My workspace...revamped!

Hello everyone!

I'm a happy camper as today is my birthday and I've had a super day - lounging with my latte and new Living at Home magazine in the morning, baking mini Wacky cakes with Miss A during her lunch break and organizing my new shelf that I got for my birthday (a little present "from" the hubby and kids, of course)!

I have so much stuff and am forever forgetting where I put things in my workspace - in the drawers or boxes or tins or, or, or... So, when I saw this old shelf at one of my favorite stores in Zurich (Garten Eden), I couldn't resist it. It has the perfect sized slots for holding all my ink pads, cards and tags ready for stamping, ribbons and twine, buttons and brads, and a few fun little tidbits as well. Every time I walk in the office now, I smile and think "wow, that's mine!".

Next on the agenda will be to get rid of the mostly unused couch/sofabed that takes up a whole wall and get a bigger table for sewing :-)! That will be my project for April as I hope to be rid of the couch at the end of March. Here's a few more photos of my current workspace just to give you an idea of where my creativity flows best!

Hope you are having a happy day too! I'll be back soon with photos and recipe of our mini Wacky cakes with fresh whipped cream and berries!!

Jxx

Only in Europe...

Only in European countries, such as Switzerland, do they have one to two weeks off school in February for ski holidays.  Mr Z and Miss A had the past two weeks off and we have enjoyed this week in Klosters, a ski resort in the canton of Graubunden in Eastern Switzerland.  We couldn't have asked for better weather for the three days that we skiied  - 2 days of clear blue skies and great snow conditions. I could never get bored of looking at some of the incredible views of the Alps on days where the sun is shining and snowpeaks are glistening in the distance. It was fabulous and tiring at the same time (especially for legs not used to skiing!)! Unfortunately we have to leave tomorrow and head back to reality...

Here are a few photos from our week on the slopes.

 

Hope you've had a great week too!
Jxx

Awake and Asleep Dolly

Dolly with her PJs and very own carry bag

I borrowed a book from my friend call "Mit Nadel und Faden" ("Made by Me" in English) produced by DK and written by Jane Bull. It has all kinds of handmade things for little girls who like to sew. I guess I am still a little girl in spite of my age as I found quite a few little projects in it to make while I've been stuck inside the house trying to recover from a horrible ear infection where I feel like I have those noise-reduction headphones on my head all the time - good for reducing the noise of bickering kids, bad for everything else!

Anyway, Miss A was so funny as we were looking through this book together and made a comment something along the lines of this, "Oh, I really like that. You can make it for me for Easter or maybe Valentine's day and I will forget about it by then and be really surprised!". Only a five year old would think like this! I just love it!  So, while she was at school, sleeping or playing with Daddy, I made the little doll pattern from the book. I remember as a child, I had a Little Red Riding Hood doll where one side was little red riding hood, the other side was Grandma and under her skirt was the Big Bad Wolf - I loved it! All three characters in one doll - what more could a girl ask for?!?!? This doll reminds me of the one I had as a girl and I hope Miss A enjoys it.

Dolly awake and ready to go out!

Dolly asleep in her PJs!

One side of her head has her awake and the other has her sleeping so you can play with the one that you like. The bow on her head is attached with a baby safety pin so it can be moved to the appropriate side and the clothes are all easy to get on an off (jacket is also attached only with a safety pin with a flower button on it. The floral skirt fabric was from one of Miss A's shirts that was too small but too adorable to throw out. The set is very light and Dolly has her own little bag so this will be great for traveling with. I'm thinking we will be making some more clothes for her, but that will be with the help of Miss A and her little sewing machine!!

Dolly's very own bag

Dolly going into her bag for a nice trip!

Have a good weekend and stay warm!!
Jx

Flower Power!

In spite of having a flu bug over the past few days, I was inspired to make something bold and bright to help me think of warm spring temperatures rather than the FREEZING temps we are experiencing in Europe. My heart goes out to all those who are not as fortunate to have warm houses and clothes to protect them in these extreme weather conditions.

I've been wanting to make myself a bag for some time now but never got around to designing it. As I was cleaning out a few things in my office, I found a pattern for a pleated purse that I had printed from the internet ages ago (and unfortunately it doesn't have the link on it so I can't say who to thank for this cute little bag....). I had some bright flower fabric purchased  from IKEA originally to make some pillows for spring and thought it would make a great bold flower bag for spring and summer (plus it has teal in it which as I said in my last post is my favorite color right now!).

So, here's my Flower Power bag ready to be worn with something bright red :-)!

Miss A was also asking for a small zipper bag that she can use for her sewing stuff and all the yarn braids she has been making. Her bag is shown in the photo below - we are both Flower Power girls!

See you again soon!

Jx

Gift card set

I would like to share with you a gift card set that I was asked to make for a friend. She provided the color scheme of brown and blue and I took creative liberty to do the rest! I love the color teal and have been using it in quite a few of my recent cards and tags. This being the case, I had to combine it with brown to make the set of gift cards and tags below. All fit nicely into a paper case wrapped up with a ribbon.

Card set cover

I love this flower paper!!!

Inside of pouch - tags and envelopes on left, cards on right

4 cards with different occasions on them

I hope this provides you with some inspiration today!
Jx

A fresh start

Snowy hydrangeas in Thalwil, Switzerland

February is a fresh start for me. I turned in all of my work equipment (computer, blackberry, badge...) on January 31st after a very challenging year of trying to manage my "part-time come full-time" job, my family and my home...without much success. I am amazed by some Moms who seem to be able to manage work, family and home and to really excel at it. I thought I was one of them until I figured out that I couldn't turn work off upon leaving the office. I would work evenings after the kids went to bed, would wake up before dawn thinking of things that really didn't matter in the scheme of things and had a tendency to be less patient with my kids.  This was not what I envisioned when taking on the job, and I am happy to be finished after quite a long winding down period.

I have to admit, though, that these past couple of days have been tougher than I thought. I thought I would jump right into all those projects I have in my head , sewing machine out, paper and stamps covering my desk and actual projects started. In actuality, I have been wondering around in a bit of a daze trying to find myself in this new world of not checking the blackberry throughout the day, not answering phone calls for work and trying not to think about what I would be doing if I were in the office... Guess it will take a bit of time for adjustment!

I look forward to this fresh start amidst the snow and cold in Switzerland. A renewal of friendships that sort of fell away due to lack of time. Time to reflect on what I want to achieve with my new "work". Activities and time with my kids to show them how much I love them and want them to succeed in all they do. It is all waiting for me...and I look forward to finding out what is in store for me in this next phase of my life.

Happy weekend!
Jx