.DMblog

Happy Valentine Day

2012-02-13T23:56:00.000-08:00

Défi 13 Février ... Feu d 'artifice pour le 29 ????

2012-02-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

Je récidive !

Après mon collier corail du défi 13 d'avril ,

Je me suis fait ce collier qui est un vrai feu d 'artifice , non ? d 'après le modèle Ponte Vecchio, de Berroco , modèle gratuit , que j'ai un peu adapté , il est léger à porter , et ne passe pas inaperçu....

Facile à faire pour un joli effet , je trouve ....

Et comme je ne trouve pas les photos assez bien , j'en mettrai d 'autres pour le 29 ! Youpi ! du coup je suis en avance !!!!

3 funny rabbits, a pink caterpillar, and a green baby ....

2012-02-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

Those were made as socks fillers for my advent calendar .... Remember , 25 different socks that had to be filled !!

I found the pattern for these funny rabbits ...

as Lucien le lapin and Géraldine la lapine

at boutde ficelle

they were fun to make !

And I will be making more different rabbits soon, Easter is coming ..

The little caterpillar goes with the pink butterfly , of course !

And a lovely green baby opens his arms !!!

My mother's hat .... Photos tutorial

2012-01-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

My mother is 82 , well nearly 83 ... She has had this hat for a while ... I think it is her favourite ... Why ? - Well , it is not too fancy , it is black ( yes it is black , the colour isn't right on the photo ) , and well black goes with everything , it doesn't squeeze too much her hair , and at the same time it remains on her head even on windy days ... And we do have sometimes very strong wind here ...

So I understood she wanted the same , because this one is getting old ....

She had this wool ... She gave it to me , and she said well , I give it to you , but if you don't know what to do , do you think you could make me the same ????
I said , if you can spare your old hat for a while , I'll try ....

So here is what I did, I took photos so this will be my first attempt at something like a tutorial , maybe ... :

I crocheted with 2 strands , to make it thicker , and I started with a circle , crocheting twice in the same stich every now and then to keep the circle flat. And when the circumference seemed ok , I stopped adding stitches ...so that it was no longer flat .

I am sure you can make it with any stich, I just used double crochet ..

Then I took my bag of polyester fiber , and ...
An old pair of black tights ... I cut one leg , cut away the foot part , made a knot , and filled it with a little , just a little fiber ...

The idea was to do that : to fix it around the hat, and to hide it ..

So I made both ends meet , stretched it a little , even better ... Closed it with a few stitches of black thread and a needle ...

Then I pinned it in place , took a big needle and a strand of wool , and started sewing around ...

And voilà , my mother's hat , almost the same !

Very soft , comfortable , and the hidden tight inside gives it a little elasticity , and warmth ...

I bet my mother will be pleased !

Neck warmer .... and hat .....Victorian ???

2012-01-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is another recycling job , as for this I used the wool from a 10 year old chenille wool jumper that showed my elbows ... I still liked the colour of the wool, and it took me some patience to undo it , and much quicker after , I made that :

For the neck warmer , it all went quickly and I made it up as it went, as I had no pattern , I also put 4 nice vintage buttons...
I was quite pleased with the result, and still had quite an amount of broken strands , and with that I managed to make the hat to match .I also made it up as I went , starting with a circle ...
I am very pleased with the result !!!!
My daughter number two found it ... Victorian ... Maybe ?
What do you think ???

Défi 13 JANVIER :déco ..

2012-01-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Déjà le 12 janvier !!!

Déco maison , couture crochet, coussins, nappes ??????????

Là, j'assure pas !
Je suis juste en train de finir la liste sur mon carnet de commandes !!!
Je ne peux pas parler de mes décos de Noël , c 'est fini ...
Alors , est-ce que ça peut compter , cette commande d 'une petite déco papillon ... Pourquoi pas ???
Sinon, le reste , c 'est pas déco du tout, ou pas couture ou crochet ...
Alors , voilà

Les impératifs de la commande , et ce que j'ai fait ..

J'ai respecté le cahier des charges pour la Poulette, mais ... pour le Défi 13 de ce mois , qu'en pensez-vous ?????

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

Défi 13 Décembre

2011-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Froid , moi ? - JAMAIS

Bien sûr , c 'est parce que je me couvre : la tête , le cou, les mains , les pieds ....

Mais je découvre avec effroi que c 'est ... mon 13e Défi 13 !!!!!!!!!!

Que va-t-il se passer ???? On verra bien ...

Revenons-en au sujet :
Alors , je me fais souvent des chapeaux , mais là comme je suis débordée, ( plein de trucs en train) , je me suis fait juste ce petit truc au crochet, que j'avais envie d'essayer depuis longtemps ( je vais en faire d'autres , de toutes les couleurs , en variant un peu le modèle, moi ça me plaît ) , je suis sensible du cou en ce moment ...

Alors au départ, à plat, ça donne ça ....

Puis, on fronce avec du ruban, on ajoute un zoli bouton, et une fleur à la boutonnière , on ajuste à son cou , et ça donne ça , enfin faut arriver à prendre une photo décente , et pas floue , du coup avec le plus vilain t shirt que j'aie , bien sûr ..

finalement, j'ai essayé avec la copine , c 'est à peine mieux pour les photos ..

Les photos , ça ne rend rien , mais je trouve que ça va bien avec mon manteau noir que je remets puisque j'ai perdu quelques kilos !)

Et avec le dernier chapeau que je me suis fait ( voir la rubrique "hats " )

Et les mitaines tricotées par ma maman " La Tricoteuse " , super assorties !!

Noir et blanc ...Pour l' hiver qui arrive ... Froid moi ? NEVER !

J'ai hâte de voir ce que les autres auront fait !! si vous passez par là , cliquez sur DEFI 13 , en haut à droite , pour y aller voir , bien sûr !!!!

Et si vous voulez vous faire le même , cliquez sur la 2e photo , pour l'enregistrer ...

A Little knight ...

2011-12-07T01:17:00.000-08:00

Another one who couldn't wait inside the socks, anyway ... :)

His head is a little ball from an oak tree, he is totally poseable and he can stand .

His head is covered with a bit of tight , and his face is painted .

He doesn't want to hurt anyone, so his sword is made from a wooden popsickle ...

His cape is soft felt,has a hood , and can be removed ....

I love his hair !! , I gave him a not-well combed aspect , it gives him a gentle face , I think ...

And here he is , with his friend Frankie ...

socks fillers ... not so sweet as the previous ...

2011-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Meet Frankie Stein ...

special order for my Squirrel boy ....

And it was fun to make ! He HAs to be a little mishapen , this is his charm.... Hence the 2 different eyes , etc ...
BUT, he is completely poseable , AND he stands ...

And the vandal stole a blouse from a nurse barbie doll, it was a bit too long , and had to be shortened !!)

And there he is , he couldn't wait inside the little socks, he too had to go earlier with Hello Kitty , and he is now in the boy's room !) , I guess he made friends with this raptor ??

Stocking fillers : Hello Kitty

2011-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day for opening the advent calendar ...
I am sure the kids remembered it this morning , so I won't be a spoiler if I tell a little of what I made to put inside ....

Anyway this little Hello Kitty was a litle too big to fit inside the little socks , and...well... it was a good excuse to give it a little earlier !!!!!

Advent calendar

2011-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

I know I have already told about my Advent calendar .

But the time has come to set it out again...

I had made it in 2004 , for the 2 boys , and after there was a girl too, and now with the November baby, that makes it 4 .

I enjoyed making the 24 different little socks, and every year now I only have to fill them up.

I tried to make things to fill them , and realized it is so much easier to find things for girls that would fit in there than for boys ....

I will soon tell you about what I made , but I don't want to spoil the surprise ...

Though the Squirrel who so willingly volunteered to place the socks did a good job at trying to guess and read with his fingers what was inside ...

Sometimes a part of it stuck out , this is part of the fun too !!!!

And the 3 Rapuntzels watched him very close :=)

Défi 13 Novembre

2011-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

Le thème, c 'est : Style British ....

Ben, j'ai fait ça .....

Je pense que je suis dans le thème, avec ces " carolers " qui sont sortis au soleil après le déluge de ces derniers jours pour pouvoir s 'entraîner ...

En plus , tweed , écossais , isn't it British ?

Et ce petit Scottie , il est British , lui aussi , non ????

Qu'est ce qu' elle espère voir arriver , avec son regard tourné vers le ciel ????

J'ai trouvé le tuto des carolers chez l'excellent gingercake

Et le patron du Scottie était donné sur le blog d 'une dame qui, écoeurée d 'avoir trouvé à la vente des Scotties faits avec son patron, l' a retiré malheureusement du net .....

Et je fais d 'une pierre plusieurs coups , car les carolers serviront en partie pour mon calendrier de l'avent , et le Scottie sera à gagner pour le jeu de Noël sur Mascottblog ...

November baby

2011-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

So that baby keeps warm, here is what I made , I found the pattern from a little book " Marie Claire idées , bébé d 'amour ". Hope it will be useful.

There is a zip on one side , and the other side opens partly, and there are velcro patches to fasten .
( I am sure you love my vintage orange baby, totally 74 )

Défi 13 Octobre : bleu ....

2011-10-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Et bien , je récidive, j'avais déjà habillé un galet , pour le défi 13 de Juillet , et bien , pour le défi de ce mois , j' avais déjà commencé à faire celui-ci ....

Je l'ai pris sous tous les angles , il n'y a bien que du bleu ....

Je fais pas mal de crochet en ce moment , ( des petites choses pour un futur bébé ) , mais comme on ne sait pas si ce sera une fille ou un garçon, je n'allais pas faire du bleu ... Je suis en train de faire une petite couverture beige )

Et sinon , j'ai aussi fait ça :

Des petis sachets de lavande au crochet , et il y en a même un bleu .....

Et le blanc , il a un ruban bleu , et une perle bleue ...... :)

working for green

2011-10-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is what I have been doing lately ...

I started from a nice plastic container ( which contained a delicious organic olive oil ) , and I decided to use it for my plants , so I opened it up a little , and covered it with papier mâché .....

I also glued some dried leaves on it, for decoration ...

Then, found a place to hang it ..

vintage postcards ... couples 6

2011-09-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Is it already the week end ? - Yes , and last week end passed too ooooopssss ..
Well , I have plenty more nice postcards in my beautiful album ....

When you tell me you love me , do you say what you think ???

The one above is .....WOW !!!!! ....passionate ????

The one below was sent by my grandfather to my grandmother, I read what was written at the back ... Very nice words, and nice handwriting too, all written with pen and ink ....

There is everything in this poscard, the boat, the moon, the lace and flowers ....

This one used to be my favourite, certainly because of the costumes and colours ....And it is a bit glittery too :)

Défi 13 septembre ....

2011-09-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Petit écolier ..

Comme je ne suis pas du tout dans le thème avec mon bricolage de rentrée ( article précédent) , je vous propose une photo...

Un nounours des années 50 , et un cartable des années 70 ...

Bon, ce n'est qu'une photo .... Mais c 'est bien le thème ...Je tenais à participer quand même ...

Bricolage de rentrée ...

2011-09-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Petit bricolage de rentrée ...

J'aurais dû m'en douter, après le 11 Septembre, dont on a beaucoup parlé, inévitablement nous voilà le 12, et donc demain c 'est le 13, et le 13 Septembre, il y a le

Défi 13
qui recommence , et pour ce nouveau défi, le thème , c 'est ... petit écolier , pas trop inspirée , alors tout ce que j'ai à vous présenter, c 'est ce petit bricolage de rentrée , qui va avec les bonnes résolutions de rentrée , qui est une idée pas chère et bien pratique , en tous cas qui me sert bien à moi pour ranger mes ( nombreuses ) paires de boucles d' oreilles ....
Et donc , je ne suis PAS DU TOUT dans le thème ....

En fait , il s 'agit d'un petit plateau à couper le pain, en bois , acheté vraiment pas cher à une farfouille , que j'ai peint en blanc après avoir calé la partie supérieure à la verticale avec 2 cales en bois piquées dans l' atelier du Grand Sachem, donc pas cher , et vite fait , j'ai laissé sécher après avoir peint 2 couches et collé ( j'ai trouvé la peinture au même endroit que les cales , et j'ai bien rebouché le pot que j'ai bien remis à sa place :) )
J'ai fixé du plastique transparent perforé pour " enquiller" les boucles comme on dit dans le sud ...
Voilà ma petite idée de rentrée .....

En plus j'ai gardé ma " main à bijoux", et sur le devant je peux encore déposer des bijoux .....

Mais du coup, ça ne va pas dans le thème ..pffff

Summer crafts

2011-09-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

September is here , it's back to school time ... And I was wondering what I had done during the summer ...
Just a few things , I thought I had MADE nothing , but well , my hands have been a little busy ...

with the kids , and for the kids ...

A pink octupussy and dolphins , they were prizes for the fishing game of the summer ....

A beautiful fairy doll made with Little Girl as a workshop ( she made most of it , and designed it herself !) I am very proud of what she did ..

Eatme Teddy made by Squirrel the same day , he designed it after the model on the packet of biscuits ...

Now, here is how to make a little octopussy :

And here is another one ..

And yet another , and more dolphins !!!!

And at last I managed to try and make a little doll, this Princess Neige ...

In the summer , she sleeps hidden in her white frosty hair ..

And a little lavender heart , as a prize for the Mascottquizz on another blog ..

So , I made a few things .....

Good ! I thought I had been idle !

vintage postcards ... couples 5

2011-08-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Some more nice vintage postcards, Valentines ....

vintage postcards ... couples 4

2011-08-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

More lovely vintage couples : with the first card, I learnt that Rose ( who was she ???) and her fiancé had parted for two years !!!

for what reason ????

But never mind , they were about to see each other again !

vintage postcards ... couples 3

2011-08-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

OOOPSSSS! It is more than a week since I have posted vintage postcards here, well summer is a very busy time, and my computer was not always available ..

Anyway here we are , some more vintage couples:

I had already published one from the serie : " la vie de bohème", and I think it will be nice to see them together, the same guy with his.... well , .....improbable trousers and the girl in the green dress, the texts also if you understand French is sooo funny !!!

Another dress for Little Girl ...

2011-08-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Aftet the top that I transformed into a little dress , and the photo , I made an another try with crochet and material ...

Here it is :

back

profile ...

And front, still barefoot ....

I think she looks SOOOO lovely in it ! - But maybe I am partial ? ( and of course, her smile is just for me again ! )

She chose the colours ....

Et je pense que ça doit être du violet , non ????

She likes it !

2011-07-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

Remember the top that I transformed into a girl's dress ?

Well, I am glad to say that she likes it ! Pity that I had to steal her smile, but sorry, I am not sharing THAT !

vintage postcards ... couples 2

2011-07-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

I still have more postcards to share ..
( sent in 1913 and 1914 ) ...

The last one was sent by my grandfather to my grandmother, and she kept it in her album ......

Défi 13 Juillet ...

2011-07-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Le thème , c 'était : " les vacances.. la plage ... galets gris ..."

Avec une belle photo de plage, et une invitation à aller les ramasser les galets ... Et seulement si c 'est permis, hein , bien sûr !!!

Alors je ne me suis pas fait prier, quel bon prétexte pour aller à la plage , et en plus depuis toujours , j'adore ramasser tout ce que je trouve , et les galets , rien de plus jooooli qu' un galet mouillé, il suffit de choisir, et on peut faire tout plein de trucs avec !!!

J'avais une idée en tête, et donc j'avais préparé ceci ....

Il était déjà beau nature, mon galet, bien lisse et agréable à prendre en main ....

Et ça a donné ceci .....

J'ai pris des photos sous différents angles ...

J'ai donc travaillé beaucoup au crochet, et j'ai même essayé de remplir avec de la broderie à l'aiguille ( un cercle dans un espace vide )

Mais les galets , on peut aussi les laisser tels quels , comme celui-ci en bougeoir, car il a un trou juste comme il faut ....

Ou bien on peut sélectionner des petits galets longs , les décorer, les vernir et en faire par exemple des porte-couteaux assortis au bougeoir ...ça occupe bien les promenades sur la grève ....

J'en ai fait de toutes les couleurs !!!!!

ça m'a bien inspirée ... En revanche, le thème pour Septembre, " petit écolier", oui bon , je comprends bien, c 'est de circonstance aussi, mais je ne suis pas inspirée , mais alors PAS DU TOUT !!!!

Bon, d'ici là, on verra , mais je vais me faire un beau galet recouvert de bleu, et après on verra !)

vintage postcards ... couples 1

2011-07-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Well, for a change, this time look at those couples, and smile at the naive words ...

Lovely Valentine cards !)

from small top to girl's dress

2011-07-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had this summer top ...
Much too small for me , so I transformed it into a little girl's dress ...
I hope she will like it , I will know soon :)

Vintage postcards album .... Pretty girls 5

2011-07-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

Well, yes it is again already the week end , and yes , I have some more beautiful pictures from my old album !

Beautiful shoes !!!!!!

I LOVE this beautiful red skirt !!!!

New hats

2011-06-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

I know, it is summer, and VERY hot here , but at last I have found a little time to do something for myself , and for next winter ....
I love hats, so I had kept this pattern, that I had found here , and made my own ...
I like them , the work is not perfect , but I like this kind of hats , that you can wear anywhere , and put in your pocket when you don't wear it , and , easy to make !
even better !!!!

MERCI POUR LE TUTO MELCREAT

Vintage postcards album .... Pretty girls 4

2011-06-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it ! Already Saturday !

- Well , I have some more nice postcards ....

Vintage postcards album .... Pretty girls 3

2011-06-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

Another week has passed ! I can't believe it , so here is some more postcards from my beautiful album :

Laces and flowers ....

Beautiful top !!!!

This one is not so pretty , sorry :)

My garden in June

2011-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a few flowers , and a few colours ....

I have found red with a geranium ...

and pink ...

And the beginning of lavender

A little yellow ...

A little white

More yellow ...

For the first time there will be a few strawberries soon

And the last little rose

More gardens here

Défi 13 Juin ... masculin

2011-06-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Alors pour ce DEFI 13 de Juin , la consigne était :

" masculin, chemises, vestes , gilets sans manches ..... "

GILETS SANS MANCHES ?????? vous avez dit GILETs .... sans manches ??????

Alors là , pour une fois , j'ai dérogé ,
je n' ai pas fait mon truc exprès pour ce défi, parce que des gilets sans manches , en gros j'en ai TOUJOURS faits , et en plus comme j'essaie de m'occuper un peu du jardin malgré un mal de dos chronique , je vous présente donc des gilets des 4 saisons , parmi ceux que j'ai faits, parce que là j'avais pas trop le temps .....vous allez voir, il y en a 3, mais comme il y en a un qui est réversible , ça fait le compte ... Bon, j'aurais dû les repasser , mais là franchement , j'assure plus ....

Donc voici mes gilets .. ( faits avec un patron FAIT MAIN ... Vieux comme mes robes , c 'est vous dire )

Comme d'hab , c 'est beaucoup de la récup, marce que j'ai utilisé des restes et je les ai faits en patchwork... Je me suis un peu compliqué la vie , mais bon , à l'occasion j'ai réussi avec plus ou moins de bonheur des poches passepoilées .....

1e GILET : le gilet d 'automne, parce qu'il est aux couleurs de l'automne ....

de face, et de dos .... ( agrafe de maillot de bain recyclée ....)

2e et 3e GILET :

gilet de printemps , et d' été , car il est entièrement réversible , et en patchwork de jean , je l'aime bien , j'y ai passé du temps , en plus ....

Oui, bon, j'aurais mieux fait de les repasser , au lieu de les passer .....

Et 4e GILET , my winter waistcoat, en écossais , ça fait Christmas et tout .....

Et là , j'ai fort bien réussi la poche passepoilée ....

Voilà, je suis contente d 'avoir eu une opportunité de vous montrer mes ptits gilets ....

Merci DEFI 13 !!!!!

Vintage postcards album .... Pretty girls 2

2011-06-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Already next week end , so as promised , some more pretty postcards ... The one with the girl and the wheelbarrow was sent in 1918 to my grand mother ...

My garden in June

2011-06-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

My garden is unusually green this June ... It has rained a lot and I am amazed to see it so green , usually at this time of year it is already all dried and yellow...

And also for the first time , I have been here all the time, which was not the case before , this is why maybe it looks a little bit less wild ....

This is not as nice as Michèle's composter... It is not home made, but I have 3 of them , and it seems to work well.

And it is so pleasant to decorate the house with flowers from the garden !!!!!

If you want to see more flowery gardens than mine , follow the link, Amy had this great idea to make us visit .....

.... And the lime tree is buzzing at the moment , but still it is time to pick up the flowers for making nice hot beverages in the winter ...

Vintage postcards album .... Pretty girls

2011-06-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I am going to share a treasure: I had forgotten I had it ....

These past months, I have always had pleasure to find some vintage postcards on the net, and looking at the pretty faces and clothes....

And yesterday, - I was tidying in the house , I rediscovered this beautiful vintage album. It certainly belonged to my grandmother,in it there are cards with dates , like 1914....

Ten years ago, when my mother had to move to a smaller place, she asked me if I wanted it. Of course I did !!!! I took it , put it aside, and as I was so busy with everything completely forgot about it ....

It is not in a perfect state, but while I turned the pages, I remembered some of the cards that I had admired , oh so many years ago....

So I am going to share my pleasure , and I decided that every week end I will put some here ... As it takes a bit of time to scan ..... So , enjoy !

Those are the first in the category :

Pretty Girls

Mais si, j'ai trouvé du jaune

2011-05-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Chez Isabelle, cette semaine c 'est le

JAUNE

Voilà, j'ai quand même trouvé un peu de jaune .....

Want a little more blue ????

2011-05-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

" Le monde est gris,

Le monde est bleuuuu"

chez Isabelle, qui nous fait voir uniquement le BLEU

Blue cushion

Blue doll

blue toy box

blue flower

Blue like Nicolas' pijamas

( sans Pimprenelle )

A blue glass

And my dirty linen basket is blue too !!!!

what's blue ?

2011-05-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

I usually have lots of red around me , but I discovered that I can easily find some BLUE too , thanks to an idea I found here ...

Go see the other beautiful BLUE pictures , and think about

What's blue in your life !

Défi 13 Mai : fluo ....

2011-05-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Pour ce défi 13 de mai :

FLUO ,

j'en ai profité pour faire quelque chose que j'avais envie d'essayer depuis un moment ...

Je suis partie d 'une bouteille en plastique , que j'ai découpée ... ça devient une manie depuis le 1e Avril ... Je recycle le plastique at home ....

Et avec de la feutrine , UN BEAU JAUNE FLUO , et des perles , je suis arrivée à çà: ce joli bracelet ...

J'y ai mis une attache , car en fait il aurait eu tendance à s 'ouvrir, le plastique n' étant pas assez rigide , la prochaine fois , je mettrai plusieurs épaisseurs ....

Un peu flashy, certes , mais tant qu'on y est , et si, si ça va avec tout , car il y a aussi du vert , et du rouge , tant qu' à faire ...

J'aime bien mon bracelet fluo , j'aurais pu vous montrer le lapin crétin jaune , ou reparler du collier vert ,( voir défi 13 corail ) mais j' ai voulu , c 'est une habitude , faire quelque chose juste pour le jour fatidique ... Et en plus demain c 'est

VENDREDI 13 !!!!!

J'ai surtout hâte de voir les oeuvres des autres , je suis sûre que encore une fois et plus que de coutume , ce sera très varié !!!!

An army of cats

2011-04-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

At the moment , our house is being invaded by ...CATS !!!

no, not real ones , but those lovely soft cats made from a pattern I found at Annie'scupboard

...and mine are all stuffed with lavender from my garden ! ... dried all winter in a cool room ...

I like this pattern , because you can hang the cats anywhere, and you can play with the different colours to get all sorts of different cats ....

So I am very grateful for this pattern ...

Défi 13 Avril : Corail

2011-04-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Pour une fois , pas d'hésitation:

quand on me dit : " corail" , moi je pense " collier" , sans doute un souvenir des beaux colliers des dames dans les années 60..

Alors j'ai essayé de retrouver ça , en plus écolo, car c'est un petit collier au crochet que je me suis fait .... Aussitôt fait , aussitôt mis , j' y ai pris goût , et je vais en faire d'autres ... Ils sont légers et agréables à porter ....

J'en ai fait un blanc et rose pour La Poulette ... Corail blanc ... ça colle encore ...

Mais le vert fluo , pour sa maman, ce n'est déjà plus ça ....

Ou je suis déjà dans le prochain défi ????

Ange déchu...

2011-04-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Exceptionnellement , cet article n'est pas pour Defi 13 , mais il est en français ...

C 'est toute une histoire là aussi ....

Alex voulait voir les gargouilles de Notre Dame , cet hiver ... Mais déception , il nous a fallu partir à cause d'une alerte à la tempête de neige ...

Alors , l'autre jour en cherchant le costume de princesse de la Poulette , mon regard est attiré par cet angelot sur une étagère, qui m' a fait penser aux petites gargouilles que nous avions vues dans un magasin ...

Et là , à la seconde , une idée d'enfer a germé dans mon esprit ...

Ce n'est pas le premier ange déchu de l' Histoire , il y a d'illustres précédents ....

Voyez plutôt comment j'ai concrétisé mon idée ....

     Des petites cornes , des pieds plus grands , une bouche déformée ....
     Un peu de papier et de la colle ... Et voilà le diablotin qui sèche au soleil ....

Il en est tout surpris, le petit ange ... Allons , ne sois pas déçu d 'être déchu , je suis sûr que comme ça tu plairas davantage à Alex ....

Et voilà mon gargouillot de face , et de dos , après plusieurs applications d'appret justement , et une couche d'unifomisation où j'ai mis un peu de cendre ... ( Et sinon, la pâte à papier , et bien c 'est essentiellement un papier blanc souple et moelleux ... )

Amusant à faire , résultat rigolo , on ne voit pas les raccords ...

Moralité : dans tout ange, il y a un diablotin qui sommeille .... Et vice versa, bien sûr ! !

Alors Alex , dis -moi si il te plaît ????

Flying fish

2011-03-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

For the first of April, I wanted to make something fish related ....

So I used that .......

I did that ....

Added some pearls ..

And I got that out of my plastic bottle

Défi 13 de Mars ...YOYOS

2011-03-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

Vintage ... Fouiller dans les tiroirs , les 70's , nostalgie , ben oui , ça je fais ....mais à part ça rien de concret ...

De toutes façons , je continue mon recyclage , dans le précédent article , c ' était crochet et lirettes , et là ,avec un verre , j 'avais découpé tout plein de ronds dans des tissus garantis de l' époque , des petites chutes ...

Alors, vintage sans doute ces yoyos ....

J'ai fait comme un cadre en tissu beige , et je l 'ai doublé .... Au départ, c ' était une déco de table, un napperon ....

J 'ai assemblé en mettant les plus clairs au milieu ....

Il a fallu les repasser un par un ...

Et les assembler ....

Et puis je l'ai mis au mur pour la photo , et depuis il y est resté ... Voilà, j'ai gagné une déco murale ...

.

Mais ce n'est pas une " tenue vintage" ...c 'est " fait avec " ... Il n' y a que moi qui sais que les ronds marrons proviennent des restes d 'un chemisier des années 60 de ma maman, que le blanc c ' était une petite robe en 70 ...etc ...
... Je ferai mieux la prochaine fois ....
Mais j'aime bien mes yoyos quand même ...

Rag bag ... Sac en lirettes ...

2011-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

        Recently, I have rediscovered a hobby: cutting out any old garment that is around into long strips, and then trying to figure out what to do with it.. I had already made a bed cover with old tights. It had taken a long time, but I was quite proud of it, and also, I liked doing it because it makes a material that is pleasant to crochet ...
         And I remember at the time my mother used to say that she thought I was the only person doing that kind of crazy thing ...
      Well, now thanks to the internet, I know that I am not the only one...

What a relief !
   And it is fascinating to see what the others do and the great ideas they come out with ...

So, the first step is cutting out long strips , here from a very old faded bed sheet .... I managed to make a very long and unique strip !

And I started to make ... a shopping bag, using a medium crochet ... And a first bed sheet, then an ancient jersey rolled neck with a nice colour to make a stripe in the middle, and then a second bed sheet ......

And voilà ! This is my completed bag , fun to make , while watching TV ...( I hate the feeling of wasting my time )

To make the flowers, I used an idea of Michèle , she made things using the hems of jeans , and coiling ... Well I used the hems to make the flowers , and a little wool to make the stems and leaves ... Yes , I know , I didn't use green , but why not ? ... I bordered my bag with this nice colour ...

Inside, I lined it with a nice flowery material ...

I " stole " the handles from my husband's workshop .... They are very strong !!!

I think it is very nice !!

And also today I remembered other things I had made : essentially carpets . The brown one goes in the bathroom ... The center is an old dress , and around it is tights again ...

This one is downstairs ....From 70's clothes .....
Hence the nice colours !!!!

Another smaller one ...

And another one ....

Another 70's , so nice colours again !

En ROUGE et NOIR

2011-02-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

ET oui , en rouge et noir pour le

DEFI 13 de février !

Autant les autres fois, il m'avait fallu un peu de temps pour trouver l'inspiration, autant cette fois -ci ce fut instantané: il y avait longtemps que je voulais faire ce petit ours ...

ROUGE et NOIR , petit supporter d 'une équipe de rugby peut- être, et qui trouvera facilement à se faire adopter ( je sais déjà à qui je le destine )

Il est donc en velours noir ( un peu ramasse poussière je crains.... )

ses paumes sont rouges ...

Il a des yeux en verre ...et un sourire brodé de coton rouge .L 'intérieur des oreilles aussi est rouge.

Le cou est articulé avec des rondelles en carton , et les membres avec de jolis boutons ... rouges , of course ! Ses semelles sont rouges aussi , et il porte avec élégance une écharpe rouge tricotée ... Par " La tricoteuse " , bien sûr ! Il est donc bien totalement bicolore ...

Et j 'ai même fait une deuxième créature bicolore ... Celui-ci en blanc et rouge , sans doute un rappel des couleurs de notre ami Valentino , à l 'approche de la Saint Valentin , ça a du jouer ....
Lui , il est plus petit , et est fait en laine cardée ....Je n'ai pas cassé d 'aiguille , et je ne me suis presque pas piqué les doigts , je progresse !!!!

Donc il est tout blanc , avec paumes et pattes rouges , la truffe rouge , et l 'intérieur des oreilles aussi .

Il a une petite queue rigolote, et un ruban rouge pour pouvoir l 'accrocher.

Ses yeux sont des perles de rocaille , et le petit coeur sur sa poitrine est en feutrine .

Et voilà mes deux " bicolores " ensemble !!!!

lollipop bag

2011-01-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

I found a few patterns and tutorials on the net ,one at mavacre 's, in French and I made my own version, as I wanted it to fasten. ( I recycled a zip )
I used a nice piece of velvet material , that extends , so it seemed ideal for a bag ... I found several tutorials for flowers ... Wanted to crochet one , but eventually made this one in the same material.

This is the first try, I was almost satisfied with it , but realized that the handles were much too short ... A girl has to have her hands free when she shops ! )

But I liked the fact that it closed completely ... ( and as I said , could recycle a zip )

Inside , it is lined with an old male shirt the colours of which I liked , and I used a pocket to make a hidden zip pocket , and there is another pocket for a phone , or whatever ....

And this is the final version, after I undid and redid the handles , much longer ....

I intend to make another one ... Maybe several .... !)

Défi 13 JANVIER !!!!!

2011-01-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

Le thème de ce défi 13 de Janvier est :
" Princesses, reines, chevaliers, pages ....... "

Voyons voir, oui, on peut trouver ça , voilà sous forme d ' histoire ce

Défi 13 de JANVIER

La jeune Princesse Zazalée ( costume entièrement réalisé maison- élastique à la taille et smocks au corsage , ce qui en fait un costume qui peut être mis de 6 à 14ans ....)

La jeune Princesse Zazalée donc était en son boudoir, et s'interrogeait sur l'absence prolongée et inquiétante de son cher cousin ( un peu enquiquinant parfois , mais adorable quand même).
Effectivement, son cher cousin, le Chevalier d'Esquirol, n'avait plus donné signe de vie depuis un certain temps .....

Admirez la dentelle de la manche, et le petit noeud doré qui agrémente la jupe ...La large bande de smocks du corsage marque bien la taille, et donne l'impression qu'il s 'agit d'une robe.La Princesse était fort inquiète au sujet de son cousin, et eut une idée: afin d'avoir des nouvelles, elle allait envoyer sa colombe magique à sa recherche ...
En effet , celui-ci était fort impétueux, et Zazalée pensait qu'il s'était sans doute encore attiré des ennuis, qu'il avait pu tomber dans une oubliette, ou se noyer dans des douves , ou bien encore chercher querelle à un des dragons de l' élevage de son frère, l'apprenti mage Alexus.

Dans tous les cas, il était sans doute en mauvaise posture..

.
" Colombe, Colombe magique , veux-tu bien m 'aider, s 'il te plaît ? " dit-elle ...

Détail de la queuse de la colombe : perles sur feutrine et dentelle ....

La colombe revint assez rapidement avec des nouvelles du Chevalier : Selon ses informations, il était retenu prisonnier par le sinistre mage Hiver, et il avait besoin de secours ....

Aussitôt, tous les chevaliers se mobilisèrent, et préparèrent leurs écus et armes ...

( écus en carton découpé et décorés avec des restes de peintures diverses )

Chacun donna libre cours à sa créativité , et n' écouta que son courage : Oui, il fallait aller secourir le Chevalier d 'Esquirol!

Tous se souvenaient de son immense courage en ce fameux jour d 'Octobre où il affronta seul le monstre qui rôdait dans la nuit autour du château!

Ils l 'avaient bien encouragé ce soir là,
mais ils n 'auraient pas voulu aller à sa place dans le noir, et sous la pluie !!!!

Et leurs efforts ne furent pas vains ! Ils délivrèrent sans tarder le Gentil Chevalier !

( la tunique du Chevalier a été faite par sa maman, Dame Desdragons, et teintée dans du sang de dragon, pour lui donner sa jolie couleur )

Détail de la côte de mailles du Chevalier , qui est en fait un ancien tricot de soirée recyclé ...

Par chance , j'avais un petit reste de laine dorée qui m'a permis de faire la cagoule au crochet ....

Après avoir fait une fente dans le col roulé ....

Voilà le tricot tel qu'il était au départ ....

Tout est bien qui finit bien !

La malédiction de l' affreux mage Hiver ne peut prendre fin qu'un ... 13 du mois , à condition qu'il y ait un radoucissement de la température ...

Ouf ! Les conditions sont réunies !

Mais jeune Chevalier, sois plus prudent à l'avenir !!!!

ET ... En guise de confettis , tous eurent droit à quelques flocons de neige ....

Et un bon bol de chocolat chaud .....

tea boxes

2010-12-29T10:43:00.001-08:00

I like to keep tea boxes: they are ideal boxes for small gifts or biscuits ....

Those are covered with nice wrapping paper ....

I also covered one or two with felt , and decorated them, and used them as boxes for little felted bears that I made for friends ....

They made nice gift boxes, and are easy to make ....

They can be used as Xmas decorations too ....

And they are just the right size for my little winged felted bears !!!!

Teddy Bear house ...

2010-12-26T11:27:00.001-08:00

A sweet teddy bear family needed a home ... Well, I made them one ... With a cardboard box ( originally of an excellent local organic wine ) , and a little piece of white felt .... and a little time ...

Inside ,it is lined up with a green material ....

This is them , settling with a clock, a table, a lamp, and a little bed...

The roof opens, but it can close , and there is a handle for transport ...

Hope the family and the 2 pink babies like it !!!!

Christmas decorations

2010-12-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Easy, quick and cheap ...

Time is short now, I have made a few Xmas decorations lately, but those can be made in minutes if you haven't started yet ..

You only need one or two of those foam meat trays that I had kept for so long, thinking I was crazy, until Michèle from Michèle made me proved that indeed beautiful things ( flowers , but not only ) could be made out of them.

If you are not good at drawing , get a few of those shapes for biscuits , trace on the trays , cut as well you can ( not perfect , but never mind)

And here I am , I get the Xmas feeling on the panes of my atelier ....

Defi 13 de Décembre

2010-12-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Au début, je n'avais pas du tout d 'idée pour ce nouveau défi: " Formes géométriques " .... ça ne me parlait pas du tout ......

Alors, l'autre jour, j'étais en train de faire encore une petite chouette décorative, ( voir article précédent ) et je me disais que je commençais à avoir pas mal de chutes de feutrines de toutes les formes ..... formes ???? géométriques ????

Je le tenais peut-être , finalement, mon " défi 13 " !!!!!

Mais oui !! " des carrés assemblés, des formes géométriques " !!!! J 'avais pas mal de triangles et de cercles , aussi .....

Voilà ce qui m'est venu , sur un plus grand rectangle de reste de moquette .... J 'ai fait attention à ne point mettre " de Père Noël, ou de petit renne " .... Mais je n 'ai pas pu m'empêcher de faire ce décor un peu Christmas quand même , désolée , l 'esprit de Noël est bien là, pas facile de s'en débarrasser !!!!

J 'ai ensuite bordé mon petit tableau d 'un beau ruban , et j 'ai prévu de le doubler, et de faire 2 attaches pour le suspendre .. J 'ai aussi ajouté des petites perles , je l 'avoue , pour la déco ....

Me voilà avec mon défi fait , je pense , et une jolie petite déco de Noël !

owl decorations

2010-12-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

I started with the one with the red wings , and found it was fun and easy to make, so at the moment I am making quite a few !

... And I must say I found the pattern on the internet, so I am very grateful to Jessica Levit !!!

Inside the advent calendar

2010-12-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Some more .....

Those will be discovered inside the small booties : clothes for Barbie , knitted by La Tricoteuse ( our Knitting Lady ) ... Thank you !!! ( I kept one or two for my little bears ;)

Inside the advent calendar

2010-12-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Kitty and pink and white ...

A dragon and green and black ...

It is not always easy to find something to put inside the 24 little boots ...

I like to make things, so this year I tried to learn to make things with pearls ....

A little unicorn ...

2010-11-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

It is a little too big to be hidden in the small boots of the Advent calendar , but I know who it is for , and I am sure she will like it !

Thank you Zazalée for the white felt , and l' Ecureuil for the photo studio of the unicorn in the desert :)

des boutons pour " Défi 13"

2010-11-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

Pour la première fois , je participe au " défi 13" , le thème ce mois-ci était : les couleurs fanées " , en fait , les couleurs de l 'automne, si j 'ai bien compris ?

Alors , comme c 'est un défi français , exceptionnellement cette rubrique sera en français .

Voici mes 13 boutons ... Tous différents ...

J 'ai commencé par farfouiller dans mon stock de matériel pour voir si j 'avais des couleurs qui me semblaient correspondre ...

Là, j' ai utilisé une canette cassée, tant qu'à faire, je reste dans l 'esprit " recyclage "

Cette couleur me paraît être dans le thème, " orangé sourd " , j' ai pensé à un orangé d 'automne .... Coton, et perle de rocaille .

Le dessous d 'un bouton ...

J 'aime bien celui-ci en tissu...

Un autre dessous de bouton .

En fait , j 'en ai profité pour encore une fois m 'inspirer d 'une idée de Michèle, de " Michèle made me " , pour essayer son super tutoriel de boutons couverts , pour m' en inspirer , disons , parce que je n 'ai pas fait que des boutons recouverts de tissus , je me suis aperçue qu' il y avait en fait tout plein de possibilités d'interprétation de son idée , j'en ai fait recouverts de crochet , de broderie à l 'aiguille , et je n 'ai pas utilisé que du plastique à l 'intérieur , j 'ai aussi utilisé ... des rondelles de bouchons .....

Pour rester dans l 'inspiration des superstitieuses , pour l 'instant, je n 'en ai fait que 13 , et j'ai mis 13 photos , pour mettre toutes les ondes positives de mon côté !)

Little houses for Christmas

2010-11-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

Today , as I had at last finished tidying after the Halloween festivities , I decided to have a try at Michele's little houses , from Michèle made me ....But , forgive me Michèle, I think I didn't stick to the rules ....

Why ? - Well , first of all , maybe just because I am French :)...
And it is difficult to just respect the rules, we make a rule of transgressing a little ..
-( No , in fact my tissue boxes are horrible , and I don't have enough ... I use normal handkerchiefs ... My grandson did his best as he made a few ghosts with paper hankies , but he is back home now ...

I am in the process of making a little village ... ( merci l' Ecureuil for the photo studio , I explain , this is a very good idea, we used a box that was a package for a quad toy for the boy, and it is very useful for taking pictures of little objects like this , so it is my photo studio now , I will change the desert background , but for the moment I like it ! )

I covered the house with little pieces of nice wrapping paper that I had kept ....

I made other tries ... with little angels too ...

I left this one plain ... It was a quiche package ... I confess ....

And also , I had difficulties for glueing the pieces together .. How did Michele made it ? She is SO clever , she makes things so neat , it seems SO easy ... I didn't have the proper glue , I guess , don't think I am going out on this cold afternoon ( cold by my standards of course ) , so I added something like that on the pattern to glue the pieces together....

And I decided to make the roof in one piece ....

- I had kept a few boxes - not only cereals , I am afraid ... But I wanted to try yet another idea by Michele for Halloween , the idea of making webs with the boxes , but we didn't have the time ...

So I didn't respect the rules , I made my houses with other boxes than tissues .... But I had fun on this cold afternoon ( by our South of France standards ) ... I will make some more and leave them unfinished , to decorate them with the kids , I hope ....

So , sorry Michèle , I haven't been very disciplined , but it was very pleasant, I had a nice moment in my atelier making them ...
But I used 2 of your ideas in fact ;) !!!!

From Pierrot to witch

2010-10-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

I had this old Pierrot that had become a rag , and that I almost threw away more than a dozen times ... I didn't know why I didn't thow it away ... Now I know , after our afternoon of witch making , I decided to transform him into a witch ... so you have a few steps of the transformation here :

the creature was falling to pieces ....

I had even given part of his costume to Chocoblue , who was very happy of it and his new eyes ...

I started mending him .... I kept the original eyes ... ( he must be more than 20 years old )

And this is her now :

She loves pearls , there are some on her dress , she has a pearl front , and she likes brown!

And , thank you again, mideco, for the hat ( I had to enlarge it , Pierrot had a big round head , and the boots - I made them fit her ! )

Tomberry costume

2010-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today, I have completed this : a costume of TOMBERRY ... I had never heard about that creature before, I must confess my ignorance ... So when Alex ordered it to me , he made a drawing , I looked for pictures on the internet ( there aren't really many ...) It is a sort of lizard -like creature, dressed as a monk ... from what I gathered ...
The monk robe was ok for me to make , but I had to do some thinking for the lizard- like head ... I wanted the boy to be able to breathe in it , but I feared the head might look " empty" , I had made a device to make it look firmer , but gave up the idea ...
I was quite happy of my idea for the popping eyes : it is in fact a Christmas decoration , a transparent sphere that I pierced with a hot needle to fix it on the head ... I hope he will manage to see a little through that ... Though I fear if he wears it for Halloween, he will have to be led by the hand .... Well ...

so , here it is , DO YOU LIKE IT ALEX ?????????????

I even added feet , that wasn't specified in the assignment , but I think it looks nicer ... And I found the knife and the little lantern ..

Thank you M. for trying the costume on , so that I could take the photos ... You look great in it ... Pity no-one will recognize you !!!!

Pink witch

2010-10-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today, I have completed this little witch.... I decided for a complete pink , the pattern already was of a cute, funny witch, so I had the idea to change the usual colours of Halloween , I know a little lady who loves pink , I hope she will like my pink witch !!!! Thank you, mideco for the pattern !!!!

My workroom ... before

2010-09-18T14:06:00.001-07:00

Last July , at last , after so many years , we finally settled ... HOME !
And I was very happy : I was allowed to use the former garage as my own WORKROOM !!!! I decided to use things I had , as much as possible , so I kept this old wardrobe to put my stuff in ....

The place is quite big , and in it there is also a big fridge that we use when the house is full in the summer ....

I was quite decided to have this old wooden desk next to the large glass doors , and put my sewing machine on it , even if it is a bit on the way , but I want to be able to enjoy the view on the garden , it is so pleasant in every weather and any season !

What a mess !!! there was a lot to do !!! Will I manage to find a place for all the stuff , and to make it look ... well , better ...

I could already do a few things ... But it did need tidying !!!!

Summer Game : back to school

2010-08-25T02:46:00.000-07:00

For the Summer game at mavacre , the theme is : back to school .... At first , I don't know why , no idea , but eventually I could find those , very old and very used pencil cases that I made - a long time ago ... And I realize that it is also recycling again, isn't it ?

Summer Game ... again

2010-08-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Well , again for the summer game at Mavacre

I have just made this ... And realize it would fit the game " to be offered , from the heart " ...

customizing / crochet

2010-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Remember, some time ago I put a photo of something I had made , the question was : what did I use ? - Well , now for mavacre summer game you have the answer :

old tights !!!!

Summer Game

2010-08-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Greediness by Mavacre

I know a bit about being greedy .... , but this is all I could find for the moment , and it is over tonight ...

That fig jam was so goooood ! Usually, I only eat it , but there I managed to do something I liked ...

So , my fig jam from last year .....

Will that do ?????????

hats

2010-06-26T13:24:00.001-07:00

I like hats ! In the winter , I always wear a hat , I buy them , and make them , I crochet or sew them ... I have a huuuuuuge collection .....

Now , it's time for a summer straw hat ... I have a few too !

I made the pattern for this one , and one is for me , the other for my mother .

Teddies and I

2010-06-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

It's an old story ....

papier mâché...

2009-11-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Well , it wasn't just papier mâché , we used that technique only for the head , of course ... The rest is mostly sewing , and there is a little painting for the face ... And a lot of imagining ...My niece made the face for this one ....I helped her finish it .
Here are different stages ...

This is for the hat ...

At the beginning , it could be anything , but it is amazing how you can put an expression on that ... Even more than on a teddy bear .

I used old tights to fix the hair on the head ...

It is starting to look like something ...

And now ..?? I think it is nice to start with a witch's face , because it doesn't have to be perfect , quite the contrary .But I liked the look of mine ... Is it sad ???

There she is ...( I used one of my sister's old skirts to dress her ) So this is all recycling again, isn't it ? ...

The two of them ready to go to the party.

animals

2009-10-15T08:07:00.001-07:00

A frog ....

A cat .... with a red ribbon .

And many many lizards ...

Other things ....

2009-10-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

I realize that it has been a long time since I have posted here ..
But I have been making a few things ... Here is one : For years I had picked pieces of glass on the beach , and now I have started making things with them ... I had to learn how to drill through glass .. Thanks to e-how , I got very good advice ..

Teddies

2009-09-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Yes , I also like .... teddies , and I take photos of them , and make cards for special occasions , for example , or things like that ....

http://mascottblog.blogspot.com/

Go see there ....

Preparing Halloween

2008-10-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Making things , customizing ...Well , sewing again

2008-10-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

This is an appliqué that I made years ago when I was in Martinique , and that I have found again recently ...

This used to be a skirt , I changed it into a top because it was too short ( I like long skirts ) ... and maybe too tight now ??? :)

This used to be a nice coloured pair of jeans that belonged to my daughter and the colour of which I liked , so I had kept it many years in a cupboard until last year I made this bag - it was quite a success with my students and I remember in June they brought their own old jeans so that I cut them and show them how to do the same ...They did nice things too , and so did some of my colleagues ...

This one is my present school bag , I made it because I couldn't find one the size I wanted ...

This is for putting the remote controls , but somebody never uses it , and they keep lying around , ...and anyway the colour doesn't match anymore with the cover of the seats that I changed ....

In fact I realize that these few past months , I haven't made anything, so all this was made last year ... Mostly because I have been spending a lot of time on my computer , and for my work , of course , but it's nice to look back on the things I have made , and I wish that pretty soon I will find again some time to do all the things that I like to do ...

TAI CHI CHUAN

2008-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is more than a hobby .
I have practised for many years now. I started taichi at first because I had problems with my back and used to see a Chinese acupunctor , and he directed me to a school of Tai Chi .
Since then , I have found it difficult not to practise at least once a week , and I found out now , even if I move house , that it is easier and easier to find a club where you can do taichi ... Although it is not always the same taichi , but I don't mind , there's always something to learn .

This is where I go now. It is half an hour's walk from home , but I enjoy the walk too ...

If you want to know more about it , well I can tell you that it used to be a martial art , and that what I practise now is more for welfare and well being , it teaches you how to stand , how to walk , how to breathe , simple but vital things ....

And , NO , we don't shout "YO! " , when we do our exercises .. : )

The swimming pool across the road

2008-09-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

As I have just moved houses , I have discovered that just across the street to my new house , there is that lovely swimming pool, and I have decided that I deserve at least an hour a week There : I love it , I dont really swim , I enjoy the waterfalls and the massages , and so I go there at the opening , sometimes I am the only one there, THAT is very relaxing too ...

Sewing

2008-09-20T03:40:00.001-07:00

This is an advent calendar that I made for my first granson , a few years ago , with 24 different felt socks , and now every year , I have to find the different surprise gifts that go inside :) I have already started thinking about it for this year ... There's 3 of them now , and they seem to like it and expect it every year .... See the lovely little hand trying to reach for it ????

This is a little lavender doll stuffed with lavender from my garden ... I make them for friends ...

My garden

2008-09-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

And the pond that we made last year ... I like it ... Too bad I can enjoy it only at the weekend ...

embroidery

2008-09-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

If you double click , it will enlarge , so you can see I used different stitches . The oval one is a much smaller piece ....
I have started a huge one which I was supposed to finish next year ... I am ashamed to say I haven't done a 10th of it ... But it is small stitch ... I was crazy to even start it while I am still working ... I should have waited till I was retired ... Because I feel guilty to have it lying there ...

Boxes

2008-09-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

On this one , I did some embroidery ; so this will be another of my hobbies ....
The two small ones are tea bags boxes ....

I like doing things with small or big boxes , just for fun ... Or for using them for storing things....

crochet

2008-09-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Could you guess what I used to make all those crocheted squares ?????

I also like crochet , it is very relaxing .....

patchwork

2008-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

This one is made up with old trousers ...

The Teddy bear blanket is my favourite ...

So, the first one is patchwork ..I like cutting squares of material and making something out of it !!! :)