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

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

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

Animal Zipper Pouch

Just wanted to share a little zipper pouch I made this weekend. My friend wanted a handmade gift for a friend who just had a baby and thought a pouch for holding creams, extra clothes or small toys would be great. The handle has snaps on it so it can be attached to the stroller, car seat or whatever Mommy needs to attach it to!

It's rainy and cold again here in Zurich and I look forward to seeing the sunshine again in a few days....

Have a good start to the week!
J x

Upcycled T-Shirt Dress for Miss A

When Miss A found an old shirt that my friend no longer wanted and thought I would like for making things with, she put it on over her clothes and said "I want it!"  I have to admit it looked cute on her with the exception that the sleeve holes hung almost to her waist... So, we "up-cycled" it by adding some lace trim along the bottom, a little ruffling along the top of the chest and made it a bit more A-line by taking in the sides so the sleeve holes were not so big. Add a pretty ribbon and fabric flower around the waist and voilà - a new spring and summer dress!  Think we might be making more of these this summer...

Have a great weekend!
J xx

Spring Tea Party with Orange Pound Cake

Spring flowers in Zurich

I love Spring - seeing the trees and flowers come back to life after a long, cold winter; the bright colors of purple, white and yellow from the snowbells and crocus popping up through the brown ground and knowing that even if we do get another cold spell, it won't last for long!

To celebrate the warm temps this week, we decided to have a little tea party with our neighbors. I found a recipe in one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks by Jeanne Lemlin ("Quick, Simple and Main-Course Vegetarian Meals") for Old-Fashioned Pound Cake. We made one of the variations with orange flavoring in it and they turned out delicious (recipe below)! These cakes freeze well, too, so you can make one ahead of time and pull out when you have unexpected guests on a sunny afternoon. Don't forget to sprinkle with some citrus sugar from this post. Serve with cold sparkling water with frozen blueberries thrown in at the last minute - they add a bit of flavor to the water and help keep it cold!

Orange Pound Cake with fresh blueberries

Old-fashioned Pound Cake

1 cup (210gr) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (see Variations)

2 cups cake flour (see Note)

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Butter and flour a bundt cake pan or line a bread pan with baking paper (I used mini baking cups for my recipe). In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until smooth, using electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract and rind (if variation made).

Add flour and salt and beat until batter is very smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before serving.

Note: If you don’t have cake flour, combine ¼ cup cornstarch with 1 ¾ cups white flour.

Variations:

Lemon Pound Cake: use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus grated rind from one lemon

Orange Pound Cake: use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, plus grated rind from one orange

Almond Pound Cake: use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract

Happy St Patrick's Day!

J xx