tricotadeira...

(knitter)..is the nickname of another new friend.

It was through her that I got to Tita (last post). This lady organises knitting meetings in Porto.

Xana is a lovely lady who has agreed to meet (very last minute) me when I was last at home. She has even got me a present

Some handpainted wool, with fantastic colours, by "maos de sapo" (another portuguese crafter);

and a lovely teddy knitted by her the night before. Don't you all just love to make last minute presents? I do! Or at least is my excuse the have a sewing room full of stuff I 'MAY' need.

Thank you very much XANA, you are fantastic and it's great to have met you!!!

xxx

learning to spin...

anything better to do on your holiday?.. I don't think so.

I went home for a relaxing holiday and couldn't sit still..so let's look for something fun to do. How about learning a new (crafty) skill? Spinning??? Yeah!!!

A bit of internet searching put me in touch with Tita, from Oficina do Fio. Besides being a lovely person who enjoys sharing her knowlegde and a great spinner, she's also got the loveliest house (I am into old houses) packed with spinning wheels, and looms...summary: paradise!

I had a lovely time with Tita, and I learned quite a lot..though I have to admit I am not the best student.

1. one of my versions of paradise (another one could be a ribbon shop, buttons, fabrics, etc :)

2. Granny squares blanket...an original one! amazing. The brown furry thing you see is a poncho made of dog's fur. It is so soft you wouldn't believe. Now that was new for me, that you can spin dog's fur.

3. An Ashford Spinning Wheel (joy). This one is very compact!

3. The portuguese spindle. Tita is forever THE Portuguese Spindle enthusiast.

4. Tita showing me how it's done....my tries had too many lumps to be allowed in a picture



xx

copycat

My dad saw this in a shop:

And we came up with this:

I think it turned out even better because I made the images mirrored.

So now his flat has got something made by me :)

xx

leaving presents...

for SJ...

Good luck in your new job!!!

xx

Snow and Spring

...all in the same month...
xx

got it!!!

I've always wanted to make this bag...
and here it is...
as beautiful as a flower!

xx

New Year in...

Trois Vallees....France...








with a little bit of this:








(my first time at snowboarding)





and some skiing...











a chance to spend some time with my sister, whom I hadn't seen for a year..









And a chance to meet Buchty. She's the sister of my dog, Rita ....but mine is cuter, of course ;)







We've had a great week, with some old friends...and also made some new friends...







At midnight... celebrating in the snow!!!! How cool is that????




HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

XX

Xmas in....

Cologne...



...me...


....its famous Xmas market....


...and its specialities...in this case: potato cakes (fritters) with apple sauce

.... some knitting....not done by me!!!

And in Dusseldorf....

Fred, The Dr. and C. ....

....the Dr. making some Brezeln (Pretzels) for me...it is a very dangerous task (literally)..hence the glasses (which should have been goggles)...

...and some more cute Xmas decorations in the shops....

And then Stuttgart.....

....but no pictures...sorry..... too busy relaxing....

xx

The odd Xmas present....

For the neighbour's kid....



And for Our PostLady (Eve):


xx

..and the second...

was even nicer.
Look at this...

xx

Passed the test...

I've done my first craft fair and I thing it's fair to say: I have passed the test!
Look how lovely my stand looked...

That's my little helper in the back. The stand wasn't completely set up when I took this photo but I didn't have time to take others.

I think the shelf was a good idea. I find it very difficult to look at things when they are on the table only.

We had the best spot...you couldn't miss us just as you went into the cafe...

I had a great time.

All my items could be personalised..I have taken my embroidery machine with me so I could embroider names on the bags, etc.

My best seller were the flanels and towels, and were the items that were easy to make as they were ready to be embroidered! They were also the cheapest items ...

Next time I have to have a wider range of prices i.e. cheaper prices...

xx

My first EVER craft fair...

it's in 2 weeks, in a school in Salisbury (UK)..(you know, just round the corner from the Stonehenge)...and I don't knoe what I am taking...
Actually...I have a table booked and nothing to put on it because I haven't even started...

No..of course I am not panicking...ermmmmm...maybe just a little bit...

So I have bought loads of material and ribbons etc...and now need ideas.

From all the things you have seen in this blog made by me which do you think would be favourites in a crafts fair?

And what are your suggestions of things you haven't seen here but know I could make anyway....???

xxxx

fur Oma...

embroidered birthday card for 90 year-old granma...



(can you tell I was dusting that shelf before taking the picture:)

xx

birthday card

My latest (last minute) crafting session turned into this:

A birthday card for two brothers...two big boys!!

Here's more details:

The fishy smell has been eliminated by stuffing the cuties with lavender!

xx

I am sailing...I am sailing

yep...that's what me and C have been doing over the last 2 weekends!

yep...that's what me and C have been doing over the last 2 weekends!
We are now Competent Crew members according to the RYA...
I'm glad they don't take into account I get seasick :)

And this is Alice..our boat..

Too much fresh air can have strange effects on some people...

xxx

Wedding favours!

Did you guess?
Here's a selection:




The favours were also used as place cards as each one had the name of the guest on a card attached to the heart. The cards were made using the template of the wedding invitation (hence the two hearts with the names of the bride and groom, not that you can read them). A hear punch was used to create a hole for the heart's string. The string was aslo the same as found in the wedding invitation.
Each heart had the guest's initial embroidered in cream.
The parents of the bride and groom had their hearts embroidered in silver to make it a bit more special. They also had a ribbon rose and a string of pearls on the top.

All the hearts (about 90 of them) were placed in 2 boxes, one for the bride's guests and one for the groom's guests.

The bride and groom's hearts had a silver ribbon and an arrangement of ribbon roses and pearls. They were also bigger than the others.

A preview of the tables after all the place cards (hearts) were set in place. The tables were later decorates with red and white roses and pearls.

Here's a preview of me in on the wedding day. And this is the dress I made as well as the clutch...Remember this fabric?

I hope to show some more pictures later. I just love this dress.

xxx