May I Introduce You To...

...my friend "Pippa", or should we just say, a friend of a friend. This "mini" dress was so much fun to do as a Christmas present for my niece and I think she really liked the new outfit for her favorite doll. It was quite enjoyable to make something so small and cute.Keep checking back for the upcoming matching dress that is planned for this summer. To be continued....

Read More

Christmas Musings Part II

My second musings for the season are more about the of the way of life in Germany, rather than my previous ramblings of contrasting the numerous traditional differences. This year on Christmas day we slept in and and began our day with a huge spread of food on the table for brunch. My mother in law had lovingly thought ahead and had purchased bacon and sausage to supply a few "home comforts" for me. After breakfast the whole family spent a few lazy hours on the sofa until we just couldn't take it anymore. Then the much anticipated phrase came rolling out of someone's mouth..".wir brauchen ein bisschen frische luft" (we need a little fresh air) So we all piled on as many clothes as we could...

Read More

Christmas Musings Part I

To say that Germans think differently than Americans, I would have to say is the understatement of the year. Or is it actually the other way around that Americans think differently than Germans? Whichever way it is, I should probably leave it as just the understatement of the week to allow myself the future freedom to again state the obvious. This season's musings are derived from such experiences from my second Christmas in Germany. The holiday started off with the whole family gathered at the home of my parents in-laws in a small little village out in the countryside. We began "Heilig Abend" (Christmas Eve) singing Christmas carols at the Rehab center, dressed in our holiday best. It has...

Read More

Frohe Weihnachten...

which means...."Merry Christmas" in German. May it be a warm and wonderful time with family and friends, filled with laughter, relaxation, and reflection, enjoying the greatest season of the whole ye...

Read More

How Could I Forget...

Every fashionable girl knows the importance of accessorizing... so here is a matching necklace, one for my niece and one for her "Pip...

Read More

Shhhh...It's a Secret.

Just a quick peek at my proudest accomplishment for a Christmas present this year...My two year old niece in Germany has a sweet little doll named "Pippa", complete with yarn hair, that is in desperate need of new clothing. She seems to think that her current wardrobe is simply out of fashion. Now, how could I refuse a request like that?What better way to chic up a project than with fabulous fabric from the ever talented fabric designer Amy Butler. This fabric is incredible! Amy has a way of combining colors and her designs are so strong. I used fabric from her new Midwest Modern collection (which you can find here...more patterns to come soon)I added a sweet little accent flower in a coordinating...

Read More

It's Never Too Late To Be Thankful

For an American to make the transition from what I would consider to be a somewhat "tradition-less" country to a country overflowing with traditions, there is one American tradition that I just don't want to let go of...Thanksgiving. I would almost have to say that this is one of the only American traditions that is celebrated nation-wide in almost the same manner. Everyone usually gathers with their family to eat the single best meal of the year with the most harmonic blend of flavors and tastes that has ever been invented. (turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the always tasty and most-anticipated...pumpkin pie!)Really the idea was not even my own to do a Thanksgiving meal...

Read More

To The Core...

Recently I've been talking about several of the traditions that I have been enjoying about Germany over the past two years, and now I wanted to share one of the most well known (besides Oktoberfest, which is mostly regional to Southern Germany) This one has to be my favorite....the Christmas markets! As I've shared before, we have taken part in two Christmas markets, but these were more Kunsthandwerk Märkte (Handcraft markets) rather than the general markets that are found in just about every city and many smaller villages throughout Germany.As has been our standard tradition for the last three years, we met up with friend of ours at the Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)For the average...

Read More

Gut Basthorst Christmas Market

We just finished our second Christmas market at Gut Basthorst this weekend, and I simply must say...boy, was that a lot of work! It is almost like setting up a whole entire store that stays up for the weekend, and then you have to pack it up and drag it back home again.We had great neighbor exhibitors, which really makes a big difference. I can remember doing shows with my dad and it was great to visit with other artists, hear all their entertaining and sometimes far fetched stories, and of course get lots of tips and advice for other shows.Its not hard to tell that I love color...I think I always have. I have always been attracted to strong patterns and interesting textures. My old roommate...

Read More

The Ghost of Christmas Past

This will be the first time in 34 years that I have not been home for Christmas. So far it just hasn't seemed like Christmas time to me. I see all the decorations, hear the familiar songs, (yes, even in Germany) and am surrounded by the things that should evoke memories of Christmas past, but they just don't seem to fit with Christmas present.One thing could be that we haven't even put up our Christmas tree. Now I am not the kind to put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving (this is the last Thursday in November for those non-Americans), but normally the middle of December I start getting in the mood. Last year I made my mom wait until just a few days before Christmas because I wanted to put...

Read More

Dinner Conversations

I guess this evening's dinner conversation with my mother-in law ended up sparking the idea for tonight's post. I was trying to explain to my mother-in-law about someone I had met recently that I thought was just "cute as a button". I guess it is something that we say often in English, but it just doesn't seem to translate quite the same into German. I´ve always loved buttons, but I cannot really say why. I remember when I was a kid I would rummage through my mom's vintage button box which held some of the most fun and fantastic buttons I have ever seen.Last year I went to the Wolle & Handarbeit Messe in Hamburg (wool & handcraft fair) It was delicious! I saw so many great things that...

Read More

Werkstatt der Engel (Workshop of the Angels)

So we just finished our first Christmas market for this year, and I have to say....who would have thought that one day I would be making and designing my own purses, doing Christmas markets in quaint, historic old castles, and explaining what I do in a foreign language? Well, I certainly never would have. But nevertheless...here I am.Christmas markets in Germany are just the best! There is nothing like having a hot glass of spiced wine in the fresh open air with friends and enjoying the excitement of the season. That is one thing that I love about this country...it is so drenched in traditions.I always loved doing art shows with my Dad. It was lots of work, but it's always fun to "people watch"...

Read More