Monday 26 December 2011

Monday Moodboard


1. HandmadePrints4u  2. daimblond  3. ArtGlamourSligo  4. magalerie

New Year is quickly approaching, next week's moodboards will be in 2012.
Time flies...

Have a great monday everyone!

RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.

Friday 23 December 2011

The Box Maker


Last week we were two days in Izmir, Turkey's third biggest city where we go twice a year to buy supplies.
Besides our regular stuff we were looking for big boxes to package our bags in. A small cartonage factory, or office supplier.


Who ever we asked told us that we had to go to Istanbul for boxes. We couldn't imagine that in a city of five million we wouldn't be able to find them.
Finally, somebody knew somebody who gave us directions: 'Go till the end of the ruins and you will see a kind of street. Turn there  in and you will find the box maker'.


So we walked along the grecian ruins of old Smyrna, where the archeological digging is still a work in progress.




The remnants of a ottoman cemetery.


The cuppolas of an historical hammam.


And here it is. In a 'kind of street', the entrance of his establishment, for those in the know!


No effort has been spared to make the place cozy, organic, shabby-chic-sans-chic and very special.


Missing in the pictures is the lonesome black chicken picking at the droppings from the cages.


But the guy does make boxes and was able to help us.


This bizarre entourage has nothing to do with poverty, mind you. We have met many business owners with the same reticence to invest in their business.



If asked he would say that he can do his work here fine and that his customers would think that he charges too much if he went to a better spot. Or something along those lines.


And we? We loved the dreamlike quality of the enterprise, loved it!

Monday 19 December 2011

Monday Moodboards


1. Baymut  2. DinaFragola  3. eljuks  4. ZenzPhotography

For all who are dreaming of a white Christmas :)
A blogpost about my trip and our supply shopping trip will come soon!

Have a great monday everyone!

RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.

Monday 12 December 2011

Monday Moodboard


1. starrybluesky  2. stephmel  3. trotalo  4. ARTISANIEeurope

When you see this, I'll be in Amsterdam. For the moment I'm still in Marmaris, thankfully blogger allows me to program this beforehand to avoid dissapointment :)
I'll be away for just a few days, hopefully I'll be back with tons of supplies and inspiration!

Have a great monday everyone!

RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Our Creative Space...


I've been making some applique to adorn a bag. I will show you how I do it. I've seen this method in blogs but using freezer paper. Freezer paper is only available in the States, as far as I know, so I use iron-on interfacing, the thinnest, non woven kind, that is transparent enough to trace the pattern on.


Trace the pattern on the glue-y side and put it glue side up on the right side of the fabric.


Machine stitch all around the shape. I've reduced the pressure of the presser foot to very light. That allows me to turn the small piece of fabric very easily under the presser foot with my left hand. The feeding dogs are up. You have great control over the stitching this way.


Cut around the shape with a very small seam allowance.


Make a slit in the interfacing. Don't cut into your fabric!


And turn it inside out. If the shape is tiny, tweezers will help you here.


Iron on the back.The interfacing will adhere to your shape, making appliquing a breeze.


Do the same with all the pieces of your design.


For the skinny stams I used a very old method, from the time before Clover had those smart pants bias makers.
Insert a big needle on your iron board cover or  a piece of batting. Insert in and out twice, with the middle part of the needle that is out of the fabric beeing the desired bias tape width.


Pull with tweezers a strip of fabric through your 'bias maker', ironing as you go. Spray starch will help you.
Have fun!


See more creative spaces at Our Creative Spaces.

Monday 5 December 2011

Monday Moodboard


1. ManniaTitta  2. mouhoxlab  3. proiect44  4. cartonBois

This week I wanted to point you out the auction the EuropeanStreetTeam is having on our team's blog. It is a handmade babet blanket. The squares are made by different team members, and the blanket is put together by Baahar. She and 2 other members are also running our team's charity shop. So if you still have some Christmas shopping to do, it is great to both get presents and help a good cause.
You can see more details on the auction here, and the team's charity shop is here.

Have a 'good' Monday everyone!


RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.


Thursday 1 December 2011

Our Creative Space...


Wile creating you always aim to make something beautiful. To make something beautiful you often go through different stages and tools untill you finally have the end result. We usually show the pretty side of our creative space but today I'll show you some ugly and weird details.


I'm sure that everyone who creates often, has some weird tools and places that look battered and ugly, but the thing is those are just perfect as they are, they have been used for a long time and you know what you can expect from it :)


I'll just let your imagination guess what these details are :)


See more creative spaces at Our Creative Spaces.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Secret Santa


One of the teams we are member of on Etsy organized a Secret Santa swap. I feel so very lucky that AnnaRubyKing is my Secret Santa! I'm a huge fan of both her artwork and her jewelry.


I feel incredibly spoiled, the only luxerious problem will be that mum wants too, so a fight is waiting for us :)


She also sent us a piece of her beautiful printed fabrics, with starfish!



Cards, tags and a beautiful original piece of artwork, getting green aren't you? :)


Thank you so very much Anna, I couldn't wait till Christmas to open your package, but it felt like Christmas today :) Also a special thank you to Maria who organized and matched the Secret Santa's.

Monday 28 November 2011

Monday Moodboard


1. viltalakim  2. psarokokalo  3. kaleda  4. DinaFragola

No need to have a real tree to get in the Christmas feeling, their are so many substitutes for trees!
Have a great (cyber) monday everyone!

RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.



Sunday 27 November 2011

Not forgotten :)


Before you start to think that we have abandoned our blog, here we are to safe it :)
We simply forgot to make a creative space post, by the time we did remember it was late and dark, we will make it up with you this week!
In the mean time, Cyber Monday is tomorrow, hope you'll have a super fun time surfing online from shop to shop, buy Handmade to support small businesses and independent artists!
If you were thinking about buying from us for Christmas, this week will be the best week to be sure it arrives in time :) Have a wonderful Sunday!

Monday 21 November 2011

Monday Moodboard


1. TeaJennys  2. Varm  3. katinytis  4. StemellinaSupplies

For those who don't want to have the regular Christmas decoration, here is a different way to celebrate this time of year :)
Have a great monday everyone!

RULES: Feature your fellow EuropeanStreetTeam mates by making a mosaic. You can add your link here so that others can see it! Please only add your link if the mosaic features Team mates!

Please link back to this blogpost so that everyone can check the other Monday Moodboards.





Thursday 17 November 2011

Our Creative Space...


I'm still having fun with soldering, and becoming more confidend to make more difficult pieces. These are the pieces I am working on right now.


Wood, glass, metal, stone, all come together, I hope they will become as I hope.


Pebbles and tiles with metal tails will become fun necklaces.


Not to forget, to my mother's dissaproval, I'm making a huge mess too :)


In the mean time mum hasn't been sitting still either, these two bags are my favorites that she has been making lately, love the natural touch of wood and linen. Both took her days to finish, a true labour of love.


See more creative spaces at Our Creative Spaces.