me. I really appreciate that and I promise to write something whenever I can. And once this big project at work is over (around mid November), I will be back more regularly. With little house make-overs. With Christmas crafting. With sewing projects. Baby travel tips.... oh I cannot wait!

Till then, have a good day, good week and maybe even a good month!

Venezia per i locali – My first homemade Spaghetti Vongole

2011-08-06T18:05:00.002+10:00

Part of living like local Venetians obviously means cooking your own food. And that is really easy if you go to Rialto fish market in the morning, buy the freshes vongole you can get (just 9 EUR for a huge bag of vongole which are enough for 6 people), grab Jamie’s recipe for spaghetti vongole and cook up a storm.

I adapted the recipe a bit, because I didn’t want the herbs and spices to overpower the delicate taste of the vongole. So here is my version of Jamie’s recipe

You need:

o 2kg vongole

o Half a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley

o 2 cloves of garlic

o 10 cherry tomatoes

o 250ml white wine

o 400g spaghetti

o salt and pepper

o olive oil

I found the described cooking action quite stressful, since everything seems to happen at the same time. Therefore I tried to spread out the actions a bit. Not the most time-efficient way of doing it, I admit, but hey you are on holiday and should be able to drink a glass of white while you are in the kitchen. Or at least that is my cooking philosophy ;-) So my method of cooking follows Jamie’s recipe but not necessarily in the given order.

You do:

o Clams were, and still are, available in Venice by the boatload. So much so that they’re even considered peasant food. Although this recipe originates from Venice, it’s so delicious that it’s now become a classic Italian dish. People can be picky about whether or not it should be made with or without tomatoes, but personally I like the subtle colour and sweetness they add to the dish. The most important thing about it is timing everything so you get perfectly steamed clams and al dente pasta. Once you’ve made it a couple of times your intuition will kick in and you’ll be able to make it quickly and perfectly every time.Put a pan of water on to boil. While that’s happening, sort through your cleaned clams and if there are any that aren’t tightly closed, give them a sharp tap. If they don’t close, throw them away. Put a large pan with a lid on a high heat and let it heat up. Finely slice the parsley stalks, then put them to one side and roughly chop the leaves. Peel and chop the garlic, quarter the tomatoes and get your wine ready.Add the pasta to the boiling water with a good pinch of salt and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. About 5 minutes before your pasta is ready, get ready to start cooking – you'll have to be quick about this, so no mucking about! Put 4 generous lugs of extra virgin olive oil into the hot pan and add the garlic, parsley stalks and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Crumble in the dried chilli and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything around constantly and just as the garlic starts to colour, tip in the clams and pour in the wine. It will splutter and steam, so give everything a good shake and put the lid on the pan. After about 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open, so keep shuffling the pan around until all of them have opened. Take the pan off the heat. Get rid of any clams that haven't opened.By now your pasta should be just about perfect. Drain and add to the pan of clams along with the parsley leaves and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Stir or toss for a further minute or two to let the beautiful seashore juices from the clams be absorbed into the pasta. Serve right away. No sane Italian would eat this dish without some fresh hunks of bread to mop up the juices. Beautiful!P.S. The first time you make this it will be good, but you might find things don't come together exactly at the right time. But don't worry, this dish is all about confidence and the more you make this, the more you'll find the pasta and clams are ready and perfect at the same time. And then it will be great!• from Jamie does... SSSSort through your cleaned clams and if there are any that aren’t tightly closed, give them a sharp tap. If they don’t close, throw them away.

o Finely slice the parsley stalks, then put them to one side and roughly chop the leaves. Peel and chop the garlic, quarter the tomatoes and get your wine ready.

o Put a pan of water on to boil.

o Put a large pan with a lid on a high heat and let it heat up.

o Add the pasta to the boiling water with a good pinch of salt and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. About 5 minutes before your pasta is ready, get ready to start cooking!

o Put 4 generous lugs of extra virgin olive oil into the hot pan and add the garlic, parsley stalks and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Crumble in the dried chilli and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything around constantly and just as the garlic starts to colour, tip in the clams and pour in the wine. It will splutter and steam, so give everything a good shake and put the lid on the pan. After about 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open, so keep shuffling the pan around until all of them have opened. Take the pan off the heat. Get rid of any clams that haven't opened.

o By now your pasta should be just about perfect. Drain and add to the pan of clams along with the parsley leaves and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Stir or toss for a further minute or two to let the beautiful seashore juices from the clams be absorbed into the pasta. Serve right away.

It gets a bit hectic at times, but I promise, you won’t regret it!

Venezia per i locali – Poor Statues

2011-08-05T22:47:00.000+10:00

There is a lot of grandezza in Venice, but behind the scenes or from close you often see that the statues...

... need more than a little support...

... or miss important body parts.

Venezia per i locali – Spooky Churches

2011-08-04T23:46:00.000+10:00

There are hundreds of churches in Venice. My favourite ones are usually the ones which are less well-known and thus less popular. And you can always find beautiful, amazing, golden ...

... and sometimes spooky things in them. For example these skull and skeleton marble marquetry in the floor of St.Stae:

Amazing. Not really what you would expect to find in a catholic church. Or maybe just there?

Venezia per i locali – Aqua Alta

2011-08-03T23:51:00.000+10:00

After two days of heavy rain the venetians prepared for aqua alta – the rising of the water that causes floodings all over Venice. Most doors have a special fixtures in which wooden panels can be inserted to keep the water out of the ground floor.

This time, however, these precautions were not necessary.

Venezia per i locali – Boats

2011-08-02T19:10:00.000+10:00

I know when you think about Venice and boats, you think about gondola straight away. But in a city build on the water there are many more kinds of boats. And if you try to live the life of a true Venetian there are other boats which are much more relevant and important to you.

The delivery boat (for toilet paper, frozen food, mineral water,etc.)...

... the IKEA delivery boat...

.. and the crane boat...

... because what would you do without these boats. Carry everything on your back or on one of the various sack barrows (but they are of limited use with all the bridges and their steps, I tell you, after having carried my little one in her buggy over a million Venetian bridges ;-)))

Venezia per i locali – Venice for locals

2011-08-01T23:54:00.000+10:00

I am back! It is sad (for me) but true. Back to work. Back to rainy weather.
BUT

I have taken a bit of Italy with me. A bit of Italian cuisine. A bit of Italian laissez faire. I hope it will last a while in my Berlin everyday life ;-)

I have also brought back some souvenirs for you. Don’t worry no Carnival masks! No Murano glass. No fake Gucci bags. No gondola lamps.

Just a few photos I want to share with you over the next couple of days. To keep the Italian dolce vita alive. And to show you a few ‘different’ sides of Venice. If you live in an apartment there and try to avoid the tourist crowds, you can find amazing and truly beautiful things.

But first my accommodation recommendation. An apartment right in the centre, very close to Piazza San Marco. The house looks pretty run-down, like most buildings in Venice. The courtyard isn’t too inviting and the stairway just looks ‘brutto’ (according to the lovely owner of the apartment), but the apartment itself is recently renovated and furnished practically and beautifully with Ikea. Plus it has a working air condition which is indispensable in the hotter months (June, July and August).

Entrance to the hidden doorway leading to the courtyard (between two restaurants with wonderful food – in case you don’t feel like cooking at home)

One of the two bedrooms – modern refurbished but with the wonderful old timber beams

View from the window to the beautiful palazzo on the other side of the Campo

Where: Corte Sabionera off Campo SS. Filippo e Giacomo , Castello, Venezia

Highlight: so close to Piazza San Marco that you can even see the apartment on some of the San Marco postcards, ideal to stop there any time for lunch, an afternoon nap or cooling off in the aircon

More photos, information and ideas: Apartment Corte 2

I am done...

2011-07-22T23:42:00.000+10:00

picture found here

... with work

... with heavy rain in the middle of summer

... with fast food

I am off to Italy for a week...

... for leisure and art

... for warm weather

... for lots of great food, wine and Spritz.

See you when I am back! Have a wonderful week!!!

Party Weekend Part II – A Fish Themed Baby Shower

2011-07-17T21:42:00.000+10:00

Although it is not Party Friday, I still want to share the beautiful party that we have today. My friend A. is expecting her first baby in September and we throw her a baby shower today. As with N.’s twin baby shower a couple of weeks ago, we decided to make our own party rules and forget about cheesy games and nappy cakes.

A fish themed baby shower – what the hell, you might ask. The simple reason is that my friend A. calls the little baby in her tummy Guppy. I think it is such a cute name. And it is perfect, because they do look like guppies on the first ultrasound pictures, don’t them? Anyway, the theme was guppies and once we got over the first ‘I-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with-guppies’, our creativity exploded.

Here are a few of the guppy things which we thought of, made or put together:

Presents: Onesies with guppies printed on them – I just bought the oh-so-practical kimono-style onesies, which you can easily put on and off the baby without having to pull them over their precious little heads (which all babies really hate!) and printed some guppy pictures which I found online onto them. I used T-Shirt transfer sheets which you just iron onto the onesies. And if you have ironed them properly (quite hot and with lots of pressure), the pictures survive a lot of washings.

A Bag full of Advice: Little notes of advice and little things that make life as a mum so much easier. Well there is no guppy on the bag, but giraffes are just so cute (remember my giraffe obsession) and we didn’t want to stick crazily to the guppy theme.

My little things were: gel breast cooling pads and pure lanolin cream, because those two things truly saved my nipples from bleeding and me from dreading breastfeeding.

My little notes of advice were: regarding baby language (Dunstan baby language ), about sound of hair dyer or vacuum cleaner being relaxing for little babies (or at least for my little one), about looking after yourself as well (because happy mum = happy baby) and about making as many photos as possible (because time flies and you never get around to do ‘proper’ photos and therefore you will be eternally grateful for all those happy snaps you have got).

Decorations: Shiny sequined guppies hung up on the walls with fishing tackle ;-))

Location: Since the weatheri is nice we celebrate at the garden of the mum-to-be’s parents. They have a beautiful pool so it was perfect for our ‘guppy party’ ;-)

I am off to some last minute decorations now. I hope to share some more pictures with you later on. Keep your fingers crossed that the thunderstorms wait until tonight!

2011-07-16T23:55:00.000+10:00

Today was my first ‘real’ kids birthday. Meaning the first one that I organised. I threw a little backyard party for my goddaughter who turns 2 in a month and since her mum is expecting twins who are due around the same time, we thought we better prepone the kids’ party so that the little one can celebrate with her friends and her mum ;-)

The most important things I learned today were:

you don’t need to prepare any games for 2-year-olds if you have a huge sandpit and see-saw in your backyard. That keeps them entertained for hours
all young-parents want at a kids’ party is strong coffee – forget about beer and diet coke, those days are gone
the birthday girl (or boy) always cries – no matter what you do. It is always too much attention. Too many other kids playing with her/ his new toys. It was like this when I was little and it hasn’t changed a bit.
water balloons are not just small balloons – first they are impossible to inflate and then they are impossible to fasten with a knot
at the end of a kids birthday you need a beer and the last piece of cherry cake. And that is what I am going to have now.

Hope you had a wonderful Saturday as well!

Busy Bee

2011-07-14T21:35:00.000+10:00

Sorry, dearest readers that it is so quiet on this little blog of mine. I wish I could post more! And I wish I could post more interesting things than apologies. But I can’t!

I am soooo busy at the moment. Getting a huge international project up and running at work. Getting my little one to sleep twice a day and counting the days until she starts day care ;-) Getting all the preparations done for a 2-year-old-birthday-party and a guppy baby shower next weekend.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to complain. Half of the tasks are a pleasure and I have said ‘I’ll do it’ to all of them.

BUT

It is just a bit much at the moment and unfortunately a day still has only 24 hours. What a shame!

Anyway, I’ll be back as soon as I am back in control of my life – as much as you can be in control anyway ;-)

Happy Thursday to all of you!

Swapping Sunday

2011-07-10T22:47:00.004+10:00

Today my friend C. Invited me and a couple of her other friends to a swapping party. I have heart about swapping parties during my time in Australia, but I have actually never been to a swapping party before. For all of you who haven’t been to one either, I am going to explain it quickly. It goes like this:

You take some clothes which you don’t want to wear anymore to the party... meet a lot of other fashion-crazy girls with their pre-loved clothes... try on what they brought... hand out what you sorted out... and in the best case you come home with a lot of ‘new’ clothes that you love and got rid of a lot of clothes which you don’t love anymore.... and you have paid nothing – nada – niente.

That’s the theory I thought and to be honest I wasn’t really convinced of this concept... what if all the other girls wear tiny sizes, what if they only bring rubbish, what if no one wants my ‘dead articles’...

... but...

... in reality it was wonderful! I had a fun time (we had cake and bubbly before we got started on the fashion business), I met some really nice girls (friends of friends), I got great fashion advice (Why don’t you try this small belt with the grey dress?), we laughed a lot (about fashion and other things), we could try things on in the living room (as opposed to a tiny smelly change room)...

... and I swapped

a) a skirt which never really fitted me (what was I thinking buying a skirt this skinny?)

b)a blouse which was way too middle-class for me for

and c) a black tunic with quillings which made me look pregnant forever

for

picture found here

1) a dress that looks like the one that Angelina Jolie wore in The Tourist

2) a pair of very sophisticated black linen trousers

and

3) a white V-neck pullover.

I still cannot believe my luck. And surprisingly all other girls were equally happy with their swaps. Sure, there were some things that no one looked good in (what a relief, it is the dress/ shirt/... not me) and some things that were just hideous (this green just looks like something for a ranger), but we had a good laugh and that is what fashion should be to me – fun.

So I am a convert now. I love swapping parties and will organise one myself soon. Because how on earth should I get rid of this ranger-green jacket otherwise ;-)

Hurray – the lake house is ours!

2011-07-09T21:44:00.001+10:00

We have done it! We have bought our first house and our first piece of land. Today we signed the contract for our tiny little lake house.

We are excited! We are over the moon! We are bursting of creative energy.

The house is wonderful. The garden is amazing. And there is room for many, many micro-makeovers. So I promise you, you will see a lot of our tiny lake house on this little blog. I hope you don’t mind!

Happy days!

A Bavarian wedding – decorations

2011-07-08T22:09:00.000+10:00

Yummy place cards for the girls...

... and for the boys.

found here

Or simple but oh so beautiful self-made place cards...

found here

Tutorial - Colourful Eye Candy

2011-07-08T16:41:00.002+10:00

I cannot believe it - yesterday I found this wonderful picture of a cocktail umbrella lantern that left me (and Christiane ;-)) thinking how to make one ourselves.

And today I found a how to video on Etsy. That is really just-in-time delivery ;-)

Here it is:

Just for you, Christiane ;-) I am sure it will also work perfectly with your old Sisal lamp shade.
From now on I will save all my cocktail umbrellas from sundaes, cocktails and the likes as well and make one myself. I hope I can finish this project this year, since I am not a great consumer of cocktails and sundaes ;-)

Eye Colourful Candy

2011-07-07T18:08:00.002+10:00

picture found here

A Bavarian wedding – Decision about my outfit made

2011-07-06T23:50:00.000+10:00

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’.

* * *

Alright the little poll is officially closed. The decision is made. I am going to wear...

... Dirndl No 1 at my best friends’ wedding.

I know there were also very good reasons to wear Dirndl No 2, but the argumentation for Dirndl No 1 was just a bit more convincing to me. Plus it was a clear winner in terms of numbers, but that wasn’t the only reason why I decided to go with it.

As some of you suggest I will pimp up my good old Dirndl No 1 with:

A white, slightly transparent, maybe lacy apron...

picture found here

... and a white dirndl blouse

picture found here

Thank you so much for your help in making up my mind. For all the wonderful suggestions. I am in your debt so please let me know if I can do something for you – help you make a fashion decision, bake you a cake, send you a postcard... anything!!!

Ruby Eye Candy

2011-07-05T11:55:00.000+10:00

picture found here

My Favourite Dollhouse – To Go

2011-07-04T21:06:00.007+10:00

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.

* * *

I love dollhouses! I think they were my favourite toys when I was little. I had a huge wooden one that my dad made for us. Plus my sister and I constantly created new ones. Made out of cardboard, paper, glue and lots of imagination. We always added new things, decorated and redecorated, made new pieces of furniture... Truly work in process and I think as soon as all seemed finish the fun of playing with it was over as well.

Why I bother you with these old childhood stories of mine? Because I found a wonderful playhouse made by the MoMA which reminds me so much of our old cardboard dollhouses. Although it is definitely more beautiful and more stylish than the shoeboxes we had.

picture found here

video to see what you can do it here

Isn’t it lovely? I would like to order it straight away. But perhaps I should give a shoebox another try first. I have this postcard which I could use as lawn for the balcony and maybe I can make a little deck chair out of some wooden sticks and a rubber band...

Oh I love toys that set your creativity on fire!

OMG

2011-07-03T23:48:00.000+10:00

aka Oh my God - please wish us luck. This little house is made for us. Now we just have to get it. I am so excited!!!!

Haus am See

2011-07-03T18:31:00.000+10:00

We are off to the countryside today looking for a house at a lake (Haus am See) where we can spend our weekends soon. We love to live in the middle of the city, but sometimes herbs on the balcony are just not enough.

Thus we have been searching the web for a little holiday home an hour or an hour-and-a-half away from Berlin. I am sure we are not the only city dwellers who dream of a hideaway in the country, but we were positively surprised that there is quite a lot on offer and it is still relatively affordable. We just wanted to do a little research at the moment and take our time in finding something that suits our dreams and budget perfectly...

... but then we saw this gem and made an appointment with the estate agent straight away:

So maybe this will be our new getaway?

Please keep your fingers crossed that it is as nice in reality as the photos suggest. I’ll keep you updated.

Beautiful Birmingham

2011-07-01T19:42:00.019+10:00

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

* * *

I know beautiful might not be the first word that comes to mind when you think about Birmingham. Nevertheless I found it surprisingly beautiful when I had to go there for a number of business trips. What I really like about is that it is so unpretentious, yet there have beautiful architecture, beautiful restaurants, a beautiful pedestrian area which is perfect for shopping, beautiful coffee shops and this beautiful hotel (although the website is horrible!)

The Hotel du Vin itself, however, is a classic design hotel. Simple and sophisticated, a historical house with all the modern luxuries you can think off. It is also a perfect example for the fact that little things can make all the difference:

How nice is it to have a range of really nice glossy magazines in the room? And not only the standard hotel brochures or the advertising folders of the city you stay in.

And how sweet is this little reminder which invites you to take the lovely shower product home with you? Come-on everybody does that. And they don’t cost the earth, do they?

And how yummy is this sweet and savoury assortment of snacks above the mini bar? Yes they are expensive, but so are the standard Mars bars which you usually find in the mini bar. And they are just for emergencies in the middle of the night anyway ;-)

Don't you wanna go there straight away?

Where: Hotel du Vin & Bistro Birmingham, Church Street, Birmingham B3 2NR, UK

Phone: (0044)0121 200 0600 , email: info.birmingham@hotelduvin.com

Highlight: all those little nice things that make your stay just special

More photos, information and ideas: Hotel du VinBirmingham, Bullring Shopping Centre – it is more than a shopping centre, it is modern architecture at its best

What a nice offer!

2011-06-30T19:47:00.002+10:00

found here

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

A Bavarian Wedding – My Outfit

2011-06-29T06:39:00.002+10:00

* * *

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?

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!

2011-06-28T22:16:00.003+10:00

So true!!!

Tutorial – Dummy Band

2011-06-27T18:41:00.004+10:00

* * *

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

2011-06-26T23:59:00.001+10:00

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

2011-06-25T23:35:00.000+10:00

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

2011-06-24T21:36:00.017+10:00

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

2011-06-23T13:51:00.003+10:00

All found here

The „Holländischer Stoffmarkt“ in Numbers

2011-06-19T23:59:00.001+10:00

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

2011-06-18T22:20:00.000+10:00

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

2011-06-17T20:14:00.000+10:00

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

2011-06-14T23:02:00.001+10:00

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

Happy parents = happy baby: Going out

2011-06-13T20:22:00.000+10:00

* * *

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!

... what you got cooking – my favourite food blogs

2011-06-12T17:58:00.003+10:00

More blogs for you to have a look at today. After my favourite wedding blogs and my favourite fashion blogs , it is time for my 5 favourite food blogs. Here they are:

· Schöner Tag noch: a wonderful food blog which I just discovered recently, inspiring recipes like “Avocado-Mango-Salat mit schwarzen Bohnen “or “Ricotta-Basilikum-Nocken auf Rucola-Erdbeer-Salat” and the photos are soooo appetising, unfortunately in German only

· Delicious Days: the classic modern food blog, who hasn’t got Nicole’s amazing cookbook (buy it if you haven’t ;-)), new recipes about once a week or so, but definitely worth the wait

· La Fuji Mama: I love Rachael’s motto of “bringing world flavors to the family dinner table”, she has lived in France, Japan and the USA and I love who effortless she adds an exotic twist to all her recipes

· Sparrows and Oranges: yummy recipes from a Hawaiian girl, I love how she combines Asian influences with Mexican dishes and tropical fruits like in her Sesame Orange Tofu Bowl or Grilled Tofu with Asian Slaw, Mashed Sweet Poatoes & Nori Burritos

· Pi mal Butter: beautiful photos that make your mouth water plus the recipes to give it a try yourself, even difficult recipes seem easy to handle due to the detailed recipe description, unfortunately in German only

From now on you can also find my favourite blogs on the right hand side of this blog. Just below the archive. And just above the dictionary. So, you can always come back to them if you are hungry. Or if you don’t know what to cook tomorrow. Bon appétit!

hey good looking... – my favourite fashion blogs

2011-06-11T19:51:00.002+10:00

No worries, I haven’t forgotten about the favourite blogs. I was just distracted ;-) After showing you my favourite wedding blogs last Wednesday, I today want to inspire you with my favourite fashion blogs:

· Cat-und-Kascha: the queen of retro sewing, unfortunately in German only, but make sure to have a look anyway, because a picture says more than a hundred words.

· La couturiere dimanche: Evie makes the most amazing retro dresses and actually wears them everyday, I love her passion and her dedication to dress beautifully every day (and post about it)

· You sew, girl!: this blog is full of great, easy to understand tutorials, for pants, skirts, jackets, lingerie and tops but also important basics like buttonholes, pockets, zippers and very important pattern alterations

· So Zo: Zoe invented the Me Made June and this fabulous idea of wearing something self-made everyday of a month spread quickly, I really admire her style, it is classic with a twist, a dash of vintage, a sprinkle of colour – beautiful!

· Sew Retro: a fabulous platform for all fans of retro fashion, literally hundreds of skilled retro sewer share their work with you there, very inspiring

A Casual Christening – The Day

2011-06-10T16:36:00.000+10:00

Last week was the Christening of my little one and it was a beautiful celebration: the weather was amazingly sunny and warm. My little one was in her best mood: well-rested and social and she even allowed the priest to water her head and to put her hands on her head.

The service took place on the lawn outside the church St.Elisabeth in Berlin, which created such a special and casual atmosphere: kids were running around, birds were singing, a band was playing chants and the sun was warming our heads.

Afterwards we went to our favourite restaurant Nola’s , where we have also celebrated our wedding 2,5 years ago. We were sitting outside on one long table which I LOVE for the very reason I already mentioned here. We had a brunch buffet which meant that everyone could get whatever, whenever and how much she or he wanted. I can only recommend a buffet both for brunch and dinner, if you are after a casual party and if you want your guest to mingle and not only talk to the people they already know.

Ah, I am still indulging in the memories of this wonderful day! Hope you have a great party or celebration coming up soon as well!

Eye Candy: Kokeshi Dolls

2011-06-09T16:57:00.000+10:00

Inspired by Melanie’s finds here, I discovered the world of Japanese Kokeshi dolls. I have seen them before, but I didn’t know they were called Kokeshi and what their characteristics were. After a little research I found out that:

these dolls come from Japan (no big surprise, really), from northern Japan to be precise
they are handmade from wood, have a simple body and an enlarged head
one characteristic of them is that they don’t have any arms or legs (or at least you cannot see them)
there are "traditional" and “creative” kokeshi – the former being quite strict in terms of colours, shapes and patterns (they are usually particular to a certain region in Japan), whereas the latter allowing more creative freedom

Well, I guess these are a mix of regions as well as a mix of "traditional" and “creative” kokehsi, but they are all soooo beautiful to me:

Found here

here comes the bride... my favourite wedding blogs

2011-06-08T20:42:00.002+10:00

I am currently working on this little blog of mine. To make it more interesting for you, dearest readers. There won’t be any major design changes. A) because I am not great at html. And B) because I like it simple. This gives the pictures more room to “pop”, don’t you think J

Anyway, I thought it is about time now that I show you my favourite blogs. The ones which I visit regularly if not daily. The once which brighten my day and fill me with inspiration.

Since my interests are so manifold, I will limit myself to my 5 favourite blogs in each category. And since it is wedding Wednesday today, here are my 5 favourite wedding blogs:

· The Offbeat Bride: a site off the beaten wedding track, I love the stories, the photos, the ideas and the tone of this wedding site which is so different from the usual wedding business

· A Practical Wedding: the motto of this site is: “weddings. minus the insanity. plus the marriage”, it offers wedding planning for ‘normal’ people, and I tell you there are not too many normal people in the wedding planning business ;-)

· Brooklyn Bride: pure eye candy, the most beautiful photos you can think of, many ideas are quite over-the-top, but that is what you need as inspiration

· Jesse and Deanna: a blog about the wedding of Deanna and Jesse, the wedding is over, but the ideas and the heart-warming stories live on, start with their first post in 2007 and work your way towards their big day in 2008, you won’t regret it

· Theresa heiratet: the story of a young woman who suddenly turns into a bride-to-be, she takes you dress-shopping, to her meeting with the priest, to her hens night and all the other parts of a wedding planning process, hilarious and soooo true, unfortunately in German only

I hope you enjoy a bit of wedding inspiration, nostalgia, kitsch, romanticism or porn, no matter whether you are newly-wed, a bride-to-be, married for ages or single.

Birthday in a Box

2011-06-07T17:57:00.004+10:00

It’s my lovely brother-in-law’s birthday and since he is on the road today – without a proper birthday party – I gave him a birthday in a box to take with him.

It contains:

·         A self-made garland
·         Some balloons
·         A birthday candle
·         A chocolate “cake” – well actually it is one of these
·         Some birthday music
·         And of course: a birthday surprise

Well, it won’t replace a party with 50 of his closest friends, a real chocolate cake or a girl jumping out of the later one, but I am sure he will get this once he is back at home anyway.

So, have a happy, happy birthday, dear T.! I hope you have a wonderful day! And yes, the chocolate is all yours, you don’t have to share it with anyone today! Not even my lovely sister.

Baby-Proof your Home – part I

2011-06-06T17:43:00.037+10:00

* * *

If your little one is suddenly (or not so suddenly like mine ;-)) starting to crawl, it is time to have a close look at your home.

The best advice I got so far is: GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES

You really cannot tell what might be exciting (aka dangerous) as long as you don’t put yourself into baby’s perspective. Babies are extremely curious and I didn’t want to limit her movement to a radius of 1 m in a playpen. Therefore I carefully looked for:

Toxic things (washing powder, detergents, plants, cigarettes, alcohol, medicine,...)

Picture found here

Things that could fall onto her (anything leaned against the wall like pictures or mirrors, heavy or breakable items that could be pulled from tables, sideboards or shelves, table cloths of which she can pull all things at once,...)

Picture found here

Things she could fall down or onto (furniture with sharp edges or corners, stone window sills or glass tables, stairs...)

Picture found here

Hot or electric things (candles, oven, stove, electronic appliances, power outlets,...)

Picture found here

Sharp objects (forks, knifes, scissors,...)

Picture found here

Things you don’t want to be broken or stained

Picture found here

That is all for the moment, I think, but please let me know if you can think of anything else.

The next part of the baby-proof series is going to follow as soon as my little one has taken the next developmental step. Walking probably?

This is an Ad-free Space

2011-06-05T16:10:00.001+10:00

picture found here

As you might have noticed this little blog of mine now has its own pet. A little owl. From now on she sits in the right top corner and just looks cute. Well, she does a little bit more than that. She wants to tell you that this blog is absolutely ad-free. I am not trying to sell you anything. I started this blog because I loved the idea of sharing ideas with other creative people all over the world. Because I think it is great how much inspiration and communication is provided by the internet for free. And following this definition I don’t have and never will have advertisement on my site.

To be honest, I have even removed some blogs from my reading list, because they changed from a lovely creative site to an ad-overflowing site without any heart and soul. I don’t want to say that every blog, who allows ads on its site is bad. I just decided that advertising has no room on my blog. Not that companies have bombarded me with ad-offers anyway. Well, there was this guy once, who offered to give me groomsmen ties for free. And another, who wanted to have me as Berlin ambassador for his video website. ;-)

I still might mention products or shops, designers or sellers, hotels or artists. But not because they give me a share of their profit, but because I like them. And if for some reason I don’t like them anymore or haven’t liked them in the first place, I will tell you as well. That is called independence. Neutrality. Or lack of ambition. Whatever you want to call it, I am happy to blog for pleasure and not for a living. And I hope you enjoy it ;-) That’s all! No strings attached. No economy. No hidden agenda. I love the idea of doing something just for fun. For free. Even if it might be a utopia for many.

So please enjoy this ad-free space. And my little pet owlet!

Micro-Makeover: The Balcony – Final touches

2011-06-04T20:28:00.000+10:00

With this beautiful weather in Berlin at the moment, I am enjoying my little city beach (the big picture here and the details here) more than ever. I love it morning, midday, afternoon, evening and night. And although I try to relax and enjoy the sun and the view, I often find myself doing little things here and there. But these are my final touches, I promise.

Since I try to use my balcony more like an extra room and not just as a little attachment to the apartment, I also thought I needed some art for the walls of my little ‘sunroom’

First I bought picture frames in green and turquoise from IKEA (4 for EUR 5) to stay within my ‘colour scheme’. They come with a plastic cover for the picture instead of a glass cover, which is perfect because then they cannot break even if a gust of wind blows them off the wall.

Then I looked for pictures which would fit within the beach topic but weren’t too colourful. If you have colourful frames like that, I prefer to have pastel or monochrome pictures. Anyway, the minute I saw these X-ray pictures of different shells my decision was made. I enlarged them to exactly fit the frames, printed them on cardboard, then cut out and framed them.

And voila, my city beach balcony sunroom is also a gallery ;-). I am off to the vernissage with an ice coffee now.

Hope you all enjoy your Saturday!

First Birthday Party

2011-06-03T23:48:00.011+10:00

It was my little one’s birthday on Tuesday and since I wasn’t allowed to post on the day, I now want to share some details of her first party.

What’s the deal with throwing parties for such little ones, you might ask? While I generally agree with you that the birthday girl (or boy) won’t fully understand what is going on, I still think he or she will feel that something special is happening and that he or she gets extra love and attention on the day.

My decorating scheme – if you can call it a scheme – all started with this wind mill which I found at a a 1-Euro-store. I loved the colours and I loved the nostalgic appeal and I loved the polka dots (especially since we used to call our little one dotty, when I was pregnant with her)

For an extra festive look and a splash of colour I whipped this garland up from paper scraps. The method is the same I used for the doyleys garland here. I just punched circles out of the scrap cardboard and then sew them together with my sewing machine. 10 minutes max for 10 meters of garland and it costs nothing.

The biggest hit for my little one were the balloon, however. I just scattered a few around the apartment and she pointed at them whenever she saw one. Played with them longer than with any of her new toys. Learnt that they explode when you bite into them. Or pinch them really hard. So much fun and so pretty!

And because everything was so dotty, her new baby doll Stella also put on her dotted dress. It is one of the lot I found in the amazing second-hand shop. Doesn’t she look like a mini party girl ;-)

I decided to keep the number of guests very small. Actually I just invited by best friend and her daughter, who is just 9 months older than my little one. The girls know each other very well – because their mamas love to hang out together ;-) – and my little one is always so impressed what the bigger girl can do, plus she loves to take care of my little one. They are just adorable together.

This is how the birthday table looked.

Of course there is the golden birthday plate (which - after much research- I found here)...

... there is the first birthday candle (of many more to come) in my old candle rings...

... and there are very yummy cherry muffins made after the recipe I found at one of my favourite food blogs Schöner Tag noch. They were delicious! Not too dense, not too fluffy. Not too fruity, not too cinnamon-y. Just perfect! And so easy to make – check it out!

I have been to a couple of first birthday parties lately and some of them were a bit over the top for my taste: too many kids, too many adults, too fancy cakes, too many presents, too much action for the birthday baby – because they are still babies even if they turned one. Therefore I am very happy with my little one’s first birthday party – good food and good friends plus lots of time for playing, dancing and cuddling. I hope my little one will agree with me someday and not complain that she hadn’t had a fancy cake ;-)

Happy Father’s Day

2011-06-02T13:24:00.001+10:00

card found here

... dearest dad! And dearest dad of my little one.

You two are heroes! You are more important to your children than you ever think. You are doing a great job! I couldn’t do it without you! You rock!

Happy Father’s Day to all great dads in the world! To all the experienced ones. To all the new ones! To all the soon-to-become-dads!

Frankfurter Villa

2011-06-01T04:52:00.002+10:00

* * *

After a bit far-away dreaming last month, I want to share a beautiful hotel with you today that is a bit closer by. If you live in Europe anyway ;-)

I have been in Frankfurt on business trips quite a bit and I haven’t found many nice hotels. None to be honest. Until a colleague recommended this one to me – and from then on I never stayed anywhere else. It is lovely! It is close to the centre, but a bit away from the action. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the food is so yummy that once I was almost late for my meeting because I could finish breakfast and the drinks at the little bar are not bad either. There is nothing more relaxing than reading a book at the library with a wonderful red in your hand, before soaking yourself in one of the old-fashioned bath tubs and then falling into a canopy bed. After such an evening, I promise, it doesn’t feels like a business trip anymore.

The most amazing canopy bad I have ever seen – so modern, so luxurious, so big and not a sign of romantic princess style. I love it!!!

The modern yet luxurious style continues in the bathroom. Old-fashioned lion-footed tub meets clean chic.

Aren’t these door plates just the cutest? I wish I would have a pair like these at home and someone would act according to these adorable orders. Please don’t disturb – I need my beauty sleep ;-)

Where: Hebelstraße 1, 60318 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
phone: (0049) 069 40584-0, fax (0049) 069 40584-100, email: contact@villa-orange.de

Highlight: well-stocked library with great books and not only trashy novels like in so many other hotel libraries

More photos, information and ideas: Villa Orange, Museum fuer Moderne Kunst, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

First Birthday

2011-05-31T13:33:00.001+10:00

picture found here

My little one is turning one!

Unbelievable!

Fabulous!

Wonderful!

Amazing!

No time for further blogging today, because the queen absolutely decides what we do today and I guess it won’t include playing on her own on the floor, while mama is sitting at the computer ;-)

Baby Food a la Jamie Oliver

2011-05-30T19:53:00.002+10:00

Exciting new times have started when it comes to baby food. My little one doesn’t only have some teeth to chew now, she is also interested in literally everything on our plates. And she gets very annoyed when we don’t allow her to try it straightaway. I am very happy about that because I wasn’t a big fan of buying canned baby food or cooking separate dishes for her anyway. Now that these times are over, I enjoy cooking food for our whole family. With a bit more seasoning to add for the adults, a bit of pureeing here and there, but basically we share the same food.

Last week I made a hot pot a la Jamie Oliver for all of us and the little one ate twice her usual amount of food. Who says that a baby cannot be a gourmet ;-)

Easy Spring Vignole a la Jamie Oliver
For 8 portions (believe me, you will finish them in no time)

Olive oil
4 spring onions
400ml good vegetable stock
1kg frozen peas
1 can of artichokes (drained and halved)
1 small bunch of mint
6 slices prosciutto

Heat up frying pan, add 1 shot of olive oil and sauté spring onions for a few minutes. Add the broth and peas. Stir in artichokes and add a few stalks of mint. Season with salt and pepper. Lay prosciutto slices over the pan like a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove prosciutto and tear it into small pieces. Put prosciutto pieces back into the stew. Season to taste and add a generous splash of olive oil plus the remaining chopped mint leaves.

Serve with some bread or couscous and puree for the little one if necessary.

Very yummy and very healthy!

Recipe found here

Wild flowers

2011-05-29T17:16:00.001+10:00

I would choose these over any bunch of expensive red roses!

Words to live by

2011-05-28T22:14:00.002+10:00

found here

Not a traditional Baptismal motto, but still a motto a child should be allowed to realise in her or his life. Not always easy for parents to accept, but something we should work on ;-)

Happy Saturday!

A Casual Christening – Preparations

2011-05-27T23:58:00.003+10:00

I am in the final stages of preparations for my little one’s christening. Since we decided to make it a special but casual celebration, I am not stressed at all, but look forward to celebrating with our closest family and friends. While organising the christening I faced two “challenges”: deciding on how to handle the religious traditions (plus I had to do some research because I wasn’t familiar with all of them) and putting together a little wish list (and I am not a fan of silver rattles and spoons).

picture found here

Religious traditions

Godparents – in former times they often had a provider role in case the parents died, but for me they (ideally) become adult confidants, who offer the child help and advice
Baptismal motto – here is a great source for German Taufsprüche, this motto shall guide the child throughout its life
Christening gown – often handed down from one generation to the next, the white dress should symbolise the child’s purity before god
Christening candle – more common in the Roman Catholic church, represents that Christ is the light in our life)
Intercessions – typical read out by the godparents during the service, often follows this scheme (1. for the child to be baptised, 2. for the parents and godparents, 3. for family, 4. for present friends and relatives, 5. for the community, 6. for all in the world who are in trouble or sickness

picture found here

Presents

A special toy – something that is loved by the child for more than a few months, maybe a beautiful doll or a teddy bear
A piece of jewellery – for me it doesn’t need to be a classic cross, it could also be a fish (the ancient sign of Christ), a little heart or a single pearl
A savings account – on which the godparents pay an amount occasionally and the child can spend it on a holiday, a car etc. when it turns 18
A quilt – I love fabrics and I love the idea of turning scrap fabric into something useful and something full of memories by using fabrics from baby clothes, blankets etc.
The first tableware and cutlery – made from plastic or more classy from porcelain and stainless steal

Oh, I am starting to get really excited! I cannot wait for next week.

My Creative Space – Still Stitching

2011-05-26T17:57:00.013+10:00

It is Thursday and in my blogging world that means My Creative Space – a great blogging initiative initiated by Kirsty from Kootoyoo. Creative people from all over the world show their working space, projects they are currently working on and unfinished projects. I find it very inspiring and the photos that show the work spaces are truly stunning.

There is a finished project on my crafting table today. What an unusual sight! As you can see I am still stitching. Embroidery really has kept me going. After the snowflakes which I will show you soon, I did some photo album covers for the guests of my little one’s christening. Since it will also be the celebration of her first birthday, I thought it would be nice to give all our nearest and dearest a little photo album with pictures of her in her first year. The only problem was that I didn’t like the covers of the little photo albums you could buy. I was looking for something special which didn’t cost the world. And of course I ended up doing them myself ;-)

Sewn of blue jeans fabric...

... embroidered with different variations of my little one’s name and initials...

... in different colours and stitching techniques.

As so often, however, I more “ate more than I can chew”. I could have never finished them in time without my mum’s help. What a blessing to have a mum who is as obsessed with crafting as me and even more talented. Thanks, Mama!!!