Crochet Flower Books

One of the good things about Art School was: building up a repertoire of skills. So that when you want a specific idea to materialize you have this wide spectrum to choose from whether it is painting, linocuts, using computer programmes or any other method or material.

Only after studying graphic design did I take up some techniques
I considered to be a little too frivolous back then: bookbinding, sewing and now crochet too. But these open up an entirely new range of possibilities, especially once you start combining them. Such fun!

These are my first crochet flower journal and...

...minibook.
I just love coordinated sets of handmade items. So, my Easter Bunny suprise package for Viltalakim also included a crocheted flower brooch. Kim teaches floristry and loves reds, purples and pinks.
She makes amazing wet felt creations herself.

Paperfection Holland, my sister Tamara, (who participated separately in the Secret Easter Gift Exchange - we'll blog about that soon!) threw in an origami keychain in matching colours. The soft toy is also the first of many I sense that are going to materialize...

Surprise! Easter Presents from Huismus!

Last weekend. My daughter and I just arrived in The Netherlands and my parents threw Merlijne a big party for her first birthday. They served a massive cake with her picture on and had invited the whole family. Merlijne was, however, not the only one to unpack a pile of presents... ...because a suprise package had been delivered for mom too! A box full of gorgeous Easter goodies! We´re taking part in the ´Secret Easter Bunny´, a gift exchange between European Etsy sellers organized and matched by ArtMind. My secret bunny benefactor turned out to be... sweet Simone aka Huismus! Recently, I got to know Huismus a bit when I tagged her to show 16 pictures about herself on her blog. I learned that she travels for work, adores her beautiful son and daughter, and that she loves the colour turquoise. She crochets hats, bags and baby booties and makes beaded jewellery. Little did I know that she was probably already making me some wonderful gifts! With an injured wrist she crocheted me a basket and filled it with chocolate eggs. She created a summer flower scarf for me in soft pastels AND made Merlijne a cute little handbag with handles, buttons, a little bunny and raisins. All presents were beautifully wrapped, tied and labeled with Huismus stickers and tags and there was a sweet hand-written card saying it puzzled her that I live in Spain but love to wear scarves! Just like I mused over the fact that a stewardess calls herself Huismus (a house sparrow but also someone who loves to be at home).

Thank you so much Huismus, thank you ArtMind!

Spring: Life's Alive in Everything

I'd say Spring is well underway for Paperfection-Spain in the Southern Pyrenees! 'It is when life's alive in everything', the poet Christina Rossetti said. The almonds are blossoming (2); they paint the valley with delicate pinks and snowy whites. In my living room cherry branches are flowering too and on my balcony I have some early basil and water cress (3). A few apple seeds I planted for fun are sprouting! All this inspires me to finish two tree books I've been working on (4). And I made a flower brooch for granny's birthday (5). Meanwhile, Paperfection-Holland got soaked again riding her bike to work. She tries to invoke spring by folding countless green stars (9). At the hot springs of Boí hundreds of toads were busy creating new life some three weeks ago (6). We marveled at them, photographed them, and Paper-Holland listed froggy earrings shortly after (7). Spring is also alive in my lemon curd (8): a yummy fresh mix of lemon rind and juice, butter, sugar and eggs. It has the soft yellow colour of newborn chicks.

(1) is a spring poster I made a couple of years ago with almond blossom and a dreamy little fairy. It was never printed so I thought I'd get it out just once more. Let spring come!

Pretty Treasuries

I love to arrange things by colour or theme. Each individual item seems to take on new qualities I hadn't noticed before and the whole is a delight to look at. That's why I enjoy Etsy's treasury feature so much. Members can curate galeries of twelve products that are for sale on the site in whatever manner and order pleases them.

This morning I was happy to find two of our items in especially pretty treasuries. Tamara's Icy Blue Origami Ball looks very fresh amongst these desirables:

My A-Z Journal is definitely not vintage, but look how well it goes with these finds:

Thank you, Warmandsoft and OldFashionedButGood!