Sun & Mountains Messenger Bag

I'm excited to show you a bag that has been calling my name for the past 3 months, saying "Why won't you finish me????? I'm lonely over here in your messy corner of the world! I want someone to USE me!!!!!"

A friend special ordered this bag in December and I finally found some time over the weekend to put some tender loving care into finishing it. I can't wait for my friend to see it :-)!

Messenger bag - approx. size 15"w x 13"h

Hand-embroidered on/around the flap

This sun makes me smile!

Inside pocket with my label (it also has a zipper pocket on the other side) -
for those of you who don't know, Blume means "flower" in German :-)

Hopefully I will find some time to make some spring & summer bags in the near future. I'm in the mood for a bright, colorful bag to carry around Zurich this summer!

have a great week!
Jx

A lovely little find

I actually have a few minutes to check out some of my favorite blogs - a rarity since I am now working 60-80% in a "real" job again...sigh! In my bliss, I found this lovely little find on Decor8.  Lisa Stickley's spring collection totally caught my eye for the: 1) beautiful spring colors and 2) adorable bags (you know how I love, love, love bags), aprons and spring collection of cups, plates and knick-knacks that I really don't need but would LOVE to have!  She even has free shipping through March 16th for anyone who is interested!!!!

Happy weekend to you all!

Jx

Chocolates and cheese

Miss A with her cupcake

Birthday cupcakes with Washi tape flags

Chocolate and cheese ... who can resist these two things??? I feel for those people out there who have allergies to milk and cannot enjoy the luscious flavor of chocolate (dark, being my flavor of choice) or the variety of cheeses available in Switzerland.  We love chocolate and had a great opportunity this week to enjoy it multiple times - birthday celebration early in the week and a visit to tour a chocolate factory on the weekend. Miss A helped me make the best ever chocolate cupcakes for my birthday on Monday. I absolutely LOVE Wacky Cake which has no eggs and can be mixed up in the dish/pan you want to make it in. So easy and honestly one of the moistest cakes I have ever had. For the frosting on the cupcakes above, I just melted some dark chocolate and added a couple spoons of sour cream and a little powdered sugar - deeeeeeelicious!

On to our next chocolate expedition... Mr Z and his friends started a book club in the Fall and read several of the Roald Dahl books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The kids read the book, watched both versions of the movie and, of course, had to tour a real chocolate factory at the end of the session! We drove to the French region of Switzerland to a little town named Broc to visit the Callier chocolate factory (a branch of Nestlé). Kids had a fabulous time and by the end of the tour, had eaten enough chocolate to last for a month :-)! Here are a few photos of the tour:

The Golden Tickets!

Duh?!?! All the time!!!!

Mr Z stuffed full of chocolate - looks a bit like the squirrels that Veruca Salt wants in the movie!

Gruyére cheese is one of the most famous cheeses in Switzerland and is used in everything from fondue to quiche to slicing and eating plain with bread for dinner. The Callier chocolate factory was only about 10 minutes from the town of Gruyére, a gorgeous old village that sits on top of a hill surrounded by incredible mountains. So, of course, we had to stop and check it out! The day was beautiful and the kids enjoyed running around the open cobblestone streets (no cars allowed!). Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to eat there as we had 5 rowdy kids, 4 adults and only a few restaurants to choose from who could not (or would not) want us partaking in their overpriced cuisine! However, we can now say we've "been there, done that" and have some great photos of the day. Here are a few of Gruyére:

 

Have a great week!  I'll see you again soon!

Jx