i love sasek

2012-01-11T16:48:00.013+01:00

We've been travelling a lot lately, and just spent a lovely, relaxing weekend in Karlsruhe in the south of Germany. I don't remember a time where I've played so many board games. Thanks E. and T. for being such wonderful hosts!

I've never really used this blog as a forum to vent, but I've been feeling the crunch lately. I know that the beginning of a new year is all about turning over a new leaf and excitement for what is to come, but I have been feeling totally overwhelmed and as a result haven't felt like this new year is off to such a fresh start.

I'm not sure how other Moms juggle their children and all of the other things that they have going on in their lives. Most of the time it seems like many of you out there in blogland do a wonderful breezy job of it. I've been finding it hard to get to my projects, which other than spending time with my family and friends are some of the things that really make me feel good in life. I have to go back to work, after having a wonderful year off, at the beginning of February. I'm both fearing it and looking forward to the structure of it all. I have a feeling though that the structure will be good and I'll be more effective in organizing my time.

Anyway, I appreciate that there are people out there that have stuck with this blog through the sparse posting. I really really hope to be more active this year, and I have many new projects floating around in my head that I'll want to share with you once they come into fruition.

Here are a bunch of random photos that I didn't get a chance to post over the holidays. I hope you enjoy them.

Happy Wednesday.

2012-01-02T20:25:00.007+01:00

Happy New Years!! The end of the year really snuck up on me and now 2012 is here. We had a lot of fun spending time with family and friends over the holidays, and even had a small birthday soirée for the little love of our lives.

Time is going by so fast and I've been having a very hard time keeping up with this blogging thing. I'm not prepared to let it go yet though.

Wishing you all the best in this new year, and hopefully you'll see more regular posting from me!

Happy Monday.

2011-12-08T10:04:00.007+01:00

It's been busy yet quiet around here. We're slowly getting ready for the holidays and have a lot of making on the go. I spent the better part of Sunday baking cookies with some friends. I pulled out M's copy of Tiptopf and picked out a few swiss classics to try out, like Spitzbuben and Mailänderli. Aside from all the holiday cheer around, the days are getting darker, I always find it difficult adjusting... missing Canada where there is already periodic bouts of snow, with it's warm sunny reflection!

The dark cold evenings give me a good excuse to stay in and get cozy with one of about a million projects that I have going on. I'm attempting to knit a Christmas dress for P from this great book that M found for me at a flea market awhile back. I've been working on a couple of Christmas presents and have just been doing some repair work on a few favourite but hopelessly worn out pieces of clothing.

I really want to go and see the Helen Mirra show at KW... anyone feel like joining me?!

Happy Thursday.

2011-11-25T19:26:00.007+01:00

Wow I seem to have blinked and November is already over. I guess we've been busy visiting some flea markets, buying up estate sale sewing supplies, making stuff, hanging out at home, watching our little baby grow, reading lots of books, enduring the shorter days, cooking a lot, dreaming of new projects to start up, doing lots of laundry, eating cake and going to see shows.

There are a few christmas bazaars going on around the city and I might try to pop into one in the neighbourhood tomorrow (at Zossener and Blücherstr. in the afternoon).

Happy Friday.

2011-10-23T15:42:00.004+02:00

We've had the perfect fall weather this weekend in Berlin. I've been doing lots of housework and organizing, and today I managed to get out to a flea market that I'd never been to before. My friend K. suggested that we go, and it was a hit.

Hope you've had a nice weekend.

Happy Sunday.

2011-10-22T12:32:00.012+02:00

We spent a lot of time this week walking around Berlin. I have so many ideas in my head these days of new activities to do, and new projects to start, but I still have to finish off some old projects. My brain is getting ahead of my hands.

We had a visitor this week. A friend that we haven't seen in over a year. She brought us beautiful lilies. Thanks L! It was great to see you again.

We're off to Martin-Gropius-Bau today but I'm not sure what exhibition we'll see. There is so much going on there right now. I'm thinking either the Hokusai exhibition or the Ai Weiwei in New York photo show.

Happy Saturday.

2011-10-15T20:49:00.007+02:00

I had a quiet day at home today and then took a little walk to get a bit of fresh air. We picked some wildflowers and then walked through a new park near our house.

Happy Saturday.

2011-10-13T22:02:00.009+02:00

Some photos from around Berlin the last couple of months.

Happy Thursday.

2011-10-11T15:01:00.006+02:00

Hello strangers. It's been a while. I'm hoping that this was my last long silence for a long time. We've been busy reorganizing and rearranging the apartment and had my family visiting for the past two weeks. It was a great whirlwind of activity.

Now I just want to spend tons of time in our warm cozy apartment, finishing off some of the projects that I've been ignoring for the past month. My rag rug construction is under way again, and the end is in sight. I keep undoing it to fix snags and redo the colour scheme.

I've also been inspired by a few blogs out there to try my hand at weaving. I bought a portable weaver almost two years ago and need to finally dust it off. My goal is to have a weaving project under way by December.

Happy Tuesday.

2011-09-08T09:59:00.007+02:00

Here are some odds and ends from the past couple of weeks. I've been a little exhausted since we've been back from our trip. Unfortunately I haven't been out and about as much as I'd liked to have been. There are some interesting things coming up in Berlin though, and I'm building up more energy to get out!

If you're in town check out the Gert and Uwe Tobias show and Tal R at CFA. ABC is just around the corner from us and I'll probably pop in some time this week.

I'm also going to head over to Haus der Kulturen der Welt, next week to see the floating food exhibition. I've been seeing posters around town and they've been drawing me in.

Happy Thursday.

2011-09-05T19:40:00.003+02:00

We spent some time in Liechtenstein last week and saw lots of family and friends. I have a list of nice shows going on in Berlin over the next few weeks. More on that soon...

Happy Monday, and Happy Birthday to the best Dad in the world!!

2011-08-22T07:48:00.006+02:00

I spent the day Saturday making dill pickles with D., and then met some friends at Schlachtensee in the south of Berlin. It's my new favourite place to go swimming!

Happy Monday.

2011-08-18T21:21:00.009+02:00

We've been canning up a storm here! On Saturday D. is coming over and we're making dill pickles.

Happy Thursday. And Happy Birthday to my love!

2011-08-16T13:11:00.010+02:00

P. and I had a museum visit marathon last week. We ended up going back to Hamburger Bahnhof to look at Live to Tape, a video exhibition, and the Horst Ademeit, Secret Universe show. I'd like to visit the Horst Ademeit show once more, P. got a little cranky so we just breezed through it.

We also went out to Köpenick for the first time to see the palace, which is part of the state museum network in Berlin housing some of the handmade pieces such as furniture, jewelry and porcelain. The show there was interesting for me, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're into that sort of thing. Nonetheless it was a nice day trip out of the city center. The atmosphere in the old city of Köpenick is great, it's surrounded by water and marinas. I want to go back one day when the weather is nice and take a spin on the paddle boats.

At the end of the week we met up with our friend K. to take a peek at the Buchstaben Museum (Museum of Letters), which was hidden in an old GDR mall near Alexander Platz. It's really small but filled with remnants of beautiful old signage, and only costs 2.50 Euros to get in!

I'm off today to search for some dill weed for pickling. We've been pickling up a storm here, but want to take it to the next level... more on that later this week.

Happy Tuesday.

2011-08-05T08:34:00.006+02:00

It's sad, I'm almost exclusively taking photos with my cell phone these days. The problem is lugging our camera around with a baby. It's just not so practical. I do on the other hand use a 35mm Agfa that a friend gave us last year. It's such great little camera, a true design classic. I'm just a little slow on getting the photos developed.

It's been never ending rain in Berlin. I managed last week to catch the Richard Long show at Hamburger Bahnhof on the very last day. Some friends of ours from Toronto are in town for a month! I'm excited for some fun adventures with them.

Happy Friday.

2011-07-23T12:22:00.010+02:00

This week found me in Potsdam and searching for Robert Musil's home while in Berlin around Viktoria-Luisa-Platz with our visitors. We also went to the Dahlem museums and saw the Ai Weiwei Teahouse and Young-Jae Lee's Containers. The Dahlem museums are some of my favourite in Berlin. They have a great collection of North American aboriginal artifacts.

We have some visitors this week so I haven't been able to get too much sewing done. The carpet I'm crocheting is getting a little larger though. Maybe I'll be able to start sewing a new pair of pants this week.

The Richard Long exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof will soon be finished. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Happy Saturday.

2011-07-17T11:14:00.008+02:00

It's been a weekend of brunch, bike rides and ice cream. Summer is absolutely the best time to be in Berlin. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to talk some people into visiting a lakeside today.

We saw this beautiful film last week... summer in Berlin.

For my second ongoing project this summer, I'm crocheting a rag rug for the baby's room, out of old jersey and cotton t-shirts that I have lying around. I like the look of it so far. In the end it'll be about 2 meters wide. So if any of you Berliners have old t-shirts you don't want anymore, I'd be glad to give them a new purpose!

Two more friends of mine had babies this week. Welcome to the world Clark and Viola!!

Happy Sunday.

pants etc.

2011-07-14T17:09:00.006+02:00

As I've posted before, I've been working on making my own summer wardrobe, because I have the time and I have lots of fabric that I've been stockpiling over the years. Last week I finished my first pair of pants and I even figured out how to sew a fly and welt pockets! I followed a pattern out of a Burda magazine that I've had lying around for a while. So here are some photos of the pants and a tank top that I finished a few weeks ago. I'm happy with the tank top but would like to make a baggier version of it. Maybe I'll get started on it this weekend.

I have another interesting project idea involving old t-shirts that I'm hoping to get started by the weekend. Maybe I'll have some photos early next week.

Happy Thursday.

Summers past and present.

2011-07-10T13:42:00.006+02:00

I just recently figured out how to access the photos from my cell phone. We're enjoying this wonderful summer weather and spending as much time as possible outside at the park, just walking around, eating lots of ice cream. I made my first beer garden visit of the summer yesterday.

There is not too much to report on except that our lovely friends A. & C. welcomed their new baby to the world early this morning! Congratulations, we're really looking forward to meeting him!!

I have a million projects on the go right now and I'll report more on some of them later this week.

Happy Sunday.

Catching up.

2011-06-19T08:52:00.008+02:00

Ahhh. There is so much going on in the city. By "so much going on" I mean that there are just so many reasons to hang out outside. I can't keep up with this blog. Plus I've been spending a lot of my time at home either getting projects finished around the house or sitting in a park somewhere (i.e., planting window boxes, sewing, cooking, cleaning etc...). The weather is just too beautiful to be on the computer.

I've been doing a lot of sewing and have resolved to sew all of my new summer clothes. I have been stockpiling fabric here for the past couple of years and ended up bringing a bunch back from my stash in Canada. I'v already made a tank top from this free pattern that I heard about through make something. I'm working on a pair of pants now, from a pattern I found in a Burda magazine.

If you're in Berlin right now, Based in Berlin is on all over the city. We ended up going to KW last week for a glimpse of what's going on. This week I'm going to try and check out what's going on at Hamburger Bahnhof and Berlinische Galerie. This great thing about this exhibition is that everything is free!

Yesterday we had brunch with a friend at Felix Austria. I can't tell you how much I love this place. Being able to sit outside and enjoy all of the activity on the streets is a plus. Afterwards we moseyed over to a sweet organic farmers market on Chamisoplatz and bought some fruit, flowers and plants! I've been obsessed with buying fresh cut flowers lately!

Happy Sunday.

The day-to-day.

2011-06-03T11:57:00.002+02:00

We've been hanging around the house a lot since being back in Berlin. I've been into fixing up things that have long been waiting, making a new summer table cloth, sewing buttons on clothes, mending etc. We've also been getting a fresh organic food box every week from a farm just outside of Berlin.

The stairwells in our building are being renovated and I love this in-between stage. They've pulled up the ratty linoleum flooring exposing the old hardwood. It's exciting to see what the finished product is going to look like. M. is hoping that they paint the floors while I'm hoping that they'll install jute runners.

Last night we went to my favourite Ethiopian restaurant in Berlin, Blue Nile, with some friends. And we've been taking a few too many trips to the best ice cream joint in the city, Vanille & Marille. If you're in the city it's worth a trip to our corner of Kreuzberg. There is always a line-up outside, but it goes fast.

Happy Friday!

Water.

2011-06-02T09:48:00.017+02:00

One of my favourite things about summer is being by the water. I'm not much of a swimmer though. I love to sit by the water, enjoy it from the banks. Here are some digital and 35mm film shots of a trip that we took to Hamburg last fall. We took an interesting harbour cruise, with a Captain frustrated about the wealth in the city and changes affecting the harbour. I'm in love with freighters and stacks of colourful shipping containers. It's all so romantic in a horrifying way. Gentle giants.

There is an abundance of freshwater in and around Berlin, which makes it such a great city to spend the summer in. Here are just a few spots that I'd suggest visiting while in Berlin...

Krumme Lanke

Plötzensee

Teufelsee (Grunewald)

Plänterwald near Rummelsburger See

and there are lots of nice places to sit along the Landwehr Canal in Kreuzberg; close to Tiergarten on Garten Ufer, in front of the Urban Hospital (Krankenhaus), and the basin where Landwehr Canal turns to go up to the Spree, near the east end of Reichenbergerstr.

Have a great Thursday!

Routine.

2011-05-26T06:48:00.006+02:00

That's mainly what I need in my life. Routine. I think the lack of it in our lives the past four months has really slowed me down, rendered me super unproductive. We've forced some routine into our lives since being back in Berlin and it's already made a world of difference.

Here are some film shots that I've been meaning to post for months. A lot of them are from our trip to Strasbourg, France, in the fall with my parents. Bits of my life before the baby was born.

Happy Thursday.

New.

2011-05-25T07:20:00.004+02:00

Hey everyone. We just got back from an extended trip to Canada. We were there for 6 whole weeks. Hence another serious break in posting. I just wanted to share with you some of the stuff that I've recently made. Baby stuff! I've found it super rewarding knitting baby clothes, they are so small so the project don't seem to take all that long to complete.

The baby quilt that she's lying on was my Father's when he was a baby. I can't believe what great shape it is in. I still can't figure out if those little animals on the quilt are cats or dogs. Any thoughts?

There are a couple of things happening in Berlin this week that we are planning to get out and see!

The Raymond Pettibon show at CFA
The Reading Raum put on by Wundercabinet at Etsy Lab

Plus we have some Toronto friends visiting over the weekend. I may get into some trouble. We'll see!

Happy Wednesday.

Where did March go?

2011-04-03T13:25:00.006+02:00

I'm a little rusty at this posting thing as you can see. The baby has really thrown me for a loop and I'm just getting around to scanning some film photos from the last half of 2010 that I actually got developed in January. Here are a few from around Berlin.

We've been doing tons of great things lately and I always think about posting them here but often don't have my camera with me... or just don't have the time to get on the computer. I'm hoping to be able to juggle my life a little better very soon so that I can get back to posting regularly soon.

Yesterday was the first day of the year for spending time along the Landwehr Canal near our place. People were out on the streets in droves to enjoy the beautiful spring weather we're having!! We ended off the evening at Hamburger Heaven on Graefestrasse. Mmmm.

We're heading of to Canada for an extended visit and to show off our little guy to family and friends back home. Sadly we'll be leaving this wonderful spring weather to return to winter. Hopefully it'll warm up there soon too!

Happy Sunday and happy spring!

2011-02-22T21:33:00.007+01:00

Wow, it's already the 53rd day of 2011. It's been cold in Berlin but the sun makes a huge difference.

My parents were visiting us for the better part of February, and we spent most of the month running around town with baby in tow, buying new furniture and finishing a couple of home improvements.

Once I'm back on my feet running I'll post more about some of the things that we are doing in Berlin. In the meantime here are some photos from around the apartment.

Happy Tuesday.

Transition.

2011-01-26T14:56:00.004+01:00

Sorry for my major absence, we've just been getting used to our new lives over here. Hopefully I'll be back and running with this blog... and in general in a couple of weeks. I know that I'm a bit ambitious, but I can't wait to get out into the city and explore with our little bundle. I'm not used to sitting around our apartment so much.

Hope you're all having fun out there.

Happy Wednesday.

Fresh.

2011-01-10T18:23:00.006+01:00

We took our first steps outside today in over a week. Felt like spring. Strolled down to the best little cake shop in Berlin, Mr. Minsch.

Happy Monday.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T03:29:00.002+01:00

Our little surprise came just in time for New Year's.

Hope you're having fun wherever you are!

Holidays.

2010-12-27T16:03:00.007+01:00

We're amassing a top collection.

Pulled out the "pull-out" couch for a comfier film watching experience.

I hope that everyone had a lovely time over the holidays. I tried to spend as little time as possible on the internet. It was a success. We had a pretty relaxing time, ate too much delicious food, watched many movies, did some embroidery and sewing.

Happy Monday.

Himmeli.

2010-12-22T19:17:00.007+01:00

above two photos via noteworthy finds

photo via wikimedia commons

photo via the finnish museum of agriculture

This year I've surprisingly been into decorating for Christmas, and after seeing a "Himmeli" a few years ago at a the Finnland-Zentrum here in Berlin, I've been obsessed with making one of these for our own place. I've finally got around to it this year, although at this point it's still a work in progress. I'll be hanging up the finished product tomorrow though!

Happy Wednesday.

2010-12-16T11:02:00.004+01:00

Sunday brunch during the week! We're trying to enjoy more of these while we can. A lovely friend gave us some homemade apple marzipan and almond jam. Mmmmm.

I'm so close to finishing off the knitted baby tights with feet in them. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.

I can see some blue sky poking through the clouds today... maybe I'll even get out of the house before it gets dark out.

Happy Thursday.

A storm.

2010-12-15T21:38:00.006+01:00

I've been sewing up a storm here. I've finished making all of our cloth diapers. Finally put together a pattern for baby pants and here's the first sample. I wish there was a newborn around here so I could check and see if they fit!

There's a busy weekend coming up for us. We're having dinner with friends at WAU on Friday night. My friend Ninon has an opening at Staalplaat Store on Saturday night, plus other friends of ours are having a housewarming. This could be my last weekend of action for a while.

Happy Wednesday.

etc...

2010-12-13T10:26:00.005+01:00

Here are some more photos from our trip to the Baltic Sea. We took a quick jaunt over to Poland but realized when we got there that we had forgotten to look up any useful polish phrases and had no map. We just ended up visiting a very sweet doily laden cafe.

Happy Monday.

Winter sea.

2010-12-09T12:26:00.010+01:00

We just got back from a relaxing break on the Baltic sea. I'm sure you're going to think that this is the only place that we travel to nowadays. It's just so easy to drive there from Berlin and no one can complain about the off-season rates!

If you're in Berlin tonight there's an event being put on by the reading room... and one of M.'s books will be a part of the exhibition.

Update on crafty things... I'm almost finished with the footed baby pants... accidentally knit a left foot on the right leg. I'm not sure if it matters though! I also bought this and this pattern. I just couldn't resist.

We have some amazingly snowy winter weather in Berlin right now! I hope that you are enjoying the weather wherever you are.

Happy Thursday.

Dezember.

2010-12-01T11:46:00.005+01:00

It's here! This year has just flown by. I can remember last December so clearly, getting ready for a long trip back to Canada. It makes me sad to think that it's been almost a whole year since we've seen so many of our friends back home.

I've started knitting my first pair of baby pants with feet in them. I've never knit anything with a fine yarn so I'm hoping that they don't take forever to complete. Today will be a day of pattern drafting, cutting, and sewing... hopefully I'll have some photos to share with you soon.

We're off for a mini-vacation soon... back to the Baltic sea. I'm looking forward to having a few days of relaxing, reading and knitting.

If you're in Berlin over the coming weekend here are some nice things to explore...

semidomesticated show and sell
trendmafia

Happy Wednesday.

kitty time.

2010-11-28T13:27:00.006+01:00

In the theme of cat love, I have a few of my favourites to add. The bag will be our diaper bag, and M. picked up the Katzenzungen chocolates last week when I was having a down day. Can you believe that they are called "cat tongues"?! I've also ordered this sweet 2011 calendar from fieldguided.

I've been spending the last couple of days knitting, which I haven't done in a long time. I'm trying to get some Christmas presents finished and mailed off so I don't have to worry about them reaching their final destination in time. This has left little time for going out and enjoying city life in Berlin.

Here are two beautiful blogs that I'm finding some new-found inspiration from.

Journal de Jour
Belle Fleur de Lis which I found via Make it Easy

Today, I might end up taking a spontaneous trip to a museum... we'll see if the sun pokes out from behind those clouds.

Happy Sunday.

Knits.

2010-11-26T17:13:00.004+01:00

This is definitely the time for them. Today we had our second snowfall of the season, in Berlin. It was beautiful waking up and seeing snow on the roofs. Too bad it didn't stay on the ground though. I usually love snow up until the middle of January!

Here are a few things that I've knit over the years. I just learned to crochet this year, thanks to my friend Becky. I cut my teeth on the baby blanket pictured at the top, and I have to say that I'm fairly pleased with the results. I had an enormous blue ball of yarn that was salvaged from my Grandmother's house after she passed away. I finished the white scarf last winter, and even though I love it, didn't end up wearing it too often because it's just not thick enough for my taste. I finished the bulky grey cowl the first fall that we were in Berlin. I love love love it and still wear it all the time.

I've been searching for easy to knit baby clothes patterns and will hopefully get started on some cute little pants with feet in them over the next couple of weeks. Until then I'll be a living, breathing Christmas present factory.

Happy Friday.

Around the house.

2010-11-21T10:12:00.007+01:00

That's all I've had time for photo-wise these days. I have three rolls of film that I shot over the past month or so but haven't had time to stop and get them developed. Hopefully I'll be able to take care of that first thing on Monday. I'm looking forward to the surprises that await me!

Fall is really upon us and winter is fast approaching. All the signs are here. I've been drinking endless cups of tea. The gloves and scarves have been pulled out and won't be going back into storage for a long time. I've been devouring clementines like crazy!

Things are not slowing down here as I anticipated. I've been pretty busy with work, but all of that will end at the beginning of December. Then I'll just be busy running around the house organizing, cleaning, and organizing some more.

This week was a really nice week. I finally went to Hamburger Bahnhof to see Carsten Höller's Soma exhibition. And couldn't believe that there were real life reindeer included in the show. I'm not much of a zoo person, but these animals looked happy and well cared for. I'll probably go back in the next couple of weeks to see it again. It's possible to book an overnight stay in the museum and become part of the exhibition. I haven't checked out how expensive it is but you can see what I'm talking about here.

After a hearty breakfast of warm Milchreis this morning, today will be a day of keeping cozy in front of the sewing machine. I'll post more on some of my projects this week.

Happy Sunday.

Sunshine.

2010-11-14T13:41:00.003+01:00

We're really trying to force the sun into our lives these days. It has continued to be pretty grey in Berlin... except for today! It's a beautiful warm day outside. We have all the heaters off, and the windows open!

We went to the New National Gallery yesterday to see the Willem de Rooji exhibition... I'd really recommend it. Today we popped by the Bauhaus Archive... it was my first visit, and admission was free, so it was pretty packed. I have to confess that I'm a total Bauhaus junkie... I especially love the weavers.

Some fun things that I got up to this week...

*went to a huge asian market that's just on the outskirts of central Berlin... had some pretty tasty, cheap pho in Halle 1. Thanks Missus D for the recommendation!
*celebrated a friend's birthday at a lovely restaurant in Prenzlauer Berg... Frau Mittenmang. Delicious and simple.
*had dinner with friends at Joseph Roth Diele... an old Berlin institution on Potsdamerstr. Nice and relaxing atmosphere.

Next week I'm planning on going to see a few of the current shows at Hamburger Bahnhof and I'm also looking forward to having a nice tea and cake break at Sarah Wiener, my favourite cafe in Berlin. Mmmmm.

Happy Sunday.

Speaking of Markets.

2010-11-11T09:53:00.005+01:00

Here are some photos of the printing demonstration that I did for Missy Magazine at Hello Handmade a couple of weeks ago. It was a really nice market and I was pretty happy to be a part of it in some capacity.

You can check out the Missy website for more photos.

Happy Thursday.

Grey.

2010-11-08T22:26:00.007+01:00

It's been pretty grey in Berlin the past couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to some autumn sunshine... I'm not sure when that'll come our way though. Things are finally starting to slow down here, well, for the time being. Here's some recent photos around the house.

So here are some highlights from the last few weeks. The Hello Handmade market in Hamburg was really exciting. There were so many talented vendors there... really nice quality goods. I unfortunately didn't get enough time to look around. I'm very jealous about the Little Winter market that just took place in Portland. I think it would be my ideal market. I might have spent way too much money there though.

Our friend Henrik's band played a really nice show last night at Superplan in Berlin.

I'm looking forward to going to the László Moholy-Nagy show at Martin Gropius Bau.

I haven't been able to make it out to so many evening events these days. I'm just too beat by sun down. This week is going to be filled with meeting friends that I haven't seen for ages! I'm also excited to get caught up with blogland news and see what some of my favourite bloggers have been up to!

Happy Monday. I hope the sun is shining where you are.

Hello Handmade.

2010-10-29T15:04:00.009+02:00

This weekend I am off to Hamburg to attend the Hello Handmade market. I'll be doing some printing demonstrations at the Missy Magazine table! If you are in or around Hamburg this weekend you should check out the market and it's amazing collection of vendors.

Bear with me over the next month or so while I finish catching up with everything on my "to do" list. I'll probably be letting the blog fall by the wayside for at least a couple more weeks.

Happy Halloween weekend!

From afar.

2010-10-15T10:41:00.010+02:00

Necklace by Kate Miss (photo taken from Bakers Dozen)

Rocks under Water by Gemma O'Leary (photo taken from Gemma O'Leary)

Another long absence indeed. I've been meaning to post about some lovely things I received in the mail over the past couple of months. The Rocks under Water Bracelet was a birthday present from the talented Gemma O'Leary... I absolutely love love love it! I treated myself to a Kate Miss necklace which I purchased through Bakers Dozen. And a sweet friend of ours, J., sent us this cute little ducky sleeper.

My folks are visiting right now, so that leaves very little time for electronic communications on the interweb. Hopefully I'll be back next week with some updates on a couple of projects that I've been working on.

Today we're heading off to the Spreuth Mager Galllery to see the Ed Ruscha show. I'd also like to make my way over to the Konrad Fisher Gallery to see the Rita McBride show.

Happy Friday.

much, much more.

2010-09-21T09:00:00.008+02:00

I have a bunch more film shots spanning the year up until now. Here are a few more.

It's a beautiful day. Unfortunately I'll be inside working for most of it. I don't mind in a way because my job takes me to the far corners of Berlin and often to places that I would never go otherwise. The city is full of surprises... and beauty. I'll bring my camera with me today!

I heard on the radio this morning that it'll feel like a cool summer day outside! The best kind. I am a huge fan of fall though... it didn't bother me one bit when we started getting fall weather in the middle of August. Bring on the sweaters.

There is a lovely show at Kunst-Werke right now... the Renata Lucas installations are a bit understated but are interactive and I was impressed.

On Saturday I'll be heading over to la Bastellerie for the opening of the Wunderkabinet, which a fellow Torontonian, Leah, has organized and I'm looking forward to meeting her!

Film.

2010-09-05T08:42:00.013+02:00

My absence has been very long this time. To tell you the truth the past three weeks haven't been filled with that much excitement... well... that's not entirely true. We had a bunch of wonderful visitors. I've just been very busy with work, and organizing my life. I haven't been taking many photos with the digital camera either. But I have been inspired by Anabela and many other bloggers out there and have been snapping away on my voigtlander medium format camera which I love... Here are some shots from a couple of old rolls I had lying around.

Two weekends ago Berlin was buzzing with small press and self published art books with two events at Kunst-Werke and Motto, Miss Read and Unter dem Motto respectively. These are worth keeping in mind for next year!

I'm looking forward to checking out the Marianne Breslauer show at the Berlinische Gallerie this week.

I've been hunting for cheap fabric bargains for a HUGE upcoming project that I have. This one will probably be ongoing for some time. I'm getting my feet wet with a smaller project I'm working on for M., a cardigan. I've never been the best at sewing with knits. I must say that I've approached this one with some patience and it's turning out pretty well.

Happy Sunday. I hope that I'll be able to post more in the coming weeks!

Offline.

2010-08-17T09:56:00.007+02:00

I've been pretty productive lately... this doesn't include the online realm though. I've been concentrating on getting back into sewing and crocheting and have been finishing off tons of small projects that have been sitting around and staring at me for awhile (some of them for a couple of years).

Last Sunday we actually did some Sunday things. I dragged M. out of the house to go to the Arkonaplatz fleamarket. It might be one of my favourites in Berlin. Nice and quaint.

Some fun events are coming up in Berlin over the next couple of weekends. This coming Sunday there will be a giant outdoor clothing exchange at Moritzplatz... and next Friday there's another at the Stadtbad Oderbergerstr. in Prenzlauer Berg (starting at 9pm). Who knows maybe I'll even swing by one of them.

Happy Tuesday.

Bits and pieces.

2010-08-06T18:03:00.007+02:00

I've been hanging around the house much too much lately. Actually I've been loving every minute of it, but have noticed that most of my photos are shot from this little space in which we live. I've tried to get out and take some more photos today but it started raining... and I didn't feel like pulling the camera out.

This weekend we're trying to catch the tail-end of the Berlin Biennale. So far we've seen the George Kuchar exhibition at Mehringdamm 28.

I bought some ingredients to make my "famous in some small circles" dill pickles. I haven't pickled since we moved to Berlin and so I'm looking forward to getting back into it tomorrow. I just have to find some canning jars.

I'm slowly getting inspired to sew more and starting out again by sewing super simple little projects. I've just finished a little cafe apron and will start on a cardigan for M. next. Sewing is one thing that I intend to get back into in full force. M. bought me this book years ago and I really want to delve into it again this fall.

Happy Friday.

Sunday special.

2010-08-01T11:39:00.005+02:00

We're having some friends over for brunch today. Waffles will be on the menu. On Wednesday I thought I'd treat us for breakfast and made some pancakes with peaches on top.

Happy Sunday.

Where did the week go?

2010-07-31T15:20:00.004+02:00

I meant to post some photos of our trip to the Baltic Sea on Monday!! I can't believe that it's already Saturday. Our trip to Rügen Island was so relaxing and wonderful. I need to spend more time by the sea in the near future.

We're off to the Shake Your Tree release party at HBC tonight.

Happy Saturday.

a lovely gift.

2010-07-21T11:59:00.008+02:00

Awhile back we did our very first giveaway for the Etsy Germany Streetteam, a group of Etsy sellers that are living in Germany and other German speaking countries like Austria and Switzerland. And Regine of Karla A was gracious enough to be our very first sponsor. Well... when I went to check the mail the other day I found these beautifully handspun skein's of yarn waiting for me. Regine you are the sweetest! Thank you so much. I can't wait to start a project with your beautiful yarn!! I'm thinking of adapting the pattern below to make a lacier looking version of this shawl.

In other news I've been cooking up a storm. One of our main sources for foolproof recipes is food gawker. Last weekend I went to visit my friend Ninon and her friend Le Raclet at the Nowkölln Fleamarket on Maybach Ufer. It was a pretty nice market with a good mix of handmade and used stuff... good prices. Check it out if you are in Berlin on the 3rd Sunday of the Month!

Happy Wednsday.

Experimenting.

2010-07-21T11:56:00.003+02:00

I've been teaching myself how to crochet because someone told me that it is much faster and easier than knitting. I don't know... I'm much more of a knitter. I think that eventually I'll just have to get the hang of it, no?

I'm off to the Baltic Sea for a long weekend camping adventure. The weather reports aren't good but I hope that they are wrong. They often are.

Some lovely posts that made me smile this week:

I'm excited about this new collaboration between Anabela and Caitlin.

This is a nice tumblr collection.

I found this through craftgawker and may try it out in the near future.

Happy Thursday.

Preparations.

2010-07-14T08:52:00.005+02:00

I have lots of new time on my hands this summer. It is in many ways pretty great. I have tons of time for cooking, planning, shopping. I haven't been much of a cook over the years. When you've always lived in a city where eating out is pretty inexpensive it is very easy to become lazy and say... aw let's go out tonight. Despite the heat, which seems to be subsiding, we've been cooking consistently. I can't say that they're all great meals, but this week they will be!

Yesterday morning I planned out a few meals and then went to the Turkish market in the afternoon. For dinner I ended up cooking the above Aubergine recipe with the help of some lovely friends, and it was to die for. I couldn't believe that I took part in making something so tasty. Today I'm going to tackle the Provincial Potatoes dish.

This evening we're cheating a bit and we'll be heading off to one of my favourite beer gardens for dinner. We have some guests coming in for a few days and another friend in town who is leaving tomorrow. So it's just one of those occasions for going out and seeing the town!

Happy Wednesday. I hope it's cooling off wherever you are.

And it continues.

2010-07-12T11:02:00.006+02:00

The heat is relentless. I think that I'm just going to have to bear with it for the next week. I took a look at a two week forecast for Berlin and it seems like tomorrow the temperatures will drop to normal or maybe a little lower than normal summer levels... mid to low 20's. Sorry for any Americans that might be reading this... I have no idea what that would be in Fahrenheit.

Yesterday we had a lovely evening of sitting in the park with our new friend Kate... she's visiting from Atlanta. And then we dragged her along with us to eat some Sushi at a really wonderful and not so expensive restaurant on Torstr. near Gartenstr. Sorry I didn't take note of the name.

Today I gallivanted around town and made a visit to the Staatsbibliothek on Potsdamerstr.... one of my favourite places in the city.

Hopefully this week will be full of evenings sitting in parks and on the bank of a canal near our place... just some of our oases to escape the heat in this place!

Happy Monday.

Guest.

2010-07-11T10:46:00.004+02:00

We have had a visitor this past week. Not a real visitor from out of town. A friend of ours in Berlin has been borrowing my workspace this week. It's been nice to have an extra body around buzzing away on my sewing machines. I'm hoping that it draws some inspiration out of me!

My friend Christiane gave me this book earlier this week as an early early birthday present. I think we're on the same wavelength. Sometimes I need the pull of quick and easy projects to get me back on that sewing horse.

Stop by the Etsy Germany Streetteam Blog to check out our Giveaway for the month of July, sponsored by Kathleen of Missus D!

This is exactly how I've been feeling in this heatwave.

Heat.

2010-07-11T09:50:00.004+02:00

We've been adjusting to some major lifestyle changes around here. It's been tough... but I'm starting to see the positive aspects. The heat has also been keeping us inside our "somewhat cooler than outside" apartment. Last summer Berlin was pretty cool and rainy so we were very ill prepared for this heatwave. I've also been a little stubborn and have decided that it's not worth it to buy a fan. As soon as we do I'm sure the heatwave will be over.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a new pair of glasses. I've decided to go the frameless route. After years of wearing glasses with chunky thick plastic frames I felt like it was time for a change in this department. Every time I look in the mirror wearing the new glasses I feel like I'm channeling my grandmother. Sweet but strange.

My number one way of beating the heat?? Eating lots of fruit and salads, and drinking way too much homemade iced tea. I must thank my old and dear employers (here and here) in Toronto for teaching me their homemade iced tea secrets!

It's fashion week in Berlin and although I have no energy to even think about which interesting events I can go to, I will be stopping by Wedding Dress today to check out the wares and to visit two lovely ladies Mon Bibi and Anna.

Happy Sunday.

Small Oases.

2010-07-09T11:53:00.006+02:00

Over the past few years I've been uncovering many small Oases throughout Berlin. Most accessible in the summer... But some of my year long favourites are...

WAU
Amerika Gedenkbibliothek - beautiful spacious cool space to read or work in
Fleury
Cafe in Bode Museum
Bar Vereinszimmer
Sarah Wiener at Hamburger Bahnhof

Around the corner a new cafe just opened up that I can see myself spending many hours in in the near future. When I remember what it is called I'll post it here.

One of my favourite things to do when I need a bit of time alone, or need to get out of the heat, is to go to one of the many museums in Berlin. They offer yearly passes for 80 Euros (40 Euros if you are a student) for all of the special permanent exhibitions. It's a steal... especially if you're not a fan of the crowds on the weekly free nights!

Happy Friday.

Happy Canada Day (Yesterday).

2010-06-26T10:27:00.012+02:00

throughout my week, random photos

I almost forgot that it was Canada Day yesterday. I was out with an American friend in the morning buying some fabric and while we were waiting to pay I said... Hey Happy Independence Day. And he said... Oh that's on the 4th. Then I realized. Hmm.

The weather has been beautiful in Berlin and I've been finding it very hard to commit to time in front of the computer. Actually I've been avoiding it at all costs. Things may be slow around here for a bit while I soak up this summer weather. We've been spending as much time in parks as possible... along with the rest of the city. I have been hearing that the heat wave will last for 7 weeks! Hooray!

So here are some of my fabric store tips for those that are interested. My favourite is Gebrüder Berger, even though it can get quite frustrating because it is huge and hard to find exactly what you want. I also really like Off Stoff in Graefe Kiez for the cute cotton prints and Frau Tulpe in Prenzlauer Berg. I might start exploring the possibilities of purchasing fabric online. Most of the time I feel like I have to dye my own fabrics to get the colour and texture combinations that I want anyway.

I've been on a massive hiatus from Louis by Amanda. I think it will be like that for awhile. I'm just not feeling it, and want to take more time to experiment a little and make stuff for myself. I'll try to get better at documenting this process.

Last night I met up with my dear friend Christiane to see Precious in an open air film theater (Kreuzberg Freuluftkino). I love outdoor movie theaters in the summer. For me such activities are the epitome of summer fun and I can never seem to get enough. For info on all the outdoor movie theaters in Berlin go here.

Happy Friday.

Ps. I have all these great pictures of parks on my new phone but can't seem to get them off and on to my computer. Yet another reason for delays in my posting. Back to the old camera!

A Sunday at home.

2010-06-20T17:55:00.005+02:00

I just puttered around the house today and did some things that I've been thinking about for awhile.

Re-potted a rapidly growing house plant

Planted some seeds to grow seedlings that will eventually fill up my window box garden

Made some homemade Iced Tea with lots of citrus-y goodness

Caught up on blog reading

Made some vegetable soup from scratch and baked some bread to go with it

Most of the day has been cloudy and grey here. On days like this I feel happy to be staying inside.

I've been drooling over some lovely items on the Bird and Banner blog... especially these pin cushions. Also caught wind of the Hansel from Basel sale via Bekväm and ordered myself some cozy tights for those cool summer nights.

Happy Sunday.

Waiting...

2010-06-15T18:57:00.003+02:00

Sorry for my longer than ever absence. We were on holidays... then I had to make a quick and somewhat secret trip back to Canada. I have thousands of photos from our trip that I need to sift through... this has also been a large part of the reason why I've put off posting.

I have lots of changes coming up which I'll divulge at a later date.

Happy Tuesday.

Finds.

2010-05-17T17:57:00.004+02:00

photo courtesy of Schaufenster

photo courtesy of CuriousKnopf

A few weeks ago I picked up some goodies from a local Etsy Seller, Rebeccah here in Berlin. She has two lovely shops. Check them out if you are so inclined... Schaufenster and CuriousKnopf!

Also, if you're a knitter check out the Etsy Germany Streetteam Giveaway this week.

We're heading off to Switzerland in a few days for a short vacation so you won't hear from me for awhile!

Happy Monday.

Sewing action.

2010-05-12T13:58:00.008+02:00

Just getting over being sick and exhausted this past week. This tricky weather has really done me in. It's been a long weekend here in Germany. I've had 4 glorious days off and had hoped to tackle a million things on my to do list. I've got a few done but not nearly enough.

Dress update... I had decided that the yellow dress I've been working on for the upcoming wedding isn't suitable. It'll be a great summer dress but I think it's a bit too casual. Instead I decided to make a dress out of the newest issue of CUT magazine... it was a top but I adjusted the pattern a little. I couldn't find fabric that I liked so I dyed some natural cotton that I had lying around.

Ignore the slip action in the last photo and the fact that I look downright sad. I ended up buying a new one yesterday at good ol' American Apparel. But am still undecided as to whether or not I should wear the belt or go free and flowing. Also M. is giving me an experimental haircut tonight... my hairdresser has been in the process of setting up his own shop and I have to wait until possibly the end of June for an appointment. Waaaa.

In news from last week, M. screened a film on Wednesday, The Face of Another, a 1966 Japanese film. I would highly recommend it. We were invited by Henrik and Brooke to a yummy home cooked, made from scratch spaetzle dinner on Thursday. Mmmmmm. I somehow talked everyone into playing Tabu (in German). And on Friday we were invited to another dinner at my friend Gigi's! She made fresh pasta by hand! We've been spoiled.

I'm heading out the door to see the Olafur Eliasson show at Martin Gropius Bau. And will also try to see Modern Times at the New National Gallery.

Happy Sunday.

Oh beautiful day.

2010-05-05T13:00:00.002+02:00

It's a lovely sunny day in Berlin. No sign of volcano ash anywhere... or clouds for that matter. I've been working hard this week getting ready for Trendmafia on Saturday. I've been bogged down working on some projects just for myself though and have not made that much progress for the market. Plus it makes it hard to stay inside when it's so nice outside.

I have time for a quick break this afternoon and will be joining teams of others to go and hang out in the sun somewhere... maybe get some sewing done, before heading back to work. Yesterday I baked some cookies to go with our coffee for an afternoon break. They're from my Grandma's special recipe.

Here's a sneak peak of the dress that I'm working on right now. I found the buttons at Paul Knopf... a gem in the middle of Berlin, he sells an amazing selection of vintage buttons. I could waste hours there.

Happy Wednesday.

Etsy Germany Streetteam May Giveaway!

2010-05-03T15:41:00.007+02:00

The Etsy Germany Streetteam, a group of Etsy sellers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria have decided to hold Monthly Giveaways to showcase and spread the word about the amazing work that is coming out of Germany!

This month’s Giveaway is sponsored by Regine of Karla A. She spins and dyes her own beautiful high quality wool out of natural and mainly organic yarns and plant dyes or other natural organic dyes. Karla A. will be giving away five $10 Gift Certificates for her shop. One gift certificate will be given away each Monday so everyone has five chances to win!

It’s easy to enter, just visit Karla A and leave a comment on our facebook fanpage (under the giveaway post) telling us which of her products you would love to get your hands on!

Happy Monday!

Shoes, oh how I love thee.

2010-04-29T22:15:00.013+02:00

Since the weather is getting warmer I've been in a bit of a shopping mood. Last week I managed to buy a new pair of sandals to update my wardrobe. I think that I spent too much money on them but am convinced that I will have them for years to come. Actually I often spend what most would consider to be "too much money" on shoes. I think it is important to invest in quality objects in this area, plus I am the queen of taking care of my shoes and still have a few pairs that I bought at the end of the 90's... and wear regularly.

So here is a photo list of all of my summery summer shoes purchased over the years. I'm wondering if most people update their seasonal shoe wardrobe yearly or keep old favourites throughout the years. I guess I do a bit of both.

Pantanetti for Ricardo Cartillone (bought in 2010)

APC (bought in 2008)

APC (bought in 2009)

Birkenstock (bought in 2002)

Camper (bought in 2009)

Tonight I'm heading out to see Wooden Veil play a show at Kim and Gallery Weekend Berlin kicks off today. Nothing better than 40 openings in one weekend!

Sandra Juto had a cute post yesterday that really brightened my day.

Happy Friday.

Back at it. I think.

2010-04-29T17:01:00.006+02:00

Ach! Many apologies for my long long long absence. Things were pretty crazy around our place for the past couple of weeks. We had a visitor for a couple of weeks and then our place was bombarded by poor stranded air travel passengers that needed a floor to sleep on. My schedule is getting busier, the sun is staying in the sky longer and all of this has contributed to me playing catch-up for the past three weeks. Oh and last weekend I went to visit some lovely friends in Karlsruhe.

So here's to a short and sweet update! The weather has been beautiful in Berlin... just like summertime. Last weekend in Karlsruhe I ended up going to the media museum ZKM to see an exhibition of symmetrical art from Hungary. ZKM had such a vast array of interactive pieces on view. There was so much that I only got around to seeing about half of what was actually there. We also spent a day in Baden-Baden where I experienced playing Roulette at a casino for the first time, and even won a pretty penny to take home! The casino was quite beautiful and reminded me of something out of the past. Afterwards we spent a couple of hours in a thermal bath (with saunas) nearby. I have since then made a vow to treat myself to a thermal bath once a month. We took a hike to check out some castle ruins and even spent some time in Cafe Brenner, an old school cafe with doily table cloths that has been around since 1896.

There are a couple of things in Berlin that I plan on checking out soon, namely the Olafur Eliasson exhibition at Martin Gropius Bau, Modern Times at New National Gallery and Gallery Weekend Berlin which is this weekend.

Plus... we're off to a wedding in Switzerland in May and I've been in the process of making a dress for it. I need little challenges like this to get some regular sewing in. Stay tuned for some photos in the next weeks. I'm in the process of making my demo dress out of some old Virginia Johnson fabric that I bought on sale a couple of years ago in Toronto. Oh how I love that little shop.

Happy Thursday.

Music and other great things.

2010-04-13T19:34:00.004+02:00

No Kids is playing with Mount Eerie in Berlin tonight at Festsaal Kreuzberg. If you're in the city you should check it out. I'm really looking forward to this show tonight, so much so that it almost feels like a Friday night. Alas, we still have the rest of the week to get through.

Here is a mish mash of photos to represent my mish mash weekend.

Graffiti to end all graffiti, in Weißensee, Berlin.

Water, it's everywhere in Hamburg.

I'm a sucker for old fashioned signage. In Hamburg.

I'm also a sucker for strange things... this is ice cream shaped into a hamburger and fries. Yes... I know.

Happy Tuesday.

Surprises.

2010-04-11T12:11:00.006+02:00

Yeah for surprises in the mail. Yesterday a lovely little package from my friend Gemma arrived. She's been experimenting with embroidery lately and has had a love for jewelery making for years, and has recently decided to combine the two. I was so excited to see this beautifully embroidered necklace when I opened up the package! Thanks Gemma I don't ever want to take it off!

In other news we went to see A Single Man last night. It completely swept me away into another world. What a beautiful film.

Happy Sunday.

Anu Tuominen.

2010-04-06T22:06:00.005+02:00

I came across Anu Tuominen at Sautter + Lackmann in Hamburg last year. I love the simplicity of her work. I can't believe how beautiful that string of beads made out of shaved pencil bits is.

If you're in Hamburg I would definitely pay a visit to this amazing bookstore. It focuses on art books and has an amazing selection. Give yourself an hour or two!

Happy Tuesday.

Catching up.

2010-04-05T11:56:00.007+02:00

Walking around Feldkirch, Austria.

Schattenburg Castle in Feldkirch, Austria.

In Malbun, Liechtenstein.

The Liechtenstien Parliament Building.

Sorry for the long silence. Our lovely friend Niki has been visiting from Canada, so it has been hard for me to even look at the computer. Plus I've been working extra hours... and we just got back from an Easter weekend getaway in Liechtenstein where we hopped over to Feldkirch in Austria for a slight change of scenery. Feldkirch is quite beautiful but my favourite part of our adventure there was eating dinner in the Schattenburg castle which was built in the 1200's. We also spent an afternoon in Malbun, Liechtenstein eating cake and taking in the scenery. Oh that cake. I probably put on 10 lbs this weekend alone.

There are lots of exhibitions on my wishlist this week... like the Mark Brandenburg show at CFA, and the Carl Blechen show at the Alte National Gallerie. I would also like to get to the Bauhaus archive to see the exhibition on japanese design.

Last week I saw Berlin. Symphony of a Great City at Arsenal about Berlin before the second world war. It was pretty amazing seeing the city in the late 1920's untouched in all of its glory. The best part was the live piano accompaniment.

Happy Monday.

Etsy Euro Week Giveaway winner!

2010-03-27T14:55:00.006+01:00

As I said in my last post, I am super overwhelmed by the number of people that entered my giveaway. I thought that there would maybe be a maximum of 10 entrants. I'm pleased to announce Melissa as the winner! Congratulations! I'll get in touch with you for your shipping details. This was a lot of fun. I want to thank everyone for entering, I wish I could give something away to everyone. I feel sad that I only get to pick one person. Check back occasionally because I'll be sure to have more giveaways in the future!

We're off to see Magnetic Fields tonight at Babylon Mitte. I'm really looking forward to it and am sad to say that up until this point in my life I've yet to see Stephen Merritt perform live. It's an early show which I'm happy about because we were out late last night for our friend Dave's bowling birthday party!

I have to say that I'm finally getting used to hanging out in smokey bars again. If you're from Canada (and perhaps other countries with strict non-smoking by-laws) you'll understand what I mean. After a few games of bowling we ended up at Mama in Kreuzkölln, which had a pleasant atmosphere. I even got a beer foam tutorial.

Happy Saturday.

Weaving weaving...

2010-03-26T10:05:00.007+01:00

Wow. I'm blown away by the response I've received for my Etsy Euro Week giveaway. It makes it a little more exciting to be able to use that random number machine tomorrow.

communally woven blankets, Travis Meinolf's work from the Vancouver Art Gallery, via Lena Corwin, via banquet.

I've been super interested in getting into weaving for the past couple of years and sadly the closest I've come is darning my socks. I've been looking into Travis Meinolf's work and have even ordered one of his Mini Laser Looms to try my hand at weaving. I'm super pleased that he lives in Berlin and hope that he puts on another workshop in the near future so that I can attend! I missed the workshop he did a few months ago.

Happy Friday.

It's Euro Week on Etsy! Giveaway time!

2010-03-21T12:55:00.002+01:00

To celebrate Euro week on Etsy I'm doing my very first giveaway ever. Hopefully someone out there is interested! I'm giving away the Sampson Scarf pictured above. To enter just leave a comment below and at the end of the week, Saturday to be exact, I'll pick a number with the help of a magical random number machine!

Happy Sunday.

Squishy love.

2010-03-19T10:58:00.005+01:00

Our friends received our package of goodies last week so I can finally post them here. They were so fun to make... I especially love the glasses and have to say that I am proud of myself for pulling them off. You can see these little squishy things in action here. I'm going to be selling them at an upcoming market in Berlin to see what the reception is like... maybe I'll be adding them to my shops soon.

A long lost friend of ours is coming to stay with us for the weekend, with his band No Kids. They are starting off a European tour with Mount Eerie and will be playing in a city near you. If you haven't been exposed to them yet I highly suggest you check them out. Let the fun begin.

Happy Friday. The weekend is here!

Update.

2010-03-15T14:31:00.003+01:00

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I finally updated my shops. I'm trying to get into the swing of making things regularly again. You can check out my shops on Dawanda, and Etsy. Oh and Fey Handmade is carrying a couple of my items.

Treasures galore.

2010-03-15T14:06:00.006+01:00

Sorry for the even longer than usual absence in posting. Last week was jam packed and I needed the weekend to get some stuff done and recover. Whew.

Last week I bought this fun piece of art from Tania. I love love love it, but haven't decided where it'll go in our apartment. Plus she surprised me with this cute rain drop stuffy broach. Thank you, thank you!
We met up last week and she took me to a nice Café in Friedrichshain where you can buy second hand books for 1 Euro each. I don't think all the books are 1 Euro but it's worth checking out. I picked up a bunch of books that were published in the German Democratic Republic.

I just can't get over how funny that hamster picture is. One of the books had had an elastic stuck between the pages for who knows how long... I love finding these things.

I also met up with our friends Leanne and Derek and they gave us some sweet presents that were intended for Christmas. Yes that is how little I see some of our friends here. Sniff. More books! Yeah!

Happy Monday.

homebody.

2010-03-08T17:45:00.007+01:00

This weekend I was a major homebody. My activities mainly consisted of sewing and enjoying the sunshiny days from the warmth of our apartment.

On Sunday evening I made my first homemade pierogi's ever. With the help of friends of course. When I was a kid I used to help my Grandma make them and asked her for her recipe 2 or 3 years ago. It took me until now to get my hands dirty. I couldn't believe how easy they were to make... and so delicious!

I wish that I had some nicer photos but I never think of it when I'm in the middle of such a big undertaking. Oh well.

Happy Monday.