Dinner For One

When I first moved to Germany over three years ago, the one thing that was really surprising to me was the overwhelming presence of the English language in the culture. I would see signs everywhere written in what I call "Denglish" (Deutsch/English) and I could not believe how many songs were on the radio that I had just heard having left the States. I consider myself quite lucky that so many Germans are fluent in English, although the majority immediately apologize for their "bad English" when most really have no need to.But one such "English" tradition that has worked it's way into the hearts of the Germans as a New Year's Eve staple is a funny little British production from 1963 that is run...

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White

For me having grown up in the mountains of West Virginia, nothing defined Christmas more to me than a thick, white blanket covering the ground to announce the winter holiday. The song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" could not define my feelings more perfectly. I love the silence and the stillness that seems to accompany the pure, sparkling flakes and to soak in that moment that one experiences, when things are so quiet that you can literally hear each one fall. I have so many childhood memories of sleigh riding, snow ball fights, and angels in the snow... This season we awoke to such a powdery delight... I felt that same childlike gasp of wonderment escape my lips as I pulled the curtains...

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One Thing off the List...

Somehow it seems no matter how hard I try to keep Christmas simple, I always end up with too many things on my list to keep me busier than I had planned. This year I am proud to say that the majority of the Christmas presents that I am giving I either made or purchased handmade... which put the time crunch on me in the first place. It feels really good to me to support others who are in the "handcrafting business"... almost as if they are colleagues of mine. One quick little project that I finished for my niece was to add a little "umph" to an outfit that we purchased at H&M.... A sweet pink shirt with an added ruffle and decorative stitching paired up perfectly with a fun matching ribbon...

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First Frost

It was really cold today... cold enough to put on that extra layer. It seems as if the weather has finally shifted from a mild gray to cold and crisp, which I much prefer. This past week we had our first frost and I have always been fascinated with the transition into a white, pure, sparkling, and deep cold.What is it about being able to see water up so close... to really be able to examine it in a completely different form, somehow capturing it's purity in a crystallized and unique fo...

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A Thankful Heart

So last Friday morning, before our "at home party", one would think that relaxing or last minute preparations would be on the list... but not at our home. I was already up early that morning preparing for the following day for our third annual "Thanksgiving in Germany" meal. We have several friends that lived in the States for some time and came to know and love that wonderful "day of eating", so we decided to carry on the tradition... that and my friend "C" really loves to cook. (she worked at a cooking magazine here in Germany writing recipes before the kiddies came along, so you know it was yum-deli-icious!)I guess I have come to miss some of the conveniences and products that are offered...

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Busy as a Bee

I'm sure everyone has those weeks where you feel like as soon as you finish one task, you have to quickly move onto the next task, knowing that there are even more tasks on the "things to do" list as soon as you finish that one... that was my week last week. Many of my preparations were for a joint effort between Anja and I for an "at home party" featuring handmade items made with American patchwork fabric. What I really like about doing a "show" in a home is that the atmosphere seems to be more personal, friendly, and cozy than a public event... you get more of a chance to really have a relaxed kind of interaction with people. Anja had organized a variety of other artists to participate in...

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Ausstellung in Hamburg

Anja Steinhaus ist eine Künstlerin aus Hamburg, die in diesem Winter zum ersten Mal zu einer Hausausstellung einlädt. Wir freuen uns sehr, an dieser Veranstaltung teilnehmen zu dürfen und werden eine feine Auswahl unserer Handtaschenkollektion, unseres Schmucks, sowie unserer modischen Accessoires ausstellen.Herzliche Einladung, am 04.12.2009, ab 16:00 Uhr im Klöpperstieg 7, 22359 Hamburg-Volksdorf.Den Einladungsflyer können Sie hier herunterladen.Our last "market" for the year... really more of a "Purse Party" at the home Anja Steinhaus in Hamburg. You may remeber her from he...

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Featured Projects

Last year we did a Christmas market in a beautiful old estate castle. The grounds were beautifully decorated with a warmth and coziness that just put one in the Christmas mood. It was there that I met Beate... the first person to ever comment on on my blog! Quite the talented lady, Beate is constantly sharing creative sewing projects and ideas from purses and holiday decorating to beautiful garden and floral arrangements on her blog. One such purse that she posted about she used fabric from this week's featured designer and I love the soft yellow palette combination... just the right bag for shopping, don't you think?Be sure to check out Beate's Dawanda shop with all kinds of goodies... perfect...

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Quilt Market Sale - Final Week

Well, we made it to the final week of the Quilt Market Sale and I couldn't be more excited about this week's featured fabric designer. I have ranted and raved about Joel Dewberry before, but when looking at all of his collections as a whole, I am super impressed with the consistency of his work, which is not always the case for every designer. Nature and garden settings often seem to be the inspiration for much of Joel's work and I love how each collection has it's own personality. Aviary, is the collection that I first fell in love with from Joel Dewberry. It might have something to do with my love of bird-watching with a hot cup of tea at the breakfast table.Inspired by the Tuscan countryside,...

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A Day Late, and A Dollar Short

I started a post yesterday wanting to express something life realizing or communicate the importance of being thankful in the tradition of Thanksgiving, and what the holiday means to an American, but as you may have noticed, I fell quite short. In my rambling I realized that perhaps writing about being thankful when I am already so emotional from pregnancy hormones, missing my family and the simple things of the life that I once knew, not to mention the soup catastrophe that had brought me to tears earlier (brings the phrase to mind, "don't cry over spilled milk"), that maybe I should just leave the post in the drafts section. Sometimes there is a bittersweet thankfulness that one finds in the...

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Quilt Market Sale - Week 4

Wheh!... we made it! We just got back from our weekend show in Verden, which is why I am a little late with this week's post. Hauling displays and shelving, tables, and boxes filled with purses and jewelry is lots of work, but somehow seems doubled when one is "under the weather" with a cold and pregnant at the same time. I was excited to see a lady walking around in a skirt made with Jane Sassaman fabric, and immediately figured out that she was a customer of ours... it looked so great!It's nice to be home to recover and I am ready to settle in for a few holiday projects before Christmas is here... that's right folks, we only have a month to go! So if you are planning to get creative for...

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Geschafft!

There must have been several of you that had your fingers crossed since this post. In case you may have missed it, or have just started popping in, we are expecting our first child in March. Wanting to sew many things for the baby's room, I feel like it is kind of important to know what we are having. But since we don't know that, for me it makes no sense to decorate the baby's room in yellow or green, only to trade it in a year or so later for blues and tractors or pinks and flowers... what is the point? That is why we are waiting until the "baby cookie" (our nickname) is here and then add the "personality" to the room. We'll have the crib and the changing table and everything else that one...

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Featured Projects

I had mentioned the shop from Simone some time back, but am finding that every time I visit her site that I am totally impressed with all the new creations that she has whipped up. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, the trained tailor and manufacturing director for a fashion company, finds that she needs an outlet for her creativity. Simone offers a wide range of accessories in her Dawanda shop from sweet change purses, cosmetic bags, makeup bags, to self made cards and even camera straps.For all you photographers out there that are tired of the boring black camera straps that accompany your top quality camera, why not spice it up a bit?Simone uses several fabrics from Tula Pink's Neptune collection,...

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