Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Mr & Mrs Card Set

Mr & Mrs Card Set
We are going to a wedding next weekend for one of my hubby's best friends and I wanted to give them a little something handmade to go along with their gift. My dear friend gave me a box of mini note cards with brown envelopes in a neat little brown box, knowing that I could probably add something to the plain cover and white note cards. I thought it would be perfect for the couple-to-be for when they want to write a little thank you to their guests should they wish to do so. I added some patterned paper to the outside of the box and made a flower from fabric, lace and ribbon (love, love, love how it turned out!!!) and then stamped the white note cards with five different designs to give them a bit of variety. 

I love how the flower turned out!
The base of the flower was made from fabric. I was playing around with the ribbon to wrap around the box and decided that I liked this one (combo of two ribbons stitched together with linen thread) to accent the top of the flower. And the best part of it all is the button with the antique look and feel to it. Let's put it this way...it was hard to part with the flower!

Inside includes 35 mini cards (5 different designs) with brown envelopes
Now I need to try and find some more of these little boxes....!

We are off to America on Saturday for Spring Break (YEAH!!!), so I'll be back with more in a few weeks.


:-) J xx

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Flowers and Spots - Totes for kids

Green Flower tote bag

Denim spot tote bag

Pink Flower tote bag
Close up of stitching on flowers
It has been a busy couple of weeks around here with Spring in the air. We've planted flowers and herbs, cleaned the cellar (ugggh!), dug out a patch of grass in our backyard to plant a new flower garden that will help hide a not-so-attractive rock wall, taken several bike rides/walks through the woods and along the lake (see previous posts) and have just been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been experiencing (well, at least until Easter when the cold and rain returned...)! In the middle of all that, I had a special order for 3 tote bags for one little boy and two little girls! The basic totes were bought in the US a couple of years ago and have been sitting in one of my baskets waiting for inspiration to transform them into more than just a simple tote bag. Since flowers have been on my mind lately, I hand-appliqued some big, bright flowers onto the girls' totes, adding some buttons and ric-rac along the way. In order that the boy tote would last a bit longer, I went with big circles in stripes and polka dot fabric. I lined all the bags with coordinating fabric in order to hide the stitching inside - that was a bit tricky considering the totes were pre-made... I'm pretty pleased with how they all turned out and hope their new owners will also like them!

More to come soon!
J xx

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Our spring decorations & flowers


This is my bargain bunny purchase and I can't tell you how much I LOVE my blue bunny! He was spotted after I already checked out and he was calling my name asking me to take him home...so, of course, I had to answer his call! Isn't he adorable!

 My birds with a few tulips to brighten the corner of the bookshelves.

Newly planted flowers for our back patio. Something to distract from the ugly, metal and stone wall... I'm currently working on a project to help hide this eyesore and will share my progress in another post!

My new favorite flower, the Ranunkel as it is called in German. I love it and wish I could have them in cute little jars around my house but 1) they are very difficult to find as cut flowers around here and 2) when you do find them, they cost a fortune.... So for now, I can enjoy them blooming on my patio! 

Just couldn't resist adding in this photo of Miss A holding a small flower when we were walking through the park in Zurich last week. I love the expression on her face and the sweet way she is holding the flower with both hands...I wish they could stay like this forever!

J xx


Spring in Zurich

I love spring in Zurich. I know I have mentioned this before in one of my previous posts, however, I felt like posting some more pictures of the beauty of spring in and around the lake. Cherry blossoms and magnolias are in full bloom now, daffodils are popping up everywhere and some little yellow, white and purple flowers of which I have no idea of their name have popped up randomly in all the green areas as well as in the woods - I just LOVE IT!



Today we went into Zurich to see a botanical garden that houses cacti and aloe plants, also known as Succulent plants. The variety of cactus that exist in the world amazes me. Mr Z enjoyed the exhibit more than Miss A but both enjoyed riding their scooters along the lake afterwards and stopping at a kiosk for a hot chocolate and Easter cake!



I hope you are enjoying Spring where you are!

Jxx