Endings & Beginnings

For five years now I have been a part of this magic place called Blogland! I have written my posts regularly, sometimes on a daily basis and I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and creative adventures with you all. Through my blog I have made new friends from all over the world and have been inspired to try out new crafts and techniques. I have participated in all kind of events like OWOH, Feltunited, In war someone has to die and International Yarnbombing Day, which I probably wouldn’t have done hadn’t I followed their blogs.

I have loved every day of it but have decided that it will come to an end. My blogging days are over maybe not for ever but at least for now. I feel both relieved and sad. It’s a big part of my life that won’t be there anymore. But writing a blog is time-consuming and I want to devote my time to develop as an artist. My head is full of exciting ideas and projects –I want to take up painting, try out embroidery on new mediums, maybe buy a knitting machine ….I might start a web shop, give workshops, write a book or sell my stuff on Etsy,….I just wont write a Blog anymore!

I have loved meeting you all!

Jeanette

A wee little break

I am taking a few days off! Hope to enjoy lazy days at the country house celebrating Easter with family & friends.

Hope you all have a wondeful Easter!

See yoy next week!
Jeanette

Spring cleaning

This weekend I did the spring cleaning of the country house, scrubbing the floors and dusting spider web from the wooden beams. Although we usually travel down over the day during winter the cleaning is the “official” opening of the house for the spring season. There is something so very special about the smell of soap on wooden floors. The smell is full of promises of the glorious summer days that will be spent there.

I finished the cleaning by laying out my newly washed rag carpets. I love rag carpets and I often fantasize about the fabric that have been used. Is there someone’s favorite dress among it somewhere I wonder? I especially love the pattern on my rag carpet in the kitchen. Some of it made is from old panty hoses. A jumble sale bargain for a mere 6 euro.

Jeanette

The Friday Tutorial

An Easter flower arrangement

Are you having dinner guests at Easter? Why not impress them with a flower arrangement on the dinner table. It’s dead easy really ! I made two…but I will show you the other one next Friday.

You need:

Twigs, tulips – I used birch, apple tree and parrot tulips (my favourite). You also need oasis and something to build your arrangement in. I used an old tin bowl, a jumble sale find.

First soak the oasis in water and then place it in the bowl.

Add twigs around the rim of the bowl.

Then add tulips in-between the twigs.

I always use an uneven number; I think it looks better that way.

Finish the arrangement by placing one tulip in the middle of the bowl and four tulips around it. Keep the first one a bit taller than the other four to get a variation in height. Finally add a few more twigs but this time in a more upright position.

Done! I think it will look stunning once the tulips are in full bloom and the twigs has got tiny little leaves.

Now I leave you for the weekend. Hope you have a creative one!

Jeanette

PS If you look closely at the last photo you can see the pillow cover I made using celery. The turorial from two Fridays back.

Chasing the blues away

Sometimes the best way to chase the” so much to do, so little time” frustration away is to just go ahead and create something. To play around with the material without a plan or a goal and almost without thinking. I ended up making a crown from wool, scraps of metal and some buttons. The crown just “happened”.

I decided that the crown will be a gift for someone I admire but haven’t met. It’s for a female journalist in my local newspaper whose pieces about art & craft and design always are a joy to read. I admire the fact that she covers craft and craftsmanship in a daily paper and always in a way so that you understand that she actually made a thorough background search.   

I figured that a newspaper office might need a little embellishment so today I put the crown in a big box with the journalists name on it and handed it in at the reception in the newspaper building. Hopefully they won’t panic, think it’s a bomb, call the bomb squad and have it blown up!

Take care

Jeanette

Time

Oh the frustration of time or to be more correct, the frustration of not having enough of it. There are so many things I want to do creativity wise but I never seem to have enough time to do it. Today I just sat there at my worktable unable to start with any of my ongoing projects, my heart beating and a huge despare, panic even building up inside. I felt that time was running out. I felt it so strongly that it was paralyzing. I wish I could take a year off….to be able to devote my time to create, try out new materials and feel the satisfaction of actually having time to pursue my ideas.

Ideas that now feels sadly out of reach….

Jeanette

Tag Tuesday

The theme for this weeks Tag Tuesday was EASTER EGGS. I love bunnies ( as you may know by now...) and when I found these little lovebirds sorry I mean "love rabbits" at clipartandcrafts.com I thought they fitted the theme perfectly. I used some feathers from my collection too. The tip of the feathers has the same blue color as the background but you can`t really see it very well on the photo.

Jeanette